Wally Wang's Apple Farm “Internet Scams” by Wally Wang

Recovering Data on a Macintosh by Wally Wang

No matter how experienced you may be using computers, there's a good chance you'll lose an important file by deleting it by mistake or having an accident wipe it out. The safest way to protect yourself is to back up all your data automatically, such as using an external hard disk and Apple's built-in Time Machine backup program. The second safest way to protect yourself is to use a data-recovery program like the $99 Stellar Phoenix.

Stellar Phoenix makes it easy for novices and experienced users to find and recover deleted files through a simple user interface.


















The Stellar Phoenix user interface makes it easy for anyone to recover a deleted file.


After a lengthy scanning process (depending on the size of your hard drive), Stellar Phoenix provides a list of file types it found. That way if you're looking for a deleted Word file (.doc), you don't waste time scrolling through a list of previously deleted MP3 or PDF files.



















Stellar Phoenix helps you find deleted files organized by file type.


One particularly nice feature is the program's ability to recover deleted files from an iPod. If you accidentally delete a song or music video, just connect your iPod to your Macintosh and use Stellar Phoenix to retrieve the missing file. If you have a digital camera that uses a flash card like a Secure Digital or Compact Flash card, Stellar Phoenix can recover any photos you may have accidentally deleted too.


















Stellar Phoenix can recover deleted iPod files.


Stellar Phoenix is the type of program that most people never think about until they really need it. Fortunately, you can buy and download a copy when you do need it, or just buy a copy ahead of time for added insurance. With regular backups through Time Machine, you can prevent disasters from occurring through accidentally deleted files, but for absolute protection against deleting files by mistake, you can rely on Stellar Phoenix to rescue your files and save the day.

Resource : http://webserver.computoredge.com/online.mvc?zone=TL

Mac Machine Halts At Login Screen

Sometimes, when you try to boot your Mac OS X system, it behaves abnormally. The reason for the abnormal behavior of the system in most cases revolves around corruption in file system (HFS, HFS+, or HFS Wrapper). Few common reasons liable for file system corruption are improper system shutdown, virus attack, kernel panic, and more. To overcome any file system corruption issue, irrespective of the cause of logical crash, a Mac user can execute FSCK command.

While the command is competent enough to resolve file system corruption issues in most cases, it might fail to resolve in most cases. In such situations, the only option left for the Mac user to get rid of file system corruption is by re-installing Mac OS X and restoring the data from an updated backup. However, if in case of insufficient backup file data, the user can opt for a third-party Mac Data Recovery application.

You might encounter any of the three startup issues at the startup of your Mac OS X system:

• Your system starts and displays the below error message on the text-only environment:

“file system dirty, run fsck.”

• Your system does not load the 'Desktop' after you login the administrator user name and password.

• Your system does not reach the login screen.

The result for all the above situations remains the same – unbootability of Mac OS X and inaccessibility of all the files saved on the Mac hard drive.

Cause:

All the above problems startup when the file system gets corrupted or damaged.

Resolution:

To get past the startup issues caused due to above reason, you will need to follow the below steps:

1. Try to boot your Mac OS X machine in 'Safe mode'.

2. Use 'Disk Utility' option after inserting the installation disc.

3. In case both the above measures fall short in resolving file system corruption, then run '/sbin/fsck -fy' command.

4. However, if the FSCK command also fails, then you will need to format the hard drive and reinstall new file system.

Although, re-installation allows you to get rid of the above file system corruption issues, it also results in making all the previously saved files in the hard drive inaccessible. To access those files, in case of no backup availability, you will need to opt for an effective Data Recovery for Mac utility. A commercial Mac File Recovery tool incorporates effective recovery tools to recover all formatted files.

When Using Safe Mode Mac System Goes Down

Mac OS X users usually know that it offer a special troubleshooting mode called Safe Mode in which system can be started up. Starting Mac OS X in Safe Mode compels directory check, disables fonts, loads only necessary kernel extensions, disables login and startup items and performs other such functions which help resolving system issues.

An automated check and repair happens when we start system in Safe Mode. If Safe Mode fails to solve the system issue, we may need to reinstall operating system. So data must be backed up. If backup fails, Mac Data Recovery will be required. Sometimes, it is observed that when user starts the system in Safe Mode, it may not behave as expected.

The computer may shut down with a gray screen and Apple logo. This specifically happens in Mac OS X 10.4 and later versions when system fails to repair the intended issues of hard disk. This is to protect against data loss which can occur due to further damage. However, we can deploy other alternatives to solve the system issues:

We can use Mac OS X installation disc to use Disk Utility so as to repair the drive. A third party disk utility can also be used for disk repairing purpose. It is recommended to check for version compatibility with Mac OS X to avoid further issues. Last alternative could be reinstalling the operating system using Erase and Install method.

As this process deletes all the data from hard drive, so it is must to backup data so as to restore it later. Backup failure creates Mac Recovery needs. Data Recovery Mac will be required if backup fails to offer complete required files or due to any cause, media gets damaged. Mac Recovery is accomplishable through specific applications which are designed to use powerful scanning algorithms and recover lost data.

Data Recovery Mac software have interactive interface and safely restore the lost information. Macintosh Data Recovery is excellent Mac Data Recovery software to retrieve lost data and safely restore it. The application can be used for Mac Recovery for HFS, HFS+, HFSX, HFS Wrapper and FAT file systems.

Interactive interface and quality data restoration procedure make this Data Recovery Mac software best. This universal binary application can be used with Mac OS X 10.3.9 and latest version including Mac 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

Mac File Recovery Can Recover Mac OS X Home Folder

Have you deleted your user account on Mac OS X hard drive and then realized that there were some critical files on your home folder? This behavior removes all the files from home directory from your computer hard drive and causes serious file loss situations. In such situations, you need to have an absolute backup of your valuable data to restore the lost data. However, if the backup is either incomplete or not available at all, Mac Data Recovery is the only way to go for.

The home folder is created automatically when you create a new user account on Mac. It resides in Users folder at root of your Mac OS X hard drive. Every user gets separate disk space on the hard drive to store personal data.

You can try out the below steps to sort out this problem of home folder deletion:

• Select System Preferences from Apple menu.

• Click Accounts tab.

• Create an administrator account- choose 'Allow user to administer this computer' check box. You can use same short name as of the previous user account if you want. The account essentially replaces previous account.

• Log out of your Mac OS X account, and then log back into the account as a new user.

• Go to the Deleted Users folder, double click 'deleted_user.dmg file for mounting the Mac disk image on desktop. Here deleted_user is name of the user whose account is deleted. If your home folder is protected by the FileVault, you are required to enter password of the previous account to proceed. You should turn off the FileVault protection before deleting a user account in Mac OS X to avoid such situations.

• If you want to recover only selected files, just drag the files on your Mac OS X desktop. If you wish to resurrect your deleted user account, copy all data from the disk image to same locations in Home folder.

In case if the above method does not work, you lose your precious files from home folder and need to recover Mac OS X home folder using third-party Mac File Recovery Software. The applications are particularly designed to scant the hard drive and perform absolute Data Recovery Mac in all cases of data loss. Mac Data Recovery with these applications is quite safe and easy, as they have read-only conduct and interactive user interface.

Stellar Phoenix Macintosh Data Recovery software recovers lost, missing, or inaccessible data from Mac OS X hard drive in all data loss scenarios. The software works well with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, 10.5 Leopard, 10.4 Tiger, and 10.3.9 Panther. It recovers lost Mac data from HFS, HFS+, HFSX, HFS Wrapper, and FAT file system volumes.

Data Loss Due to Installing & Uninstalling Mac OS X Packages

Mac OS X packages are nothing but folders possessing data files for applications, which help them to run .Apple offers variety of packages which allow users to store files and perform a range of functions. These folders open as application as we double-click them in Finder. In order to install the package, we just drag the package in Applications folder and use it. However in order to uninstall it, the followed procedure is dragging it into Trash and empty it.

Due to package’s self-contained nature, all related files get deleted in this way.
Applications have some preference files that stores specific application settings. But, uninstalling the packages doesn’t remove the preference files that stores specific application’s settings. If these are corrupt, we may need to reinstall Mac OS X or delete the files manually.

We know that data backup is must to be taken. It is recommended to check the backup or else Mac Data Recovery will be required, later. Operating system reinstallation can also be required if user fails to uninstall any subcomponent of Mac OS X packages. In such cases, operating system is reinstalled using Erase and Install method and thus whole of the hard drive is formatted. We can select the required components at the time of reinstalling

Also, it is recommended to carry out a complete data backup. However, if data backup is not complete or backup media fails due to any cause, Mac Recovery applications can be used. Mac Data Recovery software are specific applications using powerful scanning algorithms which examine the drive and extract out lost information.

Using Data Recovery Mac software, we get interactive interface and safe data restoration options. Mac Recovery utilities safely deal with file system components and Mac OS X. Macintosh Data Recovery is the safest and most powerful Data Recovery Mac software using influential scanning algorithms.

The application is compatible with HFS, HFS+, HFSX, HFS Wrapper and FAT file systems. We can use this Mac Data Recovery software for Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above including Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard). This Mac Recovery software is universal binary and hence can be used with any computer processor, be it Intel or PowerPC

Can’t Install Mac OS X on Disks with Non-native Partition Scheme

Intel-based and Power PC-based Macs are compatible with different partitioning schemes, which create several issues. Where Intel-based Macs allow installing Mac OS X on hard disks partitioned with GUID scheme, on Power PC-based Macs, this can only be installed on disks using Apple Partitioning Scheme.

If user attempts to install Mac OS X on hard disk or its volume with non-native partition scheme as per the system’s processor type, an error message may prompt:

“You cannot install Mac OS X on this volume. Mac OS X cannot start up from this volume.”

The error is specific when the hard drive is connected to Intel-based Mac. Though installer refers to only volume, yet entire hard disk is to be set according to desired partitioning scheme. Thus, erasing the volume doesn’t resolve the issue and we need to repartition the hard disk so to match it with the native scheme of Intel or PPC Mac.

But, the process will delete all data and hence it is required to backup all important information. In case, backup media fails or doesn’t give relevant data upon restoration, we can use Mac File Recovery products and extract lost data.

We can make use of Disk Utility and repartition the hard disk by selecting the processor compatible partitioning scheme. The process will divide the hard drive in two or more volumes, from which one can be chosen to install Mac OS X.

Mac Data Recovery

Mac Recovery can be required if backup media proves incapable to restore lost data. Data Recovery Mac software use powerful, yet safe, scanning algorithms and help extracting lost data. The applications are designed taking ease of use in account. So user can easily use these Mac Data Recovery software and recover lost information.

Stellar Phoenix Macintosh Data Recovery is a graphically rich Data Recovery Mac software which is compatible with HFS, HFS+, HFSX, HFS Wrapper and FAT file systems. This universal binary Mac Data Recovery application can also recover lost data from Lacie hard drives and iPods.

We can use this Mac Recovery software with Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above including Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

Unable to Repair Mac Disk Using Disk Utility Program

In Mac OS X disk utility is a tool which helps to correct disk errors and repair system file permissions and minor inconsistencies in disk or volume directory structure and hence help avoiding Mac Data Recovery requirements. But sometimes, the tool may fail to verify or repair the disk with following error:” The underlying task reported failure” Upon viewing Disk Utility log, we get a -9972 error code.

This signifies that corrupt disk or volume structure can’t be verified and corrected using Disk Utility. However, if error is being encountered on Mac OS X 10.4.6 which has Adobe Photoshop CS2 or Adobe Illustrator CS2 installed, the issue can be corresponding files which create problems in Disk Utility process. These files need to be removed. In case, problematic Adobe files are not an issue, alternatively we can try the following options to correct the disk or volume errors:

fsck can be used that can correct most of the disk issues. The command must be run in single user mode or system can be started from different volume.

A third party disk utility can also be used to repair corruption. But, we need to backup all data first to avoid data loss due to conflicts.

As last resort, we can carry out clean reinstallation of Mac OS X using Erase and Install through installation disc. Using the option, all data gets erased and a fresh copy of operating system is installed on system. So, it is recommended to backup all data to avoid further Mac Recovery needs. Data Recovery Mac can be required if storage media faces any issues or data comes out to be incomplete due to interruptions while backing up data.

In order to accomplish Mac Recovery needs in such cases, Mac File Recovery software have been designed which can extract lost or deleted files in any data loss case. Data Recovery Software provide rich graphical interface and so are easy to use. Also, they don’t harm data due to read-only interface. Macintosh Data Recovery uses powerful scanning algorithms to recover lost data and then safely restore it.

This Mac Data Recovery software is compatible with Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above including Mac OS X 10.6(Snow Leopard). Using Phoenix Mac Recovery, we can also recover data from formatted or corrupted hard drives.

Time Machine Backup Incomplete on External hard Drive and Data Loss in Mac

Time Machine is in-build application provided by Apple to backup data from time to time.. The tool can carry out incremental backups of files on internal as well as external hard drives and hence helps avoiding Mac Data Recovery needs. In order to backup data to external hard drive, it is required that hard drive must be formatted with HFS+ file system with journaling enabled.

However, if the hard drive uses MBR (Master Boot Record) partition type, issues may occur. External hard drives, using MBR partition type, don’t support data more than 10 GB with Mac backup utility. So, if Time Machine is being used to backup data on such hard drives, the process may stop after 10 GB. If data gets lost after the external hard drive has stopped backing up data, then it can’t be used to extract lost information.

In such cases, we will have to use Mac Recovery applications. In order to make external hard drive to correctly backup data, we need to change partition type of drive as Time Machine compatible and hence format it. It is required to backup all the important data on some different location. However, if data gets lost from Mac system and backup is incomplete or issue occurs with the backup media

We can use Data Recovery Mac software. We can use Disk Utility to change the partition type of disk. We need to specify the desired number of partitions and select new partition scheme, which should be Apple Partition Map for PowerPC Mac and GUID scheme for Intel Mac. After this, we can set the disk again in Time Machine preferences to backup data.If the external backup media faces some issues or backup comes out to be incomplete, Mac Data Recovery software can be used to extract lost data.

Mac Recovery software are the specialized utilities to scan, locate and recover lost data using powerful algorithms. Macintosh Data Recovery is the best Data Recovery Mac software which uses effective and safe scanning algorithms. It supports HFS, HFS+, HFSX, HFS Wrapper and FAT file systems.

The application offers Mac Data Recovery for all the documents, images, music folders and application files. This universal binary Mac Recovery software can be used for Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above including Mac OS X 10.6.(Snow Leopard).

Mac Error in Target Disk Mode

In Mac OS X Target Disk Mode or TDM is a boot mode for Macintosh computer systems, which allows them to behave like an attached FireWire mass storage device. In this mode, Mac does not load the operating system and the FireWire hard disk is accessible through host system to copy files to and from the corresponding volume.

But the problem arises when user attempts to mount an Intel-based Mac in this mode and fails with an error:
“You have inserted a disk containing no volumes that Mac OS X can read”
The error is generally encountered on Mac systems running Mac OS X 10.3.9 or earlier, through which user can’t mount the volumes from Intel-based Mac in TDM. However, in same Mac OS X versions, if Intel-based Mac is connected and started up in TDM, the volumes will appear as expected.

The error message dialog box comprises of three options: Initialize, Ignore and Eject. So we can click Ignore or Eject. In case, user requires to format the Intel-based Mac volume and use it as a startup volume, while in Target Disk Mode, it is required that the host system should also be Intel-based Mac. In this arrangement, Disk Utility can be used to repartition and format the drive.

In case, the host is PowerPC-based Mac, Disk Utility will format the Intel-based Mac in TDM, but will not start it.Before, formatting the Intel-based Mac volume and making it the startup volume, the data which already exists should be backed up, if important. However, if backup fails, Mac Data Recovery utilities can be used to extract lost information. Mac Recovery applications are the powerful tools which are capable of scanning the affected drive and hence retrieving and then restoring lost data.

Data Recovery Mac software are required to be installed on any healthy Mac system, to which the drive, in question, is attached. Mac Recovery can then be accomplished through easy to understand and self-instructive steps. For best and reliable Data Recovery Mac results, it is best to use Stellar Phoenix Macintosh Data Recovery software.

The software is known for its quality Mac File Recovery scanning abilities and features. This Mac Recovery software is compatible with HFS, HFS+, HFSX and HFS Wrapper file systems. Equipped with interactive interface, this universal binary Data Recovery Mac software can be used with Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above including Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5.x).

Resolving Mac Invalid File Count Error

A Mac OS X volume can get corrupted for multitude of reasons. The first attempt of repairing a corrupted Mac OS X volume should always be to run 'Disk Utility'. But if this fails, you should try other Mac File Recovery solutions such as, running fsck or reinstalling the operating system.

For more clarification, consider the worst scenario when you cannot boot your Mac OS X computer. Neither the normal boot nor the safe mode work and consequently, Mac is completely inaccessible. Thus, you try to fix the problem using 'Disk Utility' from Mac OS X install disc. But to your surprise, the tool doesn't work as expected. An error report is generated and you see errors similar to the ones specified below:

Error Message: Invalid file count (It should be x instead of x+1) AND
Error Message: Invalid volume directory count (It should be x instead of x-1)

Where, 'x' must be replaced by the expected count value.

Cause

The file system of Mac OS X volume is corrupted to an extent that 'Disk Utility' cannot fix it.

Solution

Since 'Disk Utility' has been unable to fix the file system corruption, you need to run force repair by running fsck command from command-line. To do so, follow the steps mentioned underneath:

• Access the command-line by starting the computer in single-user mode
• Once you reach the command-line, type the following command:
/sbin/fsck -fy

• Press Return and the five phases of disk repair will start
• Execute the above command repeatedly until the volume is reported OK
• Type reboot and press Return

After the above steps, your Mac should boot normally. If it doesn't or fsck cannot repair the volume, the last resort is to erase the disk and install Mac OS X from scratch. However, to restore lost data, you need to use last backup.

At times, a Mac OS X user finds it unfeasible to get required information from data backup. To deal with such specific problems, Mac Data Recovery Software are available. These special utilities offer safe Mac File Recovery in any case of logical crash, while keeping the original data intact.

One of the best utilities is Stellar Phoenix Macintosh Data Recovery. This is a graphically rich Mac Recovery Software built for extensive disk scanning and comprehensive data recovery results. Supporting Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, 10.5 Leopard, 10.4 Tiger, and 10.3.9 Panther, this tool features advanced options.

Snow Leopard Causes Booting Problem

Apple has released its latest version for Mac OS X called Snow with advanced features and data security features. With major refinements over its earlier members, the operating systems offers improved working experience and performance. But a Snow Leopard system might also crash.

You might encounter data loss situations, in which all the data stored on hard drive might get inaccessible. Such situations require that you either use your recent data backup or scan the drive using a powerful Mac Recovery utility supporting Snow Leopard that could recover all lost files and folders. Consider an instance, you upgrade your system running Mac OS X v10.5 (Leopard) to Mac OS X v10.6 (Snow Leopard).

After doing so, you try to start the system, but it fails displaying a Gray Screen with no clue of the cause. You cannot access the data that is stored on your hard disk drive and thus suffer data loss. You encounter gray screen issues with Snow Leopard if the below conditions are true: You downloaded a Mac OS X v10.5 software update using Software Update . The installed software update was not complete before you installed Snow Leopard

Following are the recommendations that you can implement to solve the above discussed issue:

Complete all the software update installations before trying to upgrade to Snow Leopard. Restart your Mac system.

If you have already upgraded to Mac OS X v10.6 and has been experiencing gray screen issue at startup, you need to reinstall Mac OS X v10.6.

If you still find the data inaccessible or lose data after reinstalling the operating systems, use your backup to restore. At times, your backup cannot give the required results. In such cases, you should use Mac File Recovery products. Mac Recovery software are designed for running powerful scanning algorithms to locate the lost file and folders.

These are safe data recovery applications designed specifically for recovering lost data. Such tools provide you graphically rich user interface and hence can be easily implemented without any prior technical knowledge. Macintosh Data Recovery is an advanced utility to recover lost, deleted and missing data from Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, 10.5 Leopard, 10.4 Tiger, and 10.3.9 Panther operating systems. Incorporated with high-end scanning algorithms and powerful recovery features, this Mac File Recovery product can recover all files, documents, pictures, emails and other data.

Bootable External Hard Disk with Leopard Version and Data Loss

Apple has provided a Universal Binary DVD with leopard version which can use on PowerPC and Intel Mac, and install Leopard. The same system can be used to start up either of Mac. We can also make universal bootable external hard disk. This can advantage in terms of making all applications work with Leopard with external FireWire boot disk and we need not to repartition or modify internal hard disk and the FireWire disk can be used to boot different computers. In order to make an external hard disk as universal bootable, it is required to repartition and reformat the hard disk as an intermediate step, so it is recommended to backup all the data.

However, if the backup fails, Mac Data Recovery utilities can be used. A PowerPC Mac doesn’t boot from disk using native partitioning scheme of Intel Mac viz. GUID. However, Intel Mac can boot from disk using native partitioning scheme of PPC viz. APM. So, we can use PPC machine to initially set up the external disk. The external hard disk must have partition map scheme of APM. We can check it through Disk Utility and if the scheme is other than APM, we can reformat the disk with partition map scheme of APM using Disk Utility. But, before that, we need to backup all the data and hence avoid Mac Recovery needs.

Next, we need to insert Leopard installation DVD with the external hard disk connected to PPC Mac and click to install Mac OS X.Rest of the installation process is carried out as usual, apart from the difference to select external hard disk as the destination, whenever asked for. For updating the bootable external hard disk, we just need to connect it to a compatible Intel Mac, select the disk in Startup Disk preferences, restart the system, choose the Software Update from Apple Menu and download and install the updates.

In case data gets lost and no valid backup exists, Data Recovery Mac applications can be used to extract and restore lost information. Mac Data Recovery utilities use efficient scanning algorithms and offer easy Mac Recovery options through interactive interface. We can recover and restore data to safe location. Macintosh Data Recovery software is proven Mac Recovery software to recover data from HFS, HFS+, HFSX, HFS Wrapper and even FAT file systems.

This Data Recovery Mac software offers safe and complete data restoration using powerful scanning algorithms. This is a universal binary Mac Data Recovery software which supports Mac 10.3.9 and above including Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard). Mac Recovery is also offered for external hard disks, USBs and Lacie hard drives.