MacFixIt Answers
<p>MacFixIt Answers is a feature from MacFixIt where our editors answer questions e-mailed to us by our readers. This week, we have questions on how to tackle problems with retrospect archives not being readable, how to restart Windows file sharing in OS
MacFixIt Answers is a feature from MacFixIt where our editors answer questions e-mailed to us by our readers. This week, we have questions on how to tackle problems with retrospect archives not being readable, how to restart Windows file sharing in OS X, and information on replacing hard drives in iPods.
Question:
MacFixIt reader "Arthur Kent" asks:
"I am having a issue with trying to restore a folder from a backup (on
a file contained on a partition contained within an external drive)
that I created with Retrospect on 3/20/09. Here are the details.I was able to restore the specific iTunes Folder from the backup,
containing all my music. However, in trying to restore a folder
contained within the documents folder, I am encountering the
following error:" Executing Restore from Backup at 7/9/2009 12:38 PM To volume Spare Disk. - 7/9/2009 12:38:38 PM: Restoring from Desktop Backup 03/20. Bad backup set header found (0xf6f6f6f6 at 3,514,325). Bad backup set header found (0xf6f6f6f6 at 3,514,326). (MANY more "Bad backup set header found messages) .... Bad backup set header found (0xf6f6f6f6 at 3,598,813). Bad backup set header found (0xf6f6f6f6 at 3,598,826). 7/9/2009 12:38:50 PM: 257 execution errors. Remaining: 257 files, 13.4 MB Completed: 0 files, zero KB Performance: 0.0 MB/minute Duration: 00:00:10 (00:00:07 idle/loading/preparing)"I tried to use Retrospect to "repair" this, but then the error message is:
" Executing Verify at 7/9/2009 12:43 PM To backup set Desktop Backup 03/20. Trouble reading: "Desktop Backup 03/20" (0), error 208 (media content unrecognized). Couldn't verify 272,490 files due to missing or incomplete media. 7/9/2009 12:43:38 PM: Execution incomplete. Remaining: 272490 files, 19.1 GB Completed: 0 files, zero KB Performance: 0.0 MB/minute Duration: 00:00:01"I also tried using TechTool Pro and DiskWarrior to "repair" this, but they did not work.
It's perplexing that I can recover another folder from the backup set without any issues."
Answer:
It is unclear by your question whether TechTool Pro or DiskWarrior found any problems that they could not fix, or if they were unable to detect any problems at all. The first thing to do is to try backing up your archive file. Copy it to another location and try opening it from there. If the Finder cannot copy it then there could be something wrong with the disk, such as bad blocks, that is preventing access to the file. If you cannot copy the file then use one of the third-party disk utilities you have to do a full surface scan of the drive, which will attempt to repair bad blocks.
If no bad blocks are found and there are problems with accessing the drive, one thing you can try before taking it in for servicing is to place the drive in another computer or boot into Windows using Boot Camp. Sometimes having the drive on a different controller or being managed by a different operating system can make it readable to that OS.
If the drive is checking out and being given the all clear by various utility programs (especially if you perform a surface scan), then more than likely this problem is because of some corruption in your archive files. One way of testing the filesystem is if you are able to create, delete, and read and write other files on the same disk (other backup archives) then the file system should be intact.
Keep in mind that the "missing or incomplete media" error in retrospect could indicate the disk, but also could be descriptive of the archive file itself. If this is the case, and retrospect cannot repair the problem, then you might be out of luck, however, your best bet to fully interpret the errors is to contact EMC's technical support (http://www.retrospect.com/supportupdates/).
Question:
MacFixIt reader "Mick Mueck" asks:
"I'm using a 2007 17" MacBook Pro running Leopard with all the latest
updates.I use Samba to connect to my linux box at work via ethernet. Every
now and then the ability to mount any Samba volumes just goes away,
the process just hangs and I have to cancel the mount operation.
Retrying the mount doesn't help, a logout/login doesn't fix the
issue either, but a reboot does. This makes me think it's a Mac
problem. Anyway, a reboot is pretty catastrophic to my work flow. Is
there any way to effectively reboot the networking side of the Mac
without actually having to do a full system reboot? Perhaps some
fancy terminal command..."
Answer:
You can try resetting the windows file sharing services on your computer by going to the "Sharing" system preferences and highlighting the "File Sharing" service. Then click the "Options..." button and uncheck the option for "SMB". After this, uncheck the "File Sharing" service itself, and then check both of these again to restart them.
Another thing you can try is to toggle your Ethernet connection inactive and then active again, by going to your "Network" system preferences and selecting your active connection. Then choose "Make Service Inactive" from the small gear menu. After this, use the same menu to activate the service again.
One additional option is you can force-quit the "nmbd" process using the terminal (using the "kill" command, after looking up the process id number with the "top" command) or Activity Monitor (the easier way), and the system launcher should automatically restart it.
Question:
MacFixIt reader "Ron Merkal" asks:
Is it possible to replace a 30 GB HD on a 3rd gen Ipod with a 20 GB HD
and have it work properly?
Answer:
The hard drives in iPods are not special, and use the same protocols that all hard drives use to connect. There have been experiments where people have successfully connected desktop hard drives to their iPods, and while it's impractical, it does work and demonstrate that there is nothing unique about the iPod's connectivity with it's hard drive. You can read about one such case here: http://www.command-tab.com/2005/03/13/ipod-super/
If you have a hard drive that is compatible with your iPod model, you can replace the internal one and the drive should work just fine. The only concern would be whether or not the drive runs hotter than the previous one.
Our last recommendation is that you fully research the process of upgrading before you attempt it yourself. The connections in the iPod are exceptionally delicate and can be broken easily if the proper techniques are not observed. The following are several resources for replacing hard drives on iPods:
Resources