Mac: start disk utility - Here's how

If you have problems with your hard drive on your Mac, you should start the hard disk utility and use it to fix the errors. For this you need at least Mac OS X version 10.4.

Start disk utility on Mac

With the hard disk utility, you can perform a number of maintenance tasks to fix as many problems as possible on your hard disk.

• So you can test your hard drive for many problems, repair them or access the image files of a hard drive. You can also partition your hard drives and delete individual volumes.
• To start the hard disk utility, you need the installation DVD of your Mac OS X version.
• Make sure that all background applications are disabled before using the hard disk utility.

Repair partitions using Mac Disk Utility

1. Start your Mac from the Mac OS X installation disc.
2. To do this, insert the installation DVD, start your computer and hold down the [C] key during the boot process.
3. Lion users must specifically press the [Command] + [R] key combination and have previously created a recovery partition to use the Disk Utility in this mode.
4. As soon as your Mac computer has started up, select "Disk Utility" in the installation menu.
5. Now click on the "First Aid" tab. The tool lists the names of the volumes and partitions of the hard disks in the hard disk display.
6. Select the Mac volume you want and click "Repair Volume" to check and repair your hard drive using Disk Utility.
7. This process can take a long time depending on the size of the partition.

Another practical tip tells you about the additional features of the Mac OS X hard disk utility.