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User profile for user: Mark Rosher
Mark Rosher Author
User level: Level 1
15 points

Please help me understand my HDD...

I think Big Sur changed the way my hard drive was set up. Since then I have not been able to search for files, eg photographs in my photos folder. I'm now on Monterey 12.0.1. I'm considering formatting and reinstalling a vanilla MacOS and reloading my data, but perhaps that's reckless and I should first try to understand what's going on / gone wrong.


Using Disk Utility, here's a look at my Fusion Drive



As you may note there are two entries called Macintosh HD - Data, one sat within the volume Macintosh HD and noted as snapshot. The other is one tier up at the same level as Macintosh HD. When viewed in Finder, some of the contents of the two Macintosh HD - Data but not all. Here's an image of the two volumes:



You can see some of the Date Modified entries are old and some are more recent. Today's is due to me downloading Carbon Copy Cloner as part of my intention to sort this issue out and move on with a decent backup protocol.


Can anyone advise me please?

  1. Is this normal? (I don't think it can be)
  2. Is this why I cannot search for files? They are in the wrong volume? Is this fixable without going to 3.?
  3. Ought I do as envisaged and format the HDD and reinstall over Internet, restoring my data from external backup, or is there another less destructive solution?
  4. If 3. then at what level in the hierarchy should I format? Container disk2?


Thanks for any input. I'm a bit stumped right now.

Posted on Dec 3, 2021 8:10 AM

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User profile for user: HWTech
HWTech
User level: Level 9
60,602 points

Posted on Dec 3, 2021 10:47 PM

When you view the "Get Info" for items located within the same Container, then you will get the same basic stats. The Container is created with a certain capacity and each individual APFS volume within that Container shares that capacity. The only difference between APFS volumes within the same Container will be the amount of storage used by that particular APFS volume.


Make sure you have all the unique data from the "/Volumes/Macintosh HD - Data" volume placed within your home user folder or placed on an external drive before you delete the volume as there will be no way to recover any data once the volume has been deleted.


To delete the volume go into the "Partition" tab within Disk Utility and select the volume you want to delete and click the "-" icon. Disk Utility will not allow you to delete any volume associated with the current macOS installation you are booted into. Any data not contained within your home user folder as seen in the Finder when clicking the "house" icon on the left sidebar pane in the Finder will be gone. To show the home user folder on the Finder's sidebar click the Finder menu and select "Preferences" and select the "Sidebar" icon. Make sure the home user folder is checked so that your home user folder will be displayed on the Finder's sidebar.

Add, delete, or erase APFS volumes in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support


[Edited by Moderator]

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User profile for user: HWTech
HWTech
User level: Level 9
60,602 points

Dec 3, 2021 10:47 PM in response to Mark Rosher

When you view the "Get Info" for items located within the same Container, then you will get the same basic stats. The Container is created with a certain capacity and each individual APFS volume within that Container shares that capacity. The only difference between APFS volumes within the same Container will be the amount of storage used by that particular APFS volume.


Make sure you have all the unique data from the "/Volumes/Macintosh HD - Data" volume placed within your home user folder or placed on an external drive before you delete the volume as there will be no way to recover any data once the volume has been deleted.


To delete the volume go into the "Partition" tab within Disk Utility and select the volume you want to delete and click the "-" icon. Disk Utility will not allow you to delete any volume associated with the current macOS installation you are booted into. Any data not contained within your home user folder as seen in the Finder when clicking the "house" icon on the left sidebar pane in the Finder will be gone. To show the home user folder on the Finder's sidebar click the Finder menu and select "Preferences" and select the "Sidebar" icon. Make sure the home user folder is checked so that your home user folder will be displayed on the Finder's sidebar.

Add, delete, or erase APFS volumes in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support


[Edited by Moderator]

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User profile for user: Mark Rosher
Mark Rosher Author
User level: Level 1
15 points

Dec 3, 2021 8:46 AM in response to Mark Rosher

I have realised that using Finder the desktop folder in Macintosh HD - Data has very old contents, while the desktop folder in Macintosh HD > Users > me contains the current items actually showing on my desktop.


This leads me to wonder. My photos and music are both located on Macintosh HD - Data and are not searchable. Is it then that they should be located on Macintosh HD in Users > me...?


But if so I remain confused. See this screenshot showing the info of the two volumes



They can't both hold 2.12 TB capacity... how do I fix this?

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User profile for user: Barney-15E
Barney-15E
User level: Level 10
116,770 points

Dec 3, 2021 8:32 PM in response to HWTech

To delete the volume go into the "Partition" tab within Disk Utility and select the volume you want to delete and click the "-" icon. If prompted to delete the Container, select "yes".

NO. NO. NO.

There isn’t an extra container. It is just an orphaned Volume in the one container.


Just select the orphan Data volume and click the Remove Volume button (–).

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User profile for user: HWTech
HWTech
User level: Level 9
60,602 points

Dec 3, 2021 9:03 PM in response to Barney-15E

Barney-15E wrote:


To delete the volume go into the "Partition" tab within Disk Utility and select the volume you want to delete and click the "-" icon. If prompted to delete the Container, select "yes".
NO. NO. NO.
There isn’t an extra container. It is just an orphaned Volume in the one container.

Just select the orphan Data volume and click the Remove Volume button (–).

You're right! For some reason I imagined another Container. Must be getting tired. Thanks for correcting me and sorry for the confusion.

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User profile for user: Mark Rosher
Mark Rosher Author
User level: Level 1
15 points

Dec 4, 2021 12:42 AM in response to HWTech

Ok, thank you, all of you. I have copied over the music library from 'Macintosh HD - Data> Users > me' - to 'Macintosh HD > Users > me' and I am currently copying over the photo library. These are the two large folders, and coincidentally (or not) also the two folders I was unable to search... After I have completed this transfer (and I have also backed them up onto an external drive), I will follow your advice and report back. I do appreciate all the help.


I suppose this will leave me with an empty piece of disk estate, largely (as demonstrated) useless to my MacOS installation and now inaccessible through deletion. Can I resize the HDD to absorb this available space?

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Please help me understand my HDD...

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