Rename the drive 5. Select OS X Extended (Journaled) for Format 6. Select GUID Partition Map for Scheme Note: If you do not see the scheme option, then you. Nov 30, 2018 - Learn how to use macOS Recovery to reinstall the Mac operating system on your built-in drive or an external drive. Decide whether to erase (format) your disk. Choose Reinstall macOS (or Reinstall OS X) from the Utilities.
1 Change a Hard Drive Port Name
2 Reformat a MacBook
3 Run Norton AntiVirus From the Command Prompt
4 Mount an MDF on a Mac
Mac OS X Mountain Lion gives users several ways to access the Terminal and three common options for formatting a hard drive. You can launch Terminal within Mac OS X to format hard drives currently not in use; you can also use Mac OS X Recovery to launch Terminal outside the operating system and format hard drives that can't be formatted while Mac OS X is active. Once you enter Terminal, you can choose to reformat a disk and keep the original settings, securely erase a disk to prevent data recovery or perform a standard format. All three options prepare your business computer for a new operating system installation by removing all of your company data.
Identify Hard Drive Disk Identifier
1.
Click the 'Go' menu and select 'Go To Folder...' from the drop-down menu.
2.
Type '/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility/' and click 'Go.'
3.
Double-click the highlighted 'Disk Utility' icon to open Disk Utility.
4.
Select the hard disk you want to format and click the 'Info' button. Write down the name of the Disk Identifier.
Launching Terminal From Mac OS X
1.
Click the 'Go' menu and select 'Go To Folder...' from the drop-down menu.
2.
Type '/Applications/Utilities/Terminal/' and click 'Go.'
3.
Double-click the highlighted 'Terminal' icon to open Terminal.
Launching Terminal From OS X Recovery
1.
Shut down your computer by pressing and holding the 'Control-Command-Eject' keys simultaneously.
2.
Press and hold 'Command-R' while the computer reboots until the Apple logo appears.
3.
Select 'Utilities' and 'Terminal' to launch the command console and attempt to format troublesome hard drives that can't be formatted within Mac OS X.
Creating and Using a Terminal Format Command
1.
Click 'Go,' select 'Go to Folder...' and type '/Applications/TextEdit' into the text field. Click 'Go' and double-click 'TextEdit' to open the TextEdit application.
2.
Type 'diskutil eraseDisk JHFS+ diskname diskidentifier' into the TextEdit document.
3.
Edit the 'diskutil eraseDisk JHFS+ diskname diskidentifier' code in TextEdit.
4.
Change 'eraseDisk' to 'secureErase' if you want to securely erase the disk. Change 'JHFS+' to 'HFS+' if you want a volume that is not journaled. Change 'diskname' to the new name for the disk, or type '%noformat%' to leave the name blank. Replace 'diskidentifier' with the Disk Identifier name retrieved from Disk Utility. If you want to reformat, replace 'eraseDisk' with 'reformat' and delete the 'JHFS+' and 'diskname' parts of the command.
5.
Highlight the code and press 'Command-C' to copy the edited code to the clipboard.
6.
Click on the Terminal prompt and press 'Command-V' to paste the code. Press 'Enter.' Input your administrator credentials and confirm the action, if prompted.
Tip
When entering a new name for the disk, it's best to use a single word and don't use special characters.
Warning
Information in this article applies to Mac OS X Mountain Lion. It may vary slightly or significantly with other versions or products.
References (3)
About the Author
Avery Martin holds a Bachelor of Music in opera performance and a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian studies. As a professional writer, she has written for Education.com, Samsung and IBM. Martin contributed English translations for a collection of Japanese poems by Misuzu Kaneko. She has worked as an educator in Japan, and she runs a private voice studio out of her home. She writes about education, music and travel.
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Martin, Avery. 'How to Format an OS X Terminal Hard Disk.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/format-os-x-terminal-hard-disk-57815.html. Accessed 25 October 2019.
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