[unblocktheplanet]

Wife’s 2019 MBA came back from major AppleCare repair. Mojave had been replaced by Monterey & we lost a lot of stuff.

However, there’s a weirdie, too. She has two HDs, as pictured.

Get Info reveals one is running 12.2.1, the other 12.2.2. How is this even possible?

AppleCare tells me this can’t be fixed without reformatting the entire disk. Apple tells me the extra HD is not taking up any extra space. On a 256GB SSD, that matters.

Apple tells me I can hide them. But that’s both of them, giving wife no easy access to her main disk.

What a pain, eh. Anybody ever seen this before?

 

[pm-r]

However, there’s a weirdie, too. She has two HDs, as pictured.

I'm not sure what's your exact problem is with her Mac or if there really is one, but maybe have a read here in case it can help explain things:
Add, delete, or erase APFS volumes in Disk Utility on Mac

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

In Disk Utility on Mac, add, delete, or erase APFS volumes.

support.apple.com

I understand that a lot of things changed when Apple's switched to APFS starting with Catalina I believe. That includes how the various volumes are displayed and what is stored in each.

Some of the other Mac forums can probably explain things better for you such as Mac-forums.com.

I'm still happy using Mac OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks and most things are still as they always were.


- Patrick
=======

 

[unblocktheplanet]

High Sierra works for me. But Apple wants it their way, buy a new machine.

 

[AquaAngel]

Looks to me that there is 2 partitions on that drive. you can easily remove the 2nd partition via Disk utility or ...... if you have time, you could format the drive into 1 partition and reinstall your OS. Just don't forget to save your data first.

 

[pm-r]

Looks to me that there is 2 partitions on that drive. you can easily remove the 2nd partition via Disk utility or ......

Errr... Not exactly correct as I understand how Apple's Monterey OS works and shows the drive and the included OS and data separately.

But I am sure the OP has got things sorted out by now as their post was from almost 2 months ago.

Maybe this will help explain their new display drive/partition method.

View all devices or only volumes in Disk Utility on Mac

In Disk Utility on your Mac, change the view setting to display all devices or only volumes.

support.apple.com

- Patrick
=======

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Wish I could say you're right. Wife is just putting up with this BS. A rich buddy wants to trade his 16-inch 5TB M1 for the new M2 & is offering me his M1 at half-price. Then I'll have to deal with this Monterey issue myself. I'll definitely try to sort this out before I put any data or software on there. What does Apple take us for?

 

[pm-r]

Wish I could say you're right. Wife is just putting up with this BS.

What is it that you do not agree with and what BS are you referring to in the Apple article reference link you were provided with above???

There is no BS with Apple's latest macOS versions nor their latest apple "M" chips in their latest Mac models.

Software and Hardware have both changed and also how they both work together, and how things may appear to the user.

Maybe you should just go back to using pen and paper if you don't like the new Apple methods of doing things, or pick up an older Mac model instead. Gheese.

You might want to have a read of Jake's excellent recent article at another Mac forum that explains how Apple uses and the reason for the two drives.
You can read it here:

Disk under Container disk deemed and unmounted, no permit to delete files on my Macbook pro

Not sure since which os there is a container disk created by the system and can't be deleted. Then 2 disks under that container, the first one from time to time shows deemed and unmounted, and I, as the owner of this Macbook pro, do not have any acknowledgement as to why and how it was...

www.mac-forums.com

- Patrick
=======

 

[Randy B. Singer]

However, there’s a weirdie, too. She has two HDs, as pictured.

It's perfectly normal for any recent version of the Mac OS. Your hard drive's files are split into 2 volumes for security reasons. (All of your system files are now "read-only" which means that your OS files are now just about impervious to malware.) The one to work with is the "Data" one; it contains all of your wife's programs and documents. Other than seeing the two volumes on your desktop when you choose to "view all volumes", everything about the Mac OS still works the same. It's just that now it's a lot less likely that some sociopath will write a piece of malware that will take out your Mac. See:

macOS 10.15 Catalina: The Ars Technica review

"This volume split is permanent and mandatory, and much like the APFS conversion itself it happens transparently in the background when you update from High Sierra or Mojave to Catalina [or higher]. As outlined in a WWDC presentation about this year’s APFS updates, your current system volume is marked as a data volume, and system files are deleted, leaving your data intact. From there, a new system volume is created in your APFS container, and the majority of the Catalina system files are written there instead. That new volume is marked as read-only as soon as the installation is complete."

"Because of the way APFS works, you don’t give up any disk space by separating the system and data volumes. ... because all volumes within an APFS container can lay claim to all the free space within that container, the Catalina system and data volumes can comfortably coexist without wasting drive space, just as they have always done when they lived in the same volume."

 

[MacDoc]

What does Apple take us for?

a little more knowledgeable than you are about changes in the underlying OS.

Randy that's an excellent post.

 

[unblocktheplanet]

While I see your point, Randy, for those whose Macs might contain the launch codes for nuclear missiles, most of us bozos hardly need that kind of security.

Apple is afraid some of us bozos might want to mess with the system and eff it up. Yeah, I've done that a lot since 1984, and I'm sure I'll do it again. But that's my right, having purchased a $3000 piece of kit. And that's what Reinstall OS is all about & AppleCare's helpline. I think a trillion bucks should cover those extras.

What I want is a nice clean Desktop, with an image of my own choosing, bearing files with icons I designed myself. In short I want the beauty & elegance of a Mac, not a Cray with arcane parameters.

That I don’t lose any space is hardly my concern. I buy Macs which have enough storage.

Until Apple fixes this, I’ll hold back in the Jurassic. Nah, don't want a second icon hogging up my real estate, thanks.

 

[pm-r]

What I want is a nice clean Desktop, with an image of my own choosing, bearing files with icons I designed myself. In short I want the beauty & elegance of a Mac, not a Cray with arcane parameters.

???... There is absolutely nothing in even the most recent MacOS version that would stop you from doing any of the things you listed.

By all means post if you need help getting any of them established and working, especially if you cannot find any help using a Google search on the 'net for what you might want to do.

Here's a link to some hits to get you started with some basic Mac customisations:

customize your mac - Google Search

- Patrick
=======

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Hi Patrick, I've been customising my Macs since 1984. What I want is ONE hard disk on my Desktop. I won't ever adopt an OS which forces me to have two!

 

[pm-r]

Hi Patrick, I've been customising my Macs since 1984. What I want is ONE hard disk on my Desktop. I won't ever adopt an OS which forces me to have two!

Hmmm...??? If you have been "customizing Mac" for that long, you should be very aware and already know but you can have your Mac exactly as you want, so I fail to see your problem.
But maybe it's that your Mac customizing efforts or success is not very good and you have been unable to do what you want. Otherwise I just don't understand your problem.


- Patrick
=======

 

[unblocktheplanet]

I most certainly do not take your point, Patrick! My Mac has always been customised with my own icons & images aso. Never had a problem.

But eff Apple if they think I'll bend over to have my real estate cluttered up with two disk icons!

 

[pm-r]

But eff Apple if they think I'll bend over to have my real estate cluttered up with two disk icons!

As I said, with your Mac customizing experience you should be able to have exactly what you just described.


- Patrick
=======

 

[AquaAngel]

i may know what you are talking about. i just did my brother's Macbook air after having an issue not reading his new ipod. it didn't matter what i was doing, the macbook was simply not reading the ipod which is the lastest one before Apple discontinued them. it had High sierra installed and to my big surprise "my brother knows nothing about installing OSX as it was pre installed when he bought his new Macbook" that i found 2 partitions on his disk. the regular one that he uses and the other was a Box of some sort as a apfs format. i had a hell of a time to do 1 partition on his drive. finally boot off via 10.12 and launched disk utility and finally was able to format it as one partition.

Installed the OS as a regular format "not apfs" and problem was solve. only 1 partition was showing and itune was able to see his new Ipod. His macbook is now trouble free.

You are welcome little brother. =)

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Dear AA, cool info! This 'little brother' is 100 years old, BTW!

So, if I get this right (paying no attention to the iPod angle, Monterey was installed resulting in two disk icons on the Desktop. Good so far?

The way you resolved this was by booting from 10.12 (Sierra clone?) & repartitioning as MacOs Extended (Journaled). Right?

Perhaps others more geeky than I can weigh in. Apple is pushing for APFS, despite the difficulties with applications, external disks & backups. I mean, eventually these will no doubt be resolved. But I'm just not an 'early' adopter & the old OS works fine.

From what I understand from users is Big Sur & Catalina were Frankenstein OSs. But I look at Monterey & Ventura & not of those whoop-te-do 'features' hold the slightest part of my interest.

Wifey's stuck with Monterey & its two disk icons but she's not married to her Mac in the same way I am, 15-16 hours a day. (I should get a life, eh, or at least some work-life balance!)

 

[AquaAngel]

Dear AA, cool info! This 'little brother' is 100 years old, BTW!

So, if I get this right (paying no attention to the iPod angle, Monterey was installed resulting in two disk icons on the Desktop. Good so far?

The way you resolved this was by booting from 10.12 (Sierra clone?) & repartitioning as MacOs Extended (Journaled). Right?

Perhaps others more geeky than I can weigh in. Apple is pushing for APFS, despite the difficulties with applications, external disks & backups. I mean, eventually these will no doubt be resolved. But I'm just not an 'early' adopter & the old OS works fine.

From what I understand from users is Big Sur & Catalina were Frankenstein OSs. But I look at Monterey & Ventura & not of those whoop-te-do 'features' hold the slightest part of my interest.

Wifey's stuck with Monterey & its two disk icons but she's not married to her Mac in the same way I am, 15-16 hours a day. (I should get a life, eh, or at least some work-life balance!)

My little brother is only 45 years old. LOL he does read this EhMac site, even though he is not a member here. he knows how much i love my Apple computers. =)

"Monterey was installed resulting in two disk icons on the Desktop. Good so far?" if this was installed by Apple, pre-installed, they would of done it with 2 partitions. under APFS format in which i am not a big fan of. like you mentioned earlier, APFS is not really stable under my kind of use as i do a lot of back ups and APFS corrupts my data when it is time to encrypt my drive which creates "automatically" a so called container under the APFS format.

when it comes to boot from a 10.12? you can use whatever OS that your mac can boot from and use disk utility and erase the drive and create a new partition in Journaled extended if i am not mistaken. then you can re-install your os wether it is from a back up or a cloned drive. i usually use Carbon Copy for cloning my original drive in case i get a HDD failure so i don't have to waste an entire week end re-installing my Apps, passwords, web site favourite and .... etc.....

i'm not a big fan either of the new OS. for what i am doing anyway? i don't need to upgrade to the latest as all my newer machines uses High Sierra on my 2015 macbook and 2009 MacPro 12 core. it has been pretty solid so far and trouble free for all my apps, but all depends of what you do with it, but i mostly do gaming, web surfing and some 3D graphics and some video editing

When it comes to have a life? ......... you have a life, you are not the only one. i don't have a wife, no kids, so everything i do? is in my time, my life and i love fixing things like old Apple computers. i also need a life as i collect older Mac and one in particular is a Apple LISA, TAM and some Ipods to complete my collection.

You have a life. =)

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Thanks, AA. All I really care about is having ONE Monterey partition, therefore one disk icon on wifey’s Desktop.

Are you telling me, I can reformat her drive, install Monterey as a single MacOS Extended (Journaled) partition, thus resulting in a single disk & its icon?

That would be awesome but Apple may have a hidden monkeywrench.

Yes, I can CCC easily.

If you ever get to Bangkok, I’ll bring you to my friend’s Mac museum. He has literally everything Apple except the garage model. Lots signed by Steve & Woz. You’d love it.

Just checked your profile. You’re a Nanaimo bar! Where I’m from, we call them Tofino bars. We’ve got a handbuilt house on a small island in Clayoquot Sound one mile of water from the Pacific Terminus of the Trans-Canada.

 

[AquaAngel]

Thanks, AA. All I really care about is having ONE Monterey partition, therefore one disk icon on wifey’s Desktop.

Are you telling me, I can reformat her drive, install Monterey as a single MacOS Extended (Journaled) partition, thus resulting in a single disk & its icon?

That would be awesome but Apple may have a hidden monkeywrench.

Yes, I can CCC easily.

If you ever get to Bangkok, I’ll bring you to my friend’s Mac museum. He has literally everything Apple except the garage model. Lots signed by Steve & Woz. You’d love it.

Just checked your profile. You’re a Nanaimo bar! Where I’m from, we call them Tofino bars. We’ve got a handbuilt house on a small island in Clayoquot Sound one mile of water from the Pacific Terminus of the Trans-Canada.

That is correct, you can reformat the drive as one partition and install your desired OSX and voila with only one icon showing on your desktop.

Funny you say that, been to Tofino only once. thinking about going to Uclulet so i can see the Light house. it is a long drive, but it is worth the view. love the travelling around the island. i still haven't done Horne Lake cave.