Corrupt Volume Header in Mac OS X Causes Data Loss

Data is a collection of useful information, which is precious for every computer user. It may vary from a single text file to a collection of pictures, videos, professional documents or anything, which is precious for you. What if you lose it unknowingly?

Apple Inc. develops Mac OS X, better known as Mac. It uses a File System known as HFS, HFS+, HFSX, and HFS Wrapper for dividing hard drive in different volumes. Each volume has a header associated with it, known as Volume Header (1 kb in size). It keeps the information associated with a particular volume, such as type of file system, size of volume, starting and ending sector address etc. If, in a particular condition, a particular header gets corrupt, the user will no more be able to access that particular volume. Ultimately, you have lost everything that is stored in that volume. In such scenario, you can get your data back only if you have an updated data backup or you can recover Mac data using advance data recovery tools.

Mac OS X has a built-in system management mechanism, known as Disk Utility. It supervises the file system and is able to treat some commonly encountered errors. However, it often becomes unable to resolve the problems encountered and gives the following error message:

“Volume Header needs minor repair. The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired. Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit 1 HFS volume checked Volume needs repair”.

Causes of Volume Header Corruption

• Accidental Volume Deletion: While deleting a volume, you may accidentally delete a wrong one, which leads to loss of all data stored in that particular volume.
• Volume Corruption: While file system conversion, if the process gets interrupted, the volume become no more accessible.
• Volume Formatting: Any accidental formatting of a wrong volume also leads to loss of data.

Resolutions

As the volume header gets corrupt, the OS is no more able to access the volume information from it and hence, fails to recognize it as the system volume. Ultimately, the data remains in accessible.

To fix the volume header corruption, you can try rebooting from your Mac OS install disk and then run disk utility to check the status of your volume. However, rebooting is not an adequate resolution of the problem, as the issue may arise again, until you go for a complete system reinstallation. However, reinstalling the system brings in definitive data loss. In such scenario, you can get your data back using Mac data recovery software. These software tools allow you to make a clone of the whole volume. You can recover your data from formatted or even accidentally deleted volumes.