Sudden Ext HD Issue

Hey there:

Two months ago I had a total failure with my internal HD and to solve the immediate crisis, I booted from my Ext. backup HD and then bought another Ext. HD. I've been running daily from the original Ext HD & backing up nightly to the new one.

Suddenly today in the midst of doing something in Firefox, the computer froze and I shut down. When I restarted, it does start up, but I get the "Disk Insertion" warning.

I can click "Ignore" and seem to be running as usual, and I can indeed "see" both Ext HDs in the Finder window, but I can tell something is off. It is dragging slowly in mail, etc. I tried shutting down and booting holding the Option key (as I recall that used to let me choose what I wanted to boot up from) but all I got was a blank screen... I wasn't sure how long to hold the Option key, but I never got a menu. So I rebooted again just to get up and running.

I am tempted to run Disk Utility to see if I can verify & repair the main Ext HD I've been running from, but I don't want to mess anything up without asking you guys first.

I'd like to run SuperDuper backup just to be sure I don't lose anything since yesterday's back-up, but I was afraid to do this without first asking in case there's something hinky going on, I don't want to copy that problem onto the backup.

Any ideas on why I'm not getting any choice on HD to pick when I restart with Option held down? Even if the one HD is messed up, shouldn't the computer see the other backup HD? Should I try and boot from my install CD and see if I can repair the main Ext HD I'm running from?

Hope I'm making sense!!!!

Thank you!!!

First... why haven't you replaced the internal hard drive? Running off an external is slow and inconvenient. Remember, the internal is running at SATA speeds while an external is chugging along at USB speed.

Re your question: Yes, boot the machine with your install DVD, run disk utility and verify the external hard drive you're having difficulty with. And.. keep making backups.

Re: the Internal HD - the crash happened as I was beginning a big rush project for someone that has just now come to a close. Being a total novice, I just couldn't afford to try and teach myself how to replace the internal from a YouTube video and risk that I'd mess something up and really be without a computer. The quickest solution was to just run off the Ext backup and back that up daily to a second back-up.

To my current issue:

This morning I booted up from my Install CD and ran Disk Utility. I verified both Ext HDs and it said they were fine.

Should I "Repair" it anyway? I have no idea what that does. I just don't want to do something that will then make me unable to boot up and access these.

However, I also verified the Permissions (not sure what that actually means) and it did have a few things (mostly Shockwave & Epson printer) differences. I copied the log from this at the bottom of this post

I have no idea what these things mean, or if that has anything to do with this "Disk Insertion" warning message I'm getting.

So I quit the Disk Utility and came here to ask before doing anything. When I chose the Ext HD to be the one the system should start up from, it did, but I get the same "Disk Insertion" warning.

What happens when you "Repair"? and "Repair Permissions"? Is it possible the "disk" it thinks I "inserted" is the internal HD it can't access?

Since the first internal HD crash, whenever you start up the computer, it first makes this repeated horrid clicking sound, like its trying to access the internal HD. It does this a few times, then gives up and boots from its next available source - the Ext HD. At least this is what I'm imaging is happening - LOL!

I rarely shut down my computer, but this is the first time I've seen this Disk Insertion error, so I imagine that it had to do with whatever the freezing issue was in Firefox yesterday that forced me to shut down & reboot (I couldn't force quit Firefox, which had never happened before).

Anyway, should I "Repair" the Ext HDs? Their "permissions"?

Here's what the "Verify Permissions" results said:

Verify permissions for “SuperDuper backup HD”
Determining correct file permissions.
Permissions differ on ./Library/Application Support/Macromedia/Shockwave 10/Shockwave 10 Preferences, should be -rwxrwxr-x , they are -rw-rw-r--
Permissions differ on ./Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin/Contents/MacOS/Flash Player, should be -rwxrwxr-x , they are -rw-rw-r--
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Libraries/UtilityCore.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Dutch.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Libraries/UtilityCore.framework/Versions/A/Resources/English.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Libraries/UtilityCore.framework/Versions/A/Resources/French.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Libraries/UtilityCore.framework/Versions/A/Resources/German.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Libraries/UtilityCore.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Italian.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Libraries/UtilityCore.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Libraries/UtilityCore.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Portuguese.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Libraries/UtilityCore.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Spanish.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Utilities/EPSON Printer Utility2.app/Contents/Resources/Dutch.lproj/InfoPlist.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Utilities/EPSON Printer Utility2.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/InfoPlist.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Utilities/EPSON Printer Utility2.app/Contents/Resources/French.lproj/InfoPlist.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Utilities/EPSON Printer Utility2.app/Contents/Resources/German.lproj/InfoPlist.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Utilities/EPSON Printer Utility2.app/Contents/Resources/Italian.lproj/InfoPlist.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Utilities/EPSON Printer Utility2.app/Contents/Resources/Japanese.lproj/InfoPlist.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Utilities/EPSON Printer Utility2.app/Contents/Resources/Portuguese.lproj/InfoPlist.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Utilities/EPSON Printer Utility2.app/Contents/Resources/Spanish.lproj/InfoPlist.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter/Utilities/EPSON Printer Utility2.app/Contents/Resources/Util.icns, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Dutch.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/English.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/French.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/German.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Italian.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Japanese.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Machines.xml, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Spanish.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/da.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/fi.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/ko.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/no.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/pt.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/sv.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/zh_CN.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library/Printers/EPSON/Libraries/EPIJPrDrvLib2.framework/Versions/A/Resources/zh_TW.lproj/Localizable.strings, should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are -rwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./Library, should be drwxrwxr-t , they are drwxrwxr-x
Permissions differ on ./private/var/log/secure.log, should be -rw------- , they are -rw-r-----

Permissions verification complete
Permissions differ on ./usr/standalone/i386/boot.efi, should be -r--r--r-- , they are -r-xr-xr-x
The privileges have been verified or repaired on the selected volume



Thanks so much for your help!

I edited the last message to add the log from the "Verify Permissions" - should I "repair" this? What does that do?