Apple's Policy on Apple File System (APFS) for High Sierra

[mm2margaret]

@Stork:

I've got an odd problem, and it's directly related to APFS.

I have a Gigabyte Z370 and the drives on it are HFS+. It's on 10.13.6. If I try and format any drive for APFS, I can't. The format won't complete and the drive is left in an incomplete state and won't mount. If I use my X99 that is 10.13.5 and is also now APFS, I can backup (from a HFS+ drive volume) and restore onto an APFS drive (formatted on the 10.13.5 system), but it won't boot on the Z370. My old least favorite error: HID legacy shim. Remember, HFS+ drives boot fine.

Now here's what's strange. I also have an X99 board that was HFS+. It's on 10.13.5. I converted all drives to APFS, using the process listed above - just reformat the system drive as APFS, then do a CCC restore from an HFS+ volume (at first). No issues, boots fine. In fact, my backup clones I converted just like as I've described, and they all booted. No issues.

So, I have a real Mac, and its on 10.13.6. I took one of the portable drive clones (USB) and plugged it in there and formatted it there as apfs, and it completed properly.

Right at this moment, I am doing a restore from an HFS+ volume via CCC to the newly Apfs formatted USB volume, the same process I used successfully to convert all the drives on my X99 system to APFS. I'll let you know if it worked, and if I can boot an APFS drive running 10.13.6 on my Z370 (or not). I'm beginning to believe there really is some issue with APFS and this Gigabyte Z370 board (and yes, BIOS is up to date).

But I now have a more serious problem. Clearly, I have an issue with my Gigabyte Z370 Hackintosh, as both my X99 Hackintosh (on 10.13.5) and my real Mac (on 10.13.6) will format a drive as APFS successfully, but my Gigabyte Z370 will not.

Thoughts? Anyone else have this issue?

 

[thedocbwarren]

Maybe it’s an optain memory issue since I think those boards were coming with it.

@Stork:

I've got an odd problem, and it's directly related to APFS.

I have a Gigabyte Z370 and the drives on it are HFS+. It's on 10.13.6. If I try and format any drive for APFS, I can't. The format won't complete and the drive is left in an incomplete state and won't mount. If I use my X99 that is 10.13.5 and is also now APFS, I can backup (from a HFS+ drive volume) and restore onto an APFS drive (formatted on the 10.13.5 system), but it won't boot on the Z370. My old least favorite error: HID legacy shim. Remember, HFS+ drives boot fine.

Now here's what's strange. I also have an X99 board that was HFS+. It's on 10.13.5. I converted all drives to APFS, using the process listed above - just reformat the system drive as APFS, then do a CCC restore from an HFS+ volume (at first). No issues, boots fine. In fact, my backup clones I converted just like as I've described, and they all booted. No issues.

So, I have a real Mac, and its on 10.13.6. I took one of the portable drive clones (USB) and plugged it in there and formatted it there as apfs, and it completed properly.

Right at this moment, I am doing a restore from an HFS+ volume via CCC to the newly Apfs formatted USB volume, the same process I used successfully to convert all the drives on my X99 system to APFS. I'll let you know if it worked, and if I can boot an APFS drive running 10.13.6 on my Z370 (or not). I'm beginning to believe there really is some issue with APFS and this Gigabyte Z370 board (and yes, BIOS is up to date).

But I now have a more serious problem. Clearly, I have an issue with my Gigabyte Z370 Hackintosh, as both my X99 Hackintosh (on 10.13.5) and my real Mac (on 10.13.6) will format a drive as APFS successfully, but my Gigabyte Z370 will not.

Thoughts? Anyone else have this issue?

 

[Stork]

@mm2margaret, I have no idea what is causing the problem. Hopefully, someone can help you with this problem.

 

[mm2margaret]

@mm2margaret, I have no idea what is causing the problem......

Well, that makes two of us.....

 

[mm2margaret]

Well, that makes two of us.....

So, reporting back, the restore did not work, and that process was exactly the same as the one I used on my X99 board successfully. It seems as if this Z370 board can't handle APFS drives at all. I'm stumped....for now....

EDIT: I should add that I can convert a regular spinning rotational hard drive to APFS, but I cannot convert any flash based drive to APFS - a 128GB USB drive, a SATA 2.5" SSD, or a M.2 NVMe drive. It just won't do any of them..

What is bizarre about this is that back at 10.13.1 or 10.13.2, I had this system running on APFS, and took it back to HFS+ because I was NTFS for Mac on it with a Windows drive and NTFS for Mac does not support APFS drives (yet).

 

[elfcake]

So, reporting back, the restore did not work, and that process was exactly the same as the one I used on my X99 board successfully. It seems as if this Z370 board can't handle APFS drives at all. I'm stumped....for now....

EDIT: I should add that I can convert a regular spinning rotational hard drive to APFS, but I cannot convert any flash based drive to APFS - a 128GB USB drive, a SATA 2.5" SSD, or a M.2 NVMe drive. It just won't do any of them..

What is bizarre about this is that back at 10.13.1 or 10.13.2, I had this system running on APFS, and took it back to HFS+ because I was NTFS for Mac on it with a Windows drive and NTFS for Mac does not support APFS drives (yet).

Weird, no problems here with apfs on the same board. No doubt you have all of the BIOS setting teed up. Is it possible that the board is defective?

 

[mm2margaret]

So, reporting back, the restore did not work, and that process was exactly the same as the one I used on my X99 board successfully. It seems as if this Z370 board can't handle APFS drives at all. I'm stumped....for now....

EDIT: I should add that I can convert a regular spinning rotational hard drive to APFS, but I cannot convert any flash based drive to APFS - a 128GB USB drive, a SATA 2.5" SSD, or a M.2 NVMe drive. It just won't do any of them..

What is bizarre about this is that back at 10.13.1 or 10.13.2, I had this system running on APFS, and took it back to HFS+ because I was NTFS for Mac on it with a Windows drive and NTFS for Mac does not support APFS drives (yet).

And here's the latest:

I am now able to boot an APFS volume (on 10.13.6) with the original files backed up (from the HFS+ volume) and restored to the new volume. However, Clover Configurator can't see it, and disk utility reports the following (see below - size errors). I always thought Disk Utility's "First Aid" was useless and now I'm sure, because First Aid reports no issues with the Volume.....any of the volumes and I can't see the EFI partition no matter what I do. I have to remove the Micron SSD and load it on my X99 to edit the EFI (which, on the X99 is easy to see and access), and there, on the X99 (which is now APFS) it reports no sizing error in disk utility.

@elfcake: Yes, I'm beginning to believe there is something wrong with the hardware, because two months ago I attempted an install of Windows 10 on this hardware (for dual boot purposes) using a Crucial MX300 and it would not work, no matter what I did. I discounted it because a different SSD worked fine. But now I'm not so sure. Still, it's strange that APFS itself creates the problem, and HFS+ seems fine.
On the Z370 (10.13.6 - APFS):

On the X99 (10.13.5 - APFS):

 

[elfcake]

And here's the latest:

I am now able to boot an APFS volume (on 10.13.6) with the original files backed up (from the HFS+ volume) and restored to the new volume. However, Clover Configurator can't see it, and disk utility reports the following (see below - size errors). I always thought Disk Utility's "First Aid" was useless and now I'm sure, because First Aid reports no issues with the Volume.....any of the volumes and I can't see the EFI partition no matter what I do. I have to remove the Micron SSD and load it on my X99 to edit the EFI (which, on the X99 is easy to see and access), and there, on the X99 (which is now APFS) it reports no sizing error in disk utility.

@elfcake: Yes, I'm beginning to believe there is something wrong with the hardware, because two months ago I attempted an install of Windows 10 on this hardware (for dual boot purposes) using a Crucial MX300 and it would not work, no matter what I did. I discounted it because a different SSD worked fine. But now I'm not so sure. Still, it's strange that APFS itself creates the problem, and HFS+ seems fine.
On the Z370 (10.13.6 - APFS):
View attachment 341549
On the X99 (10.13.5 - APFS):
View attachment 341553

I had some problems with the board with the Windows USB and the 10.13.x USB when I first powered up, I think the board would not see either of the USB's or the 2.5" SSD. I called Gigabyte, they walked me through the problems and their advice was successful in getting me up and running. I still hate windows but that's off topic . You might want to call them?

BTW, that is some weird stuff you've attached. I wish I had a few more brain cells left that I burned up from the '60's (also of topic) Maybe I will create a new Forum topic for "Hackintosh Geezers in Trouble"?

I agree that Disk Utility is pretty useless at this point.

 

[wstrohm]

Maybe I will create a new Forum topic for Hackintosh Geezers in Trouble?

Seconded!

 

[mm2margaret]

I had some problems with the board with the Windows USB and the 10.13.x USB when I first powered up, I think the board would not see either of the USB's or the 2.5" SSD. I called Gigabyte, they walked me through the problems and their advice was successful in getting me up and running. I still hate windows but that's off topic . You might want to call them?

BTW, that is some weird stuff you've attached. I wish I had a few more brain cells left that I burned up from the '60's (also of topic) Maybe I will create a new Forum topic for "Hackintosh Geezers in Trouble"?

I agree that Disk Utility is pretty useless at this point.

So, I believe I have solved it. I used Disk Utility from the Recovery Partition and that works as expected. So, if you really need Disk Partition to work, boot into the Recovery Partition and use it there. There it works.

No, I need no help installing Windows. As noted in a previous post, once I swapped the MX300 with a Sandisk Ultra, Windows installed just fine.

No, I'm not a geezer who does not know what they're doing....but if you all want to do that forum thread, get to it, and all the best. But as for me, I'll pass.....