MacOS – Presence of a Linux partition causes FileVault2 setup to fail

disk-utilityfilevaultmacospartitionunix

I'm currently dual booting Mountain Lion and Ubuntu 12.04 on a rMBP. Everything works fine, but enabling FileVault fails with the error message: "Some information was unavailable during an internal lookup." I receive the same error message if I run "Verify Disk" in Disk Utility.

By experimenting over the course of half a dozen reinstallations, I made the following observations:

Install Ubuntu 12.04 (x64, alternative Mac version) and GRUB -> ERROR
Add a ext4 or btrfs partition using Gparted on a LiveCD without installing GRUB -> ERROR
Removing the Linux partitions (but leaving the hybrid MBR) -> NO ERROR

As a result, my best guess is that OS X throws an error as soon as it detects a filesystem that it doesn't recognize. Has anyone else encountered this problem? How do get OS X to ignore my Linux partitions?

Update 1

Adding 128 MiB of padding between partitions solves the "Verify Disk" error. Unfortunately, I still get the same error message when I attempt to enable FileVault 2. Interestingly, "Verify Disk" started returning errors as soon as I attempted to "Repair Disk." Disk Utility seems quite adept at corrupting its own partition tables…

Update 2

I get more information if I run fsck_cs from the terminal. It looks like this may be related to FireVault2 using CoreStorage. Here's the output:

$ sudo fsck_cs /dev/disk0
** Checking volume.
   Content Hint for disk0 is not Apple_CoreStorage
** disk0: Scan for Volume Headers
   Invalid Volume Header @ 0: invalid field value
   Invalid Volume Header @ 251000192512: invalid field value
** disk0 is not a CoreStorage volume

Best Answer

I believe I found the issue: Apple expects 128 MiB of free space between every partition. Disk Utility hides this free space, similar to how it hides the ESP. If this padding isn't present, it generates the error I described above.

Easy fix: Tell Gparted to use +128 MiB as the beginning offset for each partition.

Edit: Nevermind, this only solves the "Verify Disk" problem...I still can't enable FileVault. See above for an update.

Suggestions

Review System Preferences

Create another user.

Use the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences. In the FileVault tab, click Enable Users… then in the sheet, ensure that all required users are enabled.

Hint

System Preferences may show that FileVault is enabled, with a recovery key, when there is encryption with Core Storage, but neither FileVault 2 nor a recovery key. I reported this bug to Apple a while ago.

Similarly, but not the same bug:

I assume that System Preferences may show FileVault disabled on a system where most elements of FileVault are enabled.

Thorough application of Disk Utility

Ensure that the utility is applied:

to the logical volume group, which appears to contain the logical volume.

(Where Core Storage is used, Disk Utility in 10.8 can not show the physical disk.)

If you select the LV alone, then verification will omit the partition map.

Observations

Conversion Status: Failed

If encryption was applied when the volume was created (typically: erasure with Disk Utility) then:

there was no conversion forward
conversion backward can not begin.

Conversion Direction: backward

This implies that:

recently, conversion backward did begin
previously, the logical volume was the result of conversion forward (not the result of erasure with Disk Utility).

diskutil coreStorage encryptVolume 4FDED44E-EC4B-4B11-9FF5-9C958BD8CEAB

That could apply if logical volume 4FDED44E-EC4B-4B11-9FF5-9C958BD8CEAB was not encrypted.

As the LV is already encrypted, the response from diskutil is correct.

The question in Apple Support Communities

From the opening poster:

Cannot enable FileVault

Does the resolution there in ASC, the bounty here in Ask Different, mean that Dennis continues to seek a more detailed answer, a better resolution?

Code -69755

-69755 appears in another discussion:

FileVault failed and now I can't turn it off.

Interpreting the failure

Pessimistically but realistically:

a failure to convert – with conversion of nothing – may indicate media failure, possibly in or around the area occupied by the extents file.

Fusion Drive – Repairing Possible Mess-Up on 1TB iMac with BootCamp

Theoretically everything is fine with your Fusion Drive. Fusion Drives look like this. Disk0 is your SSD with 121 GB and disk1 is your HDD with ~1 TB (~1.121 TB summed up).

The larger parts of your SSD (disk0s2) and your HDD (disk1s2) are pooled to a CoreStorage LVG (Fusion Drive: disk3) with a size of 967.8 GB. The rest is reserved for EFIs, a Recovery HD (alltogether ~1.3 GB) and your old Windows partition - now probably free space (~152 GB).

The logical volume 'Macintosh HD' (967.8 GB) spans disk0s2 and disk1s2. This is the first 'Macintosh HD' in picture 1. The volume 'Macintosh HD' - it's the one visible on the desktop - should ideally also have about 967.8 GB. This is the second 'Macintosh HD' in picture 1.
In fact it has only 852.67 GB (see picture 3).

In the second picture the logical volume 'Macintosh HD' is the first listed in black, the volume 'Macintosh HD' is the second listed in black, the other two 'Macintosh HD's listed in grey are the parts of your SSD and HDD dedicated to the logical volume 'Macintosh HD'.

In my opinion something went wrong after deleting various partitions with the Bootcamp Assistant/Disk Utility or in Windows.

Preparation:

Detach any external drive (especially your external Time Machine backup drive)
Restart to Internet Recovery Mode by pressing alt cmd R at startup.
The prerequisites are the latest firmware update installed, either ethernet or WLAN (WPA/WPA2) and a router with DHCP activated.
On a 50 Mbps-line it takes about 4 min (presenting a small animated globe) to boot into a recovery netboot image which usually is loaded from an apple/akamai server.

I recommend ethernet because it's more reliable. If you are restricted to WIFI and the boot process fails, just restart your Mac until you succeed booting.

Alternatively you may start from a bootable installer thumb drive (preferably Mavericks or Yosemite) or a thumb drive containing a full system (preferably Mavericks or Yosemite).

Now you may either repair CoreStorage or rebuild your Fusion Drive:

'Repair CoreStorage' (not recommended):

First i would try to check the volume 'Macintosh HD' with Disk Utility. If the volume is corrupted consider a reinstall of Mac OS X.
If the volume is ok quit Disk Utility
Open Terminal and enter diskutil unmountDisk /dev/LVIdentifier and both diskutil unmountDisk /dev/DiskContainingApple_CoreStorageIdentifier
In your case: first diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk3 then diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk0 and diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk1
remove the EFI NO NAME partition with gpt remove -i IndexNumberOfEFINoName DiskIdentifier:
gpt remove -i 4 disk1
Remount the CoreStorage disks and then the Logical Volume:
In your case: first diskutil mountDisk /dev/disk0 and diskutil mountDisk /dev/disk1 and then diskutil mount /dev/disk3.

enter gpt -r -vvv show /dev/diskIdentfierOfApple_CoreStorage to get infos of your HDD CoreStorage disk.
In your case: gpt -r -vvv show /dev/disk1
It should look like this:

-bash-3.2# gpt -r -vvv show /dev/disk1
gpt show: /dev/disk1: mediasize=1000204886016; sectorsize=512;         blocks=1953525168
gpt show: /dev/disk1: PMBR at sector 0
gpt show: /dev/disk1: Pri GPT at sector 1
gpt show: /dev/disk1: GPT partition: type=C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B, start=40, size=409600
gpt show: /dev/disk1: GPT partition: type=53746F72-6167-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC, start=409640, size=1671210848
gpt show: /dev/disk1: GPT partition: type=426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC, start=1671620488, size=1269760
gpt show: /dev/disk1: Sec GPT at sector 1953525167                               
     start          size  index contents                                        
         0             1        PMBR                                            
         1             1        Pri GPT header                                  
         2            32        Pri GPT table                                   
        34             6
        40        409600      1 GPT part - C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B
    409640    1671210848      2 GPT part - 53746F72-6167-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
1671620488       1269760      3 GPT part - 426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
1672890248     280634887
1953525135            32        Sec GPT table
1953525167             1        Sec GPT header

The free space on your HDD has 280634887 blocks. Please calculate the biggest block number dividable through 8. That's 280634880 blocks (á 512 bytes) which equals 143685058560 B or ~143.7 GB. Add the size of your HDD CoreStorage Physical Volume (852666400768 B) The result is 143685058560 B + 852666400768 B = 996351459328 B
Resize your HDD CoreStorage physical volume with diskutil cs resizeDisk HDDPVUUID newsize
In your case: diskutil cs resizeDisk 93892BE8-2B7F-4ABD-A4C3-984495DCD98D 996351459328b
Calculate the maximal size of your CoreStorage Logical Volume in diskutil cs list: (size disk0s2) + (size disk1s2) In your case that's 120988852224 B + 996351459328 B = 1117340311552 B. That should be the size of your refreshed Logical Volume Group.
Resize your Logical Volume with diskutil cs resizeVolume LVUUID LVGSize-128 MB In your case that's diskutil cs resizeVolume D237FFDC-7DA4-41D7-AC13-4CC7E5E8C0A0 1117212311552b. If you get an error (There is not enough free space...) choose a smaller size like 1117148311552b.
Quit Terminal and open Disk Utility.
Check your expanded CoreStorage Volume for errors.
Quit Disk Utility, choose your CS volume as startup disk and restart your Mac

'Rebuild Fusion Drive' (recommended if you have a Time Machine backup)

Booted to Internet Recovery Mode open Utilities → Terminal in the menubar and enter:
diskutil cs list to get the CoreStorage listing.
Copy the Logical Volume UUID, it's the fifth listed.
Now delete the Logical Volume with diskutil cs deleteVolume LVUUID.
In your case: diskutil cs deleteVolume D237FFDC-7DA4-41D7-AC13-4CC7E5E8C0A0.
Copy the Logical Volume Group UUID, it's the first listed in the listing of diskutil cs list.
Then delete the Logical Volume Group with diskutil cs delete LVGUUID.
In your case: diskutil cs delete 1EFE58BC-3613-44C4-86EE-D816F3B66E3E
Enter exit and quit 'Terminal'
Open 'Disk Utility'. Enter 'Ignore' if you are asked to fix the drives.
Choose your SSD and partition it: 1 Partition Mac OS X Extended (Journaled), hit the Options button and choose GUID Partiton table and hit OK and Apply.
Please check that the size is ~121 GB

Example:
Choose your HDD and partition it: 1 Partition Mac OS X Extended (Journaled), hit the Options button and choose GUID Partiton table and hit OK and Apply.
Please check that the size is ~1 TB

Example:
Quit Disk Utility and open Terminal
Enter diskutil list

Example (your disk identifiers and sizes are different of course: Your volume SSD probably has the Identifier disk0s2 and the size 121 GB and your volume HDD probably has the Identifier disk1s2 and the size 1.0 TB):
Enter diskutil cs create "Name" IdentifierSSD IdentifierHDD
In your case probably diskutil cs create "Macintosh HD" disk0s2 disk1s2.

Copy the resulting LVGUUID

Example:
Enter diskutil cs CreateVolume LVGUUID jhfs+ "Macintosh HD" 100%.

Example:
Enter diskutil cs list
Check the size of your Logical Volume. It should have the size ~1.121 TB

Example:
Quit Terminal
Open 'Disk Utility' and check your newly created volume for errors
Quit 'Disk Utility'
Attach your external Time Machine backup drive or check this answer if you use NAS or another network share.
Open 'Restore from Time Machine Backup'
Choose the appropriate Time Machine backup and restore your system
Reboot to your restored system.
Unmount and detach your Time Machine backup drive
Open 'Terminal' and enter 'diskutil list'
Check if your 'Recovery HD' is listed.
If your 'Recovery HD' is missing, usually reinstalling your current system with the latest available system installer (e.g. 'Install OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)' if Mavericks is currently installed) will recreate it without loosing any data. AFAIK Recovery Partition Creator 3.8 will NOT create a Recovery HD on CoreStorage volumes.
After reinstalling the system with the latest available system installer open App Store and install the latest security fixes.