# Invalid Key Length on startup disk :(



## nufu (Dec 29, 2005)

My hard drive seems to have died, it takes ages to boot and just continually says 'starting mac osx'

ran repair via disk utility and i get the 'invalid key length' error (iv'e looked around, thats a bad error!)

Anyway to repair this without buying diskwarrior?

If i reinstall over the top of tiger, will it keep my files (due to them not being system files)?

Can target disk mode work from imac->pc, or imac->ipod? I just want to get my stuff off the drive and reformat if that works.


Any help is appreciated on this.


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## bobw (Dec 29, 2005)

If Disk Utility won't fix the 'invalid key length' error, you have two choices;

1-DiskWarrior

2-Reformat the drive

Reinstalling the system without repairing the drive won't fix the problem.


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## Giaguara (Dec 29, 2005)

I had invalid key length error on my work g5 a few weeks back.
Tried DiskWarrior. It didn't make it - it got stuck always on same location for long enough times for me to start worrying whether it would burn my HD.
A clean install solved it. On another partition .. with a lot of patience I was able to rescue the documents and some other files from that key length impaired partition... then I formatted it.

You can TRY to target mode. It may take a very long time to get anything done since finder and windowserver will probably be hanging a lot. ssh may also work. Tryig is better than not trying. If target mode, ssh, diskwarrrior and any other mode fails to get your data backed up ... either just format the hard drive and obviously clean install, or if e.g. there is some real valuable data not backed up, try something like data rescue (company).


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## nufu (Dec 29, 2005)

so can I create a new partition on the drive and install tiger onto that?

would this allow me to access my old files on the other partition (if it isnt totally dead).

and how do i go about creating a new partition via the setup disk?


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## bobw (Dec 29, 2005)

To create a partition(s), you would have to reformat (erase completely) the drive.


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