Subject error message appears when attempting to run Volume Structures or Volume Rebuild from boot volume (SSD1) on SSD2. SSD2 is a Carbon Copy Clone of SSD1. Strangely, when booted on SSD2, this problem does not exist when running either on SSD1.

Mac OS X 10.9.2, 10.9.3, 10.9.4 all have this problem; TTP version 7.0.4. A Force Unmount Volume from the Terminal does unmount the SSD2 volume, and subsequent runs of TTP do work, and the volume re-mounts at the ends of the runs. But if the computer is restarted, the problem reappears.

Response on the Apple forum states that this is caused by the CCC operation somehow "linking" the two drives. Any insight?

Thanks!

The clone volume cannot be unmounted because it has open files. The problem is caused by the fact that a process running under the system software on the active boot volume has opened a file on a clone volume (in some cases, rather than or in addition to the copy of the same file on the active boot volume). This is a common problem with clones, regardless of what program made the clone. I have seen no evidence that Carbon Copy Cloner is at fault.

The proper solution to the problem is to identify the files that are open on the clone, and then the processes that have them open, and to quit the processes. The way to do this is to use the lsof command in Terminal. Instructions and an example are in this thread:

Volume Rebuild Disk Will Not Unmount.

Thanks for your response. I ran the lsof command, and the files returned were too numerous to result in a practical means of quitting them. I guess I need to continue to use the terminal command "sudo diskutil unmountDisk force /dev/disk1" to force SSD2 to unmount.

FYI, I have attached a text file of the open files on SSD2.

Thank you for your response. Unfortunately the contents of lsof result are too numerous to make quitting each one a practical task. I will have to continue using the terminal command "sudo diskutil unmountDisk force /dev/disk1" to unmount the SSD2 disk.

FYI, I have attached a text file of the lsof result... many files are open!

Thanks again,

---- Bill

[Edit: This web page gives me no indication that the "Add File" function is working...??]

You are welcome, and thanks for the screen capture.

As I mentioned in the instructions for using the lsof command, each line of the output specifies first what process has a file open. Most of your files are open by mds_store, or by notifyd. The issue of quitting notifyd is discussed in this Apple Support Forums thread:

discussions.apple.com/message/22716483

I have not found a detailed description of just what mds_store does. Some of the threads concerning it are about Spotlight or Time Machine. If you excluded the SSD2 volume from Spotlight and Time Machine, the files on it might close. That leaves a few more processes and its open files.

There could be a downside to forcing the ejection of a volume with open files:

From How to Force Eject a Volume or Drive in OS X, by J. Glenn Künzler:

Note: Make sure you have closed all applications that may be using the volume you want to eject, and that the volume is not in use. Otherwise, you risk facing data corruption or even data loss! And, as always, use Terminal commands at your own risk!

I get this error code when I try to run Volume Opt.

The selected volume could not be unmounted. Exit all other applications that may be using the volume and try again. No matter what I do I can't get this work. I have all of my programs closed and still I get the same error.

I have 2 partitions.
One has OS-X and all of my applications one it and the other just has my data. This is the drive I'm having issues with. It won't even give me the option to optimize the other partition with the operating system on it.

You must use the lsof command as described above to find the open files and the processes that have them open. Quitting applications that you can see are open in the Dock is not enough to solve the problem. The active boot volume, of course, cannot be unmounted.