Macbook won't see internal hard drive sometimes

I've got a core duo macbook that's been giving me trouble for awhile. The original hard drive crashed and I replaced it, then the new hard drive crashed and I had some issues with kernel panics, etc. I can boot off my firewire drive and it seems to work fine, but I put in a 3rd hard drive today to give it another chance, and it won't mount when I boot from the installer disk. I booted from the external hard drive, and initially the internal hard drive did not mount. The second time I opened Disk Utility, the hard drive was there, so I tried to format it, but I get the pinwheel and nothing happens. I'm running OS 10.5 with 2GB of ram. I'm thinking it's a logic board issue as I was getting kernel panics at one time, but haven't seen any lately. Any help?

When a hard drive fails to appear in Disk Utility that usually means the drive has failed. I really don't understand the purpose of the rest of your post. I don't even know what the question is, but I'm guessing you want to know if the drive should be replaced. The answer would be, "Yes."

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Macbook Won't Recognize Internal Hard Drive

When my Macbook starts up I either get a grey screen or a flashing folder with question mark. It will not recognize the internal hard drive. After researching, I'ved tried everything out there. Opening in safe mode, reseting NVRAM, booting from Lion install USB flash drive. The internal hard drive just will not show up anywhere, even in disk utility. Answers I've found:
1. A key is stuck pressed down
Slap the keyboard a bit to dislogde any keys
2. Test Internal HD
Test by taking to genius bar and they will test HD for you
or test yourself by getting SATA cable to USB and connect to another Macbook. (Make sure you get the right cable, mine is SATA3 to USB 2.0).
3. If Internal HD is Dead
Buy new Internal HD (Solid State or SATA) - Crucial seems to be the best website. Note, you'll most likely have to do a fresh install of your operating system.
Installation tutorials are online, it's really easy.
4. If internal hard drive is not dead, then it could be a bad SATA cable.
I recomend getting someone else to replace this although there are tutorials online.
5. Top Case may need replacing (see #1) Not very likely, but very easy to do yourself, you can find them online around $120
I'll have an update tomorrow. Oh, and a screw is also stripped so it may take awhile to get out.
My specs: Macbook 2.16Ghz Part No.MB158LL/A (Black)

When a hard drive fails to appear in Disk Utility that usually means the drive has failed. I really don't understand the purpose of the rest of your post. I don't even know what the question is, but I'm guessing you want to know if the drive should be replaced. The answer would be, "Yes."

2009 MBP can't see internal hard drive - for the second time!

Well, my 2009 13" MBP is at Applecare for the second time because it cannot recognize _any_ internal hard drive.
The first repair came at 9 months (purchased new), now 16 months later I have the same issue.
Swap in a known good drive, it can't see it, boot from DVD, and run Disk Utility, it can't see it either (optical drive shows up fine)
My first repair only said they replaced the original hard drive, has anyone else had the issue of losing access to your internal hard drive?
Ugh, I will be out of the 3 year Applecare next summer, and don't want to get stuck with another iBook G3, if you know what I mean.
Thanks for any feedback!

Hi
I have the same issue, I have a Vodafone branded Huawei HG556a with an external drive connected. I have found that it isn't possible to connect via Finder and that SMB doesn't work either. The only way I could connect to it was via FTP using Cyberduck (or Filezilla), but no use as I can't add my media files from the drive to iTunes, so unfortunately disappointing. I'm still looking, but here's the document I was referred too from another forum.
broadband.vodafone.ie/download/files/storage_mac.pdf
Although not an answer to your question, hopefully this will give you an idea why you are getting the password and username errors when you know they are correct. In the end when I entered the FTP details into Cyberduck I was able to connect.
I know this doesn't help solve the problem (as I'm still looking too), but at leas you know why (ish).
Cheers
Topes

Does macbook have to have internal hard drive to boot?!

As i'm having partition problems with the aftermarket hard drive installed in my macbook, I am resigned to re-partitioning it to install SL and restoring from time machine.
However, the old stock hard drive I have is in a caddy, I kept it as a backup incase anything ever goes wrong, then I can just boot straight back into a copy of OSX 10.5, last night I managed to install SL on this drive etc,
So i'm wondering is it possible to boot the macbook from the USB Snow Leopard drive, then at the same time in a seperate caddie, re-partition the other hard drive so I can perform a fresh installation?
Complicated I know, but i've looked into other areas and it appears this is going to be the only way!
Comments, advice and suggestions welcome

I can confirm that the macbook does not need a internal hard drive to boot, I booted using the factory hard drive in a USB caddie, and then installed Snow Leopard via another USB caddie
thanks for the help Matt

Install Disc won't see main hard drive

I'm trying to upgrade from 10.4.11 to 10.5. When I'm booted up from the install disc, my main hard drive doesn't show up as an option to install onto. My secondary internal hard drive shows up, as well as my firewire drive. What's the deal? Thanks-Karen

Try going into Disk Utility and see if you disk pops up. If not restart your mac and hold the "c" key. If that does not work go to the Apple Store.

MacBook does not see internal hard disk

Sorry if this is already answered somewhere, but I have searched so many forums that my head is swimming!
My boyfriend connected a new USB drive to his MacBook, formatted the new disk, copied some backup data onto it. At some point, the MacBook hung, so he held down the power key until the MB turned off.
Each time we restart it now, we get the flashing-folder-with-question-mark, and Tiger won't boot.
I have tried almost all of the tips I can find, and was even willing to reinstall OS X, however... the MacBook does not appear to see it's internal hard disk. As such, I cannot perform first aid on the disk via booting to setup DVD, and I cannot reinstall OS X.
If I boot from the OS X install disk, and use Disk Utility, the MB only sees the CD-RW/DVD-RW drive and the install disc. No internal HD ever shows up.
Help! I am at a loss as to how to fix...

Let me guess: you're also experiencing a low clicking noise from the right side of your mac immediately after you turn it on, right? Same thing happened to me and others, in fact there are several threads on this subject already:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=960977&start=0&tstart=0
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5325539&#5325539
My drive was done for, and no data could be saved. I ended up buying a new drive, and now I'm just hoping the same thing doesn't happen again. I'm beginning to get a sense that this problem is occurring on a more frequent level now that the 1st generation macbooks have reached their 1-year birthday, give or take. Let's hope Appel fesses up if it is indeed a design flaw.
Anyway, you most likely need a new drive. I just got a Hitachi Travelstar 250 gb for around 200$US, so they're quite cheap, and VERY easy to install, just 3 screws, slide it in, boot up, run disk utility, erase/format and you're good to go.

Macbook won't boot from Hard Drive of Disc Drive!

So I bought a Macbook (Mid-2010) from a friend recently and I can't seem to get it to boot from the hard drive or optical drive. At first I tried booting from the HD it already had and when I didn't have any luck, I went out and bought a new one. It still won't boot. I'll turn it on, it'll chime and will try to load, and then I'll get the "You need to restart your." message. I've tried booting from disc (Leopard & Snow Leopard) and will still get the same message. I have also tried all possible startup key combinations and haven't had any luck. I don't have the original DVD it came with. So was wondering if any of you guys out there have experienced this. I would like to hear your tips before I go to an Apple Store and see if they can get it fixed for me.

"You need to restart your." message
That is referred to as a "kernel panic"...
Try here > Tutorial: Avoiding and eliminating Kernel panics | MacFixIt - CNETReviews
I don't have the original DVD it came with
You will need those discs. Replacement disc(s) from Apple: You can get replacement System Install & Restore CD/DVDs from Apple's Customer Support - in the US, (800) 767-2775 - for a nominal S&H fee. You'll need to have the model and/or serial number of your Mac available.
You can check the startup disk using the Disk Utility application located in /Applications/Utilities if you can boot in Safe Mode, but you cannot make repairs without the install disc.

Macbook no longer seeing external hard drive

I have an Intel Macbook running 10.6.7. Yesterday I had two USB devices plugged in, one of them being my external hard drive. I started to unplug the hard drive by accident and quickly plugged it back in. However, I think this has now resulted in my Macbook no longer recognizing that device. I have turned the computer off with the device unplugged then turned it back on and plugged it in again, but it still doesn't see that drive. I've also tried changing ports, which didn't help, and the computer is able to see other devices using both ports. Any help?

Unplugging the hard drive itself from its power source (it's one that needs to be plugged into a wall outlet) solved the issue.

IMac G5 won't regonize internal hard drives !!!

Hi
Trying to solve this problem on a friends iMac G5 (1.8MHz). The problem started when one of his children experienced some sort of "freeze up" while using the computer and, so he says, couldn't reset it so pulled the plug. To be fair, there was also a power failure in their neighbourhood earlier that day and the computer would have been in sleep mode when this occured. But it worked for the kid at least after that.
The problem since that plug was pulled is that the iMac won't boot properly. It starts fine but stays on the Apple logo with the spinning icon indefinitely, and the fans go to full power after a minute or two. It's all pointing to a corrupt Hard Drive but I fear it may be more complicated/serious/expensive than that. We have tried FireWire Disk Mode, where we get the FW icon screen, but fails to mount on the other Macs. We have tried Data Rescue II, but it fails to see the HD. We have tried Apple Disc Utility on a Tiger Installation DVD, but it fails to see the HD. And, the Apple Hardware Test disk that came with the iMac reports no problems.
Still concerned with ultimately retrieving the data from the original 80GB drive but taking this as an opportunity to upgrade the drive we purchased a new HD (Western Digital Caviar SE 250GB 16MB SATA II 7200rpm) which another user on this forum installed successfully, but the iMac also does not see this HD.
So, I know the next test is to plug the old HD into a SATA Mac (don't have one to use at this time) just to see if this original drive has been hosed, but we are stuck as to what the problem is. I've reseated any and all cables I can, and reset PRAM and SMU.
Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated, before it gets expensive with Apple as the warranty has expired.
Simon
iMac G5 17" 1.8MHz Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hello,
I have to disagree that this issue is not solved. The problem with the drive corruption is the primary issue, not how to format a new drive. I have the same issue repeatedly.
iMac G5 1.6Ghz 1.25G RAM 80Gb SATA seagate, X 10.4.6
Whenever I POWER OFF the machine, the drive gets corrupted. If I leave it run or sleep it, there is no problem. I can do a restart without trouble, but if I do shutdown, I am hosed. This has happened 3 times now and so far the data recovery has been less than satisfactory. Data Rescue can get back files, but not the right names or locations.
I purchased the unit directly from Apple sale site as a refurb. Actually ordered a 1.8Ghz with superdrive, but received 1.6Ghz combo. Apple refunded me $150 if I would just keep what I got, so I eBayed my own superdrive and installed.
Reason I know it is after a power down because I left on vacation twice and relocated the computer once. Other than that, its always on. Those 3 times, drive corruption.
ISSUE NOT SOLVED!

Macbook won't recognize external Hard Drive and issues with Time Machine

Hello everyone,
I have just bought a new Macbook Pro with Mountain Lion and I am currently having problems with Time Machine.
The issue begun in Snow Leopard: Time Machine was taking too long to backup, and would often not finish the backup because the external hard drive would be unwillingly ejected.
Now with Mountain Lion I have reformated the drive (Mac OS Journaled) and about a third of the way through had the same issue: the drive was ejected before the backup could be finished. I restarted the machine and it happened again. However, now the computer won't even recognize the external drive when I plug it in. I have also tried to power off/on the drive itself to no progress.
I have tested the USB port with another drive and the port is fine. I have also tested the usb cable and it is fine. And Disk Utility does not recognize the drive (even when I try the >diskutil list command in terminal).
Now, I can hear the drive humming normally when I turn it on, and it is not usb-powered (my electricity current does fluctuate).
Could the interrupted backup procedures have damaged the drive? And if so, wouldn't the computer recognize it anyway?
It is a 4 year old WD 1 TB that is used exclusively for TM and has never left the house.
Thank you for your time reading this and let me know if you need any more information that could help out.
Cheers!

From your description, I'd suspect a failing drive. Maybe time for a new external, especially as you've already re-formatted and it's still playing up.
I had a similar problem with one of my clone backups a few weeks ago - it failed, I erased it, re-cloned, worked a couple of times and then it failed again. Disk Utility didn't throw up any errors after re-formatting. I guess all disks die at some point.

Migration Assistant won't see external hard drive

I have just done a clean install of Leopard onto my MacBook Pro, previously running Tiger. Now, I want to migrate my old user and programs from a backed up volume on an external firewire hard drive. The problem is that Migration Assistant won't recognize my external hard drive.
I have no other problem mounting or reading the external hard drive from leopard.
Could the problem be that the external drive has the Apple partition map instead of GUID as reported here? http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1329665
Any suggestion, solutions or work arounds are gratefully appreciated.

That isn't a valid link to your picture (it's a link to the file on your computer). You would need to post it to a serve (and remove the spaces in the name) and post that link here.
However it would appear that your short name is 'dalechristiansen' so presumably you originally created a user with that short name and your full name as.. the full name (unless it was just 'Dale'. Whatever you did before when you created your account is what you should do now. Then you can copy the equivalent folder's contents. (You might have problems replacing some of the root level folders, in which case you shuld copy their contents into the equivalent folders).

MacBook Won't Start and Hard Drive Full

My daughter's MacBook won't start up completely. It tells me to power off and power on again. I tried restarting using my Snow Leopard DVD and it won't let me load, re-install or restore because it says her hard drive is 100% full. Not sure how it got full and not sure how to get computer working again with no room on hard drive. Help please.

With MacBooks it's only the Late 2008 model 5,1 Aluminum Unibody and the Late 2009 model 6,1 and Mid 2010 model 7,1 White Unibody that don't have FireWire. Which one is hers?
You can get a larger hard drive (sounds like she needs one) and an external case. Put the larger hard drive in the MacBook and do a fresh install of the Operating System and the old hard drive in the external case.
For a hard drive try Newegg.com. For larger drives go to the left hand side. http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives&Order=PRICE
Or OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Here's a cheap SATA external hard drive case on eBay http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-2-5-SATA-HDD-HARD-DRIVE-EXTERNAL-ENCLOSURE-CASE-BOX-/120 636286623?pt=PCC_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item1c167ba69f
Here's video instructions on replacing the hard drive on the Aluminum Unibody http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbookpro_13_unibody_hd/
Here's video instructions on replacing the hard drive on the White Unibody http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook_13_09_unibody_hd/

Can I install 2 different osxs (Maveriks and mountain lion) on my macbook with 2 different internal hard drives?

Macbook 15" i7 2.2 750GB and 16GB RAM
have plenty of space on my 2nd hard drive and want to try to install 2 OSx on both hard drives.
A- will that really work?
b- will Mac ask to choose which one to start?
I can't take a 'leap of faith' just yet as am away from my backup so wanna know if anyone has ever tried it?
i'll do it for fun so i have no valid reason.
Cheers

1. Yes.
2. By default, the second OS installed will be the startup disk. This can be changed from the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences and overridden by pressing Option at startup.
(110905)

Macbook won't recognize new hard drive tried a lot of things and need ideas

My MacBook rececently froze up and when i shut it down it just loaded with a folder question mark. I went through a lot of different discussions, and came on the conclusion my hard drive died! I bought a new one on ebay and i put it in myself. I tried loading software on it but it would not show my hard drive being there. I tried the PR+AppleOption but it still didn't show. I then went to disk utility and notice that the hard drive appeared there, but it wouldn't let me do anything with it. My warrenty is up and i was hoping i wouldn't have to take it in to the apple store, but i will at the end of the week if needed!

New drives need to be prepped before use:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder. If you need to reformat your startup volume, then you must boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (only required for Intel Macs) then click on the OK button. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

MacBook won't boot from hard drive or CD

My MacBook will not turn on. When the power button is pressed the chime sounds as normal and the grey screen appears but it will not go any further. It also refuses to boot from a CD when c is held down. The CD spins up but it does not load. The computer was water damaged in December and this killed the hard drive but I replaced it and it worked fine again for about a month. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks for the advice, doesn't seem to have worked though.

Macbook won't see internal hard drive sometimes

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