Urgent iMac Hard drive question!

I have an 08 20" iMac with a bad hard drive.  I am looking to replace it.  Is there a list of compatible hard drives somewhere so I know what to look for?  Also, I have a MacBook pro from the same year. Am I able to use the hard drive from the MacBook in the iMac?  Any help is greatly appreciated!  I am looking for something around 500GB.  Also, does anyone have an idea how much it would be to have someone install it for me if I provided my own hard drive?  The quote right now from an Apple retailer is $250 for the hard drive plus installation.  I'm hoping to save a few bucks by providing my own.

Any SATA II 3.5" hard drive will work, you can navigate to www.macsales.comand see a fairly complete list of compatible hard drives. However as the previous  poster mentioned working on an iMac is not recommended unless you are extremely comfortable working on notebook computers. Working on an iMac is not simple and it's easy to damage it beyond repair unless you know exactly what you're doing. I'd recommend taking the machine to your local AASP and have them do it.
Finally to answer your question regarding using your old MBP's HD, no that is a 2.5" HD and the iMacs use 3.5" HDs.

Similar Messages

  • IMac hard drive question

    Hello,
    I'll be ordering my new iMac (BTO) within the next day or so and wanted to get some feedback on the hard drive options.
    I'm looking at either the 750 GB or 1 TB and I'm wondering how good are the hard drives Apple uses? I've heard Apple uses WD, Seagate, and Hitatchi - and it's kind of a crapshoot as to what you end up with.
    I've always had excellent luck with WD drives, I've also had good luck with Hitatchi, although I've found them to be pretty noisey in the past. Unfortunately, I've never had good luck with Seagate.
    Can anybody give any feedback regarding the drives or which ones you're more or less likely to end up with.
    Thanks for any info you can provide.
    Sully

    I've got the previous alu iMac (2.8GHz) with a 750GB HDD. It is a Seagate.
    IMO, just choose your disk for the capacity you need: today, all brands are equivalent on the reliability. You can have a hardware failure with any brand, but today it is quite rare...
    The time with IBM cursed series is over.

  • Slow iMac and Time machine won't recognize iMac hard drive

    I have an older iMac (2.16GHz Intel) that is upgraded to OSX10.6.7.  Recently it has been running very slow (although it did not seem to correlate with any particular install that I know of).  I have looked at the Activity Monitor and cannot find anything that is consuming vast amounts of memory (although I can't say that I really know what I'm looking for exactly, just no high numbers).  I did a Safe Boot and it is still really slow there (EXAMPLE of slow is taking several minutes to open a program or taking 27 hours to download my pictures (which only took 13 minutes on my MacBook)).  I know my iMac could use more memory (1G), but the slow problem is there even if only running one program.  I can't find a particular pattern to it, it just hangs up and then comes back most of the time.  It did however start shutting itself down recently.  I finally got into disk utility (I've been trying to run disk utility and it usually goes into an eternal spin that I can't even force quit - have to hard boot).   So from disk utility I ran verify disk in first aid - it says "the volume Macintosh HD appears to be ok."  I"m not sure what else I'm supposed to do in here either. So my first question is Does anyone have any other suggestions for the slowness? Second, in the meantime I'm desperately trying to back up my data on the time machine that I stupidly have never set up as a back up.  I can manually put files one at a time over there, but if I try to use it as a time capsule (system preferences, time capsule on) my hard drive does not show up as one of the options????  My external drive and the data that is already on the time capsule show up, but not my iMac hard drive. So my second question is How do I get my time machine to see my hard drive or is there another way to get my files to move over there? I realize I'm in trouble, any help would be greatly appreciated.  I've tried to provide as much info as possible.  Maybe there is something obvious I'm missing.

    My own response, or rather an update: I took the computer up to the Genius Bar - my hard drive is bad.  They are going to try to rescue my data.  For those of you reading this with a similar problem, make an appointment and go to the Apple Store if you can.  Mike, my personal "genius" for this encounter, said that stressing the machine when the hard drive is going bad just risks damaging it more.  If you potentially have a hardware issue, take it and let them determine what is wrong.  They have tools and diagnostics most of us wouldn't know how to use if we read about them here - and they have ways of retrieving data (I hope) that most of us do not have.  Please note that disk utility said my hard drive was ok, but the diagnostics they did showed that in fact my hard drive was much less than ok, but it was still "mounting" hence the disk utility reporting it was ok.  It is over an hour drive for me to get to the Apple store, and I only wish I had gone sooner.

  • I need to replace my late 2006 20" imac hard drive

    here's what i have
    VIN,IMAC (20-INCH LATE 2006)
    running leopard 10.5.8
    Hardware Overview:
      Model Name: iMac
      Model Identifier:    iMac5,1
      Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
      Processor Speed: 2.16 GHz
      Number Of Processors: 1
      Total Number Of Cores: 2
      L2 Cache: 4 MB
      Memory: 3 GB
      Bus Speed:    667 MHz
      Boot ROM Version: IM51.0090.B09
      SMC Version (system): 1.9f4
      Serial Number (system): W8******VUV
    WDC WD2500JS-40TGB0:
      Capacity: 232.89 GB
      Model:    WDC WD2500JS-40TGB0
      Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
      S.M.A.R.T. status: Failing
      Volumes: Macintosh HD:
      Capacity: 232.57 GB
      Available: 106.04 GB
      Writable:  Yes
      File System: Journaled HFS+
      BSD Name:    disk0s2
    disk utility shows this:
    my mac is still running like a champ but as the pictures above show it's time
    i've found a lot of people with the same question i have on this site with answers but most links that people suggest are broken or 2 of the hard drives they've recommended are discontiued
    i've got a frys electronics and best buy near by or internet if that's the best way to go about it
    what exactly do i need to look for when i'm at a store or online?
    what size hard drive, any? 250GB, 500GB, 750GB, 1TB
    3.5" SATA
    7200RPM
    does cache matter?
    anything else?
    people's responses to: Need to replace my late 2006 imac hard drive - what should i be looking for to replace it?
    1. You can use any 3.5" Sata drive, WD or Seagate would be good choices.
    2. Do not use "green" drives like the WD Blue series. WD Black are fine as are Seagates.
    3. The 2T green will work fine in the Intel iMac's. I always suggest using the quieter and cooler running Blue's or Green's in the iMac's.
    4. Personally I have upgraded the Hard Drive in several Early Core Duo's using both 320GB and 500GB WD Cavair Blue's.
    5. WD Caviar Blue or WD Caviar Green, they run cooler and quieter than the WD Black or Seagate's.
    6. I'm very happy with the WD Caviar Blue that replaced my factory installed 160GB Seagate HD a few months ago.
    i've found some good DIY tutorials for install
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShY8zuT-wPg&feature=player_embedded
    http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+20-Inch+EMC+2105+and+2118+Hard+Drive+Repl acement/1092/1 
    any help will be appreciated,
    sean k
    <Edited by Host>

    thanks for the quick reply kappy,
    i plan to purchase a new imac when they are actually shipped, in stores, and i know all my handicap assisted devises will work on it
    you say "Do not buy a drive designed for SATA 3 6 Gb/s interfaces as some may not work on the controller in your iMac"
    at frys it breaks the groups like this:
    Interface (32)  
    SATA/300 (17)
    SATA/600 (9)
    PATA/100 (6)
    could you take a look at this link to frys and recommend a hard drive
    http://www.frys.com/search?cat=-69564&pType=pDisplay&fq=100413%203.5-100415%2072 00
    or bestbuy internal hard drives
    like you said it's got a limited life and just need something to get by till the new imacs arrive

  • Please help RE retrieval/transfer of imac hard drive to imac Part 2

    Absolutely any assistance would be gratefully appreciated thank you. I am computer illiterate and I need assistance retrieving data from a imac hard drive (rest of computer isn't working) to a newer imac. Previously had received help from the forum and found out I needed an external casing (thank you again to all those that helped), but no shops near me sell them, sales person told me Sata HDD Docking (OTB) would be able to do a similar thing. I really suck with technology, so I humbly ask if any patient persons more intelligent than me could help me with some basic questions to help me retrieve/transfer data. Let me know if I need to give details. Any links to guides or tutorials welcome as well, but I tend to second guess myself and fail at basic terms often, there are probably 6 year olds with better computer skills and knowledge than me, so yeah, pity welcome, help even more so. Oh first question am I still suppose to use Migration Assistent or do I just turn on computer with old HD in dock connected?

    Okay, I apologize for throwing you the following curveball - it appears the shop assistent I was talking to may not have been as knowledgeable as I had hoped, because I don't think my imac is compatible with USB 3.0? I tried putting it into the dock but nothing happened - it gave me four options, transfer from another Mac, transfer from a PC, transfer from a Time Machine (and something else) and forth option was not to transfer now.
    I attempted to transfer from Mac and Time Machine options, but with both the loading dial spun for 10 mins with each with no change. So I decided to try and set up the computer anyway. The internet set up part came up but at the time I didn't know how to set it up, and now with retrospect I assume I have to set that up before I "register this computer" as no hard drive is showing onmy computer at the moment? Sorry for the sudden and strange switch in problems but now that I have set up the internet - could you or anyone else please tell me how I can register the computer details (or why the hard drive icon is not appearing assuming those things are connected - when I did fill those details out before it told me it couldn't send them now and would have to be done later?)
    Sorry for being so clueless - any help appreciated.
    I am looking up my imacs specs now to see if it actually can access this dock. (thank you once again)  

  • Imac hard drive replacement

    Incredibly my rarely used 2011 Imac Hard Drive is toast. I saw they have a replacement program but even though it is way too soon for a hard drive OF QUALITY to be going out so soon as mine - mine is not included in the replacement program. 
    Which I have a problem with - how odd it is that they had enough trouble with these computers/hard drives to do a replacement program but mine which did the same thing, expired way too soon isn't covered.  I've not had use of the computer for 4 months while I tried to fix the problem so it lasted a little over a year.
    Anyway I need to know what to do to try to replace it myself as i haven't the funds to take it to Apple for repair.   Plus, Apple Computers and me are history I will never buy another after spending over $1200 for a computer that's nothing more than a very large paperweight right now.
    How do I know what size and all that?
    I may not be able to afford even that so more than likely this is going to be a very nice looking worthless computer going to the landfill.

    I Am leaning more toward Kappy's comments, based on your attitude and comments, but I will ask some questions and add some useful comments as I am in a somewhat charitable mood.
    Do you still have AppleCare on this iMac?
    From your rather blunt comments I assume no, but have to ask anyhow.
    This is why I recommend purchasing and registering for 3- year extended AppleCare.
    Because of the nature of the newer iMac designs, hardware failure seems more likely or commonplace occurrence. I believe it's more of a excessive heat related issue than anything else despite what Apple has qualified as "normal" operating temps for these iMac models.
    Check out the iFixit home site and search for iMac disassembly or tear/take down. Or search for iMac hard drive replacement on the site.
    Another option is for you to purchase an external FireWire 400/800 drive as your new boot drive.
    Running your iMac from a FW800 drive will be about as fast as running it from the iMac's Internal drive.
    If you can afford it get as large a drive as you can afford.
    And just for your info, while hard drives can last for years without issue they will go bad, eventually.
    Some drives crash and burn faster than others. Especiallly true of the notebook style drives that Apple installs into the newer design iMac. With hard drives, the question is not if they will fail, but when will they fail.
    If you had all of your data backed up to an extra, external drive or optical discs to begin with, you wouldn't be so upset about your internal drive dying as your data still would've been intact on another drive or discs in the first place.
    I Always advocate for having some sort of backup strategy for your important data in the event of hardware or hard drive storage failure.

  • 2008 iMac hard drive quit.

    My 2008 intel iMac hard drive quit.  All I get is a flashing folder with a question mark on it.
    Should I send it to Apple for a new hard drive and can they transfer my files onto the new
    HD.  Or can I do this myself?
    thanks.

    I know... I can't figure out why it won't.  I've even tried multiple keyboards to be sure... It stays on the gray screen longer than usual, and goes to the missing file icon.

  • External Hard Drive Questions... (original posting by Nile36)

    Original Post:
    I just installed a Western Digital 500GB External HD. I partitoined the drive (one side 150 GB to be a little larger than my iMac hard drive) using Disk Utility. Now, the icon of the External Drive is still listed in my finder as 150GB but I do not seem to have access to the additional 350GB on the drive.
    The initial thread has been marked as 'Answered' although there is one more thing that can be added. While I posted a resolution in the original thread I've added it here in case those interested/affected ignore the first one.
    You can download and try VolumeWorks. I found it at:
    http://mac.majorgeeks.com/download4983.html
    I ran in trial mode to see what it was capable of and it did allow me to take a partition of 'free space' and format it as HFS+ without affecting my other, data filled test partition. Contrary to what I previously thought (and unlike the iPartition demo), it wrote the changes to the drive.
    The new partition is HFS+ only. To add journaling, use the Disk Utility from Apple.
    iMac Core Duo (20")   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

    There's something missing in your explanation. If you're getting the "original file..." message, that would indicate that you may have had all your music files on your laptop drive at one point and them moved some of them to the external drive without using the proper procedure.
    If you don't have a lot of playlists, star ratings, and that sort of information that you're trying to preserve, then Mike's suggestion is an easy way out. If you do have a lot of that kind of information, then you may need to see if you can restore your setup to its former condition, when it was all working, and then use proper procedures to move files to the external drive or whatever it was that you were trying to do.

  • I upgraded my imac hard drive to a 2tb drive. how do i use time machine to get my computer back to normal?

    i upgraded my imac hard drive to a 2tb drive. how do i use time machine to get my computer back to normal?

    Thank you. I followed the faq#14 (using setup wizard from the osx install disk). Everything went just as planned until I woke up this morning and noticed there was no progress on the "transferring documents" meter. It stopped about 1/4 of the way. I can hear the computer working and the bar is somewhat animated like it is advancing but it's not.
    Should I cancel and restart or should I wait it out? It already been about 13 hours since I started the process. Do you think it is my time machine or my iMac? Maybe the time machine file is corrupt or something.
    Anyway, any help is appreciated. Thanks.

  • Ello, I changed my Imac hard drive which no longer worked. I installed a hard drive Western Digital 500 GB 7200 rpm SATA3 WD5002AALX 32M Black. Sometimes I see the hard disk in the utility on the Starter CD, but access seems very slow. By cons when I want

    Hello, I changed my Imac hard drive which no longer worked. I installed a hard drive
    Western Digital 500 GB 7200 rpm SATA3 WD5002AALX 32M Black. Sometimes I see the hard disk in the utility on the Starter CD, but access seems very slow. By cons when I want
    install OS X 10.4.2 on the hard drive, I do not see the disk. What is the problem?

    Thanks for the help
    I started on the installation CD OS X 10.4.2, I used Disk Utility
    to partition the disk according to the document that you have proposed. unfortunately
    I have not succeeded. When I partition the disk, even if I called it Macintosh HD, it
    does not keep the name and it shows disk0s3 instead. I did an erase on disk.
    When I mount the disk it tells me that I must repair. When I tried to repair, I got
    the following message:
    Volume check failed
    The underflying task reported failure on exit
    1 HFS volume checked
    1 volume could not be repaired because of an error.
    I also had a message:
    Invalid b-tree node size.
    Note: The disc is new, but it has already been formatted on a computer Imac 27 inch 2011 OS X Lion.
          I used a USB 2.0 to SATA cable to adjust the formatting.
    What to do to fix it?

  • What's happening with my iMac hard drive?

    I was on Disk Utility the other day, and a message was displayed on my screen. It said... "This drive has a hardware problem and cannot be repaired. Back up as much data as possible and replace the disk. See an authorised Apple dealer for more information." This message was referring to my 1TB ST31000528AS internal iMac hard drive. What is causing this problem? Does this have something to do with the fact that BOOTCAMP was installed on my computer? What should I do?
    Thanks in advance.

    Contact Apple or your local AASP > Apple - Support - iMac - Service FAQ

  • I recently had the genius bar change my imac hard drive because it crashed. For some reason Time Machine didn't back up some of my important files. Can I get my damaged hard drive back from the genius bar to see if I can access that info?

    I recently had the genius bar change my imac hard drive because it crashed. For some reason Time Machine didn't back up some of my important files. Can I get my damaged hard drive back from the genius bar to see if I can access that info?

    Unfortunately, that drive is long gone, probably back to the mfr. Drives are not returned when they are exchanged. You can go by and ask them, but the chances are slim to none.

  • Need to reinstall Photoshop elements on my iMac - hard drive crash and do not have a back-up copy.  How do I get another copy?

    Need to reinstall Photoshop elements on my iMac - hard drive crash and do not have a back-up copy.  How do I get another copy?

    Unfortunately, you're in the wrong forum.  This is not the Elements forum.
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  • Hi. My iMac hard drive is running Mavericks.  I have an old version of Quark Xpress (3.32) which won't run in Mavericks.  Can I partition my hard drive and run an older system on one partition, so I can access my Quark?  Is that possible?

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    Hi ancelau,
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    So why don't you upgrade QuarkXPress 3 to a newer version? I am not just asking that because I want you to spend money with us.
    Typically using software that was released almost 20 years ago is just feasible when you keep an environment that was current at the time of release or a few years after, so an older Mac with a operating system present at that time. 20 years in IT is a lot.
    So my opinion is that on a new Mac with a brand new operating system you need to use something a bit more current.
    How about QuarkXPress 9 (released 3 years ago) or QuarkXPress 10? You are better off with v9, as QuarkXPress 10 only opens v7 and higher (whereas QuarkXPress 9 opens v3.1 and higher).
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    Thanks
    Matthias

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    I am trying to clean up my iMac hard drive and find a lot of space in a folder named 'Deleted Users'...what is this and can I delete it to save space?

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