Dead hard drive or software problem

Hello Everyone!!
I recently picked used 600 Mhz iMac
It came with 10.3 installed, wanted to install 10.2.8 and the computer crashed when I started off the 9.1 install CD
After the crash, the computer would not start up off the hard drive, and I've tried several different installation CD's (including a 10.3 installer) and the hard drive does not even show up in the Disc Utility.
My first thought maybe my hard drive is dead, but the more I think about it the more I think that it must be some sort of software problem (i.e. data corruption on the drive or something). I mean, I don't believe it's even possible that a computer crash could kill a hard drive!
But from there, I'm lost!
I've reset the PRAM, and that didn't work. The only other thing I can think of is something like Norton Utilities.
Does anybody have any suggestions?
Best Regards,
Bryan

Bryan,Welcome to Discussions.
If the hard disk isn't showing in Disk Utility I would suspect the drive is dead or not connected properly - given it's age probably the former - although if's the machines been movede around a bit you could crack the case and check all the connections. Whilst I agree that a crash shouldn't kill a hard disk - a hard disk dying would cause a crash.
I, any many other's here, would counsel against using Norton on an OS X machine - Norton doesn't know and understand OS X structures and can cause serious issues.
Probably time for a new HDD.
mrtotes

Similar Messages

Replaced dead hard drive reinstalled my mac 08 software will not restart for update

replaced dead hard drive reinstalled my mac 08 software will not restart for update

idk im not a computer tech im running on 08 software mac osx 10.5.2 ok now i replaced my hard drive ok now im trying to up date it goes to the agreement I agree and it tells me it has to shut down to download but instead of restarting it goes to download and and download stops half way can u help
what my prob is

Can't install OS X after replacing dead hard drive

Hello-
Today I replaced the dead hard drive (Genius bar-confirmed) on my MacBook.
The replacement itself was uneventful.
When I tried to load OS X, I reached the page that asks me which language I want, but that was as far as I could go. I received a warning: "ALERT--this software can't be installed on this computer". I backed out and went into Disk Utility, and YES--it recognized the new hard drive (although there was a line somewhere about "unformatted"). The new drive is a SATA 2.5" Fujitsu 7200 rpm drive. The Genius Bar guy said to definitely get a SATA 2.5".
Any suggestions, please?
Much appreciated.
THANK YOU.

Well. I've checked out all the Fujitsu drive reports here and see no problems...
http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drivedb/action.lasso?-search
On the off chance, have you tried a PRAM Reset or whatever passes for a PMU Reset these days?

Dead hard drive after one 1/2 years

My ibook G4 stopped reading discs about 4 months ago, when the computer was about 9 months old. I was unable to bring in for help until recently, thinking it was not a huge deal. Now the computer at 1 1/2 years old, has a dead hard drive. Because I couldn't back up, I have to get data retrieval and a new hard drive. Because the lame warranty is up, I have to pay $600 dollars to essentially fix a brand new computer. Upset is not the word. It seems quite neglible that a company can make a $2000 item that starts dying essentially after 6 months of use.
The computer was used to write papers and do bookkeeping, this was not an abusive over use.
Any opinions out there? Is this "normal?"
I couldn't bring the computer in, due to a loss in my family, and school, etc...had I known it was much more than a virus, surely I would have! The lesson of a back up is also lost...because I was unable to back up, that is why I brought the computer in.....the day before I went for maintanence, ironically the computer wouldn't start.....

I am sorry to hear that you've had such a bad experience. We all have life situations that make it difficult for us to make things happen sometimes. It's all about your priorities. Obviously the problems on your computer were not important enough at the time to pay attention to. AppleCare was available to you within your first year which would have extended your warranty.
All electronic products generally come with a one year warranty. If your TV goes buggy within it's first year you would probably bring it in for repair. Afterwards it's your responsibility to repair or replace.
Again sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience but I don't know that their's much you can do aside from making sure you let Apple know. It seems to be a common occurance on these boards and if there is a growing trend to failing HD maybe Apple will do something.

T43 - Recovery from dead hard drive

I have a T43 (2686-DJU) with hard drive failure (noticed for the first time with an error message on start-up saying "media test failure, check cable ... operating system not found". After discussion with the Lenovo support folks they confirmed the hard drive needed replacement, and I have ordered a new one (part 13N6917) - I am wondering how I go about getting the new one up and running as well as rescue and recovery since I was not smart enough to make a rescue CD. Should I order one? Is there some way to pull recovery info off of my mostly dead hard drive?
I apoligize for what I presume are pretty basic questions - maybe someone can just point me to a resource that I have simply not found yet.
Many thanks.
mjeastman

My hard drive failed completely and the Apple Store offered to "try" to recover it for $2000+. I went to a company called ProSoft http://www.prosofteng.com/ and they were very helpful. They sold me some software for around $100 to recover all of the data. It took over a week for the software to run correctly, but I got EVERYTHING back and ProSoft was so helpful with all of my questions.
Good Luck

Hard Drive recovery software

A few days ago my iBook started up to the blank apple logo screen and wouldn't go any further. The hard drive was also making very loud noises and sounded like it was spinning extra fast. I called Apple and because of the extended Logic Board warranty program I will be able to send it in for repairs even though it's no longer under warranty. What they told me though was to back up my files since they may have to erase the hard drive.
That's where the problem comes in...
I know it was a stupid thing to do but I never backed up my files. I have some stuff on this computer that I would really like to recover. I found that if I let it rest for long enough and unplugged the power source (leaving running only on the battery) it would start up very slowly every once in a while but every time I tried to copy the files it would freeze again and I would have to try again.
I decided to bring my laptop over to a friend's house who also has an apple computer (a macbook) to try and put it into target disk mode and transfer the files that way. When I plugged it into the macbook it said there was a problem reading the disk. I started disc utilities on the macbook and tried to use disk first aid to repair it. It took hours and finally, when it got to the end, it said it was unable to repair it (one of the things that came up was "Invalid Directory Item Count. It should be..." and then different numbers like "0 instead of 14" and "17 instead of 54") I thought that I would just have to do it the slow way and hope that one time it stays working long enough to copy them all. When I turned it on again, however, the blinking question mark folder icon came up meaning now it could no longer locate the hard drive. The thing is when I use target disc mode to plug it into the macbook it still recognizes that an external drive has been plugged in (in the disc first aid it shows up right next to the macbook internal drive and under info it knows how large the drive is, etc.) it just says that it can't read it (under SMART status it says "not supported").
So here's where my two questions come in:
1) I am unable to boot a disc using the "c" button while starting up. Does that mean that if I buy some sort of recovery software like DiscWarrior it won't even be able to start? I'd like to know because I don't want to spend $100 on software if it won't even be able to try to fix the problem.
2) If I send it in to Apple to get fixed, what are the chances that they'll clear the hard drive? Is it standard procedure to begin the repair or is it only a last resort? Also, does anyone think that the Logic Board is the problem or is it something else?

Hi, and welcome to Apple Discussions.
What version of the OS are you running (or trying to run) on it?
It sounds like it is quite possible that your hard drive is the problem, although it could be both the hard drive AND the logic board.
Some of the new logic boards are only Panther compatible, so if you are running 10.3 there is a better chance that they won't have to blank the drive (at least, that's what I was told). I was running Panther, and mine came back three times with the hard drive data intact. But you definitely can't count on it.
Try starting up this way, first in Safe Mode.
If the iBook is on, turn it off. Let it rest overnight (or at least several hours).
Pick it up in your left hand and squeeze the case to the left of the trackpad between your palm and left thumb.
Still squeezing, push the power button. Do not let up the pressure on the case.
As the startup chime is ending, hold down the Shift key. Keep holding it down until you see the Apple logo and the progress indicator that looks like a spinning gear. Then you can let up the Shift key, but DO NOT LET UP THE PRESSURE ON THE CASE.
If this works, you will see your normal desktop. When you do, shut down normally, still keeping pressure on the case. Once it is shut down, you can quit squeezing the case.
Allow the iBook to rest several hours before trying to start up in FireWire Target Disk Mode with your friend's MacBook as the Host computer and your iBook as the Target. Again, keep pressure on the case to the left of the trackpad as you attempt the FireWire transfer. Do not let up, or it will freeze again (if it has the logic board problem).
If it will not start up using this procedure, it is likely the hard drive at fault.

Extended Hardware Test - can this miss a dead hard drive?

Hello,
I am having all kinds of problems with my computer since installing a recommended update last week. I cannot fully restart it, cannot make repairs with disk utility, and cannot reinstall OS X to the harddrive volume because it doesn't list any available volumes. My hardware profile, as listed in the Hardware Test utitily, is as follows:
Product: MacBook
Mac Model: MacBook 2, 1
CPU type: Intel Core 2 Duo
Number of cores: 2
CPU Speed: 2 GHz
L2 CPU Cache (shared): 4mb
Boot Rom version: MB21.882.00A5.B07.0706270922
System Serial #: xxxxxxxxxxx
SMC version: 1.1780
Memory:
Overview: 1024 MB
(details about RAM)
I ran the hardware test, choosing to perform extended testing (took ~40 minutes), and the result was "No trouble found." I noticed there is no mention of hard drive space - should there be? This information doesn't show up anywhere in the disc utility diagnostics/profile - leading me to the thing the harddrive is busted - but the hardware test found no problems. Is it possible for the hard drive to be busted but the hardware test to not recognize this? Any suggestions? [I posted a more detailed, general inquiry over here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7873412&tstart=0 without much luck.]
Thank you!

Ok so I haven't received any helpful information on the question of whether or not Apple Hardware Test can fail to recognize a dead hard drive... can anyone recommend a replacement hard drive? I believe I need a 2.5" internal SATA, can anyone confirm this for me? Thank you!!!

Dead Hard Drive on Black MacBook

Can any one give any pointers as to how to replace a dead hard drive in a (approximately) two year old Black MacBook? Service guy trying to charge me £250+ to do it.
Any help would be most appreciated.

It's super easy.
Go here and buy this HHD (I have bought 3 of them for my Mac laptops)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314
Go here for simple instruction on installing it.
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook13_memhd/
One thing to remember is to re-format the HHD once installed using your install Disk #1. Reformat using GUID. Very simple to do. Can be installed in less than 10 minutes with the right tools (highly recommend buying the from OWC), and another few hours to reinstall everything.
Right tools from here.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/TOOLKIT11/
Message was edited by: D/FW

How do I recover data from my dead hard drive?

How do I recover data from my dead hard drive?

Is it dead or corrupt? There are recovery programs out there, however if your HD is head, paying pros to do data recovery is VERY costly. Some have removed the platters and installed them in likewise drives that dont have head crashes, but torque tolerances are tight, and doing it right is a bit advanced and tricky for most. Ive done HD disk swaps 4 times and had success 3 of the 4 times. It requires cannibalizing another working HD. In the future remember the golden rule, 2 copies is 1, and one is NONE.
Its likely you could find a local computer repair station that can do it for you cheaply. HD dont really "die", they have fried SATA bus, or crashed HEADS........the platters DO demagnatize over long time due to heat and degauss of the data (poor storage, etc).........but in specific, a HARD DRIVE DOESNT DIE ,.........only the flying head mechanisms that read and write the data, and SATA / bus that feeds the data DIES,.......but the data (unless corrupt or magnetically corrupted) is THERE

Can I use imac 2007 which have dead hard drive as a Mac mini display

Can I use imac 2007 which have dead hard drive as a Mac mini display

If just the hard drive is defective you could mke a bootable USB thumb drive or bootable Firewire HD. Not sure of the connecting cables for the monitor functions. This could provide the functions though.
http://www.screenrecycler.com/ScreenRecycler.html

I just got my first mac pro and I can't get the photos out of iPhotos moved on my hp external hard drive, I try export says unable, then I try to drag it from the desktop to the external hard drive but same problem. Thank you so much

I just got my first mac pro and I can't get the photos out of iPhotos and move them on my hp external hard drive, I try export says unable, then I try to drag it from the desktop to the external hard drive but same problem. what to do? Thank you so much

How is your external drive formatted? Use Disk Utility to check the volume format. If it is NTFS, you will need to reformat the HDD as exFAT in order to retain universal compatibility (RW to it on both Mac and Windows).

HT1386 My hard drive died and I need to resync my iPad. Will just following the initial instructions resync my iPad and restore all my information or do I need to try to recover the iPad file from the dead hard drive?

My hard drive died and I need to resync my Ipad. Will following the initial instructions for syncing work or do I need to restore my original files from the dead hard drive.

If the hard drive that crashed is the one that stored the itunes library, be sure to restore the library from Time Machine (mac) or whatever backup you use on windows. That will get back your music. I suspect that the replacement drive has an empty itunes library and thus, perhaps, the itunes match used that to sync to its servers.
Try posting in the iTunes Match forum, you'll probably find more knowledgeable folks there.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/itunes/itunes_match

Does any one know if you purchased all your itunes songs off your home computer, but now the hard drive is having problems, and i cannot access my account. I'm using our mac pro and trying to sync my nano, but cannot find my playlist.Is there a way to?

I purchased all my Itunes off my home computer. My hard drive is having problems. Is there a way to use my Mac Pro to access my itunes account and find the songs that i purchased, and then transfer them to my Mac Pro so I can sync my nano?

I purchased all my Itunes off my home computer. My hard drive is having problems. Is there a way to use my Mac Pro to access my itunes account and find the songs that i purchased, and then transfer them to my Mac Pro so I can sync my nano?

How do recover license of CS6 suite from dead hard drive??

Dear Gang
Does anyone know how do recover license (aka deactivate) of CS6 suite from dead hard drive??

You'll have to contact web chat to get it deactivated. Link at the bottom of this page:
Adobe ID, sign in, and account help

Dead hard drive on Powerbook 100?

I think my Powerbook 100, which I never use but keep out of sentiment, may finally be dead. Symptoms: I can't get it to start up and produce a smiley face except using a startup disk in the external floppy drive. There is no hard drive icon on the desktop. If I try to install the software from the external disk, it doesn't recognize the existence of any other disk onto which to install.
I've tried the reset/interrupt button trick, to no avail.
I have not replaced the little battery--is there any point in doing that?
And I can't find the original instruction book except for the quick-start version.
Any ideas? Thanks!

Hi,
You could always try a PRAM reset to begin with.
It cannot be ruled out that the hard drive is defective. Do you hear any sounds?
Are you using an original (System 7.0.1) startup/tools floppy right now?
If the hard disk is spinning (and if you have access to a second old Macintosh computer), you could also try another disk utility (such as Apple HD SC Setup 7.3.5 here or Drive Setup 1.7.3 here). Post back if you need advice regarding floppy modifications et cetera.
Battery issues have been discussed e.g. in this FAQ. There you will also find additional information about hard drive detection problems.
Jan

Dead hard drive or software problem

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for