Flashing Earth - Hard Drive Failure?

In October 07 my MacBook HDD of less than a year crashed and had to be replaced. For about a week now I have been getting a "Flashing Earth" on the gray screen whenever I re-boot or cold-start the computer. The Earth flashes a regular 36 times before the apple logo appears and the system mounts.
Is my hard drive failing again? I have run both the Apple verification tool as well as the Tech Tool diagnostics, and all appears ok, but clearly I'm worried with the symptoms and may have a short window to be proactive about a fix.
I have backups in the form of Time Machine, as well as a drag-and-drop copy of the System folder on a portable drive.
What's my next course of action?
Thanks for your suggestions/help.

*"Is my hard drive failing again? "*
No. You've set it to look for a network boot volume before looking to it's own hard drive.
Change it using System Preferences --> Startup Disk

Similar Messages

Flash Memory / Hard Drive failure

HP 311-1000 NR
Bought this computer new in 04/2010. Have used it for nothing but internet and itunes. Have used it maybe a total of 40 times in 18 months. Hard drive storage being used was maybe 30GB out of 250GB.
Turned on today, and got a black screen with error message "Flash Memory Error Hard Drive Failure"
Have not installed any new software in months. Had only been using the computer to visit Nike.com website the night before.
Computer has run it's antivirus and tune-ups without any errors every time I turn it on. No previous errors or freeze ups prior to this.
Any advice? Is this simply a matter of having the flash memory replaced? Thanks for any time and help.

we need to make sure that the HDD on the com works fine
here is the helpful link
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00439024&tmp_task=solveCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&la...
If you hav windows 7
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Hard Drive Failure (Flashing folder with question mark!)

After reading some of the topics on the forum, I know that the flashing folder with the question mark that I get when I try to turn on my Macbook is hard drive failure. I know to fix it that I need to Boot with the Installer Disk in the Drive, holding down The C key. But, will doing this destroy all of my pictures and other content? My pictures are really important and I dont want to lose them and I never backed them up ( dumb move, I know!).
Thanks!!

There are two basic possibilities when you get the flashing ? : 1) the hard drive is physically damaged or dead and 2) the hard drive has data errors
When you attempt to boot up with the system disks and then switch to Disk Utilities, the first thing to look for is if the program sees your drive. If it doesn't the drive is almost certainly dead and getting data from it will be costly. If the program does see the drive you'll want to attempt to repair it - press the repair button. If the repair fails, another repair utility may be able to repair the damage, at least well enough to get your data off. That program is DiskWarrior. If the repair succeeds the computer probably will need to have the OS reinstalled - my experience is about 90% of the time the repair fixed the drive but left the OS damaged.
When you reinstall the OS select options on the first screen beyond the language selection screen. Here you can (hopefully) select Archive and Install. This option will install a new operating system but leave the programs and data unchanged.
<short lecture on>As you've learned, it isn't if your drive sill sometime fail, it is when. Hard drives are relatively inexpensive. Buy one and backup your drive at least weekly. At the very least purchase a flash drive large enough to copy your very very important data and burn a DVD every week or month.<short lecture off>

My MacBook Air chimes during startup but flashes a bar at the bottom then shuts down, is this a hard drive failure or a hard ware failure? Please help I miss my laptop

First generation MacBook Air running OSX 10.6.8

Hi,
From what you describe it's certainly a Hard Drive failure so you'll definetely need to contact HP. Personally, considering this is the 2nd HDD in under 2 months, I say it's either bad luck ( however unlikely ) or there is another issue at play - it may be worth suggesting this to HP when you contact them.
Regards,
DP-K
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Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

Macbook Pro 2011 extremely slow wondering if hard drive failure

Hello, I want to start off by saying I'm not a huge computer guru, so that is why I'm coming here first. My Macbook Pro worked very well for a year, and then it has slowed down drastically. I've always been a windows user so mac is kind of foreign to me, but I'm trying to learn.
Some problems I've encountered are 1. Extremely slow running whether internet related, or just an application. I have checked the activity monitor and nothing is hogging up my memory. 2. Spinning wait cursor (rainbow circle) when I try to do ANYTHING. It takes minutes to start computer once it makes it to home screen. The circle just spins for a few minutes. Even just web surfing it's there. 3. Battery drains from 100% to less than 20% in 30 minutes, which again is annoying. 4. When battery drains the fan turns on and seems to drain battery even faster. 5. I get a lot of random errors forcing shut down of programs. I have ignored this problem for two years by not using my laptop or using it very minimally, but I am going to be needing a laptop again for school and not just my iPad and phone so I was planning on taking my macbook to genius bar, but wanted to check here first since Apple is an hour away. Plus I want to be able to use the piece of equipment that I spent a decent chunk of change on. I used time machine to back up everything today. I know its not a space issue as I have 300+ free GB on hard drive. I have tried to read through similar posts, but its overwhelming so I came here to post my own question.
I ran disc utility and there were some errors, which were able to be corrected after a couple tries. Computer still slow though when trying to do anything and running rainbow circle.
In recovery mode I reinstalled OSX
I was finally able to install updates after completing the above that were not able to be installed before.
I ran etre check, this is the report that came up:
Problem description:
Extremely slow computer, possible hard drive failure
EtreCheck version: 2.0.11 (98)
Report generated November 3, 2014 9:25:29 PM EST
Hardware Information: ℹ️
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) (Verified)
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro8,1
1 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
4 GB RAM
BANK 0/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Video Information: ℹ️
Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 384 MB
Color LCD 1280 x 800
System Software: ℹ️
Mac OS X 10.7.5 (11G63) - Uptime: 0:6:50
Disk Information: ℹ️
Hitachi HTS547550A9E384 disk0 : (500.11 GB)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
disk0s1 (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 499.25 GB (357.49 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5970H
USB Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
Apple, Inc. MacBook Pro
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.Logitech.Unifying.HID Driver (1.2.0 - SDK 10.0) Support
/Users/[redacted]/Downloads/LCC Installer.app
[not loaded] com.Logitech.Control Center.HID Driver (3.5.1 - SDK 10.0) Support
Startup Items: ℹ️
HP IO: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO
Startup items are obsolete and will not work in future versions of OS X
Problem System Launch Agents: ℹ️
[failed] com.apple.coreservices.appleid.authentication.plist
Launch Agents: ℹ️
[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support
[loaded] com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist Support
[running] com.Logitech.Control Center.Daemon.plist Support
[invalid?] com.luthresearch.savvyconnectmenu.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
[invalid?] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist Support
[invalid?] com.luthresearch.scservice.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support
[failed] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
User Login Items: ℹ️
iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)
SavvyConnect UNKNOWN (missing value)
Google Chrome Application (/Applications/Google Chrome.app)
HP Scheduler Application (/Library/Application Support/Hewlett-Packard/Software Update/HP Scheduler.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.152 - SDK 10.6 Support
Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.152 - SDK 10.6 Mismatch! Adobe recommends 15.0.0.189
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.1
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 67 Check version
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
Flash Player Support
Growl Support
Java Support
Logitech Control Center Support
Time Machine: ℹ️
Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
      11% Safari
      3% WindowServer
      0% fontd
      0% Google Chrome
      0% ps
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
245 MB WebProcess
206 MB System Preferences
168 MB Safari
99 MB mds
82 MB Google Chrome
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
1.37 GB Free RAM
1.57 GB Active RAM
318 MB Inactive RAM
1.03 GB Wired RAM
436 MB Page-ins
0 B Page-outs
Basically I'm wondering if anything sticks out in this report. I was thinking it could be a possible hard drive failure. I know my computer has been dropped on the floor at least a few times. Thoughts are appreciated. Thank you for your patience.

Eab, I feel your pain! I am replying simply to share my similar ongoing experience with my early 2011 17 inch MacBook Pro, running Mavericks with seeming ample hard drive space, [applications requiring less than 100GB, about 200GB data (total drive space of 500GB)] & 4GB RAM. (Disclaimer: I am not a wise or computer-savvy mac guru - simply a fellow traveler who has had a very similar set of problems - apps taking forever to load, rapid battery depletion & super overheated MacBook. While I am a Genius Bar groupie, getting to the Apple store is, for me, akin to an antarctic polar expedition (i.e. problematic). Having spent endless hours struggling with a similar issue, I offer you a synopsis of my struggle/experience.
STEPS TO DATE:
1.Installed several memory utility programs (Daisy Disk & MacCleanse) system
maintenance program to regularly and thoroughly empty application caches (Adobe apps & internet browsers being tremendous hogs), identify and remove language elements and other redundant space hogs, etc.   Result: Small, but real improvement when I forced myself to perform a "scan and delete" session every second major computer run (typically about 6-8 hours in length). However, this did nothing to help the problems regularly detected when I run the Disk Utility which almost invariably demonstrates disk permissions that need to be repaired and, with increasing frequency, has demonstrated actual disk errors that require restarting and walking through a disk repair protocol. I did bring it to the Genius Bar where they kindly reinstalled Mavericks which they could do in about an hour versus the several hours that doing this at home requires. This did identify that my RAM was, on fact, a limitation on the speed at which I could run certain apps.
2. My next move was to install an additional 4GB of RAM. I bought the new RAM on eBay for about $90 because, with 3 kids equipped with MacBooks & iPhones, I simply couldn't afford the official Apple RAM. I even installed it myself, with the help of a YouTube video. Result: Giant improvement in speed (starting up or switching apps. If I had realized how simple it turned out to be, I would have done it well over a year ago. Some minor improvement in the overheating problem, but persistent problems with disk permissions continually requiring repair and periodic disk repairs (using Disk Utility) required.
PLANNED FINAL INTERVENTION:
3. I am purchasing and installing a solid state drive (ssd) and simply chucking the original hard drive, after considerable discussion with my savvier mac friends. It has become clear to me that, sadly, every hard drive has a finite life affected by a variety of factors. I am, in fact, hard on my equipment - running multiple graphic apps simultaneously, transferring massive GBs of data between my laptop, time capsule and an array of hard drives. I will let you know how it goes, but can share that the decision to get a solid state drive followed many conversations with multiple Mac guru-types (in the hope of saving you similar painful tribulations). The cost varies according to the size of the drive, but $400-$500 would buy a reasonable starting size. I am waiting for Black Friday sales, myself. Amazon (where I will likely purchase the ssd) is already offering a number of pre-Black Friday deals. While I don't really feel like putting out that amount of cash, I reassure myself that a new drive will almost certainly solve the disk errors (with a solid state one offering more durability) & will help me prolong the life of my MacBook Pro by a couple of years hopefully. It beats buying a new Apple MacBook only three and a half years after investing close to $3k for this one!
I am certain that more experienced forum users could point you to software that could help defragment your drive or may be able to offer other solutions. I've simply had enough of struggling with burning thighs and head-banging behavior triggered by slow performance. I hope this is helpful to you in some small way. The war is not yet over, but I'm feeling good about the battle plan!

Satellite C855-1GQ - hard drive failure warning

Hi
suddenly my laptop has started showing me "hard drive failure warnings" and I honestly have no idea what to do about it please can someone help me.
Symptom: The PredictFailure flag is set on the disk
Cause: A logical disk has the SMART Predict Failure bit set.
Details: This disk is experiencing a problem and predicts that the drive will fail
Symptom: Pred Fail
Cause: A device has reported a "Not OK" status.
Details: The device, Disk drive, is reporting a bad status value. This device will not be available until the issue is resolved. The Plug and Play ID for this device is \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE0.

Hard drive failure can be cause of computer is bumped or jostled while it is running; the electric motor which allows the platter to spin fails due to bad bearings or other components; filter on your air intake gets too clogged or the filter isn't working properly.
Extreme heat while running causes the electronic circuit board to fail.
There is a sudden power failure while the disk is writing.
You can try the following solution:
Firstly, create a bootable CD/USB by Windows Boot Genius
Windows Boot Genius is a multiple windows repair tool which can be used to fix all computer errors, create bootable CD/USB, recover data lost and unlock windows password, etc.
We just need to insert a CD or USB flash drive and run the program, then click "burn".
Secondly, set the computer boot from CD/USB after enter into the BIOS menu.
Thirdly, start to fix Hard Drive Failure with the CD/USB created at the first step.
At this section, the wizard will tell us what we need to do according to our computer's issues.

Hard drive failure

Hello everyone, my macbook is like around 3 years old, and a couple of days ago my hard drive died. This is really unfortunate since I couldn't back up most of the files I had in that drive. The thing is, this happened to me 1 year ago, and I'm noticing that I had similar scenarios prior to the hard drive failures. The first time that this happened, the night before my first hard drive died, I was erasing tons and tons of files from my macbook, I was just cleaning my downloads folders, deleting stuff I wasn't using anymore, that night I deleted like around 20gigs of data(pictures and music mostly), and the day before my second hard drive died, I was deleting files as well, this time I deleted like 13gigs. Both drives died because of the famous "clicking of death" sound. My macbook wouldn't boot, and was flashing a question mark folder in both cases.
My question is: was this just coicidence? or deleting tons of gigs of files at once will make your hard drives die. I've heard deleting files you no longer use is good for your hard drive. I must stress that I didn't delete any system files, I tested both hard drives via USB hard drive enclosures and the hard drives were just unrecognizable.

@tyrekm
‎Thank you for using HP Support Forum. I have brought your issue to the appropriate team within HP. They will likely request information from you in order to look up your case details or product serial number. Please look for a private message from an identified HP contact. Additionally, keep in mind not to publicly post ( serial numbers and case details).
If you are unfamiliar with the Forum's private messaging please click here to learn more.
Thank you,
Omar
I Work for HP

Sync after hard drive failure.

Im at my wits end-I really am. Why on earth is I Tunes so chuffin awkward.
Right after a hard drive failure I've now gone and purchased a refurb desktop. Fortunately on my previous I Tunes library the default location for the library was on an external hard drive.
Following the simple instructions I transferred that music folder onto my desktop and into a folder called I Tunes Library. I then dragged and dropped that folder into I Tunes.
I attempted to sync my I Pod but the error message was stated there was not enough room on my I Pod Touch. I found this curious because my entire I Tunes library only amounted to 47gb and my touch is 60gb.
I found out the reason for this was because some of the the library I had imported from my external hard drive had duplicated some of the music thus making my library larger than 60gb.
As I Tunes doesnt allow you to sync from your touch to a new I Tunes library (why???Grrrr) I completed a factory reset wiping all of my music and once again tried syncing from I Tunes.
To my horror about a third of the library has duplicated and even after manually removing those duplicates and a lot of my music is missing from I Tunes HOWEVER on my external hard drive that missing music is showing there?
Can anyone help??

Hi!
It seems that your iPhone is properly connected to the Sync server and that you need to add your computer to your previous account. In order to do so:
# At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button (Tools menu in Windows XP) and then click Options. . In the Options window, click on the Sync tab.
# Click Set Up Firefox Sync
# Under I already have a Firefox Sync account click Connect and then select "I don't have the device with me" just below the three boxes.
If you have already created a new account in your computer and you want to log in with your Firefox Home application, "Sign out" and set up the application again. The data you are going to lose is the one in Firefox Home. If you have restored the information in your desktop browser the data will appear in your iPhone once the sync is done.
Unfortunately, Firefox Home doesn't have the ability to send the bookmarks stored there to your computer so if you need to restore them in your computer and you don't have the Sync Key to restore the account in your computer, your only option is to copy them manually.
I hope this information helps you.

Lost source fla, still have swf (hard drive failure)

A year ago I experienced a hard drive failure, lost a lot of
.fla files. I have a swf (my own work) that I want to import so
that I can access the asset files (images, video). Naturally, when
I open the swf, it plays, but if I attempt to import it, I get an
empty timeline.
Is there a way to import the swf and extract the assets? (I
seem to remember doing in Flash 5 long ago).

I've encountered the same issue and resultant needs in having
lost my original Flash "fla" files due to a burglary at my home.
I've retrieved the converted "swf" files from my website server,
and would LOVE to know if anyone can provide help in accessing them
within a Flash document ("fla").
I spoke with an Adobe tech (FYI) and found that as far as
"Adobe" can help:
1. You can import your "Library" from the previous ".swf"
files by:
a. Opening a new project in Flash.
b. Once inside your new document: Open: File > Import
> Import to Library (not "Stage").
c. Navigate to the ".swf" file you wish to access and select
it for Import.
d. Your "Library" items from the ".swf" file are then
imported to your new ".fla" document's Library.
e. I have not found a way of retrieving any other settings,
codes, timeline events, etc.
In my case I had selected the options for protection from
download, etc. when creating my ".swf" files––all so
that they would be "protected" on the web. Unfortunately, this has
made it very likely impossible for me to access them as well.
There may be some third-party product or workaround for this
situation.
DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM?
("Backup, backup, backup!")
HINDSIGHT IS ALWAYS 20-20!

Mac Pro 1,1 Hard drive failure... sorta. Then not.

I have a MacPro 1,1 Quad core 2.66 processor, with what I believe is the original 250 Gb hard drive. I'm running OSX 10.7.5.
Today when I powered it on, I could hear the hard drive spooling up (same sound as normal) then I heard 6 clicks and could hear the hard drive spooling down for a few seconds. It then spooled up again, heard 6 more clicks and it spooled down. Finally it attempted once more to spool up which was followed by 1 click and then spooled down with no more tries at booting up. Monitor showed blank grey screen until about the single click which brought up the grey screen with folder symbol with the question mark in it. I pressed the power button which turned it off. I tried powering up several additional times all with the same pattern of clicks and visuals on the monitor.
I did some research and tried to run the Apple Hardware Test by inserting the second of my original install disks and holding down the D key. Instead of bringing up the Apple Hardware Test, my hard drive managed to boot up completely with no clicks, and now appears to be running fine. I restarted and also did shutdowns... my Mac is booting up completely normally. I took the opportunity to make sure I have a recovery disk and the ability to download and install a new copy of Lion if the need comes up any time soon.
The main question is... was this likely an indication of a hard drive failure about to happen, as I tend to want to assume, or was the clicking sound and failure to boot a symptom of something else? Booting up while pressing "D" with the second install disk inserted shouldn't have fixed a hard drive problem... I wouldn't think. Also, anyone know the max size a replacement hard drive could be? I'll go with the same kind of hard drive as is currently in it, but not sure on if I'm limited to the original 250 Gb size.

BTmy1andonly wrote:
I'm not sure I understand your reference to "clone and backup." I assume it's something else besides a standard backup done with Time Machine?
The main things to realise…
Clones are a static copy of an OS or disk.
Generally they don't have the history of older files (some can).
OS clones are usually bootable - a really fast solution to 'oh carp my disk died' moments.
Schedule one to be made as often as you can afford to lose data (e.g once a day, or every other day etc).
Time Machine is a 'rolling backup'.
TM copies new files, preens older stuff & then deletes when space is running out.
It also excludes some inessential system files (like logs) - technically you will not get an identical copy back from a TM restore.
Archives are for the occasions where you want to store on another media for permanent safekeeping.
These need to be capable of being read in whatever timeframe you need to store for (a year, a decade…)
Don't archive with proprietary backup software or proprietary media, otherwise you will have a tough time finding a machine to connect it to it & run the software.
Several copies on different disks, probably on different media too (e,g. HD + Flash storage + archival DVD's…).
You may want to revisit archives & duplicate them to new media once in a while depending on how important it is.
Ideally you would have some offsite copies to protect against fire/ theft etc.
If you are in business you need to employ all options, if it's just iTunes music & some family photos, you still need to employ 3 types of backup

Imminent hard drive failure message

can i return my laptop to the store for a replacement.. it is less than 5 months old and i am getting an imminent hard drive failure message. totally unacceptable

HP will replace the hard drive under warranty. Not too many stores will permit a return after 5 mos. We can also assist with a hard drive replacement.

Data Recovery After Hard Drive Failure!

Ok, basically, I've got a 2 1/2 year old iBook G4 with a bombed hard drive, and unfortunately, the last time I backed up was around 3 months ago. Here's what happened right before the crash: some applications like Widgets and Safari were acting fluky, and it wouldn't let me open Word documents, so I restarted, because I thought it might have something to do with the fact that i had downloaded the new version of itunes not that long ago and hadn't restarted since. well, when i restarted, the gray screen with the wheel and the apple symbol went on for a really long time, and then the blue screen came up with the cursor, but nothing else happened, and the blue screen just stayed there. as far as i know, the hard drive wasn't making any unusual noises, just the usual occasional soft sounds that my hard drive has always made (there are usual sounds, right?) a piece of information that might be useful is that the hard drive was almost full (it only had about 5 GB left, which i understand is how much you should leave) could this have caused the failure maybe? anyway, i tried using the hard drive as a target and tried getting another computer to recognize it and pull the files off, but that didn't work. so, i brought it into the apple store, and they got it to boot up but using some external hard drive, i think. they tried disk utility, but that didn't see my hard drive. then the tried disk warrior, and that saw it and repaired it or something, but then it couldn't get the drive to mount. so, i'm assuming that because disk warrior didn't work and couldn't get it to mount, then other software like data rescue, etc... won't either. like all computer users, i've got some REALLY REALLY important data on there, and all the data recovery places i've gotten quotes from are pretty pricey. if the drive doesn't require physical data recovery, only non-physical, as i hope, the cheapest is still $350. even so, the person on the phone there didn't seem to know nearly as much as the people at the more pricier places. so, are there any other options besides expensive data recovery? i read something about using dd - a unix thing, but i don't know the first thing about it (http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20050302225659382) so i'm not sure i want to risk messing it up even more. and, if worse comes to worst, then i'll use a data recovery place... but can anyone tell me if they've used any of the data recovery companies below, and which ones are good?
(first three do evaluation for free, and then you decide if you want to continue based on more accurate price idea)
MacintoshDataRecovery.com
$500 non physical
$1100-1600 physical
Heroic Efforts
http://www.heroicdata.com/data_recovery
$350 non physical
ships to another (very expensive) place if physical
ACS Data Recovery
http://www.acsdata.com/index.htm
$600-700 non physical
DriveSavers.com
(recommended by Apple, probably the best, but the most steep, too)
could cost anywhere from $500-$2700 and $200 evaluation fee even if data is unrecoverable
Since this is our fourth hard drive failure in four different iBooks in 2 1/2 years, i am starting to become seriously disillusioned about the quality of the hardware Apple uses...not that i would ever get a dell or anything, but still....
THANK YOU in advance for any tips you might be able to offer, and also for reading this extremely long post!
katie
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

I have read good reports concerning Data Rescue although I have not used it myself.
Once you get your data back, focus on a regular (even daily) backup routine, because as you know only so well, the question is not if a drive will fail, it's when.
My condolences, by the way.

Having hard drive failure every year

Trying to find out why the hard drives on our computer HP TouchSmart 310-1124F keeps failing. Purchased this computer new in 2011, in February of 2012 the hard drive failed, message was "Hard desk failure is imminent have it replaced" so I did. Now in 2013 I'm getting another message " we strongly recommend that you back up your computer to avoid potential data loss ... contact your computer manufacturer to determine if the disk with errors needs to be repaired or replaced." The computer is attached to a good battery backup, it's not used for extended Internet work, No new programs have been downloaded, it is not used to download or upload information and although it's not our main computer it is used daily. What is going on, is anyone having same issues. I feel the computer itself is a lemon. This will be the 3rd hard drive in 2 years on this machine! By- the- way I did contact the Tech. department telling them the error message but was only told this computer was "not in warranty now" and that ... "you'll need to purchase a new hard drive" No offer or indication as to a possible repair could be done. Yeah that dosen't make me feel that great about this product. I just want to find out why the hard drives installed on this machine only last one (1) year! Any advise would be appreciated, thank you.

WRI-Jupiter,
Your computer may not / most likely doesn't have anything to do with the hard drive failures you have experienced. Drive manufacturers have been reducing the warranty period on drives for years. Also, as drive density has gone up, it appears that quality control has gone down.
Was the first drive replaced under warranty by HP or did you do it yourself??? Have you kept the computer free of "dust bunnies"??? What is the average temperature where you live???
By the way, the "we strongly recommend that you back up your computer to avoid potential data loss ... contact your computer manufacturer to determine if the disk with errors needs to be repaired or replaced" message was primarily just for your information. Because the warranty has expired, HP will no longer repair the machine without you incurring additional costs.
Your best bet is to;
1) Follow the advice of the message above and back-up any and all data you wish to save before the computer encounters a major hard drive issue.
2) Run the hard drive diagnostics from the boot menu or DOWNLOAD and run the HP Vision Hardware Diagnostics CD Image.
3) Also consider downloading and running the hard drive manufacturuer's diagnostics routine and see if it generates an error code. If the drive is still under warranty and you receive an error code, contact the manufacturer for an RMA.
4) When replacing the drive make sure to blow all the dust out of the computer and continue this practice about every three months.
Please send KUDOs
Frank
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HP 15t-j100 (on loan from HP)
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HP a1632x - Windows 7, 4GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6450
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HP p6787c - Windows 7, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GT 240

Envy 14 - Hard Drive failure imminent

I have an Envy 14-1110NR laptop and am getting a Hard Drive failure imminent message every time I boot up. Having run the HP diagnostics, the hard drive check fails so I'm guessing I have to replace it.
The hard drive is a Samsung HM640JJ which has gone obsolete. Does anyone know what I need to do...?
Thanks so much...
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Hi,
The error message would indicate that the Hard Drive is failing and needs to be replaced.
If your notebook is still under warranty, contact HP and arrange to have the drive replaced - you can check your warranty status Here.
If you live in the US, contact HP Here.
If you are in another part of the world, start Here.
If you are out of warranty and would like a guide on replacing the Hard Drive yourself, please let me know.
Regards,
DP-K
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Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

Satellite A-35-S159 Hard Drive Failure

Hi,
I am getting a message that a hard drive failure is imminent. I am prepared to replace the hard drive. (I might need your help there, hope not!) Prior to this, I tried to upgrade the memory, and was having crash events. Do you think that the crash events were hard drive related and not memory upgrade related, as I originally thought? Do you think with the replacement of the hard drive that the memory upgrade might take?
Also, will I be able to get the drivers I need from here? i don't have a Toshiba recovery disk, i will have to install WXP on the new drive.
Thanks for any help!

Satellite A35-S159
All your Toshiba drivers and utilities are here.
But you are far better off ordering the recovery media from Toshiba by calling Customer Service at 800-457-7777. (Have the computer's serial number and a credit card handy.)
When you restore the hard drive from there, all the drivers and utilities have been preinstalled in the correct order.
-Jerry

Flashing Earth - Hard Drive Failure?

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