Is my harddrive now dead?

I was updating software this morning, following one of the automatic prompts, and the powerbook froze. I waited. Nothing. I turned it off and back on, to get the folder with the question mark. Oh dear. I run disk utility from the installation disk. No dice. "Invalid Key length" "The underlying task reported faliure on exit (-9972)". I start up in single user mode in teh hope that the '/sbin/fsck -fy' command might slice through the problem, but it just keeps looping a line saying it can't execute that command. Is it worth paying out for diskwarrior, or is this now kaputt. Fortunately I have a good backup schedule so I shouldn't have lost anything crucial. Would wiping and re-installing be my only other option?

Mark:
I think purchasing DW is a wise decision, as it can be used for maintenance and repairs on a continuing basis.
In terms of backups, you present solution of backing up certain files to .mac may be sufficient for your needs.
Cloning your entire HDD to an external firewire HDD does offer some distinct advantage.
* For one thing, a bootable clone will give you an emergency startup HDD, or one from which you can boot to run Repair Disk in DU on your internal, and vice-versa, run DW and other diagnostic and repairs.
* In case you internal HDD fails, you will have an exact copy on your external, both for emergency booting and/or for cloning back to you internal.
* If you use SuperDuper you can make full backups/clones free. If you register your SD, you can use the SmartUpdates feature which does cumulative updates in a fraction of the time taken for a full update, and you can also schedule your updates for regular automatic updates.
If you want to consider this option, please post back for further options.
ali brown mentioned your internal HDD capacity. A too full HDD can lead to directory corruption and consequent loss of data, so it is an important question. You should have 10% - 15% of total HDD capacity free (avilable) to avoid running into those issues.
Thanks for posting back with an update. Please do post back with further questions or comments.
Good luck.
cornelius

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Here is what Apple says to do with an iMac that won't start, it's from the owner's manual.
If your iMac won’t turn on or start up Â Make sure the power cord is plugged into your iMac and a functioning power outlet.
Â Restart your computer while holding down the Command (x) and R keys, until the computer restarts. When the Mac OS X Utilities pane appears, select an option to repair your disk, restore your software, or reinstall Mac OS X and Apple applications. For more information, see “Repairing, Restoring, or Reinstalling Mac OS X Software” on page 44.
42 Chapter 4 Problem, Meet Solution
Â Press the power button (®) and immediately hold down the Command (x), Option, P, and R keys until you hear the startup sound a second time. This resets the parameter RAM (PRAM).
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Â Unplug the power cord and wait at least 30 seconds. Plug the power cord in again and press the power button (®) to start up your iMac.
Â If you still can’t start up your iMac, see “Learning More, Service, and Support” on page 54 for information about contacting Apple for service.

Is my harddrive now dead?

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