My late 2006 iMac stopped finding my back up drive.  I've tried rebooting but no good.  Tried unplugging the external drive and rebooting.  How do I tell my computer to find the external 500 GB dive that is plugged into it?

I have a Western Digital 500 gig external hardrive that I have been using successfully with Time Machine to back up my files.  A few weeks ago I noticed that the external drive light was ON but not moving back and forth indicating that it was working.  The light was now simply ON but not moving.  So I checked and sure enough Time Machine didn''t "see" it anymore.  When I tried to fix it, the drive is no longer on the list.  Nothing is on the list.  The external drive is not showing anywhere, including the desktop.  And when I tried to switch Time Machine on the list is empty and it wants to "look" at airport for a wi-fi type peripheral.  Help!  How do I get the iMac to realize it has an external drive plugged into it?  I don't even know why it worked when I first got it or why it stopped working.  I only know that Time Machine doesn't have it listed.

Open disk utility and check the external drive and repair it.  If that didn't fix the problem or if you are unable to see the drive in disk utility then the drive could be bad. 

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    all-in-one-obsolescence wrote:
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    Then you do not need to upgrade.
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    There is your problem. DVDs that ship with a Mac are machine specific. You will need to purchase a retail copy of the DVD $29.
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    Try to boot in Safe mode, see if you are able: Hold down shift and then power on. For wireless keyboards, hold down shift after the chime.
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    card*

  • A few questions about my late 2006 iMac

    Hello,
    I own a late 2006 iMac specs here: http://support.apple.com/kb/SP28
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    Could it be damaged because of all of this? I'd like to open the back panel and pop off the keys on the keyboard. How can I find information about how to pull the back off and pop off the keys?
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    I ended up getting a new Mac.

  • Anyone now why my late 2006 iMac isn't supported for Mountain Lion installation?

    My late 2006 iMac was one of the first Intel ones (Core 2 Duo), so does anyone know what about the hardware itself means that Apple don't support it in Mountain Lion?
    On the Mountain Lion Tech Spec page it states that Mountain Lion is compatible with the 2007 models onwards. I know they have to stop supporting old devices eventually to be able to progress smoothly but why aren't all Intel iMacs supported?
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    Mainly the graphics card, which must be only about 1.5 years old max to support many utilities built into ML.
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  • TA23843 How much memory upgrade can I get on a late 2006 imac

    Looking to purchase GB memory for late 2006 iMac. What do I get and how much will it support? I want to install OS Lion but need 2GB to do that apparently.

    Here are the specs and maximum capacity for your Late 2006 iMac:
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  • Can my Late 2006 Imac install windows 8.1?

    So, i guess the title says it all, can my late 2006 iMac install windows 8.1 with bootcamp.
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    You can test with Virtualization engines like VMware Fusion. Parallels or VirtualBox. These do not have native access to hardware, so may be slow and laggy.
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  • Unable to Install Leopard in my late 2006 Imac.

    Hi, Please help me in installing Leopard on my late 2006 Imac. After starting the installing dvd my system is not displaying Macintosh HD in start up disk and after reading in Mac forum. I have partition my HD in GUID partition format but still its not showing HD in start up disk.
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    Information courtesy of TexasMacMan;
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    http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24950
    Leopard is no longer available at the Apple Store but may be available by calling Apple Phone Sales @ 1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753).
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    MB427Z/A  Leopard 10.5.1 install DVD
    MB576Z/A  Leopard 10.5.4 install DVD
    MB021Z/A  Leopard 10.5.6 install DVD (single user)
    MB022Z/A  Leopard 10.5.6 install DVD (5-user family pack)
    Installing Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1544
    Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Installation and Setup Guide
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  • HT4759 If I have a late 2006 iMac is there any way to sync my contacts and calendar with my iphone

    If I have a late 2006 iMac is there any way to sync my contacts and calendar with my iphone

    Upgrade to 10.7.5. See:
    Upgrading to Lion
    If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
    You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax.  It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
         Lion System Requirements
           1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
               or Xeon processor
           2. 2GB of memory
           3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
           4. 7GB of available space
           5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

  • Is there going to be a late 2006 iMac?

    Don't know if it has been raised already but the forum name suggests that there might be a late 2006 iMac (and i don't mean a Mhz jump)?! Ofcource, knowbody knows...

    463/2909
    Hi triangle,
    Welcome to the Discussions!
    "the forum name suggests that there might be a late 2006 iMac "
    Not necessarily.
    This is just a common Apple way to sometimes name the computers from their dates of release, like for example some G3 iMacs:
    "iMac DV SE (Summer 2000)"
    "iMac (Early 2001)"
    "iMac (Summer 2001)"
    Of course we don't know, and it is very likely anyway, that there will be soon a new revision or model...
    Axl

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