Severe hard drive failure

My iMac (mid 2007 20 inch/2.4/1+1G/320G) was frozen when I watched movies two days ago. It did not respond to any input anymore, so I forced restarting it (pressing power button for 4 second). I thought it could recover, but only found a folder icon with a question mark flashing on the display. It repeated several times until I finally login the system hours later.
I used disk utility to verify the disk, the system said SMART indicated hard drive was normal functioning. However, after I started some applications, it got frozen again.
I tried to reinstall the system using my Snow Leopard DVD. However, the installer could not change the content of that disk or install the new system. Also, the disk utility in the installer failed to repair the permissions of files on the disk because of i/o error 5 (which simply means the application could not read the file that it wants to access).
According to some articles and threads, error 5 may be caused by bad sections or severe damage to hard drive. In order to test this, I used diskwarrior bootable CD (v4.1) to check the disk. In the report of D/W, it was suggested that the damage to the disk was too severe to recover, so that D/W could not even replace the directory file.
I haven't attempted to erase the disk because I want to use other Macs to access the file on that failed hard drive.
Would anyone suggest something? Your great help is appreciated.

Do a backup of your data as soon as possible and then bring it in for service. To do your backup I would recommend Time Machine and if you have a second external drive create another bootable clone using SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner.
If your machine is covered by AppleCare then contact Apple immediately for repair and replacement of the drive. If it isn't covered then you should prepare to bring it into an Apple certified service center to get the HD replaced. Once it is replaced you can restore the new drive with all settings and data from one of the above backups.
Regards,
Roger

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    I purchased a MacBook Pro just before last Christmas and in late January or early February the hard drive failed and had to be replaced. I was told then that it was a fluke and not to worry about it that the chances of it happening again were very slim. Well, yesterday it happened once again.
    That is now 2 hard drive failures within 4 months of each other, and within 6 months of being purchased new. This is simply unacceptable for a computer that costs nearly $3,000 with an extended warranty.
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    I guess they assume its cheaper to just keep replacing hard drives every 2 or 3 months than to fix the problem and have a satisfied customer.
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    Even with a backup, that does not reinstall all of the software onto the new hard drive, only the personal files and data. I have over $15,000 worth of software that I have to painstakingly reinstall each time this happens.
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    Believe me, I am not making this up, and there is no Catch-22. This is what cloning software is for, and it works beautifully. You may have good uses for other kinds of backups too, but a bootable clone of your primary internal hard drive would be invaluable to you as an additional protection against lost time and work in the field.
    http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html
    http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html
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  • 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.
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    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.
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    PLANNED FINAL INTERVENTION:
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  • Restoration after Hard Drive Failure

    Hello all.
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    Hi,
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  • Mac Pro 1,1 Hard drive failure... sorta. Then not.

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    BTmy1andonly wrote:
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  • Mini hard drive failure? What to do...

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    Sounds exactly like mine!
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    Patrick, while you seemed to dismiss the comments that Doug made previously, I think he's basically right - that there is no indication here (which after all is where sick Mac minis are most discussed) or in other Mac-centric forums that would indicate there is a problem with mini hard drives above and beyond the nature of normal manufacturing failure rates.
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    Please send KUDOs
    Frank
    {------------ Please click the "White Kudos" Thumbs Up to say THANKS for helping.
    Please click the "Accept As Solution" on my post, if my assistance has solved your issue. ------------V
    This is a user supported forum. I am a volunteer and I don't work for HP.
    HP 15t-j100 (on loan from HP)
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    This question was solved.
    View Solution.

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    DP-K
    ****Click the White thumb to say thanks****
    ****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
    ****I don't work for HP****
    Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

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