Unable to "see" start-up Hard Drive

Here's an interesting scenario - any ideas?
1) My iMac will not boot. I get the flashing question mark folder
2) I boot from the install DVD and try Disk Utility - it does not "see" a hard drive at all
3) I then boot from TechTools Pro and attempt a drive/volume repair - doesn't "see" the drive
4) I attempt to boot from the install DVD, pressing "D" to get into Hardware Test - after awhile, it just ejects the DVD and goes back to the flashing folder/question mark
5) Then, I tried connecting to a laptop and booting the iMac in Target mode. It's all sadness... the flashing firewire symbol appears, but nothing shows-up on the laptop.
Is there a way to do a low-level format on the hard-drive or boot into some diagnostic mode that can test my HD controller to make sure it's working? Or... should I just assume the HD is gone?
To make it really interesting - the exact same problem is happening on a MacBook I have! The odds have to be long that two hard drives would fail at the same time.
I'm wondering if one of my users didn't use File Vault or something and end-up "killing" the drive? If someone uses FileVault and I just want to blow-off the machine and go back to a generic install - is it possible?

I agree with George Peters, the symptoms point to hard drive failure. If you haven't tried this, you could try booting in Safe Mode
What is Safe Mode
Carolyn

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Unable to see my external hard drive

Hi
I've been sorting out my external hard drive and deleting numerous files. Suddenly a few small windows popped up showing a progress bar.
I am now unable to view the files from the External Hard Drive. I have tried rebooting the system a few times and I managed to see the files using Spotlight. But still,, no files shown on the drive. The Trash also shows "Bin Full" but it is empty. Any ideas? Please

Ok if disk utility was able to verify the drive I doubt there is any problem.. are you trying to open a TM backup??
You need to mount the sparsebundle then check the actual info inside the bundle.
Don't use disk warrior.. if the disk has verified then unless you deliberately deleted files there is nothing that is going to do.
Pondini has a lot of stuff about getting access to the sparsebundle.
http://pondini.org/TM/17.html
But if you have copied info to the TC that is now gone.. and the disk is ok.. I am not sure.. the TC will not have deleted the files itself.

Unable to see external USB hard drive

Time Capsule: 500gb
Ext HDD: Toshiba 500gb 2.5"
Have formatted the USB HDD as Mac OS (extended) and connected it to the USB connector at the back of the Time Capsule however the drive does not show up.
If we connect the drive to any other Mac it sees it immediately. Any suggestions on what we may be doing wrong?
Many thanks

The full setup is as follows:
Time Capsule 500GB with wireless switched off;
This is connected to the network via a Netgear wireless router;
There is a shared folder on the Time Capsule called "CLIENT SHARED";
In order to see the folder a user must logon to the Time Capsule;
The USB HDD is plugged into the rear of the Time Capsule;
Regarding the USB HDD:
It is a Toshiba 500GB 2.5" self powered external hard dive using USB 2.0;
The write status is "Read / Write";
The SMART status is "Not Supported";
The Partition Map Scheme is "Apple Partition Map";
It is formatted into a single partition using "Mac OS Extended (Journalled)";
If I connect it to any other Mac or MacBook in the office it can be seen;
Hope this helps.

MBP 5.5 can't see my new Hard drive

MBP 5.5 can't see my new Hard drive even though its running Mavericks off the new Hard Drive through a usb cradle

I've seen suffienct posts on this site to not argue about the problems with SATA cables, however it sounds like what you're saying is that the SATA cable is bandwidth limited. The types of things I remember reading about are actual breaks in the cable, rendering it useless for all drives, or the insulation wearing off. In the latter, it's on units where the cable crosses over an optical drive and starts intermittently shorting out on the case. If this happens the user typically gets data corruption, but the drive is usually seen and visible.
On the other hand, I do software development and we have to be able to boot numerous versions of MacOS. For reasons known only to God (and Apple, I hope) once in a while the NVRAM seems to get mixed up and ends up being unable to see the boot drive. Doing the resets always corrects the problem.
I wouldn't dismiss your recommendation of replacing the cable, but the resets are free and easily done.
Another freebee to try would be to hold down the "alt' key before powering on the unit, turn on the power, and then, while holding down the alt key, see if the drive shows up as a bootable drive. This will only work if there's an OS installed on the drive.
In my opinion, it's always best to try the free things before going out and buying anything.

How to see how much hard drive space is free in my MacBook Pro

I have a lot of music and am starting to use lossless files. How can I check to see how much hard drive space I have free on my MacBook Pro?

Select:
•  (in the Menu Bar)
• About This Mac
A window appears
Select:
• More Info...
Another window appears
Select:
• Storage

Powerbook G4 10.4.11 won't start from hard drive . Tried repair, " The underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972).Invalid sibling link,invalid B tree header, invalid map node,invalid record type,the volume needs to be repaired.

Powerbook G4 10.4.11 won't start from hard drive . Tried repair, " Invalid sibling link,invalid B tree header, invalid map node,invalid record type,the volume needs to be repaired.Powerbook G4 10.4.11 won't start from hard drive . Tried repair, " The underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972).Invalid sibling link,invalid B tree header, invalid map node,invalid record type,the volume needs to be repaired.
The underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972).

kauribill wrote:
" The underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972).Invalid sibling link,invalid B tree header, invalid map node,invalid record type,the volume needs to be repaired.
The underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972).
This is a directory issue that Disk Utility cannot fix. Although it manifests itself as a software issue sometimes it may be hardware based. See DiskUtility reports "Underlying task reported failure" when repairing avolume http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1901?viewlocale=en_US". You can try using a utility like TechTool Pro, Drive Genius or Disk Warrior to repair and replace the directory. Another option would be to use the Archive and Install feature to reinstall. If the problem returns after correction you may have a failing or failed HDD.
cornelius

Unable to connect to external hard drive

Have just switched from a macbook to macbook pro, transferred all data etc via firewire with no problem. I have recently purchased an extreme base station and have ben using this with an imac and the mac book. I have a usb external drive and a printer connected to the base station via a usb hub. Both have worked flawlessley over the wireless network with the macbook. However, I can't get the new macbook pro to see the external hard drive, I have checked the automatically mount disk box etc, all to no avail.
Any ideas??

I have successfully connected two drives via a USB HUB, which worked flawlessly. I am however unable to connect another drive of a different brand and size and get it to be recognized. That drive is a Lacie bid drive ( 2 terabytes). It looks like the drive itself is an important factor. I tried every thing and this big drive would not mount.

Why can I see my external hard drive?

For 2 years or more I've had an external hrad drive to back up my Imac. One day I got a message that there had not beeb a back up for for a really long time ( I have it on automatic).
Ever since, I have not been able to see the external hard drive on mi Imac and have not been able to do regular back ups.
First I turned off, on, restart computer and tried to see if it showed up on another computer, which it did.
What could the problem be? It was working just fine.
Please help
Thanks

EHD's can crash. First thing I'd recommend though is to do 2-3 SMC resets. Shut down the computer, then remove the power cord from both the wall plug and back of the computer, wait 15-20 seconds and restart normally and test.
If that fails use another cable to connect the drive, if that fails open Disk Utility and see if the EHD can be seen. If that fails then replace the drive. I would STRONGLY recommend 2 backups, use Time Machine on disk 1 and then use a create a clone using either SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner on the other drive. When it comes to backing up, redundancy is smart. Would you trust your bank if they only had one form of backup of all your money??

Why can't I see my external hard drive, Intel iMac / 500 GB, G-Drive

Why can't I see my external hard drive? I have a new iMac, Intel based i5, running Lion (2-3 months old). I have a 500 GB G-Drive external hard drive that has showed up when connected to my iMac for the past 2-3 months. Now it's gone. It's NOT visible when using Disk Utilities. I have all of the radio buttons chosen in the Finder Preferences. I've unplugged and replugged in the drive, have switched the cable ports and have switched firewire cable. The G-Drive powers up and whirls, so I don't believe the problem is with the drive. Yes, I set my Preferences to make sure ALL disk types are visible. I've restarted my iMac on a number of occations. I rest my SMC by totally unplugging my iMac for a minute, then plugging it back in. Any suggestions?

Unplug the HD, Zap the PRAM, reconnect the HD, power it up, and see if that fixes the problem. If not, then maybe the HDs bitten the dust. Try on another computer to verify.

Unable to back up external hard drive via Time Machine. Says no room but has back ups from two previous Mac notebooks on it. Tried deleting them and now can't do anything. Any ideas?

Unable to back up external hard drive via Time Machine. Says no room but has back ups from two previous Mac notebooks on it. Tried deleting them and now can't do anything. Any ideas?

As john noted, eventually that external is probably not going to be big enough, but it certainly is for now. The HD just needs enough capacity to cover the amount of data on your internal HD, not the internal HD's total capacity.
Format/partition the external as follows and you should be set to go:
1. Connect the external HD to the MBP.
2. Open Disk Utility on the MBP.
3. Select the external HD in the left pane.
4. Click on the Erase tab.
5. Choose the Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
NOTE: if you want to zero the HD (which I always think is a good idea, but does take time), click on Security Options, click the button for Zero Out Data, click OK. The larger the HD, the longer this will take, in some cases several hours.
6. Click on Erase and wait for the entire process to finish.
7. Click the Partition tab.
8. Click on Volume Scheme: and choose the number of partitions (just one in this situation).
9. Click on the Options button (located underneath the Volume Scheme pane) and select GUID.
10. Click Apply.
11. Quit Disk Utility.
Backup your internal to the external. What application are you using to backup with? I highly recommend both SuperDuper! and CarbonCopyCloner.

My mac Doesn't seem to see my external hard drive (seagate 1tb) I have it usb'd in to the back of my computer, but when I open time machine...it does not see it. Help

My mac Doesn't seem to see my external hard drive (seagate 1tb) I have it usb'd in to the back of my computer, but when I open time machine...it does not see it. Help...please

Yes...at least I thought it was....I have 10.6.8.
That's the whole issue. I want to run/install photoshop elements but I have to have 10.8. for that. So...be fore I install an upgrade (Yosemite is getting BAD press) I thought I'd check my back up...it's not there...I have the seagate plugged in and the usb into the back of the mac...when I try to turn the time machine "ON" it says airport device not found not ....
By the way...I REALLY appreciate the help here....

How do i see how much hard drive space i have used

how do i see how much hard drive space i have used

Select your hard drive's disk icon on the Desktop. Press COMMAND-I to open the Get Info window. The info is displayed in the upper pain of the Get Info window.

How to see how much Hard Drive space I have

Is there any way to see how much hard drive space I have left on my laptop in Lion?

Also in a finder window if you holding cmd press / the grey bar that i think you looking for appear at the botton.

I can't see my external hard drive on the network.

I can't see my external hard drive on the network. I have a WRT160NL router with USB. I plugged the drive in the USB and set up a share in the router config.

Did you map the drive? It won't show up in Explorer automatically like a jump drive or an external drive plugged directly into the PC will.
You didn't mention the OS you're running, but what you want to do is choose "Map a network drive" and you'll see the router listed as a network device. Click on it and you should see the external drive listed. You can map it from there.

Time Machine can't see my external hard drive

Time Machine won't show me any backup disk options other than "Set up Time Capsule". When I click on that, it searches for AirPort wireless which I do not have installed. How do I get Time Machine to see my external hard drive connected via Fire Wire? I went into Disk Utility and it showed the external drive was there. Backups had been working previously.

I don't know the answer but I have the same thing happen. I have two external drives I use for backup. Sometimes it can see one and sometimes another. Then sometimes it can't see either one. I will take one out for a while then plug it back in and then it may see it. Maybe it's a cable issue or something but I will be curious to hear what someone more knowledgeable says.

Unable to "see" start-up Hard Drive

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