10-15-2009, 01:48 AM

I have searched all over every forum, and it seems every post starts as a similar situation to mine but then resolves with an answer that cannot help me.

My hard drive failed on my macbook unsurprisingly, so instead of paying close to $300 dollars to have it repaired, I am trying to fix it myself. I built my first PC with no problems what so ever, which is why I don't understand how a simple hard drive install is troubling me so much.

My macbook is Sata, so I originally bought a SeaGate 2.5" Sata HD compatible w/ mac and upon installing I launched the computer from the OSX install disc and the computer could not locate the HD in the disc utility or system profiler.

Thinking it may be the HD I exchanged it and now have a Western Digital Scorpio Blue Hard Drive.

Specs include 320GB, 8MB|MO Cache and 5400RPM

Mac Specs
MacBook 4.1
Intel Core 2 Duo
2.4 GHz Processor Speed, 800Mhz Bus Speed

I am running Leopard OS 10.5.2 on the install disc
AHT version 3A143
Disc Version 1.1

I really am dumfounded as to why the disc utility can't pick up the hard drive as there is no way I incorrectly installed the hard drive, it simply plugs in. If there is another way to format the hard drive so my macbook can read it I also have a Macbook Pro, and a PC running XP SP2

10-15-2009, 01:52 AM

You need to format the HD so that OS X will recognize it.

Follow these directions.



I had the same problem when I replaced the factory 160GB HD with a WD 500GB hard drive on my new 13" Macbook Pro 1 month ago. Freaked me out a little bit til I figured it out.

10-15-2009, 02:06 AM

so i need to format it using a different computer?? Because the hard drive won't show up in the disc utility so i can't format it?

10-15-2009, 02:23 AM

No, you can do it on the same computer.

10-15-2009, 02:34 AM

So then how??? The hard drive will not show up in the disc utility. The instructions you posted require me clicking on the drive that i would like to erase/format. There is nothing there for me to click other then the CD Drive showing the OSX install disc in it.