Macbook hard drive help

rafflach · Dec 11, 2010

Hi there,

I dropped my Macbook this evening and now funny enough it doesn't work. When I turn it on the hard drive makes some funny noises and a flashing folder appears on the screen.

I guess and hope that just my hard drive is dead and so will pick a new on up tomorrow and fit it. But I have just realized what I think is a major problem, my cd/dvd drive doesn't work. My system is backed up on an external HD but how am I going to install the OS discs???

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or help.

s2odin · Dec 11, 2010

rafflach said:
Hi there,

I dropped my Macbook this evening and now funny enough it doesn't work. When I turn it on the hard drive makes some funny noises and a flashing folder appears on the screen.

I guess and hope that just my hard drive is dead and so will pick a new on up tomorrow and fit it. But I have just realized what I think is a major problem, my cd/dvd drive doesn't work. My system is backed up on an external HD but how am I going to install the OS discs???

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or help.

Is it still under warranty?

As far as the hard drive, does it just spin up really fast or does it click click? If it just spins up it could just be trying to access the files. A flashing folder could be a bad SATA connector (which happened to my friend). The Apple Store here replaced it for him, as he was under Applecare.

If you have access to another computer you can try taking out your hard drive and plugging it into an external enclosure or into the other computer via firewire / usb and getting the data off there.

And are you 100% sure the cd drive doesn't work?

rafflach · Dec 11, 2010

I cant hear the hard drive spinning at all, just some quiet kind of repetative beeping noise. The screen lights up grey and after about 15 seconds the flashing folder appears with a question mark in it.

I'm not worried about the data on the HD as thats backed up but its just getting the OS disks intsalled again. I managed to dent in the keyboard a while back :Oops:

I did flatten it out again but the disc drive struggles to take a disc then moans and groans and spits it out.

I'm guessing that without a OS installed I couldn't attach an external cd drive?

I dont suppose my backed up HD which uses 'time machine' would have the OS backed up too?

rafflach · Dec 11, 2010

Just took the HD out and it rattles very nicely, sound like the disk is shattered.

s2odin · Dec 11, 2010

rafflach said:
I cant hear the hard drive spinning at all, just some quiet kind of repetative beeping noise. The screen lights up grey and after about 15 seconds the flashing folder appears with a question mark in it.

I'm not worried about the data on the HD as thats backed up but its just getting the OS disks intsalled again. I managed to dent in the keyboard a while back I did flatten it out again but the disc drive struggles to take a disc then moans and groans and spits it out.

I'm guessing that without a OS installed I couldn't attach an external cd drive?

I dont suppose my backed up HD which uses 'time machine' would have the OS backed up too?

Get a copy of the SL install discs from Best Buy / Apple and throw those in the computer to do a fresh install, then back up from time machine on the external.

You should be able to plug in an external dvd drive without an OS installed.

rafflach said:
Just took the HD out and it rattles very nicely, sound like the disk is shattered.

Yea, the platter is probably destroyed. Or the needle. Either way, sounds bad.

rafflach · Dec 11, 2010

Thanks for that, I bought the macbook new so have the disc already I believe. I just had a fiddle about with the dvd drive and stuck a disk in and it took it fine, abviously as the HD is out it did nothing and then spat it out so fingers crossed all could be well without having to break the bank.

Macbook hard drive help

rafflach

s2odin

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rafflach

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