What is happening to my MacBook

dtravis7


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Is the Hard Drive accessing when that sound is being made? If so that sounds like a dying Hard Drive.

Is there a CD/DVD in the optical drive? If not I would bet Hard Drive.
 
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thanks but i was hoping i could get immediate attention to this issue
Sorry, but this is an internet forum... not an instant messenger application.
Responses on forums can take time. Be patient and I'm sure someone might be able to help you out sooner or later.
:)
 
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go buy another HD. Put it in, install OSX, and see if your problem persists.

My bet is the HD is starting to DIE>
 
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go buy another HD. Put it in, install OSX, and see if your problem persists.

My bet is the HD is starting to DIE>


ok...but how would this help me if im trying to retrieve files from the dying harddrive???

argh is anybody actualy reading the content i post

somebody plsss


:( i am so desperate
 
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Is there a way I can run "Data Rescue" using Target Disc Mode?

i think my harddrive on my macbook is messed up...

based on my research i think that my only option left is data rescue ii.

is there a way i can run data rescue from a healthy computer and somehow use it on my sick computer via a firewire cable????
 
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i think my harddrive on my macbook is messed up...

based on my research i think that my only option left is data rescue ii.

is there a way i can run data rescue from a healthy computer and somehow use it on my sick computer via a firewire cable????

It depends what the issue is. If the HDD will mount on a healthy Mac then you should be able to recover all your files from it. If there's a problem with the disc itself which stops it from mounting, then you'd probably need to send it to a special company to get the data from it.

I'd email the Data Rescue developers detailing the problem and let them advise you on your best course of action.
 
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It depends what the issue is. If the HDD will mount on a healthy Mac then you should be able to recover all your files from it. If there's a problem with the disc itself which stops it from mounting, then you'd probably need to send it to a special company to get the data from it.

I'd email the Data Rescue developers detailing the problem and let them advise you on your best course of action.


what if the disc mounts on a healthy mac but freezes everytime i try to open a file from the disc???


what does that mean?
 
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OK very weird update...

so i ran disc utility disk again and out of desperation just decided to repair disc like 4-5 times in a row...all of which gave me the same error..

i then went to the gym and decided to leave my computer on to see if it would load...when i came back i saw that it was in sleep mode i tried to wake it and i could see the arrow cursor moving around but the entire screen was black...

i then manually shut off the computer and turned it back on instead of it taking 10 min to load the login prompt it now had the flashing question mark ...

when i tried to check the "smart status" of the drive it said "not supported"

**** i thought now im even in a worse position

hmmm not entirely so?

for some reason i decided to do the target drive mode again and OMG i was able to clcik on one of the folders (3gb) off the sick mac and copied it onto my healthy macs desktop...but the thing is it froze halfway nevertheless it still transfered some files

i was NEVER able to do this befor????

i tried it again and it started freezing again but the fact that it even transfered halfway gave me some hope...

its weird how it kind of halfway works now that the flashing question mark has appeared and now that the smart status is "not supported"
 
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can someone explain to me

if cloning a drive or doing something with new image in disk utility would help me...or "Spinright"??

also...even *IF* i manage to get all the files off...would i be able to get info from specific programs such as firefox and iphoto??'
 
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It genuinely does sound like a dying hard drive to me. Removing the old hard drive and fitting a new one would A) give you a fully functioning laptop again (without any of your file son there) and B) Your old hard drive which is dying could be put in an external enclosure so you could try and access the files from it without it having to boot OSX as well.

This isn't a nice thing to have happened obviously, but there really isn't a huge amount more you can do since it seems like you have tried pretty much everything (or at least all the things I would try) already.

Your files will still be on there in the same shape they are now, but having the faulty hard drive in an external enclosure (a good one at that) will make it easier for you to work on the drive.

I wish i could post a full solution to your dillema, but it might be time to bite the bullet and accept that apart from forking out lost of money to have a professional file retrieval company extract and save your files your chances are slim of getting the info back.

Your customer rights may allow you to have the drive replaced by Apple as it hasn't worked for a reasonable length of time.

Mel
 
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It genuinely does sound like a dying hard drive to me. Removing the old hard drive and fitting a new one would A) give you a fully functioning laptop again (without any of your file son there) and B) Your old hard drive which is dying could be put in an external enclosure so you could try and access the files from it without it having to boot OSX as well.

wouldnt this be the same as putting the sick computer in target disc mode?
when i use target disc mode its not booting OSX right??

do u think something like Data Rescue would help me in a situation like this?

i talked to some techie guy and he said he would take out the harddrive and put it in some kind of machine and try to clone the drive to some dvds...is that the right way to do it? if i had the files on dvd how would i get them back onto a healthy harddrive?
 
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Yes, taking the hard drive out and putting it in an external enclosure would have the same effect as running the laptop in target disk mode.

The reason taking the hard drive out of the laptop would be better is that it gives you a chance to put a new one in it's place so you can start using the laptop again.

Once you have the poorly hard drive in an external enclosure it is safer as you don't have to fire up the whole laptop just to look at, or try to look at the faulty hard drive each time.

Also, when you try to boot from the drive which you do each time you switch the computer on and let it try to boot up OSX, there is more chance of damaging the hard drive as it will be trying to read and write to and from the drive, so the less that happens, the more chance you have of recovering files at a later date.

I genuinely haven't used any data recovery software for the last 5 years, so I really wouldn't know what to suggest, but I am sure in those 5 years, severe advancements have been made in that area of software, so I am sure something might just work.

YES! Listen to Mr. Techie Guy! He will do what should have been done once it was realised the hard drive was on it's way out. He will most likely take it out and the "Some kind of Machine" will most likely me another mac, or a PC, but hopefully an external enclosure. Either of those will let him read the drive and hopefully copy the files on it to a stack of DVD's.

How would you get the files off the DVD's onto the future healthy laptop?
Just put them in the drive one by one and put the files off the DVD's to where you need them on the laptop.

To Simplify, and also to help you calm down a little and not get too stressed, here is my reccomendation for a sequence of events to follow...

1) Just stop trying to boot the laptop for now. We are 90% sure the drive is jiggered and keeping on powering the laptop up will not resolve in a miracle cure of the hard drive. Even if it did miraculously start to work again, there is no point leaving it in there for this to happen all over again.

2) Let Mr. Techie guy remove your hard drive, and while he is at it, get him to put in a new hard drive, because your old one he is taking out should not be put back in again. It is faulty and needs to be replaced.

3) Let Mr. Techie guy get the information off the hard drive and put it onto DVD's, another hard drive or whatever. Remember, just because he has taken the hard drive out, doesn't mean he's going to get all the info off there, it's just a long shot right now, seeing as the hard rive is barely able to
let you read it.

3a) if Mr. Techie guy does get the information off, good, you will be bale to put the DVD's in and copy off whatever you need.

3b) if Mr. Techie guy gets nothing off the hard drive, get him to put it in an external enclosure. If the information is that valuable to you, you can at least try now and again to recover the drive. Being in an enclosure will keep it safe and sound and will be easier to hook up and switch on as it will be in it's own little case.

4) Get Mr. Techie guy to install OSX from afresh on your laptop wit the brand new hard drive in there, at the very least you can have your laptop up and running again.

5) Very important. THESE THINGS HAPPEN. Hard drive fail a lot of the time, and in some circumstances the data just isn't retrievable. You can pay an extortionate amount of money and have a specialised lab retrieve the data, but it better be worth the money! Remember sometimes in life you just have to bite the bullet and say goodbye to computer files. I have lost a lot of data due to crummy CD's I burnt when CD writers first came out. A lot of pictures and text files have gone forever. So what? I can make more.

Mel
 

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NOTE: Merged Duplicate threads and moved to more appropriate forum.
 
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YES! Listen to Mr. Techie Guy! He will do what should have been done once it was realised the hard drive was on it's way out. He will most likely take it out and the "Some kind of Machine" will most likely me another mac, or a PC, but hopefully an external enclosure. Either of those will let him read the drive and hopefully copy the files on it to a stack of DVD's.

hi thanks for ur thorough reply

he told me that hes not entirely familiar with macs, PCs are his specialty but he said that inside they are all the same..?
and that getting the data off the harddrive shouldnt be a big problem

are pcs and macs same on the inside?
harddrive wise?
 
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Relatively speaking, yes, Macs and PC's are the same on the inside. Motherboard, Fans, Ram, Hard drive, optical drive and so forth. HOWEVER, I strongly recommend that you tell him or show him this next bit of information...

TAKE YOUR TIME opening the laptop. MacBook Pro's are prone to warping and more so when the case structure stability is reduced (I.E taking it apart)

DO NOT tug or chuck at parts to be removed, DO use the exact fit screw driver on the case screws. If it doesn't come apart with gentle force, then look again and make sure what you are trying to pull apart / remove is free to do so.

In other words, don't go in guns blazing.

I strongly recommend the website www.ifixit.com go to the top left hand button which says guides and then choose macs and then choose the Macbook Pro which fits your model and then from the parts to replace list on the left hand side choose the hard drive.

This is extremely useful to anyone taking a mac apart as it has step by step guides on what to do and with pictures! and it tells you the tools needed. Adhere to the tool list. DO NOT think "Oh, any old Philips screwdriver will do" 'cause it won't.

Sorry to seem harsh, but I don't want you coming back and going "Where do you buy spare case screws", or "How do you bend a Macbook pro case back into shape?". I have opened my macbook pro 3 times now, and I was severely careful when doing so and each time I did, I could see where it would be easy to damage the parts inside.

It's not because it's a Mac and therefor should be treated as special, or that it is so different to a PC laptop that he needs to be cautious, it is just that the structure of the Macbook Pro cases in particular do not lend them selves to too much rough and tumble when apart.

Now, The hard drive I would recommend buying to replace the faulty one is any of the Seagate momentus 7200.2 series hard drives. I have been recommended them by many people on this forum, and I trust them. No, I haven't yet installed one, but I do trust the people on this board, and when I can afford one I will get one.

Great for him if he can recover the files. It sounds to me like the hard drive is mechanically faulty and therefor it may be getting to the impossible end of recovering the data on there. I don't want to sound pessimistic, just realistic. I know what it's like to get your hopes up about something like this only to be let down.

Good luck with it all. I hope it goes smoothly for you.

Mel
 
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Best Internal Replacement Drive? Best external Drive?

i need to get my data off my old soon to be defunct harddrive

would it be better to transfer all the info onto a new internal replacement drive or an external replacement drive?

what are some reccomendations for both a good internal and external drive?

thakns
 
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EMBARASSING. hav u ever had to take ur computer into a repair shop and had explicit c

pls share your stories here..
im scared to bring my computer into the genius bar because i hav lots of explicit content on there...
 
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Way... way too many specs to list.
My guess is it'll be exactly like my time in custom photolabs. Unless it's illegal, I doubt anyone will care. If it's illegal (ie kiddie porn) I have little sympathy ;)
 

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