Help! No HDD In Disk Utility

Ok, so here is the issue. I have a MacBook Pro and have endless experience with macs as I work with them, however, I have hit a brick wall that I cannot get past. A few days ago my mac would not boot, got the flashing folder with the ?, so with my experience I backed up my work and order a new HDD. I fitted the new HDD, booted from the Snow Leopard install DVD and headed to Disk Utility. No new HDD to be seen. I know that I need to format it and I am familiar with using Disk Utility to do so.....

Ideas Anyone?

pfml07 said:

I fitted the new HDD, booted from the Snow Leopard install DVD and headed to Disk Utility. No new HDD to be seen. I know that I need to format it and I am familiar with using Disk Utility to do so.....

Ideas Anyone?

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Can you hear the new HDD spinning? If so...the new HDD should show up when you launch Disk Utility...so that you can do the formatting.

- Nick

Is it fitted properly? It's possible that it's not if you can't see it at all. There is also a small chance that the HD is bad. Can you try it out with an external enclosure on another machine?

vansmith said:

There is also a small chance that the HD is bad. Can you try it out with an external enclosure on another machine?

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Excellent idea Vansmith! Always a rare...but possible issue.

- Nick

I have definatly fitted it correctly. I will check it in an enclosure tomorrow and see what happens. I fairly confident that the HD is absolutely fine. Could it be the HDD Sata cable? It is a MacBook Unibody mid 2009. Just out of warranty. Bit of a shame but not the end of the world. I suppose it could all boil down to a faulty logic board!!!

Yes it may well be the cable. Suggest changing the cable when the drive is changed as they do not take to bending.

Ok, so it is fine in an exclosure. So I guess I can assume that it is the Cable?

So we know that the HD works and thus the issue is either with the Mac or the way it was seated. Do you have another HD available that you can test in your Mac just to see if it recognizes it?

pfml07 said:

Ok, so it is fine in an exclosure. So I guess I can assume that it is the Cable?

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We've seen this a number of times with that model MBP and some earlier models. As harry pointed out in a previous reply, it's probably best to swap out the drive cable as they are fairly fragile. Another thing to look at closely are the connectors themselves on the drive receiving end of the cable.

The problem with the drive ribbon cable is when it gets warm it has a tendency to get brittle which may cause small breakages when the cable is moved around during a hard drive swap.

ok so...

So here the deal now. I have tried 3 HDD's to no avail. So I ordered a new cable for it and still nothing. It is so odd. If it was a logic board failure then it wouldn't work off an external drive but it does! It's **** confusing. I have checked the connectors and they also seem to be fine.

Any other ideas anyone? It's not a bios driver type issue maybe?

One last thing to check: Remove the hard drive and look inside the cavity where the drive slides in - use a flashlight. There should be two (one on each side) rubber insulators that guide the drive in place to the connector. If both or one of them are dislodged, the drive will not fit correctly to the connector and will give the symptom you're getting. (no drive) If the guides are out of place, carefully push them back in. There may also be a small spring keeper that holds them so be careful.

Let us know.

Checked and all appears to be ok. SOMEONE!! HELP!!!

Bump. Help please. Anyone?

Logic board but take it to a Genius Bar.