iMac: replace HD or time for new iMac?

Do I get a new hard drive on my current iMac or should I just get a new iMac?

Factors that will weigh in on this decision:

- Money: I don't even know how much the genius bar will charge me to put in a new hard drive on my current iMac (does anyone know the approx. dollar amount?) Money will factor in to this decision. It's not a major factor, but if money wasn't a factor at all, I'd obviously buy a new iMac.

- Just got eyeTV 250 plus & appleTV. Will I run into processing problems with these new additions to the apple family?

- With eyeTV 250 plus, It'd probably make sense to get the 27in iMac as opposed to my current 19in or 20in iMac

Here's my current iMac (2009, I think) Hardware Overview:

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac8,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: IM81.00C1.B00
SMC Version (system): 1.29f1
Serial Number (system): W88*********
Hardware UUID: *************************


Thanks in advance for your feedback/advice!

Why do you need a new hard drive?

disk utility red messages - can't repair. Super slow performances - constant hard restarts needed - it's shot beyond my capabilities to repair - nothing is wrong with anything else on my current iMac to my knowledge

What are the messages, can you give us a screen shot. Some of the error messages in Disk Utility mean the file hierarchy cannot be repaired and the disk itself is OK. A complete reformat and reinstall (make sure you have a time machine backup), will fix that - depending on the error messages.

maybe i should try a reformat..... I have a back up

I have a 2.4 Ghz 20" iMac. It runs everything I currently run without an issue. Apple TV worked on my Power PC G5 iMac. EyeTV I use all the time. Not one issue.

You can change the Hard Drive yourself if you can get suction cups to take off the glass front. I did it on this machine with no issues.

Boot from the OSX DVD that came with your machine. Don't install but click on the Utilities menu up top and run Disk Utility from the DVD. See if SMART passes or Fails.

can't I do SMART right from disk utility? The hard drive is not completely shot - as I am still using it now.

SMART failed when I ran it from disk utility

n8cas said:

SMART failed when I ran it from disk utility

Click to expand...

Your HD is definitely dead.

However, the cost for a replacement drive isn't that much at all, and replacing the drive is certainly a much more cost effective solution.

If it was something like the logic board, I could see a new Mac being a possibility, but it's just a Hard Drive.

replace the hard drive

On those models you don't have to worry about the temp sensor on the hard drive like the 21.5 and 27" models so replacing the hard drive is really not that hard if your not scared of poking around inside the computer.

I have been building and repairing computers for 20 years so I don't know what skills you have, some people just don't like touching electronics.

If you want to take a look at what is involved go to ifixit dot com and look at all of the pictures they have before you decide. Otherwise there are plenty of people out there that will do it for you pretty cheap.

Followed some of your advice to reformat. However, my back-up is on my time capsule that WAS connecting to my iMac via Ethernet network cable. Now using disk utility from my start up disk, disk utility does not recognize my time capsule that is hooked up via Ethernet cable, but it recognizes my other external 250gb hard drive, hooked up via USB cable.

I started a new thread with this problem, but got zero responses. Here is what I sais:

Reformating iMac HD problem...
I have a back up on my time capsule disk. However when I set the target disk mode on my iMac to my install DVD and open up disk utility, it does not show my time capsule disk (even though I am connected via ethernet from the time capsule right to the iMac).

How do I access my back up and get it to restore my system?

I tried typing in a URL address of my back up file (atp://na************.sparsebundle) but it said I need to authenticate but doesn't give me a chance to type any password in. It just says cancel or okay and then goes back to start.

Click to expand...

Time capsule has a USB port. Could I get a USB male to USB male cable to plug into iMac since its not recognizing Ethernet?

Please help me out. I have three days left to try out eyeTV before I can not return it. I can't try it out without my iMac. Thanks.

n8cas said:

Followed some of your advice to reformat. However, my back-up is on my time capsule that WAS connecting to my iMac via Ethernet network cable. Now using disk utility from my start up disk, disk utility does not recognize my time capsule that is hooked up via Ethernet cable, but it recognizes my other external 250gb hard drive, hooked up via USB cable.

I started a new thread with this problem, but got zero responses. Here is what I sais:



Time capsule has a USB port. Could I get a USB male to USB male cable to plug into iMac since its not recognizing Ethernet?

Please help me out. I have three days left to try out eyeTV before I can not return it. I can't try it out without my iMac. Thanks.

Click to expand...

If you want to restore from your TC backup I think you are better off using Migration Assistant.

Razormac said:

If you want to restore from your TC backup I think you are better off using Migration Assistant.

Click to expand...

Thank you. How can I use it if my HD has been erased? I have snow lepoard on a DVD. Could I load that? I can't even get the original OS X cd out of the computer. And it says that this OS X can't be installed on this computer.

What OSX SL DVD do you own? Full Retail or a DVD that came with another Mac?

The DVD's that come with a Mac Model will only install on that exact model/specs.

Do you have a full Time Machine backup?

dtravis7 said:

What OSX SL DVD do you own? Full Retail or a DVD that came with another Mac?

Click to expand...

full retail



Do you have a full Time Machine backup?

Yes, It backed up complete on Dec. 15th. It hasn't been able to since, but it doesn't matter as I did not add or make any big changes since 12/15. Can I use remote assistant and access OS X SL from that computer (because I can't use the OS X install disc that came with my iMac and the OS X SL disc that I bought.

So what happens when you boot up with the OSX DVD holding down C?

You can right from the menu once you get to the installer click on Restore from Time Machine backup and it will restore your system just like it was before the issue. It's one of the drop down menu options in the installer.

dtravis7 said:

So what happens when you boot up with the OSX DVD holding down C?

You can right from the menu once you get to the installer click on Restore from Time Machine backup and it will restore your system just like it was before the issue. It's one of the drop down menu options in the installer.

Click to expand...

you can check out my previous post and see what u think, but unless he is experiencing my mac symptoms he should be able to do a clean install regardless of disk utilities notes.

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/apple-desktops/261904-help-my-imac-intel-hd-issues.html

my situation is very messed up, if only i could get my hd out and format externally I could then attempt a re-install...

i cant believe a bad HD can stop startmanager or cd booting

check out my post...

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/apple-desktops/261904-help-my-imac-intel-hd-issues.html

i believe a simple HD format externally would solve our issues, especially if u cannot even boot to cd or start manager

Finally got my SL disk to start up and run disk utility to install OS X SL ( which is the same OS as my backup). I had to create a new account - go through all the prompts that OS X does at the beginning. I finally opened migration assistant to get the backup from time machine , but now after uploading, I have three accounts; old me from backup, old wife from back up, and new me.

I still am getting 'this disk is corrupt' messages in disk utility, and I kinda got the idea that it is out of my hands when OS X SL started for the first time after reformatting. That music played as it always does when you load up a new OS X for the first time, but I didn't get anything but a blank screen for nearly 5 minutes before it caught up.

If I go the route of new iMac with lion of course, will I still be able to get my old backup which was done in SL?

If I get a new HD will I have to go through the three account problem I had when I finally reloaded OS X SL?

After all that mess, I'm still back where I started with this decision. Thanks.

n8cas said:

After all that mess, I'm still back where I started with this decision. Thanks.

Click to expand...

The title of this thread is "iMac: replace HD or time for a new iMac?"

A new HD will cost you about $50-$75 (you install it). A new iMac will cost you $1000-$1500.

Enough said!!!,

- Nick