New HD not showing up in Installer's Disk Utility?

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I've checked the connections numerous times and everything is properly installed. I inserted the installer CD that came with my MBP and it doesn't appear in disk utility, so there is no way for me to format it. I also checked system profiler in utlities and it doesn't appear in there either. I have no idea what to do at this point.. I've read many other forums but nothing has helped.



Mid-2009 MBP 2.26GHz

New HD: Western Digital Scorpio Black WD7500BPKT 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive
 

chscag

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It's possible the ribbon cable that goes from the hard drive SATA connection to the logic board is defective. This is a common problem especially in notebook computers. The ribbon cable is delicate and can sometimes fail because of the heat generated. Replace the cable if you've tried everything else.
 
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I had actually put it in my old HD and it does appear in both profiler and disk utility, so does that mean the ribbon your speaking of does indeed still work? Maybe my new HD isn't comparable with my laptop? I don't know.
 

chscag

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Yep, the ribbon cable must be OK if your old drive shows up and seems to work. It's possible the drive you bought is DOA. I have had that happen to me before. A brand new drive out of the box not working. If possible, return it and get another. The drive is compatible with your MBP, no problem there.
 
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Will I be able to tell whether or not it's a dud if I put it in an enclosure? And say it does appear, is it possible to format it through disk utility via USB? hopefully that makes sense. (btw, how much would those cost?)
 

chscag

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You can put it in an enclosure to see if it will mount that way. Enclosures are not expensive but still add to the cost of your HD. You can buy an inexpensive enclosure for less than $20 at places like Fry's or Microcenter. Best Buy has them but they'll cost more there.
 

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