Hard Drive Gong Bad ???

What would be the signs / symptoms of a hard drive going bad?

Computer not booting up at all, slow computer, apps unaccessable, missing files, computer hanging up/crashing, apps suddenly stop working/crashing, repair disk fails to repair...there are quite a few more. If you suspect it is about to die, be sure and save any important files on another drive and make sure back ups are current while it still can. Hopefully you have had TM set up and better yet CCC or Super Duper.
Last Summer I began having these issues and just as soon as I made sure everything was backed up...it died to never work again.

Why don't you go ahead and tell us what yours is doing...

Ok, here's the patient ..... each time i had to hold the power button to turn it off then turn it on

Scrolling down the main google news page the screen went grey / black / white narrow vertical lines.

another time I highlighted a selection in e mail, clicked edit / copy then clicked on word and the screen blanked out to white

while checking a travel schedule and making changes to my intinerary Safari froze. the rest of the computer continued working.

Scammed a document to JPEG and worked on it in Photoshop. Attempted to resize the document and screen went to black / greh / white lines.

Similar experiences have happened at least ten other time in last six months.

Will the patient live ???

These symptoms don't sound like a bad hard drive to me (especially the gray/white/black color issues). Sounds like it may be something more serious.

- Nick

Soon after I sent the symptom list, it did it again. This time I was deleting songs from iTunes and it quit, witth the line vertical this time instead of horizontal.

It will have to do this a few more times before I'm sure but it seems like each time it has happened I've been doing something repetitive ... and maybe each repitition is being done too quickly for it to keep up ???

mickibob said:

It will have to do this a few more times before I'm sure but it seems like each time it has happened I've been doing something repetitive ... and maybe each repitition is being done too quickly for it to keep up ???

Click to expand...

If this is a hardware issue (something to do with the logic board)...it's probably a fairly random thing.

Even if you can predictably cause it to happen (if it's still really a hardware problem)...bad hardware is bad hardware...and needs to be replaced. Or junk the computer if the repair costs out weigh the value of the computer.

Some things you could try to help verify if it's hardware or not:

- Do an NVRAM/PRAM Reset.
About NVRAM and PRAM

- Do an SMC Reset.
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

- Run a free maintenance program called "Onyx":
Titanium's Software • Index page

- Boot the computer from an external hard drive (with just a copy of the OS installed on it).
- Do a fresh install of the OS.

If the issues still remain after all of this...then it is almost definitely a hardware issue (logic board).

- Nick

mickibob said:

Soon after I sent the symptom list, it did it again. This time I was deleting songs from iTunes and it quit, witth the line vertical this time instead of horizontal.

It will have to do this a few more times before I'm sure but it seems like each time it has happened I've been doing something repetitive ... and maybe each repitition is being done too quickly for it to keep up ???

Click to expand...

I don't mean to be a funny but I doubt you are too fast for your computer

Mine acts weird I have way to many apps open, especially Photoshop, iTunes. I have 8 gig of ram. Bad Ram can cause this but the lines sound like the logic board

To keep an eye on the drive, download SMARTReporter. Registered version is $4.99 or you can try the demo version:-


http://www.corecode.at/smartreporter/