Is iMac hard disk dying?

[AMACL]

Hello all,
I wasn't sure which forum to post in, but chose Hardware because I fear that may be the problem.

So once I had my own 2019 iMac 21.5" machine running happily with Big Sur after initial trials, suddenly my husband's 2014 iMac 21.5" began slowing down significantly. I mean really significantly, out of the blue.
I hadn't even begun to update his OS, he's still running Mojave. The computer has never done this before. It gets very little use compared to mine, so I guess I neglected it because it never asked for help.

I tried rebooting, didn't help.

I spent hours yesterday trying to make a fresh Time Machine backup - it failed. I was unable to launch Disk Utility or Activity Monitor or even get the energy saver utility to work (thought I would prevent the machine from sleeping in case that was the problem with Time Machine - just a desperate try).

The way it's rejecting any and all operations makes me think the hard disk is failing.
Is there any other explanation?

The machine has 8 GB RAM and a 500 GB (I think) spinning hard disk.

The last Time Machine backup dates from about 10 days ago, so I could certainly recover the data from there.
No, I don't have a bootable clone for that machine..

I'm ready to bite the bullet and buy a new iMac if necessary.

I have seen lots of people on this forum who have computers a lot older than 2014. But it's also a matter of the hard disk itself, right ?

Thanks in advance for your enlightenment!

Ann

 

[pigoo3]

How full is the hard drive (GB's used and GB's free)?

Nick

 

[AMACL]

How full is the hard drive (GB's used and GB's free)?

Nick

Hard to tell now that I can't access the HD, but the drive has 500 GB total. My machine is now calculating the size of the last backup on the Time Machine HDD but it's taking some time. FYI I have a LOT more data than my husband, and I have something like 370 GB used and 730 free.

 

[pigoo3]

Ok sorry...I thought you had access to things...just that the computer was really slow.

Try booting into the Recovery Partition (reboot/restart the computer...then press & hold the 2-key combo of command + r keys).

If this is successful...see if you can get the disk usage info (GB's used & GB's free)...might also try running "Disk Utility"...and run "Repair Disk"...after booting into the Recovery Partition.

If the disk happens to be really super full...this could be causing issues. If not super full...we can keep trying things.

It is very possible the hard drive has failed (or is failing). If this is the case...no need to purchase a whole new computer (if the computer was/is currently meeting all needs otherwise)...just need to replace the HD.

Nick

 

[AMACL]

How full is the hard drive (GB's used and GB's free)?

Nick

OK Finder is telling me the last "Macintosh HD" backup on the Time Machine backup disk has either 37.17 GB or 42 GB (don't ask). Does that sound feasible ? I guess the files are compressed?

Oops, just saw your previous answer (I was out of commission after my last post). Let me take a look.

About your last suggestion: I never replaced a HDD, only memory (which isn't even possible on my latest "small" iMac, don't recall if it is on the older one). But there's always a first time, right?

 

[AMACL]

Ok sorry...I thought you had access to things...just that the computer was really slow.

Try booting into the Recovery Partition (reboot/restart the computer...then press & hold the 2-key combo of command + r keys).

If this is successful...see if you can get the disk usage info (GB's used & GB's free)...might also try running "Disk Utility"...and run "Repair Disk"...after booting into the Recovery Partition.

If the disk happens to be really super full...this could be causing issues. If not super full...we can keep trying things.

It is very possible the hard drive has failed (or is failing). If this is the case...no need to purchase a whole new computer (if the computer was/is currently meeting all needs otherwise)...just need to replace the HD.

Nick

OK (again), I managed to start it up in Recovery mode . I launched the disk utility and checked the disk usage info :
Mac HD : Used 177.8 Gb (plus 5 Gb "other"use). Free 317 Gb .
I launched Repair Disk (which is known as SOS in French, his machine is running in French so I have to use my imagination ). It has just informed me that it was unable to dismount the disk to repair it, so the operation failed. Why am I not surprised?

If it is of any help, disk utility in Recovery mode also told me that the Mac OS Base System is using 1.28 Gb and has 721 Mb free. Just saying.

Strangely, to me anyway, before launching repair disk I saw the information that the hard disk is "shared among 4 volumes." Huh? I never partitioned the disk, as far as I can recall,

 

[chscag]

It does sound like a failing hard drive if it slowed down significantly and Disk Utility was unable to dismount it. Replacing the hard drive on that machine is not difficult if you can follow the ifixit instructions.

Take a look here: www.ifixit.com

You might want to replace the hard drive with a SSD instead of another spinner.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

The way it's rejecting any and all operations makes me think the hard disk is failing.
Is there any other explanation?

I have a couple of entire Web sites devoted to troubleshooting such problems:

Macintosh Slowdown Solutions

Macintosh OS X Beachballs!

The first thing that I usually suspect (because it is usually the problem) is that you have fully interactive anti-virus software installed that is bringing your Mac to its knees.

If that's not the problem, my Web sites will tell you how to test the hard drive, and test your Mac's RAM.

 

[pigoo3]

No, I don't have a bootable clone for that machine.

With the troubleshooting results you had in the Recovery Partition...plenty of free space on the hard drive...and not being able to boot the computer normally...more than likely the hard drive is dying/failed/failing.

I always like to do lots of troubleshooting before suggesting anything definite. It does sound like the hard drive is failing...and replacing it is more than likely the way to do.

But...if it were me...to confirm it is the hard drive (or a problem with something on the hard drive as Randy suggested)...I would boot the computer from an external hard drive with a bootable macOS installed on it. If booting from an external HD is successful...then you know that the computer is basically ok...and the internal hard drive is the issue.

I know you mentioned..."No, I don't have a bootable clone for that machine." If this means you don't have an external HD to boot from...then you could either get one & install a bootable macOS on it...or jump directly to the HD replacement.

It's always a great idea to have a bootable external HD handy for situations like this...thus getting an external HD to troubleshoot this issue further would be a great idea for now...and for the future/possible future issues when they pop up.

HTH,

Nick

 

[AMACL]

A basic question : is all I need a bootable drive with macOS? I mean, no other files, just the OS ? I have the flash drives I made for my own machine over the years - though I seem not to have Mojave, I have High Sierra and now Big Sur since I installed it the other day on my computer.

Or do I need a full HD so I can offload my husband's files onto that ?

 

[pigoo3]

A basic question : is all I need a bootable drive with macOS? I mean, no other files, just the OS ? I have the flash drives I made for my own machine over the years - though I seem not to have Mojave, I have High Sierra and now Big Sur since I installed it the other day on my computer.

Yes...all you need is the macOS installed on the external HD (nothing else needed). Then you boot the computer from this external HD.

Since this is an older 2014 iMac...just need to be sure you install a macOS version on the external HD that's compatible with a 2014 iMac. Any macOS between "Mavericks" (10.9.3) and "Big Sur" (macOS 11) will work.

Nick

 

[pigoo3]

Regarding HD replacement...here's the exact procedure for a 2014 21.5" iMac":

iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 2805 Hard Drive Replacement

Use this guide to replace the hard drive.

www.ifixit.com

If this is something you or someone your know can do...awesome. If not...you do have two other options:

1. Have an expert replace the drive (a local computer shop familiar with Apple computers would be best). Apple store probably won't do it due to the age of the computer. Of course this will probably cost some good money (maybe couple hundred bucks...including the cost of the new drive).

2. You actually can run the computer long term from an external HD or SSD...but since the USB ports are significantly slower...the computer may not feel quite as "snappy" as compared to running the computer from the internal drive. If you decided to do this...I would suggest getting a small external SSD...since this would give you as much speed as possible.

The best replacement option is definitely replacing the internal drive...since this would be best for performance. Hopefully you or with some help from a friend can do this. If you do go this route...I would (while you're in there)...replace the old HD with an SSD (rather than another "spinner" HD). An internal SSD would be faster!

HTH,

Nick

 

[AMACL]

Trying to boot from flash drive, just realised I was doing it wrong so I will try again.

And thank you very much for that last post. I did look into the iFixit offer, but didn't go any further than that. I also looked into possibilities to replace the whole computer, since this one is fairly old. Not interested in asking Apple to fix it.

Here goes the reboot.
Ann

 

[AMACL]

A new problem: I press "option" to boot from the flash drive. The computer reboots but proposes only the Macintosh HD as a boot option, even though the flash drive is inserted (and I checked earlier, that drive with Big Sur is indeed bootable acc to Disk Utility). And in fact, I can't get beyond the part where it asks me to choose a network, since I input the password and it doesn't accept it . I even tried a different network (we have two) but same thing. I also tried typing as if it were a US keyboard instead of a French one, even though that computer has always used French OS and keyboard, but also no help.
Why does it need to know a network in order to boot, for heaven's sake ??

 

[ferrarr]

Why does it need to know a network in order to boot, for heaven's sake ??

See this;

Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac

Learn how to use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac.

support.apple.com

 

[pigoo3]

A new problem: I press "option" to boot from the flash drive. The computer reboots but proposes only the Macintosh HD as a boot option, even though the flash drive is inserted (and I checked earlier, that drive with Big Sur is indeed bootable acc to Disk Utility). And in fact, I can't get beyond the part where it asks me to choose a network, since I input the password and it doesn't accept it . I even tried a different network (we have two) but same thing. I also tried typing as if it were a US keyboard instead of a French one, even though that computer has always used French OS and keyboard, but also no help.
Why does it need to know a network in order to boot, for heaven's sake ??

Just to be sure...are you doing this on the 2014 iMac (I know you have other computer/computers)?

If so...yes sometimes getting the macOS installed can sometimes have it's headaches.

Have you tried booting with this Big Sur flash drive in ANY computer successfully before? If not...sometimes the process to create the bootable flash drive installer is not always successful. I recently needed to install the macOS on a brand new hard drive for a 2010 Apple computer I have...and making the bootable flash drive macOS installer is not always 100% successful (sometimes need to try different procedures).

By the way...since you're trying to boot from this bootable macOS installer flash drive (I'm assuming it's a bootable macOS installer)...do you have an external drive to do the installing on already?

Also...what member Ferrarr posted about Internet Recovery is excellent info! This can sometimes be much easier than using a bootable macOS installer (but might be slower due to the downloading of info from the internet via Apple's servers)...which sometimes can be slow depending on how busy the Apple servers are.

Nick

 

[AMACL]

Just to be sure...are you doing this on the 2014 iMac (I know you have other computer/computers)?

If so...yes sometimes getting the macOS installed can sometimes have it's headaches.

Have you tried booting with this Big Sur flash drive in ANY computer successfully before? If not...sometimes the process to create the bootable flash drive installer is not always successful. I recently needed to install the macOS on a brand new hard drive for a 2010 Apple computer I have...and making the bootable flash drive macOS installer is not always 100% successful (sometimes need to try different procedures).

By the way...since you're trying to boot from this bootable macOS installer flash drive (I'm assuming it's a bootable macOS installer)...do you have an external drive to do the installing on already?

Also...what member Ferrarr posted about Internet Recovery is excellent info! This can sometimes be much easier than using a bootable macOS installer (but might be slower due to the downloading of info from the internet via Apple's servers)...which sometimes can be slow depending on how busy the Apple servers are.

Nick

First off, yes, all this is going on on the 2014 iMac. the other machines are behaving well at present.

You wrote:
Have you tried booting with this Big Sur flash drive in ANY computer successfully before?
Answer:
Ah ha, the 64,000-dollar question (as they said when I was a kid in the US). Answer is no, that's why I was a bit dubious but Disk Utility said it was bootable, who am I to argue? If not, I have a High Sierra OS disk on another flash drive, could try that.

You wrote:

By the way...since you're trying to boot from this bootable macOS installer flash drive (I'm assuming it's a bootable macOS installer)...do you have an external drive to do the installing on already?

I'm not sure what you mean. Do I have an external drive other than the flash drive to do what installing ??
sorry, you lost me there. Another hard disk that is bigger than the flash drive? I have a 256 Gb SSD that I could sacrifice to this task if necessary and even use as the alternate hard disk for my husband's computer until we find a better solution. If that is what you mean.

Thanks
Ann

 

[AMACL]

Just to be sure...are you doing this on the 2014 iMac (I know you have other computer/computers)?

If so...yes sometimes getting the macOS installed can sometimes have it's headaches.

Have you tried booting with this Big Sur flash drive in ANY computer successfully before? If not...sometimes the process to create the bootable flash drive installer is not always successful. I recently needed to install the macOS on a brand new hard drive for a 2010 Apple computer I have...and making the bootable flash drive macOS installer is not always 100% successful (sometimes need to try different procedures).

By the way...since you're trying to boot from this bootable macOS installer flash drive (I'm assuming it's a bootable macOS installer)...do you have an external drive to do the installing on already?

Also...what member Ferrarr posted about Internet Recovery is excellent info! This can sometimes be much easier than using a bootable macOS installer (but might be slower due to the downloading of info from the internet via Apple's servers)...which sometimes can be slow depending on how busy the Apple servers are.

Nick

News from the front : I tried booting from an old High Sierra boot disk. The computer recognised it and I got the Apple logo and it started installing (which didn't happen with my Big Sur install disk that is probably a dud). That was about two hours ago. It looks finished but it's stuck at the end of the progress bar.

I know about Internet Recovery but as I mentioned earlier, I couldn't connect to the network because it didn't recognise my network password. Why not ??!! I'm at my wits' end, or almost.

Thanks

Ann

 

[pigoo3]

You wrote:
Have you tried booting with this Big Sur flash drive in ANY computer successfully before?
Answer:
Ah ha, the 64,000-dollar question (as they said when I was a kid in the US). Answer is no, that's why I was a bit dubious but Disk Utility said it was bootable, who am I to argue? If not, I have a High Sierra OS disk on another flash drive, could try that.

Thanks much for this info. Sounds like you may have created this bootable macOS install flash drive (Big Sur) in the past...but maybe had no need to actually test it at the time. I've created bootable macOS install drives in the past...and sometimes it isn't successful (the drive doesn't work correctly). Thus I need to do the process again using a slightly different procedure (there can be slightly different ways to do it)...until I get a bootable macOS installer that works.

I'm not sure what you mean. Do I have an external drive other than the flash drive to do what installing ??
sorry, you lost me there. Another hard disk that is bigger than the flash drive? I have a 256 Gb SSD that I could sacrifice to this task if necessary and even use as the alternate hard disk for my husband's computer until we find a better solution. If that is what you mean.

I think there may be some confusion. This bootable macOS installer flash drive is not really an "external drive" I was suggesting be used to test the 2014 iMac (this flash drive is just a bootable installer). You need an external drive that you can install the macOS on to...boot the 2014 iMac from it...then operate the 2014 iMac as usual from this external drive.

This is how you test to see if the internal drive is bad/failing. This bootable macOS installer flash drive does not allow this (it's just an macOS installer drive)....not a day-day operating drive.

Nick

 

[pigoo3]

News from the front : I tried booting from an old High Sierra boot disk. The computer recognised it and I got the Apple logo and it started installing (which didn't happen with my Big Sur install disk that is probably a dud).

Congrats that booting from the High Sierra flash drive works. But...this is really not a boot disk in the sense I've been describing in this thread to test the 2014 iMac's internal drive. This is just a macOS installer drive. You need an external HD or SSD that you can install the macOS onto...then run the computer from this HD or SSD for normal day to day computer activities (this is how you properly test to see if the internal HD is failing).

From what's been described...what's being done now is High Sierra is being installed onto the "potentially bad" internal hard drive. This is not the way to test if the internal drive is bad. Sure this can be done just to see what happens...but if the internal hard drive is worn out...this isn't going to help.

Hard drives have mechanical moving parts inside...and just like anything with moving parts...sooner or later this parts wear out. This could be why the internal drive is having problems.

Nick