Comments on: How to revive a dead hard drive http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/ ... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:33:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: TenQue http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-83300 TenQue Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:30:18 +0000 http://www.silvermac.com/?p=975#comment-83300 @kd - double thanks! Also tried the laptop spin and it worked! Much thanks! Try this one first folks - you only risk looking weird....unless of course you drop it. @kd – double thanks! Also tried the laptop spin and it worked! Much thanks! Try this one first folks – you only risk looking weird….unless of course you drop it.

]]> By: mike http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-75663 mike Sat, 05 Nov 2011 02:08:41 +0000 http://www.silvermac.com/?p=975#comment-75663 @kd thank you! The method of quickly jerking the laptop using a clockwise to counterclockwise motion worked perfectly on the first try. It fixed the flashing question mark folder. @kd thank you! The method of quickly jerking the laptop using a clockwise to counterclockwise motion worked perfectly on the first try. It fixed the flashing question mark folder.

]]> By: Amanda http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-63130 Amanda Thu, 17 Feb 2011 06:34:53 +0000 http://www.silvermac.com/?p=975#comment-63130 I tried hitting it one good time and guess what?... I got that apple!!!!!! I tried hitting it one good time and guess what?… I got that apple!!!!!!

]]> By: Daniel http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-55230 Daniel Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:22:12 +0000 http://www.silvermac.com/?p=975#comment-55230 Check that. Found my snow leopard disk booted up got disk utility open and repaired disk, found some errors which got fixed. Restarted. Booted up. No more clicking or lagging. Time to get out the good old external. This will teach me to neglect back ups. *wipes sweat off brow while knocking on wood* Check that. Found my snow leopard disk booted up got disk utility open and repaired disk, found some errors which got fixed. Restarted. Booted up. No more clicking or lagging. Time to get out the good old external. This will teach me to neglect back ups. *wipes sweat off brow while knocking on wood*

]]> By: Daniel http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-55226 Daniel Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:01:00 +0000 http://www.silvermac.com/?p=975#comment-55226 I just had my MacBook pro 15" mid 2010 model hdd also fail on me. It will boot up, start a clicking sound as soon as osx loads and lag up, initially I was able to access disk utility before the clicking started and then the clicking began, shorty after my hdd disappeared from the list of drives. I don't think I need to asked but am I screwed? I just had my MacBook pro 15″ mid 2010 model hdd also fail on me. It will boot up, start a clicking sound as soon as osx loads and lag up, initially I was able to access disk utility before the clicking started and then the clicking began, shorty after my hdd disappeared from the list of drives. I don’t think I need to asked but am I screwed?

]]> By: ToreSF http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-55064 ToreSF Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:28:50 +0000 http://www.silvermac.com/?p=975#comment-55064 I have to say.... I just had the internal hard drive fail in my macbook pro mid-2010 model. For a blink, I panicked. Then I realized that I had been keeping my SuperDuper running and scheduled it to duplicate my hard drive in real time. I reconnected the external and restarted the computer and VOILA.... it booted right from the external and I only lost a days work while I had the laptop out with me. Now, in 25 years of hard drives, this is my first failure, but I have witnessed a lot of failures (usually on PC's) lately. I say there is something wrong with where technology has gone today because hard drives really should not fail so easily as this. 5 more years and we will wonder why we ever bothered with big clunky hard drives. Super Duper I think was pretty cheap and has turned out to be a real life saver. The other options do not seem to actually duplicate the drive, but back up the drive instead. I like that I was able to plug in the cloned drive and just restart and keep right on working. When I get the internal drive (under warranty - it's only a few months old) replaced, I can just super duper clone the external back onto the new internal. I have to say…. I just had the internal hard drive fail in my macbook pro mid-2010 model. For a blink, I panicked. Then I realized that I had been keeping my SuperDuper running and scheduled it to duplicate my hard drive in real time. I reconnected the external and restarted the computer and VOILA…. it booted right from the external and I only lost a days work while I had the laptop out with me. Now, in 25 years of hard drives, this is my first failure, but I have witnessed a lot of failures (usually on PC’s) lately. I say there is something wrong with where technology has gone today because hard drives really should not fail so easily as this. 5 more years and we will wonder why we ever bothered with big clunky hard drives. Super Duper I think was pretty cheap and has turned out to be a real life saver. The other options do not seem to actually duplicate the drive, but back up the drive instead. I like that I was able to plug in the cloned drive and just restart and keep right on working. When I get the internal drive (under warranty – it’s only a few months old) replaced, I can just super duper clone the external back onto the new internal.

]]> By: KD http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-2594 KD Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:18:44 +0000 http://www.silvermac.com/?p=975#comment-2594 ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION to freeing up your parked heads or non spinning drive. You might be able to save yourself some concern about warranty and some time if you try the following to free up a parked head or a non spinning drive. Turn off your Mac. Close the lid. Hold the mac with the Apple logo facing up, with both hands, each at kitty corner to the other. (one at back left and the other at front right. To help you do this more correctly, hold the Mac above your head looking up at it. What you need to do is quickly turn the Mac clockwise and then snap it back going counter clockwise. So carefully, but quickly turn it, as if to snap it using a spinning motion above your head and then back again. You don't want to bend the Mac case in any way or drop it, so be careful, because as with anything your doing this at your own risk and expense! ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION to freeing up your parked heads or non spinning drive.

You might be able to save yourself some concern about warranty and some time if you try the following to free up a parked head or a non spinning drive.

Turn off your Mac.
Close the lid.
Hold the mac with the Apple logo facing up, with both hands, each at kitty corner to the other. (one at back left and the other at front right.
To help you do this more correctly, hold the Mac above your head looking up at it.
What you need to do is quickly turn the Mac clockwise and then snap it back going counter clockwise.
So carefully, but quickly turn it, as if to snap it using a spinning motion above your head and then back again.
You don’t want to bend the Mac case in any way or drop it, so be careful, because as with anything your doing this at your own risk and expense!

]]> By: JP http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-2593 JP Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:02:41 +0000 http://www.silvermac.com/?p=975#comment-2593 Hey Ivo, Well if it were the hard drive you would be getting the blinking question mark with folder when booting your computer. Have you installed any third party RAM lately? If you think it's the hard drive then you might want to check this article: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417 You might also want to try this other article that explains how to reset the PRAM and the VRAM on your iMac just in case something is wrong there: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379 Lastly but not least you should try this if the above haven't resolved anything: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1767 If after all those steps you are still having the same problem, then you might want to boot from your install DVD and check the hard drive using Disk Utility. Good luck on this and hope your Mac works well again! Hey Ivo,

Well if it were the hard drive you would be getting the blinking question mark with folder when booting your computer. Have you installed any third party RAM lately?

If you think it’s the hard drive then you might want to check this article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417

You might also want to try this other article that explains how to reset the PRAM and the VRAM on your iMac just in case something is wrong there:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

Lastly but not least you should try this if the above haven’t resolved anything:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1767

If after all those steps you are still having the same problem, then you might want to boot from your install DVD and check the hard drive using Disk Utility.

Good luck on this and hope your Mac works well again!

]]> By: Ivo http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-2592 Ivo Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:30:14 +0000 http://www.silvermac.com/?p=975#comment-2592 My iMac G5 is not doing well. A couple of days ago, when I turned on, the only thing I got was the welcome sound....and dark screen (as if the computer was still off)...after a while the fan started spinning like there's no tomorrow. OK, my questions are: 1. is it a hard drive or 2. did the monitor went bad? The iMac is about 4 years old. I will appreciate any input/ideas. Thanks My iMac G5 is not doing well. A couple of days ago, when I turned on, the only thing I got was the welcome sound….and dark screen (as if the computer was still off)…after a while the fan started spinning like there’s no tomorrow. OK, my questions are: 1. is it a hard drive or 2. did the monitor went bad? The iMac is about 4 years old. I will appreciate any input/ideas. Thanks

]]> By: Foetus http://www.silvermac.com/2008/how-to-revive-a-dead-hard-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-2563 Foetus Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:01:25 +0000 http://www.silvermac.com/?p=975#comment-2563 An "oldie-but-goodie" trick to "dead" hard drives: Take the drive and put it in a plastic ziplock, trying to get as much as out of it as possible. Put it in the freezer for about an hour. Take it out, hook it up, and you should have a working hard drive for about 30-45 minutes... long enough typically to get your data off of it. I have never seen a hard drive (that wasn't physically damaged) NOT boot up using this method. An “oldie-but-goodie” trick to “dead” hard drives: Take the drive and put it in a plastic ziplock, trying to get as much as out of it as possible. Put it in the freezer for about an hour. Take it out, hook it up, and you should have a working hard drive for about 30-45 minutes… long enough typically to get your data off of it. I have never seen a hard drive (that wasn’t physically damaged) NOT boot up using this method.

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