My ibook g4 can't find my hard drive (new one installed already)

Do you have a spare PC or external case where you can test to see if this hard drive is working?

Is the HDD connected properly?.....take it out and do it again...that might make it register.



Bless

ddrew360 said:

Hi - I just installed a new hard drive in my mac ibook g4 - but when I turn it on I still get the blinking folder with a question mark.

Can anyone help

(tried PRAM, tried option on start up, etc)

Click to expand...

Did you format it with disk utility yet?

I think you have to hold down the 'C' key with the install cd inside. Then run disk utility and format the drive

iBook will not recognize HD

I had the same trouble. My iBook could not locate HD. I bought a new one and still the same thing. When I boot of of an OS disk and go to Disk Utilities, it cannot locate the hard drive to re-format the disk??? What other factor could it be. The computer boots fine off of a network.
If I format a HD before installing it into the iBook, what type of format should I do OS(Journaled) etc..?

What are some of the drive specs/details?

This is an old thread, but for others with the same boot drive troubles, it happened to me on a couple of iBooks, recently, and here are the reasons why the fault occurred:

1] Check that the ribbon cable to the drive has not become detached from it's socket on the other side of the mainboard. The connector is hidden under tape, and that tape can hide the fact that the cable is loose. The connector becomes undone very easily.

2] Check that you have actually connected the ribbon cable to the drive correctly. It's easy to connect only one row of the IDE connector pins, and that error is only seen from below the drive.

Hoping that this helps others.