Mid 2007 iMac Internal hard drive problem.

Holdencommstra · Jan 18, 2015

I still got a Mid 2007 iMac laying around as a spare mac.

It's still running fine infact it is running Yosemite but that is on a external USB 3.0 Harddrive and not the internal HD.

if i boot it from the internal harddrive which had the OS that it was shipped with it just loops and loops in this whitish/greyish blank screen after the charm sound.

On Yosemite running from the external harddrive i can see the harddrive and i can still access the files on it but why isn't it booting from it?

Took it to Apple back before i ran it off an external harddrive and they said the internal harddrive is dead and it will cost $$$ to replace.

Fishrrman · Jan 18, 2015

My opinion only:

If the internal drive on an 8-year-old iMac has died, it's probably not worth the trouble of replacing.
This is not to say that it CAN'T be replaced -- just more money, time, and trouble than it's worth.

If it boots and runs fine from an external drive -- as you're doing now -- I'd suggest you just keep using it that way, for as long as it lasts.

Just wondering -- when booted up (from the external) -- can you open Disk Utility and re-initialize the internal drive?
Important: of course, you understand that doing this will wipe out whatever was already on the drive....

ryguy92000 · Jan 19, 2015

I would actually disagree with the "failed"diagnosis. If you get to a screen with a boot apple and it just spins the wheel. Then that means your OS has gone bad and a simple reinstall MAY fix your issue. I would back up all your data to that external drive you've got (lucky you!) when you boot externally and try installing what ever OS you can. You can buy up to Lion i believe on an external disk or a shop will be able to do a clean install for a nominal fee. Another option which is drastically slow but free is to do a net install from apple. I believe holding opt-d or something with D will allow you to boot to a diagnostic mode which MAY allow you to install from over the internet. It is slower than you would believe but I have done it to rousing success!

Good Luck!

Holdencommstra · Jan 20, 2015

ryguy92000 said:
I would actually disagree with the "failed"diagnosis. If you get to a screen with a boot apple and it just spins the wheel. Then that means your OS has gone bad and a simple reinstall MAY fix your issue. I would back up all your data to that external drive you've got (lucky you!) when you boot externally and try installing what ever OS you can. You can buy up to Lion i believe on an external disk or a shop will be able to do a clean install for a nominal fee. Another option which is drastically slow but free is to do a net install from apple. I believe holding opt-d or something with D will allow you to boot to a diagnostic mode which MAY allow you to install from over the internet. It is slower than you would believe but I have done it to rousing success!

Good Luck!

I'm trying to install windows 7/8 via boot camp and it's not letting my do it on the external HD which has Yosemite on it.

I have a copy of Yosemite which I downloaded from my 2014 iMac so could I use that to install it onto the internal data HD.

Also for this iMac can I install 6gbs of ram.i have 4gb's(2 x 2gb dims).its really slow running win 8 via virtual machine with 4gb's.

----------

Just unplugged the external hard drive with Yosemite on it and after the charm sound it's just a blank white screen.

No spinning icon or logo.

Once I shut it down and plugged back the external hard drive Apple logo shows and it has the loading bar as usual then boots into Yosemite.

How do I backup the sata hard drive on Yosemite?

Holdencommstra · Jan 20, 2015

So I restarted the Mac and press the option key after the charm.

Takes me to the scren where I choose to boot the internal hard drive.affer that the apple logo appears with the spinning icon.i can then see the mouse icon on a light blue background.

After that the screen goes blue then a lighter blue with the mouse icon disappearing and reappearing and it just loops and loops.

mr.steevo · Jan 20, 2015

I've replaced the HDD on my in-law's 2007 iMac with great success. My buddy also replaced the HDD drive on his 2008 iMac. It takes about an hour from start to finish, a suction cup to pull the screens glass from the magnets, a T8 Torx screw driver and an online demo. There's a bunch of tutorials for HDD replacement of this iMac vintage and the price of a new 1TB drive is low enough that it is worth the shot.

dogslobber · Jan 20, 2015

mr.steevo said:
I've replaced the HDD on my in-law's 2007 iMac with great success. My buddy also replaced the HDD drive on his 2008 iMac. It takes about an hour from start to finish, a suction cup to pull the screens glass from the magnets, a T8 Torx screw driver and an online demo. There's a bunch of tutorials for HDD replacement of this iMac vintage and the price of a new 1TB drive is low enough that it is worth the shot.

Or better yet, install a 512GB SSD to replace the spinner. You can pick one up for 150$ if you look in the right places, and your 2007 machine will receive an amazing speed boost.

Holdencommstra · Jan 21, 2015

Just wiped everything on the internal harddrive.Don't know how to back it up.

not much files are on it anyway.I'm now downloading Maverick's and Yosemite and install that on the internal harddrive.

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Mid 2007 iMac Internal hard drive problem.

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