Are HDD failures still common in latest macbook

H

hStack

macrumors member
My macbook HDD died an hour ago, and I can't reboot and I get the folder with the question mark when I attempt to boot up. Doing some quick research, it looks like there is a cluster of HDD failures associated with the original macbook using a particular seagate HDD. I bought my macbook in June 2006, and I'm sure I have that particular drive. I guess I was lucky mine lasted for 2 years.

Anyway I'm planning to get a new one tomorrow at the local apple store. So my question is do the latest Macbook still uses this particular drive. I'm hesitant on buying another one and have this issue hanging over me. Other than that I've had 3 other macs (all desktop) in 20 years, and I have not had any premature failure of any kind.
 
hStack said:
My macbook HDD died an hour ago, and I can't reboot and I get the folder with the question mark when I attempt to boot up. Doing some quick research, it looks like there is a cluster of HDD failures associated with the original macbook using a particular seagate HDD. I bought my macbook in June 2006, and I'm sure I have that particular drive. I guess I was lucky mine lasted for 2 years.

Anyway I'm planning to get a new one tomorrow at the local apple store. So my question is do the latest Macbook still uses this particular drive. I'm hesitant on buying another one and have this issue hanging over me. Other than that I've had 3 other macs (all desktop) in 20 years, and I have not had any premature failure of any kind.
Click to expand...

whoa whoa whoa

just because a hd dies doesnt mean the whole computer is bad

just get a new laptop hard drive for like 150 (or cheaper) at newegg.com or bestbuy. really EASY to swap out as it is user replaceable unlike mbp

here is a link for a whole page full of them
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Drives
 
dukebound85 said:
whoa whoa whoa

just because a hd dies doesnt mean the whole computer is bad

just get a new laptop hard drive for like 150 (or cheaper) at newegg.com or bestbuy. really EASY to swap out as it is user replaceable unlike mbp

here is a link for a whole page full of them
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Drives
Click to expand...

With a new MB, I also get an upgrade to Leopard, Penryn and Santa Rosa and a bigger HD (but hopefully not the failure prone seagate drive). That's why I'm getting a new one.

However I'm reading rumors of a summer MB upgrade to a montevina chipset :^)
 
hStack said:
With a new MB, I also get an upgrade to Leopard, Penryn and Santa Rosa and a bigger HD (but hopefully not the failure prone seagate drive). That's why I'm getting a new one.

However I'm reading rumors of a summer MB upgrade to a montevina chipset :^)
Click to expand...

lol ok

just so you know the performance increase isnt that subsrantial, except for being able to have more ram

sell your mb on criagslist or something or use as a htc.

just so you know, you can get leopard for 70bucks if you are a student and get it at the bookstore (not as cheap online)

best of luck
 
Check out the display MacBooks at the Apple Store and look at "About This Mac" and you'll see that Apple has switched the HDD. No, I've never had HDD failure. A couple Logic Boards back in the 90's but no problems beyond that. :cool:
 
I guess my wife's MB had the Seagate, it died last week. then found out that the TM backup was corrupt on the TC. Thank god for DiskWarior. Interesting enough, I took it to the Apple store and they just swapped the hard drive out, no questions asked. Not sure what they go by on the warranty. We don't have apple care and I bought it in September of 07 off of eBay and the seller said he bought it new in January of 07. Would have put the computer at over a year and a half old.

Peace:cool:
 
jonbravo77 said:
I guess my wife's MB had the Seagate, it died last week. then found out that the TM backup was corrupt on the TC. Thank god for DiskWarior. Interesting enough, I took it to the Apple store and they just swapped the hard drive out, no questions asked. Not sure what they go by on the warranty. We don't have apple care and I bought it in September of 07 off of eBay and the seller said he bought it new in January of 07. Would have put the computer at over a year and a half old. Peace:cool:
Click to expand...

Good to know, the only Seagate products that I have are two external hard drives 500GB each. :(
 
Apple uses verious drive vendors. I just purchased two macbooks from the Apple Store. One is a seagate drive and the other is a toshiba; the two macbooks are the exact same model. Do yourself a favor and keep backups of everything.
 
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I have used Seagate drives almost exclusively for the last five years. Not one of them has gone bad. Please don't bash a company because it might have had a bad model. I remember WD and IBM/Hitachi having had a few bad drives not too far back (remember the Deathstar drives?) You never know if a drive is going to die until it does. That said, I'm replacing whatever is in my day old Blackbook with a 320gb WD drive. I just want more space.
 
I don't think Seagates are a bad drive. I think it's the luck of the draw. I do hate Maxtor though, thing cost me $2000 to try and recover and it didn't work. But I guess that contradicts my whold luck of the draw thing. Oh well. :confused:

Peace:cool:
 
f1 said:
Apple uses verious drive vendors. I just purchased two macbooks from the Apple Store. One is a seagate drive and the other is a toshiba; the two macbooks are the exact same model. Do yourself a favor and keep backups of everything.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know. I've never back up my stuff in 20 years and never had a problem ... till now. Beside a new MB, I need to look at Time Capsule.
 
hStack said:
Yeah I know. I've never back up my stuff in 20 years and never had a problem ... till now. Beside a new MB, I need to look at Time Capsule.
Click to expand...

if you have a router already , a cheaper alternative is just an external hd. but the time capsule looks cool as a router plus wireless hd thats for sure!
 
jonbravo77 said:
I don't think Seagates are a bad drive. I think it's the luck of the draw. I do hate Maxtor though, thing cost me $2000 to try and recover and it didn't work. But I guess that contradicts my whold luck of the draw thing. Oh well. :confused:

Peace:cool:
Click to expand...

I'm not discounting Seagate drives as bad in general, but from what I gather a particular model of seagate 2.5" drives are prone to failure. At least from what a UK disk recovery firm is alleging. (http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=10532)

I am suspicious from your other reply that the apple store replaced your wife macbook HDD even though it's past warranty and not under apple care. Hmm, maybe they know something.
 
I bought my macbook in august of 2006 and it's hard drive died about 4 days ago. It was however not seagate but a Toshiba 60 gig...
 
My macbook (bought in march) had its hd replaced after a few weeks of use, it was a fujitsu drive which was replaced with an hitachi.

Seagate drives are probably the most reliable 2.5" drives out there at the moment, they give a 5 year guarantee for a start, others give out a 12 month which is around about the time they fail!
 
Of course no hard drive lasts forever, but it's sad that this drive that came with my macbook died in less then 2 years, when the drive on my 5 year old ibook is working fine...
also Western Digital is a great brand that has a 3 year manufactures warranty, not as long as the seagate, but definitely longer than 12 months
 
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