Dead Mac! S.M.A.R.T. Status: Failing. Can't boot!

[Chunk1978]

the drama continues...

i took it to another computer repair store. the HD the idiot put into my computer wasn't plugged to the cable that connects to the logic board - i assume this is the cable that regulates the HD fan.

this new guy got a new board for the original HD, which made it work, and was a much cheaper option then buying a brand new HD. but when he plugged it in he told me that it didn't solve the fan problem, that the fan will continue to rise and get loud.

he said on the logic board there is what is like a rust, and that the logic board doesn't have long. i find it difficult to believe him, though, as he seems very interested in me selling the computer to him.

also, he just told me on the phone that the screen / video was starting to act strange. is this guy for real? if the logic board was the problem then wouldn't the computer simply not turn on?

 

[Makosuke]

Corrosion on the logic board does happen; usually caused by either a very moist environment that the computer is running in (is your house really humid?), or a leaking capacitor, which is sign of an impending failure one way or another. Unless you spilled something in it, of course. Both of those things are very rare with a computer only a couple of years old, though, so I'd be surprised.

Hardware problems don't always mean "the computer won't turn on, period"--lots are intermittent. Heck, if anything, intermittent problems are in the majority.

Regardless, it could be that the damage the previous repair guy did is showing up now, it could be that you have terrible luck (and/or very salty wet air) and it was in bad shape from the beginning, or it could be that this guy is trying to rip you off. I can't honestly say I have any idea which without looking at the computer myself. Your best bet is to go with gut instinct and either do what he says or take it to somebody else.

Incidentally, I'm very impressed that a hard drive board transplant worked--that almost never does. I can't say I'd trust the drive, especially given that they used to be a <$100 part, but with flood-related hard drive prices these days, maybe it really is worth the trade off.

 

[Chunk1978]

i ended up selling the machine to him for $375. perhaps that's low for a 27" iMac that "only" needs a new logic board (~ $1000), but honestly it felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

even though i've been a loyal Mac user since the 90s, i'm completely fed up with Apple, currently investigating PCs and will certainly make the switch and buy one in the new year - one without proprietary components, of course.

Thankfully Windows 7 (which i use at work) is a great OS, otherwise i'd feel trapped.

thanks again for your responses.

 

[Makosuke]

Too bad it ended up that way, but good luck with your decision.

 

[Sean Luo]

Just reboot and press command r