Getting the dreaded flashing question mark no matter what I do

[Kevncity]

I have a 13" macbook purchased 2007 just out of the extended protection plan this summer. Last night while watching a video in full screen it froze with the beach ball for over 20 minutes with no sign of stopping. I had my external WD drive hooked up which is my iTunes drive (only). I had to manually shutdown the computer (with external still hooked up) After trying to reboot I got the flashing question mark and continue to get it no matter what I do.
I've removed the external drive, reset the PRAM, tried booting in safe mode, tried booting from installation disc but my hard drive doesn't even appear in disk utility. Not sure what else I can try as nothing has worked. Any words of wisdom out there? Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[esadb]

Hard drive is dead bud.

Your gonna have to get yourself a new drive.

 

[Kevncity]

How much does that cost to replace? My hard drive was a 120 gig.

 

[MacDawg]

How much does that cost to replace? My hard drive was a 120 gig.

Depends on if you do it yourself
Plenty of video guides out there

I recommend buying from Other World Computing, getting the size and brand you want and doing it yourself
Be sure to have the right tools and follow their video instructions

 

[esadb]

How much does that cost to replace? My hard drive was a 120 gig.

Very simple actually. Just need a small screw driver.

Here is the tutorial. Hope thats your macbook if not just find the right model on ifixit.com

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Core-2-Duo-Hard-Drive-Replacement/514/1

Here is a hard drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148455 (42$)

Really you can choose whatever drive you want and $. Just make sure its SATA and 2.5", size can be 40gb to 1TB really...

 

[ulbador]

That probably still has the removable battery. If that's the case, replacing the hard drive can literally be done in about 5 minutes with a tiny eyeglasses screwdriver. If you can afford it, I would definitely look for an SSD. It will breath a whole new life into that Macbook.

 

[Kevncity]

Thanks for all of the info. Now what exactly is the SSD and why is it so great. Where can I find that online? Once I install a new drive do I have to format it so it is recognized by the computer. This would be my first time replacing the hard drive so just want to be sure about doing this right.
Thanks!

 

[mannix87]

happened to my MB (bought early 2006) last year while on a business trip. had it replaced by an authorized apple reseller, paid US$120 for the new hard drive & installation. MB works like new.

 

[esadb]

Thanks for all of the info. Now what exactly is the SSD and why is it so great. Where can I find that online? Once I install a new drive do I have to format it so it is recognized by the computer. This would be my first time replacing the hard drive so just want to be sure about doing this right.
Thanks!

SSD is a Solid State Drive. Layman terms.. its gonna be a lot faster than your current hard drive, and your gonna see a noticeable different in speed. Now mind your their a bit more $$.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive

Anyone of these is a SSD.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...rue&SrchInDesc=solid state&Page=1&PageSize=20


Its a simple procedure. Install hard drive. Close macbook. Put the install disc in (OSX) then follow this

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html