Hard drive problem caused by overheating?

[Rock69]

I posted a similar question on another thread but I think it might be more appropriate to this one.

My Macbook Pro 13' with Lion all of a sudden cannot access my hard drive. When I start it, it goes straight to Utility OS. When I ask it to show all available hard drives it only shows "Recovery HD". Now onto my questions:

1. Could a possible overheating problem have caused a physical damage to the hard drive? I've heard about Mac and overheating problems before.

2. When I try to Reinstall The System through Utility it says "This Disc Is Protected" and I cannot go further. What does that mean anyway?

I went to a random Mac repair store here in London and they charged me 220£ to recover my hard drive, which I thought was pretty insane. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'm even considering erasing the hard drive and reinstalling the system from scratch but, if the problem is with the hardware, I'm not sure this will fix anything. I'm really really disappointed with Apple...how can a major problem like that happen on such a new product? I haven't dropped it on the floor or anything like that.

 

[yusukeaoki]

If your Mac is "overheating" than it will automatically shut itself down to prevent damage on the machine.
So it seems like its not a heating problem but rather a faulty drive.

 

[Rock69]

If your Mac is "overheating" than it will automatically shut itself down to prevent damage on the machine.
So it seems like its not a heating problem but rather a faulty drive.

Ok but, again, how can this happen on such a relative new product? All of a sudden, like that?

 

[yusukeaoki]

Ok but, again, how can this happen on such a relative new product? All of a sudden, like that?

Did you do anything? Drop, etc?
Or it could of been faulty from the factory. Those do happen.

 

[PinoyAko]

Hard drives fail. It's mechanical so there is a chance of failure.

 

[Rock69]

Did you do anything? Drop, etc?
Or it could of been faulty from the factory. Those do happen.

No, never dropped it.

But about the Disc Protected thing? Any help with that?

And is it possible at all to recover my hard drive? Will I have to buy a new computer?

 

[yusukeaoki]

No, never dropped it.

But about the Disc Protected thing? Any help with that?

And is it possible at all to recover my hard drive? Will I have to buy a new computer?

You might have to get a new drive.
But if its still under warranty you might be able to get free repair.
Call Apple and ask them.

 

[Rock69]

You might have to get a new drive.
But if its still under warranty you might be able to get free repair.
Call Apple and ask them.

It's not under warranty anymore, no...I'll try to go to the Apple Store's Genius Bar and see if there's anything they can do.

I have to say, though, that this never happened with my PC's laptops.

 

[yusukeaoki]

It's not under warranty anymore, no...I'll try to go to the Apple Store's Genius Bar and see if there's anything they can do.

I have to say, though, that this never happened with my PC's laptops.

It can possibly happen to any device not just Mac but any other computer.
Its just that you got unlucky if it was "factory faulty".

Apple must be the best way to go.
Try going into repair again by holding command+r on boot. See if that works.
Select disk utility and repair both the disk and the volume.

Just wanted to add that HDD have mechanical parts which can fail a lot.
I really suggest going with SSD since they have NO moving parts.
Or if you still choose to go with HDD, just have backup every time.

 

[Rock69]

It can possibly happen to any device not just Mac but any other computer.
Its just that you got unlucky if it was "factory faulty".

Apple must be the best way to go.
Try going into repair again by holding command+r on boot. See if that works.
Select disk utility and repair both the disk and the volume.

Just wanted to add that HDD have mechanical parts which can fail a lot.
I really suggest going with SSD since they have NO moving parts.
Or if you still choose to go with HDD, just have backup every time.

I've already tried repair and it found no errors.

 

[yusukeaoki]

I've already tried repair and it found no errors.

So it tells you you cant repair?
Try again and see.

The best bet is to add another drive and put the OS and see if its not your computer.
Simply it can just be your drive problem.

 

[iVikD]

No, never dropped it.

But about the Disc Protected thing? Any help with that?

And is it possible at all to recover my hard drive? Will I have to buy a new computer?

Like others have said, it looks to be a hard drive failure, which can happen from time to time. This won't affect the rest of your computer, your biggest loss will be the data on the HDD if you didn't have a backup. What that tech guy was charging you seemed a bit exaggerated, especially since you can buy a new hard drive for much less than that.

 

[Rock69]

So it tells you you cant repair?
Try again and see.

The best bet is to add another drive and put the OS and see if its not your computer.
Simply it can just be your drive problem.

No, it doesn't say it cannot repair, it says it cannot find any problems.

Even if it's just my hard drive I'll still have to take it to a repair place to be replaced, right?

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Like others have said, it looks to be a hard drive failure, which can happen from time to time. This won't affect the rest of your computer, your biggest loss will be the data on the HDD if you didn't have a backup. What that tech guy was charging you seemed a bit exaggerated, especially since you can buy a new hard drive for much less than that.

Yeah, I didn't have a backup. Like I said, I never had a problem like this before.

How much does a new HD for Macbook Pro usually cost?

 

[iVikD]

No, it doesn't say it cannot repair, it says it cannot find any problems.

Even if it's just my hard drive I'll still have to take it to a repair place to be replaced, right?

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Yeah, I didn't have a backup. Like I said, I never had a problem like this before.

How much does a new HD for Macbook Pro usually cost?

It's pretty much a normal 2.5" HDD, doesn't have to be made for MBP. You can find plenty of them with different sizes over at Amazon (link) and they shouldn't set you back more than £60. You might also like to check out SSDs, which are much faster, but also relatively more expensive than HDDs

 

[Rock69]

It's pretty much a normal 2.5" HDD, doesn't have to be made for MBP. You can find plenty of them with different sizes over at Amazon (link) and they shouldn't set you back more than £60. You might also like to check out SSDs, which are much faster, but also relatively more expensive than HDDs

I just came back from the Genius Bar and yes, I have to replace my hard drive. There's no way to repair it, I basically lost all my data and they are still charging me 180 pounds to do the job.

So I went to a computer store here in London and they have a Sata HD 1TB for 90 pounds. Are you sure I can find a SSD drive for 60 pounds??

 

[blueroom]

SSD's around 128GB are fairly affordable, also look into a backup solution.

 

[Rock69]

SSD's around 128GB are fairly affordable, also look into a backup solution.

Yeah but that's nothing in terms of space.

I found a Western Digital Scorpio Black 2.5'' SATA II 7200rpm for 80 pounds. That it will fit into my 2010 Macbook Pro 13'' right?

 

[iVikD]

I just came back from the Genius Bar and yes, I have to replace my hard drive. There's no way to repair it, I basically lost all my data and they are still charging me 180 pounds to do the job.

So I went to a computer store here in London and they have a Sata HD 1TB for 90 pounds. Are you sure I can find a SSD drive for 60 pounds??

No, the 60 pounds comment was about the HDD, check the Amazon link I posted, there's plenty to go around. As for SSDs, they'll be more expensive for less capacity, but the speeds you'll get make all the difference. If you absolutely need a lot of space, just go for a HDD. You could also go the way of SSD + HDD, although it will be much more expensive. Lastly, hybrid drives combine some of the speed of an SSD with the storage capacity of a HDD.

 

[Rock69]

No, the 60 pounds comment was about the HDD, check the Amazon link I posted, there's plenty to go around. As for SSDs, they'll be more expensive for less capacity, but the speeds you'll get make all the difference. If you absolutely need a lot of space, just go for a HDD. You could also go the way of SSD + HDD, although it will be much more expensive. Lastly, hybrid drives combine some of the speed of an SSD with the storage capacity of a HDD.

Ah ok...yeah, I'm going for a HDD.

I read somewhere that it's not worth buying a 7200rpm one for a Macbook Pro because of overheating, is that true?

 

[blueroom]

Ah ok...yeah, I'm going for a HDD.

I read somewhere that it's not worth buying a 7200rpm one for a Macbook Pro because of overheating, is that true?

Not a problem with a 2010 MBP. Make sure the HHD height is not more than 12.5mm.

The Seagate 750 XT momentus is an interesting hybrid and will fit.

 

[snaky69]

Ah ok...yeah, I'm going for a HDD.

I read somewhere that it's not worth buying a 7200rpm one for a Macbook Pro because of overheating, is that true?

No it is not, whoever told you that is flat out wrong.

Mac run hotter TO THE TOUCH due to their aluminum enclosures, but they do not run hot per se in the grand scheme of things. If your computer was truly overheating (which means the processor would reach temperatures of 105°C or above), it would automatically shut off to prevent damage.

Buy any 2.5'' SATA hard drive that is 12.5mm or thinner, and it's a direct fit.

 

[Rock69]

No it is not, whoever told you that is flat out wrong.

Mac run hotter TO THE TOUCH due to their aluminum enclosures, but they do not run hot per se in the grand scheme of things. If your computer was truly overheating (which means the processor would reach temperatures of 105°C or above), it would automatically shut off to prevent damage.

Buy any 2.5'' SATA hard drive that is 12.5mm or thinner, and it's a direct fit.

Cool, thanks a lot.