HELP! Dropped my iBook!

[erickg]

Okay, so I just dropped my brand new iBook from my desk. Actually, I more like knocked it off the desk! And to my delight/surprise the sturdy little book was intact and looking perfectly fine. Nothing happened to the exterior and the LCD screen is absolutely fine. I opened it up (it was in sleep mode) and everything showed up just fine and dandy, everything just worked.

However, I decided I would shut down the computer and boot it up again to check if it was really working as it should and now it turns on (with the chime sound), goes to the grey OS X screen (with the dark-grey Apple in the middle) and... nothing. That's it.

Please help me!! I tried resetting the PMU (I think it's called), but nothing happened. Is there anything I could do to revive my brand new iBook.



ps My sympathy goes out to all of you who have recently dropped your 'book on Macrumors! I've seen quite a few such threads as of late...

 

[mkrishnan]

Try to boot with the install CD/DVD #1. If it won't boot from it, you may have to hold down "C." If that doesn't work, try turning it on while holding down cmd-option-P-R, until you here a special chime.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

I feel your pain as my CRAZY step mom broke my screen.

Try resetting the PRAM?
Try Apple Hardware Test?
Try reinstalling the OS?

One of those ought to make it better
If it doesn't call Apple

Hope that helps

 

[erickg]

Try to boot with the install CD/DVD #1. If it won't boot from it, you may have to hold down "C." If that doesn't work, try turning it on while holding down cmd-option-P-R, until you here a special chime.

I feel your pain as my CRAZY step mom broke my screen.

Try resetting the PRAM?
Try Apple Hardware Test?
Try reinstalling the OS?

One of those ought to make it better
If it doesn't call Apple

Hope that helps

Thanks a lot for being so swift to reply guys! This is why I really love this forum. I resetted the PRAM and tried starting it connected to my iMac via Firewire in target disk mode in order to retrieve the data before reinstalling everything when another question arose. It luckily mounted okay on the iMac (although the iMac beachballed in finder first for a really long time), but when I went into Users and selected my username folder it just dissapeared! Now I suspect it has something to do with password protection and such, but I really hope there's someway to recover these files. Any more tips?

Thanks again, really appreciate the help!

 

[erickg]

While writing my previous post I was repairing my harddisk in Disk Utility (from OS X startup disk) and I got the following message:

Invalid sibling link
Rebuilding Catalog B-tree.
The volume Macintosh HD could not be repaired.

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit.

It goes on to say 1 volume could not be repaired because of an error. Does this mean my HD is kaput? So much for sudden motion sensor, eh? At least I'm still smiling... kind of...

Update: I'm feeling a little bit stupid that I did this, as I am now not able to access my iBook at all via Firewire on my iMac, which means I have even less hope of being able to retrieve my data. I think this is the advice that I could use most at the moment... how do I retrieve my data?

 

[CoMpX]

While writing my previous post I was repairing my harddisk in Disk Utility (from OS X startup disk) and I got the following message:

Invalid sibling link
Rebuilding Catalog B-tree.
The volume Macintosh HD could not be repaired.

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit.

It goes on to say 1 volume could not be repaired because of an error. Does this mean my HD is kaput? So much for sudden motion sensor, eh? At least I'm still smiling... kind of...

Update: I'm feeling a little bit stupid that I did this, as I am now not able to access my iBook at all via Firewire on my iMac, which means I have even less hope of being able to retrieve my data. I think this is the advice that I could use most at the moment... how do I retrieve my data?

I really don't think your hardx drive is ruined, because it was in sleep mode. The sudden motion sensor could not have helped anyway, bacause all it does it park the heads to prevent any physical damage to the hard drive. If the iBook was in sleep, the heads were already parked, so I doubt thats the problem. If the fall was bead enough, it MIGHT have knocked the heads lose somehow, but I don't know if that's something that could happen. I would call Apple, because it looks like the iBook is having trouble reading some critical system files.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

Yeah, I'd call Apple, with what you tell us, that doesn't sound good

Maybe you can take it in somewhere and they could possibly take the info off?
Maybe buy a FireWire enclosure and see if it mounts? -- I doubt this will change anything, but it's worth a try. Oh and if you buy it, return it after you try taking the files off.

I don't know what to say, I'd definitley call 1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753)

 

[erickg]

I really don't think your hardx drive is ruined, because it was in sleep mode. The sudden motion sensor could not have helped anyway, bacause all it does it park the heads to prevent any physical damage to the hard drive. If the iBook was in sleep, the heads were already parked, so I doubt thats the problem. If the fall was bead enough, it MIGHT have knocked the heads lose somehow, but I don't know if that's something that could happen. I would call Apple, because it looks like the iBook is having trouble reading some critical system files.

Yeah, I actually realized the sudden motion sensor wouldn't have worked while in sleep mode. Thanks for the reassurance that the harddisk probably isn't totally kaput. I wouldn't think so actually considering the computer does do something at startup. I just hope I can recover my data somehow.

I'll give Apple a call tomorrow and see what they can do. In the meantime, I'm all ears if there are any other ideas regarding data recovery! I suspect the ibook will work once Tiger's reinstalled and as CoMpX says it's probably having difficulty reading some critical system files... but I just want my files...

 

[erickg]

Yeah, I'd call Apple, with what you tell us, that doesn't sound good

Maybe you can take it in somewhere and they could possibly take the info off?
Maybe buy a FireWire enclosure and see if it mounts? -- I doubt this will change anything, but it's worth a try. Oh and if you buy it, return it after you try taking the files off.

I don't know what to say, I'd definitley call 1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753)

I like your mind lilstewart! Reminds me of when books too expensive to buy for uni weren't available at the library... we'd just buy them and return them after the course was done.

Not sure it would fly with a FireWire enclosure in Sweden though... here once the packaging is open you're pretty much stuck with it...

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

Are you talking about online?
If you are, well, bummer. You can always buy it at a local store?

 

[erickg]

Are you talking about online?
If you are, well, bummer. You can always buy it at a local store?

In Sweden my experience has always been: open package=no return. Not just online, but in regular stores too. If the package has a thin plastic layer around it that is anyway.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

In Sweden my experience has always been: open package=no return. Not just online, but in regular stores too. If the package has a thin plastic layer around it that is anyway.

Ahh, well that sucks Maybe they have a FireWire enclosure that doesn't have clear plastic? hmmmm...

I like your mind lilstewart!

 

[erickg]

Before I send off my iBook to Apple (or have it serviced locally) is there anything I can do to try to recover the data? I have an external firewire drive that mounts fine in the iBook's disk utility. Is there any way to transfer the info from the iBook to the external drive via the disk utility or some command prompt?

 

[persianpunisher]

i used to buy and return, my uncle has a shrink wrap machine at work

 

[erickg]

I think I figured it out!!!

So, currently I am running OS X on my iBook via my iMac (firewire disk-mode... boy is the iMac sounding like a leaf-blower!). I downloaded what seems to be an excellent program called Data Rescue (albeit a bit expensive) and was able to find my User folder and am currently copying it to my iMac's HD! It seems to be working!!!

If all is well, tomorrow morning I'll reinstall OS X and be on my way with a working lappy!

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

Hope all goes well

 

[erickg]

Just to give a short update. This program, "Data Rescue", is still grinding away at my home folder! It seems to mark all of the files that it recovers and are corrupt red, the other ones turn up as they should (and are openable! woohoo! ). All of the files on my desktop, in my documents folder and in my music folder seem to be intact... BIG relief. But the files in my pictures and movies folder are about 50/50. Luckily, that's what I had the most current backup for! My picture folder has been taking ages though... it started before I woke up yesterday and is still going (more than 24 hrs anyway!). So all in all, I should be able to recover pretty much everything.

Thanks again for all of your help!

 

[iEdd]

Even if the drive was stuffed you could recover the data.. If it's important enough.. "Drive Doctors", I think it is, pull it apart in a clean room and transfer it to another drive... Very expensive though.