HELP! My MBP is playing up. Grey screen and no hdd!

[coopernewf]

Hey guys, I'm not great with Macs and this is my first post so please go easy!

This afternoon I uploaded some recent photos from my USB onto iPhoto. My computer completely locked up, to the point that I couldn't use command option escape and I had to manually shut the computer off.

Then, the dramas started..

Upon turning it back on, all I got was a prohibited logo and nothing happened. I followed a number of tips from the apple website, resetting the computer and trying to enter safe mode (which didnt work).

Eventually I entered the start up disk and went to disk utility. My hard drive was nowhere in sight! Just the DVD drive and the DVD inside it! I then looked into a re-install and my drive wasn't there either. It means I can't even format the Mac!

So, is there anything I can do? It sounds like the hard drive has died right? If you have anything I can try let me know. I'm in desperate need of getting it fixed before my university assessment is due.

Thanks in advance,

Leigh

P.S If my hard drive is gone, can I recover data off it?

Edit: I am running Snow Leopard

 

[ezramoore]

If you are worried about data recovery, stop now and take it to a professional.

By the symptoms you described it does indeed sound like a hard drive fault.