How can you tell if a Hard Drive is bad?

[Sweetfeld28]

My cmputer recently started acting up. The computer would not load X, but it would boot into OS 9. Then, i tried to reinstall X, and the grey screen appeared saying there was no bootable HFS partition. I tried to boot from an OS 9 CD, and it won't boot from that either. Then i decided to see if i could here the cd-rom spin up. I could here the cd-rom, but the Hard Drive was making this weird clikcking noise after it would spin. EX. it would spin up, then click, spin up and click, over and over. I think it may have died, but i'm not sure since i ahve never had a hard drive die.

p.s. —the computer is a G3 MT 266, the hard drive is a 30GB.

 

[hob]

I had a similar experience with my new iBook G3 900mhz. After about a month i had a coupla bad sectors, and one time i got the flashing '?' at startup. I had to reinstall X but nothing was overwritten. I'm gonna have to save up for Norton Utilities or something, unless anyone thinks my HDD is dead? In which case it's goin back to ireland to see apple!

Hob

 

[tomf87]

No software program can repair bad sectors. While you may be okay for a period of time, my experience has shown me that bad sectors seem to grow. There is a physical problem with the disk and that's why software can't fix it.

As for the clicking noise, it seems that yours has gone to HD heaven. My condolences are being sent your way.

 

[hob]

My HDD clicks! Sooooo hold on... maybe i shud sent it back whilst it's still under warranty... any clues as to who to contact? (where in apple?)

Hob

 

[tomf87]

Well you will hear some clicking while it's working, but you shouldn't hear a louder click, then spinning up, click, then spinning up...

I guess the standard 1-800-MY-APPLE is the number to call.

 

[hob]

yeah, maybe i'm just paranoid. If i leave it on my bedroom desk all night, and lay in the dark listening there's a louder click, the several quieter clicks, then it dies down again... Guess it's just the regular noise!

Hob

 

[Sweetfeld28]

thanxs for the help guys

i think that i am going to have to save up for a new HD.

 

[wdlove]

Sorry to hear about your problem Sweetfeld28. My wife had almost the exact same thing happen to her with an iBook. It was with Jaguar. We were at MWNY, a local vendor tried to do a repair and reinstall Jaguar. Lucky that she had Apple Care, because she ended up needing a new hard drive. The only cost was prior with the software check on her iBook.

 

[latergator116]

What kind of hardrive is it? On my iBook i had a 20 gb IBM travelstar and it crashed after 6 months, but they sent me a new one (took 3 weeks though). If you call them up maybe they will give you a new one. worth a shot.

BTW, since wdlove mentioned macworld does anyone know if the macworld is going to be in Boston next year? I wasn't sure because they went back and forth 5 times.

 

[krossfyter]

so when is okay to hear clicking noises from the hd?

 

[manitoubalck]

Originally posted by krossfyter
so when is okay to hear clicking noises from the hd?

The clicking noise is usually assoiated with the harddrive locating/reading and writing infomation. I believe that the noise is made by the movement of the heads within the harddrive. You will most likley hear the noise when the computer is starting up, loading a program, or saving.

Also bad sectors are physical flaws within the disk itself. Hence cannot be repaird. they are also more likley to develop in laptops because they don't just sit in one place.