iMac Fell off desk, won't get past booting screen

[JonathanMX]

So today my late 2009 iMac 21.5" iMac fell from my desk and the glass fell off. I managed to put it back on as it is magnetic but when i tried using it it froze and both keyboard and mouse didn't work with the computer. I turned it off manually and once I booted again I didn't get past the apple logo for about 15 minutes. It then changed to the "#" or "no"symbol. Any help as to what is going on? Can it be fixed? And will I lose my files?

Thanks!

 

[thedeske]

It's possible something is loose. You'd need to open it to find out.
Try booting an external clone.

 

[Joebrown]

This might be a long shot but do you have any external hard drives or otherwise plugged in? If so try unplugging them and trying it again

 

[chevelleguy3]

Was the iMac powered on when it fell?

It sounds to me like the hard drive is bad. Hard drives do not like sudden movements or drops whether they are on or off.

If the hard drive is bad, your data is most likely gone as well. Hope you had a backup.

 

[JonathanMX]

The iMac was on when it fell, and I managed to get it past the boot screen and now it sent me to disk utilities and it won't repair the main HD. I believe something is loose inside because whenever I move it I hear something move inside. I'll be opening it to see what's going on. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Captain.Slow]

Have you checked to see if the RAM is seated correctly?

I've come across Mac's before that have displayed similar symptons to what you describe, which ended up being caused by dodgy RAM.

Just a thought

 

[JonathanMX]

Have you checked to see if the RAM is seated correctly?

I've come across Mac's before that have displayed similar symptons to what you describe, which ended up being caused by dodgy RAM.

Just a thought

Thanks for the idea! Tried it, still sending me to OS X Utilities. I think I'm just taking it to my local apple store this evening.

 

[poematik13]

Sounds like the HDD got damaged.

 

[Ipadilac]

well, that sucks it fell and all.. but I have to wonder.. how did your iMac fall off the desk?

 

[Fishrrman]

An additional suggestion (and yes, it's a serious one):
In the future, perhaps you need a desk that will support the iMac somewhat more securely.....

 

[JohnPi314]

When you get it fixed, secure it with one of these:

 

[JohnPi314]

well, that sucks it fell and all.. but I have to wonder.. how did your iMac fall off the desk?

I;m guessing it had something to do with beer or vodka.