Internal Hard Drive HELP

[drummer22]

I have a 13" Black MacBook that is about 3 years old. Recently, when I turned it on, it made a strange sound and now displays a white screen with a blinking folder with a question mark in it.

From previous posts on here and google searches, I have decided that my hard drive has crashed. Could I get that confirmed by someone?

Anyways, the main point of this post is to find a solution. I read that Apple will basically kill you to repair it (around $500). So I figured I could try to fix it myself.

I am not familiar with Mac hard drives. Which size do I need to fit my 13" Black Macbook? What website or store do you recommend to order from? etc...

Thanks in advance,

Tom

 

[surflordca]

Check this sit out...
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/internal_storage/hard_drives_and_SSD

 

[GtotheK]

PRAM reset

I've had this happen to my macbook before. You need to reset the PRAM, I forget the key combo you have to hold down when you reboot, but just google it or go to apple site. Worked like a charm. Afterwards run disk utility and check your HD for repairs.

UPDATE: hold down control, option, P and R at the same time and restart the computer...hold it down until you hear the start up sound TWICE

 

[drummer22]

Great advice. I will try that as soon as I get home.

Another question: (I am thinking ahead in case that ^^ doesnt work and I am just curious)

Can I boot from an external hard drive and will everything run? Or is the OS saved on the internal hard drive?

 

[JediMeister]

To determine if it is fact a hard drive issue, the simplest method will be to boot to a Mac OS Install Disc and then launch the Disk Utility application from the Utilities menu. If the drive fails to appear and you just see your optical drive and the disc, you likely have a hard drive issue. If it shows up, you could just have a damaged operating system which would lead to a reinstallation of the software. I do want to note that while GtotheK's post about resetting the PRAM is relevant if the system eventually loads the OS or stays at the Apple logo and gear for an extended period of time, it will not address the two likely root causes which I outlined above. I would actually suggest resetting the SMC, especially if the hard drive doesn't mount in Disk Utility.

It is possible to boot a Mac from an external hard drive. PowerPC systems could only boot off FireWire drives, Intel computers can boot off FireWire or USB. However you would need to create a bootable image on the external drive via Disk Utility or Carbon Copy Cloner in order to do so.