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Internal hard drive

J

jafca09

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 15, 2011
27
0
If my hard drive won't mount (gray screen with question mark icon) when it's internal, but it will mount in an enclosure, does that necessarily point to the hard drive cable as the thing that needs replacing? Anything I should try before buying a new cable?
 
It could be either the cable or the controller on the logicboard. But are you able to mount or even see it if your Macbook is started up from an external drive with the bad drive inside?
 
Intell said:
It could be either the cable or the controller on the logicboard. But are you able to mount or even see it if your Macbook is started up from an external drive with the bad drive inside?
Click to expand...

I took the drive out and put it in an external enclosure. It works that way. Is that what you mean?
 
Put the bootable drive in the external and the extra test drive in the internal. If the test internal drive is seen, then it likely isn't a cable or controller. If it isn't, then it likely is a cable or the controller.
 
Intell said:
Put the bootable drive in the external and the extra test drive in the internal. If the test internal drive is seen, then it likely isn't a cable or controller. If it isn't, then it likely is a cable or the controller.
Click to expand...

This is odd. It shows up. So does that mean it's something with the original hard drive -- even though that hard drive boots in the enclosure?
 
Correct, I'd first backup all data on the original internal drive and zero it out. Once that is complete, reinstall Mac OS X.
 
Intell said:
Correct, I'd first backup all data on the original internal drive and zero it out. Once that is complete, reinstall Mac OS X.
Click to expand...

While it's in the external enclosure, obviously, right? So your hypothesis is that reinstalling everything could make it recognizable again once it's internal?
 
Yes, wipe it and reinstall Mac OS X while it is in the external. Don't forget to first back up your files and data.
 
Intell said:
Yes, wipe it and reinstall Mac OS X while it is in the external. Don't forget to first back up your files and data.
Click to expand...

Before I did this, I tried inputting the original drive internally one more time. It worked! At least for a few hours, as if nothing was wrong. I put my computer the sleep and carried the laptop with me in my bag for about thirty minutes. Then I opened the lid to find the gray screen. Same thing that happened to me before. Is that diagnostically significant?

I haven't yet implemented your suggestion to wipe it. Thought I'd check in first given the new details. Thanks!
 
It could be that the drive is starting to fail at the electronic level that the Macbook doesn't like. Do you happen to have another drive of that same model to test it with?
 
Intell said:
It could be that the drive is starting to fail at the electronic level that the Macbook doesn't like. Do you happen to have another drive of that same model to test it with?
Click to expand...

No, the other drives I've tested are different models. Again a potential diagnostic tool: another drive I put in there that I know works wouldn't boot (gray question mark screen). Makes me think the cable is faulty -- just seems odd I got it to work earlier today.
 
It does seem that the cable is faulty. The inserting ans removing of the drive may have been enough ti get it working for a short while.
 
Thanks, all. Think I should schedule an appointment with the Genius Bar to have them officially diagnose the issue, or should I just go ahead an order the part from ifixit (or is there a better vendor)?
 
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