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yellowroom

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 15, 2010
24
7
UK
Hi all - for some time now my iMac hard drive has been working hard (I can hear it) even when doing light tasks such as browsing, listening to music and working on Word docs. About once a day I hear an ominous clunky/click. I am interpreting this as the hard drive being on its way out but have not had time to deal with it but made sure Time Machine and other backups are doing their thing.

However, it's now reaching the stage of lots of spinny beach balls and really random errors that need restarts - can't open iCloud options, can't open General preferences, and getting really slllloooow. I can't ignore it any longer, so need to work out what my options are.

My previous machine was a white Macbook - it had identical issues and when the drive died I replaced it myself. I'm not confident about doing this in my iMac, I would rather get a professional to do it. I live an hour away from my nearest Apple shop - what's my best option? By best I mean quick and professional, not looking for a budget option IYSWIM. Send away to Apple? Lug it to the nearest Apple shop? Seek out an independent repairer?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
Hello,

I've just done a hard drive change on same machine. It's not too hard, watch the owc video and take your time (and get helping hand if poss). If you're going for another hdd, it's the cheaper option. You'll either need this an owc thermal sensor cable https://www.amazon.co.uk/OWC-OWCDID...4&sr=8-3&keywords=owc+thermal+sensor+for+imac

oops - link is for 2012 imac. search for a 2011 version

or some kind of fan control software. Do a full backup of your drive while it's working too.

Cheers,

Razzerman
 
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Hi all - for some time now my iMac hard drive has been working hard (I can hear it) even when doing light tasks such as browsing, listening to music and working on Word docs. About once a day I hear an ominous clunky/click. I am interpreting this as the hard drive being on its way out but have not had time to deal with it but made sure Time Machine and other backups are doing their thing.

However, it's now reaching the stage of lots of spinny beach balls and really random errors that need restarts - can't open iCloud options, can't open General preferences, and getting really slllloooow. I can't ignore it any longer, so need to work out what my options are.

My previous machine was a white Macbook - it had identical issues and when the drive died I replaced it myself. I'm not confident about doing this in my iMac, I would rather get a professional to do it. I live an hour away from my nearest Apple shop - what's my best option? By best I mean quick and professional, not looking for a budget option IYSWIM. Send away to Apple? Lug it to the nearest Apple shop? Seek out an independent repairer?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
[doublepost=1488441619][/doublepost]Call AppleCare these machines might be eligible for a free replacement as mine was 2010 model.
 
Just to follow up my original message - I took Razzerman's advice and ended up changing my hard drive myself, taking the opportunity to upgrade the broken HD to an SSD. The worst/fiddliest bit was removing and attaching the cables from the screen as some of the wires seemed very delicate. But it only took me 40 minutes start to finish and after a Migration Assist I now have an iMac that is faster than it ever was.

Thanks to all the people out there who take the time to post "how to..." guides - much appreciated.
 
Well done OP, now you not only have a faster imac, but also a sense of acheivement :) Took me about the same time the first time you take the screen off, but if you ever have to do it again, it'll be a lot easier and quicker.

Out of curiosity, which ssd did you opt for?

Congratulations again,

Razzerman
 
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