Need to replace failing Seagate Drive, need help please!

[mileslong]

my 27" late 2009 iMac's Seagate drive is now failing. Here is the drive currently installed: ST31000528ASQ 1 TB 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 8GB memory

The warranty has expired

Questions:

1) Should I replace this drive with another Seagate or perhaps a WD that may last longer?

2) How much does it cost roughly to replace this? Should I buy one from mac mall or something and find someone to replace it?

3) It won't let me install Lion because it says it is failing, even though it is running fine and has been for a good while in this state. Is there a workaround to install Lion without replacing it first?

thanks!!!

 

[ZeD X]

If you want a fast one, pick the WD Caviar Black. If you want a quiet, pick a Samsung.

You can replace by yourself, just take a look on ifixit.

You can install Lion and play with it, if you don't matter losing your files.

 

[mileslong]

If you want a fast one, pick the WD Caviar Black. If you want a quiet, pick a Samsung.

You can replace by yourself, just take a look on ifixit.

You can install Lion and play with it, if you don't matter losing your files.

thanks a lot i will check those out. i had already looked on ifixit but you have to buy a bunch of gear in order to change it out so don't know if it makes dollars and cents.

is there a site you would recommend to buy a drive from? also it won't let me install Lion because it says my drive is failing. its weird that it would check like that

 

[CTopher]

i had already looked on ifixit but you have to buy a bunch of gear in order to change it out so don't know if it makes dollars and cents.

is there a site you would recommend to buy a drive from? also it won't let me install Lion because it says my drive is failing. its weird that it would check like that

Nonsense. I just replaced my stock 1tb HD with a 3TB WD and a 250gb Intel 510 SSD and all i used was a screw driver, T10 torx and a shower suction clip thingy(my GF uses it to hang her bath sponge thing) to pull the glass off. Replacing the HD is easier than all of what I did which had to remove the logic board.

If you are slow and careful and have basic mechanical skills it should not be difficult. Read the guides that are out there carefully. Just document with pictures, use painters tape to stick screws on in order they were removed.

Look at Newegg.com for drives.


Christopher

 

[smirk]

+1 for Newegg.com.

Also, this may go without saying but if there is any indication of an impending drive failure (which there is), replace the drive ASAP or back it up. I wouldn't try to trick Lion to install; first replace the drive, then play with Lion. I mean, unless you don't have any valuable data on there.

Finally, when you say the warranty has expired, do you mean Apple's warranty or Seagate's? Perhaps the Seagate warranty is still in effect.

 

[mileslong]

thanks guys for the advice, here is where i am now.

talked to a mac repair guy and he insisted that i should only replace the current drive with the exact same one otherwise i could have trouble getting it to read properly because of firmware issues.

he said this has happened numerous times, trying to replace current drive in imac 27 with other models often results in the firmware not being able to read it properly causing all kinds of problems. he seemed to know what he was talking about and has no reason to have me give him any other kind of drive.

he also suggested getting one from newegg or macmall then he would put it in for me for $150. i looked on newegg and they don't carry the one in mine which is a 1 TB Seagate ST31000528ASQ. Macmall has one for $89.00

has anyone else heard of issues with installing different models of drives?

 

[mileslong]

Is there anyway to install Lion on a drive that is failing? It isn't letting me now, it is reading failing drive and won't install. Is there a workaround for this?

 

[fhall1]

I think your mac repair guy is full of it....any current generation SATA drive should work in a 27" iMac. It doesn't have to be an exact replacement...you think if the company discontinued that model, everyone with an iMac with a crashed hard drive would then have to trash their systems?

 

[designs216]

I've had good luck with Hitachi, WD and Seagate but any drive will fail eventually -- so have a good backup plan.

Regarding the repair, I think DIY is the way to go. Storage is cheap and this little project is a good learning exercise. Just do some reading and take your time.

 

[SenseiRussell]

HD replacement in iMac

I just replaced my deceased 500 GB HD in my iMac. I had read somewhere that it was best to replace the drive with the same brand because the small heat sensor cable might not work with another brand. That was for my iMac that I bought in late 2009, so maybe they've fixed that "feature" since then. So this is just an FYI, in case you run into a problem after installing a different brand. The capacity of the drive didn't matter — and my iTB replacement drive works very nicely (Seagate).

-Russ

 

[dwarnecke11]

Wait! This is a known issue:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3190026?start=30&tstart=0

 

[stevemiller]

just out of curiosity, has anyone ever gotten a quote on an out of warranty iMac hard drive replacement? i know you *can* do it yourself, but to be honest some of us are of weaker constitution, and wouldn't be comfortable prying the screen off.

my parents are likely getting an iMac, and they'll likely get applecare too, but they're also the types to keep a system for 5-6 years or more, so they want to know how much a repair shop would likely charge for a hard drive replacement say 4 years down the line.