Replacement for Powerbook hard drive w/ screwed up Quicktime

[livy501]

Hello all,
In the process of uninstalling Final Cut Pro I must have deleting some Quicktime files that are integral to several parts of my system. Can't reinstall FCP, open Word or Quicktime. I did everything I could to get a new Quicktime, but couldn't. Took it to Mac Support and they said I need a new hard drive. They said they'd do it for $378 (Yikes!).
I found a lot of internal hard drives on the net and instructions on how to install them, but will this fix my problem? Can you get a third-party hard drive that has all the mac programs/etc on it? What should I do?

THANKS!

 

[gvegastiger]

Don't Do It!

If all you need is a new hard drive, it shouldn't cost you near that much to find a new one and have it installed.

I bought a new 120 GB 5400 RPM Western Digital drive from Newegg for $70 and had it put into my PowerBook by a professional for $60. I downloaded a guide from ifixit.com and almost had it all down by myself however I ran into a screw that decided to strip before I could get it out So I was forced to take it in.

If all Apple is going to do is replace a HDD, don't put up with that screw job of a price. Find out exactly what they are doing and if that is it, then either do it yourself, or take it somewhere else.

 

[livy501]

If all you need is a new hard drive, it shouldn't cost you near that much to find a new one and have it installed.

I bought a new 120 GB 5400 RPM Western Digital drive from Newegg for $70 and had it put into my PowerBook by a professional for $60. I downloaded a guide from ifixit.com and almost had it all down by myself however I ran into a screw that decided to strip before I could get it out So I was forced to take it in.

If all Apple is going to do is replace a HDD, don't put up with that screw job of a price. Find out exactly what they are doing and if that is it, then either do it yourself, or take it somewhere else.

Thanks for the advice. I'll check out that Western Digital.
My real problem, however, is the issue of having a functioning Quicktime (along with everything else). If I get a third party HD like the Western Digital will it give me a new QT?

 

[gvegastiger]

I dont think your QT issue will be fixed with a new hard drive until you re-install it. Get the HDD put in and then go from there. I got a feeling it probably had to do with some bad sectors on your old HDD.

 

[livy501]

I dont think your QT issue will be fixed with a new hard drive until you re-install it. Get the HDD put in and then go from there. I got a feeling it probably had to do with some bad sectors on your old HDD.

So is a new HDD basically a totally clean slate? Do I then have to install an OS and everything that would normally come with a new mac? Sorry--don't know much about this kind of thing.

 

[26139]

Uh...

Dude, uninstalling any part of quicktime wouldn't have any effect on your hard drive. Software problems don't cause hard drive issues. Have you tried a simple OS reinstall? If so and things are STILL screwed up, then getting another hard drive might be a good idea.

 

[livy501]

Dude, uninstalling any part of quicktime wouldn't have any effect on your hard drive. Software problems don't cause hard drive issues. Have you tried a simple OS reinstall? If so and things are STILL screwed up, then getting another hard drive might be a good idea.

I don't have my OS disc to reinstall. Whatever the cause, verification fails when I try to repair. This is what it says:
Volume Header needs minor repair
d.",1)
Macintosh HD
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit


1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair

 

[26139]

Yeah

Find an OS disc to reinstall, then. You're going to lose your data, but at least then you'll know if it's a failed hard drive or just a software thing.

$378 is WAAAAAY too much to spend on a hard drive.

Wait, do you have a laptop or a desktop?

 

[livy501]

Problem seems to be solved

Out of the blue Quicktime opened and started working. Word and Final Cut work now, too. I have no idea what happened, but that's okay as long as they keep working. Still can't view QT on the net (can't install missing plug-ins) but i can live with that. Thanks for your help anyway!

 

[gvegastiger]

If you do anything else today, make sure you back up your computer. Your HDD could be going bad and you don't want to lose all your data if it is.

Mine went bad slowly but I had time to get everything backed up. I still lost about a months worth of stuff, but thankfully all my music, videos, and important documents were taken care of.

But if this isn't a wake up call to back up your HDD, you're in for a bad time if that thing actually ends up crashing.

 

[Naimfan]

So is a new HDD basically a totally clean slate? Do I then have to install an OS and everything that would normally come with a new mac?

Yes.

A new hard drive comes with nothing on it--not an OS, not a program, nothing. It is indeed a blank slate. So you would need to then install your OS and all your applications on it.

As gvegastiger said above, back up your hard drive immediately so you don't lose any data.