Vanishing Hard Disc

[Bruce59]

Here’s a thing; had it for about a month.

iMac8,1, Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo, Speed - 2.66 GHz, running 10.6.6, ‘bout 2 yrs old.

Came back to computer after being away for an hour or so, machine took forever to wake up, then spinning beach ball on Word prog, cursor moved normally on screen and dock, clicks produced no results, but extended area of spinning beach ball, no luck with force quit process. After about three or four minutes screen reacted to the first of my clicks, could bear it no longer and switched with power button and restarted – file and question mark icon. Restarted with Snow Leopard Disk and went to Disk Utility which declined to recognize hard disc, described it a Media with 0 bytes. Rebooted, tried again, same thing. Did what I had to do on my wife iBook (brand new), came back to my machine, rebooted, successful, but system slow. System seemed fine next day, but became miserably slow with same symptoms as before, including not recognizing startup disc and not seeing HD when started from CD.

Curious thing is that my wife’s iBook exhibited same symptom on one occasion recently, but not since.

Any ideas? Any little tests I can do to locate source of problem?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

As you still have the 1-year warranty, you could contact Apple (Apple Retail Store > Genius Bar, or an Apple Authorised Repairshop) and make an appointment to let your Mac tested. It seems your HDD is either corrupt or failing. What did the SMART status say when using Disk Utility from the Restore DVD?

You could also try the Apple Hardware Test.

 

[Bruce59]

Thanks for this. The SMART status is Verified. I tried to start up with the hardware test, but at that point the HD disappeared and though D was depressed during the start up only the installer prog appeared, not seeing, as before the HD.

 

[Mal]

Yep, sounds likely to be a failing drive. Note, by the way, that SMART doesn't always diagnose a failing drive, as it only checks for certain, very specific indicators. It detects some of the most common types of failures, but really only the ones that give early warning anyways.

If you are under warranty, I'd take it in and get it looked at.

jW

 

[Bruce59]

Thanks. It must be as I feared. I bought it in Sept '08, so it's (another) money job.

 

[Bruce59]

Vanishing HD

Bit more on this for my education, if I may. (I am in Spain at the moment and will have to wait till next month to take my iMac to the Apple Store in the UK for a new HD). Mostly it won't start. I know it's not going to when I hear little mewing noises, as if something is trying to engage but can't. What is that? I half feel a good clout would help it, but the other half stops me. When it does start it's good for about an hour and then the spinning beach ball and 5 mins to carry out each click. That's when the first second half would like to give it a good clout, but the first half stops me. It is a mechanical thing or an electric thing?

 

[g4 powerbookboy]

I have to say that I agree with the others..... sounds like a failing hard drive.