iBook hard drive gone kaput...

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Oh well, looks like my 18-month-old G4 1.2Ghz iBook has had its first hardware failure. Ran the extended test from the hardware test disc and got the following:

12ar.jpg


The first signs that my hard drive was starting to fail was when it started producing a slight buzzing noise whenever you tilted the iBook, although it disappeared if you placed it flat on a desk or something. Then about a week ago, it started to struggle a bit when I had my usual programs up like Opera, Adium, Mail and sometimes World of Warcraft all running at the same time. This was perfectly fine before as the 768MB RAM could handle it but once it started locking up and sometimes refused to boot properly after a forced restart, I knew my hard drive was about to die soon. And now the test above has confirmed it.

So looks like I'll have to order a new hard drive soon and install it myself. Hopefully that is the ONLY problem, and I'll still be able to fire it up once more so I can recover my data. So it seems Mac systems aren't as indestructable as I thought. But of course, it's the hard drive's manufacturer to blame here, plus the Mac OS X operating system itself is still a bliss to use. Just firing a warning to anyone who has cared to read this thread. Maybe an extended warranty didn't seem like such a bad idea after all...
 
Well at least a new hdd will only set u back about £100 - which is less than what you would pay to get Applecare!
 
You can get HDDs that'll fit in the iBook for £40, for a 40Gb one.

But trust me, its the definition of 'pain in the rear' replacing the HDD in an iBook.
Mine failed ages ago, so i decided to replace the drive rarther than send/take it to Apple. Wish i didnt.
1 week tracking down some really tiny torx screwdrivers, several hours to remove the 100+ screws. Some of which were a right annoyance to remove, then replacing the drive, then putting it back together enough to ensure it works, then putting everything back in place, remembering what was removed and what goes where.
Not fun at all.
 
Type_R said:
Well at least a new hdd will only set u back about £100 - which is less than what you would pay to get Applecare!

£100 where? I was under the impression that most of the 2.5" hard drives which cost around £50 will work fine?

BoomAM, don't suppose you could tell me which hard drive you bought? Is it a 4200rpm or 5400rpm one? I won't mind the slightly slower one if it's much quieter but I heard that these days, there isn't much difference in terms of noise.
 
Last edited:
sharingan_sasuk said:
Oh well, looks like my 18-month-old G4 1.2Ghz iBook has had its first hardware failure. Ran the extended test from the hardware test disc and got the following:

12ar.jpg


The first signs that my hard drive was starting to fail was when it started producing a slight buzzing noise whenever you tilted the iBook, although it disappeared if you placed it flat on a desk or something. Then about a week ago, it started to struggle a bit when I had my usual programs up like Opera, Adium, Mail and sometimes World of Warcraft all running at the same time. This was perfectly fine before as the 768MB RAM could handle it but once it started locking up and sometimes refused to boot properly after a forced restart, I knew my hard drive was about to die soon. And now the test above has confirmed it.

So looks like I'll have to order a new hard drive soon and install it myself. Hopefully that is the ONLY problem, and I'll still be able to fire it up once more so I can recover my data. So it seems Mac systems aren't as indestructable as I thought. But of course, it's the hard drive's manufacturer to blame here, plus the Mac OS X operating system itself is still a bliss to use. Just firing a warning to anyone who has cared to read this thread. Maybe an extended warranty didn't seem like such a bad idea after all...

I was about to buy AppleCare for mine so I will do it for sure now... I love my iBook too much for it to die and would readily replace however want to fork out for that great expense so I think I will stick to the apple care option. for safety.
 
sharingan_sasuk said:
£100 where? I was under the impression that most of the 2.5" hard drives which cost around £50 will work fine?

BoomAM, don't suppose you could tell me which hard drive you bought? Is it a 4200rpm or 5400rpm one? I won't mind the slightly slower one if it's much quieter but I heard that these days, there isn't much difference in terms of noise.
IIRC, i got the 60Gb Western Digital one that OCUK sell. 5400rpm i think it is.
Slightly louder than the stock 30Gb Fujitsu 5400rpm it had, a bit hotter running as well, but, the speed difference was noticable. Not loads faster, but still noticable.
 
You and anyone else needing to get into their iBook, Powerbook, MacBook, MBPro or Mini might be wise to take a look at this site:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/

We've used it here at work and its very useful if you need to do any hardware work.
 
Yep, seen that site before. Really useful. Ordered the WD 40GB from OcUK and hope to get my iBook back to working condition soon :)

Still no hope with getting my current one to boot up once more so I can backup though...
 
With portables...

The accepted wisdom is always to get the extended warranty *if* you plan on keeping it longer than a year. The (anecdotal from an Apple rep) expected lifetime of the HDD is 2.5 years. I lost my HDD just after the 1 year basic warranty went - to be followed immediately by a logic board failure. The extended warranty has more than paid for itself and still has a year to run.

If you are in London - buy the new hard rive and get the Applestore to install it for you.
 
Can anyone tell me if the hard drive (bought fresh from OcUK brand new) needs to be formatted before I stick it in? Hopefully not, and that it will be done via the installation discs later because I'm already half way through dismantling it and my original hard drive is kaput...
 
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