Help needed with possible bad HDD

tomdkat

tomdkat

Registered
So, I'm working on a Mac-mini running OS X Tiger. Recently, the machine has been misbehaving and the primary users have been using the power button to force reboots, as necessary. I have NO idea how often they have been doing this.

Now, when the machine boots, it gets a gray screen with the Apple logo and a spinning gray wheel.

We let it sit like this for about 8 or so hours so I knew something was wrong.

So, I booted the system using the install DVD and ran the disk utility. When it first loaded, it should the capacity, free space, and file count information of the boot drive I selected. I ran a "Verify Disk" and it reported the disk could not be verified due to an error and needed to be repaired. So, I ran a "repair disk" and here is the output I could capture:

--------------------START---------------------

Checking Catalog file
Keys out of order
Rebuilding catalog B-tree
The volume Mac Mini could not be repaired

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit

1 HFS volume checked
1 volume could not be repaired because of an error

Repair attempted on 1 volume
1 volume could not be repaired

----------------------END----------------------

So, I did some web searches on "rebuilding catalog b-tree" and found several hits where people recommended running DiskWarrior to fix the b-tree problems. Others reported the problem as being a HDD that went bad. Some said running Disk Utility multiple times might help fix the problem.

Not having any other diagnostic or repair tools handy, I ran Disk Utility about 5 times in total and then I noticed it stopped reporting the free space and file count information for the HDD. Now, only the capacity is listed and nothing else.

So, I thought I would try doing an "Archive & Install" so I could get the data I haven't backed up off of the machine. When I go through the install process, the HDD doesn't even appear as an installation target.

At this point, Disk Utility can see the HDD but the installer doesn't recognize it as an installable drive.

What is the best course of action to take, at this point? I'm not sure if they have AppleCare service so we can get the system serviced to confirm if the HDD is bad or not. Is the data on the drive basically gone, at this point? Would it be worth trying to run DiskWarrior on the drive, at this point?

What advice do you have?

Thanks in advance!

Peace...
 
It appears that your HDD is damaged. If your files are important to you, then top futzing with it. Take it to your nearest Mac technician. He can replace your HDD and recover your files.
 
MisterMe said:
It appears that your HDD is damaged. If your files are important to you, then top futzing with it. Take it to your nearest Mac technician. He can replace your HDD and recover your files.
Click to expand...
*sigh* Ok. Is this something an Apple Genius can do or should I find another Mac tech?

Thanks!

Peace...
 
Replacing your hard drive and recovering your data from the old drive and moving it to the new drive hardly rises to the level of "genius."
 
I understand that but I believe that's what the techs at the Apple store are called, "geniuses". :)

I have never cracked open a Mac-mini but I guess now is about as good a time as any to try it out. :)

Peace...
 
The Mac mini, for someone who rarely ventures inside of a computer, isn't the easiest thing in the world. It's not difficult, but it's not as easy as replacing a hard drive in a tower machine. You'll need a few tools:

1) A small, slim putty knife. The 1" variety should work.
2) A phillips head screwdriver, preferrably not too large.

On the lower left-hand corner of this page are video tutorials about how to replace hard drives and RAM in various Mac mini models:

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/mac-mini/

Be aware that the initial putty knife procedure is quite harrowing, and to get into my 2009 mini, I had to say "Screw it..." at one point... "if I break it, oh well." The leverage and force required to pop the initial tabs off is scary, almost like you're going to do damage to the computer. Once you're past that, though, it's pretty much smooth sailing.
 
Well, I'm in the middle of swapping out the hard drive now and that video proved to be of great use. Unfortunately, the video covered a Mac-mini WITHOUT Wi-Fi or Bluetooth support, which the Mac-mini I'm servicing does have. This means, I had to deal with the Airport and Bluetooth adapters, which wasn't covered in the video.

Since Murphy had nothing better to do, he decided to come over and DISCONNECT the Airport and Bluetooth adapter cords from some chip on the motherboard and OF COURSE, I didn't make note of where each cord was plugged in. *sigh* I have an idea of where to connect them but I don't know if connecting them incorrectly will fry the mobo or something once I fire the beast back up.

Does anyone know of any videos or photos that show how the Airport and Bluetooth adapters are connected in a July - October 2005 1.25Ghz PowerPC based (G4 I think) Mac-mini? I'm not having luck finding anything.

Thanks!

Peace...
 
The Airport/bluetooth card was an add-on kit for those. I shouldn't make a difference where which antenna is plugged into because its a combination AP/BT card. The difficulty lies in routing the cables and keeping them plugged into the card while putting the carriage assembly back onto the logic board.
 
Thanks for that info. Got any ideas on where I can see a photo of where to connect the antennas? I've got an idea of where they are supposed to go but I'm not totally sure.

Thanks! :)

Peace...
 
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