Powerbook 15" Hard Drive failing???

johnbeech

Registered
Hi,

Encountered a problem with Alu 15" - Can somebody confirm what I expect as an iminant hard drive failure.....

Sudden slowdown (beach ball) when flat on a work surface, normal speed and disk access sound from the HD when at 40-90 degrees.

S.M.A.R.T. says the drive is "verified".

Have reformatted the drive and reinstalled OSX, but same results.:mad:

Is it actually a HD fault or a connection fault to the RAM upgrade board?

Regards
John
 
It's impossible to tell without opening the PowerBook and taking a look.

I don't understand "a connection fault to the RAM upgrade board" -- the hard drive does not connect to the RAM. Can you explain?
 
Hi -

I experienced very similar "sounds" and issues. I did some research that indicated a hard drive failure. I sent it back to Apple for review - and they said that it was on it's way out and replaced it. They wouldn't have done so if they weren't sure it was a goner. I would back it up if you haven't already and get it replaced.

Joshua
 
I suspect I am having the same issues with my Titanium Powerbook 15" 1GHZ is there any way to verify that this is, in fact a Hard Drive failure? I don't want to go through the trouble of replacing the hard drive just to find out that something else was wrong with it all along. Also, how difficult would it be to replace the hard drive myself in said computer. I found a couple sets of instructions online:

http://www.macworld.com/2003/01/secrets/powerbookupgrade/index1.php
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/33.6.0.html

they don't seem that over-the-top but I'd like another perspective. Finally, what speed (4200, 5400, 7200) and/or brand would be optimal to replace the existing drive with. I'm considering replacing the original 60GB drive with a 100GB one. I'm still in college so $$$ value is to be considered. As always, thanks for your time.
 
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