Macbook Question Mark & Clicking of Doom

breebree
edited January 2007 in advice
Yikes - my less than a year old Macbook (Core Duo) froze and on startup is only clicking and shows the question mark on startup - i cant boot into single user mode, diskwarrior or techtool deluxe don't recognise a hard drive...

i know it's under warranty, but i don't want to lose everything, mp3's etc, will Techtool Pro recover anything any better? is there anything else better suited?

this of course is the work's laptop (after all the hassle with 3 replaced logic boards on my old iBook!)

Help!

Comments

  • overbyteoverbyte
    edited January 2007
    put your original restore disk in and boot from cd (apple-c)

    then click through until 'file' is not greyed out in the top left corner of the screen next to the apple (if you get to 'install this software' then you've gone too far - i think it's when the option to choose a disk to install on comes up)

    when it's clickable, go to utilities (along from file):disk utility and repair permissions. keep doing this until it doesn't give any more errors and try restarting normally.

    if this doesn't work, restart from the cd and go to disk utility again and try to repair disk. Again, keep doing this until it doesn't give any more errors. Try to restart normally.

    doing this will catch 95% of stuff without much destruction
  • breebree
    edited 3:32PM
    hmmm didn't get restore disks with the MacBook - just install DVDs though i will try it tomorrow and see what happens - when i tried reinstalling it, it wouldn't show up any destination disks to install on or repair!

    Must check my home intel iMac for restore disks
  • BiffBiff
    edited 3:32PM
    The intel machines don't ship with restore disks- just the install ones, but the good news on that is that the install disks have all the stuff that shipped with the machine, so it's all good.

    A click from the drive isn't good, and is normally a serious hard drive issue. I hope you have a good backup.
  • breebree
    edited 3:32PM
    sheesh - i knew someone was gonna say that :(
    and this is a 9 months old macbook!

    it couldn't have been caused by any sortof software sure it couldnt?
    it's not like i've been misusing the thing - only some slow PPC software - thats what it actually froze over

    new HD under warranty you think?
  • overbyteoverbyte
    edited 3:32PM
    at least a year, i'd say

    yeh sorry - the install disks have disk utility on too

    good luck
  • BiffBiff
    edited 3:32PM
    Yes, the HD is under warranty, the same as the rest of the machine, but there's no data recovery warranty, I'm afraid.

    The PPC software has nothing to do with it. Probably just a bad HD. They do happen.
  • breebree
    edited 3:32PM
    yup - found a lot of sites talking about clicking and defective hardware - just happens - pants
    Techtool pro and everything else failed as the HD mechanism is defective, not bad blocks or anything.

    So who Actually backs up their stuff and what app you recommend? I'd only be backing up iTunes & cover art, and i suppose downloads

    cheers anyway guys ;)
  • overbyteoverbyte
    edited 3:32PM
    retrospect is my weapon of choice

    once a week is fine for but when i'm not using my machine that much it goes waaaaay down and when i'm not using it that much and up to about 1ce a day when i'm using it heavily
  • breebree
    edited 3:32PM
    what d'ya reckon - does apple fix the drives leaving the info readable again? Not too happy about anyone going through the info on the HD
  • chrischris
    edited 3:32PM
    my guess is that they test the drive, see that it is broken, then rip it out and whack another one in there from their big pile-o-drives™
  • SciroccoScirocco
    edited January 2007
    bree:

    So who Actually backs up their stuff and what app you recommend? I'd only be backing up iTunes & cover art, and i suppose downloads

    SuperDuper.. every monday at 9.30 pm :)
  • echoesechoes
    edited 3:32PM
    chris:my guess is that they test the drive,
    test drive?

    Ba-Doosh!
  • mickmick
    edited 3:32PM
    SuperDuper every week (backed up to an external). i keep my iTunes music updated to a cd session weekly, too.

    synced mail, bookmarks, keychains, and address book to dotmac every day (WHEN it works.. grrrr).


    sorry for your hassles, Bree. i hope you can salvage something from the hard drive. :(

    x
  • breebree
    edited 3:32PM
    cool! thanks for the info guys n gal

    does Barnie make SuperDuper and is it less inferior than SuperDeeDuper?
  • SciroccoScirocco
    edited January 2007
    bree:

    does Barnie make SuperDuper and is it less inferior than SuperDeeDuper?
    I have NO idea what that means, and if it indeed IS a question or a joke, but SuperDuper is made by Shirt Pocket

    :)
  • BiffBiff
    edited 3:32PM
    Apple tests them (briefly), says "Yup", replaces whatever the hell they feel like, and test again. They don't do component level repair on drives.

    If problem=solved(return to customer); else repeat.
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