Mac Issue

[steale]

So, I'm having this weird problem with my Macbook Pro and was hoping someone might have some ideas before I take it to a shop.

When I boot it up, it loads to an all white screen with a folder with a question mark in the middle. After a few hours of googling the problem, and trying various suggestions (resetting PRAM, holding C on startup to boot from installation CD, holding Shift on startup to get to safe mode, holding V on startup to see dialogue of what's going on (or something), etc.) I am still unable to get any sort of response from the machine. I suspect that I'll have to replace the hard drive, but I wanted to see if anyone here has had a similar issue first.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Tyrianth]

Can you boot from the OSX dvd and run Disk Utility on your harddrive?

My 30 seconds on google says that your harddrive is failing. If that's the case it's extremely easy to replace it yourself with a third party harddrive. It's also a user replaceable item so it won't void your warranty.

edit: If you're near an Apple Store you can always take it in for a free diagnosis.

[Deleted]

Can you insert the OSX DVD and hold alt and then choose the DVD? Then run a repair of your harddrive. If it returns something with missing blocks, I think you need a new harddrive.

[Horrid Crow]

Your harddrive is probably dead. Did you drop it by any chance?

[steale]

Nope, I haven't dropped it. Also, when I boot it up and hold alt, nothing happens.

[jmacphee9]

it definetly sounds like a HD failure. bring it by a real apple store, they have best in the business warranty service.

btw, your sig is horribly wrong....and im a pvper lol.

[mafao]

It looks like the hard drive. If you are under warranty, Apple will replace it free of charge. Otherwise, just buy a new one and slap it in there - its easy (instructions on how to replace the HDD are on the Apple's website).

[lordmatthias]

It is worth trying to boot into you OS Disc and run the disc repair (at the very least to see if you can pull the data off the drive), however it is definitely sounding like you have a drive failure. Like was said if the unit is still under warranty you should be able to take it to an apple store and they should be able to get you taken care of that day. Otherwise you will have to replace the drive yourself. Depending on the body type if you have a unibody you just need to take the screws out of the bottom and remove the hard drive bracket along with the posts that are used to secure the drive (you will need to make sure you have bits for all the screws as apple uses some strange types and sizes). If you have the older style frame, you will need to remove a bunch of screws plus remove the top bezel which is clipped in (be VERY careful with the clips as they are easy to break/bend especially around the release button). Alternatively you can pay Apple or another tech to take it apart and replace it for you.

Hope that helps!