iMac model 6.1 HD Failing?

[Denny Crane]

I have had my home iMac for at least two years, maybe more. It is a 2.16 Ghz Intel Core Duo. Lately, I have noticed it behaving sluggishly. so I have been backing up more diligently. about ten days ago, a backup failed. I tried to repair permissions (that worked) and then to repair the disk, using my Snow Leopard installation disk.

That informed me that the HD could not be repaired, so I would have to back up, erase and reinitialize the HD, then reinstall the backed up data. I could not back up, so I lost a little data, but I followed the directions and retrieved the rest.

This occurred again this weekend, but now I cannot get anything to reinstall on the HD. I assume that this means that the HD has failed, right? I guess I will have to replace it -- unless there is some other reason for the failure.

What do I do? Is this a repair that one can make on an iMac 24 inch? I have replaced HDs on laptops, but I do not even know how to open this one. The HD is 250GB. Can and should I put a larger one in?

Currently I am able to run it using the OS on the external backup HD, but that is just a stop-gap measure. If anyone has advice, please cc me also at solberg@gaiben.com, in case I am unable to open this again. Thanks.

Norm

[yiwai]

According to MacTracker, iMac6,1 (24", A1200, MA456LL) was introduced: Sep. 2006, Processor: C2D (Merom).
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/stats/imac-core-2-duo-2.16-24-inch-specs.html

This is the closest I could get true the web:
http://home.comcast.net/~woojo/DFFA53A0-F23D-4541-9015-481FD3B6532E/iMac_Disassembly.html

If the above is not enough, perhaps you'd need a 42MB pdf file from Apple's Service Source.
And perhaps upon your instructions as to where I should post it

Y

[yiwai]

This may be OK. (in Japanese)
http://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/355/355599/

--> Google Translator may do the job:
http://translate.google.co.jp/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=ja&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fascii.jp%2Felem%2F000%2F000%2F355%2F355599%2F

Y

[Robert Seltman]

Thanks Norm for posing the question and Y for such useful links. Though I'd love to see the inside of my 27" iMac, I wouldn't risk the installation myself. For one, I'd need a very big clean work bench and, for another, it looks like too much could go wrong. Instead I would ask Apple (or our Shiga Authorized dealer) to fix it by replacing the 250GB drive with a 1 or 2 TB drive. If the 250GB is still working I'd save it just as a back up, buying a case, or using an older drive case.

[yiwai]

Most kind, Robert.

I did replace inner HD of iMac-24" AL. Took a while to "lift the black bracket" attached to the damaged HD, though.

Overall, the hardest part would be ... do it nice and slow --- iSight and LCD connectors, in particular.

Maybe the same hold true to iMac-27".

Y

[Denny Crane]

Thanks Norm for posing the question and Y for such useful links. Though I'd love to see the inside of my 27" iMac, I wouldn't risk the installation myself. For one, I'd need a very big clean work bench and, for another, it looks like too much could go wrong. Instead I would ask Apple (or our Shiga Authorized dealer) to fix it by replacing the 250GB drive with a 1 or 2 TB drive. If the 250GB is still working I'd save it just as a back up, buying a case, or using an older drive case.

Actually, it doesn't look that hard. A quick Google search of "install iMac hard drive" shows numerous examples, including YouTube clips indicating exactly what to do by noting each step and what tools are best. They also show what kinds of HDs have been used by others, including ones with quite large capacity.

As Iwai-san noted (Thanks!), my iMac appears to be a 2006 model, which although Intel-based, accepts only 2GB of RAM and comes with a 250 GB HD. Currently I use only about 168 GB, so there seems little need to go for a new HD that is bigger than about 1 TB. Since I recently picked up a 1 TB Western Digital external at Costco to be used as added backup for only about 7 or 8,000 yen, I imagine that an internal 3.5 HD will be rather cheap. Hitachi would be my choice as recent reports of WD and Seagate failures deter me somewhat, though I have used both of those. Will Rieken used to pan Hitachis, but recent reports, especially those used by OWC, are very positive.

The warranty has of course expired so that is no longer a reason not to open the housing. Apple Care wanted $49 for a consultation, then told me by phone to make an appointment and bring it in to my local Apple Store. I am no computer wizard, but it is much cheaper and less trouble to do it myself, I think.

Norm

[Denny Crane]

Since I recently picked up a 1 TB Western Digital external at Costco to be used as added backup for only about 7 or 8,000 yen, I imagine that an internal 3.5 HD will be rather cheap. Hitachi would be my choice as recent reports of WD and Seagate failures deter me somewhat, though I have used both of those. Will Rieken used to pan Hitachis, but recent reports, especially those used by OWC, are very positive.

The warranty has of course expired so that is no longer a reason not to open the housing. Apple Care wanted $49 for a consultation, then told me by phone to make an appointment and bring it in to my local Apple Store. I am no computer wizard, but it is much cheaper and less trouble to do it myself, I think.

Norm

Today I went to Yodobashi Camera in Umeda to price internal hard drives. I was shocked. A Western Digital 3.5 in. 500GB HD marketed under the Logictech brand (though WD appears on the box) is 14,800 Yen. That translates to US $180 at current rates. I could not find the former wide selection of Hitachi, Seagate, WD and other choices.

Instead I ordered online from Other World Computing a 1.5TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA II 7200RPM 32MB cache buffer with perpendicular drive technology and 3 year warranty. Cost $87.99 plus US international mail shipping of $19.33. Total 8,913 Yen.

That's about double what Apple Support wanted just for a consultation.

This particular HD is "highly recommended" as a "best buy" and "very quiet." It is bigger than I need, but cheaper than many alternatives. See http://www.amfiteatar.org/content/view/155/57.lang.en/ which is a 94-page site on upgrading hard drives in iMacs. (Most of the pages seem to be comments from those who successfully upgraded.)

I already have the Torx drivers, nail file, credit cards and suction cups (if actually needed) used in the YouTube videos, so I figure I am set to install it. Robert, it looks fairly easy and apparently a great many people choose the DIY route. They do it on a bed and prop up the case with a pillow.

Norm Solberg

[Robert Seltman]

Ideally you may want some kind of pressurized air in a spray can. I am a stickler for a clean monitor and would feel terrible on finding a hair or a thumb print on the inside after reassembling the monitor. My concern is breaking a delicate connector or needing to have to redo the dissembling. Perhaps I am turning into a scary cat, I am so much in love with this 27" iMac of mine for watching podcasts and movies (Tonight is Pirates of Silicone Valley, the Apple Story).

[yiwai]

Right. iMac-27", Wow

I didn't have a choice for the iMac-24" AL (obtained via Yahoo auction); inner HD650GB was severely damaged at the outset.

A friend of mine needs a replacement of his iMac G5-20" whose power supply is failing,,, with his somewhat reasonable cost.

Y

[Denny Crane]

Ideally you may want some kind of pressurized air in a spray can. I am a stickler for a clean monitor and would feel terrible on finding a hair or a thumb print on the inside after reassembling the monitor. My concern is breaking a delicate connector or needing to have to redo the dissembling. Perhaps I am turning into a scary cat, I am so much in love with this 27" iMac of mine for watching podcasts and movies (Tonight is Pirates of Silicone Valley, the Apple Story).

Good idea re cleanliness, though I try to be reasonable and not overly fastidious. It suits my nature, especially when I put everything back together and find one extra screw left. <g>

Actually, I am now writing this on the suspect iMac. Overnight the HD came back to life and I was able to format and reinstall. It is working fine at the moment, but having failed twice, I am skeptical about its durability and I am glad I ordered a replacement HD.

As you said, I can get a housing and use the original as an external, where it can do less harm.

Norm

[Richard/Awaji]

I think it's a good idea to replace the HDD. But DiskWarrior is also invaluable as part of one's arsenal for fixing about-to-fail-for-good drives!

Richard on Awaji

[Denny Crane]

Thanks to all for your insights and advice. Today I took the iMac apart and installed a new Seagate 1.5 TB 3.5" hard drive, which now works fine. That is 1500 GB, for a surprisingly modest cost.

Although I had already received this new HD from Other World Computing (www.macsales.com), this project became more urgent because the old HD was acting very sluggish and although I could repair permissions, I received a message that I could not repair the disk. That is, it specifically said: this disk cannot be repaired, back up all data and erase and reformat. Since I have already done that twice this month, I figured that it is only a matter of time before the HD permanently fails -- so replacement became quite urgent.

If you wish to do this, let me offer a few tips.

First, Google has several sites found by checking under "replace iMac hard drive." All seem useful, but it is best to look for one with your specific model. Mine is a "white," not an "aluminum." They disassemble slightly differently. Also, YouTube offers several videos showing how to do it. These can also be found through Google or directly. Smalldog Electronics and a kid named Elliott seem to have the best. and neither pretends that you can do the project in 5 minutes, as some claim.

Second, get the right tools. In my case, I only needed (1) a Torx 8 driver for the many small screws and (2) a medium-size Phillips (plus) driver to remove the cover for the RAM chips. It help to have these magnetized (mine aren't), because the screws are very small and go into spots that are somewhat remote. For me, it was helpful also to have a (3) Torx 9 driver, since that held the screw head more tightly as I fitted it into the proper hole. Even so, I lost two screws in the innards of the machine. A (4) long forceps kept that number as low as that.

My iMac was bought in Japan and assembled in China, which may be slightly different from the ones sold in the US, because the instruction steps did NOT exactly match those of the above sites. In some ways, my machine was much simpler inside, without all the protective tape coverings. Mine had six screws holding the display, rather then the four shown in the videos. Also, the HD did not look like the ones in the photos and videos. Nonetheless, the instructions were extremely helpful in figuring out what to do, especially in disconnecting the glued-on temperature sensor in the HD and the other wires. Note, later models use only Western Digital HDs that have built-in temperature sensors, so check your model carefully.

After installing the HD, I started up from the Snow Leopard Install Disk and immediately erased and formatted the new HD as Mac . . (Journaled)." I then got a scare, when I tried to install OS X Snow Leopard, as I got a message saying it could not be installed. I simply tried again, and that time it worked.

Once I had the HD with a proper OS, I restarted from an external HD which had my old drive backed up via SuperDuper, and reinstalled everything from there. That took a LONG time, maybe over three hours, but it is now working smoothly.

Robert, there was a lot of dust inside my housing, which I vacuumed out just before final re-assembly. By that point I think I had discharged all static electricity, but I used the vac sparingly because I have heard that it can create static electricity. The display housing on my particular model, I am happy to say, is a single unit, so there is no way for dust to get behind the screen. Some other models have an outer glass that is held on by magnets and popped out with suction cups such as those used for bath brush hangers.

While it should be simple, installing a new HD is a stressful nuisance. Having done it before in laptops, I knew it could be done and in my situation, the need was urgent. Hopefully, the new HD will be trouble-free. It certainly is a lot bigger than I ever thought I could install, so I am pleased.

Norm