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Powerbook G4 12 inch internal HD can not be formatted
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: New York, NY, USA
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I have been given my brother's old (beat up) 12" Powerbook. I have tried to install a fresh copy of 10.4 on it, but I can not erase the internal drive. Disk Utility can see the drive (and reports the S.M.A.R.T status as verified) but fails erasing with an "Input/output error". I tried to use diskutil eraseVolume in bash, but I get Error -9958. I have searched for this error, but can't find what it means.
Do this sound you like the drive is dead, or the motherboard is damaged?
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The era of anthropomorphizing hardware is over.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Memphis, Tn. USA
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You are booting from a Tiger DVD right?
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: New York, NY, USA
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Originally Posted by romeosc 
You are booting from a Tiger DVD right?
Yes. As I said, the drive can be seen, by both Disk Utility, and through the Terminal using diskutil. I just can't seem to do anything to the drive. The machine boots off the Tiger install DVD just fine.
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The era of anthropomorphizing hardware is over.
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Nov 2005
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Sounds like a hardware problem, but for a sanity check you might try reinstalling from an older copy of OS X.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: New York, NY, USA
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Originally Posted by rehoot
Sounds like a hardware problem, but for a sanity check you might try reinstalling from an older copy of OS X.
I know it's a hardware problem. I want to know what kind. If it's a bad drive, it's a cheap and easy fix. If it's the motherboard, the fix is more difficult.
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The era of anthropomorphizing hardware is over.
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Moderator  Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Polwaristan
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run the hardware test disc if you have it
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
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Almost certainly the drive. Might be a loose connection or a bad cable if you're very lucky. Motherboard would be a distant fourth.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Bellevue, WA
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Might try target disk mode if you have another Mac.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: New York, NY, USA
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Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep
Almost certainly the drive. Might be a loose connection or a bad cable if you're very lucky. Motherboard would be a distant fourth.
Already took it apart and checked the cables, so I will try a new drive when I have the extra $60. Probably after I pay rent. . .
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The era of anthropomorphizing hardware is over.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: New York, NY, USA
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Originally Posted by Kenneth
Might try target disk mode if you have another Mac.
Tried: doesn't work. I swear, my brother could break a brick.
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The era of anthropomorphizing hardware is over.
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Most probably sitting down, London, European Union
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I had some weird things with a 12" once - wouldn't write to CD, etc. You could try zapping the PRAM and see what happens. Start up the machine, hold down cmd-opt-p-r keys all at once, after a few seconds the machine will restart again - let it start up and then try it.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: New York, NY, USA
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Originally Posted by Clive
I had some weird things with a 12" once - wouldn't write to CD, etc. You could try zapping the PRAM and see what happens. Start up the machine, hold down cmd-opt-p-r keys all at once, after a few seconds the machine will restart again - let it start up and then try it.
That was the first thing I tried. I've decided it's a dead drive.
My brother has really beaten the crap out of the machine: the case is actually bent, there is a four or five pixel wide line of dead pixels running vertically down the screen about 3/4 of the way to the right hand edge of the screen, the battery is loose in the compartment. . . I just might take the Airport Extreme card out of the thing and give it to someone for parts, because at this juncture it looks like fixing the thing will get me about half way to a new Macbook.
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The era of anthropomorphizing hardware is over.
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