[coopernewf]

Hey guys, I'm not great with Macs and this is my first post so please go easy!

This afternoon I uploaded some recent photos from my USB onto iPhoto. My computer completely locked up, to the point that I couldn't use command option escape and I had to manually shut the computer off.

Then, the dramas started..

Upon turning it back on, all I got was a prohibited logo and nothing happened. I followed a number of tips from the apple website, resetting the computer and trying to enter safe mode (which didnt work).

Eventually I entered the start up disk and went to disk utility. My hard drive was nowhere in sight! Just the DVD drive and the DVD inside it! I then looked into a re-install and my drive wasn't there either. It means I can't even format the Mac!

So, is there anything I can do? It sounds like the hard drive has died right? If you have anything I can try let me know. I'm in desperate need of getting it fixed before my university assessment is due.

Thanks in advance,

Leigh

P.S If my hard drive is gone, can I recover data off it?

Edit: I am running snow leopard

[reader50]

It sounds like the hard drive has died. Most likely it had nothing to do with iPhoto - that was what you happened to be doing when the drive quit.

Can you tell us what model of Mac you have? There are things you can try next, but they depend a lot on the hardware. Also, what kind of backups do you have of your data? A Time Machine volume would be ideal.

In the meantime, insert the original Install DVD that came with your Mac and boot with the Option key held down. This will bring up the boot selector, and allows you to select the hidden Diagnostics partition on the Install disc. That's the Apple Hardware Tests, they may produce useful information.

[coopernewf]

I have a Mac book pro 13", purchased late 2009. I think it's the model prior to the current one. I will try booting with the option key down now.

[coopernewf]

If I hold down the option key with the installation disc in, it brings up an icon of the hard drive and an icon of the DVD. If I select the hard drive, I am stuck back on the grey screen with the spinning wheel and the apple logo, if I click on the disc the exact same thing!

[reader50]

My next step would be to replace the hard drive, but that can be hard with some laptops. Your Mac is recent enough for AppleCare coverage. If you have AppleCare, call them or take it to an Apple Store or dealer with service center.

Assuming you don't have coverage and are reasonably handy, I'd replace the HD with a spare. Do a fresh install on the spare, get your MBP booting normally again.

Is there important data on the old HD? Do you have backups? If you really need the old data, put the old HD in an external case to see if Disk Utility can see it there. If DU can at least see the drive, recovery utilities may work. If it won't, there are data recovery services, but they cost an arm and a leg.

[Waragainstsleep]

Never seen the prohibited sign booting from the correct DVD. Sure its the right one?

[jmiddel]

coop, it's not that you're not great with Macs, this crap happens to everyone. In addition to following reader's advice do yourself a huge favor and get an external 2.5 (what's in there now) drive, clone your new internal to it once it's up and running, then get a program such as SuperDuper to backup your internal drive every day, whenever you're sleeping. That way you don't have to worry about the internal one crashing, which they all do sooner or later. For the cloning use this: Carbon Copy Cloner - Home it's called CarbonCopyCloner, it's free and excellent.

[OreoCookie]

You can also use Apple's Disk Utility to clone volumes.