Member Avatar for WolfW

Hi,

I have just returned from a trip overseas and left my iMac wrapped up in the attic. When I got it down and left it to acclimatise to normal room temperature for 2 days it wouldn't start.
I can hear the chime sound and then the spinning thing comes on and never stops.
The hardware scanning software detected a error: "2STF/8/3:ATA-100 ata-6-master" but only during the first run. Two subsequent scans did not generate any error messages.
Any ideas would be warmly received.

Wolf
England

PS: my iBook died during my journey in December 2005: the HD went first and after it was replaced for $300 the logic board gave up one week later.

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Member Avatar for yellow

That error looks like a hard drive failure. It's pointing at the Master device on the ATA bus.

Have you tried booting from your intallation CD/DVD that came with the computer and repairing the drive?


If that faills, tru a PMU reset (You can find out how on the Apple support website).

Member Avatar for WolfW

yellow,

Thanks for your reply.
I have tried booting from the Installation disc. I cannot get beyong the "Select Destination" stage, neither by booting via the disc nor by selecting the HD.
The computer is unresponsive to Force Quit and Restart. I always have to use Force Shut Down.

Cheers
Wolf

Member Avatar for yellow

We're not reinstalling, we're repaiting the drive, so you boot from the installer disc, choose Disk Utility from one of the pull down menus as soon as you are able, and then "Repair Disk".

As noted, you should also try a PMU reset.

Member Avatar for WolfW

yellow,

Cheers. I tried the PMU reset but it didn't work.
And I have said, the OS X installation disc doesn't go beyond 'select a drive', where no drives come up.
I think the HD is faulty.
Maybe it didn't like the damp in the loft for one year...
I wonder if I could use the HD from my iBook, which now has a faulty logic board?

Wolf

Member Avatar for yellow

There shouldn't be a need to "select a drive". Once you're at the point beyond choosing the language, you should have access to the pull-down menus in order to run Disk Utility, which you need to try before you try anything else.

I wonder if I could use the HD from my iBook, which now has a faulty logic board?

You'd have to get a cable adapter, as the laptop uses a 2.5"HD and the iMac probably uses a 3.5"HD.

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