iBook G3 Not Recognizing Hard Drive

Thanks for the info. Oddly, though, with more apologies to Monty Python, my computer is NOT DEAD YET!! The hardware check CD that came with the iBook found nothing wrong (it did, though, locate the hard drive, so that was good), so I made a last-ditch effort to run Disk Utility from the OS X install disc. Unlike the Disk Utility on the computer itself, this one found the hard drive and actually gave me the option to repair it. Having nothing to lose, I ran that job, and now everything is great after the two problem areas (can't remember them off the top of my head) were repaired. Weird, but I'll take it. No clicking or anything. Of course, a whopping one day has passed, but I'll take what I can get...

NAJ

You see the difference it makes when the utility can actually "see" the HD and, when the OS is not running on it, fix it.

Beware of that drive though, it sent you one message, be ready for the next one, it may be your last from that drive..

You do, of course, have a decent backup plan for all your data?

Thanks for updating us.

In matters like this it is always nice to be hear that the diagnosis was not as bad as first thought.

P

One of the reasons I was really wanting my computer not to die at that point was that I was in the process of doing a periodic backup. Thankfully, after late last week I was able to make all necessary backups; I think, though, that things may be turing permanently for the worse. Whatever my Disk Utility was able to fix might only have been the smallest part of the problem. At least I got my backup done, and now I feel the ol' iBook is on borrowed time. The computer starts up most of the time but now is difficult to wake up, complete with lots more clicking from the hard drive. Maybe it's time to finally replace it...at least I got it this far. Thanks--

NAJ

thanks for the update and feel good that you were able to backup before it finally shuffled off this mortal coil

P

My IBook g3 900mhz also have the same problem, appears the icon folder with a question mark, i can't start from the installation disk, i only hear the sound of the hard drive i think, and them appears the icon folder with the question mark, i dont know if is a hard drive problem but i also can't start from the installation disk so may be are more things damaged.

There are a couple of methods:

1. Insert CD/DVD and restart the computer. Hold down the "C" key when you hear the startup chimes. Keep holding down the "C" until you see the spinning gear under the Apple Logo.

2. Insert CD/DVD and restart the computer. Hold down the "Option" key when you hear the startup chimes. Keep holding it down until you see on the screen the startup disks that are available. Choose the CD/DVD and continue.

Sometimes with a faulty HD, the systems takes forever to decide that it should move on and look for other startup devices. Sometimes it never moves on. Keep trying if you are sure that the disk you have is a good startup disk.

P

My one is doing all of this too, but I bought it second hand with no discs. What was the program called that you used? So I can try to find it... Thanks

was the Disk Utility application.

To successfully repair the boot drive, you have to boot the machine from a different disk.

The OS X installation disk and the iBook Restore Disks are both bootable and have a copy of Disk Utility on them.
If you do not own a copy of either, you will need to either purchase or temporarily borrow a copy from someone.

P

Now I know that most old iBooks probably don't have warranty left.
AppleCare is still available for iBooks, but I don't know if you'd want to try it.

Anyway, when I got AppleCare for my MBP a few months ago, I got TechTool Deluxe, which mrmacfixit already mentioned. If any of you have it installed, you can try running it to check for bad disk blocks.

Of course, I have the latest version, so I'm unsure if previous copies of TechTool have all the routines my copy does. If you update it though, it'll be fine, and you can run scans on all the components where you think the problems are. TechTool or Disk Utility have always helped me in times of hard disk problems. But I haven't experienced a bad disk yet because of my constant maintenance. But then again, it just depends on when the computer decides to give out.

Apple can help if this doesn't work. You could pop the drive out, plug it into an external drive case, and hook it up to another computer. Then you can try running Disk Utility on it. Or you could reformat the whole thing and reinstall the iBook system before putting it back in the iBook.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4660-10165_7-6757491.html?tag=vid.1

That's where Tom Merritt put Mac OS X on a PC, so if you try taking out the hard drive like he did, hook it up to another computer, and put whatever system files back on it, you may get it to work again.

(Note: this is just a reference to making an internal hard drive into an external drive and vice versa ,and doing whatever you want to it.)

Or you could repair it and test it for bad blocks with Disk Utility or, again, TechTool.

Try it.
Hope it helps,
-BeatleMegaFan

can only be purchased during the first warranty year. As this machine was purchased 2nd hand, and has no disks, it is probably way past the warranty expiration point, as you pointed out.

TechTool Pro is a handy tool but it really does not fix anything, just tells you what is wrong.

Unfortunately, hard drives do not just pop in and out on an iBook. There is a fair amount of dismantling to do before access is granted to the drive.
It can be done though.

As OS X is Unix at its core, it is not a question of just dumping system files onto a HD and expecting it to boot. Many of the required files are invisible and do not move with a drag and drop.
If you want a nice weekend project, try making a bootable CD or DVD without copying an entire bootable disk, like your TechTool Pro.

P