jadev
@cox.net
| [OS X] Hard drive dead in Powermac G4, lost everything
My mac crashed this morning. Its a PowerPC G4. I had a few programs open including FireFox, WoW, iChat, iTunes and Adium. I left my computer for a moment, and when I came back my iTunes music was glitching, all the windows were frozen, and the mouse icon was spinning, but not if I pointed it on the desktop. I restarted it, but on the start up screen all I saw was a folder with a ? on it. I put in the start up disk for leopard hoping to reinstall it, but it could not find either of my hard drives to install it on, but it did find my ipod. I disconnected my main HD, and only had my secondary one on. It installed just fine on it. Now when I try to hook up my other HD to get the stuff off of it, it shuts down my computer.
Is there anyway to get the data off of my dead HD? |
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Thinkdiff
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-07
Los Angeles, CA | You mean you tried plugging in the HD while the computer was turned on? Not a very good idea...
What happens if you start the computer up when both HDs connected? Hold down the Option key to tell the computer to boot off the second HD. |
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jadev
@cox.net | reply to jadev
It has the ? on the folder. I tried it. |
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Thinkdiff
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-07
Los Angeles, CA | Even after holding down option while starting up the computer? You don't get a list of system folders to start up from? |
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jadev
@cox.net | reply to jadev
i get a refresh type arrow, and a next type arrow. The next arrow doesn't do anything. |
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Thinkdiff
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-07
Los Angeles, CA
| And there isn't anything showing up above those? What about if you only have the secondary drive connected? Does something show up then?
Make sure you're setting the jumpers correctly on the HDs when you're running one alone or both at the same time. |
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Green Day
Premium
join:2006-09-03
Tucson, AZ
| I don't think the jumpers have anything to do with it, as they never changed from before the crash and after. I'm a good friend of Jade V and I can tell you this is for sure. So if she never changed the jumpers, how could that cause the problem? Also, i don't think she knows what the jumpers are.
Just tryin to help |
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Thinkdiff
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-07
Los Angeles, CA
| If you have a "secondary" HD, it's jumpers should be set to Slave. If you remove "master" HD and boot the computer with only 1 HD attached, you'll need to reconfigure the jumpers.
If she has both HDs connected properly, and at least 1 is working alone, but nothing shows up when both connected, I'm inclined to think the first step in troubleshooting is checking the jumpers in relation to the HD's placement on the IDE cable (master or slave).
It's rare that an HD is so messed up that it forces other HDs in the computer to not be read at all. |
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jadev
@cox.net | reply to jadev
I switched the HDs so, the secondary one is now the main one, and the main one is now the secondary one. I had the new main one hooked up alone and i did the option thing and i was able to select it. When both are connected, I dont get any options. |
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X Man
Sober
Premium
join:2005-09-05
USA
| reply to jadev
said by jadev :
Is there anyway to get the data off of my dead HD?
Pay for pro recovery or maybe you could try and freeze the hard drive. Don't try and boot from the dead drive, and try & use an external firewire enclosure, maybe even keeping the HDD & enclosure in the freezer while trying to recover files. You won't have much time, if it works. 20 minutes, maybe.
I've never tried it, but have heard numerous success stories.
YMMV
Regards,
Mike |
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Thinkdiff
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-07
Los Angeles, CA
edit:
March 28th, @12:28AM
| reply to jadev
Are you sure the jumpers are correct? The HD on the end of the IDE cable should be set to "Master". The HD on the middle of the cable should be "Slave". For simplicity anyway.
Edit: Like posted above, might want to start looking into pro recovery if you know the drive is bad. The less you continue to use the drive the better.
I would try to get the computer to at least see the HDs first though. Could be something simple. Just my opinion. |
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Green Day
Premium
join:2006-09-03
Tucson, AZ | I believe shes talking about just the IDe connections, not the jumpers. |
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Thinkdiff
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-07
Los Angeles, CA
| Right. If she's connecting the "old" master drive and both drives stop functioning, there's definitely a big problem.
To OP: can you try connecting only the old main drive and boot up from the install CD to see if it is recognized at all? Open Disk Utility from the Utilities menu and see if it pops up in there. Do you hear any strange sounds from the HD? Clicks? |
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Green Day
Premium
join:2006-09-03
Tucson, AZ | She told me to tell you she's looking at the jumpers now and she'll be back soon |
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RadioDoc
Sortofadog
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
Chicago, IL
 ·AT&T Midwest
| reply to jadev
"Now when I try to hook up my other HD to get the stuff off of it, it shuts down my computer."
Does it just shut off or is there some intermediate screen? If the computer won't even come on with the bad drive connected it's almost certainly overloading the power supply making it shut down. That's an indication of a failed (shorted) component in the drive and no amount of jumper setting is going to help. A simple test is to set up the computer so that it boots, then try it again with the bad drive connected to power only (no IDE cable) and if the computer won't come on the drive has a short on the 5 volt or 12 volt line.
--
Toolmaster of La Grange. |
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Jade_simone
join:2008-03-28
Glendale, AZ | reply to jadev
Re: [OS X] Hard drive dead in Powermac G4, lost everything
I put the old HD to slave. But its still not showing up in finder. |
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Thinkdiff
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-07
Los Angeles, CA | Check Disk Utility. |
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Jade_simone
join:2008-03-28
Glendale, AZ | reply to jadev
its not poping up there either |
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