# imac harddrive failing; use external hard drive for imac?



## jasonlee91

i recently downloaded SMARt utility and it says the the overall status of my hard drive is failing.
is it possible to use an external hard drive for my imac and install osx on that since all the other physical parts will still be apple?


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## sinclair_tm

Apple Disk Utility program in the Utilities folder also gives SMART status. Does it also say failing? What caused you to download this other program? Has your iMac been acting weirdly? Is your hard drive very loud or making clicking noises?
As for external drives, yes, iMacs will boot from external drives, but the best thing is to just replace the hard drive on the inside of the iMac.


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## jasonlee91

no the disk utility has smart status verified
i figured a 3rd party app would be better than stock? maybe i am wrong?

this computer is actually a friend of mine.
he tried to sell it to someone but they were having problems with it so they ended up getting the computer back.
ive reinstalled leopared several times.
the first time after about a week, it was stuck at the boot screen and wouldnt go past it.
so reinstalled it.
after about a week, all the applications would crash on open even just after reboot.
so reinstalled it.
now it works well but the thing is i dont know if i am just lucky so far.
so i ram a Rember test and it said memory was fine.
so i looked up the smart utility and that was where i discovered the problem.

so now how should i proceed?


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## Casuallz

jasonlee91 said:


> use an external hard drive for my imac and install osx on that since all the other physical parts will still be apple?


Yes you can and it is pretty simply. There are two ways. 

1. You will need an external hard drive enclosure with a Firewire connection (1394 interface cable). You can either buy an enclosure and put your own hard drive in it, or buy one that has the drive installed. You may need to format the drive for the mac operating system. Once that is done use your Operating System disc and just direct the software to install onto the external drive. 

2. You can use free software called Carbon Copy that will copy your entire hard drive over to the Firewire external drive. This copy will be a mirror image of your system. Once that is done all you will need to do is change your boot to boot from that Firewire drive. Once you have it up you can use it in place of the failed/failing drive.

You can also use this as your backup system :razz:


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## jasonlee91

what are hard drives that i can use as replacements?
do i ahve to buy the one system profiler says:
WDC WD1600JS-40TGB0 Media
the same type should work yes?


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## Casuallz

jasonlee91 said:


> what are hard drives that i can use as replacements?
> do i ahve to buy the one system profiler says:
> WDC WD1600JS-40TGB0 Media
> the same type should work yes?


You would have a hard time finding a Western Digital 160GB hard drive. Standard sizes are much larger now so more than likely it will be larger. You can use any brand you want and any size big enough to hold a copy of your hard drive files. Just make sure the enclosure has "Firewire" cable connections. 

If you go to newegg.com they have a Recertified Seagate FreeAgent 500GB USB 2.0/IEEE 1394 External Hard Drive for $38.99 are you can just click here and go directly to the site. This would work for you.


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## jasonlee91

is firewire slower than an internal ide cable?
say boot time and transfer rates, will they be slower?


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## Casuallz

jasonlee91 said:


> will but this hard drive only has usb
> how will that affect performance in terms of speed?


The drive I indicated has both USB and FIREWIRE. You will be connecting it via "Firewire" not "USB". There should be little to no difference. Mac's will only boot from external hard drives that are connected through the "Firewire" connections. It will not boot from a USB connection.


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## jasonlee91

so is there some kind of way to test if i replace this hard drive, there are still other parts/components of the computer that is having issues?
i have no problem replacing it but i dont know if its worth it if the computer will continue to have issues


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## Casuallz

jasonlee91 said:


> so is there some kind of way to test if i replace this hard drive, there are still other parts/components of the computer that is having issues?
> i have no problem replacing it but i dont know if its worth it if the computer will continue to have issues


What other issues are you having? Most hardware on a iMac can be replaced including the hard drive. Once you boot from the external that will be your first test and you will know right away if some issues go away.


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## sinclair_tm

Casuallz said:


> Mac's will only boot from external hard drives that are connected through the "Firewire" connections. It will not boot from a USB connection.


This is incorrect, as there is at least one Mac that doesn't even have firewire. All Macs that came with USB2 ports can boot from USB2 drives, and it is the method most Apple stores use.

As for testing the rest of the hardware, do you have the DVDs that came with the Mac when it was new? One of them will be a hardware test DVD that you boot from and run to test your hardware. If not, then there really isn't much you can do. As for hard drives, we'd need to know which iMac you have to know if it has a 3.5 or 2.5 hard drive. Most likely it's a 3.5, and it will be SATA. If newer, then even a SATA2. As for speed, you will not notice it most times if you are using an internal or external drive. But the best setup is always boot and run programs from an internal drive, and if you are working with large video or image files, put them on an external drive.


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## Casuallz

jasonlee91 said:


> so is there some kind of way to test if i replace this hard drive, there are still other parts/components of the computer that is having issues?
> i have no problem replacing it but i dont know if its worth it if the computer will continue to have issues


What model iMac do you have?


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## jasonlee91

it is an imac g5 10.6.8
i actually thought it was a g4 but i was wrong


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## jasonlee91

and no i dont have the disk
can i get it somehow?


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## sinclair_tm

You'd get the disks from whom ever bought the Mac brand new, that's about it.
Also, it can't be running OS X 10.6.8 for two reasons, 10.6 is only for Intel Macs, not G5s which are PowerPC, and the latest version of OS X is 10.6.7. But it can take any desktop SATA hard drive. About the only thing you can do is replace the hard drive and see if how it runs.


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## Casuallz

I would need to get the exact model of your iMac to see which restore disc it might need so if you can flip your iMac on it's face and give me the EMC number off the bottom of the stand as in the picture below. I may be able to locate the disc online for you.










you also did not mention what other issues you were having with your iMac G5. So, foward any other information so I can attempt to answer your questions.


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## Casuallz

You can follow these steps and view exactly which "Mac OS X" version that is installed on your computer. 

1 Start up your iMac.
2 When you see the Mac OS desktop, choose top left on the Apple logo > About This Mac, and a window similar to this should open and show which OS you have. 











From what I can tell your computer could have had Mac OS X 10.3 Panther on it but someone could have upgraded it as far as Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. It should not have Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on it but if it does than that may explain some of the problems. Snow Leopard was designed to run on newer iMac, and other Mac's with the Intel Processors.

Hope this helps


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## jasonlee91

number is 2114

so it was working fine until one day they tried to reinstall os x but couldnt cause they didnt know how to use disk utility

so i reinstalled it and it was working well for about a week until it was stuck at the laoding boot screen

then reinstalled it and after about a week again, all the applications and stuff crashed right away and i couldnt use the computer

so i reinstalled osx and now it works great except for the report saying that its failing


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## jasonlee91

and it is 10.5.8


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## jasonlee91

oh and another thing, are recertified hard drives supposed to have a good lfiespan?
or i was thinking:
New Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500G SATA3 6G Hard Drive on eBay.ca (item 200586998711 end time 14-Apr-11 09:40:33 EDT)
would that work? would it be better???

and what about usb/firewire? do they both work or just firewire?


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## sinclair_tm

I have a couple of both types of drives. As long as the warranty is the same, it should be fine. As for USB and firewire, the G5 iMac can boot from both, but only connect the drive with one of the connectors, not both. If you have a choice, then firewire, but for cost reasons you have a USB2 only drive, you'll be fine. It's still best to replace the internal hard drive.


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## jasonlee91

ok so i was just researching and looking around and my mac has these star shaped screw drivers that ive never seen before
is it possible to get these? haha i heard that apple does these things


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## sinclair_tm

Not knowing where you live, I couldn't tell you if you can get them locally or not, but a Google search should get you one.


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## Casuallz

jasonlee91 said:


> number is 2114


Okay so now we have the EMC so I believe your computer is a "iMac Core 2 Duo" and it should look something like the picture below:








Let me know if I have the correct model

If I am correct then you indeed have an "Intel Processor" model which means it would not be a "iMac G5" even though they look similar.



jasonlee91 said:


> and it is 10.5.8


Your Operating System is Leopard w/updates. And, since you have reinstalled it a couple of times I think you must have the OS X Leopard Disc. So maybe you have the Retail version of Leopard so if you do it has the utilities on that disc also. 



jasonlee91 said:


> oh and another thing, are recertified hard drives supposed to have a good lfiespan?
> or i was thinking:
> New Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500G SATA3 6G Hard Drive on eBay.ca (item 200586998711 end time 14-Apr-11 09:40:33 EDT)
> would that work? would it be better???
> 
> and what about usb/firewire? do they both work or just firewire?


Re-certified drives can work well and save a few dollars. Their warranties my be shorter though. I don't know about them working better but they can work as good as a new device. This one you have selected on eBay is an internal hard drive and I thought your original post was about booting from an external hard drive. The one I suggested here is a better deal because you get both Firewire, USB2, and the external case all for less than the one you found on eBay. Plus, it comes from a well known site if you should have issues with the product. If you actually want to install an internal hard drive (Click video to play and click again to go to youtube site to find other videos on subject) here  here are some videos on youtube that might help. Be sure to look until you find one that suits your needs. 

The quick and dirty would be to do the external boot for your test purposes. 



jasonlee91 said:


> ok so i was just researching and looking around and my mac has these star shaped screw drivers that ive never seen before
> is it possible to get these? haha i heard that apple does these things


Those are Torx screws which require a Torx Screw driver set and can be bought at most Hardware stores, and Computer Stores.

So, you got your work cut out for you so do you want the Red pill (HARD) or the Blue pill (EASIER)? :4-dontkno


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## jasonlee91

i know and that external is sooo tempting but i live in canada and that only ships to states i think
are there ways of getting newegg.COM into canada??
and yes it is intel duo core 2 and everything you described up there was correct about my computer
only thing is i had an install disk but it started getting damaged so i made an iso copy of it and now i use my hdd will it still work if i press D on boot?
and also then does that mean G5's dont have an intel processor?
while mine does which makes it look the same as a G5 but its actually not?


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## sinclair_tm

G5s and Core are two different CPUs. The G5 was made by IBM, the Core by Intel. The G5 is a PowerPC, and the Core x86. In other words, they are very different.

I thought Newegg had worldwide shipping, but I may be wrong.

As for an ISO of the install DVD, they generally don't work, and forum rules prevent any further discussion about ISOs of the copyrighted OS. As for booting from other then the internal hard drive, hold down the option key when you turn it on, that will load the boot menu which will list all bootable things the iMac sees.


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## jasonlee91

Is it prevented even though I own the cd?
And they do have world wide shipping but there are two separate sites sort of like amazon does for Canada and US. 
If I buy a retail install disk will it then have a diagnostic software in it?


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## zoomber

jasonlee91 said:


> oh and another thing, are recertified hard drives supposed to have a good lfiespan?
> or i was thinking:
> New Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500G SATA3 6G Hard Drive on eBay.ca (item 200586998711 end time 14-Apr-11 09:40:33 EDT)
> would that work? would it be better???
> 
> and what about usb/firewire? do they both work or just firewire?




if the imac g5 does support sata3, it will work. If it doesn't work with your imac or you just want to feel more comfortable buying a hard drive, id try newegg.com

Newegg.com - Hard Drives, Internal Hard Drives, Western Digital Hard Drives, Seagate Hard Drives, Hitachi Hard Drives, SAMSUNG Hard Drives, Hard Drive[/url

-edit- oops, apparently I missed a page, sorry about that.-


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## Casuallz

jasonlee91 said:


> i know and that external is sooo tempting but i live in canada and that only ships to states i think
> are there ways of getting newegg.COM into canada??
> and yes it is intel duo core 2 and everything you described up there was correct about my computer
> only thing is i had an install disk but it started getting damaged so i made an iso copy of it and now i use my hdd will it still work if i press D on boot?
> and also then does that mean G5's dont have an intel processor?
> while mine does which makes it look the same as a G5 but its actually not?


Your Canada version of Newegg has the same external hard drive here for just a few dollars more if shipping from the U.S. is an issue. Use google to fix your Operating Disc... or just go to eBay and purchase another copy of Leopard from one of the many sellers there. You can also click this image of "Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard" below

 

and it will take you to the MegaMacs site where you can purchase it. Also browse around the site you may find other useful things you might need for your "iMac Core 2 Duo" which is what it is called. You may want to only call it by it's name for less confusion and yes it has an "Intel Processor". 

I can't possibly answer all your questions before you start but you will learn so much more by going through the process of fixing your computer with the information you have gathered. Don't be afraid to go ahead and start your project and see how your handy work turns out. 

In the future if you are not sure if a site ships to Canada you could put the item you want to order in the cart and then fill in your address or zip code to see if they let you complete the purchase. Or, call them at their "1 800" number and just ask. You could just send a e-mail to the customer support also.


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## jasonlee91

alright
that all sounds good
thank you so much for taking your own time to help me
i think i can go on myself from here
thank you


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## sinclair_tm

Retail disks of the OS do not have the diagnosis software. If you can't find the disk that came with the Mac, then you'll have to buy diagnosis software, or take the iMac to Apple. This is what Apples uses.


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## Casuallz

Found you an original install disc version of Leopard on ebay for your iMac Core 2 Duo just click HERE and see if this will work for you.


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## jasonlee91

Will the original disk work better than techtool?


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## sinclair_tm

The original DVD also has iLife on it, other then that, I don't know what differences there will be.


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