Mac laptops forum: Internal HD works, but cannot be edited (it can be seen)

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Answer Best answer as chosen by user SwenVanK

Part of your problem

by Jimmy Greystone - 9/13/11 5:55 PM

In Reply to: Internal HD works, but cannot be edited (it can be seen) by SwenVanK

Part of your problem is you're using a MBR partition table, where Intel based Macs tend to prefer GUID. You won't be able to install OS X onto a MBR partition table drive, so don't get too attached to any data on the drive.

That said, I'd say this is a pretty classic case of a bad HDD bracket. Which is good, it's cheap and fairly easy to replace. The bad part is that you're unlikely to find this particular cable third party. So you might be able to convince some AASP in your area to sell you just the part, but it might take a little doing since they're going to make very little money off the sale.

And don't feel too bad. It took me 2-3X of running into issues like this before I stopped being fooled by it. It's easy to get taken in. I still regularly get units where someone initially diagnosed it as a bad logic board, and then I embarrass the crap out of them fixing it with like a $10 part. There are a couple of common issues that are almost always a bad HDD bracket, this is one of them. It also doesn't rule out that your old drive is bad either. It may well be failing, which may be why the new drive was detected and the stock drive wasn't.

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Hopefully the cable

by SwenVanK - 9/13/11 10:52 PM

In Reply to: Part of your problem by Jimmy Greystone

I've read the cnet article and tried the commands interminal, however it didn't work...
Getting a new cable is indeed the next step, only difficult to find in Europe (Netherlands) they all seem to come from the US...

maybe i can convince someone to borrow his/her cable! Keep you guys updated

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That won't work

by Jimmy Greystone - 9/14/11 6:06 AM

In Reply to: Hopefully the cable by SwenVanK

That won't work. Those cables are custom sized specifically for each model, so unless you know if you have a Mid-09, Mid-2010, or Early 2011 MBP, and then know for certain someone else has the exact same model, the cables won't necessarily line up. It's also more than just the HDD cable, the white light that tells you the computer is booting, and then fades in and out when it's in sleep mode (which is why it's called the Sleep Indicator Light) is part of the same cable, and that is actually glued down to the top case. So you only want to remove these if you're going to replace them with another one. Even if you don't mind the fact that the glue isn't strong enough (it's basically a form of rubber cement, which I think we all know was rather poorly named) to be reliable on a second application, you're very likely to introduce stress breaks inside the cable by pulling it up. So, there's no telling if the cable would work again, and if it did, for how long. Short of you having access to an x-ray scanner that you can use to look inside at the actual metal filaments anyway.

This is one of those repairs that shouldn't be too expensive to have done if that's what it takes. The labor fees will be the biggest component.

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Still hoping....

by SwenVanK - 9/15/11 12:21 PM

In Reply to: That won't work by Jimmy Greystone

I figured it was a custom cable, so i ordered it directly at Apple and i thought the light was included with the cable ( they asked for my serial no to send me the spectific cable...) it will arrive tomorrow.... And even if i don't get the light to work i will at least know if it was the cable or not... Getting pretty nervous...

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Interesting

by Jimmy Greystone - 9/15/11 5:43 PM

In Reply to: Still hoping.... by SwenVanK

Interesting. This is a component part I wouldn't think they would give out to anyone who isn't working for an AASP. So, bonus for you I guess. But the SIL is part of the same cable, as you'll see when you get it. Just make sure you have a PH0 or PH00 screwdriver handy, and there's two screws holding the cable to the top case that butts up against the optical drive. Those, from experience, will be the sort of screw that will strip out for like no reason, so be careful with those.

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Got it and fixed it!

by SwenVanK - 9/16/11 5:44 AM

In Reply to: Interesting by Jimmy Greystone

The cable from apple arrived today (all the way from china) it was that expensive (40€) because the sleeping light, tape, and everything (the whole side thingy around the sleeping light) was included. Was <5 min to install (very easy, no hassle with the screws and only one screwdriver needed) and finally I can type this message from my own macbook again! Thanks guys for your opinions, I'm so glad it is fixed for such a low price! I ordered the part at an alliated store, they send it directly to me, maybe thats why I could order it! (was very good service, and it was exactly the right cable)

regards,

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Answer Best answer as chosen by user SwenVanK

How much have you researched this?

by R. Proffitt - 9/13/11 3:59 PM

In Reply to: Internal HD works, but cannot be edited (it can be seen) by SwenVanK

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10430235-263.html is very interesting and seems to echo your issues but not your methods to fix it.
Bob

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