Any computer wizzes out there?

[Stephen Raff]

I think I can kind of getting with this being classed as photography equipment.

I dropped my Macbook this evening and now funny enough it doesn't work. When I turn it on the hard drive makes some funny noises and a flashing folder appears on the screen.

I guess and hope that just my hard drive is dead and so will pick a new on up tomorrow and fit it. But I have just realized what I think is a major problem, my cd/dvd drive doesn't work. My system is backed up on an external HD but how am I going to install the OS discs???

I'm guessing whether its Mac or PC the general solution will be the same.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or help.

Stephen

[tcvarlh]

Originally Posted by Stephen Raff

I think I can kind of getting with this being classed as photography equipment.

I dropped my Macbook this evening and now funny enough it doesn't work. When I turn it on the hard drive makes some funny noises and a flashing folder appears on the screen.

I guess and hope that just my hard drive is dead and so will pick a new on up tomorrow and fit it. But I have just realized what I think is a major problem, my cd/dvd drive doesn't work. My system is backed up on an external HD but how am I going to install the OS discs???

I'm guessing whether its Mac or PC the general solution will be the same.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or help.

Stephen

I'm not certain about Mac's (got one, an iMac, but it rarely gets used) but can you boot from a USB stic? if so, is it possible to squirrel the OS onto the Stic and boot from there, you may need the help of a second Mac user to do this. Other than getting the Optical drive fixed I can't see another way. (What did you drop it onto and from how high? HDD's should handle over 350 G's, must have been some fall!)
h

[Stephen Raff]

Fell on to a lightly lino'd floor over concrete and landed dead flat on its base. After now removing the hard drive it sounds like a babies rattle, boy am I glad everything is backed up to an external.

I'm going to try and find someone with a external dvd drive and install the OS discs from there. But I'm not sure if the mac will recognize the dvd player without already having the OS installed,I think the install discs probably contain all the drivers?

Well if I cant fix it this will certainly make my other post regarding camera choices alot easier will be time to pull out the old AE-1 and some velvia

Stephen

[artdemole]

Did you try re -seating the drive cable and every thing else which might have suffered from the shock of the fall.If controller board is gone then it's an expensive repair.

[Jason Green]

Afternoon Steven,

Try re-connecting the HD (I assume it's a ribbon-type thing?); the flashing folder thing (I have Linux, so no direct experience) sounds like it's unable to find it. It may mean it needs re-connnecting... worth a try!

Glad it's all backed-up.

Take care,

Jason

[Stephen Raff]

Put a new (more space) hard drive in for £40, prized the dvd player slot open a little while it was working and managed to get everything reinstalled and working.

A close call that... please if you don't already BACK UP YOU SYSTEMS I would of be one very unhappy person if I hadn't.

Thank you for looking in.
Stephen

[tcvarlh]

Happy Christmas Stephen!
h

[Stephen Raff]

Originally Posted by tcvarlh

Happy Christmas Stephen!
h

Thank you

[nigel_b]

Originally Posted by Stephen Raff

Fell on to a lightly lino'd floor over concrete and landed dead flat on its base. After now removing the hard drive it sounds like a babies rattle, boy am I glad everything is backed up to an external.

I'm going to try and find someone with a external dvd drive and install the OS discs from there. But I'm not sure if the mac will recognize the dvd player without already having the OS installed,I think the install discs probably contain all the drivers?

Well if I cant fix it this will certainly make my other post regarding camera choices alot easier will be time to pull out the old AE-1 and some velvia

Stephen

The bootstrap loader should include support for a cd/dvd reader, or, you should be able to use the cd/dvd reader without having a full OS installed.

All this "driver" rubbish is marketing by windows and applications for windows writers rather than necessary from an engineering point of view. It allows them to put in hooks for their products and fill your PCs memory with rubbish you don't need.

Its soooooo bad, how on earth windows became the de facto standard ubiquitous OS is way beyond my understanding, but I know that is going off-topic from your now-solved Mac problem.

[Stephen Raff]

Not a fan of windows then Nigel me neither, mac all the way.