Blinking "?" folder, and missing Mac HD. How to recover data before reinstalling SL?

Question

Blinking "?" folder, and missing Mac HD. How to recover data before reinstalling SL?

My image files must be saved! They are my livelihood, and no other data on the computer matters to me at all. In the process of backing up files to DVD's when my son accidentally knocked the iMac (OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard) onto the lower desk and caught it before smashing into the ground, none the less the mac took a good hit. I'm afraid the hard drive may be physically damaged, but I'm trying to narrow out every other possibilty before paying to fix it or more to recover the data. (Although I'm a novice, not completely computer illiterate, if expalined I can usually figure it out.) I have googled and tried everything I can find. Here's what I've tried and failed at:

Details:

The mac dropped. No outer damage. I replugged the cord and attempted to start normally. A plain white screen turned into the white screen with Blinking "?" Folder. I waited and eventually shut it down by using the back power button.
First, I unplugged everything from iMac to the wall. Took batteries out of the mouse and keyboard (just in case). Waited about 3-5 minutes and replugged and restarted. Same thing happened... "?" folder.
Next, tried pressing option during startup to start in Startup Manager. White screen showing a movable cursor. That's it. (no "?" shows)
Restart. Reset PRAM (command+option+P+R) which did reset the time (wrong), but nothing else.
Tried to Boot in Safe Mode; unsuccessful. (pressed shift after the mac tone and also tried again holding shift before I hit the power button, neither worked.)
Tried Single User Mode (command+S at startup) no luck.

Inserted Installation Disk (that came with my iMac) took awile to load the language screen, click continue to the installation screen (with the X on it). I read NOT to click continue on this page and to choose a startup disk from the menu. (there were 2 start up disks showing.) 1. Installation DVD and 2.

Network Startup (which I later tried to choose and it said "You can't change the startup disk to the selected disk. The bless tool was unable to set the current boot disk")

Searched the Disk Utility for the Mac HD and it is not showing. The only showing in the Install DVD (2 heirarchy disks showing)
First Aid was not available because the internal hard drive is not found.
Later I plugged in an External WD Passport Drive; It DID show up in Disk Utitlity (alongside the install disk.)

Ejected the Install Disk
Restarted with the Applications Install DVD (the other disk that came with the iMac.)
Passed the Quick Harware Test
Passed the Full Hardware Test
Eject; Restart.

In conclusion, my mac basically cannot locate it's startup disk or internal hard drive where all of my images are located. I need HELP!

My priority is recovering image files. I read that SL does not have an option for "Archive and Reinstall" b/c it does it automatically. I don't want to chance the reinstall at the risk of losing my image files.

Another post within this forum says: "SL installer merely replaces the system files. It does not alter or remove applications, user data, or preferences."

So my question in regards to the reinstall is this:

"Since my hard drive cannot be found in disk utility, will my images/data be able to be found and archived during a re-install?" and if I decide to chance it, can a product like Data Rescue 3 recover the information later (after reinstall?) Hope it makes sense, and thank you for any advice, it is greatly appreciated.

Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Jan 23, 2012 9:28 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 23, 2012 9:33 PM in response to GrEEnEyedGoldiE

In reply to my own post... I just read a similar post that says even if attempt a Reinstall I won't be able to if I cannot locate the HD. Is this true?

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Answer 2

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Jan 23, 2012 9:45 PM in response to GrEEnEyedGoldiE

So my question in regards to the reinstall is this:

"Since my hard drive cannot be found in disk utility, will my images/data be able to be found and archived during a re-install?" and if I decide to chance it, can a product like Data Rescue 3 recover the information later (after reinstall?) Hope it makes sense, and thank you for any advice, it is greatly appreciated.

If the drive is damaged to the extent that DU can't see it, or even reformat it, then it's an academic question about doing a reinstall.

You could try Disk Warrior but I really think the drive is toast. If the heads happened to be moving when you dropped the machine, there might have been a "head crash" which would basically destroy one or more of the platters. Drives are made to handle large G forces, but I don't think that's the case while on and the heads are not parked.

I suspect your only alternative is to try an (expensive) data recovery service.

If all your critical stuff was on this one disk why were you not making backups?

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Answer 3

Jan 23, 2012 10:10 PM in response to X423424X

All my client work is saved online in a hosting gallery. Anything I get paid for, is safe. All my personal portfolio / school (NYIP) images were saved in 2 seperate photo programs (in case of software crash). When I had time I would copy images to DVD, in hopes of being able to afford a time machine soon. Unfortunately I had not gotten to saving images shot within the last year. (probably should have saved the most important images first, instead of saving by date but it was the only way I could keep it organized) We have WD passport and a TB but the iMac would freeze up everytime I plugged them in, so I stopped trying to back up to them.

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Answer 4

Jan 23, 2012 10:29 PM in response to X423424X

X423424X wrote:

If the heads happened to be moving when you dropped the machine, there might have been a "head crash" which would basically destroy one or more of the platters. Drives are made to handle large G forces, but I don't think that's the case while on and the heads are not parked.

The mac was in sleep mode and my son tried to plug in a usb to the back when it tipped over. He says he got it plugged in and the password popped up right before it fell. So I'm guessing it had started running.

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Answer 5

Jan 24, 2012 1:03 AM in response to GrEEnEyedGoldiE

Update for anyone else has this problem: I took the mac to a local IT guy. The motor in the HD was frozen and it needs to be sent to a specialist. There is hope, but it's gonna cost a pretty penny. He is replacing the HD and at least I'll have the computer back in the meantime. Thanks for helping.

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Answer 6

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Jan 24, 2012 1:17 AM in response to GrEEnEyedGoldiE

The motor in the HD was frozen and it needs to be sent to a specialist.

Please post an update in the future should you ever actually get that motor replaced, or disk salvaged. I didn't even know there were "specialists" that could actually do that other than maybe the manufacturer and I am not sure they would do it either, i.e., they would replace the drive with a refurbished unit and even if they would replace the motor (heads, whatever) you could never count of the data being preserved across their disk validation procedures.

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Answer 7

jlorre

Level 1

0 points

Sep 6, 2013 2:13 AM in response to GrEEnEyedGoldiE

another reason for a disk to refuse to spin up, can be a head sticking to a platter.

If nothing else helps and the disk would be considered lost :

As a way of LAST resort there are 2 things you could try.

1. you could try by putting the disk in the deepfreeze for a day.

The mechanical forces caused by cooling it down and subsequently warming it up sometimes unblocks the blocked item. Wrap it in a sealed plastic bag before putting it in the deepfreeze, and when you take it out

afterwards then let it warm up in the bag for a day to let evaporate all external and internal condensation

before you try to spin it up again.

2. as a real LAST LAST resort, try hitting the table with the disk (perpendicular to the rotation axis) with a mild hit. The shock might unblock the sticking heads. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but I read about his helping, and if you have nothing to loose, then why not try it ?

When you succeed to get to your data on the disk in one of these brutal ways, i would not use it anymore for other work after that. Its life expectancy will have become negligible.

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