MBP 2011 can't find harddrive (not problem with drive or cable)

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MBP 2011 can't find harddrive (not problem with drive or cable)

My early 2011 MBP 13" was running fine, then froze up. On restart I got the image of the folder with a question mark on it (the Mystery Folder) - the system couldn't find a drive to boot from.

I took it to a genius bar and the, ahem, "genius" said the system couldn't find the drive because of a problem with the drive. "The drive's dead" he said. I hadn't backed it up, and was freaking out that I'd lose all my data. The only option he said Apple could do would be to take it away (for a week) and put a new hard drive in for £80. They'd take the old drive out, and I wouldn't get it back to try and recover the data.

I asked about replacing the drive myself, as I've done that on PCs, and he said I could try it.

I bought a new hard drive, and an external enclosure. I put the new hard drive in the MBP - Mystery Folder. I put the old drive in the external enclosure - it starts up! Everything still there, exactly as I left it when it froze. I clone the old hard drive onto the new one, try booting from the new drive in the MBP. Mystery Folder. I connect the new drive with an external enclosure - it starts up! And everything running fine.

It's the cable, I hear you cry. So I ordered a new internal cable. Replaced it. Started it up. Mystery Folder.

So, it's not the hard drive, it's not the cable. What is it?!

Posted on Apr 18, 2013 2:37 AM

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Answer 1

OGELTHORPE

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57,305 points

Apr 18, 2013 2:45 AM in response to dpb81

I am not certain that I understand exactly what you did.

You have two HDDs, an old one and a new one. They are clones of each other.

Wiil both boot the MBP when in an enclosure?

Will both boot the MBP when installed in the MBP? (apparently not, but test both).

Ciao.

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Answer 2

dpb81 Author

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Apr 18, 2013 2:51 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

Hi Ogelthorpe.

That's right - I now have 2 hard drives, clones of each other.

Both will boot when in an enclosure and connected with a USB.

Neither will boot when inside the MBP.

So it's not the drives that are the problem. Therefore it's an internal cable problem?

I replaced the cable.

Neither drive works when connected internally with the new cable.

What else could it be that means the system can't see the hard drive when connected internally?

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Answer 3

OGELTHORPE

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57,305 points

Apr 18, 2013 3:22 AM in response to dpb81

It still is the cable or some other internal connection. Your replacement cable may not be properly installed or is faulty to begin with. Make certain that you seat the SATA plug correctly.

You may have to take it to an Apple store for a free diagnosis. Clearly the problem lies inside the MBP.

Ciao.

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Answer 4

dpb81 Author

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Apr 18, 2013 3:41 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

Thanks, I have a Genius appointment this afternoon, but the last one was not much use!

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Answer 5

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,305 points

Apr 18, 2013 4:00 AM in response to dpb81

All of the Genius bar technicians are not the same. Perhaps you will get a more savvy one. Good luck.

Ciao.

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Answer 6

dpb81 Author

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Apr 21, 2013 8:43 AM in response to dpb81

Got it fixed! Apparently it was the bracket which attaches the cable on the inside of the machine. So replacing the cable didn't do it. The people at the genius bar thought the cable I got through Amazon wasn't the right part, as it was missing a bracket.

The bracket cost £12 to replace, they didn't charge for labour. The only irritating thing was had I known this in the first place, I could have saved myself a lot of money - I didn't need a new HDD at all.

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