Death, Flashing Folders, and a Funny Apple Care Guy

[abijnk]

So, I was surfing Ebay and my computer froze up and was acting all wierd, I couldn't do anything. I tried to force quit everything I was in to no avail, so I shut down my laptop manually Tried to start it back up again, and no go... I get the grey screen, but no Apple or spinning gear... Then to my dismay, I get a flashing folder with a question mark in it. Oh great, hard drive failure...

So, I am currently on the line with this really funny Apple Care guy who is trying to resolve my problems...

Quick opinions? I personally think my hard drive just died... Has anyone else with an Air had a hard drive die? I can't remember seeing any threads about it...

 

[Quint]

Chances are you're hard drive isn't dead. More than likely you damaged a system file when you had to do a hard shutdown. If you have the external superdrive, try booting from the startup disc and run Repair Disk. If you have set up remote disc already, you may be able to boot from the system disc remotely. It is unlikely that you did any physical damage to the HDD and just need to repair the boot system.

 

[abijnk]

Well, even the Apple Care guy who was a "mammal with a brain," as he kept referring to himself, couldn't help me...

My computer wasn't recognizing the hard drive anymore. I drove 2 hours to my local Apple store to get it exchanged, and the one they were supposed to be holding for me magically disappeared, along with all the rest in the Saint Louis stores... So, now I am typing this on a SR Macbook Pro, unfortunately I just can't be without a computer. Not a total loss, but I sure am going to miss the air. What a great computer...

 

[djinn]

Just as long as your happy, thats what counts.

 

[la101]

Chances are you're hard drive isn't dead. More than likely you damaged a system file when you had to do a hard shutdown. If you have the external superdrive, try booting from the startup disc and run Repair Disk. If you have set up remote disc already, you may be able to boot from the system disc remotely. It is unlikely that you did any physical damage to the HDD and just need to repair the boot system.

if there was physical damage, can they tell even if there is no external physical damage?

 

[ziggyonice]

Depends on how bad the physical damage was. They won't open the hard drive up or anything, but it'd have to be quite bad to see anything -- even on the outside of the hard drive case itself.

 

[manhattanboy]

Well, even the Apple Care guy who was a "mammal with a brain," as he kept referring to himself, couldn't help me...

My computer wasn't recognizing the hard drive anymore. I drove 2 hours to my local Apple store to get it exchanged, and the one they were supposed to be holding for me magically disappeared, along with all the rest in the Saint Louis stores... So, now I am typing this on a SR Macbook Pro, unfortunately I just can't be without a computer. Not a total loss, but I sure am going to miss the air. What a great computer...

Was this an SSD or HDD???

 

[NC MacGuy]

This thread is over a year old.
Sure OP has moved on.

 

[la101]

This thread is over a year old.
Sure OP has moved on.

true. but i am sure that this thread can help hundreds of other desperate searchers come closer to identify the problem with their computer.