Resolved HDD S.M.A.R.T. Status: Failing

[Kanunu]

I had been seeing a lot of beachballs so I took a look at Disk Utility and it tells me that "This drive has a hardware problem that can't be repaired. Back up as much data as possible and replace the disk. See an authorized Apple Dealer for more information." The drive is identified as "1TB ST31`000528AS Media" and is in a late 2010 iMac. At the bottom of the window it says S.M.A.R.T. Status: Failing

I have a daily clone drive made by CarbonCopyCloner.app so I should be OK on the backup but I am a little concerned about getting the work done as I am in Vietnam and the only time I visited the authorized (but 3d party) repair place I could not find anybody that spoke any English and my local wife has about zero tech vocabulary.

How hard would it be to replace the drive myself?

 

[fhall1]

Not as easy as a desktop PC, but not impossible either. Google it and you'll find several guides and videos on how to do it. The important points with an iMac are patience, the right tools, and a clean area to work so you don't trap a lot of dust on the screen when re-assembling. Also, make sure to study about the HD heat sensor...otherwise you'll button it back up and have fans running full bore if you don't reinstall it correctly.

 

[Kanunu]

Thanks

Thanks to fhall1 for the reply. I found an excellent guide easily via Google.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac-Intel-27-Inch-EMC-2309-and-2374-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1634/1

It looks like I could do it easily enough but I lack the proper tools here. I found a place with a tech who spoke some English but all he would say was that they could do the job and bring it in. He would not make any time or cost estimate on the phone. This is one of the drawbacks of an iMac. It sure would be a lot easier to bring in a Macbook or a Mac Mini. My choices for transportation are motorbike or taxi so it looks like a taxi ride next week.

Electronics are overpriced here but labor is cheap so I think if I add 50% to the US cost of the drive I can get the job done. Apple calls this place a Premium Authorized Reseller so I hope Cupertino does at least periodic checks on their competency.

I am thinking about replacing my 1 TB SATA with a 500GB SSD if I can do that here. I have only 156 GB on my drive now as I only have about 8 hours of music in iTunes (if that) and I dump film downloads to external drives as soon as they are done.