a while ago the hard drive in my 2011 imac failed so i’ve been booting off an external ssd, however recently my fans have started running very loud shortly after startup, in addition after my computer boots i get a message saying “the disk you inserted was not readable by this computer”, and the internal drive is still making clicking sounds on startup. Mostly concerned with the fans. thanks for your time!
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issues with fans after hdd failure
- Thread starter seaton
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I think you need to disconnect the internal hard drive. The failed drive times out during boot, which is likely the reason the fans kick up during boot. As you have to remove the LCD panel to get to the hard drive, this would also be a great opportunity to pull the old hard drive completely, and replace with an SSD.
You should also get the thermal sensor (made for use in your iMac) from OWC. https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIDIMACHDD11/
Internal SSD would get the speed that your iMac is capable of. Your present SSD, if you are using the USB 2.0 connection, is just a work-around at this point. If you are using a FW800 drive, you can still get noticeably better performance from an internal SSD.
You should also get the thermal sensor (made for use in your iMac) from OWC. https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIDIMACHDD11/
Internal SSD would get the speed that your iMac is capable of. Your present SSD, if you are using the USB 2.0 connection, is just a work-around at this point. If you are using a FW800 drive, you can still get noticeably better performance from an internal SSD.
thanks for getting back to me, yeah i figured that would be the best solution, curious if there’s anything i can do with it set up the way it currently is
Yes.
The problem is likely because your hard drive has failed.
The fans would probably work normally, if you go inside, then disconnect the internal hard drive.
Oh, and the hard drive can't make any noise if it is not powered on (disconnected)
There would be some steps you could take with terminal commands, so that your system ignores the hard drive --- but that doesn't always help. The hard drive still gets power, and might still interfere with the rest of the system until you physically disconnect the internal SATA cable.
The problem is likely because your hard drive has failed.
The fans would probably work normally, if you go inside, then disconnect the internal hard drive.
Oh, and the hard drive can't make any noise if it is not powered on (disconnected)
There would be some steps you could take with terminal commands, so that your system ignores the hard drive --- but that doesn't always help. The hard drive still gets power, and might still interfere with the rest of the system until you physically disconnect the internal SATA cable.
There was a run of Macs, about this vintage, that required the HD to provide temps to the OS. OEM drives had a specific firmware as I recall, required to provide this info.
Same thing happens—fan(s) go into high speed mode—when drives are replaced with a non-OEM model. As mentioned, if the drive has failed, it would do the same thing as wrong drive (or no drive); fan controller does not get proper input, fans go into high speed mode.
Best tool I have found that can override this lack-of-info to OS issue that is both powerful and easy is Macs Fan Control. Especially good that the Win version also works in Boot Camp mode on Mac hardware.
Same thing happens—fan(s) go into high speed mode—when drives are replaced with a non-OEM model. As mentioned, if the drive has failed, it would do the same thing as wrong drive (or no drive); fan controller does not get proper input, fans go into high speed mode.
Best tool I have found that can override this lack-of-info to OS issue that is both powerful and easy is Macs Fan Control. Especially good that the Win version also works in Boot Camp mode on Mac hardware.