depending on the model of the powerbook it is possible that your AHT is on the disk labelled as software install and restore. Not sure if this is your model but you could check (ie this may be why you can't find the disk. see this link http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86645

"yep, that's the one. Boot from it and look under the file menu, you will find Disk Utility. Do this instead of running the installer."

Yes I've done that many times. Under "Hitachi" I have "Macintosh HD" but greyed out. I can't erase or mount.

Chutem - yes thanks, I found it. I'm running the extended test now.

Damn. On running Apple Hardware Test there does seem to be an error.

Mass storage: Error detected.

***ERROR*CODE***ERROR*CODE***
2STF/8/3:ATA-100 ata-6- Master

***ERROR*CODE***ERROR*CODE***

I guess that's bad?!!

I found this on the web here (it's in French)

http://forum.macbidouille.com/lofive...hp/t65825.html

He got the same error message as me. He had to replace his hard disk - his apparently was still under guarantee, but mine is 18 months old. I found this part interesting (I'm translating):

"I'd like to repeat one thing the technician told me...apparently there's a series of IBM/Hitachi 80 Go hard drives which come back a lot. They have even named it 'deathstar' (rather than deskstar)."

Effing Apple !!!

I would imagine that means that your drive has something bad with it. I don't know what the error means, but the fact that the hardware test found it would indeed suggest it is a drive issue. The good news is that it shouldn't be that difficult for you to replace the hard drive yourself. This is unfortunately something that can happen. Hard drives fail...I think you should have plenty of replacement options though.

Thanks very much for all your help !! It was much appreciated!

I ms hsving this same problem with HD having essentially disappeared. when i run disk util from the system CD it doesn't even see it. i backed up a week ago and even though it will really stink to lose this last weeks work, it's not the end of the world. having a $2k paperweight is. can anyone help?

Three questions:
1. What happens on boot?
2. Can you hear the drive running?
3. Do you have an external or the install CDs?

yes. boot from and can't reinstall os and can't see drive in disk util.

The flashing question mark means that your computer can't find a system to boot from. This can happen even if you have a usable system on your machine if it is looking for the wrong one.

You can possibly solve this by holding down the option key at boot. With luck, you'll get a list of bootable systems (for example, all the partitions that have a system will appear across the screen). This boot will take a bit of time. See if you get a system that appears. If you get more than one, try them one at a time to see if you can get your computer to boot. If it boots, you should be good to go.

If you can't see your HD when booted from your install CD, make sure your CD is for the computer you have. Some CDs will not boot some computers, so you either need a full system CD, or the one that came with your computer, not one that was meant for a different one.

Let us know what you find out. Oh, and please give your specs, hardware type, OS version, etc.

huummm #:-???
 

I have been getting a similar problem with a powerbook.. This machine fails to boot, showing the flashing question mark.. When the OS X install disk is inserted, installation cannot be performed as the ATA hard disk cannot be detected. The disk tools within the installation program can only display the DVD / CD drive and with no amount of fiddeling will enable the hard disk to be displayed.

When I eventually succeeded to boot from a OS 9 disk, the desktop appears with no hard disk. All the diagnosis tools provided with this OS point to the fact that the drive is unmounted.

I am relatively new to these machines, and thus do not know how to enter a terminal and re-mount the device. I have tried all the obvious GUI methods that I could think of with no success. - erm, can you please explain to me how to do this?

We tested the powerbook with the hardware tests CD, passing with flying colours, unfortunately it seams the tests are unable to pickup filesystem problems.

This problem has happened before to the laptop in question, the user informing me that it can correct itself, it would seam by fluke. using a process of booting from the OS X CD, restarting, opening / closing CD tray, holding option key, etc, etc until the smiley face and normal booting resumes..??

Unfortunately this is no longer the case, with none of the old tricks working. The fact that this intermittent fault can sometimes be solved as above leads me to believe that the problem could be hardware related??

Your advice is warmly welcomed!

Yes - it seems likely that the drive is failing intermittently. I have heard of older drives having "sticktion" problems.
I would replace the drive as soon as possible.

One thing you could try in the meantime is to mount the drive on another Mac using firewire "target disk mode":
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58583

Please post your computer's model and specs. Does there seem to be a run of bad hard drives in Powerbooks recently??

Intermittent problems are the worst! :mad:

Have you gone through the trouble-shooting list posted here? It is a bit long, you may want to skip to the last couple of pages.

I called tech support one time years ago and a technician told me the same thing, suggesting I take the drive out, hold it about three feet above the desktop, and drop it. :eek: At the time, I thought maybe the janitor had answered the phone and was playing a joke on me. :rolleyes:

How old is your drive?

Hi, Have just been informed that the machine is 3 years old, and is the original drive. ..

ibook G3.
500Mhz
256Mb
15Gb
DVD

Just had a quick look at the trouble shooting list.. looks like the main advice is to run a filesystem check such as "Disk Warrior", "Norton" or "TechTool/Drive 10",...

I'm unsure if these would work as no volume's are mounted.. Is there anyway to mount unmounted volume's yourself, through a terminal for instance, :confused: or do mac's rely on automatic detection only?

Also, on a mac are these utilities available on self booting CD's?? :confused:

If you boot off the OS Install disk, you are booting off a 'self-booting CD', aren't you? Not sure what you mean by this.

You aren't going to be able to issue any commands that aren't already issued when booting off the install CD. If you want to try it, boot into single user mode by holding down the apple and the 'S' key (together) after the computer chimes during startup. If you get anything then, we might have something to go on.

If you have another Mac, you can try hooking up your laptop and starting it in FireWire mode (hold down the apple and 'T' keys at the same during boot). The laptop might become available as an external drive to the other Mac.

Jono, Macs are really good at automount. If a volume is readable, it'll show up. If it doesn't, there's a problem. And while 3 years is on the early end, there are a lot of drives that fail after that much time, especially in a portable computer that's always getting banged around. Booting from the OS X installer disc and using Disk Utility can at least tell if you the hard drive is functioning. If it doesn't even show up there, you've either got an IDE bus problem (not likely) or a dead hard drive. If it does, you can try Disk Utility's Repair feature or a fancier utility like DiskWarrior.

The problem is, as the originator of this thread seems to have experienced, sometimes the device is still responsive -- the computer knows it's there and can talk to it -- but it just doesn't work. Evidence of this is, for example, when you are unable to format the drive.

In my experience, with hard drives there really aren't that many things you can try. If the device has failed, it's usually pretty obvious and nothing will bring it back to life. If the problem is just data corruption, DiskWarrior is the best utility out there (and it comes on a bootable CD). Disk Utility's Repair feature can do pretty well too though.

I was asking if the utilities disk would boot the system... perhaps if OS 9 is actually bootable the operating system CD can be removed and the disk utilities can be run? If the OS can function resident in memory.

I have been unable to boot OS X from the install CD, holding 'c' during boot simply loads the installer... :o Guess this is correct... :confused: from this state the drive door button is unresponsive.. if I can get the door to open, are other programs executable from this primitive OS (the installer boot) :confused: (doubt it..)

If I get a prompt, does anyone know the command to mount a drive?
Unfortunately, none of the GUI functions will detect this disk.

I suspect a faulty device, "sticktion" seams the most likely.. on power on, unusual mechanical noises can be heard originating from the disk.. I now presume these must be the read / write heads trying to maneuver??

Or, and predominately more dangerous, the centre baring may have gone and the disk is now unable to turn.... :( the noises being the heads moving usually just unable to pick up any data. .... In normal operation with these laptops, do the disks only rotate when data is required or do they continue to turn until sleep mode is entered?? - if they keep turning, further diagnosis may be possible by listening to machine upclose,...(for that high pitched hard drive spinning sound, I guess)

If this is the case, and the disk hauled I guess its unrecoverable... I contacted the user last night with the potential remedy of tappin the powerbook fairly hard underneath with the intention of freeing the heads,,,... unfortunately she's had no luck :(

I read a similar case study, where this looks to have been the cure... quoting..

source: http://listserver.themacintoshguy.co...st/009289.html

Erm, Guess this also just answered my question about the disk utilities booting :rolleyes:

& giskard, thanks... sori, guess hadn't woken up when read your post earlier :o