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complete hardware check

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  • 27-12-2012 2:08am
    #1
    Duck Soup
    Registered Users Posts: 3,996 ✭✭✭


    I have a MBP and about 9 months ago, it unexpectedly and quite rapidly gasped its last in terms of being able to boot up. DiskWarrior, if memory serves me correctly, told me I had a dodgy hard drive and the problems could not be repaired.

    So I clean installed. 9 months later, not surprisingly, it's starting to go wonky again. Yes, I should have gotten a new HD, but it's out of warranty and I was just trying to squeeze a few more months out of the old HD to allow me the time to save up for a new one.

    I'll go into one of the Mac shops in January, but I want to be as sure as I can what the problem is - for example, that it's just the hard drive that's at fault. Or that it's actually the hard drive that's at fault at all. No point in throwing good money after bad if it's a number of problems.

    So I was wondering, is there a program that can do a good, thorough guts-n-all examination of all the hardware? Is DiskWarrior as good and reliable as it gets? Any thoughts welcomed.


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    #2
    unseenfootage
    Registered Users Posts: 976 ✭✭✭unseenfootage


    Is there power.
    Does the screen still work?
    Does the computer just hang?


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    #3
    Duck Soup
    Registered Users Posts: 3,996 ✭✭✭Duck Soup


    It's (intermittently) okay. Unexpected quits on a lot of programs by now, question marks where icons should be. The same pattern I saw the last time. In that event, I managed to back everything up - as I've already done this time - before one day it quit and steadfastly refused to ever boot up again. I think we're approaching that time again.

    The last time, before the final crash, Disk Utility wouldn't verify the disk (summat about incorrect nodules or something) and Disk Warrior similarly told me the hard disk had bad sectors.

    I just want to take it into the shop - I've already got a price 200-250 to replace the HD - with a good handle on the state of the hardware generally. Disk Warrior and Disk Utility point the finger at the HD, I was just wondering is there a dedicated and thorough Mac program for sniffing out problems in the hardware.


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    #4
    Nonmonotonic
    Registered Users Posts: 422 ✭✭Nonmonotonic


    Techtool Pro gives a comprehensive system test.

    Generally if Diskwarrior can't fix your problem and you reinstall and it works, it means your hard drive is failing. You have very little to lose by buying a new hard drive because if it is not the drive you just buy an enclosure and you have an external hard drive for your new Mac!

    Just read your last post. Bad sectors mean the physical surface of the drive is damaged and in normal operation these sectors are marked not to be used by the system. You just have too many bad sectors to run your OS and need a new HD. Google replace HD and do it yourself.


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    #5
    Duck Soup
    Registered Users Posts: 3,996 ✭✭✭Duck Soup


    Thanks Nonmonotonic. After a bit of asking around, a friend of mine has TechTool Protogo (I think that's what it's called). I believe that it runs from a USB, which I'm assuming means I won't need to boot up from a disc and can just run it off the USB on an already-running MBP. Thanks for your help, much appreciated.


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