Specifications

iMac (Early 2006 17-inch) Troubleshooting — Symptom Charts 143
Hard Drive
Flashing question mark, or an alternating question mark and Mac OS (face or a
folder)
Note: When troubleshooting hard drive problems it is a good idea, if possible, to back up any
important data. Some troubleshooting steps may require erasing the contents of the hard drive.
Boot from the system CD that came with the computer, and open Disk Utility. Does the hard
drive show in Disk Utility?
Yes: Run Repair Disk and Repair Permissions to correct any directory and permissions issues.
Go on to Step 2.
No: Go to Step 3.
Did Disk Utility successfully repair directory or permissions?
Yes: Restart the computer to the hard drive. Go on to Step 3.
No: Go to Step 3.
Did the computer successfully start to the internal Hard Drive?
Yes: Run Apple Hardware Test 3A100 or later for this machine and return to the customer if it
passes.
No: Boot the machine to Apple Hardware Test 3A100 or Apple Service Diagnostic 3S100 (or
later).
Did the machine successfully boot to the Diagnostic?
Yes: Run the test suites.
No: Make sure you’re using the correct version of the Diagnostic, and that the disc is able to
boot another machine that it supports. If so, then try booting from an external optical drive.
If this is successful, you should replace the optical drive and retest the machine booting to
the diagnostic disc.
Did the tests pass?
Yes: Reinstall the System Software that came with the computer and test.
No: Replace the component (s) indicated by the test results.
Hard Drive Issues
Note: The following information is for Intel-based and PPC Macintosh drive compatibility
Drives to be used in booting Intel-based Macintosh hardware should be formatted and
partitioned with an Intel-based Macintosh disk utility running on Intel-based Macintosh
hardware. That should ensure you get the correct default partition map and structure for
reliable booting.
Intel-based Macintosh CPUs in Target Disc Mode will only mount on PPC machines running
Mac OS X 10.4 or later, and may show one contiguous partition rather than separate
partitions on the host machine.
Always make sure to use the OS that came with the machine if you need to reinstall software
(ask the customer for the discs if necessary), and the diagnostics specically designated for
that hardware.
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