Hard Drive Read/Write Error

Unlikely cause: LCD panel, power supply, fans, speakers, camera, microphone

Quick Check

Symptoms

Quick Check

 

 

 

Drive Read/Write Error (H03)

1.

Boot from Install DVD or external drive. Verify

Drive Bad Sector/Defective (H05)

 

S.M.A.R.T. status of drive using Disk Utility.

Drive Formatting Issues (H07)

2.

Repair disk using Disk Utility.

Cannot save documents

3.

Erase disk and reinstall Mac OS using Install DVD

Read/write error message

 

or external drive.

• Hang when accessing or saving

 

4.

Use Target Disk Mode to mount user’s hard drive

 

data

 

 

 

on a known good computer. Use Disk Utility on

 

 

 

host computer for Quick Checks 1 through 4.

 

 

 

 

Deep Dive

Check

Result

Action

Code

 

 

 

 

 

1.

Run Disk Utility ‘Repair Disk’

Yes

Go to step 2

 

 

function and verify that it

 

 

 

 

No

Go to step 3

 

 

completes successfully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.

Reboot computer. Verify that

Yes

Data error Issue resolved.

H07

 

system boots successfully and

 

Return computer to user.

 

 

that Disk utility ‘Verify’ function

 

 

 

 

No

Go to step 3

 

 

reports no errors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.

Erase disk and reinstall Mac OS

Yes

Go to step 7

 

 

using Install DVD or external

 

 

 

 

No

Go to step 4

 

 

drive. Verify that installation

 

 

process completes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.

Inspect interconnect board

Yes

Replace interconnect board.

H04

 

connector for bent pins, or

 

Go to step 7

 

 

other damage to the board..

 

 

 

 

No

Go to step 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.

Reseat interconnect board,

Yes

Go to step 7

 

 

hard drive and logic board

 

 

 

 

No

Replace interconnect board,

H04

 

connections and verify whether

 

computer starts up

 

go to step 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

2009-11-03

Mac mini (Late 2009) Symptom Charts — Mass Storage  48

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Image 48
Apple LATE 2009 Hard Drive Read/Write Error, Symptoms Quick Check Drive Read/Write Error H03, Drive Formatting Issues H07