iMac Seagate Hard Drive recall

[Terri French]

My iMac has a hard drive that is part of a recall by Apple. There is a local business that will replace the harddrive for me. I have a question. Can I restore my computer using my Time Machine backup if it has a new hard drive?

Here is the message I received from Apple:

Dear iMac owner,

Apple has determined that certain 1TB Seagate hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems may fail. These systems were sold between October 2009 and July 2011.

Our records show that you have an iMac with an affected 1TB Seagate hard drive. Apple will replace your hard drive with a new one, free of charge, under the iMac 1TB Seagate Hard Drive Replacement Program.

Please choose one of the following options to get a replacement hard drive.
•
Apple Retail Store - Set up an appointment with a Genius.
•
Apple Authorized Service Provider - Find one here.
•
Apple Technical Support - Contact us for local service options.
Apple recommends replacing your affected hard drive as soon as possible. Before you go in for service, please back up your data. Learn more about backup options.

Additional Information

You will need to have the original Mac OS installation discs that were shipped with your iMac in order to reinstall your operating system, other applications, and any backed up data after your hard drive is replaced.

This worldwide Apple program does not extend the standard warranty coverage of the iMac.

Apple will replace affected 1TB Seagate hard drives, free of charge, for three years from your iMac’s original date of purchase or until April 12, 2013, whichever provides longer coverage for you. Apple will continue to evaluate service data and provide extensions to this program as needed.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Apple Inc.

 

[Schlitz]

You shouldn't have any problem restoring from a Time Machine backup, Terri. I had to perform a restore earlier this year, when my original hard drive crashed (guess we now know why!), and it went just fine. I received the same message from Apple as you, so now I need to schedule a repair as well :frown:

 

[Joudbren]

I've done it many time Terri, no issues. I'm quite amazed actually at how well it does work! Some programs may ask you to re-enter passwords, serial numbers, etc. but they're usually fine after that. This article should help:

http://www.macworld.com/article/1165784/how_to_restore_data_from_time_machine.html

Cheers!

P.S. The article is for Mountain Lion so hopefully you're running that version.

 

[truronion]

Go ahead and rely on your time machine, I thought Apple were not very thoughtful with the wording of the message and had to ask the same question, when did Apple last include the installation discs with their machines anyway!!, The rigmarole I just had to go through to set my macbook air back to factory settings defies belief all for the sake of Apple not including a disc that would cost probably no more than tuppence.

 

[jbailey930]

Terri, Apple repair facilities are also backing up and restoring data. See this previous post:

https://www.nikoncafe.com/vforums/showthread.php?t=347271
it doesn't hurt to have two or three copies tho

 

[Dennis R]

Terri, I used Time Machine to restore my HDD after replacement and it worked great. I did have a clone also but chose to try the TM restore to see how it would go. The only thing I needed to do after the restore was to rejoin my network manually.

Dennis

 

[truronion]

Terri, Apple repair facilities are also backing up and restoring data. See this previous post:

https://www.nikoncafe.com/vforums/showthread.php?t=347271
it doesn't hurt to have two or three copies tho

Not here in the UK when I sent mine in 14 days ago, I was told to be certain you had backup but I will add it was the apple designated repair centre so be very careful.

 

[andygmoore]

Dear Terri,

As others have said, your Time Machine backup should work just fine.

Personally, I prefer to make a clone (I use Super Duper, others like Carbon Copy Cloner) and to restore from the clone. I like it because it restores everything just as it was, and it is usually quicker than restoring from a Time Machine backup.

I've restored drives using Super Duper more than once, and while I always worry, it has always worked for me.

That said, if you're running Lion (10.7) or Mountain Lion (10.8), I don't think that the clone restores your recovery partition. I'm still using Snow Leopard, so I don't know about this.

Hope this helps.

Andy

 

[Pa]

Terri, I had mine replaced under this recall by an Apple Authorized Service Center about two weeks ago. I had a Time Machine backup available, but I also made a disk image using SuperDuper! just in case. But in my case, the technician made his own backup and restored from it after replacing the hard drive. When I got the computer back it was just as it was when I took it in.

Granted, this is a new Apple shop and perhaps they were trying to make an extra good impression, but I was very pleased with the whole process. :smile:

 

[eng45ine]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, I am bringing my computer in next week, I am hopeful that the HD swap is seamless....fingers crossed!

 

[Terri French]

Yes, thanks all. My time machine back up also included an attached external hard drive. I wanted to exclude that so I reformatted my time machine hard drive and just backed up only my internal hard drive. So, I am ready to take my computer in. I will probably wait until after Thanksgiving, though. I imagine not much will get done on it over the holiday.

 

[Pa]

It takes about three days for an Apple authorized service center to perform this hard drive transplant because Apple will not let them stock the replacement drives. The technician must open the computer and verify that it has an affected hard drive before ordering the replacement. I think they normally get overnight delivery, but in my case it was delayed by the "super storm" on the east coast.

They should wipe the old hard drive clean before sending it back to Apple.

 

[Terri French]

It takes about three days for an Apple authorized service center to perform this hard drive transplant because Apple will not let them stock the replacement drives. The technician must open the computer and verify that it has an affected hard drive before ordering the replacement. I think they normally get overnight delivery, but in my case it was delayed by the "super storm" on the east coast.

They should wipe the old hard drive clean before sending it back to Apple.

Thanks. I will take it in on a Monday. I was wondering why it would take a few days. This explains it.

 

[Kingfisher]

That model Seagate 1TB drive was a dud. It got horrible reviews on Newegg. I wouldn't touch a Seagate drive these days as Wester Digital is definitely leading the way in reliability.

I guess I would ask the tech at Apple if they are putting a Seagate drive back in or are they switching to WD? If they are using Seagate I would ask them what model they are using.

 

[Pa]

Thanks. I will take it in on a Monday. I was wondering why it would take a few days. This explains it.

I took mine in on the Monday of the "Super storm", and got it back on Thursday morning. I think that without the storm it would have been ready on Wednesday.

That model Seagate 1TB drive was a dud. It got horrible reviews on Newegg. I wouldn't touch a Seagate drive these days as Wester Digital is definitely leading the way in reliability.

I guess I would ask the tech at Apple if they are putting a Seagate drive back in or are they switching to WD? If they are using Seagate I would ask them what model they are using.

I read somewhere that they are using Seagate replacements, but I don't know which model. The system info doesn't appear to include that.

 

[Kingfisher]

I read somewhere that they are using Seagate replacements, but I don't know which model. The system info doesn't appear to include that.

I guess in reality it doesn't matter as Apple will stand behind it.

 

[Terri French]

New hard drive installed and everything restored from time machine. The whole process went smoothly with no glitches. I'm happy!! A local store, Simply Mac, did the service on the computer. They were great to work with.

 

[eng45ine]

That is outstanding to read, so glad everything went well. I need to schedule mine for the same service, so glad to read everyone's experiences have been good.

 

[eng45ine]

I brought my iMac to the Apple Genius Bar this morning for the Seagate HD replacement under warranty. I picked it up this afternoon, brought it home, then restored the new HD using Time Machine. The restoration took 90 minutes, the computer is back up and happily purring again. Kudos to Apple for a seamless swap-out!

 

[Terri French]

I brought my iMac to the Apple Genius Bar this morning for the Seagate HD replacement under warranty. I picked it up this afternoon, brought it home, then restored the new HD using Time Machine. The restoration took 90 minutes, the computer is back up and happily purring again. Kudos to Apple for a seamless swap-out!

Wow, that was fast! Glad it went well for you.