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Model A1237 or A1304 / 1.6, 1.8, 1.86, or 2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo processor

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MBA won't detect hdd, what part to replace?

Hi, I've been trying to fix an old macbook air but am running into the flashing question mark folder on it. I've tested the harddrive on another computer and it works fine. I've also put in a osx install flash drive and on the "select the disk" screen, nothing shows up.

What part could be causing this? Is it the cable that attaches the hdd to the motherboard, or could it be the motherboard itself?

thanks~

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sorry but I'm having the same problem, did you get solution?

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Why guess is that the cable was bad.

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Joel - It's best to create your own Q as your details are likely different which maybe a different problem.

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Thanks for the reply, I fixed the problem, really was the cable, the cable was passed inside the protective rubber of the HDD, rubber and support of hdd pressured the flat cable and the connectors could have contact, the MBA found the piece. Thanks a lot.

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Have you tried holding the Option key when you restart the system to access the external USB volume? Apple TN on Startup manager

The question mark is telling you it can't find a bootable OS on its assigned boot volume (pref setting). You may need to install a fresh OS from the USB attached USB thumb drive or optical drive which has a copy of the OS install files Apple TN on Booting up on external USB drive to install OS

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Yes I have tried that with a usb drive with the os on it, which loads, but when selecting what disc to install osx on, no drive appears.

It also doesn't sound like the hdd (its not ssd) is spinning up, ie; it isn't getting power or being detected, yet the drive works fine when testing it on another computer. I have also freshly formatted it to extended (journalled) so there should be no issues in that sense.

My theory is that the connection from the hdd to the motherboard, or the motherboard itself, isn't working properly, but not sure if I need a new hdd cable (expensive!) or if even that won't work. (MacBook Air (Original) Hard Drive Cable)

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I would take a good look at the cable and connectors (all four of them) to make sure nothing is damaged. Are you sure you have the correct version of drive here? Remember the Airs use a low voltage drive. Which is the only other possibility.

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hi maybe you should try isolating the cause of fault, try the basic reformat and fresh installation of the mac os, then if it fails, try changing the hdd, so try your best to isolate the issue, hope that helps, cheers!!

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I worry folks aren't fully reading my post. The harddrive is fine, but the computer won't find it, and it doesn't sound like it is even spinning. Do I just need to replace the hdd ribbon cable, or could the motherboard be at fault?

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Yes, focus on the cable and the connectors, and yes you could have a logic board issue, but, first replace the cable to be sure here.

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