iMac HDD failure

 Whoops. All of a sudden Mac OS Catalina fails and crashes on my rather old (2012) iMac. Oh dear.

First I decide to try re-formatting ("Erasing") the HDD, this fails. I try again using an older file format, and it works. So I re-install the original OS Mountain Lion and this runs, but any attempt to upgrade to the latest Catalina fails (Catalina partitions the HDD into Programs & Data, I guess this doesn't work...))

Off to the Apple store and get a test. This reports that the HDD has indeed failed on one sector. They suggest I can recycle the iMac (offering a miserable £100) and they tell me the computer is too old to repair - they have no HDDs to put in it!

This is all very sad. Until my son offers to give me a 2015 Mac Mini he has but is not using - the kids were using it for school work - mostly in Microsoft Word etc. But he has no Key Board nor a screen display spare to offer with it. I shout whoopee for he has upgraded the RAM to 16GB and put in a 256Gb SSD which has speeded it up enormously.

So now I have to solve a couple of problems

1. Access the machine to sort it out, basically erase everything and install Catalina and set it up with my name and iCloud address. To do this I wire it up HDMI to my living room TV! And use the old iMac keyboard and mouse. It works a treat. I return the iMac for recycling.

2. Meanwhile I source a screen and use the £100 they will give me for my old iMac to buy a new keyboard (I have a spare Track Pad). I purchase a 15.6" screen on eBay, it arrives broken and I am struggling with the supplier to replace it or give me my money back... we will see.

But in the mean time I have configured the new Mac Mini to allow screen sharing and can access it very easily from my MacBook over wifi. So that is what I am  doing. And making lots of FT8 QSO with WSJT installed.

Later

Days later I purchase a "very" expensive 15.6" screen, which is luxury and perfect with a 16:9 ratio & HDMI interface. I am very pleased with it.

Wish me luck.