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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Grey Screen
dvanbuer - Feb 15, 2006 - 11:47 pm
Yesterday, I used software update to download and install os x 10.4.5. When I restarted my mac, I got the grey screen with the spinning baseball.
I saw a few of the posted answers for the same problem but for old version of 10.x. When I attempted to reinstall 10.4 from the install dvd, I only get erase the harddisk, which is not something I want to do at the moment. I get the message that it is the only option as I have a new version installed on the destination drive.
I have an external drive with 200GB available (it has some backup files) so I could try to create a disk image of the drive that I could recover from. I have never created a disk image, but saw the option in the disk utility.
I have run repair permissions and repair drive numerous times. I have another external drive that I call boot up in 10.3 on the powerbook.
Thank you for any assistance you may be able to provide.
I saw a few of the posted answers for the same problem but for old version of 10.x. When I attempted to reinstall 10.4 from the install dvd, I only get erase the harddisk, which is not something I want to do at the moment. I get the message that it is the only option as I have a new version installed on the destination drive.
I have an external drive with 200GB available (it has some backup files) so I could try to create a disk image of the drive that I could recover from. I have never created a disk image, but saw the option in the disk utility.
I have run repair permissions and repair drive numerous times. I have another external drive that I call boot up in 10.3 on the powerbook.
Thank you for any assistance you may be able to provide.
Thunderthud - Feb 16, 2006 - 8:41 am
It sounds as though something has happened to your disk drive but it might be as simple as being full. A lot of stuff accumulates in logs and such because of OS X's UNIX underpinnings.
Boot from your install disk and have Disk Utility repair your hard drive. Do this as many times as it takes until no errors are reported. Then, if it will let you, have Disk Utility repair permissions on your hard drive.
If left on long enough OS X will run tasks, usually in the wee hours, to clean up after itself but sometimes, especially laptops, the machines are not running when these tasks are scheduled to run. If you don't like the idea of leaving the machine on overnight follow this link
www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/10491
and download MacJanitor. Have it run the cleanup tasks periodically.
Boot from your install disk and have Disk Utility repair your hard drive. Do this as many times as it takes until no errors are reported. Then, if it will let you, have Disk Utility repair permissions on your hard drive.
If left on long enough OS X will run tasks, usually in the wee hours, to clean up after itself but sometimes, especially laptops, the machines are not running when these tasks are scheduled to run. If you don't like the idea of leaving the machine on overnight follow this link
www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/10491
and download MacJanitor. Have it run the cleanup tasks periodically.
dvanbuer - Feb 18, 2006 - 12:22 am
Thank you for your suggestions.
I had already run Disk Utility numerous times to get clean runs after it fixed some problems. I also had it repair some permissions.
I have left my mac run for 36 hours now, and I still have the grey screen. How do I run MacJanitor on it without being able to get it to book. I Have a external drive that boots up in 10.3. Can I have MacJanitor clean up the harddisk on my notebook instead of the external drive?
Thank you for your assistance.
Regards
Derek
I had already run Disk Utility numerous times to get clean runs after it fixed some problems. I also had it repair some permissions.
I have left my mac run for 36 hours now, and I still have the grey screen. How do I run MacJanitor on it without being able to get it to book. I Have a external drive that boots up in 10.3. Can I have MacJanitor clean up the harddisk on my notebook instead of the external drive?
Thank you for your assistance.
Regards
Derek
Thunderthud - Feb 18, 2006 - 6:50 am
Derek,
The machine will only automatically clean up the boot drive and, unfortunately no, MacJanitor will only clean the boot disk.
I believe the "erase and install" option only applies to the OS X system and not your entire drive.
Try downloading the standalone updater from Apple's WEB site
http://www.apple.com/support/downloa...pdate1045.html
and applying it again. If that doesn't solve your problem you may have to reinstall from scratch.
The machine will only automatically clean up the boot drive and, unfortunately no, MacJanitor will only clean the boot disk.
I believe the "erase and install" option only applies to the OS X system and not your entire drive.
Try downloading the standalone updater from Apple's WEB site
http://www.apple.com/support/downloa...pdate1045.html
and applying it again. If that doesn't solve your problem you may have to reinstall from scratch.
dvanbuer - Feb 18, 2006 - 9:54 am
How do I apply the standalone updater if I can't boot up using my harddisk? If it is something I can do, I don't know how to do it. I have the installation dvd for 10.4.
Thanks
Derek
Thanks
Derek
Thunderthud - Feb 18, 2006 - 12:53 pm
You said you have an external drive that boots. The standalone installer should let you select the drive to update and you can choose to have it update the one you want.
It will allow this choice as long as it recognizes a valid version OF OS X on the drive. If it won't let you update the drive you want then the system on it is hosed beyond recognition and you will have to reinstall Tiger from scratch and then apply the update. You can apply it directly to the installed base. You do NOT have to upgrade it in stages.
Alternatively you can boot from the install DVD (put it in the drive and reboot while holding down the "C" key on your keyboard) and do the installation.
I don't know that this necessarily caused your problem but for future reference before you apply an update you should boot from the install DVD or another OS X disk and have Disk Utility repair the drive you plan to update. Then boot from the drive you plan to update and have Disk Utility on that drive repair the permissions.
Next apply the update and once again have Disk Utility on the updated drive repair permissions.
It will allow this choice as long as it recognizes a valid version OF OS X on the drive. If it won't let you update the drive you want then the system on it is hosed beyond recognition and you will have to reinstall Tiger from scratch and then apply the update. You can apply it directly to the installed base. You do NOT have to upgrade it in stages.
Alternatively you can boot from the install DVD (put it in the drive and reboot while holding down the "C" key on your keyboard) and do the installation.
I don't know that this necessarily caused your problem but for future reference before you apply an update you should boot from the install DVD or another OS X disk and have Disk Utility repair the drive you plan to update. Then boot from the drive you plan to update and have Disk Utility on that drive repair the permissions.
Next apply the update and once again have Disk Utility on the updated drive repair permissions.
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