my mac won't start up!

Question Details

TICKET ARCHIVE -> my mac won't start up!

fynk - Apr 12, 2006 - 9:25 pm

My mac won't start up properly and I think it's because the hard disk's full - I was downloading videos and left it overnight. This morning when I woke my mac up, the whole thing had frozen so I shut it down and restarted it. Now it remains at the grey screen with the apple and progress indicator. Is there anything I can do to get my data back?

LovesMacs - Apr 12, 2006 - 9:35 pm

HI Audrey,

Do you have the system disk(s) that came with your Mac? If so, make sure the Mac is OFF. Insert the system disk and hold down the C key at the same time. Keep holding the c key until you see the Apple logo appear on the Desktop. You can let go of that c key now. An installer will open but go to the menu and Installer>Quit. Now, you should see Utilities in the menu top of your Desktop.
Click that and Disk Utility should open. HIghlight your Mac hard drive in the panel on the left and use the Verify and Repair buttons to check the drive. Run Repair Permissions also. Then Quit Disk Utility. Then click Utilities again in the menu and click, "Startup Drive"... a pane will appear. Highlight your 10.3.x drive in the window. Then click Restart. Any luck at all and your Mac will boot from its internal drive for you. If not, post back...

Regards,
Carolyn :-)

LovesMacs - Apr 12, 2006 - 9:35 pm

LovesMacs - Apr 12, 2006 - 9:36 pm

fynk - Apr 12, 2006 - 10:14 pm

Hi Carolyn,

thanks for you reply. I have a stack of disks here - I'm not sure which one you mean! Is it the hardware test disk?

thanks.

LovesMacs - Apr 13, 2006 - 12:19 am

HI Audrey,

LOL I had trouble with the submit button earlier when I responded to your post... looks like it's not only fixed but has duplicated my response. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Ok... what you need is the system disk for the system you indicated you are running on your Mac now... 10.3.x. Audrey, which Mac do you have? Are your disks CD's or DVD's? If you know how to do the Hardware Test, go ahead. I'd give you instructions myself here but I need to know which Mac you have first. I don't want to give you incorrect info. Usually when you can get the Mac to boot to the grey screen w/the Apple logo, that means your Mac can't find it's System Folder. If you can boot from a system disk, you can go into Disk Utility and follow the instructions I gave you earlier to tell the StartUp Disk Manager which disk to start up from. In other words, it's the same as telling it which System Folder to use. Once your Mac knows which system to start up from. you're home free :-)

Carolyn :-)

fynk - Apr 13, 2006 - 12:58 am

Hi Carolyn,

My mac is the dome-shaped one with the movable monitor - I think I'm using 10.3.9. My disks are CD's and I think you were referring to the OS X Install Disc right? How do I put the disc in if my mac's not responding to the eject key on the keyboard? And will any of this erase any of my data?

Thanks!

fynk - Apr 13, 2006 - 10:00 am

Hi Carolyn,

I've managed to get to Disk Utility, but I don't think the repairs have been successful - I don't have the option of repairing the drive, only verifying it. Is there any way to change this?

Thanks.

LovesMacs - Apr 13, 2006 - 2:14 pm

HI Audrey,

Are you using the Disk Utiility application that is on your drive or on the system disk? You can ONLY REPAIR a disk with Disk Utility on the system disk that came with your Mac.

My next suggestion is to get TechToolPro4. Here is the link:
www.micromat.com. Audrey, I only advise on software that I have purchased and used myself. TechToolPro4 has saved my PowerBookG4 three times from having to make a trip into the local Apple Store. It is well worth the money. You can use it to boot your Mac and repair any errors. It can be set up so that can even advise you when the system is having problems ahead of time.

From your post re: your Mac, I'm pretty sure that you have an iMac. That helps!
Now, don't worry about putting a system disk in and not being able to Eject it. Once you have used Disk Utility and clicked told the Startup Manager which system to boot from, the system disk will Eject automatically. Considering you can't get your iMac to boot passed the grey screen, it's certainly worth a try. Also, if that disk is stubborn, if you have successfully run Disk Utility from the system disk, and Repaired the disk, and clicked the Restart button in the Startup Disk Panel, and the disk won't Eject, hold down the Trackpad (where you click) and press the Power Button until the machine reboots by itself. That is a little Mac tip!

Also, another way to Eject a disk in the future is to highlight the disk icon on the Desktop, then press Command + E on your Keyboard. Or, drag the disk icon to the Trash. It's ok... thanks to the good folks at Apple, there's more then one way to fix something!

Hang in there...
Carolyn :-)

fynk - Apr 15, 2006 - 4:13 am

Hi Carolyn,

I'm pretty sure I'm using the DU app on the system disc that came with the mac, but I'm still unable to repair properly... If I've run the hardware test disc and the mac has passed the test, does that eliminate the possibility of a failed hard drive?

After I've run Disk Utility and tried to repair the disk (it lets me click "Repair" but I don't think it's succesful), I quit DU and Installation and when the mac restarts, the same problem happens - it gets stuck at the grey screen with the logo and progress indicator. Is there anything at all I can do from here? Without having to purchase anything? My dad's gonna kill me

Thanks

Audrey

LovesMacs - Apr 15, 2006 - 2:52 pm

HI Audrey,

I wish I could wave a magic wand and made it all better. Ok.. when you say DU lets you click "Repair" but you do not think it's successful, what exactly happens? If the disk is ok, it will will tell you that. It will say: MacintoshHD appears to be OK. If it has errors on the disk, it will tell you what they are. Tell me precisely what happens when you run DU from the system disk NOT the internal (inside the iMac disk).

I want you to try something. It's called, "zapping the pram", and it easy.
Make certain the iMac is shut down completely. Now, I want you to reboot the iMac and hold down the Command (Apple key) + Option (the Alt key) + P + R on your keyboard. When you hear the Startup sound for the SECOND time the operation is complete and you can release the key combination. Now just let the iMac boot as normal.

Audrey, how old is your iMac G5? If it's less then a year it's under warranty. That means you can take it in for repairs if needed at no cost. Since you are getting online to post here and receive my replies, I assume you are using another computer. So, click this link: http://www.apple.com/support/imac/g5/ It will take you to the Mac Support for iMac G5's. When the page loads, click where it says: Chat with a Support Agent. They can run you through various tests that might tell them what's wrong. Also, on that same page on the right you can click to download the iMac G5 manual. On page 54 of that manual it gives instructions on what to do if you get the grey screen or a question mark folder on Startup. I want you to try one good tip before you go that far.

**If the computer freezes during startup or you see a flashing question mark
Â Wait a few seconds. If the computer doesn’t start up after a delay, shut down your
computer by pressing and holding the power button (®) for about 5 seconds, until
the computer shuts down. Then hold down the Option key and press the power
button (®) again to start up your computer. When your computer starts up, click the
hard disk icon, then click the right arrow.
Â After the computer starts up, open System Preferences and click Startup Disk. Select
a local Mac OS X System folder.
Â If the problem occurs frequently, you may need to reinstall your system software
(see “Reinstalling the Software That Came With Your Computer” on page 55).

OK... maybe something will help. If not, post back... it's raining AGAIN in the SF Bay Area so I'll stay online all day and check for replies from you.

Hang in there!
Carolyn :-)

fynk - Apr 15, 2006 - 9:22 pm

Hi Carolyn,

Sorry to hear about the bad weather! It's scorching and humid all day long over here - not exactly ideal either. I tried 'zapping the pram' but it still ends up stuck at the same screen after the second startup sound...

My imac is a G4 and it's 4 years old, so no warranty! I looked through the manual and it says to hold down the option key on startup. I've tried that before but it ends up at the same page.

When I run DU from the system disk (I'm assuming this is the system disk and not the internal disk because I've put the CD in the tray and pressed C on startup. That means it's running from the CD, right?), there are two disk icons on the left. One says 38.16GB Maxtor and the other one is labelled "Not Mounted". For the first one, only the Verify Disk option is clickable. When I click verify, this is what I get:

Verifying disk "".
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Catalog file entry not found for extent
The volume %@ needs to be repaired.
Verify completed.

For the second disk icon, Verify Disk and Repair Disk are clickable. When I click verify, I get the same thing. When I click repair, I get:

Repairing disk "".
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Catalog file entry not found for extent
Repair completed.

Hope that means something to you!

Audrey

LovesMacs - Apr 15, 2006 - 10:11 pm

HI Audrey,

It looks to me after seeing the results of DU Verify, that you need to do a clean install. Do you know how to do this??? It will clean up errors on the drive and get you right back to where you were the first time you ever booted the iMac. Now, if you are a cable high speed internet access that's good because you will probably need to get software updates. Since your iMac is 4 yrs old, and you are running 10.3.x, I assume you have not upgraded the operating system since you purchased the iMac? I hope you aren't using dial up! Sometimes those software updates are huge files, some 50MB and on dial up that takes forever.

If you are comfortable in doing a Clean Install, and hopefully you won't lose too many really important files, just insert the system CD and hold down the C key so the iMac boots from the system disk not the internal disk. An Installer screen will appear and walk you through the steps.

Other then that, aside from taking it in for repairs which you are trying to avoid spending $$$, I understand! ... since it isn't getting passed the grey screen I say give it a shot.

Let me know if you need help with that....

Carolyn :-)

fynk - Apr 16, 2006 - 12:24 am

Hi Carolyn,

My sis upgraded the OS once a while back when she bought her powerbook... Before I try a clean install, can I just ask if there's any way at all my data can be salvaged? Because I have over 700 mp3s in there... For example I've seen "Archive and Install" somewhere on a forum before. What does that save exactly?
Also I've actually tried to reinstall using the Cd before but when I get to "Select Destination", there's nothing for me to select.

Thanks for all your help so far, I really appreciate it and hope this hasn't been too much of a bother!

Audrey

LovesMacs - Apr 16, 2006 - 1:59 pm

HI Audrey,

No bother at all... and you are welcome!

Yes, you can do an Archive and Install. That will leave all your mp3s on the drive, in fact, Archive and Install won't erase any of your files. What it does it give you a fresh System Folder for your iMac to boot from. And BTW, don't ever go into the System Folder. If anything gets accidentally changed, you'll be in the spot you're in right now.

Now... power down the iMac. Insert the system CD and hold down the C key just like before. Keep holding that C key until you see the Apple logo appear. You can let go of the C key at this point. Now, the Installer window will load. Just click Begin or Start or Next at the bottom of that window and it will get to the point where it asks you if you want to Erase OR Archive & Install. Click Archive and Install. The software will do the rest for you. Now, here's the one huge drawback of A&I. If say for example one of your mp3 files is corrupted and it stays on the drive, it's possible the iMac still won't boot properly. If I were you, I would try the Archive and Install. Let's say it works and you can boot the iMac all the way to the Desktop. At this point, I would copy those mp3 files immediately. Burn to a CD... maybe back up to your sis' PBook. You can send her PBook files using a Firewire cable and using the Target Disk Mode. It's a piece of cake. I switch files back and forth either that way or save to my iPod. Also, if you by chance have an iPod, you might have one that can be enabled for hard disk use as well as music. I save huge video files to my iPod all the time so I'm keeping my PBookG4 as lean as possible for a stable environment.

That outta keep ya busy for awhile... oh and the A&I, takes awhile so don't panic if it seems to take forever. If it's going to work, it will.

When you get to the "Select Destination" from the system CD, give it a minute to come up with the MacintoshHD icon. Sometimes it just takes awhile for that icon to pop up. Mine has taken as long as 5 minutes...

Audrey, also, don't forget, if you succeed with the A&I, you'll probably need to do Software Updates. Don't forget that!!!

I'll be sitting in the cheering section!
Carolyn :-)

LovesMacs - Apr 16, 2006 - 2:10 pm

One more time...

I just thought of something AFTER I submitted my last reply.. natch.

When you get thru the A&I and your iMac is working... I want you to get Onyx. It's FREE and at this link: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macos...ties/onyx.html

Tell your sis too...

Onyx is a free system utility and has Maintenance and Cleaning scripts to keep your iMac a happy camper. Tell your sis about it too. So many people who have Macs don't realize if you don't leave the computer on all night and online that it can't run what is called CRON tasks. These tasks delete all old logs/caches/reset Mac Help files. runs Repair Permissions... it's like a dishwasher for a computer. It's simple to download and install. When you launch it, the icon will appear in your Dock. Click the Onyx icon and drag to where it says: Keep In Dock. That way you can access it anytime.

Carolyn :-)

fynk - Apr 17, 2006 - 2:03 am

Hi Carolyn,

I'm at the "Select a Destination" screen of the Installer now, and the hard drive icon still hasn't shown up after 10 minutes. Any idea what this means?

Audrey

LovesMacs - Apr 17, 2006 - 2:52 pm

HI Audrey,

It means your iMac needs to go in for repairs. I'm sorry... but that means the drive needs help. In fact, I wouldn't try to boot it again if I were you. Do you have an Apple Store anywhere nearby or even an Apple retailer? Look in your Yellow Pages.....

Carolyn :-)

fynk - Apr 17, 2006 - 9:23 pm

Hi Carolyn,

OK then, I guessed as much... :/ Yup I know what to do, thanks so much for all your help! Really appreciate it

Audrey

IF THIS IS YOUR QUESTION AND YOU WISH TO RESPOND, LOGIN HERE FIRST.