Re: Can't get MacBook Pro to boot from ANYTHING.

In article <1190341123.862573.294630@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
GitFiddler <bik1933@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Sep 20, 9:14 pm, GitFiddler <bik1...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
My MacBook Pro (it's about a year old) with the latest OS X updates
won't boot. On its own, it doesn't seem to find a boot disk, and I get
the frantic apple/crossed-circle/question mark rotation on-screen.
Same if I try to boot from any supposedly bootable disk -- the 10.4.8
disk it came with, or the system disks from my older iBook, the
TechTool disk from that older computer, etc. (I don't have the
TechTool disk that came with this computer -- it's a work machine.) It
doesn't seem to recognize any disk inside it, it's own hard disk or a
CD.

When I try to boot from a FW drive that contains the (supposedly
bootable) Carbon Copy Cloner copy of this computer, the boot does
start but hangs up in the middle, with the blue bar maybe 40 percent
completed.

I don't know if this is the source of the problem, but I may have
accidentally tossed the System folder on to the trash before this all
happened. I'm cleaning out files (this is a work computer and I'm
leaving this job), and I think I got careless and threw some vital
stuff in the trash and tried to empty it before rebooting. Still,
should this prevent it from booting from CDs and an external drive
(assuming that copy IS bootable)?

Is there a way to force-start it? All I really want to do is wipe the
hard drive clean, since I did make a backup of it (though apparently
not a bootable one) and I have the necessary files. Can I gain access
to the hard drive's contents via another computer linked with a
FireWire cable? I'd rather turn this computer back in to my former
workplace wiped clean than all screwed up. Suggestions?

One more thing: Did a command/S start and it says"
Looking for kernel cache file 'System/Library/Caches/
com.apple.kernelcaches/kernelcache.D5139449'
Loading "mach_kernel"...
....
root device uuid is '[huge string of numbers and letters]
Loading drivers ...
Error loading drivers

Some suggestions to try, pretty much in logical order:

1. Disconnect everything from the computer except the power cable.
Disconnect the network and all peripherals. If the battery is charged
up, you may also want to disconnect the power cable.

2. Try resetting the PRAM. Hold down the four keys Command-Option-P-R
while starting up. Should get the startup chime, and it should repeat
every couple of seconds while you are holding down those four keys.
After about 4 repeats of the startup chime, release the keys. The
machine should then start up normally.

3. If it still does not start up from the hard drive, try starting up
from the system install CD that came with the computer. Try resetting
the PRAM again if that does not work

4. If you subscribed to the Applecare Protection Plan, you should have a
TechTool disk. Try starting up from that. Then run the diagnostics on
the disk.

5. If you installed additional RAM, remove that and put in the original
factory RAM. Try again.

6. Call Apple Tech Support. If the computer is still under warranty or
you purchased the Applecare Protection Plan, the call will be free. I
have always found Apple Tech Support to be helpful. They will walk you
through diagnosis of the problem, and if it has to go in for repair,
they will set that up.

BTW, I strongly favor getting the Applecare protection plan for laptop
computers. Laptops take a lot of abuse, even if you are careful, and the
abuse adds up.

--
For email, change <fake> to <earthlink>
Bill Collins
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Can you edit the registry from Recovery Console
    ... Boot from the Nordahl disk ... Type ls (to see the current keys) ... at any stage to see the available commands. ...
    (microsoft.public.win2000.general)
  • Re: Installation: doesnt see setup files on hard drive?
    ... > disk the BIOS is set to boot from must have an appropriate Master Boot ... I was worried about those points you made above so I removed all drives except the one I want to instll ...
    (microsoft.public.win2000.general)
  • Re: Boot Problem
    ... Was either disk set up as a Microsoft dynamic disk? ... Do not change the boot sector signature. ... I ensure all OK by swapping over drives. ... installing XP as it insisted there was no drive to install itself on! ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
  • Re: [SLE] Problems with initrd after mkinitrd
    ... A disk can have three real heads and report a dozen or a hundred! ... > natural metric for partitioning drives that use LBA. ... > - One, less frequent, is the failure of some of the cloned drives to boot ...
    (SuSE)
  • Re: Three Linux Operating Systems in One Computer (Is it possible?)
    ... Hard Disk 1 19.42GiB IDE ... The GRUB boot loader is installed on the first hard disk. ... I am planning to combine /dev/hda6 with /devhda1 using the Gnome Partition ...
    (Ubuntu)