Mac Pro + 10.6.8 - gray screen with a forbidden sign & "still waiting for root device"
Hi everyone,
I've a Mac Pro Early 2008 Dual Xeon which runs 10.6.8 version of OS X (Snow Leopard)
After a recent reboot the system won't come up, it just hangs displaying a gray screen with a forbidden sign instead and the gray spinner spinning forever...
I have tried: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
1) Disconnect, test peripheral devices and network cables ---> nothing
2) Perform a Safe Boot ---> I got this screen
3) Reset the NVRAM / PRAM ---> Nothing
4) Start from your Mac OS X Install disc; use Disk Utility
I have tried to boot from both installed SuperDrive holding the C key, but nothing! The Mac doesn't start from CD (very strange!!!)
5) Check your cables and power source
They are OK, but nothing!
6) Remove third-party RAM and internal hardware
No third-party RAM is installed...
7) Perform an Archive and Install installation of Mac OS X or
Perform an Erase and Install installation of Mac OS X as a last resort
I can't boot from installation disc....
Any other idea?
Guessing that your hard drive has left the building or your OS X system has. I would start by replacing OS X, if you can:
Clean Install of Snow Leopard
1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc. Insert the disc into the
optical drive and restart the computer. After the chime press and hold down the
"C" key. Release the key when you see a small spinning gear appear below the
dark gray Apple logo.
2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue
button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
size.) Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the number of
partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, set the format type to Mac
OS Extended (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Partition button.
3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed
with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
Assistant. Be sure you configure your initial admin account with the exact same
username and password that you used on your old drive. After you finish Setup
Assistant will complete the installation after which you will be running a fresh
install of OS X. You can now begin the update process by opening Software
Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your installation current.
Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
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Forbidden Screen - Error: "Still waiting for root device"
Greetings to all! I come to you with my boot troubles as a supplicant, in the hope that someone can help.
I have a PowerBook G4 15-inch, pre-Intel from late 2005. Until today it always worked and rarely hanged. All I've ever needed to do when in trouble was reboot. I've updated the Apple OSX software regularly and have never touched the hardware, except once 18 months ago to add memory. All I do with this machine is use it. It's been weeks since I installed any new software.
There were no warning signs before the problem started today.
FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE: The machine was unusually slow, showing beach balls on every minor move. I powered down conventionally and later turned it on again. After a minute I got the "Forbidden Sign" grey screen, which I had never seen before. So I rebooted, and got that again.
+I turned to the only other available machine (very old PC, unfortunately) to browse for solutions, and have so far tried the following:+
1) BOOT FROM INSTALLATION DISK: Forbidden Screen. After a couple of attempts I removed the disk (by clicking trackpad on power up). At some point, in desperation, I even tried Disc 2.
2) RESET PRAM (Command-Option-P-R on power up) : I got three chimes, then the grey screen. It stayed on the apple and gear for many minutes. At least it never went to the Forbidden Screen.
3) FILE SYSTEM CHECK (Option-S on power up) : After a few steps it shows error messages (see below) and starts repeating, "Still waiting for root device," over and over.
4) RESET NVRAM (Command-Option-O-F on power up) : I got a blue screen with text and was able to input "reset-nvram" (response: OK) and then "boot." Result: Forbidden Screen.
5) SAFE START (Option on power up) : Forget it. Forbidden Screen. Same when I try it with "C" as some sites recommend. Same with or without the Install Disk in the DVD driver.
6) POWER MANAGEMENT UNIT RESET (Shift-Control-Option-Power): Subsequent boot still produces Forbidden Screen.
*THE ERROR MESSAGES*
Here are some of the messages when I start up with Option-S:
CSRHIDTransitionDriver::probe booting in single user .. do not match
Extension "com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard" has no kernel dependency.
Extension "com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyEventDriver" has no kernel dependency.
Apple PMU::CLOCK RESET! PMU WAS PROBABLY RESET SOMEHOW!! +(Yes, I did that, but it wasn't showing this before I did, and it WAS showing all of the following.)+
Security auditing service present
BSM auditing present
disabled
rooting via boot-uuid from /chosen: +(I think the long code that follows is the serial number?)+
Waiting on <dict ID="o"><key>IOProviderClass</key><string ID="1">IOResources</string><key>IOResourceMatch</key><string ID="2">boot-uuid-media</string></dict>
PMUMS::start ERROR: failed to find IOATABlockStorageDriver
Still waiting for root device
Still waiting for root device
Still waiting for root device
+(etc. ad infinitum)+
*So now I'm begging anyone for answers to these questions:*
Am I doomed?
Does anyone know what the problem is?
This seems to be happening prior to disk access, as it happens with or without the Install Disk. So do I still have the hard drive working? Is my data on it?!
Was resetting the Power Management Unit a bad idea?
What can I do next?
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Nicholas from NYCThanks for your reply, Louie!
In the meantime I have succeeded in booting via the Install Disc using Option on power up. The Hardware test shows nada wrong. Disk Util repair goes up to "Rebuilding Category B-Tree" and then fails. Frustratingly, the HD is somehow visible, because the diagnostics correctly identify it and give correct values for empty space. Right now I'm running the Erase Free Space option and it's working - how is that possible? I've gotten into Single User mode and tried various FSCK commands. Sometimes it comes back with the superblock error and "Bad Magic Number" which I believe indicates a corrupted block within the boot sector. I can't figure out how to reassign without reformatting and losing the data. This will cost me a few weeks of data, but really not that much work - still set me back by days.
Next step will be to start taking it apart, as you suggest, starting with the easy matter of trying with just one DIMM or switching the DIMMs.
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Hi,
I've recently tried to install serveral linux distro's on my MacBook.
Somewhere down the road something screwed up booting OSX.
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I also tried removing the original HDD and connecting it to my iMac via a USB dock, from there I repartitioned the HDD with a GUID partition scheme.
I don't care about losing data on the HDD, I would like to be able to boot the USB installer and reinstall OSX.
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It's MacBook 4,1 early 2008.
Thanks,
BartI'm assuming there's a backup of all partitions around somewhere, because this situation is deep into the likelihood of data loss already.
Per the Mavericks specs, MacBook4,1 Early 2008 isn't supported for 10.9 Mavericks, so whatever you're booting will need to be an earlier version of OS X.
Have you tried that bootable USB disk on another Mac, just to see if that's working correctly on another system?
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Back up all data on the internal drive(s) before you hand over your computer to anyone. There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional—ask if you need guidance.
If privacy is a concern, erase the data partition(s) with the option to write zeros* (do this only if you have at least two complete, independent backups, and you know how to restore to an empty drive from any of them.) Don’t erase the recovery partition, if present.
Keeping your confidential data secure during hardware repair
Apple also recommends that you deauthorize a device in the iTunes Store before having it serviced.
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I have a computer Mac, and I enter in the module, so that it can unlock, but I cant not write does not accept letters, numbers or symbols, and asks me is waiting for root device, What can I do?....
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If you have the diagnostics DVD disk, boot that and see if there are any errors logged.
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Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion Without Erasing the Drive
Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Continue button.
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My MacBook Pro stated that it needed to be updated. I clicked yes to restart the computer and update but when it restarted it stays on the gray screen with the apple logo and then pops up, stating "unable to find driver for this platform." What do I do?
Boot into Recovery by holding down the key combination command-R at the startup chime. Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial.
Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with networks that require any kind of authentication other than a WPA or WPA2 Personal password.
When the Mac OS X Utilities screen appears, follow the prompts to reinstall the Mac OS. You don't need to erase the boot volume, and you won't need your backup unless something goes wrong. If your Mac didn’t ship with Lion, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade, so make a note of those before you begin.
Don't install the Thunderbolt update -- it's defective. -
I have an early 2008 MacBook and running iOS Lion. I just turned on FileVault and restarted my computer as instructed. It told me before hand that I would still be able to use my Mac while the files were being encrypted. However, when I logged in on the secure gray login screen, I was only directed to a plain gray screen with the apple logo in the center. There are no time turners or anything moving. Is my Mac encrypting or is it frozen in some sort of way? If it is encrypting, how long does it usually take? and if it is frozen, how do I unfreeze it?
Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
d. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
Step 3
Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
Step 7
If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 11. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then restart as usual.
Step 9
If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support.
Step 10
Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 11
Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 12
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 13
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider. -
My MacBook Pro will not start. When I started it goes to a gray screen with the Apple logo and has the spinning dial. When I started in safe mode it will not start. In safe mode it as an error message that says MacBook Launch_msg(): Socket is not connected
If running 10.7 or later hold down Command-R at Startup.
This should invoke recovery Mode.
Choose Disk Utility.
Select your Hard drive. Inspect the SMART Status in the lower right of the window for "Verified".
Select the Mac OS X Volume (originally Macintosh HD) click (Repair Disk)
If errors, run again until it comes clean or gets stuck.
Report any error messages.
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