Macbook Will Not Boot After Updating Leopard

I just reinstalled Leopard after having some trouble with my partition tables, and everything ran smoothly and worked fine. After the install I let software update update everything including the 10.5.5 update. It prompted me to reboot, and when I did it got to the grey Apple screen and the thing spun for about 30 seconds before it restarted and did it again. This happened a few times and then I booted from a Leopard disk to look at disk permissions and they seem to be fine. Anyone have any idea why this is happening or how I would fix it?
Thanks in advance, hope to get this sorted out quickly, I thought I had finally gotten my computer working fine again when I reinstalled Leopard. :P

At start up, press 'C' to boot directly from a CD/DVD. Or, you can press 'Option' and you should get a list of bootable selections (CD/DVD, external hardrives) that you can boot from - assuming you have something that IS bootable.
I recently had a problem and ended up reinstalling my OS (via TimeMachine). I also confirmed that you can boot from your original OSX install disk. As part of this process I also discovered I could NOT boot directly FROM the AppleCare provided TechTools Deluxe disk. Supposedly you can boot INTO that disk via a restart but that seems kind of silly to me.
However, if you have signed up for AppleCare and go to the Apple Support web site, you can download TechTools Deluxe and it can be made bootable by burning the .dmg file via Apple Disk Utilities. I don't understand Apple logic of not making the provided AppleCare TechTools Deluxe disk bootable.

Similar Messages

Will not boot after updates

I have a macbook air. It is running Lion. After updates it will not boot. It starts installing updates and just stops all together. Any help would be very welcome.

Hey bfa67,
Thanks for the question. To isolate the issue, what happens when you start up in Safe Mode?:
OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564
Thanks,
Matt M.

Macbook pro will not boot after snow leopard upgrade

My GF has had a macbook pro since mid 2008. It's been running like a champ since I've known her for the past 3 years with no issues. It has/had OSX 10.5.8 installed. We tried to consolidate all our pictures from all our apple devices and realized she didn't have an icloud on the old 10.5.8 OSX. So I called apple and they told me to order and install the snow leopard OSX 10.6 first and then upgrade to lion etc after that, Well we got the disk yesterday popped it in to install and it's been a disaster.... the computer shutdown for what looked like a normal restart during the installation process and never booted back up. Attempts to manually reboot leave us locked on a grey apple logo screen with spinning gear indefinately whith the Snow Leopard disk installed during boot up. With the disk removed I get the flashing file folder with a question mark. I called apple support we tried all the PRAM and SMC resets and then decided that we should go to the Genius Bar once all those failed. After an hour and a half drive to the nearest genius bar we were told that the we suddenly had a hardware issue which just happened to coincide with the new OS installation.... I'm not buying it and am looking for some help. The macbook was running like a champ until we inserted a disk recommended by apple... Any takers?

You have a five year old computer, so a failing hard drive at this point is not so strange. You have a couple of options you can try. Start with this one, but if it does not work you will have to erase the hard drive. I hope you have a backup of all your files.
Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. 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 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 installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

MacBook will not boot after iTunes 10.5.2, iPhoto, and Safari update

My MacBook (mid 2007) will no longer boot after the iTunes 10.5.2, iPhoto and Safari update. It will load Lion but will no open any applications. After running Repair Disk Permissions and Repair Disk in the Recovery HD, Lion will ask for my password, log in, then display the menu bar and a grey background and remain unresponsive. I tried downloading a new copy of Lion in Recovery HD but it will not get past about 1/8 of the download bar before freezing and becoming unresponsive. Any ideas?

Any ideas?? I really need to see if this is fixable! Thanks!

Macbook will not boot after 10.5.2 install

After installing the 10.5.2 update via software update (from 10.5.1) my macbook will no longer boot. I get the Apple logo for about 5 seconds then I get the 'You need to restart your computer' message. I can't get past this point. Any suggestions on how to get my laptop back to life would be appreciated.

Start by:
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger and Leopard.) 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 installer. Now shutdown the computer for a couple of minutes and then restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.1 for Leopard) and/or TechTool Pro (4.6.1 for Leopard) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Then download the standalone updater and reinstall 10.5.2. If that doesn't solve your problem then you will have to do an Archive and Install.
How to Perform an Archive and Install
1. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
2. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
3. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
4. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
5. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

OS will not boot after Snow Leopard Upgrade

I have a MacPro (Intel). I just upgraded to Snow Leopard and everything appeared fine. However, after restarting my computer the OS will not load. A circle with a hash through it replaces the Apple logo and the apple's spinning wheel continues but all drive activity. I have tried to run the install again by forcing the computer to open the dvd drive then booting for the OS DVD but this has not worked. Has anyone experienced this and successfully resolved?

You have a five year old computer, so a failing hard drive at this point is not so strange. You have a couple of options you can try. Start with this one, but if it does not work you will have to erase the hard drive. I hope you have a backup of all your files.
Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. 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 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 installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

IMac, 2010, will not boot after update

After downloading Yosemite, my 2010, 27" iMac will not reboot. It appeared to install ok but it stayed white screen, no text for more than an hour after it automatically rebooted. Idaes?

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
To restart an unresponsive computer, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the power shuts off, then release, wait a few more seconds, and press it again briefly.
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 a desktop Mac hangs at a plain gray screen with a movable cursor, the keyboard may not be recognized. Press and hold the button on the side of an Apple wireless keyboard to make it discoverable. If need be, replace or recharge the batteries. If you're using a USB keyboard connected to a hub, connect it to a built-in port.
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 in OS X 10.9 or earlier, 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.

Macbook will not boot after last 10.5.2 airport update

Installing the latest airport update to 10.5.2 killed my macbook. If I do a opotion+apple key+s, I get the following message
loading system\library\extension.mkext .............error x0000008 or something like that.
Any suggestions on how to fix that? I seen something on the internet about deleting mkext file, but am a little afraid I will make things worse. Is there a way to boot up with this error like a safe mode, or do I have to boot with external USB disk or installlation disk? Any little details would help. I am familiar with Linux and WinXP, but not mac OSX.

This problem has been solved. Booted of USB drive and deleted the file. It started after, although it took awhile.

Macbook (Black) Will Not Boot After Update (grey screen of non-booting)

I bought my first MacBook less than one month ago.
Last night at 9pm the apple update software said there was an update and I should restart. It has not been able to boot since.
Now, when the computer turns on it shows a grey screen with a dark grey apple logo for a few minutes, then turns off again.
I am completely lost, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Chris Albon

Sorry to hear about your troubles Chris.
Was this a System/Security update you installed or just for an application? Personally, I never install anything system related without first running a 3rd party Disk Utility like DiskWarrior. It's important to ensure that there are no latent issues before doing so. That being said, if you don't have access to DW, try booting up from your OSX installation DVD (insert the disk and hold down the 'C' key on startup) and choose Disk Utility's disk repair option from the file menu once it's loaded. Post back once you've tried this.

Help Please! Macbook will not boot after MacOffice install

I've never used a mac before until now. I've a 2.2ghz, 2gb ram macbook(late '07, it has an *hitachi HD* which I've had for less than a week and was running fine until I installed mac office 2004 student edition.
During the installation process i was prompted to update macoffice and after a while i couldnt see the microsoft update status bar and i just got to the screen where it said installation complete, I clicked 'finish'and then I waited for 30mins or more where i got a spinning colour wheel, and the fans were spinning a lot and it felt quite warm so I decided to turn it off.
When I booted up again I got a *flashing folder with a question mark* on the white/greyish screen. After resetting the P/VRAM(?) a number of times I eventually got into the desktop. Thinking that microsoft must have corrupted some system files. I decided to do an erase and install but when i tried to do it I got a warning screen with 'install failed'and 'the installer is experiencing errors installing on "macintosh HD" The disk may be damaged. Please try installing on another disk...click restart and try again'.
I then tried to use 'disk utility'using the os x disc. I ran first aid on the macintosh HD. I verified and repaired disk permissions but when i tried running verify/repair disk i get in red 'Invalid b-tree node size, volume check failed..Error:filesystem verify or repair failed.'
The lines for apple care are shut today as well..any light shed on this problem appreciated. Any ideas what i can do...I really hope it isnt hardware failure..but the hard shutdown/restart suggest it may be?
Message was edited by: Anon87
Message was edited by: Anon87
Message was edited by: Anon87

The question mark means that important system files needed for startup are either missing or damaged. The only solution is to boot from your Installer DVD and perform an Archive and Install or an Erase and Install.
How to Perform an Archive and Install
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger.) 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, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

Macbook Pro not booting after update. ''Disk Utility can't repair disk''. Help needed!

I have recently updated my macbook pro as I had some pending software updates. I left it to do the job over night and the next day I noticed it was not letting me sign in to my account session as usual.
I restarted the computer and ever since then when I boot it, it just shows the apple grey screen with a bar that loads to about a 3rd and then it turns off again. I have contacted apple but they were unable to help me with this.
So far I have tried to:
1. Re-install OS X 10.8 - but it says the disk is locked or OS X cannot be installed on Recovery HD.
2. Verify and Repair the disk and I errors but it cannot fix them. Some are:
               'invalid leaf count''
               ''missing thread record''
               ''incorrect number of file hard links''
               ''overlapped extent allocation''
          and it finally says ''the volume Macintosh HD cannot be repaired'' Error: ''Disk Utility can't repair this disk.. disk, and restore your backed up files.
I would like to know a way to back up my files so that i can completely restore the disk without any data loss as I havent backed up for a while!
If anyone has any solution to this issue it would be much appreciated!

I just ran the Disk Utility, and cannot very disk. It gives me an error message;
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair
and when I run the repair, this is the message:
The volume GERRARD could not be repaired.
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 HFS volume checked
1 volume could not be repaired because of an error
Repair attempted on 1 volume
1 volume could not be repaired
Prior to running Disk Utility, I have already tried DiskWarrior, and could not repair my disk. Anyway I can fix this problem??? Formatting the disk would be my last option (though I am unsure if it will fix the problem). Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Meanwhile, I will continue to back up my file, and delete unused data and try to run it again.
Thank you all very much for any input.
Cheers,
Matt

[SOLVED] Kernel will not boot after update to 3.1.5

Not sure what went wrong here. Pacman seemed to hang when updating, so I CTRL-C'd it and restarted the upgrade. It seemed to complete properly. That was a few hours ago and I did not immediately reboot the computer but went on with my work instead. After rebooting the laptop I get this
***normal boot up to this :
Running Hook [uresume]
resume libgcrypt version: 1.5.0
resume: Could not stat the resume device file '/dev/sda4'
Please type in the full path name to try again or press ENTER to boot the system: _
Pressing ENTER at this point results in mean looking error message :
ERROR : Unable to determine major/minor number of root device '/dev/sda4'
You are being dropped to a recovery shell
Type 'exit' to try and continue booting
sh: can't access tty: job control turned off
[ramfs /]# _
**typing exit**
Trying to continue (this will most likely fail)...
mount: you must specify the filesystem type
You are being dropped into an emergency shell
sh: can't access tty: job control turned off
[ramfs /]# _
Did I somehow ruin my install or is there something I can do?
EDIT : Oh and it can still boot the windows partition, so it's not likely due to defective hardware.
Last edited by bolshevik (2011-12-16 14:31:19)

bolshevik wrote:
Not sure what went wrong here. Pacman seemed to hang when updating, so I CTRL-C'd it and restarted the upgrade. It seemed to complete properly. That was a few hours ago and I did not immediately reboot the computer but went on with my work instead. After rebooting the laptop I get this
***normal boot up to this :
Running Hook [uresume]
resume libgcrypt version: 1.5.0
resume: Could not stat the resume device file '/dev/sda4'
Please type in the full path name to try again or press ENTER to boot the system: _
Pressing ENTER at this point results in mean looking error message :
ERROR : Unable to determine major/minor number of root device '/dev/sda4'
You are being dropped to a recovery shell
Type 'exit' to try and continue booting
sh: can't access tty: job control turned off
[ramfs /]# _
**typing exit**
Trying to continue (this will most likely fail)...
mount: you must specify the filesystem type
You are being dropped into an emergency shell
sh: can't access tty: job control turned off
[ramfs /]# _
Did I somehow ruin my install or is there something I can do?
EDIT : Oh and it can still boot the windows partition, so it's not likely due to defective hardware.
If you foolishly interrupted the initramfs creation after a kernel upgrade and didn't regenerate it manually, you earned this.
You'll need to find a live CD so you can chroot to your install and rerun mkinitcpio.

Server will not boot after update !! Help needed fast !!

I have a new (Aug 2005) XServe G5, running 4.3.
Active Directory integrated, stores home folders (AFP), manages preferences and 5 print queues for 55 Mac OS X.4.3 clients and 200 users.
It downloaded the 4.4 update, unchecked the OS 4.4 update (I think was my first mistake), restarted. Now, at boot up, about the moment the apple would appear (maybe it appears for a split second) all I get is the ugly not sign.
-- Am able to boot to external firewire drive
-- Drive shows as boot option
-- Disk repair reported no problems to fix
-- Can not find any log entries after last shut down. No service ever starts for any entries to be made.
-- Applied the 4.4 update successfully while booted from external fw drive, no effect. Startup disk reports system to be OS X Server 4.4 and lists as a boot option.
-- Drive behaves same when transferred to my G5 tower: big not sign.
What other steps can I do to troubleshoot this boot problem? If I don't get this server up this weekend, I'll get roasted by an angry mob.
Any suggestions are welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Eeh...
Always clone the existing system prior to updating it. Do so when the server is not in use, shut off services where possible (you want it to be as quiescent as possible).
Mike Bombich (at Apple) describes how you can do this via the command-line, which I prefer for this purpose (you can stagger the process):
http://www.bombich.com/mactips/image.html
Now then:
Have you booted from the install CD and used Disk Utility to run Repair Permissions ? That should be your first step.
It may change nothing, but can you boot into Safe mode ? Hold down the Shift key at powerup and keep holding it until you see: "Safe boot"
If you CAN get it booted in that state, then run the 10.4.4 COMBO updater
you need to run the combo updater at this point. After doing so, use Disk Utility to run repair permissions on the boot drive itself, and then reboot.
Otherwise, start it in Target Disk Mode as you did before, connect it to a unit running 10.4.4, and run the /combo/ 10.4.4 Server updator (NOT client, of course) onto the server's mounted hard drive.
I'm not sure you can do this while running 10.4.x client. You may need to do a quick install of 10.4 server (say onto a Firewire drive), boot your spare Mac from it, and -then- mount the server via Firewire target mode, and apply the 10.4.4 server combo updater.
Good luck !

Mac will not boot after Snow Leopard install

I recently had a HD crash. Replaced the HD and installed Snow Leopard from a image file on an external HD. Install went great. I copied over data files and things seems just fine. My first reboot after the install and the Mini won't boot. I am stuck with the Apple Logo and a spinning wheel. I ran disk utility and the new HD checks out fine. When I boot with the external HD, it still sees my Mini HD. I tried restarting with Command/Option/P/R but that didn't do anything. Any advice?

I'm in a slightly similar spot- no crashes, but-- What I want to hopefully do is run my Tiger ppc apps (3) for CAD on my New- 5 weeks old) Lion Factory Installed machine. The ( November) First Aid Issue of Mac Life mentions a way
way to get external boots, UNLESS they are the Factory installed ( Lions). In the meantime----
Johnny

HP Pavilion 500 (desktop) will not boot after updating driver's.

Working on my mothers CPU but I cant seem to get past this screen now
This was after I had downloaded and installed drivers from this site. I cant seem to figure out why it is not going in to windows xp. Any ideas? It also was giving me a fan error which was easy to fix but cant seem to figure this out.

wow no one can help I guess everyone is duped as I am. DaRN HP

Macbook Will Not Boot After Updating Leopard

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