Booting safe mode hangs during fsck_hfs rMBP + 10.8.0

When trying to boot in safe mode (holding down shift while power on) to troubleshoot issues with the upgrade to 10.8.1 the boot process hangs indefinitely.
When switching on verbose and safe mode (nvram boot-args="-x -v") I see that it proceeds until fsck_hfs is run.
The last message from fsck is: "** check catalog"
There is another message probably unrelated after this:
AppleUSBMultitouchDriver: check state - receive state packet payload 2, device was reinitialized.
After this it hangs (waited for hours).
Already did a internet recovery install of the OS and nothing changed.
Normal booting and recovery system booting works without problems.
When I Verify-Disk in Disk-Utility everything is fine.
Can't upgrade to 10.8.1 because there is also problem with the App Store ugrade (doesn't show upgrades)

Bdobs wrote:
No, my problem started while I was trying to upgrade to 10.8.1. After it rebooted following the update, it would not boot back up. I think I am going to have to restore from my backup (out of town right now).
Thats bad, so it looks like in order to update it starts in safe mode, if safe mode doesn't work it can't update anymore!

Similar Messages

Intel Mini will only boot into safe mode - hangs on ANY Mac OS volume

I have an Intel Mac Mini... the core2duo 1.83GHz or whatever.
I acquired it from it's previous owner, as it was "broken".
He could not get it to run an install disc.
It will not boot any of the Mac OS install media (DVD or CD - 10.4, 10.5, 10.6).
It will not boot/install a Linux disc (I haven't tried, but that's what I was told).
It WILL boot/install Windows !?!?
So... anyway, I removed the HDD, and installed OS 10.6 Leopard on it (FW Target mode installs kept failing at the end - regular retail DVD). I then reinstalled the HDD back into the machine.
The system keeps hanging at the same point it would when trying to boot an install DVD - after the screen turns blue, it goes back to the gray screen, then immediately freezes.
However, I eventually discovered that it WILL boot into safe mode !
Everyone kept saying it's the logic board failure, but if it boots into safe mode, can that be true ? It doesn't seem to me that it would be hardware based in that case - unless it's just a specific component, like the Airport module or something.
The last line displayed in Verbose mode when it hangs is:
"athset_txchainmask[5124] sc->sc.config.txchainmask 5 mask 5"
It also says something about the Airport just before that.
I tried removing the Airport module and it still hangs.
I also tried different RAM, with the same results.
I ran the 10.6.2 combo update in Safe Mode. It still hangs. Haven't tried 10.6.3 yet, though I do have it downloaded and ready to install.
This thing is driving me crazy. Please tell me there's a fix, OTHER than replacing the logic board ?!?! It just doesn't seem like it should be so complicated considering that it runs in safe mode.
It's rare I can't figure out a Mac problem - please help !
Message was edited by: maxtechsystems

Very strange, and getting stranger !
Ok... so, from safe boot mode, I installed Windows XP Pro using the boot camp assistant.
Everything installed perfectly. I started up from Windows, and put in the Mac Mini recovery disc, in order to load the drivers. The Boot Camp software started with Auto Run, and I clicked through to install everything. The drivers start loading...Windows reacts positively, with the system tray announcing "new hardware installed" every 30 seconds or so. Airport/WiFi IS working (in Windows), as it detected my router/network...this is where it gets F'ed up - when the installer gets through with the drivers, and installs the boot camp software for Windows - the system reboots, goes through the usual Windows startup...the desktop background appears, but no icons or start menu - then it reboots again...same thing, again, over and over in a loop.
Went back into OS X (safe boot mode). Installed reEFIt (a bootloader utility), to see if maybe I can bypass the Mac OS/Boot Camp bootloader. No luck. Install worked, but still had the same issues.
For the heck of it, I try installing Linux Mint 8. The live CD starts up OK, but only as far as the boot menu. I tried the installer first - after the splash screen, it hangs on a plain gray screen (w/o the normal linux installer language selection menu - just solid grey).
I tried running the live CD w/o the installer - the actual OS. Same thing - after the splash screen, it hangs, only it's a black screen this time. If I use verbose mode, it still seems to hang on the WiFi card.
Here's the strangest thing yet - Ok, remember, it wouldn't boot normally into ANY Mac OS volume - including the installer DVDs - only in safe boot mode...
So, I try the "hackintosh" IPC osX86 10.5.6 DVD - it boots into the installer with NO problem, WITHOUT safe boot mode ! I tried installing it unsuccessfully. I forget now which options I choose, if any, though I may try it again later and pretend it's just a non-apple PC with the same specs as the Mini (or try just the "base system", and the bootloader - then run the official Apple updates)
This last thing really makes me think it has something to do with the EFI/bios - however, I've only been able to find info on how to update it, not replace or restore it - and it's only from a working install, not forced from a flash drive or CD (plus when I do try the installer from safe boot mode, it says it's current and unneeded).
I still haven't changed the hard drive. After almost successfully installing Windows, I made the assumption the -hardware- was OK, and reassembled everything.
Currently, I'm trying a direct installation of Windows XP Pro SP2 with which I'll try installing the drivers WITHOUT the boot camp software, to see if the WiFi (Airport card) and everything else is indeed working OK (remember too that the system passed ALL the ASD 3S116 tests).
So anyway, that's the current status. Any new ideas anyone ?
Thanks.
Message was edited by: maxtechsystems

Won't boot normally or in recovery and single user mode, safe mode hangs up halfway

iMac locked up with visual glitches while playing the Mac beta client of League of Legends. Had to force a shutdown by holding the power button. Now it won't boot; after the Apple logo and spinning wheel I just get a white screen. I tried launching in recovery mode, that didn't work. Then I tried safe mode; the bar filled a little over half and then nothing but white screen. I was able to boot single user mode once; ran fsck -fy and rebooted, still white screen. Now I can't get back to single user mode. I booted with command option P R to reset the NVRAM and got the second chime, but still nothing.
Luckily all my important files are in the cloud, but I'm really hoping my computer isn't completely dead. I haven't had any issues in the past. I've even been playing LoL for over a month with no issues, until now when I tried to play the newer game types, Dominion and ARAM; both caused visual glitches forcing shutdowns. I was able to restart my computer with no problem after the first two visual glitches, but after the last one I am stuck at the white screen as I described above.
Thanks in advance for your help!

I'd bet the drive is damaged. You could try reformatting if possible. Again, you are booting from the Recovery-10.8.2 disk if you can. If you can't, then you will need to use the installer disc that came with the computer.
Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard 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.
Erase the hard drive:
1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the
      left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on
        the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass. Click on
      the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
            because it is three times faster than wireless.

Imac 2011 27" won't boot / safe mode / install disc / bootcamp

I've been having an ongoing problem with my computerwhere it randomly crashes. my first visit with the Apple Store resulted in a replacement of the video card. that only fixed the issue for less than a month. during the second visit they did a full hardware test and deduced that the third party RAM was defective.I was also advised that the OS would need to be reinstalled. when I got the computer back I was able to boot up the system without issues, but before I could back anything up it crashed again. Now I cannot restart the computer past the spinning wheel I get a white screen. I cannot boot the computer into safe mode either. I have the original installation disk but it also hangs after the spinning wheel. I have also tried loading up boot camp and that also hangs after the Windows screen. I was however able to load up Windows in Safe Mode. does anyone know what is going on here?

Try restarting while holding down the Option key. Theoretically, that will prompt the Startup Manager window where you can select the startup disk. If the startup disk is not available, then it's probably time for another trip to the Apple Store.
Did you by chance purchase AppleCare ??

Toshiba Satellite Laptop - Will Not Boot, Safe Mode Not Accessible

Hi everyone, thanks in advance for your help.
I am trying to help my mother-in-law (I know, who does that!?) with her laptop. Because of the boot problems, I can only offer you limited info on the specs, but here is what I do know.
Toshiba Satellite
Model Number PSAE6C-TJ908C
2 Gig RAM (assuming DDR2)
HDD is a Toshiba MK2035GSS 200Gig
OS Windows Vista
Bios Version 2.60
Problem:
First it would boot ok in one user account, but when booted in secondary account it would act odd, ie caps lock stayed on when not pressed, etc. Deleted secondary account, ran Windows repair function, now I cannot access the primary account, will not boot in safe mode, can not change boot sequence in setup to boot from cd or run restore disc. I have to use an external keyboard as the laptop keyboards enter key and "a" keys do not work. (New keyboard which was replaced in December, warranty has since run out, thank you Staples.)
Any and all help greatly appreciated. I'll answer any other questions you have as they come up, I realize I may have left out some key details.
I forgot to add a couple of details. When booting, it hangs at the Toshiba screen prompting for either F2 for setup or F12 for boot device selection, when you reach the log in screen it gives a number of odd sounding beeps (3 I believe), the Filter Keys box comes up, and when you try to enter the login password it will not recognize it.

Satellite A200-TJ (9PSAE6C-TJ908C)
will not boot in safe mode, can not change boot sequence in setup to boot from cd or run restore disc.
I have to use an external keyboard as the laptop keyboards enter key and "a" keys do not work.
it hangs at the Toshiba screen prompting for either F2 for setup or F12 for boot device selection, when you reach the log in screen it gives a number of odd sounding beeps
That's one sick laptop. If the thing beeps on startup and even the keyboard doesn't work, I'd figure on replacing it.
Are there important files you need to rescue?
-Jerry

PXI first use, unable to configure/boot safe mode or RT

Hi all,
I am new to PXI controllers, i am having a few issues with a PXI controller in my university which i intend to use for my fyp project.
So we are using a PXI 1042Q chassis with a PXI 8106 embedded controller.
We started this controller for the first time and updated windows xp, we also removed labview 8.6 that came with it and installed labview 2010 with all the available drivers, softwares and liscenses..
When we start windows XP on the PXI system we can see the PXI chassis and controller identified in MAX but labview cannot find them when creating a project.. My first question concerns the reason why labview cannot identify PXI targets in a project?, could it be a missing liscence (for instance RT liscence for PXI)? or an improperly installed driver? How to check if RT liscence is missing or needed?
Due to the first problem, we tried to control the PXI remotelty from another desktop host PC where we found more problems.
1/ Can we make a connection in order to download a project from the host PC to the PXI via ETHERNET (without MXI cards) ?
2/ We tried to make the connection using ethernet but we couldnt configure the IP; when we switch to safe mode to configure, the pxi gives the following texts on screen " system error kernel 446610 LFS error not a dos disk pc-dskinit " and the system remains unconfigured with the 0.0.0.0 IP due to the failure to boot, MAX on the host PC sees the PXI as a 0.0.0.0 and changing the IP is not possible also.
To cure this issue and help the system boot, we created a desktop PC utility USB Drive in MAX (on the host PC), configured the boot devices priority on PXI and booted the PXI from the USB drive. we entered safe mode and the pxi took an IP automatically and then it displayed that the software is not present... The problem is that when we tried to install the software on the pxi using MAX on the host PC (which now sees the PXI) we got disconnected..
Note that firewall is off, the host pc has an ip in range with the one generated by the pxi, on the same subnet and has windows 7..So why are we loosing the connection in MAX after 30 seconds,, when we try to install the software on the pxi?
thank you in advance for your help.
Elias Saleh.

Dear Elias579,
Welcome you to the NI Forums!
There are basically three ways a PXI system can by characterised by the OS:
Real-Time OS running on the PXI makes it an RT Target, which then can be reached from the network by a host PC for example
"regular" Windows running on the PXI makes it a simple industrial PC, which has no real-time qualities. In this case you cannot add the controller to your project, since you are actually on the target, and whatever VIs you crate are actually on the platform already!
Hybrid systems (not all controllers are compatible with this) can run in such a way that one core runs regular Windows and an other runs an RT OS, which can communicate with each other.
Your problem is either
1.) You installed a simple windows, in which case you wont add any targets to your project since you are running every VIs on the target. The chassis works exactly like a PCIe bus slot extender, so the cards inside are the ones that matter. For example if you have a programmable FPGA PXI card, and you have LABVIEW REAL-TIME and NI-RIO driver installed, you will be able to add the card within the chassis to your project.
2.) You are just missing a driver. Since you do not have an RT OS on the PXI, you might need a suitable DAQmx for you cards.
Please to help me have more vision of your problem try to describe what cards are you using and what is actually you would like to do.
For debugging you issue, these documents might help:
http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/24D16468DE8838B2862568E200746D7E
https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-16189
**EDIT:
one more thing, if you are using a regular Windows PXI, you should not seek to connect to it as an RT Target. You might try to use Remote Desktop from an another PC though.
Looking forwards to help you solve your issue,
Peter
Peter L.
National Instruments Hungary
Applications Engineer

OSX Lion running, but video display frozen. Safe mode hangs

When I started my Mac Pro (early 2008) this A.M. the video display froze (pin wheel stopped spinning), but OSX booted successfully (I could access shared drives from another computer on the network). I also noted a small black rectangle at the top left of the screen. I tried booting into safe mode, but it hung at about the 25% point as shown on the progress bar. The pinwheel was still spinning however. Power cycled the computer, but the results were the same. Did all of the above several times with the same results. I booted to a known good Super Duper clone, but it also failed. I'm guessing the video card has failed, but no way to verify this. Anything else I can try?

Referring again to the article, only Macs that shipped with 10.7 can run the AHT from the Internet. A 2008 Mac Pro would have shipped with 10.5. If you have a 10.4 disc, it came with an older Mac and won't work. If you can't find the Applications disc that came with the MP, then you can't run the AHT.
In that case, I suggest you try booting from the recovery partition. If you can do that, run Disk Utility, repair the startup volume, and reinstall Lion. Probably this won't help, but you will then have ruled out everything except a hardware failure, which is what I think you have.

MacBook no boot safe mode help

Please excuse me as I am writing this on my iPhone.
I would love to know if there is anything I can do to get my MacBook to reboot, here is what happened.
It was at the very max of HDD capacity
I was doing too much and the wheel was spinning more and more
I opted to force a power down when I fet it was safe and after that it will not boot
I can use safe mode, cannot repair the drive
I went to a local computer store and was able to boot from a USB, but Disk Utility could not repair the volume
I am away from home on business so I do not have access to any external drives or other recovery software
Is there anything else I can try to do from Safe Mode?
TIA
HENRY

You need to have a minimum of 10% of the hard drive's capacity as free space. Bad things can happen when the free space drops down as low as yours. If the drive's directory is sufficiently corrupted even deleting files may not help. This would seem to be your problem since you could not repair the disk using Disk Utility from the USB drive. And, you cannot repair the disk if you are using it as the startup volume.
It would be more helpful to tell us what model MBP you are using, hard drive capacity and type (HDD or SSD), and version of OS X currently installed.

Firefox uses 100,000 K - 200,000 K memory even in safe mode; hangs and freezes periodically

In the past week or so I've been experiencing regular freezing and hanging, but only when Firefox is open. The freezing and hanging can affect other programs, but it always starts with Firefox. It can be either a) the browser stops responding, dims white, and the spinning circle appears, b) browser stops responding as does the task bar, can't click on any other open windows and sometimes the task bar dims as well, or c) the screen freezes entirely, with mouse movement not shown (although the mouse does move--it appears to freeze, but if I move it and wait, it'll be wherever I moved it) and if I was loading a page, the loading circle in the tab stops moving as well; it's as if a screenshot has been taken and replaced the screen.
I'm thinking this has to do with memory usage; Firefox uses 200,000 K memory normally, and starting in safe mode only drops it by 20,000 K - 30,000 K.

Hello,
The Reset Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information. <br>
'''Note''': ''This will cause you to lose any Extensions and some Preferences.''
*Open websites will not be saved in Firefox versions lower than 25.
To Reset Firefox do the following:
'''For Firefox versions previous to 29.0:'''
#Go to Firefox > Help > Troubleshooting Information.
#Click the "Reset Firefox"[[Image:Button reset]] button.
#Firefox will close and reset. After Firefox is done, it will show a window with the information that is imported. Click Finish.
#Firefox will open with all factory defaults applied.
'''For Firefox 29.0 and above:'''
#Click the menu button [[Image:New Fx Menu]], click help [[Image:Help-29]] and select ''Troubleshooting Information''.
Now, a new tab containing your troubleshooting information should open.
#At the top right corner of the page, you should see a button that says "Reset Firefox"[[Image:Button reset]]. Click on it.
#Firefox will close and reset. After Firefox is done, it will show a window with the information that is imported. Click Finish.
#Firefox will open with all factory defaults applied.
Further information can be found in the [[Reset Firefox – easily fix most problems]] article.
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!
Thank you.

Macbook Pro 15" will only boot up in Safe Mode - Please help!

My Macbook Pro will not boot up normally. It goes past the screen with the apple and the wheel and then just stays white. Also on the screen there are little rectangular blocks going across diagonally. In Safe Mode, it boots up but with little square blocks going across the screen. Can anyone help please?

Firstly, see this article: Mac OS X- What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode? and this one: Gray screen appears during startup.
Secondly, try the following:
Delete caches to resolve some startup problems:
Boot into single-user mode. After startup is completed you will be in command line mode and should see a prompt with a cursor positioned after it. At the prompt enter the following then press RETURN after each commandline:
/sbin/fsck -fy
If you receive a message that says "***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****" then re-run the command until you receive a message that says "** The volume (name_of_volume) appears to be OK." If you re-run the command more than seven times and do not get the OK message, then the drive cannot be repaired this way.
If you were successful then enter:
/sbin/mount -uw /
rm -rf /System/Library/Caches/*
rm -rf /Library/Caches/*
reboot
I suggest you print out the above to be sure you do not make any errors when entering the commands. When in single-user mode you have 'root' access, so it's important that you not make any mistakes.
Lastly, reinstall Snow Leopard if the above doesn't help. This will not erase the drive.

Kernel Panic at boot but works in safe mode

I am getting a Kernel Panic at boot on the grey screen If I boot safe mode it works fine.
Whats the procedure to find whats cause the problem? Is there a log file I should look at or what is the best way to figure this out

Also check /System/Library/StartupItems & /Library/StartupItems (neither of which is in your home folder) -- any items in them are suspect since none are installed as part of a standard installation of the OS.

PXI-8187 alwayes boot RT in safe mode

Trying to boot RT on PXI-8187 controller with original setup, what ever RT boot selection is used either hardware switch or BIOS RT boot option, the terminal will show the following:
Unable to load LabVIEW RT from drive!
Booting safe mode from ROM...
mount: Mounting /dev/Ma1 on /home/ftp/c failed: Invalid argument
Entering safe mode.
IP address is: 0.0.0.0
Of course after that you can't do any thing to configure the RT target from the MAX on the host computer.
Please Help.

Thanks,
The initial was NTFS but it has evolved:
I used the recovery CD to change the file system to NTFS, it took a while and it installed windows XP from scratch differently from FirstWare that ghosts it (I think). And it didn't install any NI stuff what so ever.
At the end I got the same result as with using the remote system format disk option.
i.e. The RT controller boots in safe mode displaying the previous message without the mount error but this time I can configure the IP address.
Still I can't install software to it, I get the list of features to install, I select them and press next, then I get a dialog saying:
Cannot process install because other dependencies are required:
LabVIEW RT 1.0.1
LabVIEW RT 6.0.1
LabVIEW RT 6.1.0
LabVIEW RT 7.0.0
LabVIEW RT 7.1
Is this a host or RT Controller issue now?
What's next? Thanks for the help
manora

Snow leopard freezes but works fine in safe mode

I have been using snow leoprad and it hangs after login to the system (from the first one/two minutes). But it works well in safe mode . So far the things I have tried are - repair the disk permissions, verify the disk , created a new user account etc. But I'm not getting a soluion. Please help!!

Hmm, that's not good. Running out of "moving parts".
No third party add ons but works in safe mode only! Here's the apple article on what happens during a safe boot.
Mac OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?
Since third party stuff is rulled out you would think it would be one of the other things mentioned that may be corrupted. For example, /System/Library/Fonts, font cache. In other words, font related.
Not sure what to suggest at the moment and it's my bed time.
Maybe look at OnyX (Maintenance, Rebuild) and rebuild the dyld shared cache and look at other stuff in OnyX that might need rebulding (Cleaning, Fonts, delete font caches).

IMac shutting down on startup - Can't enter safe mode as wireless keyboard doesn't connect quickly enough

Hi all,
I was planning to use bootcamp to install Windows 7 on my mid-2010 21.5" iMac.
Bootcamp recommended I usk disk utility to repair the drive. I had a snow leopard install disk in the drive, (I didn't realise Lion already had it's recovery tools built in to the hard drive.)
Disk utility said it can't repair the drive and recommended I start backing up my data (because the hard drive could be about to fail). Fine, so I restarted, with the intention of backing up everything (all my work for the last 12 months). So I press the power button, grey screen comes up, then the apple logo, then a progress bar appears (found this odd at first, but later found out it has something to do with disk utility and a bad hard drive) it gets to around 20% and then all power is cut from the iMac and the hard drive stops/everything powers down.
Now, I can't seem to get my iMac to boot into recovery utilities or into safe mode because it doesn't connect to the wireless keyboard in time before it shuts down. So, if I use a wired keyboard (I have a dell USB keyboard that I can take from the office), will I be able to boot into safe mode?
Also, if the disk in drive is causing the problem, then I can't remove it because the wireless keyboard won't connect/register any keypresses.

Ok so, status report:
Wired keyboard is non responsive when I plug it in before/during boot. So i guess it needs to be plugged in before the iMac shut down. That's that out the window.
Plugged in headphones and I can't hear the startup chime so don't know when to start holding buttons.
To make matters worse, the wireless keyboard is no longer paired with the iMac, getting a green blinking light which indicates it wants to connect to a computer or device.
So I can't enter any commands whatsoever, can't remove the disk in the drive or boot safe mode. It's my worst nightmare.

FHMX, Snow Leopard and Safe Mode

Yesterday, FreeHand MX crashed every time I tried to open a file - any file - including the original 'Defaults Ltr' template supplied with the FHMX installation. I had not performed any new system updates, nor installed any new software or fonts.
I first tried a number of my usual trouble-shooting strategies such as deleting preferences and repairing disk permissions, but none of that helped.
Then I remembered the advice posted on this forum by edtechweb, to start the Mac in Safe Mode (hold down shift key during machine restart). I did and FreeHand ran. I restarted in regular mode and FH worked normally again.
What a relief!
Here is Apple's technote on Safe Boot, Safe Mode:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564
I'm not sure which of the house cleaning operations performed by a safe boot clears the way, but it sure helps FHMX get back on its feet.
FreeHand MX, 11.0.2
Mac OS X 10.6.2, Snow Leopard
Intel Mac Pro

Don't see anything specifically about Time Machine not working here. But maybe doesn't load required kernel extensions for TM. On my 10.6, Time Machine Menu is in System/Library/Core Services. Nothing specifically, anyway, for kernel. But doesn't mean those extensions not loading, whatever they are, might not be the cause.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1564
Also, since Safe Boot is primarily meant as a troubleshooting/diagnostic tool, I can imagine TM might be disabled there.
Since I don't use TM, maybe someone who does will chime in here with their experience.
Message was edited by: WZZZ

Booting safe mode hangs during fsck_hfs rMBP + 10.8.0

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