Can't boot to anything but Leopard or Leopard disk

Hi guys, hopefully somebody has the same problem and has solved it. But I've got a 2007 iMac (2.4 GHz, 24 in) and I have been desperately trying to get boot camp to work. I've used boot camp many times on other machines.
No matter what, I can NEVER boot to anything other than the Leopard partition or the Leopard disk. When I run boot camp and it attempts to start the Windows installer, it stops after the restart on a blank screen. When I try to manually boot to an installer (tried XP, Vista, Ubuntu Live CD) by holding the Option key, the minute I choose the disk it just freezes with both icons on screen. I even tried cloning the Windows partition from my Macbook and restoring it to a boot camp partition on my iMac using Winclone, and when I try to boot to it I get the same freezing.
Anybody else have this problem? Searching the forums I can't find anybody with the same issue. Others have similar problems, but nothing failing at the same point as me.

Repaired the internal disk drive?
Does it show as one partition? or more?
Do you have a backup? Restore back to one HFS+ partition.
When you restore from WinClone, you first I think have to boot from Windows CD - or did in the past, to repair the boot manager.
Most people that interrupt Boot Camp Assistant and install DO have trouble and have lost ability to do anything more.

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ENVY x2 11-g010nr Notebook PC can't boot off anything but C drive (and that doesn't work)

I have this Envy here and it is stuck in the "repairing disc" loop. I've gone into advanced repair and command prompt and run chkdsk /R (with no problems) and I've TRIED to run sfc (even with offline options) and it fails to run.
I'd like to try to run some other tools or at least recover the data off of it before I try wiping it out. This means I need to boot off USB drive or USB cdrom.
Neither of these options are working.
I've disabled secure boot and put both the USB drive and USB Cdrom at the top of the boot order but they won't boot. They also don't show up when I pick boot menu from the escape key menu when booting.
Both of these disc and jump drives work in other computers as boot devices so it's not that, I use these almost daily and have used them since attempting to get this to work so I know they still work today.
Any ideas left?

Hi @Gilligan8
Welcome to the HP Support Forums!
I understand that your hard drive is stuck in a repair loop, and you are not able to boot off of an external device. I am happy to assist.
Are the USB drive image and the CD legacy boot images or are they UEFI?
Have you tried the BIOS or system hardware tests?
You try one of these methods to try to backup the data on your hard drive, and once have everything safely backed up you could try a system recovery, for which I have two more links below.
How to Recover Data from the Hard Drive of a Dead Laptop - wikiHow.com
Performing an HP System Recovery (Windows 8)
Troubleshooting HP System Recovery Problems (Windows 8)
Do not do the recovery until you have tried to backup everything you can to another hard drive.
I hope this helps.
Malygris1
I work on behalf of HP
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Can't boot into anything after EasyBCD's "Write MBR"

After upgrading my windows 8.1 install to windows 10 about a week ago (week ago), I decided that I no longer wanted the Windows/Ubuntu dual boot I had setup. So, in an attempt to delete GRUB and set the bootloader back to the windows bootloader, I downloaded EasyBCD and fiddled with it a bit before finding the "Write MBR" option. I figured that would allow me to boot directly into windows, or at least delete Ubuntu's GRUB Bootloader, so I could use one of my many windows install DVD's to set the bootloader to a windows one. Unfortunately, I'm an idiot, and after doing that, I can't boot into anything. I've tried everything I could think of or find on Google to get it to boot into absolutely ANYTHING. I've tried boot into every one of the boot options, including the main boot menu, but none of them load. instead, it shows me a loading screen that displays some mobo info as if it were loading a boot option I selected, but it hangs there. Maybe it was just taking its sweet little time right? Wrong! I let it sit for hours, still nothin'. HP has a "solution" where you hold the windows key + B for one second as you start up the pc, and it should start a bios recovery. Feeling hopeless, I tried it, hoping that it would do SOMETHING. Of course, it didn't boot into that either. Just a black screen. Finally, I learned that sometimes problems like this could be cause by hardware issues, and a lot of the times its the hard drive. I highly doubted that it was a hardware issue seeing as I bought this PC late last year (around November or December of 2014) but I removed the hard drive just in case and started my computer. Same result. FML. Can someone, anyone, help this poor idiot get his baby up and running again? I don't have the money or the confidence in their abilities to give it to Geek Squad or anyone else for that matter and let them have a go at it, so i'm depending on the internet ((

but if my PC's bootloader or something related is messed up, can the neosmart forums actually help?not trying to be rude or anything, i'm genuinely curious. you see, i cant really load anything, including any recovery disks or USB's, which is why i was hoping that there would be some sort of HP utility that could help me restore my PC back to its previous state. i'll still ask the neosmart forums though. i'm pretty desperate to fix my PC at this point!

How do I download a home DVD video disk (-R) to iMovie where I can then edit? I can download from a camera, but not from the disk.

How do I download a home DVD video disk (-R) to iMovie where I can then edit? I can download from a camera, but not from the disk.

iPhoto pulls off new videos from my iPhone 5 just fine. Does iPhoto automatically come up when you connect your iPhone? If it does, you should see your iPhone under "Devices" in iPhoto and then can select the videos to transfer (select, then Import Selected), though that should happen automatically.

Windows Update froze, restarted computer, can't boot into anything

Before I start, I've had to resort to my iPhone for this thread creation.
I had finally got vista installed via boot camp (obviously), and I was playing Gears of War. The game would freeze occassionally, so I was checking the Internet out, and remembered a story not too long ago about GFW-Live update that came out last month. I ran a form of Windows Update to check for it, and came up two things for GFW, plus a .NET SP 1 update as well. I say a "form" of WU because I didn't open WU from the control panel, but from a website that opened this window on my computer for GFW specifically.
Here's where things went downhill. When WU got around to the .NET thing, the progress would fill up, then start again. It kept doing this over and over. I checked online for anything, and it referrred me to open WU itself. 62 important updates, 84 altogether. So I said "let's just do this".
Well, it was doing it's thing, and number 14 was the .NET thing from before. I was afraid it would hang up, and it did just that. Telling it to stop didn't do a thing, so I shut the computer down the bad way, which was the only way to, unfortunately. Task manager couldn't do anything for me, again.
After about 10 reboots and attempts to get into safe mode and getting nowhere but to the initial loading bar, which would freeze, I went to reboot into OS X. Same problem. It's freezing at the apple logo. I inserted the OS X disk to see what I could do, and that froze (yes, im holding option to select the cd at boot up). I recently upgradedy HDD, so my computer illiterate side of me is screaming "hard drive problem".
Here's my proposed solution: Swap the old HDD back in, use the disk to reinstall OS X, and use my time machine back up to get back on my computer in at least some form. CCC my internal to external. Put new HDD back in, erase, reformat, repartition, reinstall windows.
Anybody have a solution asides from my apocalyptic view?

Well, a little over a week, and no response. Not even Microsoft could help. But I did find the problem, if anyone else ever has this problem:
Windows Update (WU) did not recognize I did not have Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 installed. So, it tried to install updates that weren't compatible with my system. I had to go to Microsoft's website to download both SP1 and SP2 (WU didn't have either one of them in the update list). Having to install SP1 before SP2 is absolutely stupid; SP2 should supersede SP1 in all aspects, or at least include SP1's update files in itself.
After applying both SPs (of course, after installing the Boot Camp driver from the OS X disk), I could finally run WU and install all available updates. Computer runs just fine now.

InDesign CS5.5 Can't export to anything but smallest size PDF

Hi everyone,
starting this morning i am unable to export a document as a PDF to anything but the smallest possible size setting. All the other options (high quality print, x1a, etc) are gone. I installed an update yesterday but can't recall what the update was for so i'm wondering if anyone else is having this issue? I have some ads due and need to export to a higher res PDF.
I've tried doin't Print as Adobe PDF but the option doesn't reside there either.
Comments/suggestions definitely welcome.
Thanks!

You can start with wahtever preset is avialable. From the dropdown for standards, pick PDF/X-1a and most of the seetings will chang automatically for you, but you still need to go to the Compression screen and make sure the color and grayscale sownsample values are set to 300 and the the image quailty is set to Maximum, and set lineart compression to 1200, then go to the Advanced screen and set the transparency flattener resolution to [High Resolution].
Do you make backups of your computer on a regular basis? On mac that would probably be Time Machine, on windows either Windows backup or a third-party program. If you do, you ought to be able to find your old presets on the backup file and restore them.

Can't boot from CD but works fine

I need boot from CD to reset the administrator's password. But the system can not boot up from the installation CD, and it shows some crash message at the startup dark screen. But without CD, the system works fine. I'm using OSX10.4.2, Dual 2.3GHz PowerPC G5, 1.5G RAM, GeForce6600 256MB display card. Anyone helps me out? Thanks a lot!

Thanks, Tom,
The original system of this computer was panther and the CD as well. It has been upgraded to Tiger. It couldn't boot from the original CD, no crash message but stopped at the Apple logo startup screen. I suspected the OS version didn't match so that I changed to the Tiger CD (from my MacBook Pro). Then it crashed.
The system works well except that I lost the administrator privilege. Right now I need install a firewire to operate a CCD camera. What should I do?

Can't boot from Original Snow Leopard DVD

I have a late 2009 15" MacBook Pro. I can't boot my system and wish to restore a backup. Unfortunately, I have inserted the original system DVD that came with the machine and tried to boot holding down the "C" key, holding down the "option key" (that only gets me to a big padlock with a password box but won't accept my password), holding down the "Command" key, holding down the "Control" key, and holding down the "shift" key. None of them work. I always come to the apple logo with the spinning gear, and no further.
Obviously I need help ?

danielfromloudon wrote:
I'm heading out to Best Buy in a bit to pick up another drive and will pick up a cleaning disk also. Thanks for the advice. Any other thoughts?
It already appears that all bases were covered in possible solutions that the knowledgeable users provided. The ball is now in your court to try them all.

Can't boot into bios due to SMART Hard Disk Error

My hard drive failed and now im getting constant pop ups to replace it
I'm thinking about transfering windows to an external drive until I can replace the internal one but I need access to the bios to set the boot priorty options anytime I use f10 to boot into the bios it's like it's skipped over and gives me the smart hard disk error screen where my only options are to boot into windows or run diagnostics.
I tried running diagnostics but each test resulted in an instant failure.

Yes take out hard drive and connect it to another PC. Get help from your service manual for procedure for taking it out:
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02659236
Adapter, something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Anker®-Converter-Adapter-Cable-included/dp/B005B3VO24
For configuring boot order, try this:
http://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c00364979
Tap f9 key soon after powering on notebook, if the above don't work.
Regards
Visruth
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27" iMac won't boot from anything BUT the main drive

Hi all,
My lovely 27" iMac is in perfect working condition, but I thought I'd try to install a OS on a large SD card to see if I would gain any speed.
In the process of doing that (cause I never got that far) I discover that the iMac won't boot from the original install DVD. It simply spits out the DVD when I try to insert into the drive. I'v managed to make an image of the DVD (in a different mac) onto the SD card in order to try an boot from that. No luck. I've tried to insert a original install DVD from my Mac Pro into the iMac, which it reads fine and well, and when I tap the restart button it restarts, but stop with a white screen doing boot up.
If I try to hold down the option key during startup, the iMac WILL let me choose which OS to boot from, but if I choose anything else than the OS already installed it freezes.
I've even tried to boot my Mac Pro from the iMac install DVD - no problems.
I've even run a hardware test on the iMac - no problems.
I am running out of options fast! Please help a devoted Mac-friend.
Take care.
Peter

I WAS using the DVD that came with the machine, but I fear Apple may have sent me the wrong one?
In trying to solve the issues I'd tried other OS disc's (A Mac Pro install DVD and a OS X Leopard DVD) - but none of them would even boot, nor install of my iMac. I always end up with a white screen during boot up.
As I described, the original iMac install DVD would indeed boot my Mac Pro, do the disc seems ok?

CS4 InDesign "Export" anything but: can't export to anything but PDF

After two uninstallation/reinstallations of the whole frickin' CS4 Master Collection, and deleting the Defaults file repeatedly, InDesign still refuse to Export anything other than the first format that displays (usually, PDF -- although once I got it to display XML).
Go to Export, select INX as type, file name shows as *.pdf - swipe off PDF, even insert ".INX", click Save and the "Export Adobe PDF" dialog displays. It's not only driving me nuts, but I have a printer who is on CS3 and I have a brochure that needs to be printed, now...
Bless anyone who has a clue or idea or registry hack...
Later: Export works fine from my laptop. The only difference is that, yes, I got suckered into downloading the final-that-wasn't, but had left CS3 installed. Re-downloaded and installed the final-that-is, uninstalled CS3, re-installed the final-that-is, then went on to a couple of more reinstallations (on my workstation). For the laptop, I'd initially uninstalled CS3, then went through the final-that-wasn't and final-that-is dance.
I suspect there is a registry key somewhere that I can't locate...

>Note to Peter: the first download release of the Master Collection had a beta version of Photoshop. Uninstalling the whole thing was the only way to fix it.
Ouch. And that probably explains what happened to the OP. A corollary to my above post is that people who download the first release version (or install from the disks before the first service release) are only slightly less at risk for problems than beta testers. When we work on the cutting edge, occasionally we shed a little blood. :)
Peter

WHY CAN"T I ADD ANYTHING BUT APPZ FROM THE APPS STORE TO ITUNES

I'm starting to get ****** about this one ....I CANNOT ADD MUSIC MOVIES OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF FILE To Itunes...unless its from the Itunes Store ....YES I CHECK AND RESET THE PERMISSIONS ....YES I RAN DISK UTILITY AND REPAIRED THE VOLUME ....AND YES I HAVE TRIED ALLL THE WAYS OF ADDING THE FILES... It crapped out in the middle of adding some music to the libary....Since then I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ADD ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT COME FROM THE ITUNES STORE I'm running an 06 Macbook 13 inch with OSX 10.6.5 and running the lastest ver of Itunes ....and I have 15 years of computer experience on Both Mac and PC ...Tho the Mac Is more like 5 years experience

@ Any rate... I guess the AVI ...that is already in Itunes must be the problem .... Tho I couldnt tell you the CODEC in the AVI Container ... The DVD was an MP3 DVD as stated ....Nothing but MP3/Data ...burnt in nero I believe .... But you know what ....Honestly what does the MP3 header have to do with the Video I cant add to my library.... I am flippant because I have been dealing with this problem for 6 months now ....and It seems that there are Plenty of Questions Answered ....But No answers for the questions asked ....And I am extremely PO'd about the whole situation ....I bought a Mac to get away from this kind of inexplicable kind of problem ...I didnt have a problem Adding the other 3000+ Mp3's and the AVI container video file that is already in there .... IF You give me a list of Q to answer and I will answer to the best of my ability .....If you spend your time being round a bout with your methodology ...which sorry but that how I perceive it....and I will Restate my Issue if there was any confusion .... My problem is ...I cannot add to my Itunes library any file that isn't down-loadable content for Itunes Store ... That includes ..Video File (any and all tried), Music Files (MP3, WAV, WMA(for giggles), AAC,) And PDF files .... And I just did this today ....So I'm sorry I'm to tense to be caring about syntax and capitals ...

Why is the startup volume invisible when booting MBP from Snow leopard disk?

I loaded Snow Leopard onto a new harddrive. It boots and operates my MBP (April 2009) just fine but the drive icon does not show on the desktop. What gives?

Hard drives don't show up automatically in Desktop, so you have to turn it on. Go to Finder menu > Preferences > General, and tick "Hard disks", so your hard disk will appear in the Desktop. You can do the same with external disks, DVDs, iPods, etc.

I can't start up from snow leopard disk anymore

Ever since i upgraded to Lion, i haven't been able to start up my Snow Leopard back up drive via USB anymore?
does anyone have any ideas why this is not possible, I select stratup disk in the system preferences, but when i restart
it just boots up to the iMac drive.
thanks

HI
thanks for your reply an suggestions .i think i need to be more clear:)
1. I recently bought a new iMac i7 which was preloaded with Snow Leopard
2. I Upgraded to Lion - without doing a CCC backup of the system (wish i did now!) - the only backup i have is on an External WD 2TB as a time machine back up.
3. My previous HD on my MBP 13" was duplicated to my WD 1TB portable Back up Drive using CCC
- i was previously able to boot up from this USB HD on my iMac under snow leopard, after Lion upgrade i was unable to do so.
What i want Is simply to
1. get another copy of LION INSTALLER, and
2. install a virtual LION Disk on my Mac then do a migration from the USB Backup of my Old system and files to the Virtual Lion Disk, so i can access all my old files on my new iMac.
Don't have time to make so many backups (I think i have too many backups of my system drives right now (probably over 5 backups from all the previous reinstalls and changing macbooks to find out what the problem was - these are all on external drives - mostly firewire). . I think I'll just have to wait it out for the Lion Update and hope that i'll be able to restart from the USB - or go to a mac shop and try to boot up from the USB.

Can't boot 10.5.8 MacBook Pro from Disk Warrior while restarting using "c"

Hello,
I am helping a friend maintain her 2008 MacBook Pro (10.5.8). Have safe-booted several times, and repaired permissions.
Since she is having minor issues, I brought over my Disk Warrior v. 4.1 (CD rev. 42) which has done wonders for other Leopard Macs.
Her MacBook Pro just refuses to boot from the Disk Warrior CD when I hold down the "c" key while re-starting. It starts as usual from its OS. This has never happened to me before. So I cannot use Disk Warrior on her comp, as far as I know.
Whenever I have used this Disk Warrior CD on mine and other 10.5.8 computers, and booted holding down "c" key, everything goes swimmingly.
Grateful if anyone can anyone offer a suggestion...
Could it be her drive, her logic board, my not re-setting PRAM on her computer? Or a total mystery?
Many thanks,
Neil

Most likely because you have a version of DW that cannot boot that model. The current version of DW is 4.2. You can download DW 4.2 and create a new CD but that requires burning a new CD as part of the updating process.
Is there any particular reason why you cannot repair the disk using Disk Utility? Just boot from the Leopard installer DVD or the original installer DVD that came with the computer, then use DU from within the installer (Utilities menu) to repair the hard drive (repair, don't verify.)

Can't boot to anything but Leopard or Leopard disk

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