Cannot boot from hard drive error message

I bought Mountain Lion from the app store. I downloaded it and launched it. It began to install but when it asked what disk I wanted to install it on and I clicked my hard drive it failed with the message that I could not boot from this hard drive. So, I figured that the installer needed to be on an independent disk. So, I burned it to a DVD and ran the install program again. I got the same message. So, I plugged in an external drive, went to system preferences and set it as the startup drive. Rebooted onto the external drive. Ran the installer from the DVD and it failed at the same point. I tried selecting the external drive but it said that it was the time machine drive (which I guess was equivalent to "NO"). Anyone know how to fix this? Thank you.

Well, LOL,  I did that prior to buying the software. It does meet the specifications. I found the solution on the support site. When I googled before I hadn't googled the error message verbatim. Doing so led me to this page: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3926 where I was instructed to create a tiny partition (128MB) and then run the installer again. No explanation was given as to why, but this did work and I am typing this via the new OS. Thanks for trying to help me baltwo! Best regards.

Similar Messages

  • V120 server boot from hard drive freezes

    Hi
    I just installed open solaris build 75 on a sun v120 server. After the instalation all went well and I configured the processes and users on the server just like I did yesterday on another v120. What i did afterwards that was different from yesterday is that I put the machine on standby by holding the power off (0) switch for a few seconds, then unpluged the power chord. After turning the power on again the server will freeze the boot process in the first 2 steps after it tries booting from hard drive. (It does pass all hardware checks). To comunicate with the server I connect a windows PC on the lom port with serial cable and the SecureCRT software. I tried to break into lom with #. after poweron but it doesn't seem to work. And the lom console in standby wont let me boot from cdrom or anything while in standby. Can anyone give me some guidance here? I don't have much experience with this kind of hardware.

    Well, LOL,  I did that prior to buying the software. It does meet the specifications. I found the solution on the support site. When I googled before I hadn't googled the error message verbatim. Doing so led me to this page: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3926 where I was instructed to create a tiny partition (128MB) and then run the installer again. No explanation was given as to why, but this did work and I am typing this via the new OS. Thanks for trying to help me baltwo! Best regards.

  • DV7-6185us wont boot from hard drive.

    I recently installed a new hard drive after the one it came with completely crashed. After installation of new hard drives, I inserted and installed all of the recovery disks needed for the new hard drive. Upon completetion it said it needed a restart and after restart I get a message saying I need a OS for the hard drive for boot up.
    I went into my bios to make sure the hard drive was first in boot order which it is but when trying to pick where to put from on the bios screen it only give me the cd option. I ran a full diagnostic of the hard drive and everything checks out. I made sure to unplus the hard drive and tried a different slot and still get the same thing. Installation when fine but still won't boot from hard drive.
    Is there something that i'm missing? The hard drive is fine. So what could it be?

    Hi,
    Assuming this is just a problem with the recovery media, here's an alternative option you could try.
    Before trying the following, make sure you can still read the 25 Character Product Activation key on your Windows COA label ( 5 blocks of 5 alpha/numeric sets ).
    An example of a COA Label can be seen Here.
    You can create a Windows 7 installation disc yourself using another PC - just download the correct Disc Image ( this must be the same version that originally came with your notebook - this is listed as Windows 7 Home Premium ) from the link below and use an application such as ImgBurn to burn the ISO correctly to a blank DVD - a guide on using ImgBurn to write an ISO to a disc is Here.  These Images are clean and from a well-respected source - Digital River.
    Windows 7 Images.
    Use the disc to perform the installation, enter the Windows activation key found on the COA Label when requested and when the installation has completed, use the 'Phone Method' detailed in the link below to activate the OS - this method supported by Microsoft and is popular with people who just want a clean installation of Windows 7 without the additional software load normally bundled with OEM installations.
    http://www.kodyaz.com/articles/how-to-activate-windows-7-by-phone.aspx
    Any additional drivers and software you may need can be found Here.
    Regards,
    DP-K
    ****Click the White thumb to say thanks****
    ****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
    ****I don't work for HP****
    Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

  • T400 problem booting from hard driver, cursor blinking on top left screen corner

    I'm having problems with T400 (2765-TDG). It has trouble with booting, which requires 5 minutes power off/on in order to propely boot operating system.
    Notebook is less than two months old, fully properly driver updated then so after that nothing is been done on it neither from user or from system administrator.Problem occured suddenly after two weeks of mentioned maintenance.
    Symptoms:
    After mouse intialization, screen goes black, and on top left corner white cursor blinks
    There is no keyb key which can contine booting process, expect rebooting
    There is no other device connected to notebook, not even mouse
    It's needed several, sometimes 3-4, sometimes even 10, times to reboot with power key in order to get operating system booting
    When it suceeds booting, just before booting operating system, in diagnostic mode of booting (with quick boot disabled) I can hear only one beep
     What I tried to do:
    I've changed BIOS setting to force booting only from hard drive, turned off any other booting device.
    Also, changed from AHCI to Compatibility mode for hard disk but with no help.
    Turned off quick boot, but during booting process, there is no specific error shown
    Upgraded BIOS version to 2.03-1.01 but with no help
    Restored BIOS default setup, no help
    Did some general diagnostics, and here is what I've noticed:
    After changing settings in BIOS, save&exit, computer hangs with black screen. I have to turn it off and back on in order to continue booting. Settings in BIOS are saved properly.
    When I succeed with booting into operating system (XP), graphic card sometimes is not recognized, not even by original driver installation. In device manager, I see two recognized graphic card drivers with warning sign, and "Intel management engine interface" device with warning sign
    In event viewer, then only error line is "Problem with HECI driver communicating with firmware" or something like that
    Operating system is not able to enter in standby mode, it justshows blank screen and I'm forced to switch off notebook by pressing power off button for longer time
    Any help appreciated. Thanks! I hope I can deal with this before I send notebook to authorized service.
    Vedran
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    I'm sorry to tell you, but in may case, I had to send notebook to authorized service provider. They replaced mainboard and hard drive (!?). Now everything works fine, but puts shame on Thinkpad T series notebook.

  • Help diagnos. flashing question mark on monitor, cannot boot from CD drive

    Any ideas? This is an older G3 tower which was "souped Up" wtih USB and Firewire cards, memory
    Mac froze in midst of work last week. Now only get flashing question mark supermimposed on image of a floppy drive.
    Tried to re install system (OS9) but cannot get ANY CD to boot from CD drive. I reboot, hold down "C" Key with CD in tray ( and i can hear the CD drive working). But the tray opens and ejects/rejects the CD).
    I now suspect the problem is NOT the OS but rather a hardware issue.
    Am I correct in this assumption? what else could this be?
    I am trying to help an older gentleman who has no backups and has some important documents on the HD.If I can boot up, might be able to retrieve those itesm. (and get a newer Mac!)

    Not the answer,Dale (thanks anyway)
    I read that article.
    I cannot boot from any bootable CD.
    Inserted the OS install disk as well as third party bootable CD.
    with CD in the CD drive tray, I restarted and held down the C key.
    Mac restarted but the CD tray popped open. Would not boot from the CD.
    That is why I posted query
    not only do we have the flashing question mark but bootable CDs are not booting this Mac. So I can do no diagnostics, no repair, not salvage of files.
    I am trying to understand where the problem lies. am guessing Hard Drive failure but why should CD also not work?

  • Cannot boot from USB drive!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Hi
    I have 3-4 120Gb 2.5inch drives which I clone my MacBook Pro to on rotation.
    I have always been able to boot from these drives UNTIL NOW!
    Suddenly I can no longer boot from them, the boot process starts and gets well through and then the drives all seem to just 'hang'.
    The only significant change is that a local Apple support company upgraded my stock 120gb drive to a 160Gb drive.
    Any ideas what the issue coiuld be?
    Cheers.
    Robin

    Hi robster,
    If the USB drive contains a valid OS you should be able to verify and repair the permissions on that drive, give that a try.
    Also i suggest running DiskWarrior 4 on it.
    The replaced internal drive should have no effect on this unless some settings got changed when the new OS got installed on it that now prevents the mac from being able to read your USB drive.
    Does the USB drive need a driver ? if so is the latest version of that driver properly installed ?
    If the USB drive checks out and all is OK maybe a re-install of the OS on your internal drive would help.
    For now try disk utility and diskwarrior if you can that could narrow things down

  • Cannot boot from ext drive after 10.5.2 update

    I followed the procedure in tech article 306502 for creating and updating a bootable drive. I am in a PPC Mini environment. External drive is LaCie 160 GB rugged firewire portable with auxiliary power, I created the drive with 10.5.1 and it booted nicely to my two Minis (running 10.3.9 and 10.5.1). I then updated the external system with 10.5.2 from the Apple site and now it does not boot. Sits and spins with a white screen, grey apple, and whirligig. Whirled for 1/2 hour and tried deveral times.
    I see this is not uncommon, but there have been no cures posted. One post suggested Disk Warrior. What would I do to with DW to move this problem forward. This is quite annoying, as I rely on being able to move around and boot from this drive when needed.
    Thanks for any help.
    Fred

    after 10.5.2 two days ago, mine booted up regularly. however after the additional leopard graphics update last night, it no longer boots up at all. i have to usethis ****** vista to report the problem. my macbook is right beside me, with nothing but a plain blue screen. occasionaly the mouse cursor appears for about 30 seconds, then dissapears and the screen remains blue. what can i do? if i cant log in apple cant update my mac!!! help!!!

  • Kernal panic/ won't boot from hard drive or installation disc/ error type 1

    Friends PowerBook seems to be dying or is possibly dead.
    PowerBook G4 model A1138 or M9969LL/A:
    15 inch/ 1.67 ... http://support.apple.com/specs/powerbook/PowerBookG4_15-inch_Double-LayerSD.html
    K, so my friend's powerbook is in my possession... and not booting.
    A week ago, upon booting the laptop, he'd get the old OS9 looking folder flashing with THE happy face and then a question mark. Then, usually, it'd boot. It started taking longer and longer to boot, so he backed up all his stuff. It eventually stopped booting OSx (10.4.10) and came to me asking about how to reinstall Tiger.
    As of right now his machine will NOT boot from the hard drive, regularly or in safe mode.
    When we try the install CD, we get a kernal panic. It hangs, then tells us to restart. Every time.
    Holding down "alt" I tried the hardware diagnostic/ repair thingy from the install disc. It mentions a quick issue with finding Gineva fonts or something and then gives the following errors:
    type 1346978644 error 1
    type 1346978644 error 1
    Invalid memory access at %SRR0:00000000 %SRR1:00083030
    Thats about all we got. We are looking for a screw driver to try and remove a stick of ram and see if thats the problem. Any ideas? Hoping for a bad stick of ram or hard drive. Anyone know if for sure the logic board is dead or if there is a way to fix it? Appreciate any feedback. Happy to give more information if you need it!
    ~joel

    When you did the boot off the original system disk was anything non-Apple externally connected? If not, then you clearly have a hardware problem, and your idea of examining the RAM is not half a bad idea. The only thing you might want to do before that is zapping the PRAM. Sometimes that clears issues such as you describe:
    1. First determine if your machine is under 4 years old. If it is, then go ahead
    and do step 2. Otherwise do step 3.
    2. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
    3. Take it to an authorized service center to have the clock battery replaced. That may cause the very issues you described.

  • G3 won't boot from hard drives or startup (original) CDs

    I recently installed OS X 10.4 on my Mac G3 (6GB HD, 256MB Ram, blue & white). It ran fine for one week. After one week, when it would boot up, I would have 800 MB of free space. Within a few minutes I would get an out of memory error and my HD would have zero space left...effectively locking up the machine. I was told to increase my memory to 1GB (I did) and to install a new HD (I did, a Seagate 80GB). I partitioned the Seagate into two equal partitions. About the time that the OS finished this task, I received a security upate installation dialogue asking me in install a new security update. I said "OK". About the time the security update was installed, the system ran out of memory...then asked me to restart the machine. I have not been able to get it to restart since. Can't startup with the OS9 CD, the OSX CD OR Diskwarrior. I keep getting the same message..."panic(cpu 0 caller 0x002DE020): Unable to find driver for this platform: "powerMac1,1". Then there is a whole lot of other stuff with a final comment "We are hanging here..." I can't seem to find anyone to help me with this. I brought the machine back to its orginal configuration...didn't work. I disconnected the old 6GB HD and was able to install OSX on the new drive...but, after installing on the new hard drive, I rebooted and I am back to the same errors. I keep getting the OS9 flashing folder with "?"/face. HELP!
    Thanks,
    Pat
    G3 Blue & Whote   Mac OS X (10.4.4)  

    You are having kernel panics as shown in this Apple doc.#106227.
    Do everything, in order, in Dr.Smokes Resolving Kernel Panics and don't leave out any steps.
    Quote from Dr.Smoke "My FAQ is a roadmap: start at the beginning and work through to the end, following the instruction in the order specified, including the "If all else fails..." section if a cause or resolution is not found in an earlier troubleshooting step therein"
    Here's more at a brody's KP site.
    Cheers!
    DALE

  • Macbook won't boot from Hard Drive of Disc Drive!

    So I bought a Macbook (Mid-2010) from a friend recently and I can't seem to get it to boot from the hard drive or optical drive. At first I tried booting from the HD it already had and when I didn't have any luck, I went out and bought a new one. It still won't boot. I'll turn it on, it'll chime and will try to load, and then I'll get the "You need to restart your." message. I've tried booting from disc (Leopard & Snow Leopard) and will still get the same message. I have also tried all possible startup key combinations and haven't had any luck. I don't have the original DVD it came with. So was wondering if any of you guys out there have experienced this. I would like to hear your tips before I go to an Apple Store and see if they can get it fixed for me.

    "You need to restart your." message
    That is referred to as a "kernel panic"...
    Try here >  Tutorial: Avoiding and eliminating Kernel panics | MacFixIt - CNETReviews
    I don't have the original DVD it came with
    You will need those discs.   Replacement disc(s) from Apple:   You can get replacement System Install & Restore CD/DVDs from Apple's Customer Support - in the US, (800) 767-2775 - for a nominal S&H fee. You'll need to have the model and/or serial number of your Mac available.
    You can check the startup disk using the Disk Utility application located in /Applications/Utilities if you can boot in Safe Mode, but you cannot make repairs without the install disc.

  • Cannot boot from Recovery CD - Error: PXE-E61: Media test failure

    Recovery CD ( winXP home edtion ) can't boot the Toshiba satellite A40 Model# PSA40E-0EWDE-AR (SA40-261) Whenever I try to Boot From recovery cd I get this Error :
    PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable
    PXE-M0F: Exiting Intel Boot Agent.
    but when I boot from any other cd (windows ME, WIN 2K, WIN XP Pro...) everything is ok.
    Any Clue? Help me please
    Thanks
    Mesha

    Hi
    It seems the drive cannot boot up from the CD recovery and switch to the LAN boot.
    The PXE-E61 error message appears because the LAN cable was not connected and the notebook is not able to find a network boot source
    I think you should check the recovery CD and maybe you will need a new one

  • I had to erase and reinstall mavericks to hd, now i cannot boot up , i get a folder with flashing Q mark and i cannot boot from dvd drive...Ideas please

    hi
    its a long and sorry story, i have a imac running mavericks
    a few days ago i noticed that the dvd drive was ejecting every disc i put in, so i decide to check hd with onyx and reset permissions etc
    onyx said the smart status couldnt be checked and i should check hd using disk utility.
    i did this and it came up that hd had errors , so i ran the repair facility....it came up with disk can not be repaired, reformat and reinstall mavericks
    this i did.
    i  reinstalled mavericks into mac hd, which took about 3 hrs, i then rebooted and a folder with flashing Qmark appeared, i cant get past this at all.
    i have tried to use internet recovery but it comes up with 6002f error, and the dvd drive still does not accept boot disk, so i am at a lose as to how to proceed
    anybody got any ideas?
    thanks
    L

    If your hard drive has SMART errors then it is failing and should be replaced. Disk Utility cannot fix SMART reported errors.

  • Powerbook won't boot from hard drive or restore disk

    I've looked through some of the older posts here and none of them exactly matches my problem, and I've tried just about any possible solution I can think of.
    I recently noticed that my PowerBook was acting a bit strange. It was making more fan noises than usual, and sometimes the computer would make the very last noise it makes as it shuts down (which is the hard drive coming to rest, I suppose?), though the computer would still be running. Then, yesterday the computer froze and I hit command-control-power, and when the computer restarted it gave me a folder icon blinking between a question mark and the Mac logo.
    I tried restarting again, but I had no luck. Now when I try to start up I get the start-up chime, then I get one of three things:
    1) If I restart it without a CD in the drive, I get the blinking folder.
    2) If I restart it with the Software Restore and Install DVD in (but without holding down the C key), it gets to the Apple logo and shows the spinning pinwheel or whatever you want to call it, then freezes and some nasty horizontal bars pop across the screen.
    3) If I restart it with the Restore & Install DVD in and I hold down the C key, it gives me the Apple logo, then the "Your computer has encountered a problem and needs to be restarted" box pops up.
    I tried zapping the PRAM--no luck. I tried Open Firmware; the screen pops up, then I type in "mac-boot" and I get the same thing as in #2 above.
    I used the Hardware Test CD; it told me that there was a Mass Storage error with the error code 2STF/1/4. That doesn't sound too pleasant.
    I'm not sure what caused it; perhaps it was a heat thing, but I moved it too a different surface. All the hardware is original except for the Airport card, which has worked fine since Christmas. The only recent software changes I've made were updating to the newest versions of iTunes and Firefox. It doesn't seem like a hard drive problem, since the boot CD won't work.
    Am I doomed to sending Apple a couple hundred bucks to fix this? The laptop is right at three years old, so even if I'd had AppleCare it would be expiring right about now. Or is it time to buy one of those MacBooks? Or just buy a couple PC's and use each one till it breaks, then throw it out?
    Thanks,
    Kevin

    I finally got to another Mac. I installed Mac OS X onto my Firewire drive, then hooked up the drive to my Powerbook and used the Startup Manager. The drive showed up on Startup Manager and I chose to boot from it. When I did, the startup process continued briefly, then froze just like it does when I try to boot from the CD.
    I know my Powerbook's hard drive is shot, and to be honest, I'm fine with that--there isn't any critical, essential data on there. I tried starting the Powerbook up in Target Disk mode, but that doesn't work either--I hear the chime, press T, but the screen stays black.
    Now my question is: can I rip the hard drive out? Or do I have not only a bad hard drive, but also something else gone wrong? I'm not opposed to buying a new internal hard drive and installing it myself if that will fix the problem; what I don't want to do is spend a few hundred bucks to take it to someone who's only going to tell me that my omputer is now a paperweight.
    Also, my Powerbook isn't one of the ones with a recalled battery. The computer can get pretty hot, even when sitting on a desk, but I just figured that was normal.
    Thanks,
    Kevin

  • Moving iTunes files to external hard drive -- error message

    Trying to copy iTunes files from iBook G4 to a nearly empty 320 GB FreeAgent Pro external hard drive. When I attempt to consolidate the files, I receive an error message saying "there is not enough room on external hard drive to copy files". I have a very small internal hard drive on the laptop and not very much music so the message doesn't make sense to me.
    The external hard drive appears in Finder, and says the format is "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)".
    Any tips on where to go from here? I'm about out of room on the laptop and desperately need to move files to an external hard drive to free up space.
    Thanks,
    Brendan

    If you follow the steps in this article, it should work.
    Just delete everything from your exHD and start over.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364
    Also - naming your exHD a letter far down in the alphabet is a good idea.
    E: F: and G: are frequently used by other USB devices, and if your exHD letter changes, you'll get all the ! marks again.
    So name it K: or Q: or W:, something another USB is unlikely to use.

  • G5 wont boot from hard drive after install

    ok, so i bought my G5 from the school i go to but under their confidential stuff they had to take the hard drive from the computer before they could sell it to me. i thought that would be just fine as i could just get a new hard drive to replace it. turns out im having much more trouble then i thought. the hard drive i am using is a 1Tb western digital WD10EALS (http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/stdadp.php?p_faqid=1400&p_created=&p_pv=2.295&pprods=227%2C295). when i install the disk it boots from the leopard retail disk and it reads the hard drive just fine. i select it and it goes through the install successfully. upon rebooting though, i get the blinking folder with the question mark on it. a lot of the stuff i have read says you can go in through disk utility and partition the drive but i still have yet to see anything that says something about disk utility. when it asks where to install OS X it shows the 900 some Gb of my hard drive and when i hit options the only options it has are upgrade, archive and install, and erase and install. and when you do erase and install it gives you the option of doing "journal" format or "case sensitive, journal" format. i suspected jumper settings but when i read through the manual on the WD website it didnt seem to say anything about doing something specifically for apple. it had a jumper for slower transfer rate 1.5Gb/s one called SSC which i guess is for radio interference.
    any help would make me super happy, i am a computer technician and the reason i bought this computer was to step up my apple game. but having some trouble right now. thanks for taking the time to read this!
    Message was edited by: chubbs899

    Hi chubbs899, and a warm welcome to the forums & Macdom!
    i have read says you can go in through disk utility and partition the drive but i still have yet to see anything that says something about disk utility.
    1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
    2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
    *Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
    How to format your disks...
    http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/partitioningtiger.html
    Thanks to Pondini, Formatting,  Partitioning, Verifying,  and  Repairing  Disks...
    http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/DU.html
    it gives you the option of doing "journal" format or "case sensitive, journal" format.
    Don't use Case Sensitive, confuses many Apps.
    i suspected jumper settings but when i read through the manual on the WD website it didnt seem to say anything about doing something specifically for apple. it had a jumper for slower transfer rate 1.5Gb/s
    Yes, it needs that jumper on pins 5&6.

Maybe you are looking for