Changed startup disk and now iMac won't boot, even to CD, can't zap PRAM

So maybe I did something really bad, but I can't imagine that I've fried my logic board, right? I changed the startup disk to an external CD/DVD drive with a linux boot CD inserted. I rebooted the computer and got just a grey screen. I decided that this computer was not capable of booting from the linux CD. Forced the power off by holding down the power button. I turned the computer back on and removed the linux CD. Now my computer will not boot at all. I get a grey screen, then after a long period, the folder with a flashing question mark.
I tried booting to my system restore CD in order to switch the startup disk back to my internal HDD, but it will not boot to CD, even when holding the 'C' button. I disconnected the external drive after trying to boot from CD using the external or internal CD drive. I tried resetting the PRAM, but the computer will not do this. I noticed that perhaps the keyboard is not being powered because I can't turn CAPS LOCK on and get a green light.
What else could I possibly try before taking a trip to the genius store? I look forward to your ideas.

So get this. I replaced the original keyboard on this computer and was just informed that only the original kybd will work for system startup commands. Since I no longer have the original kybd, the only was to switch the boot drive is use the IR remote that came with the computer, by holding the 'menu' button and using FF and RED buttons to make selection.

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Change Primary Disk. Now Bootcamp won't boot.

I had an original 1TB disk, partitioned for Bootcamp. All good.
Instaled a Thunderbolt conected SDD as primary disk. Left the 1TB With Bootcamp and added a new partition to clone the SDD.
Now it does not boot from Bootcamp neither VMWare recognizes the Bootcamp partition. Any thoughts?
I've tried this: https://discussions.apple.com/message/19074925#19074925 and it did not worked.
Here is the actual setup (according to gdisk):
*Primary SDD*
Disk /dev/disk0: 500118192 sectors, 238.5 GiB
Logical sector size: 512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): 6A10FDA2-23F4-4760-7796C75F1620
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 500118158
Partitions will be aligned on 8-sector boundaries
Total free space is 262157 sectors (128.0 MiB)
Number Start (sector)    End (sector) Size       Code Name
   1              40          409639   200.0 MiB   EF00 EFI System Partition
   2          409640       499856007   238.2 GiB   AF00 LaCie
*Secondary Disk (Original)
Disk /dev/disk1: 1953525168 sectors, 931.5 GiB
Logical sector size: 512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): 84923738-236D-47A5-AEA89D11DF71
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 1953525134
Partitions will be aligned on 8-sector boundaries
Total free space is 525717 sectors (256.7 MiB)
Number Start (sector)    End (sector) Size       Code Name
   1              40          409639   200.0 MiB   EF00 EFI System Partition
   2          409640       527753375   251.5 GiB   AF00 Boot Clone
   3       528015520      1464307711   446.5 GiB   AF00 Documents
   4      1464569856      1953523711   233.2 GiB   0700 BOOTCAMP
Thank you in advance.

I had an original 1TB disk, partitioned for Bootcamp. All good.
Instaled a Thunderbolt conected SDD as primary disk. Left the 1TB With Bootcamp and added a new partition to clone the SDD.
Now it does not boot from Bootcamp neither VMWare recognizes the Bootcamp partition. Any thoughts?
I've tried this: https://discussions.apple.com/message/19074925#19074925 and it did not worked.
Here is the actual setup (according to gdisk):
*Primary SDD*
Disk /dev/disk0: 500118192 sectors, 238.5 GiB
Logical sector size: 512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): 6A10FDA2-23F4-4760-7796C75F1620
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 500118158
Partitions will be aligned on 8-sector boundaries
Total free space is 262157 sectors (128.0 MiB)
Number Start (sector)    End (sector) Size       Code Name
   1              40          409639   200.0 MiB   EF00 EFI System Partition
   2          409640       499856007   238.2 GiB   AF00 LaCie
*Secondary Disk (Original)
Disk /dev/disk1: 1953525168 sectors, 931.5 GiB
Logical sector size: 512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): 84923738-236D-47A5-AEA89D11DF71
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 1953525134
Partitions will be aligned on 8-sector boundaries
Total free space is 525717 sectors (256.7 MiB)
Number Start (sector)    End (sector) Size       Code Name
   1              40          409639   200.0 MiB   EF00 EFI System Partition
   2          409640       527753375   251.5 GiB   AF00 Boot Clone
   3       528015520      1464307711   446.5 GiB   AF00 Documents
   4      1464569856      1953523711   233.2 GiB   0700 BOOTCAMP
Thank you in advance.

Just ran the FREAK security update, and now iMac won't boot

Hello,
Gto major issues here after running the above security patch. I'm on the latest yosemite, on a 2007 iMac, 2.8 extreme. Anyway, the software update seemed to go ok, but, as I always do after updating software, I booted into the recovery drive and ran disk utility. This failed when checking the catalog with an error that the dick couldn't be repaired, back up and restore my files. Exit code 8 ...
when hen I rebooted, the progress bar on the grey screen gets to about a quarter of the way across, and the machine just shuts down.
starting in verbose mode tells me the volume could not be verified
localhost.com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] < Emergency> ...
kext loading now disabled
kext unloading now disabled
kext auto unloading now disabled
kernel requests now disabled ...
killing all processes
cpu halted
and thats it.
Id appreciate any suggestions.
cheers,
kev.

Hi again,
when I ran AHT yesterday ( the short version ) it said there were no problems. However, when I tried the extended test, it froze after about 20 minutes. That reminded me of a previous issue I had with this mac, when the power supply failed : very worried about my 2.8ghz 24in imac
When booting up now, the the mac gets to the grey screen with the Apple logo, and the progress bar gets to about a third of the way across before shutting down. Im now wondering if the power supply has gone, rather than the disk ...
any thoughts on how I could diagnose this one way or the other?
cheers,
kev

Partitions changed to DYNAMIC and now Windows won't boot

I made a significant error when trying to format a new partition by letting Windows Disk Manager convert all partitions from Basic to Dynamic (I am not sure why this is even possible, let alone the default action).
My W510 boots just fine, but the bootloader no longer loads an OS. I had both W7P and Ubuntu 11 in the menu. Memtests were also available.
How do I fix the bootloader?

I'd probably try converting those dynamic disks back into basic. There's probably some program to do it either from a bootable environment. Otherwise, plug the drive into a secondary slot in another system and do it from there.
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HT3964 I did the SMC reset for my iMac intel-based and now it won't turn on. What can I do to fix this?

I did the SMC reset for my iMac intel-based and now it won't turn on. What can I do to fix this?

Well, first things first... is the power cord fully plugged into the back of the iMac (and the wall, for that matter)?
Make sure the wall outlet has power, too... I've scratched my head over stupid issues where I forgot to flip a wall switch.
If the outlet does have power, then try doing a pram zap. Command + option + P + R (hold those at startup).
If the machine is receiving power, you should be able to see some LEDs if you look through the bottom grate of the machine to the left of the RAM door.

My hard drive failed, has been replaced, and now it won't boot to CD.

My hard drive failed, has been replaced, and now it won't boot to CD to install the OS package. It would boot for a while, get through the first cd of install and would stop randomly in the next install. I found out that the installation disk was cracked so I went out and purchased the Mac Box Set which includes Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife '09 and iWork '09 under advisement from an associate at the local apple store. Now, I try installing this new OS disk and all I get is the apple logo without a spinning wheel for about 10 minutes and the computer restarts and does it again. I have tried booting from disk, holding c while starting up, and in safemode, holding shift while booting. Please help save my poor poor macbook!!!

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If you cannot boot from install DVD and cannot successfully get into Safemode or Single usermode (due to a corrupt or incomplete install) then you will need another computer to assist you.
If you can get it into Target Disk Mode and have another Mac you could plug it into that Mac and reformat it.
If it will not go into TDM then you may need to take it out and put it into an external enclosure to plug into another Mac to format it.

My phone keeps freezing and I have the 5s and now it won't turn on but I can talk to sir

My phone keeps freezing and I have the 5s and now it won't turn on but I can talk to sir

If you can talk to Siri, but the screen is not turning on, try the 2 button reset. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake (Power) Button and the Home Button at the same time for at least 10 seconds. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1430
If that doesn't make you screen come back on, you can try restoring your iPhone. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1414
iPhone hardware troubleshooting - http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2802
Display has no backlight or dark screen
Toggle the ringer switch to see if the unit vibrates. If it does, it could be that iPhone is getting power, but is not displaying any image.
Try turning iPhone off and then on again.
While connected to the iPhone charger, try to reset the iPhone.
If the low-battery screen appears, charge the iPhone.
My issue is still not resolved. What do I do next?
Contact Apple Support. https://support.apple.com/kb/HE57 or https://selfsolve.apple.com

I turned my iPhone3G off and now it won't turn back on. Can anyone suggest what I should do?

I turned my iPhone3G off and now it won't turn back on. Can anyone suggest what I should do?

plug it in
in a charger or a computer system
if it does show the charging - let it stay there and have it nominally charged - the battery may be failing.
if it does not show anything on screen - try resetting the device (top power button + home button for approx 10 -12 seconds) or check the cables.

I had multiple copies of the library and i tried to move 1 to trash and now i have broken icon and my mac won't boot up any more can i fix this from home or do I need to go to the genius bar?

I had multiple copies of the library and i tried to move 1 to trash and now i have broken icon and my mac won't boot up any more can i fix this from home or do I need to go to the genius bar?

Go to the genius bar. You've mucked up your MBP OS and it requires a hands on repair.

HT1212 I changed my password and now it won't accept it. I have the most recent update. I think it's IOS7.02. I know what password I used but it won't accept it. Please help

I changed my passwork and now I'm locked out. I know the password that I used but it wouldn't accept it. I have never synced to iTunes. What to do?

If the iPad was running iOS 7, iCloud: Find My iPhone Activation Lock in iOS 7
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5818
How can I unlock my iPad if I forgot the passcode?
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/ipad/ipad-troubleshooting-repair-faq/ipad- how-to-unlock-open-forgot-code-passcode-password-login.html
iOS: Device disabled after entering wrong passcode
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1212
How can I unlock my iPad if I forgot the passcode?
http://tinyurl.com/7ndy8tb
How to Reset a Forgotten Password for an iOS Device
http://www.wikihow.com/Reset-a-Forgotten-Password-for-an-iOS-Device
Using iPhone/iPad Recovery Mode
http://ipod.about.com/od/iphonetroubleshooting/a/Iphone-Recovery-Mode.htm
Saw this solution on another post about an iPad in a school environment. Might work on your iPad so you won't lose everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘iPad is disabled’ fix without resetting using iTunes
Today I met my match with an iPad that had a passcode entered too many times, resulting in it displaying the message ‘iPad is disabled – Connect to iTunes’. This was a student iPad and since they use Notability for most of their work there was a chance that her files were not all backed up to the cloud. I really wanted to just re-activate the iPad instead of totally resetting it back to our default image.
I reached out to my PLN on Twitter and had some help from a few people through retweets and a couple of clarification tweets. I love that so many are willing to help out so quickly. Through this I also learned that I look like Lt. Riker from Star Trek (thanks @FillineMachine).
Through some trial and error (and a little sheer luck), I was able to reactivate the iPad without loosing any data. Note, this will only work on the computer it last synced with. Here’s how:
1. Configurator is useless in reactivating a locked iPad. You will only be able to completely reformat the iPad using Configurator. If that’s ok with you, go for it – otherwise don’t waste your time trying to figure it out.
2. Open iTunes with the iPad disconnected.
3. Connect the iPad to the computer and wait for it to show up in the devices section in iTunes.
4. Click on the iPad name when it appears and you will be given the option to restore a backup or setup as a new iPad (since it is locked).
5. Click ‘Setup as new iPad’ and then click restore.
6. The iPad will start backing up before it does the full restore and sync. CANCEL THE BACKUP IMMEDIATELY. You do this by clicking the small x in the status window in iTunes.
7. When the backup cancels, it immediately starts syncing – cancel this as well using the same small x in the iTunes status window.
8. The first stage in the restore process unlocks the iPad, you are basically just cancelling out the restore process as soon as it reactivates the iPad.
If done correctly, you will experience no data loss and the result will be a reactivated iPad. I have now tried this with about 5 iPads that were locked identically by students and each time it worked like a charm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Try it and good luck. You have nothing more to lose if it doesn't work for you.
 Cheers, Tom

Installed os X Mountain Lion and now computer won't boot (first had keyboard issues-reverse caps)

Hi all,
I just updated my macbook air to osX mountain lion and now it will not boot at all.. At first I was having issues with the keyboard and keys typying weird characters.. and the caps lock was stuck on reverse. Now I have nothing.. Can someone help.

What happens when you try to boot?

Installed the latest Java update today on my older iMac and now it won't boot up at all. 2007 model worked fine this morning, now disk first aid say boot blocks f'ed.

I am using an older mid 2007 imac 24 inch running snow leopard 10.6.8
I normally accept software update recs, and today when installing the security update to java, all went fine till restart, when I got the universal "NO" sign, the circle with the line through it and just spinning gray bars underneath.
Booted from system disks, ran first aid, said the boot block partitions or something like that needed updating but disk appears to be ok. Still not working.
Do you think Alsoft Disk Warrior will fix? I am running off external back up drive now.
Thanks for any help or advice. Apple as usual is as useless as tits on a bull, or a screen door on a submarine, pick your simile...

If your backup's up to date it might be less hassle to erase the internal and clone back from the backup. Don't allow the update next time it appears - you're not the only one having problems it would seem.
Note; the message "updating boot partitions" is a standard message that appears after a repair run. It won't go away and should be ignored.
Provided the message "The volume Macintosh HD Seems to be OK" in green has appeared, your disc fle system is fine.
Message was edited by: noondaywitch

Trouble updating to 10.5.5 and now imac won't start!

Yesterday I updated my imac G5 to 10.5.5. I already updated my macbook and had no issues, so I thought this update would be just fine. I repaired disk permissions first, and then ran the update.
I left the computer to reboot and install the update, and came back to find an error message-- that the update failed.
I rebooted the computer and it wouldn't start. It gets stuck on the gray apple start-up screen-- the thing spins, and that's it. It was like that for 30 minutes so I just shut the computer down.
In my 15 years of owning macs this is the first time I've had an update fail-- so badly that I can't start the computer. Help!

A clone would make it simple, you can just re-clone back from the clone and have a working system again.
To eject the CD reboot the Mac and hold down the eject key as soon as you do. With any luck it will pop the CD out even if it doesn't finish booting.
If not, you Mac is old enough it might just have a little hole next to the CD player. If it does just stick a paper clip in there and you can pop it out. I don't know why Apple got rid of that, very useful.
If no hole you'll have to open up the Mac to manually eject the disk. I've never opened up an iMac so I don't know how it works on that Mac.
Otherwise you will have to get a firewire drive with a system on it or a firewire DVD player to boot from the Leopard install disk. Maybe you can borrow one.
You can also use another Mac, connect the two by firewire cable. Make sure your computer is off and the other is on then connect via firewire. Start yours up and hold down the t key so it won't boot but will start up in target mode. It should show up on the other computer as a hard drive on the desktop. Doesn't matter if yours won't boot with a system because you are bypassing the system and turning it into a standard hard drive temporarily.
Then you can eject the CD from the other computer, or even start up the other computer on the Leopard Install CD and reinstall the system on your computer. An Erase & Install is probably your best bet right now.

I changed the name on my computer from the Windows side and now it won't boot to Windows (bootcamped)

I changed the name on my computer on the Windows side and now I cannot boot to Windows 7 (bootcamped). Any suggetions?

Hello cmcnanna,
I'm sorry to hear you are having these issues with your iPhone. If your iPhone isn't starting up or responding at all, you may find the troubleshooting steps outlined in the following article helpful:
If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch doesn't respond or doesn't turn on - Apple Support
If that does not resolve the issue, you will most likely need to have your iPhone evaluated and/or serviced. You may find the following page useful in that case:
Apple - Support - Service Answer Center
Sincerely,
- Brenden

Internal HD "Appears to be OK" in Disk Utility but iMac won't boot

I have run Disk Utility on a brand new 27" iMac, recently updated from the original 10.6.4 OS to 10.6.5.
Disk Utility Repair reports that the drive appears to be OK.
But when booting from the internal drive I only make it to the grey screen with a rapidly changing image of the apple, the circle and slash symbol, and a folder with a question mark.

When I originally launched this system, I transferred my user account from a MacBook Pro running 10.6.5. The new iMac was 10.6.4.
The first attempt went ridiculously slow - reporting that it would take upwards of 48 hours. I killed that process, re-installed a clean OS and tried again, and it completed in about 2 hours.
Everything worked OK for about 3 days, then the computer seemed to loose track of it's own boot partition and displayed the 3 rapidly rotating, grey images described above.
I quick-erased the disk and re-installed the OS. Then I manually installed my apps and data. I upgraded from 10.6.4 (the original install DVD version) to 10.6.5.
Everything worked fine for about a week and then the same thing happened again.
I've now re-partitioned the drive and I'm installing a spare, bootable partition this time, just to see what survives if this same thing happens again.

Changed startup disk and now iMac won't boot, even to CD, can't zap PRAM

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