Freeze while booting from disk

Hi everyone, long time Mac owner, first time poster.
I have a problem. I have been the proud owner of a macbook pro 13' for a few years now. Recently I have felt the need to upgrade my laptop to include more memory and a SSD hard drive.
Below is the series of events that has led me to the problem of freezing during use of the "boot from cd" method
- Replaced ram from 2gb to 8gb (used apple certified ram and used crucials ram checker to verify I have purchased the right kind)
- Replaced 160GB SATA hard drive with new Intel 320 Series 120 GB SSD
- Attempted to boot from CD. No hard drive was recognized (which is fine, I was looking to format it through utility) and the inserted "Mac OSX Disk 1" came up as an option. I clicked on it, only to have the cursor lock up. The CD drive then spun up to high speed for a few seconds, then quit. The screen remained frozen for 15 minutes before i shut it off.
So then I tried the following setups to rule out error on my part.
- New SSD hard drive with old RAM - No good, same results as above
-New RAM old hard drive - boots to desktop fine, no luck with boot to disk (**Note this includes holding down "C", "Option" or by accessing the disk through the dsesktop and utilizing the built in restart feature. All resulted in freezing)
- And finally Old HD & old RAM - desktop boots and acts fine however no boot to CD!
I realize I can clone the drive however was looking for a fresh start. Am I missing any crucial steps here? Any insight into this issue would be appreciated.
SPECS (pre changes above as all changes are currently reverted)
MacBook Pro 5.5 (unibody circa 2009-10)
Intel Core 2 Duo
2.26 Ghz
2GB Ram
Currently running SL, looking to use original MBP OSX disk (Leopard) for recovery.

Hi Ryan & a warm welcome to the Forums, great detailed 1st post BTW!
Have you done a PRAM reset, CMD+Option+p+r...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
Resetting MacBook and MacBook Pro System Management Controller (SMC)...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303319
Have you reseated the Optical connections? (Though I find them short lived)
Do you have another Mac with Firewire around that you could use as a FW Optical?
Currently running SL, looking to use original MBP OSX disk (Leopard) for recovery.
Hmmm, not certain, but I'm not sure that'll work at all.

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Hi, I have a hard disk failure so to recover my data I am using disk utility to restore the data on an external drive while booting from a second external hard drive. When I perform the operation it gives me an input/output error and stops. Any tips?

Hi, I have a hard disk failure so to recover my data I am using disk utility to restore the data on an external drive while booting from a second external hard drive. When I perform the operation and after having selected both my destination and source drives, the operation begins but soon fails due to input/output error. If I try to create an image of the drive it gives me the same error message. Any help would be much appreciated.

Disk Utility only creates a image of the drive, so it's no help getting exactly what you want, which is your files. If the file structure is messed up or the drive is failing then it's no help.
If you have a external boot drive and you can't access the internal non-booting drive though the typical Finder and windows to transfer your files via drag and drop methods, then you need to install Data Rescue on the external boot drive and it will do as best as it can to recover your files. (works on non-encrypted/non-Filevaulted drives only)
.Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
Are you sure you have hard drive failure, or that OS X isn't merely not booting?
Because if the drive is working physically, then there is a host of fixes
..Step by Step to fix your Mac
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents#/

Disk Utility broken while booted from Installation CDs??

Situation: I have a Macbook Pro with a 120 GB HDD. I had partitioned it into two partitions, and later desired that I should have only one partition on the drive. I booted the Mac OS X installation CDs and attempted the following three-step procedure:
1. Use Disk Utility to image my system partition into a file on an external USB drive
2. Verify the image and repartition ("Erase") my laptop's internal HDD
3. Restore the disk image from the external HDD to the laptop's HDD.
I made it to step 3 without issue. So currently I have one unbootable Macbook Pro, an 85 GB image of a system partition on a USB HDD, and a perfectly bootable Intel Mac Mini from which I'm writing this post.
Problem: Disk Utility doesn't seem to be able to restore images when booted from the Installation CDs. On the 'Restore' tab there are two fields you must fill in, a 'source' field and a 'destination' field. The source field has a button where you can summon a very helpful file-picker, and it pulls up my disk image from my USB drive just fine. However, the destination field can only be filled in by clicking and dragging a drive from the left panel in Disk Utility.
However, it seems impossible to do this while booted from the Installation CDs. When I attempt to click and drag a disk from the left panel list, all I end up accomplishing is selecting multiple items from the list. To make a visual illustration:
Instead of this, like I get when I try it on my mac mini booted normally:
http://upload.pbase.com/silentplummet/image/72221384.jpg
...I get this, which is a photo of my macbook pro booted from the installation CDs:
http://upload.pbase.com/silentplummet/image/72221397.jpg
There doesn't seem to be any way to actually select a destination drive. If I had to hypothesize, I would guess that the GUI is crippled when you boot from CD and click+drag is deactivated. But that appears to make it impossible to restore images since the only way to select destination drives is by clicking and dragging.
Now I am a college student; I'm not really losing revenue or anything over this, but this is an awful oversight on Apple's part and I am stuck on what to do about it. There is no documentation that says "Restore functionality is crippled in Disk Utility when booting from installation CDs." Here are the steps I have tried for an alternate solution:
-Commandline diskutil. Unfortunately Apple has crippled it and there appears to be no imaging functionality whatsoever.
-Mount the image manually and cp the files back over. Unfortunately I can't make it preserve permissions. I passed the right options to cp but it just won't do what it's supposed to. I tried copying it anyway and using Disk Utility to repair the permissions, but it still wouldn't boot.
-Call Applecare. The support rep was kind and helpful but couldn't offer a solution. The higher-ups fed me some BS about not supporting third party applications, well, I hardly think Disk Utility constitutes a third party application.
My next step is to boot the MBP in target disk mode and use my mac mini to restore the image to the MBP HDD, but I have to buy a firewire cable for that and I don't really want to.
Seeking: acknowledgement that Disk Utility is broken and Apple *****, or otherwise immediate solutions to restore the image to my HDD that do not constitute monetary expenditures on my part.
Macbook Pro 15" 2.0 GHz Mac mini 1.5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Others have (in the Mac Pro forum) noticed this bug in Disk Utility on the Intel version install disks. Your easiest fix would be to reinstall OSX on you Macbook disk, boot it, mount the disk image from the USB drive, and use the Migration Assistant to copy over all your accounts and data files.

Dual G5 hangs while booting from internal hard-disk

Hi,
When I switched my Dual G5 (2x2.5GHz around 15 months old, 1.5GB ram, 160GB hard disk, OS 10.4.6) on yesterday, it wouldn't boot from the internal hard disk. The spinning "wheel" (under the Apple logo) didn't show up and after a couple (5? 10?) of minutes the fans started making more noise than they ever did. I tried again with the same result.
It did boot from CD though and the disk was accessible. Disk Utility didn't report a problem and the hardware test neither. Subsequent rebooting from the internal hard disk failed again.
Then I reinstalled 10.4 (with archive & install), but with the same result. Then I got a Firewire drive from the computer support department, formatted it, installed 10.4 and copied (nearly) the entire internal hard disk's content to it. I was able to work normally from that disk.
Then I booted again from the 10.4 installation disk, formatted the internal drive, reinstalled 10.4 and then it did boot from the internal drive. I migrated all my files and now everything is working again (although a few things might have gone missing). And I lost nearly a day of work.
I conclude from this that it wasn't the disk, but that somehow an essential part of the boot software got damaged.
My question: how did this happen? What could have caused it? Is there someone with a similar experience (i.e., failure to boot from disk while the disk is still ok)? Is there any way to prevent it from happening again?

we have g5s the same as you. the few times we've ever had an issue with them refusing to boot up have been solved by running diskwarrior. it's an utter 'must have'.
it's a harsh fact that drives (and the operating system that sits on them) do fail from time to time. careful housekeeping (repairing permissions regularly, running disk utility repair and/or diskwarrior) will help to prevent any major problems.
if you have an issue that can't be fixed by doing these things (and we just had one with a file sharing problem) the best course of action is a full reinstall.
we keep a fw800 drive with the latest installers of every application we use handy in each room for this purpose. it's time consuming to stay on top of but worth it when it all goes pear-shaped.

Folder with question mark + wont boot from disk

Hi
I am trying to reinstall a powermac g5 from the disk, using a old hard drive that works.. (formatted in NTFS) (hoping that when selected to boot from disk, mac will then erase and reformat it)this image is presented when i hold down the option key and the disk ejects this other image is presented when i hold down C (folder with question mark blinking) and the disk ejects... also presented if i boot normally.... Could some help be offered please??????
Powermac G5
Thank you in advance

Yes, you must Format it HFS+ first...
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 at top of the screen. (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/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html
(To Install OSX on an IntelMac the Drive it needs the GUID Partitioning scheme mentioned at the bottom.)
Thanks to Pondini, Formatting, Partitioning, Verifying, and Repairing Disks...
http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/DU.html

Problem with kernel panic message - Cannot boot from disk or usb

Hi Everyone,
I was wondering if someone could help me with a problem I've been trying to tackle for the last few days. I have a 24" iMac 2.33 Ghz Dual Core, with 2 gigs of RAM. A couple of days ago my computer crashed, and when I tried to boot up again I got the infamous grey screen kernel panic message ("You need to restart your computer..."). What's worse is that I get the same message when I try booting from my external drive and the installation disk itself.
I've basically planned on formatting since it's been a while anyway, but since I can't boot from my external drive or the installation disk that came with my computer these are not options at the moment. I can only get into the computer via safe mode. I've used disk utility to verify the disk, and it comes up with no errors. Anyways, I'd really appreciate if anyone had any advice on this. I've scoured the internet for advice about kernel panic messages, and they all suggest booting from disk or external drive etc., which is not a possibility for me right now.
Thanks

If you get a panic when trying to boot from the installation disc, and the disc is not scratched or dirty, then you have a hardware fault.
Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.
Back up all data on the internal drive(s) before you hand over your computer to anyone. If privacy is a concern, erase the data partition(s) with the option to write zeros* (do this only if you have at least two complete, independent backups, and you know how to restore to bare metal from any of them.) Don’t erase the recovery partition, if present.
*An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to fully boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
1. Boot into Recovery (command-R at startup) or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in the support article linked below, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
How to back up and restore your files
2. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode by holding down the key combination command-T at the startup chime. Connect the two Macs with a FireWire or Thunderbolt cable. The internal drive of the machine running in target mode will mount as an external drive on the other machine. Copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode
3. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.

Problem erasing MacBook drive while booted from external drive

Hello,
I'm booted on a MacBook Pro from an external drive, and I want to erase the drive inside the MacBook using Disk Utility from the external. For some reason or another, it won't let me do this.
When I click on the Erase tab (whether clicked on the disk itself or the volume "Macintosh HD") and try to erase it, it returns with the error:
Disk Erase failed
Disk Erase failed with the error:
Could not unmount disk.
When I try to install an image onto the drive, I get a similar error, except it says "Operation not permitted."
When I tried it while booted with an OS X DVD, it worked fine.
As far as I know, I should be able to do this while booted from the external HD.
Any solutions to this problem?
Thanks,
Jason

Hello Jason and welcome to the discussions. You could try to re-partition the internal drive while booted from the external. Using disk utility from the externals Application/Utilities folder click on the internal drive (the manufacturers #, should be above the internal name) and select the partition tab.
change the partition table and then restore it back to the original. This will wipe out all the partitions and should show the drive as empty. Then I would erase all the free space using the erase tab and selecting your Macintosh HD or whatever you named your new internal startup drive the click on the "erase free space" button. Select "zero out deleted files" then erase. It will warn you that the drive is full when it gets near the end...thats okay just click to ignore or proceed. That should do it.
Cheers,
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Which keyboard layout you were using? German, French ... I suppose your layout is reset to the default: US and you are unable to find the "?" or "/" ...
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Disks are detected correctly in the setup/bios and quick smart check tests are passing successfully.
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Note:
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Hello @abdallahm,
Welcome to the HP Forums, I hope you enjoy your experience! To help you get the most out of the HP Forums I would like to direct your attention to the HP Forums Guide First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More.
I understand you are having issues with your HP Pro 3500 Microtower PC not booting up and are looking for assistance. I am sorry, but to get your issue more exposure, I would suggest posting it in the commercial forums, since this is a commercial product. You can do this at Business PCs - Compaq, Elite, Pro.
I hope this helps. Thank you for posting on the HP Forums. Have a great day!
Please click the "Thumbs Up" on the bottom right of this post to say thank you if you appreciate the support I provide!
Also be sure to mark my post as “Accept as Solution" if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others who face the same challenge find the same solution.
Dunidar
I work on behalf of HP
Find out a bit more about me by checking out my profile!
"Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong." ~ Donald Porter

Losing User Accounts on many machines. Cannot boot from Disk. Help!

As many of you know there is a bug going around where the OS “forgets” what user accounts are on the machine. The only user at login is “Other”. This has happened on 10.6.5 and 10.6.6. In the past I have been able to fix this issue by booting from the Snow Leopard disk, change the root password, login using root and re-add the user accounts back under system pref’s. The issue I’m currently having is that two Mac Pros will not boot from disk, external HD, or into single user mode. None of the key commands work at boot up.
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Any help on this issue would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks

gregfl wrote:
The issue I’m currently having is that two Mac Pros will not boot from disk, external HD, or into single user mode. None of the key commands work at boot up.
I just had a very similar problem this morning on my iMac. Plain white screen on boot-up. No Apple logo. No booting from my SuperDuper clone, no booting from the DVD, no booting into Startup Manager by holding down the option key, no booting even into Apple Hardware Test. I was getting ready to take it in for service.
What finally fixed it was resetting PRAM three times. Hold down command, option, P, and R, and keep them down until you hear the third startup chime. That's what finally breathed life back into my iMac.

Macbook unibody not booting from disk

Hi, so my problem with a customers computer. It had a bad Hard Drive, i replaced it with a new Hard Drive that i partitioned with an imac. when i try to boot from a Leopard disk, the laptop just restarts and wont boot from disk. When i try to boot from Snow Leopard disk i just get a blinking folder with a question mark.
Things ive tried
1. Reset PRAM
2. Safe Mode
3. Reset SMC
4. Boot from external DVD RW drive
5. Removing Battery
6. Used different AC cord
7. Leopard disk, and Snow Leopard disk (both work in other macs)
If any one can help, the customer is going to school soon and needs the laptop back.
Macbook Unibody Model#A1278 2.0GHz 2GB RAM 250GB WD HDD

You need the install disks that came with the customers computer.
Message was edited by: macbig

Can't restore from Disk Utility while booted from OS installation DVD

I'm absolutely astounded by this.
I have a new MacBook Pro 17". I restored my files to it and in short order, had it too full/fragmented to re-partition it for Boot Camp.
So I decided to image the disk and store that image file on a FireWire drive, wipe the system disk and restore it cleanly from the image file backup, hoping that would result in contiguous blocks used so that I could then re-partition for Boot Camp.
When booted off the OS X for Intel DVD-ROM disc (10.4.6 - the one that came with my MacBook Pro), if I get out of Installer and into Disk Utility, if I select the internal hard drive and click the Restore tab, I can easily select the hard drive backup image with the button. But the "Destination Disk:" box is only accessible via dragging the disk to the box.
There's one little problem - there is no Desktop, so the disk(s) do not appear on the Desktop. There is no way to drag the target disk to be restored to into the Destination Disk: box. You cannot drag a disk out from the little sidebar inside the Disk Utility window over to the Destination box. I tried. You can't drag any disk anywhere from that sidebar. It's clear that the only way to drag a disk anywhere is if it's shown on the Desktop in Finder (which isn't running when the installation DVD-ROM is booted from). There is simply no way that I can find to restore a disk drive from a saved backup disk image when booted from the installation DVD-ROM.
Please tell me I'm ******** and missing something, or if there's a Better Way to do this. (I can't seem to run Retrospect while booted off the DVD-ROM, so I can't restore from my Retrospect full backup of the disk, either. Joy!)
(I'm really curious if there's a Better Way - especially because it appears I can't boot from an external FireWire or USB 2.0 drive, so I need something that will work in this extremely limited installation DVD-ROM booted environment, I think.)
MacBook Pro 17" dual 2.16 GHz ; Mac OS X (10.4.6) Booted from Mac OS X for Intel 10.4.6 installation DVD-ROM

You can use an external bootable drive with a MacBook Pro -- check your manual or the built in help. Your problem is that for some reason, you can't install a bootable system on one. There are several reasons why Installer won't enable you to do so: insufficient space, incompatible partition scheme (should be GUID) or file system (should be HFS+ or similar), or wrong installation option selected.
It is possible this is related to why you can't drag the startup volume to the destination box in Disk Utility. It must be an HFS+ variant file system.
I think you should check carefully with D.U. the partition scheme of all your drives & the file system format of all the volumes involved. Also run repair disk, as someone has already pointed out.
The behavior with the Restore function is not normal -- you should be able to drag a volume to the destination box from the list.

Freeze while booting from disk

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