HDD presence won't let SSD boot

In a 2012 Late Mini I installed an SSD and cloned the HDD so it would also be a Starup. If the HDD is removed it boots happily and all is well. But whenever both are in Mini the SSD boot always fails and backs off to HDD. Starup in preferences or ALT choosing on bootup has the same results. Any hypotheses? Otherwise, both disks function perfectly; Verify; etc. Thanks...

The instructions from OWC are quite helpful although I first used ifixit's instructions because I got the kit there. I sidestepped the SSD fusion-confusion problem by using Disk Utility and Carbon Copy Cloner when the SSD was in an external enclosure.
The SSD and HDD are now functioning perfectly. A support message from ifixit suggested that I swap the drives.
One thing that mislead me was that if you watch the instructions from either OWC or ifixit the SSD is always put in the secondary bay and the HDD in the main bay. ifixit support said that when users have problems that sometimes a swap does the trick. I don't have an adequate explanation for any of this. The SSD is a Samsung 840 Pro 512GB.
Another point of confusion is that people talk about the top and bottom bays. That means if you have the Mini open (it's upside down) then the terms are swapped (or are they?). In any case, I prefer "main bay" which is the one you have easy access to when you open up the machine. To access the secondary bay you dismantle the machine.

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Installed Trend Micro Smart Surfing on new MacBook Pro and now it has caused error that won't let computer boot up. How do I get it to a point that I can delete program?

Installed Trend Micro Smart Surfing on new MacBook Pro and now it has caused error that won't let computer boot up. How do I get it to a point that I can delete program?

Try booting up in Safe mode (holding down the Shift key while booting). If the software came with an unistaller, use it to remove alll traces of the software - it's nothing that you need and, as you've experienced, can do more actual hard than good (as is the case with most software of this type). When you're booted in Safe Mode, if you can't run an uninstaller, at least check to make sure that there are no Trend Micro items that are set for automatic log in, at least.
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I took the system file out of the system folder on os 9.2 can't boot to put file back in machine also has osx 10.2 but won't let me boot to either need os 9 compatible boot disk I think?

I took the system file out of the system folder on os 9.2 can't boot to put file back in machine also has osx 10.2 but won't let me boot to either need os 9 compatible boot disk I think?

If the OS X 10.2 on the hard drive is/was bootable, try this -
Restart or boot, then immediately press the X key, keep it held down until you know the machine has started to boot using OS X. This is a hardware instruction to the Mac to boot using the first usable instance of OS X it finds.
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HP Officejet Pro 8500 A909a won't let computer boot up

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Message Edited by ComSource on 06-15-2009 07:14 AM

Hi,
The problem seems to lie in the installer, which has an unusual bad behaviour. The installer puts the 8500 a909a in the list of USB bootable devices. (Not good!!!)
When the printer is disconnected it isn't a problem. When the printer is connected the computer tries to boot from the printer and the computer hangs.
When I found the printer in the BIOS list of USB bootable devices I DISABLED that item in that list. Then it booted normally.
But now the BIOS takes an extra 30 seconds or so but boot up seems to be preceeding normally.
The guys on the CHAT and PHONE lines didn't even imagine the installer might be a problem so their advice was useless. They were blaming the computer. More importanly, they didn't have a way to escalate the problem. They had no capacity to respond in a flexible manner. It was like dealing with unhelpful staff in the county clerk's office.

Restart Problem-- Won't let me boot my computer up anymore.

I downloaded an update, and it prompted me to restart my computer. When I did, this error message comes up, and it won't let me reboot my Macbook. It just stays on this screen, no matter what I do.
I've also tried to re-install OSX by using the original boot disks, but I get the same screen each time. Here are links to the screen I get each time I reboot.
error message:
http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q23/z3nbrain/?action=view&current=screen1.jpg
the second one is of the full screen, but the error message is the same: http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q23/z3nbrain/?action=view&current=screen2.jpg
Is there anything I can do to get around this? I've a lot of files on my HD that I'd like not to lose, but I'm afraid my only option is getting a new HD or a completely new MB. Btw- If I can't figure out how to do this myself, I'll be taking it to a Genius Bar-- will they be able to fix this problem, or would it require me to actually ship my laptop directly to apple?

This is unashamedly lifted directly from MacFixit.com - hope it helps
"Problems starting up after Apple's February 15th updates (Security Update 2007-002, DST, Java R5): Fixes
Yesterday Apple released a slew of system component updates via its Software Update mechanism and as standalone downloads yesterday, including:
* Security Update 2007-002
* Daylight saving time update (2/15) for Mac OS X 10.4.8 and 10.3.9
* Java for Mac OS X 10.4 Release 5
* Java for Mac OS X 10.3 Update 5
Several users are experiencing relatively serious issues after applying these updates, including startup stalls, repeated kernel panics at startup and more. Unfortunately, since Apple released the updates simultaneously and many users applied all the updates in a single session, it is difficult to decipher the culprit(s) in most cases. It should also be noted that the updating of specific system components may not be strictly at fault in some instances -- instead, the update process itself may introduce issues or uncover preexisting problems [See this article on direct and indirect causes of issues after system updates for more].
That said, there are a few common workarounds that prove highly effective in resolving the most prevalent startup issues post-system-update, as follows:
Disconnect external devices/internal cards Try removing any FireWire, USB or other external peripherals then re-attempting startup.
Failing that, try removing all PCI cards, ExpressCards or any other internal hardware that did not ship natively with your Mac.
Disconnect network cables The cause for delay in some instances of this issue may be network related -- as Mac OS X tries unsuccessfully to ping an active connection. Temporarily disconnecting any ethernet cables -- then re-connecting them once Mac OS X has started up -- may resolve the delays.
Delete Caches/.plist files If you experience startup problems, first try starting in Safe mode (hold the "Shift" key while you startup), then delete some cache and .plist files to make sure their corruption isn't at fault.
This can most easily be accomplished with a shareware utility like Tiger Cache Cleaner or Panther Cache Cleaner, but also bears a manual process which involves dragging the following files to the trash:
* com.apple.kernelcaches (a folder in /System/Library/Caches)
* Extensions.kextcache (a file in /System/Library)
* Extensions.mkext (a file in /System/Library/)
* com.apple.ATS (a folder in /Library/Caches/)
* com.apple.loginwindow.plist (a file in /Library/Preferences/)
* Files that start with com.apple.LaunchServices (in /Library/Caches)
You will be prompted to enter your administrator password when dragging these files to the trash. You may need to restart after moving them to the trash.
Check for problematic login/startup items Startup in safe mode (hold the "Shift" key while you startup))
Next, go to the Accounts pane of System Preferences and click the "Startup Items" tab. Select all the login items and click Remove, then restart.
Also, check the /Library/StartupItems and /System/Library/StartupItems folders and remove any third-party items.
Look for problematic kernel extensions Boot in Safe mode, and look in the folder /System/Library/Extensions for any third-party kernel extensions (files that end in .kext). Remove the kernel extensions and check for persistence of the issue.
Repair drive damage In the case of drive directory damage or problems with permissions, the solution is usually to use Apple's Disk Utility to repair the disk. Of course, you won't be able to perform this operation normally (simply launching the Disk Utility application, located in Applications/Utilities, and initiating a disk repair) if your system will not startup. So two options exist:
Insert your Mac OS X 10.4.x (Tiger) media (DVD or CD) and restart the computer while holding down the "C" key. Once the computer has booted from the installation disc, select "Utilities" from the menubar and open Disk Utility. Repair the disk, then quit Disk Utility and restart your system.
Alternatively, you can repair the disk while booted in single user mode if you do not have access to a retail Mac OS X 10.4.x (Tiger) DVD/CD. To startup in single user mode, hold down the "Command" and "S" keys simultaneously at startup. Once properly booted, type the command fsck at the prompt. Repeat these process until no errors appear.
Uninstall the update(s) An extreme measure is uninstallation of the most recently applied update(s).
This can be accomplished via the following process; adapted from our tutorial on reverting to a previous iteration of Mac OS X. Note, however, that reverting your system will remove any refinements brought by the update and leave your system open to potential vulnerabilities.
First, make a backup of your current Mac OS X installation with the Security Update applied, problematic as it may be. If there is an issue along the way, your valuable data will be safely intact in its current form.
Next, you'll need to perform an Archive and Install process to remove all of the Security Update's (and potentially problem-causing) components, and replace them with the components of a fresh copy provided by the Mac OS X disc that shipped with your system, or a retail Mac OS X disc. Unfortunately, this means you will lose some system settings and some or all third-party system add-ons.
To begin the process, insert your Mac OS X CD or DVD, as indicated above. Restart your machine and hold down the "C" key to boot from the newly inserted disc. Follow the on-screen instructions, and after accepting the license agreement, click "Options." Select "Archive and Install," and check the "Preserve User and Network Settings" option if you'd like to do so.
After the installation process is complete, you will be left with an earlier Mac OS X system that (hopefully) does not suffer from the problems generated by the Security Update. Use Software Update or Apple's download page to download the update that brings your system to a state directly prior to the Security Update
MacFixIt reader Paul Honis is among the many readers who found success with the aforementioned fixes. He writes:
"I installed today's three updates this evening and got an unresolved Kernel Panic on the restart. A second restart yielded the same result. I restarted in single-user mode, ran fsck which took longer than usual, unplugged all USB and FireWire devices including the keyboard and mouse and restart succeeded. Re-plugged the keyboard and mouse and after successful reboot I can now run iCal, Safari and Mail."
Feedback? [email protected]."
Mail Story to

MacBook air rebooting from Find My iPhone Lost Mode won't let me boot up, even when holding Option upon booting up

Using Find My iPhone, I set my MacBook Air I thought was lost to Lost Mode. However, when it was returned to me, upon booting up, it showed a flashing folder with a question mark. After some research I found out you were supposed to hold Option upon boot up. This resulted in a password screen, where I entered the passcode I have entered with Find My iPhone, however I cannot access any WiFi network, as it doesn't show any and being next to my router and putting in the details isn't accepted, and booting up from Macintosh HD just results in a dark grey screen.

I resolved the issue. After launching from Macintosh HD, I held down Shift, and then it prompted me for my PIN, which was the same as the code I entered on Find My iPhone, and then it relaunched and let me log in. I don't know if this is a bug or not, but it seems very inconvenient and not intuitive if it's intended.

My iMac has a blinking question mark folder on it and won't let me boot.

I have a late 2009 27 inch iMac whos hardrive failed a while back. A couple days ago i decided to pop in a new hard drive in it, the same brand, just different capacity. I wanted to put windows on it, and tried to boot it with pressing c on the keyboard at startup but encountered a few problems.
When i power on my imac the screen is just a blank white screen for about 20-30 seconds. During this time, any devices plugged into the USB ports do not work. My mouse is not lit up, and my keyboard will not react to pressing caps lock, num lock etc. After that 20-30 second period the folder with the blinking question mark on it pops up. I tried holding C, as well as windows key and C but nothing seems to make the mac recognize i want it to boot from other devices.
The hard drive i installed is empty (obviously) So i'm not sure if its an issue with the way I installed the hard drive (pretty sure i did it right) or another issue that may involve trying to put windows on it. Also worth noting is im using a normal USB mouse, and a normal USB keyboard, not mac devices. I'm willing to put OSX on this computer if its necessary to make it work, but right now all i can get on it is that white screen and then the blinking folder. Does anybody have any idea how to fix this?

Drive Partition and Format
1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
When formatting has completed quit Disk Utility and install OS X.

10.4.7 update won't let g5 boot past spinning wheel

I was asked to migrate this to a new post:
My 10.4.7 update made my g5 dual 2.0 unhappy-spinning wheel and shut down syndrome.
Things i did:
-Booted from disk,repaired permissions and volumes(it was OK anyway)
deep-cleaned cache using COCKTAIL
-reinstalled 10.4.7 again
-pulled the power cord(PMU reset)Why? Because the PMU always bricks this machine
-Zaped PRAM(why I dunno, it works sometimes...)
-Selected Harddrive as start up disk and rebooted
-unplugged all peripherals
-after 1 minute, same problem!
The only thing that works is to hold the OPTION KEY down and select the harddrive as the boot drive. So the computer is now totally confused it seems. It's a pain to do, but I can get it running. Everytime though??
I feel sorry for the average Joe Blow that gets an auto-update that bricks their machine.
What's next-I did this:http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/repairprocess.html and there aren't any bad sectors.
ARGH-Thanks to whomever suggested the OPT key. That at least gets me running .
10.4.6 did have a VPN software installed though. It doesn't start the application on boot though-would this affect it?

Do this. If you can - get into the prompt at boot. if not you can run the command from within OS X's terminal.
1. Hold Down Apple+S to get to the shell
2. Do an FSCK - f
3. Once that is complete type in this command: (you need to know the label name on your disk...
sudo bless -folder '/volumes/yourdrivename/system/library/coreservices' -setOF
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You can also run this command from the terminal and you dont need to be logged in as root.

Screen issues on startup - won't let me boot up

With several applications open, my Macbook Pro "froze up" on me last night.
Upon trying to restart, the start up sound came on and the screen is a shade of magenta with verticle thick and thin verticle lines running across it. After about 30 seconds, the Apple logo goes away and it says I need to restart my computer. Upon trying to restart, I get the same screen.
Any thoughts on how to resolve this on my own without going to the Apple store? I already tried resetting the PRAM and that didn't help. The laptop is fully charged. I have had it for a year and a half and this is the first issue I have had with it.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Try and reset the SMC controller and run the hardware test that's on the install DVD. If the internal HD wont start, it would be interesting to know if a DVD can.
The colour of the screen sounds like a GPU issue, but if it's memory that's failed, I wonder if pulling one or other of the modules installed in your machine might help.
I've never come across anything like this before though.

NEW - 2.4 Westmere 8 Core, 240 SSD boot drive won't start

Brand new, out of the box 2.4 Westmere 8 Core with a 240 SSD boot drive and 12GB RAM will not boot up.
Safe mode won't work.
Boot from disk won't work.
I can't even get the DVD tray to open. I hear no chime on startup then, it goes as far as the gray apple screen then....nothing.
CrN.

Who sold you this?
You dont' get 3rd party from Apple. And who installed the OS?
Pulling the SSD would still let you boot from a DVD as long as it is your Mac's OEM.
Then you can install OS to a drive of your choice that you have on hand.
Yes, take it back.
For $2100 Mac Pro 2.8 4-core, upgrade to 3.3GHz $590, add OWC SSD $240 (120GB, usually more than enough for OS and apps, all the data goes to WD Black 1.5TB $109) and 3 x 8GB RAM (high capacity ram shows 15% boost in memory bandwidth and performance).
I strongly recommend against 2.4GHz - unless you plan a DIY to dual 3.3's - then yes. 2.4's on a PC are good for OC'ing to near 4GHz speeds so they are easy to sell.

MacPro, OSX 10.7.4 Safari 5.1.7 won't boot keeps crashing. How do I install another version? It won't let me.

In my Applications folder, I have Safari 5.1.6. When I try the manual install of of 5.1.7 it won't let me because it says I have a "newer" version of Safari already installed! ???
I tried reinstalling OSX 10.7.4, but still have the same problem. You can't throw it out or replace it either, or restore from Time Machine.
Here's part of the crash report explaining why it won't boot...
Application Specific Information:
objc[4556]: garbage collection is OFF
*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInternalInconsistencyException', reason: 'Invalid parameter not satisfying: (index >= 0) && (index < [_itemArray count])'
*** First throw call stack:
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Ron...

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4251807

My HDD crashed in my old PC and I built a new system. iTunes won't let me sync the music from my ipod back into the new version of iTunes I had to download. How do I fix?

My HDD crashed in my old PC and I built a new system. iTunes won't let me sync the music from my iPod back into the new version of iTunes I had to download. How do I fix?

Syncing music via iTunes is only one way: from iTunes to your iPod. If you need to copy the music from your iPod back to your PC, see this older post from another forum member Zevoneer covering the different ways to do this.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2452022?start=0&tstart=0
B-rock

Boot Camp won't let me remove my windows partition, please help

I am trying to remove my windows partition and boot camp won't let me. It gives me a message +" The startup disk must be formatted as a single Mac OS Extended (Journaled) volume or already partitioned by Boot Camp Assistant for installing Windows."+ Please help!!!!!

Use the Disk Utility to delete it and resize the partition immediately above of it so it takes up the released space.
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Boot Camp won't let me partition because files cannot be moved

Hello, i just purchased Leopard so i could use windows (again) on my mac... after uninstalling it a long time ago back when i had Tiger and bootcamp beta.
anyway, the problem i'm having is the same as a few people: it won't let me partition my disk because some files cannot be moved, and that i need to format the disk to a single partition - Mac OSX (Journaled), even though it already IS.
most suggestions have been to erase and restore, or back up your computer on time machine... but the problem with that is i have a large amount of space being used on my external (for photos, movies, music), which would not otherwise fit on my HD, and as a result there is not enough room on my external to back up with Time Machine.
so what can i do to get Boot Camp Assistant to partition my disk so that i can install windows?

thanks for the advice - i finally managed to get it to work!
after a bunch of research i found out that it is in fact because the disk is fragmented that bootcamp assistant is unable to partition the disk (despite the many false claims that OSX does not need to be defragmented).
i didn't feel like paying for iDefrag and waiting to get it in the mail, so i downloaded the iDefrag demo and was able to see exactly where the fragments were (many of them were surprisingly mp3 files), and then i could manually delete their corresponding files to free up continuous space. (where before i couldn't even make a 5GB partition, i was able to finally make a 15GB partition after deleting about a dozen music files)
for anyone who wishes to try this, the way it works is that in order for the partition to be created, it requires a certain amount of free, CONTINUOUS space. Your computer says there is a certain amount of free space on it, but not all of it is continuous, in other words there are bits and pieces of stuff (fragments) littered throughout areas of "free" space.
When you run the iDefrag demo, there is a bar at the bottom with lots of colors which represents all the stuff on your HD. The free space refers to any area of white, and fragmented files are in red. The info bar will tell you exactly what file is being represented by the area of color when you click on it.
The idea is to find large areas of free space (white). If there are a few bands of non-red color in those areas it's OK, but you want to locate all the fragmented files (red) in those areas, find out what they are, search them in the finder and delete them (the info bar will tell you the file name, which will very likely be an mp3, as well as it's exact location on your computer). But be careful because if you don't know what you're deleting, you may screw up your computer.
If you buy iDefrag ($35.00), you can simply defragment and optimize your computer. This will take a long time (~5 hours), but you dont have to do any manual labor, and in the end your computer will be beautifully defragmented: all the free space will be clumped together in one big section of your hard drive and it will be completely continuous, so you can make a much larger partition (depending how much free space you have to begin with).

Boot Camp Won't Let Me Partition

I have been trying to set up a Windows XP partition on my Macbook just to play some games, but Boot Camp won't let me partition my hard drive, saying that some files are unmovable and that I should reformat my entire hard drive. Any ideas how to get around this without losing all of my work?

None that I know of. If you have access to an external hard drive, go ahead with the backup. This way, you have a fallback no matter what happens.
In theory, when a backup is restored, files are laid down in a manner that minimizes fragmentation; so if successful in backing up, reinitializing and restoring the hard disk, you should be able to create the Boot Camp volume.
You could also experiment with creating a smaller Boot Camp volume. What the Assistant is looking for is an unbroken string of free space blocks--something between 5 GB and whatever your chosen partition size might be. Strange as it might sound, depending on your habits as a user, you might not have that unbroken string even when you have something like 100 GB free.
Hopefully, I've pointed you in a good direction here, though you may disagree with the solutions offered. They are simply the only known methods for dealing with this issue.
Nate

HDD presence won't let SSD boot

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