Help me please I really messed up,I was messing around with my fathers MacBook Pro 5,4 Intel Core2Duo 2.5Ghz and I deleted the recovery partition aswel as anything else left on the drive,so now when it starts or turns on all I see is a folder with a Quest
Ive wipped everything off my Fathers MacBook Pro's drive, there's no recovery partition left nothing the model is a MacBook Pro 5,4 Intel Core2Duo 2.5Ghz
and I don't no were to start to install another operating system Im told this system can't be rebooted only can be booted from the recovery partition,Im really stuck here with this Mac and all it does is show me a Folder with a Question Mark on the screen any help would be appreciated Oh please anything.....I combed threw past post's but Im not to savy on getting around in these forums since this is the first Ive posted to even if there's a link to the way Im going to have to get this reinstalled that would be great I don't know heck Ill download a torrent file of what I need to get started on this any thing you good people tell me I should do,to get this up and running Ill do,please.
Thanks myklthebrain
Oh, the irony of referring to yourself as "myklthebrain". Make an appointment, at the nearest Apple store, with an Apple Genius, and hope that (s)he can sort it out.
Similar Messages
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I erased my HD and could not install lion. if I turn on the mac now all I see is a folder with a question-mark. How can I install a new operation system?
Install or Reinstall Mavericks, Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Erase the hard drive:
1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the
left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on
the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass. Click on
the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion, Mavericks: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion, Mavericks and click on the Install button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
because it is three times faster than wireless. -
I Shut down my Mac by holding in the power button after my iMac froze and now when I try to turn it back it on all I get is the grey screen with Apple loge and the timer and doesn't get any further. I have tried the diagnostic test but nothing was found.
Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
To restart an unresponsive computer, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the power shuts off, then release, wait a few more seconds, and press it again briefly.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
d. 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.
Step 2
If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
Step 3
Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If a desktop Mac hangs at a plain gray screen with a movable cursor, the keyboard may not be recognized. Press and hold the button on the side of an Apple wireless keyboard to make it discoverable. If need be, replace or recharge the batteries. If you're using a USB keyboard connected to a hub, connect it to a built-in port.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
Step 7
If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 11. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then restart as usual.
Step 9
If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support.
Step 10
Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 11
Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 12
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 13
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider. -
I had just woken up and looked at my ipone i answered a few texts and after i did that it just went black then the apple sign came up and it started to turn on after about 5 seconds of the apple sign all these words came up like rows of sofware information but all over it says panic and on the bottom in brigter bold letters it says panic: We are hanging here...550 far: 0x i have tried plugging my iphone into iTunes but it isnt connected i dont know what to do
This can be caused by faulty battery. Make Genius reservation and take the iPhone to Apple Store for free quick battery diagnostic testing.
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Installed new HD now all i see is system folder with flashing ?
i just installed a new HD on my clamshell last night. Everything went smoothly and it was easier than I had imagined. After I had everything put back together I tried starting it up and then put in my OS X update discs. But all I am seeing is the blank screen with the system folder and flashing question mark. I tried pressing C to boot the CD but nothing happened. These aren't the original installation CD's as I bought the ibook second hand on ebay. On the CD's it says "OS X Updates 10.3.6 - 10.3.9 Konfabulator - Widgets" I'm not sure if these are even meant to be installation discs. I'm thinking that my option is to buy new discs and start that, but if there is a way to get these to work I'd rather do that. I was running Panther before this mix up, and I'm wondering if I should run panther again or if I should upgrade to Tiger or Leopard (although I think that my computer isn't compatible for Leopard)
Any help would be appreciated, I can't seem to find any info anywhere else on this.You cannot install OS X to a blank hard drive from an upgrade installer disc. You need the fully bootable installer disc such as the retail Panther installer or the original OS X installer discs used to install the version of OS X that you upgraded with the upgrade disc. The disc you apparently used is not an OS X installer disc.
If you have Panther installer discs they should have a black label with a large gray "X". There are three discs in the set.
Before you will be able to install any operating system on your new drive you will first need to prepare the drive:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
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 Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)
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. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (only required for Intel Macs) then click on the OK button. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
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 Options 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.
Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive.
Note that some options referred to above may not be present in Jaguar or Panther. Simply ignore them. -
When in the bare metal restore process is the Recovery partition made?
When in the bare metal restore process is the Recovery partition made?
When you boot from the Windows OS disks to do a bare metal restore, you get to the point where it asks you where your backup is, you point to it, and it performs the restore. However, when you are finished, there is also a Recovery partition ahead of
the OS partition. When did the Recovery partition get made, before it asked where the backup is, or after? Respond only if you know.
Thanks!Hi ,
Could you please let me know the size of the partition you mentioned? Is it 0KB(256KB) partition or 100MB(350MB) Reserved partition or 1.5 (or above) GB parititon? Please capture a screenshot of the disk management.
If it is the 256KB partition, please see:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2853247/en-us
If it is the 100MB (350MB) partition, please see:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/gg441289.aspx
If the size is larger than 1GB, it may be the recovery partition contains the recovery data or OEM partition.
Thanks.
Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread. -
How can I see the files in the Recovery partition folders? Explorer won't let me.
I am preparing to do a clean install of Windows 7 onto a hard drive that shipped with Vista Home and the Recovery partition. I want to reuse the recovery tools along with Windows 7 in the recovery partition. Windows Explorer won't display the contents of the recovery folders. How can I overcome this?
Thanks,
LukeForce it into recovery mode to restore it as explained here: If you can't update or restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Sometimes you have to do this more than once to be successful. After restoring, you'll have to restore an existing backup, if you have one.
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Well my ipod 4th gen was updated it shut off and now when i try to turn it on it stays on the apple logo for abit then gets stuck on a white screen od blue or mixed colores i really need help fixing this plzz help
Try:
- iOS: Not responding or does not turn on
- Also try DFU mode after try recovery mode
How to put iPod touch / iPhone into DFU mode « Karthik's scribblings
- If not successful and you can't fully turn the iOS device fully off, let the battery fully drain. After charging for an least an hour try the above again.
- Try on another computer
- If still not successful that usually indicates a hardware problem and an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store is in order.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar -
Help! I 'm using an old G4 powerbook, Mac OSX 10.5.8, iTunes ver 10. I have multiple iTunes libraries on an external drive. Everything was fine for a while, then all of the iTunes library files, i.e. iTunes Library.itl, xml, itdb, artwork folder, Media folder, etc mysteriously disappeared! Only the music files remain (thank god) So now when I start iTunes w/option key to choose a library, I can't choose any of them because iTunes won't recognize them. Because all the library stuff is missing. So can I re-create the library files? (I don't care if I lose my ratings)
Or should I create a new empty library on the external drive, then manually move all the music files to the Media folder in the new library?
I tried some stupid ideas like creating a new library just to start iTunes, then going into prefs and advanced, then under iTunes Media folder location, selecting the location of the old library on the external, to see if iTunes would then find all the music which is still there, but no workee.
I'm out of ideas, and I searched the archives.
Help! anyone?
ScottI don't know if this is me adding files to iTunes when the external wasn't connected
it is.
is it OK to just keep deleting that library on the Air?
i wouldn't - at least not until i
mount the external
point iTunes media folder location back to the external via preferences > advanced
consolidate my library via file > library > organize library
The ntfs hasn't seem to be causing any problems, but I've always wanted to know.
in order for your Mac to write to NTFS drives, it needs some help by installing e.g. the NTFS 3G driver. apparently that or something similar is installed on your Mac already. preferably, it would be formatted for Mac but then windows machines would need to have e.g. MacDrive installed to recognize the drive. -
How can I force Time Machine to make a complete backup of my Hard Drive. I just installed a new external drive for Backup since my previous one failed. Now when I back up, Time Machine only backs up my data folder and the Users folder.
When I start a backup. Time Machine says "Oldest Backup: None; Latest Backup: None", so it seems like it should do a complete backup, but it only does a partial.Hi I'd like to jump in here. Your app showed me this:
Time Machine:
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 749.3 GB Disk used: 453.81 GB
Destinations:
Plastic Wrapper [Local] (Last used)
Total size: 999.86 GB
Total number of backups: 64
Oldest backup: 2013-07-24 23:25:11 +0000
Last backup: 2013-11-17 01:40:47 +0000
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 999.86 GB < (Disk used 453.81 GB X 3)
Time Machine details may not be accurate.
All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
/sbin excluded from backup!
/usr excluded from backup!
/System excluded from backup!
/bin excluded from backup!
/private excluded from backup!
/Library excluded from backup!
/Applications excluded from backup!
Aside from the size of my backup drive, which I will increase at some point, I'd really like to have time machine backing up all system folders, especially Applications. How to I reset this hidden exclusions?
Thanks,
Darcy -
Dear all, I have a MacBook Pro bought in April 2011. Last April, it got stuck while the wheel was spinning and I had to force it shut. That cost me my hard drive. Now, it's stuck again. I tried esc, cmd+tab, moving the trackpad on the apple, but no. HELP!
Dear John,
thank you for your prompt reply. After I sent the email, I left the wheel spinning to see if it would eventually stop. It didn't, but after a while the screen turned blue, so I decided to switch everything off with a forced shut-down. I could not restart with the OS DVDs because I am currently away from home, but fortunately everything was more or less fine after restarting. It then got stuck again, I forced it shut again, restarted again, and now it seem to work but I won't overdo it and will switch off smoothly after writing this (unless it gets stuck again). Last April I have replaced the HD, so it's now just under 6 months old. And, of course, since the crash occurred when I was abroad and had backed up just before I left, I have lost only a few days' work. Still, and I know this will make me hugely unpopular here, with my 5 previous laptops running on MS Windows I never had a problem. Which does not mean I loved the OS, or I would not have switched to Mac.
Anyway, and this is the main reason for this message, thank you very much again for your speedy intervention.
Claudia -
I just made two separate copies on external hardrives of all my Lightroom 4 and 5 work. I also cleared everything in my recycle bin to make room on the hard drive. Now, when I go to work in Lightroom 5, I have no pictures. I did check the back-ups, and all the pictures are there, however with a ? on every photo. What do I do to get my photos back into my original Lightroom 5 without the ? marks? Thanks in advance for any help. Al
Now, when I go to work in Lightroom 5, I have no pictures.
Could you provide more details? Is this the copy of your catalog, or the original catalog? Are you sure you didn't accidentally open some other catalog? If you try the catalogs under File->Open Recent, do you find your photos?
I did check the back-ups, and all the pictures are there, however with a ? on every photo. What do I do to get my photos back into my original Lightroom 5 without the ? marks?
Backups will work properly if you restore the catalog file and the photos to their ORIGINAL locations. -
I messed up badly by trying to restore my brand new macbook pro by doing restart then command R and choose disc utility repair now when I start ,all I get is the white screen with a folder and a question mark,What can I do???help please
Can you still boot to the Recovery partition using Command and R whilst booting? Or did you wipe the Recovery partition as well?
If your Recovery partition is still intact, you can simply boot to it and reinstall the OS via the Internet. If you wiped the Recovery partition, you can hold down Command, option and R keys whilst booting and boot into true Internet Recovery mode. You'll be able to reformat the hard drive, erasing all partitions (format it as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" with a dingle GUID partition) and then reinstall the OS that shipped with your machine.
Note that you should use a physical Ethernet connection when restoring over the Internet - it's three times slower if you use wifi.
Try your Recovery partition first and if that doesn't work, use Internet Recovery.
Clinton -
Please help! Illustrator CS6 started trying to open all of my complex.ai files with a "Text Import Options" box as if they were text files, and they are not opening! Help!
Hi Monika,
I have spent the last two or three days trying to do what you suggested. I uninstalled Adobe 6 from Windows. Some files that CS6 placed on my system during installation remained, including fonts and .dll files.
I had to abandon the Cleaner Tool you suggested because in one screen it allowed me to specify removing CS6 only, but on the following screen it only gave on option to remove ALL Adobe programs. I could not do that because I didn't have the serial number handy for CS3 in case I want to reinstall it at some point.
I tried to get technical help with the Cleaner Tool problem but no definitive help was available, so I reinstalled CS6 again without having the benefit of the Cleaner Tool. I tried to get the serial number for CS3 so I could use the Cleaner Tool but spent 2 wasted hours in chat. Even though I had a customer number, order number, order date, place of purchase, the email address used AND 16 digits of the serial number, in two hours the agent couldn't give me the serial number. After two hours I had nothing but instructions to wait another 20 minutes for a case number.
Illustrator CS6 is still trying to open some backups as Text and otherNone of the problems have been fixed. I have tried to open/use the .ai files in CS6 installed on another system and am getting the same result, so I don't think the software was damaged by the cleaner. The hard drive cleaner is well-known and I've run it many times without any problem to previous versions of Illustrator or any other programs.
When I ordered, the sale rep promised good technical support and gave me an 800 number, but after I paid the $2000, I learned that the 800 number she gave me doesn't support CS6 and hangs up on me. Adobe doesn't call it a current product even though they just sold it to me about 3 weeks ago.
Would appreciate any help you experts can offer. If I can't solve this, the last backup I can use was from June and I will have lost HUNDREDS of hours of work and assets that I cannot replace.
Exhausted and still desperately in need of help... -
I have a mac book pro with retina,I haven't turned it on in a couple of months.no problems then, now when I try to turn it on i only get apple logo and progress bar. After a few mins the laptop just turns off and nothing eles.any help would be appreciated thanks
I linked to it above, but here is another link.
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262
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