IMac G4 won't startup beyond spinning disc
I have a 20-inch iMac G4 running latest OSX. Following a hard shutdown, the computer now won't start up beyond the grey screen with Apple logo and spinning disc to get to the login screen. After 2-3 minutes of sitting and waiting, it automatically shuts itself off again.
I have tried the following already:
1) Reset PRAM (up to 4 chimes before releasing);
2) Reset PMU;
3) Boot from OS9 startup CD, OSX startup CD and Norton Utilities CD: disks spin but same end result;
The next suggestion in the Apple document suggests taking it in for repair (ouch). Does anyone have any other suggestions before I take that final costly step?
Sometimes, you get lucky.
If you unplug the machine for a few hours, then plug it in and try starting
it up, and if it chimes, see if holding the Shift key down can get you into
SafeBoot/login in OSX 10.4.x.
Did you normally dual boot the computer using the System Preference
panel to make that happen, before you had this issue? Or did you normally
use OS9 as a Classic9 appendage to OSX; without dualbooting into it?
There is a difference; and that could cause the system to balk or fail.
But it sounds like a startup disk failure. Were you able to boot from the
Tiger installer disc#1 and see if you could repair the hard drive by using
the "disk repair" feature in Disk Utility from the booted Installer?
There are some pages in Apple Support online documentation referring to
failures to start such as these; I don't have any bookmarked but recall
part of the troubleshooting procedure did include trying several things.
And resetting the PRAM is not a likely candidate in this situation; but
can't do any harm. There may be damages to the boot volume on the
hard disk drive, or some corruption that may need fixing.
[You could try an archive and install of OSX 10.4.x from the
booted installer disc#1 if nothing else; if you can boot from it.]
Norton Utilities for Macintosh (OS9/X version) is suspect, in that it can
do more harm than good to the OSX system on an unpartitioned HDD.
If you haven't used a better 3rd party Disk Utility; it may help.
A tiny printable guide about what to do when a Mac won't start is available
from here: http://www.creativetechs.com/iq/mymac_wontstart.html
Checking Apple Support for matches to "grey screen" at startup may also
give you some ideas. Having a bootable clone or using FireWire TDM to a
suitable second Mac to see if the drive is OK and to try a repair using
disk utilities in the machine are other ideas. Even trying the PMU reset
again, may be helpful. Other suggestions exist; narrowing the field is a
part of troubleshooting and fact-finding. I say, pull out all the stops...
And if nothing else, plan a trip to the service tech as the last resort... per Apple's suggestion.
Searching for other ideas led this to be posted after a later reply.
Sounds like it needs tech help if no boot discs work and you
have no external clone on FireWire to try and boot from. - Sorry.
Similar Messages
-
IMac G5 – Won't startup except in Safe Mode (10.5.5). Otherwise Blue Screen
I’ve had my iMac (pre-iSight) for about 3 years now and up until recently never had any major problems with it, despite using it for about 12 hours per day, every day.. A couple of minor problems however had developed, but several months ago and didn’t seem to affect the system:
(1) Software update stopped working (had to download & install updates manually) &
(2) Couldn’t verify or repair permissions (even pre 10.5.5. Even when I tried to repair them from another startup disk, the message I got was ‘no package receipts’ – although I could see that they were there in the “receipts” library folder)
A couple of days ago I decided to try and fix the problems by erasing my startup disk (after backing up all my data of course) and re-installing 10.5 from the installation DVD and then bringing the system up to date. At the time I did this I hadn’t upgraded or installed any new software for several weeks.
For about one day after that it worked fine. The only ‘alarming’ thing that I noticed during that day was that whilst playing a movie the CPU temperature rose to about 89 C. (I use Temperature Monitor). I read somewhere that the CPU temperature should not exceed 85 for this model and that if it did the system would either shutdown or go to sleep, so I was surprised to see it go as high as 89 (assuming that the right temperature was being reported) before it went to sleep. However, even after that it, it started up correctly a couple of times.
Since then it will only boot in Safe mode, and when it does it carries on working indefinitely without any problems. The only thing that I lose in safe mode which seems odd – in addition to all the things that I know I should lose – is Audio. The preferences panel says: no input, output devices attached (ie not even the ones built-in).
If I try a normal start up, the system will go through the grey screen, apple logo, spinning ‘cog’ etc and then almost always go to a blue screen where it stays put. There is a black cursor in the top left corner which, when I try to move it, duplicates itself so that I end up with 2 cursors – one which moves and one which stays in the top left corner.
On very rare occasions (about 1 time in 20) during a normal startup the system will get past the blue screen and to my desktop (in fact this happened several times consecutively before I got to the point where I could only startup in Safe Mode). However, moving the cursor into the menu bar or into the dock would result in the whole screen freezing – the cursor would move, but nothing else would happen). Also I would see that several pixels were ‘missing’ from the desktop. The desktop is normally solid green, but I would see 3 or 4 red and black pixels.
I’ve studied all the forum topics that even remotely resemble my problem and tried just about everything I can think of including:
1. Resetting SMU & PRAM (repetitively)
2. Running the Apple Hardware Test – All tests passed
3. Replacing the PRAM battery
4. Check that the fans are working (I can hear them and when I take the back off, both fans spin)
5. Erased the disk again, installed the OS from the installation DVD, so that there is no third party software on the system. (and then tried a normal boot both with the original 10.5.1 and 10.5.5 after applying the combo update).
6. I have several external disks with several copies of the OS on various partitions, including a 10.4.11, but trying to boot from any of those ends with the same result. I can only boot in safe mode, other wise I get a blue screen (or very rarely it will squeak through to the desktop & then immediately freeze).
Always the same result – safe boot only.
From reading through the various topics, I get the feeling that my problem may be related to the graphics card, but if that is the case I don’t understand why the system will always boot in safe mode and then run without any problems all day. It even allows me to play movies: very jerky (and no sound), both when I move the QT window and the images themselves, but it still plays.
Any thoughts on what the problem might be (other than fatal) would be greatly appreciated. Or an explanation why, if it is the graphics card, the system will continue working after safe boot.
I’ve copied out the system details from Profiler that I think are relevant below.
All the ‘x’’s in the the ROM revision for the ATI Radeon card look a little odd – never seen that before and I don’t know how long its been there.
Model Name: iMac G5
Model Identifier: PowerMac8,2
Processor Name: PowerPC G5 (3.0)
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of CPUs: 1
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 5.2.5f1
Serial Number: W8539……
ATI Radeon 9600:
Chipset Model: ATY,RV351
Type: Display
Bus: AGP
Slot: AGP
VRAM (Total): 128 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x4150
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-xxxxx-117
Displays:
iMac:
Display Type: LCD
Resolution: 1440 x 900
Depth: 32-bit Color
Built-In: Yes
Core Image: Software
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Not Supported
Display Connector:
Status: No display connected
Many thanks for your helpI had a very similar problem with my 20" iMac G5 ALS running 10.4.11. It began with random freezing inside the OS and intermittent slow booting, but quickly progressed (over a matter of days) to hanging at the blue screen before the logon window, just as you described.
I too, found that booting in Safe Mode was successful. I ruled out the airport card by manually installing that kernel extension in Safe Mode. A check of the logs pointed to "ATY" which I've since found out is a reference to the ATI drivers, which brought me to this post.
At least on my system--and I have tested this on Tiger (10.4 and 10.4.11) and Leopard (10.5 and 10.5.6), the only .kext that needs to be removed / renamed is ATIRadeon9700.kext. My preferred method of doing this is to drop to the terminal and type:
sudo mv /System/Library/Extensions/ATIRadeon.kext /System/Library/Extensions/ATIRadeon.kext.disabled
This preserves the relevant permissions and ownership, which you'd otherwise have to reset manually if you copy the file elsewhere and then delete the original in the Finder, and then want to restore it to its original condition, BTW:
sudo chmod -R 755 /System/Library/Extensions/ATIRadeon.kext
sudo chown -R 0:0 /System/Library/Extensions/ATIRadeon.kext
Any OS X update will replenish the file, so you should be at the ready to reboot into Safe Mode the first time and rename the file again.
The downside to all this is that the video acceleration doesn't work, so graphics operations are slow and jerky, but at least everything else seems to be okay, in my case anyway.
Popping open the case did indeed reveal four bulging capacitors. I bit the bullet and purchased some replacements, part number 647-UHN0J182MPD from Mouser:
http://mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=pjJ%252bhmlZec6zHXGt6EoiHw%3d%3d
Although I wasn't looking forward to desoldering my logic board, I wasn't real hopeful that I'd have success getting the local Apple shop to replace it under warranty either. I did find some helpful information on performing the fix yourself:
http://jimwarholic.com/2008/07/how-to-repair-apple-imac-g5.php
And I do want to be able to sell this thing for at least a little cash to help offset the cost of a new quad-core iMac, whenever they're released.
Fortunately, for me, the service tech at the Genius Bar at the local Apple store agreed to fix it under the power and video extended warranty, even though it was slightly outside of the warranty period, due to the fact that I had brought it in about a year ago and had the power supply replaced under the same warranty.
I almost didn't bother to bring the machine in because it's a real nasty day here today, and I figured they'd just tell me "That'll be $800 to fix it," and I'd end up doing surgery on the logic board anyway in addition to carrying the thing up and down the steps to my condo. Boy am I glad I did, though. Apple customer service rocks. -
Please Help: iMac black screens after startup logo + spinning wheel no cursor).
Hi, guys.
I'm in a fair bit of a desperate situation; my iMac's screen seems to shut down every time after the white startup screen. The Apple logo appears, & the progress wheel begins spinning, then after a while - when it would usually then go to the gray login screen - it would, instead, go black. I can tell that the machine is still on (I can still hear it clicking as it does during processing) but I'm unable to determine anything else. Nothing is visible on the screen - not even the cursor - it's as if the display had turned off completely. I'm not sure if the login screen sits beneath that black screen (I have tried to log on by typing my login details in blindly, but even if it does log in, it's hard to determine what state the computer is in without seeing the screen.
I have tried the PRAM reset (holding CMD+OPT+P+R) during both the white startup screen, & the black screen to no avail. It seems unresponsive because I don't hear any additional chimes that I've been told should be heard during a PRAM reset attempt. I can't even be sure that the command is being inputted correctly because the light on my wireless keyboard remains off during the process.
I've tried rebooting over & over again; the results are the same.
The steps that led to the problem occurred thusly:
1 - I was trying to clear some memory from my current session, so I scanned through my active processes, quitting anything which seemed to be eating up considerable amounts of memory.
2 - One particular process I quit was 'launchd' which was functioning under my profile username.
3 - After quitting launchd, all opened apps seemed to close, & it looked like I was forcibly logged off the machine. The screen froze during this point, & I decided to do a hard reboot to log back in.
4 - The problem began after this hard reboot; startup seemed to occur as per usual; white screen > apple logo > progress wheel > and then suddenly, a black screen where the login screen should be.
I've shown a flashlight into the screen while it's black & it seems well & truly like the display has shut down while the iMac continues in the background. I have had issues relating to my screen going black before, but they were random & intermittent; they didn't occur without fail during the exact same time immediately after startup, & could be remedied by using the CTRL+OPT+EJT keys.
I am on an iMac 2010, 27", using I believe Lion OSX. I am unable to recall additional specifications while the problem persists.
Could anybody please help me? I'm quite desperate; I was in the middle of some urgent work that I need to get back to as soon as possible.
Thank you I'm advance to anyone with advice on how I can go about fixing this.
,c.Gray screen appears during startup
-
Get the startup chime, caps lock light comes on, and then the process stops and the machine shuts off.
Any ideas?
I've replaced the hard drive (thought that maybe the drive had died) but get the same results on startup (dies soon after the chime).
I'm thinking power supply issues ... is the power supply replaceable? I have an older iMac (233) which I can cannibalise if necessary.
ThanksWhen my 333 MHz iMac started to do this, it was the analog video board. There's a part on there called the flyback transformer that fails. It could also be the power supply or even a dead PRAM battery. Here's a simple way to narrow down the possibilities.
Remove the bottom plastic panel. There is an internal video cable that connects to the "carrier" with the motherboard, drives, and CPU card. Disconnect that cable, and with that cable disconnected, start the iMac. You won't see any video, but if the iMac "sounds" like it is starting up normally, then the problem is most likely the analog video board. [You can shut down normally by pressing the power button once and the pressing enter.]
If that is the case, or even if it is the power supply board, you can do something that is easier than "cannibalizing." If you have previously upgraded RAM, you should know how to remove the internal "carrier" that holds the drives, motherboard, and CPU card. Just remove it (the whole carrier assembly) from both the 333 and 233 and swap them. I'm assuming that the 233 is otherwise working, of course. There are a few things different, such as no IrDA in the 333, but the 233-333 iMac "bodies" are otherwise interchangeable.
If the 233 is not working properly so you can't to the "simple" swap, please post back. Most of the component parts are interchangeable, but not all. -
IMac G5 won't get beyond white screen
Hi.
A friend has an iMac G5 20"
When it is turned on, the white screen comes on, grey apple, but before the screen goes blue there is an electrical clicking sound and he thing cuts out.
In layman's terms, does this sound terminal? or is there something simple explanation?
Thanks
DaveWell you could try to reset the PRAM, but if your drive is dying it won't help, although it's worth a try.
You can also try using Disk Utility:
Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk.
If none of that works, it's time to take it in. -
27" iMac i7 won't startup after recent security update
My iMac does not boot properly since I installed the recent security update. All I get is the circle slash symbol. Anyone have a solution?
Hi Carlos
Slip in the OS X DVD that came with your iMac, startup your iMac on the DVD, then open Disk Utility and Repair your Macintosh HD startup volume.
Dennis -
My iMac G5 (no isight) got a "please restart" error, after which it refused to reboot, going grey, the blue, then stopping. I cleared the PRAM - no luck. I can get the thing started in safe mode (holding down shift key), but not in non-safe made. I was running 10.4.10, but I decided to reinstall 10.4, which came which my installation disks, but it still doesn't work.
I have run disk & permissions repair and have fixed all problems. Disk repair said there was a bitmap problem but fixed it.
When I try to boot up from the HD, I get a grey screen with a flywheel, then it goes blue, after a while I get a mouse arrow and then...nothing.
Help!
Thanks.
rjHello heijmen
Assuming you have already considered the good suggestions above, your ability to start in safe mode but not in normal mode could also indicate a possible hardware or software conflict.
Have you tried disconnecting all peripherals to see if you can then start normally?
Have you added any third-party AV or beta software that might be disabled when you start in Safe Mode?
Additionally, you should verify that you have considered everything relevant from Isolating issues in Mac OS X?
If you still cannot resolve your problem, it would be helpful if you can recall whether any hardware changes, new software, or updates occurred near the time your problem began.
EZ Jim
PowerBook 1.67 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.10) G5 DP 1.8 External iSight -
Mac won't startup, just spins!
I downloaded a new printer driver yesterday for my printer; I downloaded it directly from the Canon website. After installation was complete I restarted. Upon restart my Mac just spins at the grey Apple screen and after numerous reboots I am yeilding the same result. I am working on Snow Leopard and need to know how to get past the grey screen without loosing my hundreds of photos and files that aren't backed up (AHH).
Thank you,
StephanieWelcome to Apple Support Communities
Press Shift key on boot and restart when OS X starts up -
My imac won't startup past the spinning gear and my apple keyboard is wireless but it won't connect, how do I fix the problem so I can get into safe mode?
Can anybody help me on this issue? I have already tried to replace the batteries but since the computer won't get past the spinning wheel of death then the keyboard won't connect.Please follow Apple's advice in http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570. If you need to get your hands on a wired USB keyboard, even a PC one will work fine.
Do not follow the previous poster's advice, that option is a "last chance" option. OS X is stable and in most cases a reinstall is never needed. Follow the directions in Apple's letter. -
My imac won't startup only apple on gray screen and spinning gear. what can I do to make it work. I was using techtool to optimize and on restart it showed up with a can't find finder, it seemed to be stuck in operating system 9.0. I normally start up in 10.
hi there--
the first thing you should do for this problem is to boot holding the x. this will sometimes force a startup of os x. you can also try startup manager holding the option key. next try booting to the install disk of whatever operating system is installed on your computer (by holding the c key until you see a spinning cog under the apple) and then repair the disk with disk utility. this article gives directions for that http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214. if you can't boot to the disk try the fsck outlined in this article. make sure you select macintosh hd for the repair and that you can after a few attempts reach a point where disk utility says no repairs are necessary. after that you may be able to boot up okay. if you can't, attempt a safe boot by holding the shift key until the spinning cog appears again. if you can boot up in safe mode then remove items in /library/startup items and in login items in accounts in the system preferences (but they are called "startup items" prior to tiger). also, i would remove the fonts folder from the home library and then try a regular boot from there. should keep you busy for awhile. i hope one of these things solves your problem. [ 8 ) ]
just an added note-- if disk utility cannot repair the disk then back up info ( you may want to try firewire transfer http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58583) then you can try a 3rd party utility like diskwarrior or techtool pro. if those cannot fix the problem, the you will have to erase and install your operating system. before this though, check the smart status of your drive in disk utility. you can do this by selecting the first icon above macintosh hd with the alphnumeric code and manufacturer name attached to it. if it is still okay, smart status should say verified. sometimes smart status is not available. it depends on the drive. -
Imac won't start beyond white screen apple logo and circle
Imac won't start beyond white screen, Apple logo and spinning circle
Follow the steps at > Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
-
Won't turn on white screen with apple logo and spinning disc
Mac book air won't boot up just has a white screen with apple logo and spinning disc have tried all the startup multiple key pushes , I think
Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your 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 your last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Boot into 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.”
b. 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. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
c. 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. The easiest way to deal with the problem is to boot from an external drive, or else to use either of the techniques in Steps 1b and 1c 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 boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
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 boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot 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 booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot 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 your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you boot 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, your boot volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 6.
If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot 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 reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the boot 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 your 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 reboot as usual.
Step 9
Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 10
Repeat Step 9, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 11
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 boot 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 12
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 have an iMac 5.1 which is running OSx10.5.8 - it runs very slowly and I can't find if there is a particular problem. In the process, I have tried to install 10.6 [I have a new iMac] and the 5.1 won't accept the install discs.
As you have discovered... you cannot use the install discs from another Mac...
Re the iMac running OS X 10 5 8... and for your New Mac...
See Here for keeping your Mac Happy...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1147
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/maintainingmacosx.html
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/performance.html -
iMac that won't boot up! When power is switched on it chimes, Apple logo appears, then loading bar, then spinning wheel. Bar seems to load up and gets to around 25%, then reverts to the start again, gets to about 20% on the bar and then switches itself off leaving a black screen. Tried all the remedies on internet with no avail so would welcome some advice other than binning what is a relatively new computer. Earliest appointment Apple could offer was Thursday 17th, really useful for a business user _ not impressed,
You've probably tried this, but will it Safe Boot? Restart holding down the Shift key until you see the grey progress bar. You'll need to input your admin password during bootup. If it will boot you can then try to eject the disk using the various suggestions here that you haven't tried already:
http://osxdaily.com/2009/08/28/eject-a-stuck-disk-from-your-mac-dvd-super-drive/
Or this (not tried this myself, but if things are desperate): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7NYW9Dr448 -
When I tried a custom leopard install(omitting all but canon printers), a window appeared that " I could not install OSX ON THIS DISK." I tried a full install again and a window appeared stating that " the HD was not formatted properly, would I like reformat in hfs extended HFS EXTENDED journalled and ERASE THE HD?" I use disk utility on leopard to reset the iMac to restart from the original Tiger OS on the HD, & that was when it refused to boot. During 1 attempt I even tried to boot with the C key held for many minutes to start fron the Tiger OS disk but the iMac wouldn't start the cd spinning. I did hear that familiar FIRMWARE UPDATE CHIME! but I was not upgrading firmware as none was downloaded, and Leopard did not tell me it required a firmware update first, when I attempted to install it. So: I get the chime when the power button is pressed. Option key finds the HD TIGER AND THE CD 's Tiger. I van choose both. But neither boots. Starting with the C key held doesn't boot. In every case the startup grey screen appears with the grey startup pinwheel, this continues for many minutes. Then it shuts itself off. Help help help. My son has Graduate School papers in progress, and I just fried his iMac. Thanks to all.
Simon:
Thanks very much for the suggestions! I tried your method of booting to the install CD while holding option (alt), and then running Disk Utility to repair the disk and the permissions. Even though it still told me the drive didn't need repairing, there were more permissions that needed repairing when booting this way (as opposed to when booting while holding the C key.)
Anyhow, after doing this, my computer restarted just fine from the hard drive. Mail works now and I'm about to try repairing permissions one more time, then shutting down and restarting again, this time without doing it from the install CD. Wish me luck...
OK. It booted up perfectly this time. I'm not quite sure why that worked, though. Anyone care to illuminate me as to why booting while holding option (alt) let Disk Utility do what it needed to, while booting while holding C didn't?
At this point I'm just curious. My problem has been solved!
Thanks again very much, Simon. I really appreciate it, mate.
Cheers,
--forkboy
iMac G5 20" Mac OS X (10.4.9)
Maybe you are looking for
-
What is the t code for List of price change Documents. Thanks
-
i read the previous post, and i can understand u not helping with stolen music, but i have simple videos taken with my digital camera of my friends and i...and when i convert them with quicktime pro 7, theres no sound! whats up with that?! 60 gig vid
-
Overcharged for inclusive 0845 calls
Hi I'm on the Unlimited Anytime Call Plan. Between 22nd and 25th June I've been charged for all 0845 calls no matter the duration, which I shouldn't be. I've called BT twice about this issue, weeks before the bill was due, however I am still due to p
-
Anyone know how to email apple support
i've been looking everywhere and i can't seem to find where? anyone know?
-
HT201442 error 3194 appears still even after replacing host file...need a solution....
error 3194 appears still even after replacing host file...need a solution....