Late 2009 MacBook Pro OS X 10.6.8 stuck on Desktop with no icons.... what do I do ?

Need help

Run through these two links
Step by Step to fix your Mac
Most commonly used backup methods
If you don't have a backup of your data off the machine and if it still won't boot properly
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive

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I own a late 2009 Macbook Pro, and it keeps freezing after OSX Lion installation.

I own a late 2009 Macbook Pro, and it keeps freezing after OSX Lion installation. I will post my computer's 'specs' below. I installed Lion, from Snow Leopard, through the App store. The first week, it worked like a dream, and was loving my brand new computer, or so it seemed. I then began to run into problems, and I can't confirm this 100%, but I believe it was after I updated from 10.7.1, to 10.7.2.
The freezes are sporatic at best, and cannot be narrowed down to one app. I googled the issue about two weeks ago, and found a fix involving a temporary log-in, verifying the disk, restarting the computer holding CMD+R, and repairing the disk from there. That fixed the problem. For about three or four days. From there I brought my laptop to Best Buy, where I purchased the computer (start the groans, my dad wanted the accidental damage, and he was paying, there was no argument). My warranty there was still good, but all they were offering was to check my hard-drive, and possibly ship it out. That would not be good for me, as I am a High School student, who works online.
So I then decided to go to the Apple store, see what they said. They said a bunch of people had this problem, it would cost a lot to fix, as I would need a new Logic Board. This did not make any sense to me, as I knew it was Lion's fault, so why would they not make the L-2009MBP Logic Board compatible, and why are only a few people having this problem, well a lot more than a few, but I mean not everyone.
So I asked a friend about it, and we decided to run a back up, and erase the computer, and re-install Lion. Figuring maybe my data was corrupted during install. This helped for a day or two, and happened again. So this time, we backed up only files (music, pics, documents, etc.,) and did a fresh install. I got my computer back last night. Now, I am not saying that didn't help. Previously I would have frozen about 18 times well writing this, but I have not frozen once (hopefully I didn't just jinx myself). I have gone from about one freeze every 10-15 minutes (sometimes worse), to about one every 1-3 hours. Which, let's be honest is still a lot.
So, before I just decide to go and revert to Snow Leopard on my merry way, I ask, do any of you have any other ideas? Or guarenteed fixes? I know a guarentee is a hard thing to ask for, but I am desperate, my teachers are getting angry with me for not sending work, and I know this would help a lot of people. Thank you to those who read through my whole spiel, and thank you to those who will help me!
[Ps, while I am somewhat of a noob, I know my way around a computer, so any help, or knowledge you could bestow upon me is awesome. Especially DIY fixes. (if your only advice is, don't buy a mac at Best Buy, don't bother commenting)]
Macbook Pro
15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009
Processor: 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
Software: Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 (11C74)

Once it is downloaded you need to restart the computer if it does not restart automatically. When it next starts up you should note a progress bar appearing below the Apple logo. When done the computer will restart once more. The new firmware should now be installed.

Hi, I have a late 2011 MacBook Pro but cant get the mirroring function to work with Apple TV. I've got the most recent Software 10.7.5 but cant see the mirroring icon or turn this on. I'm able to mirror from my Ipad but not my Mac, any thoughts?

Hi, I have a late 2011 MacBook Pro but cant get the mirroring function to work with Apple TV. I've got the most recent Software 10.7.5 but cant see the mirroring icon or turn this on. I'm able to mirror from my Ipad but not my Mac, any thoughts?

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
AirPlay Mirroring is supported on your Mac, but it needs OS X Mountain Lion (10.8). See > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5404
You have two possibilities:
1. Make a backup, open App Store and purchase Mountain Lion to upgrade to this OS X. Then, you will find the AirPlay Mirroring icon at the top right of the display, on the menu bar, or on System Preferences > Displays.
2. Keep OS X Lion and use AirParrot > http://www.airparrot.com
Both options work properly, but I recommend AirPlay Mirroring as it doesn't need a third-party program

Late-2009 Macbook Pro 10.9.2 Random Shut Down

My Macbook has started intermittently shutting down while in use anywhere from 10 min. to 4hrs after startup. I took it to the Genius bar where they advised me to unistall Chrome and remove several Launch Daemons. After removing those, my computer ran well for 3 days after which it began shutting down again. Today it began to shut down (screen off, indicator light off), resist restart (would not power back on for over 15 mins), and then switch back on without going through the normal startup procedures. AHT said that everything was in working order and I have already reset the SMC. Currently I can't keep my computer on for more than a couple minutes at a time so I will post my kernel panic log ASAP.

Here is my EtreCheck:
Hardware Information:
    MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009)
    MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro5,4
    1 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
    4 GB RAM
Video Information:
    NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - VRAM: 256 MB
System Software:
    OS X 10.9.2 (13C1021) - Uptime: 0 days 0:12:22
Disk Information:
    Hitachi HTS545025B9SA02 disk0 : (250.06 GB)
        EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
        Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 249.2 GB (9.7 GB free) (Low!)
        Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
    MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-868
USB Information:
    Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
    Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
    Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
    Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
    Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Thunderbolt Information:
Gatekeeper:
    Anywhere
Kernel Extensions:
    [not loaded]    at.obdev.nke.LittleSnitch (3932 - SDK 10.8) Support
    [not loaded]    com.IKMultimedia.driver.StompIO1 (1.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    com.ikmultimedia.driver.StealthPedal (1.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    com.maudio.usb.mobilepre.boot.driver (1.8.1) Support
    [not loaded]    com.maudio.usb.mobilepre.driver (1.8.1) Support
    [not loaded]    com.mice.driver.Wireless360Controller (1.0.0d10) Support
    [not loaded]    com.mice.driver.WirelessGamingReceiver (1.0.0d10) Support
    [not loaded]    com.mice.driver.Xbox360Controller (1.0.0d10) Support
    [not loaded]    com.orderedbytes.driver.CMADBDevices (4.3.11) Support
    [not loaded]    com.orderedbytes.driver.CMUSBDevices (4.3.11) Support
    [not loaded]    com.orderedbytes.driver.ControllerMateFamily (4.3.11) Support
    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmci (3.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmioplug (3.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmnet (3.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmx86 (3.0.0) Support
    [kext loaded]    com.waves.driver.soundgrid (2.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    org.walisser.driver.DWXBoxHIDDriver (1.3.4) Support
Startup Items:
    360ControlDaemon: Path: /Library/StartupItems/360ControlDaemon
    HP IO: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO
    M-Audio Firmware Loader: Path: /Library/StartupItems/M-Audio Firmware Loader
    MAudioMobilePreUSB: Path: /Library/StartupItems/MAudioMobilePreUSB
Launch Daemons:
    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
    [running]    com.m-audio.usb.firmwareloader.plist Support
    [running]    com.tunabellysoftware.TGFanHelper.plist Support
    [running]    com.waves.daemon.SoundGridProtocolService.plist Support
User Launch Agents:
    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
    [loaded]    com.divx.agent.postinstall.plist Support
User Login Items:
    iTunesHelper
    VMware Fusion Helper
    Dropbox
    Hightail Desktop App
    HP Product Research
    HP Scheduler
Internet Plug-ins:
    GameFacePlugin: Version: GameFacePlugin 1.8.0.1 - SDK 10.5 Support
    Unity Web Player: Version: UnityPlayer version 4.3.5f1 - SDK 10.6 Support
    Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
    Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30317.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
    FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 13.0.0.206 - SDK 10.6 Support
    Flash Player: Version: 13.0.0.206 - SDK 10.6 Support
    iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0
    GameTreeDM_NPAPI: Version: 1.11 Support
    QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
    AdobePDFViewer: Version: 9.5.4 Support
    GameTreeDM: Version: 1.4 Support
    DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.5.6r606 Support
Audio Plug-ins:
    BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
    AirPlay: Version: 2.0 - SDK 10.9
    AppleAVBAudio: Version: 203.2 - SDK 10.9
    iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
iTunes Plug-ins:
    Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.9
3rd Party Preference Panes:
    Flash Player Support
    MAudioMobilePreUSB Support
    MacFUSE Support
    Perian Support
Time Machine:
    Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
         2%    WindowServer
         1%    SGProtocolService
         1%    fontd
         0%    SystemUIServer
         0%    VMware Fusion Helper
Top Processes by Memory:
    168 MB    Finder
    156 MB    com.apple.IconServicesAgent
    74 MB    Dropbox
    61 MB    Console
    45 MB    mds_stores
Virtual Memory Information:
    1.74 GB    Free RAM
    1.17 GB    Active RAM
    390 MB    Inactive RAM
    474 MB    Wired RAM
    460 MB    Page-ins
    0 B    Page-outs

Late 2009 Macbook Pro reading selective discs

Hi there,
I own a late 2009 Unibody Macbook Pro. Running snow leopard.
I've been having issues with my disc drive for the longest time now but now it's just becoming irritating and am looking for a solution or I may need to get my MBP combodrive serviced.
I'll place a DVD movie into the combodrive, it spins, spins real fast then stops and sits idle, Spins again for a few seconds and sits idle. RInse and Repeat for about 5 minutes.
Then I get a popup message stating that I inserted a blank DVD, which is clearly not the case.
Now this is the fourth disc out of the boxed set the first 3 discs worked fine. Now its just this one that is having the issues.
I've tried cleaning the lens, SMB reset, everything.
Anything else anyone can suggest?

Apple Portables: Troubleshooting the slot load optical disc drive
Cures for an uncooperative CD/DVD drive

256SDD or 1TB HD on late 2009 macbook pro?

Hello,
my mac had to be repaired due to water damage and it turns out that the hd is not functioning anymore. The repair company (RC) has given me some options for replacing the hd but I am not much of a techie so I would really appreciate some help.
My mac has the following specs Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.53GHz mid 2009. Ram is 4GB. The RC offered to replace the hd and place a 1TB hd. They also advised me to upgrade Ram to 8GB. Alternatively they offered to place a 256GB SSD.
I use my mac for very light stuff, surfing the web mostly, some Word and Pp. I do download quite a bit. I used to game as well (WoW) but haven't in years. Can't say I never will again though. I don't have the money to buy a new Macbook as of yet, and I was happy with how my Mac performed before it died. Could be a bit faster maybe but overall, it was fine for me.
Would love to hear your advice,
Eva

It will cost more than the HD. The HD is €250 and the SSD is €330. That's an all-in price. I don't really back up my Macbook, other than that my important files are automatically saved in a Dropbox folder. So everything has to be on the Mac, I don't want to carry around an external harddrive in case I opt for the SSD.
Is an SSD really that much faster than a regular HD? I have been reading up on them and get a lot of info on users that rely heavily on their macs for Photoshop and the like. But I don't use my Mac for that and I rarely shut it down. Would an SSD then still provide me with signifant benefits to justify the extra cost?

Can I exchange my late 2009 macbook pro for the new 2010 one?

Ya, just what the subject asks... I really like to keep up with technology, and I bought my macbook pro like 1-1/2 to 2 months ago...

There aren't really any quad-core options that have reasonable power requirements at this time. The current machines that do use the mobile i7 quad core processors are all pretty hefty desktop replacement machines and typically get just a few hours of runtime on battery.
One of the advantages of the i5 and i7 (dual core) over the previous Core 2 processors is that they use Hyperthreading. So, the OS actually "sees" 4 cores and each of those four cores can be utilized as if it were an actual core.

Late 2009 Macbook Pro won't turn on

Last Friday, my half charged Macbook Pro randomly turned off and was unresponsive. No sleep/power indicator light, no start up chime, nothing. The only thing that works is the battery indicator light. I have tried a PRAM reset, SMC reset, everything suggested on this website and in the manual. I'm wondering what I'm looking at replacing here, and what the cost could be.

I think a visit to an Apple Store or a Service Provider may be the best choice, if only for the diagnosis. There's a high probability that repairs will be costly so you'll want to make sure to hit the problem dead on instead of splurging money all over.

I have a late 2009 MacBook Pro 13.3". The unit keeps restarting w/o finishing boot up.

After Firefox updated it suggested a new version of Flashplayer should be installed. During this operation a dialog box asked for thepassword. As this is primarily my wife’s computer I did not have it, so Idecided to wait for her to arrive. I left the computer waiting for the passwordand closed the lid. When my wife got home I opened the computer expecting herto continue the installation. Idiscovered the unit had apparently shut down, and tried to turn it backon. I got a gray screen with an Applelogo and spinning wheel, after about one minute the computer shut down againwithout completing boot. After a fewattempts to reboot without success, I discovered it would complete the startupif I kept my finger moving on the touchpad. After a few minutes a dialog box popped up asking if I wanted to shutdown. I answered ‘cancel’ and after afew seconds the box popped up again. After a few iterations of this the computer shut down again. I have tried several suggested fixes for thisbehavior from this forum and none have kept this from happening. The behavior has however changed and the computerhas gone through several modes of malfunction. From continually trying to restart, to appearing completely dead. At this point the computer tries to restartover and over when not on th e charger. If plugged in I can boot to the desktop as long as I keep activity on the touchpad. Within a few seconds of no activity, the dialog box appears asking torestart, sleep, cancel, or shut down. I can shut down without trying to restartas long as it is plugged in. But as soon as I remove the magsafe connector itstarts a cycle of continuous restarts even with the lid closed. Any suggestions?

It's probably a hardware fault, but to be thorough, you should boot from your installation DVD and run "Repair Disk" (not "Repair Permissions"). If any problems are found with the directory of the boot volume, after repairing it run the Installer to reinstall the OS. Then reboot if possible, run Software Update, and test.
Needless to say, you must back up all data before you do any of this, which you can do while booted from the installation disc. If you do have a hardware fault, none of it will help.

Mini Displayport to DVI Adapter Problem on Mid-2009 Macbook Pro

I have a new mid-2009 Macbook Pro hooked up to a 20" Samsung 2033sw LCD with a native 1600x900 resolution using a mini Displayport to DVI adapter that I bought off of EBay. No matter what I've tried I can't get anything to display on the external Samsung LCD higher than 1024x768. I tried switching between GPU's and that made no difference. Any ideas.?

Michael, thanks for the reply;
When you open System Preferences/Displays does a second preference panel open up OK on the Samsung ?
Yes, but I can't see it unless I select 'gather displays'. Then it appears on the MBP LCD, and showing the correct resolution - 1600x900.
Is there an Options Tab visible under which you can check 'Overscan' ?
None that I can find. Only display and color tabs.
Is the Refresh Rate set to 60.0 Hertz
Yes, that is what it shows in Refresh Rate.
I also pulled out an older LG LCD that is fairly generic, .e.g. it has DVI in at 1280x1024. Same problem on that LCD ... nothing higher than 1024x768, but this time at 1280x1024 I get major noise and screen distortion. The displayed image is jumping all over the place, but at least there is something displayed.

HT1338 I have a 2009 MacBook Pro running OS X 10.5.8. How do I upgrade to 10.6 or later??

I have a 2009 MacBook Pro running OS X 10.5.8.
How do I upgrade to 10.6 or later??

Click here and buy it on DVD.
(75849)

New macbook pro battery for late 2008 macbook pro dies fast.

I have a late 2008 macbook pro 2.4 HGz Intet Core 2 Duo with 2 GB of ram. I've had it since 2009 and just got a new battery, as the old one finally gave up. That being said, the new battery dies quite fast and I'm not sure why. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! thank you

Only problem is that maybe the battery you were sold was manufactured around the same time as the Mac. And LiPo batteries die because of old age as well as use. Take it out and carefully examine all markings, especially anything that can date when it was made, like copyrights or such.
With that evidence you can go back and demand a refund.

What adapter do I need to connect my 2009 Macbook Pro to my 2007 iMac?

What adapter do I need to connect my 2009 Macbook Pro to my 2007 iMac? I get really confused with all of the different cables out there an I want to make sure I get the correct one.
Macbook Pro Model is: Late 2009, 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3, OS X 10.9.4 (13E28)
iMac Model: Late 2007, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB 667 MHZ DDR2 SDRAM, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)
Thanks!

The 2007 iMac does not support cabled input. see > Target Display Mode: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Like Niel suggest's, your only option is to use a network based connection like > ScreenRecycler

Mid 2009 MacBook Pro not reading SSD? Help

I have bought a Kingston Hyperx SSD for my mid 2009 MacBook Pro but the laptop does not see the SSD. I have booted the SSD externally installed OSX and it boots fine on the laptop but NOT when fitted internally. Is this a firmware/software problem or is my MacBook simply not compatible with this drive? I have tried everything I can think of and the IT guy at my work has not got a clue either! ImGuessing a standard HD will work but as my old HD died I wanted to go to SSD.
Need some help ASAP!
Thanks!
Sam

The 2009 models were notorious for having faulty SATA cables and I'm betting that's the problem. Go to www.ifixit.com, find the part number for the SATA cable and search eBay for a replacement cable (ifixit simply want too much for the cable - and I've never known anyone who has received a faulty cable from anyone on eBay).
I'm at least 95% certain that's your problem.
Good luck,
Clinton
MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS Mavericks 10.9.4, 16GB Crucial RAM, Crucial M500 960GB SSD, 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display

My Mid 2009 Macbook pro (Just purchased) will not turn on after hard drive change and ram upgrade

So i purchased a mid 2009 Macbook Pro from a guy with 4 gb of ram and 250gb hard drive. It worked perfectly fine when i booted it with his hard drive and ram installed.
I spilled beer in my old computer (late 2009 15" 500gb hard drive and 8gb ram) but took the hard drive to get tested and it worked fine. i later found out it was from a 2010.
Like an idiot i assumed the pro i just purchased would be able to handle the same upgrades that were in my old computer so i threw in the 500gb hard drive (2010) and the 8gb of ram.
The thing booted up fine, just a bit slow which i chalked up to my hard drive sitting unplugged for a long time.
After about 3 minutes it crashed on me. Confused i replaced the 4gb of original ram back into it. (the 8gb ram was pny i bought from ebay so i thought it could be that) It decided not to turn on or show any lights on the front except for the battery meter.
After this i replaced the original hard drive and still NO LUCK!! im really mad because i am in desperate need of the information on my original 500gb hard drive and im afraid i have destroyed 2 computers and about $1K worth of cash out the window.
HELP please enlighten me on what i have done and if the situation can be fixed.

UPDATE: Problem solved with the old hard drive in it, Now the less pressing issue:
Will the computer run my 500gb hard drive with all my information on it? I need to forward a resume and it is on that hard drive.

Late 2009 MacBook Pro OS X 10.6.8 stuck on Desktop with no icons.... what do I do ?

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