Mac Pro requires repeated attempts to boot up correctly

I have a late 2007 quad core Mac Pro (2.66GHz) which is about 14 months old. Over the last month I have started having problems booting up.
Initially pixelated patterns started appearing over the desktop and the dock and pretty soon the screen would just start flashing. Now it generally takes 4/5 attempts to boot up correctly with the first 2 attempts not doing anything after the startup chime.
I have tried booting up without external hard drives plugged in, I have reset the PRAM, tried booting in safe mode and I have done an archive and reinstall all with no joy
According to the Apple hardware test everything is fin. Disk utility says there are no problems with the hard drives. The only issue are permissions... I have repaired permissions but immediately after doing so there are more issues with permissions. I have heard mention of problems with a software update for the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT card I am using but when I had the same problem when I loaded the older version of the OS during the archive and reinstall.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Incidentally once the computer is up and running it works fine.

First, don't rely on Apple Disk First Aid to tell you if everything is fine or not, or to repair problems.
Make sure you have two bootable systems, 3 would be preferable.
Invest in SuperDuper, some backup drives, and then Disk Warrior or something. Then run those and do more as far as preventative maintenance.
There was a firmware update a long time ago for the 7300GT. Software updates are not going to cause problems. The card may need to be replaced and hardware failure, but take that up with your AppleCare.
If your external drives are bootable, pull your normal boot drive and try with those.
NEVER repair permissions except with the latest version of OS X you run (10.5.6).

Similar Messages

Mac Pro Early 2008 will not boot off Win7 Install DVD

Hello,
I am hoping someone out there will have encountered something similar and have some suggestions or ideas, because at this point I can't think of anything else to try.
I have a 2.8 Ghz 8-core Mac Pro (Early 2008) with an Nvidia 8800GT Graphics card. I am running OS 10.6.2, fully patched and updated.
I am attempting to install Windows 7 Ultimate via Boot Camp, and am encountering a rather odd problem.
Once I have launched Boot Camp Assistant it allows me to partition the drive and does so correctly, but when it attempts to reboot off the Windows 7 installation DVD, I encounter a blank grey-white screen similar to that which you normally get on startup but without the Apple logo. This continues for some time (it seems to vary), and then the screen goes dark and the monitor says it is receiving no signal. The fans on the Mac Pro go for a while, then it goes to sleep. I've tried leaving it for a couple hours, no dice.
I've tried both the 32-bit and 64-bit Windows install disks. I had the release candidate for Windows 7 installed previously, and it worked perfectly. I have since tried that same install DVD that I used to install the release candidate, and it encounters the exact same issue. Booting up off the Snow Leopard Install DVD works fine.
I tried doing a clean install of Snow Leopard on a spare drive, booting off that, and then starting from square 1 using Boot Camp Assistant to re-partition that same drive. Same problem. No matter what I do or try, my Mac Pro does not want to boot off this install disc. I have yet to try the disc in another machine to see if it works there, and I will as soon as I can, but the fact that the RC disc worked a few months back and now will not seems to rule out the boot discs as defective. I've also tried both my internal optical drives with no change, and no other discs have any issues.
I've already spent an hour and a half talking to Apple Technical Support, and they seemed stumped, so I'm hoping someone will have a notion. If not, I understand and appreciate you taking the time to read this- I have no idea at this point, and I'm generally a pretty knowledgeable user.
- Andrew

Thank you for your reply,
Pull all the drives you have other than the one that you will install Windows 7 to.
I think I will try this next.
Don't put Windows 7 on the same drive as OS X, give it its own.
That was initially what I started out doing.
And you don't even need Boot Camp Assistant.
True, but it's what Apple suggests using.
Might also want to try moving the monitor cable to the other card port.
Hmm, I think I'll try that.
Any other PCI cards or devices attached or installed should also be questioned or disconnected.
I've disconnected everything I could.
Always a good idea to start fresh which I assume you are doing (not trying to upgrade over RC etc).
Yes, the drive was empty to start with.
Honestly it seems like the Mac Pro is generally refusing to boot from any Windows disc. Things I've tried since my initial post:
- Loaded Windows 7 Install disc into my room mate's windows PC... loaded up fine, got to install screen
- Tried his OEM copy of Windows Vista 32-bit, same issue
At this point it seems like maybe some kind of firmware issue or some kind or graphics driver issue, but I'm pretty much grasping at straws at this point. It doesn't seem like it's even getting to the point where hard drives or anything matters.
It does recognize that I have a Windows 7 install disc inserted when I use the boot selector/startup disk chooser.
Thanks for the ideas, I'll try those out and see if any of them help,
-Andrew

Mac Pro 3.1 won't boot

A couple of weeks ago i turned on my mac pro and it didn't boot!
The video card fan whirls around for about 5 seconds and clicks off.
After looking around this forum and others for a while i thought it might be a power supply issue. So i took the tower to my local Apple repairer to get fixed. I called a week later to find out what the deal was and was told that its not the power supply and they were still looking at it. A few days later i got a message saying that it had bad ram and was fixed. leaving me 2gig of ram down (i had 8 gig of ram leaving me with 6 gig) and $75 out of pocket.
No sweat!
About a week later it did it again! Not booting!
i push the power button a few times and it booted! Phew!
It did this for a couple more weeks. Not booting sometimes. A few pushes of the power button and away we go.
Until of course i had a recording session booked and the mac pro would not turn on at all!
I've taken all the ram out (8 1gig sticks) and just installed 2 gig at a time. Going through all of them. Even the one the repairers said was bad. With no luck. I've reset the SMC and take the battery out and put a multi meter over it and it seems fine. (I must say that one day the screen went all weird. Kind of like blurred checkers for a minute but came good again.) I tried to boot it up without the graphics card, no luck!
I'm not sure what i should do??
Take it back to the repairer for another $75 or buy some more ram and see what happens.
Is it possible that ALL the ram is stuffed?
Is it possible to boot up without the video card?
Any advice you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks heaps
Damien

High quality while inexpensive work perfectly. 4% hit (but then use 8 DIMMs and you get 17% boost too).
2x2GB FBDIMM DDR2 667MHz @ $35http://www.amazon.com/BUFFERED-PC2-5300-FB-DIMM-APPLE-Memory/dp/B002ORUUAC/

I cannot get my Mac Pro (Original) MacPro1,1 to boot with the 64 Bit kernel in 10.6.8

I cannot get my Mac Pro (Original) MacPro1,1 to boot with the 64 Bit kernel in 10.6.8 (this is a 2 x 3Dual-Core Intel Xeon machine).
Firmware = MP11.005C.B08 (EFI 1.2) 1.7f10 (SMC 1.1)
Will it not run the 64 bit kernel?
Is there a firmware upgrade to allow this?
Should I bother?
It won't boot with the Key 6 & 4 method.
or using Terminal command;
sudo systemsetup -setkernelbootarchitecture x86_64
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance...
Eric

Because it can't and doesn't have a 64-bit supported firmware.
UEFI (EFI64) was not finalized and adopted until very late 2007 and introduced in 2008, by Apple, Intel, other members of EFI Group and Unified EFI. The Mac Pro Mid-2010 was the first time though that 64-bit mode was the default.
Does it matter? not really. you can't install 48GB RAM anyway, while there are some improvements from 64-bit kernal.
Also can't boot Windows 7 64-bit DVD to install properly. But you can run Windows 64-bit kernel because you have a 64-bit Xeon.
Macs that use 64-bit kernel
64-bit kernel mode Snow Leopard
Booting with 32-bit or 64-bit kernel
Mac OS X- 64-bit kernel questions
http://macperformanceguide.com/SnowLeopard-64bit.html

Hello, I have a early 2008 Mac Pro and it won't boot even with SL DVD

My Mac Pro (3.0GHz quad core (dual CPUs) 8GB 667 RAM) won't boot. it gets to the grey screen/ Apple logo and hangs on the logo for a few seconds then flashes either the question mark folder icon or on the circle-slash icon () for about half a second then the logo for a few seconds and repeats. It will go into Target Disk Mode (T) but not Diagnostic Mode (D)
Here's what I have done to try to fix it:
unplugged all peripherals
tried to force DVD boot holding C (checked disc for errors on SL iMac)
removed all HDDs and rebooted holding C, plus a combination of having some in/ some out.
removed first DVD-ROM and used second drive
removed second DVD-ROM and used first drive
held shift during startup
held option during startup
removed graphics card
put HDDs back in with GFX card out, plus combinations
put only the boot drive HDD in (not time machine or 3rd HDD)
put blank HDD in and booted DVD
put mac formatted (used iMac to format) HDD in and booted with DVD
used an G4 USB keyboard again for all of the above
All of this has not worked so I am stuck with what to do. It was all working fine a couple of days ago. At the time it randomly shut down I was trying to use Boot Camp to create a Windows 7 area, but I made sure it was using the 3rd HDD I had put in the machine a couple of days before so it shouldn't be interfering with normal operations. I had also formatted it to NTFS earlier but reformatted it on the Mac Pro to Mac OS Extended - I don't know if this is even relevant.
Any suggestions (except taking it to a Apple repair centre as I can usually fix anything myself!)
Thanks.

Go to System Profile and look, does it say "MacPro3,1"?
That is 2008.
FBDIMM would be 800MHz. Did you use older slower 667MHz in yours?
You can but take a hit in performance.
Sounds like MacPro1,1.
Mac Pro (3.0GHz quad core (dual CPUs) 8GB 667 RAM)
In 2007 March an 8-core 3GHz did come out 2,1.
So just to be clear.
===========
It was all working fine a couple of days ago. At the time it randomly shut down I was trying to use Boot Camp to create a Windows 7 area,
Whenever you want to install Windows, remove all the drives other than the one Windows goes to. And if you use a dedicated drive YOU DO NOT NEED Boot Camp Assist, unless you use XP, which really is limited and crippled (one processor, 1.9GB RAM support).
And when it freezes, your only choice is to nuke (reformat) and restore or get out that backup CLONE you made before (ie, Step #1 in the Boot Camp Guide).
Sure that whole NTFS / MBR / GUID could be an issue, but you should just have a blank drive or clone.
No don't bother Apple, they seem to not have a good sense about Windows on Mac Pro anyway.
Other than zap pram from cold boot / tried booting with NO drives inside and just 10.6. DVD - should be fine.
You should be fine iwth Windows 7 DVD and one drive, or even XP.
Make sure you take your time and reconnect cards etc properly and any cables.
Booting from OS X DVDs may not work if there is a drive with a totally shot directory or partition table. Put them in FW case and turn on AFTER OS X is booted.
Why aren't people Cloning as a Backup Strategy
Carbon Copy Cloner 3.4.2
How To clone

Mac Pro takes more time to boot than average

Okay, well my Mac Pro (2008) takes anything between 40 and 48 seconds to boot (that's the time between pressing the power button and seeing the desktop with mouse movement). Being a long-time PC user, this boot time is MUCH faster than anything I've used before, but apparently it's longer than it should be. I was recently in a forum where most Mac Pro users had boot times of anything between 25 and 35 seconds.
As for hardware, I have no peripherals plugged in (except for Apple mouse and keyboard). The major software that I've installed is the Adobe Master Collection (including programs such as Photoshop, After Effects, Encore, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, VersionCue, etc.)
I've looked at my Console messages, and I've noticed that the message "kcdmond cannot retreive the computer's local Hostname, retrying..." is repeated 3 times. This repetition takes up 20 seconds. See all the Console messages during boot-up below:
18/4/08 1:00:53 PM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/dashboardadvisoryd.plist
18/4/08 1:00:53 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.adobe.versioncueCS3) Unknown key: ServiceDescription
18/4/08 1:00:53 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cups-lpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
18/4/08 1:00:53 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cupsd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
18/4/08 1:00:53 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.ntp.ntpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
18/4/08 1:01:01 PM com.apple.kdcmond[35] kdcmond cannot retreive the computer's local Hostname , retrying ..
18/4/08 1:01:06 PM com.apple.kdcmond[35] kdcmond cannot retreive the computer's local Hostname , retrying ..
18/4/08 1:01:16 PM com.apple.kdcmond[35] kdcmond cannot retreive the computer's local Hostname , retrying ..
18/4/08 1:01:21 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[76]) Exited: Terminated
18/4/08 1:01:21 PM com.apple.launchctl.Aqua[84] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/machinit_peruser.d/com.adobe.versioncueCS3.monitor.plist
18/4/08 1:01:22 PM com.apple.launchd[71] (0x1010d0.VersionCueCS3monitor) Failed to check-in!
18/4/08 1:01:25 PM iChatAgent[106] WARNING: AbstractService loginIfAvailable: SCNetworkCheckReachabilityByName failed!
18/4/08 1:01:26 PM iChatAgent[106] WARNING: AbstractService loginIfAvailable: SCNetworkCheckReachabilityByName failed!
18/4/08 1:01:31 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[28] Starting Aladdin USB daemon
18/4/08 1:01:51 PM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] BootCacheControl: could not fetch history: Cannot allocate memory
18/4/08 1:01:51 PM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] BootCacheControl: could not stop cache/fetch history: Cannot allocate memory
I have a few questions based on the above:
1. What is kdcmond, and why can't it find the host name?
2. Why is the error message "Failed to check-in!" for Adobe VersionCue appearing? (I've already specified in the VersionCue settings that I do not want it to activate anything on start-up.)
3. What is "Aladdin USB daemon"?
4. What is BootCacheControl, and what is with the "cannot allocate memory" errors?

Okay, so after doing all of the above, the computer still takes between 40 seconds and 1 minute or so to boot up, and the VersionCue messages still appear. However I discovered that the "kdcmond cannot retrieve..." messages disappeared after I disabled my ethernet connections. So at least I know that that had nothing to do with the extended boot-up time.
I have heard that the more RAM you have, the longer it takes to boot due to the RAM count. Since I have 10 GB, maybe this is why?
I've included the most recent Console messages below:
22/4/08 9:56:16 AM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/dashboardadvisoryd.plist
22/4/08 9:56:16 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.adobe.versioncueCS3) Unknown key: ServiceDescription
22/4/08 9:56:16 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cups-lpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
22/4/08 9:56:16 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cupsd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
22/4/08 9:56:16 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.ntp.ntpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
22/4/08 9:56:39 AM com.apple.SystemStarter[28] Starting Aladdin USB daemon
22/4/08 9:56:39 AM org.ntp.ntpd[25] Error : nodename nor servname provided, or not known
22/4/08 9:56:39 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[74]) Exited: Terminated
22/4/08 9:56:39 AM com.apple.launchctl.Aqua[90] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/machinit_peruser.d/com.adobe.versioncueCS3.monitor.plist
22/4/08 9:56:42 AM com.apple.launchd[82] (0x1011e0.VersionCueCS3monitor) Failed to check-in!

My Mac Pro 1,1 won't boot, problems with disk.

I am having problems booting my 2006 Mac Pro 1,1. I was using my computer just fine and then I shut the computer down. When I tried to restart it the computer booted the the Apple logo and the status whell began turning, and then a progress bar appears under that and begins to load. It loads about 1/10 of the way, dissappears and then the computer shuts off.
I booted the computer using Command + R and attempted to reinstall OSX Lion, but it would not allow me to select a drive to install too. They are all grayed out. From here I went into Disk Utility and attempted to Verify Disk Permissions. A laundry list of errors immediatly came up. Next step was the verify the disk, at which point the message read that the disk seamed to be corrupted and needed to be repaired. I tried to repair the disk but was then told that the disk couldn't be repaired, to recover any data and reformat the drive.
The problem with this is that I have not backed anything up (yes I know I am a TARD) but this is my situation and I need some help. At this point I would just like to recover the info that's on this disk, and without a computer to do this I'm not sure how to do this. At this moment I am attempting to make a disk image of the corrupted drive in hopes that this will allow me to restore it later.
Please somebody help. I bought this computer with a lot of pre-installed programs, (i.e Adobe Creative Suite, Final Cut Studio, etc.) not to mention all of my other files.

I have an external drive that I used to keep files backup up on, again I'm a TARD, and no longer do. I've been messing around with the Recovery option when I boot and during this venture saw my main HD unmount and just would not do anything. After trying a few things I reset the system again and when I got back to recovery noticed that the drive had mounted again. I am now using disk utility to copy the entire contents of this main HD to the external drive. Est. time remaining is 12 hours. I did have the external filled up with some stuff but nothing I wasn't willing to trade for all of my applications (that came pre-installled when I bought the machine) and other files. I've read that even doing this isn't a fail proof way to solve the problem as their are still corrupted files, but Disk Utility said that my drive couldn't be repaired and to backup what I could and format the drive. I am hoping that backing up everything to this external drive will give me at least some oportunity to recover my apps, files etc. It also said that if disk utility couldn't fix the drive to boot from the CD and try it that way. Unfortunatly I downloaded Lion and don't have one. I just bought this HD about 2 years ago. Is a Seagate and I haven't had any problems from it. When my computer stopped working I had just been using it and just reset the computer. I am definitly going to get another drive but what are your thoughts on my ability to recover everything? I've heard there are some programs that can handle it.

Helpless in California! Mac Pro circa 2007 won't boot

I have owned a dual Xenon Intel-based Mac Pro since Spring 2007. Today it crashed. On boot I get the apple logo, the chime, the spinning "download" arc...then the gray/white screen just hangs, then sometimes gives my the "no entry" symbol. I have two sets of mirrored RAID drives. My primary set is a pair of Seagate 1.5TB drives that have been in use as the boot drives since 2009. The secondary set are a pair of Maxtor 500GB drives (normally in slots 3/4) which I had used as the primaries from 2007 until 2009. I tried booting from the Seagates in slots 1/2, and again the Seagates in slots 3/4. I also tried the Maxtor's in slots 1/2 and the Maxtor's in slots 3/4. Same results. I get the same result trying to boot from DVD's. I've tried both my Snow Leopard DVD and my 2008 Tiger DVD. I was successful connecting my Macbook to the Mac Pro using firewire and booting the MacPro as a firewire disk (T key). The laptop could read data on the Seagates and Maxtors just fine. I used the disk utility on the laptop to repair the 1.5 TB Seagate primaries (there were some errors, but they seemed minor) and then re-attempted a boot. Same failed result. I then ran the hardware tests from the Tiger DVD: both the standard and extended tests ran to completion and stated that no errors could be found.
Helpless in California,
Jeff

Well, let's just say that a lot of the possibilities here aren't good, and it may be time to start thinking of a new system. But before you get too far along that train of thought, I would take it to an Apple Store or AASP in your area, and have them take a look. That much should be free, and you can get a repair estimate so you can decide whether it's worth trying to repair your current system or just get a new one.

Mac Pro Firmware update -- can't boot, dead in water

Hi all,
Just downloaded the newest firmware update. Shutdown, held in the power button, saw the flashes, heard the firmware beep, let power button go. Machine re-booted, and I saw the firmware progress bar on the screen. Running a little behind schedule, I left the room to grab some things for work. 45-60 seconds later, I come back and my new 23" ACD appears to be in sleep mode; Mac Pro power light is on. Can't seem to wake it up, so I hold down power button, then reboot.
The firmware update must've failed, because now my machine will not boot. It starts, I get the light gray screen but never see the Apple... the monitor simply goes black.
I've tried numerous times to re-do the firmware update to no avail... light flashes, hear the beep, see a gray screen, then monitor goes dark.
I've downloaded the firmware restoration CD, burned it, but the Mac never seems to recognize the firmware CD in the drive when trying to do an update.
This is not a RAID system. I did have a second SATA drive in the MP at the time fo the first update, but I've since removed it. Also hit the hardware switch on the mobo, and that hasn't helped either.
Any advice appreciated. I hate to say it, but I have a $4000 paperweight under my desk right now. :/
PS --
2GB Ram, all Apple
ATI 1900

If you do in fact have a
Firmware Restoration CD then use the instructions
from here…
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/firmwarerestora
tioncd11.html
… to get going with that CD.
Did that with no luck.
Well, let me back up a moment -- the restoration CD was in the drive at the time I held in the power button, 3 flash/beep sequence, etc.
Where I deviated is attempting to insert the CD after the 3 flash/beep... I've had a difficult time getting the CD tray to eject during startup. I'll try again tonight to eject the tray after the 3 flash/beep, then insert CD.
I'm still looking for a photo online of where the SMC is located (no luck so far).

Mac pro 2.66 Quad Core - boot drive mirrored, replace?

All,
I have a Mac Pro 2.66 Quad Core system.
I got all 'sexy' when I set it up - loaded four 1-TB drives in the 4 bays, Mirrored the boot set, also mirrored the secondary set for data.
I am getting ready to have these guys filled up (I do lots of video, pics, etc), and am thinking about 'growing' the drives to 2TB or even 3TB disks (mirrored of course, I'm paranoid).
So I am thinking about the 'how' of moving my data to the larger drive, getting things set up. I have not had any of the drives fail, so I haven't needed to do a swap out yet.
Can I simply take out one of the mirrored boot drives, put in a larger drive, and it will then rebuild the mirror?
or if anyone has some info they can point me to, I'd appreciate it.
thx

You cannot just add a larger drive and grow your RAID Volume size. You need to create an empty larger RAID Volume and COPY the data to the larger Volume, e.g., from your Backups.
Mirrored RAID is NOT Backup. It merely extends the time to repair to keep a drive failure from becoming a data disaster. RAID gives you no protection from human error, crazy software or file problems that happen "just because". You still need backup.
One of the best ways to get increased performance from a computer with the ability to support multiple Internal drives is to keep only System, Library, Applications, and the hidden unix files including paging/swap on the Boot Drive, and move everything else off. This dramatically reduces competition for the Boot Drive and everything speeds up. A Velociraptor is a little faster, and an SSD is incrementally faster still.
If that is all that is on the Boot Drive, you do not need to RAID it, since it can be reproduced from DVDs or downloads in short order. All your User files and Preferences are on other drives..
Implementing this would suggest a single small fast Boot Drive, typically with an offline clone as Backup for emergencies, and forget about RAID-ing the Boot Drive.

Mac Pro + X1900 XT crashing after boot (Leopard) - please read...

I have a Mac Pro quad 3GHz w/ ATI X1900 XT videocard. It's one of the first models released.
For the past 4-5 months I've noticed a few pixels on in random places - looks like stuck pixels on an LCD, but they're not as they move around from time to time and sometimes aren't there at all. It progressed to horizontal lines across the screen in places - following window boundaries, etc.
A few weeks ago I de-dusted the X1900 (there was much), applied latest Mac Pro firmware update and applied that recent X1900 XT firmware update. All in the same hour. The dots went nearly totally away, but the lines did not.
In the past 4-5 days, my Mac Pro basically freezes up within five minutes of boot. Can be running different apps. UT2K4 or just activating Expose or doing nothing. Right now it's still up amazingly after 30 mins.
I've got some screenshots and I found some crash log entries that correspond. Please have a look:
http://www.blakespot.com/macproleopardcrash/
I also took a 10 min HD video of the crashing I will put on a DVD and take to the Genius Bar to show the problem, if I need to send in hardware to Apple for repair.
I would love to think it's the X1900 and it overheated or something and became damaged so that would be all I need to send in. Note that NONE of these problems were at all present in the first 6 months of life or so. And yes, the crashing is post-Leopard install.
Very troubling. Is anyone else having issues like this? Any input appreciated.
Thanks much.
blakespot

I have had nothing but trouble with ATI cards on all of my macs, I really wish Apple would drop the ATI card altogether and replace it with an nvidia 8800gtx,
its the only thing still stopping me from buying a mac pro,
the nvidia cards are either 256mb £99 or £1,000 quadro (old technology and overpriced), they need a card in the middle ground that's not an ATI

Would an Airport Extreme card newly installed in a Mac Pro require Leopard?

Hello friends,
Yesterday I went to the Apple store and had them install an Airport Extreme card in my Mac Pro. The airport is found, activated, and works for a computer-to-computer network between the Mac Pro and a Macbook. However, it doesn't find any other wireless networks, even though the laptop is right next to it and detects them fine.
I am wondering if perhaps the Airport card I got is not compatible with OS X 10.4.11 and that I require 10.5.x for it to work.
Alternatively, whether there is some configuration tweaking I can do to get it working.
The Airport card is described in System Profiler as follows:
Wireless Card Type: Airport Extreme (0x14E4, 0x88)
Wireless Card Locale: USA
Wireless Card Firmware Version: Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (4.170.46.9)
Thank you for any help. Pretty frustrated; have a slow wi-fi connection here anyway and can't even get cell reception at the site so it's hard to research the problem!
- nick

Not sure what you mean "configure by ethernet."
Do you mean to connect the computer to the wireless base via ethernet to configure the computer's network settings for that network, and then have the wifi card ride those settings?
Do you have any idea whether OS X 10.5.x is required with the latest airport cards?
Thx
-nick

A late 2007 Mac Pro (2,1) no longer boots into 64-bit Snow Leopard

In Snow Leopard 10.6.7, my late 2007 Mac Pro (2,1/3.0 GHz/Dual Quad-Core Intel Xeon) no longer seems to be booting into 64-bit mode. I've tried holding down the 6 and 4 keys during startup and even used a Terminal sudo command to force the machine to always boot into 64-bit mode. No matter what I try, an About This Mac>More Info>Software check only reports the following:
     64-bit Kernel and Extensions: No
Before I upgraded from Leopard 10.5 to Snow Leopard 10.6, I carefully researched this, and this Mac Pro model specifically was listed by Apple as being capable of 64-bit booting — meaning that it would utilize at least some extra memory. At the time, under OS 10.5 and early versions of 10.6, when I used this Terminal command...
     ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi
...my Mac Pro 2,1 returned this response:
     "firmware-abi" = <"EFI64">
As a result of my tests and research, I upgraded the installed SDRAM from 4MB to the theoretical maximum Apple indicated this model could support (16MB) so that Adobe Photoshop 12 (CS 5) would fully utilize extra installed memory under Snow Leopard. While using the first versions of 10.6 Snow Leopard, the machine worked fine in 64-bit mode. Now, in the wake of the 10.6.6 or the 10.6.7 update (I didn't notice which), I find that this model no longer even reports itself as being 64-bit capable, though it once did.
Now, the aforementioned Terminal query returns this response:
      "firmware-abi" = <"EFI32">
Also, the Library>Preferences folder does even not contain a file called "com.apple.boot.plist," which some owners have reported editing to force 64-bit booting.
The thing is, I spent a fair amount of money upgrading this machine to the maximum amount of SDRAM supported. I purchased it because it was advertised as being 64-bit capable and I upgraded it because Apple originally reported it as being a 64-bit model. Now, I'm not sure if the extra memory I added is being fully utilized, though Photoshop does report seeing 15547MB of available memory.
Have any other owners of these second-generation Intel Mac Pro's encountered this? Does anyone know what's going on? Am I doing something wrong when checking for the 64-bit installation or architecture? Is Snow Leopard 10.6.7 mis-reporting the architecture for this model? Or did Apple silently withdraw 64-bit support for this machine in a recent OS update?

Hatter: Thanks for the feedback and links. Well, as described in one of the threads you linked to, the document below reinforces your assertion that only Mac Pro's 3,1 or later (early 2008) support 64-bit booting in Snow Leopard:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3770
However, if you asked me in court, I would swear on a stack of Bibles that sometime in the past, I read an Apple document indicating that the Mac Pro 2,1 supported 64-bit booting and I really thought I recalled booting this particular machine into 64-bit mode under early versions of Snow Leopard.
I guess I'm mistaken. Certainly, this issue can be confusing. When I read them out loud to myself, even perfectly-written, accurate explanations on the subject can sound like a circular, non-sensical George Bush rationalization being delivered by comic Will Ferrell. I must not be correctly recalling the details of booting into 64-bit mode with this machine. And I guess that since Photoshop has its own memory management scheme, and I only have 16 gigabytes of SDRAM installed anyway, it doesn't matter that much. Furthermore, in one of your links, Jason Snell of Macworld writes:
"...If you’re running a Mac powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor or an Intel Xeon processor, your Mac is 64-bit capable. And Snow Leopard runs 64-bit-capable applications in 64-bit mode regardless of whether it’s booting into a 64-bit or 32-bit kernel. In fact, the only big advantage of booting into a 64-bit kernel would be the ability to use more than 32 gigabytes of RAM..."

Mac Pro Early 2008 Crash on Boot Up

I have a Mac Pro early 2008 running OSX 10.8.5, and yesterday morning for seemingly no reason I had a screen corruption and freeze up, a kernel panic and then it rebooted itself. I have tried all of the memory( no flashing LED over power switch), cleared and reset all of the PRAM via keyboard and motherboard etc etc and everytime I reboot it crashes at the same point with a screen corruption and reboot. When I tried to boot in safe mode it the bar got 50% of the way across and it rebooted. I booted in verbose mode and single user mode and on both the last entry related to 'Ambrosiaaudiosupport' (as best I can remember) before it rebooted itself again. I sent the Kernel Panic to Apple but as I cannot get back into the OS I cannot obtain another.
Is there a solution to this please, and if so what do I need to do to rectify it
Many thanks in advance
Alan

If you can't boot in the usual way, try a safe boot. During startup, you’ll see a progress bar, and then the login screen, which appears even if you normally 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. If you have more than one user account, you must be logged in as an administrator to carry out these instructions. Safe mode is slower than normal, and some things won’t work at all. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is on a software RAID, you can’t boot in safe mode. If you're able to boot, launch the Console application in any of the following ways: ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.) ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens. ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid. Select the most recent panic log under the heading System Diagnostic Reports on the left. If you don't see that heading, select View ▹ Show Log List from the menu bar. Post the entire contents of the panic report — the text, please, not a screenshot. In the interest of privacy, I suggest you edit out the “Anonymous UUID,” a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes in the header and body of the report, if it’s present (it may not be.) Please don't post shutdownStall, spin, or hang reports.

Mac Pro Display flicker & failure to boot

Hello people who are smarter than me.
I have a 2008 Mac Pro 3.2/ 8CX 8800GT with the original Geforce video card installed. When I turn the machine on I get a grey screen with a black bar at the top, with no evidence of an actual boot (such as a darker grey apple in the middle of the screen.
After a minute or so, the screen retains the form of the black and white horizontal bar at the top but adds a rapidly cycling/strobing organge red and yellow flicker reminiscent of the old Monty Python crazy title screens.... It looks like this if you blink fast enough... or take a still photo.
I live in Haiti, where a fair amount of dust is constantly invading my tower, so I've had dust related issues before with memory... THis time, I don't think it's that. I've cleaned out the tower with pressurized air, reseated the memory and reseated the video card as well, to no advantage. The problem first came when the computer was working fine and while my daughter was opening a page on Firefox the screen just started jittering with this little color show. At the time, though, you could still see the desktop behind all the flickering. Now the computer doesn't seem to even boot. If I have to fly to the states to fix this, I'd love to not have to haul the whole machine, so if we can get this down to a couple likely parts that I could travel with, test and replace, that would be great. This is a hardware issue, right? Would video card failure make sense of this AND the failure to boot? AND if I do replace it, is the ATI Radeon HD 5770 Graphics Upgrade Kit still the ticket? If you help me, you'll be helping a lot of Haitians too, as I use this computer for humanitarian work with the Apparent Project. Help me Obi Geeks, you're my only hope!

Okay, so after doing all of the above, the computer still takes between 40 seconds and 1 minute or so to boot up, and the VersionCue messages still appear. However I discovered that the "kdcmond cannot retrieve..." messages disappeared after I disabled my ethernet connections. So at least I know that that had nothing to do with the extended boot-up time.
I have heard that the more RAM you have, the longer it takes to boot due to the RAM count. Since I have 10 GB, maybe this is why?
I've included the most recent Console messages below:
22/4/08 9:56:16 AM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/dashboardadvisoryd.plist
22/4/08 9:56:16 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.adobe.versioncueCS3) Unknown key: ServiceDescription
22/4/08 9:56:16 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cups-lpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
22/4/08 9:56:16 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cupsd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
22/4/08 9:56:16 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.ntp.ntpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
22/4/08 9:56:39 AM com.apple.SystemStarter[28] Starting Aladdin USB daemon
22/4/08 9:56:39 AM org.ntp.ntpd[25] Error : nodename nor servname provided, or not known
22/4/08 9:56:39 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[74]) Exited: Terminated
22/4/08 9:56:39 AM com.apple.launchctl.Aqua[90] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/machinit_peruser.d/com.adobe.versioncueCS3.monitor.plist
22/4/08 9:56:42 AM com.apple.launchd[82] (0x1011e0.VersionCueCS3monitor) Failed to check-in!

Mac Pro requires repeated attempts to boot up correctly

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