Macbook Startup
I got the first gen of Macbooks with the Intel duo core processors during the summer of 2006. Recently, I have encountered a major startup problem with my Macbook. I recently set it to sleep for the night and awoke the next morning to discover that when I flipped the LCD monitor up, the login screen didn't appear. I attempted a hard restart, but the LCD monitor didn't show the usual startup signs. I could feel and hear the hard drive start up briefly, and that would be it.
I'm wondering if anyone out in the Mac community has any ideas of what could be the problem?
Message was edited by: Eksfactor
My friend just called me from Paris and said his 1st generation MacBook Black is starting to do the same thing. When he boots up, it's verrrry slow to get to the blue screen. He can move the mouse, but that's it.
This all started after he accidentally pulled the power plug from his MacBook while it was dumping trash. After that, it just wouldn't reboot normally. Even putting in the Tiger DVD to reboot the machine and run disk utility fails.
Anyone else have any luck?
Message was edited by: Kiki Splash
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Yes. It's absolutely normal.
As you get to know your computer, you may hear small noises during startup and when using your hard disk and optical drive. For example, your hard disk and optical drive may whir and click as they access information or load and eject discs. After the computer runs for some time, a fan or fans may turn on to cool it, producing a faint sound. Small noises are part of the computer’s normal functioning. -
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My MacBook is about a year old, and recently it became extremely slow during startup. At first it just seemed a little slow, but the past couple of days it has taken more and more time. It's now taking 5 - 10 minutes to fully come on. Once it's on, everything is fine.
I've troubleshooted in Apple Communities and tried all of the advice I've found, but nothing seems to be working. Here are the details.
My computer:
MacBook
OS 10.7.4
Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Available hard disk space: 163.27 GB free (out of 249.2 GB)
What I've tried so far (in order):
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2. Use Disk Utility to Verify Hard Disk - No problems identified
3. Updated system software - no major updates (I update regularly to begin with)
4. Check System Monitor for hidden activity - Almost no activity (no other programs were running at the time); no strange users or activity
5. Check Login Items - The iTunesHelper was causing an error. I removed it and replaced it with iTunesHelper from the iTunes Package. The error was fixed, but no improvement in startup time. (Current Login items: GrowlMenu, GrowlHelperApp (Growl is up to date), iTunesHelper, Dropbox)
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AmericanTypewriter.ttc
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Apple Chancery.ttf
Apple LiGothic Medium.ttf
Apple LiSung Light.ttf
AppleCasual.dfont
AppleMyungjo.ttf
Arial Black.ttf
Arial Bold Italic.ttf
Arial Bold.ttf
Arial Italic.ttf
Arial Narrow Bold Italic.ttf
Arial Narrow Bold.ttf
Arial Narrow Italic.ttf
Arial Narrow.ttf
Arial Rounded Bold.ttf
Arial Unicode.ttf
Arial.ttf
ArialHB.ttf
ArialHBBold.ttf
Ayuthaya.ttf
Baghdad.ttf
Bangla MN.ttc
Bangla Sangam MN.ttf
Baskerville.ttc
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BigCaslon.ttf
BlairMdITC TT-Medium
Bordeaux Roman Bold LET Fonts
Brush Script.ttf
Chalkboard.ttc
Chalkduster.ttf
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Cochin.ttc
Comic Sans MS Bold.ttf
Comic Sans MS.ttf
Copperplate.ttc
Corsiva.ttf
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Courier New Bold Italic.ttf
Courier New Bold.ttf
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Georgia Bold Italic.ttf
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Georgia Italic.ttf
Georgia.ttf
GillSans.ttc
Gujarati Sangam MN.ttf
GujaratiMT.ttf
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Gungseouche.ttf
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7. Verified and repaired disk permissions (there were several differences, they were all repaired).
I don't know what else to try. My Mac's not making any strange noises, and is otherwise running well. The only thing that I can think of is that it's been too humid in my house recently (rainy season in Japan). But the slow startup seems to be the same regardless of time of day and humidity, and if it were humidity I have no idea how to fix that. Also, none of my other Mac devices seem to be similarly affected, so I doubt that's the problem.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!It turns out that my hard drive was shot. I took my MacBook to the Apple Store on Wednesday, they kept it for analysis and repair. They replaced the hard drive, and I've already got it back (Friday; less than two days in total).
Although I did check my hard disk with the disk utility, it did not identify the problem.
Some other troubleshooting advice that I overlooked was to try reinstalling my OS and to try starting up in Safe Mode. Neither would have helped in this case, but they may be useful for someone else having similar problems.
Other advice - always make sure your data is backed up and that you Apple Care coverage is up to date. -
Late 2007 Macbook startup problem
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Thanks for the suggestions. X423424 was correct in that the ram was defective; placing it into a MacBook Pro with the same memory requirements led to the same failure to boot.
However, taking the working 2GB memory from the MacBook Pro did not solve the boot-up problems on the MacBook. Fortunately, the memory still works after returning it to its original computer.
Any other suggestions on how this MacBook might be fixed, or is it simply fried? -
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When I startup my Macbook, it has been getting stuck on the blue screen typically associated with the startup and log-in. A few unique characteristics of my problem:
The screen regularly flashes white from the blue
Every so often(rarely) the screen changes to the log-in associated with startup, so I log-in, carefully so as to not mess up the user name or password and it immediately returns to the blue(flashing) screen.
My problems first began when I was using my Macbook and it was unable to open any applications that I had. I proceeded to shutdown the computer and then attempt to boot it up, at which point it froze at the gray apple screen with the spinning loader.
From there, I tried to boot in safe mode, got to the log-in and when I entered my information, it returned me to the safe-mode log-in every time.
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I then reset the PRAM and that got me past the grey screen, to this blue flashing one that represents my startup and log-in problems.
Luckily, I have a Seagate Free Agent Drive which has been my Time Machine disk.
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Thanks for the help everyoneAre you serious?!! Couldn't be anything else? I recall it did this one time a few years ago when I was running a 3rd party backup software. After I removed it, the problem went away.
Replacing the hard drive, in my opinion, is a last ditch effort. Surely there are some other diagnostics to confirm.
Kim -
how can i fix my macbook from spinning on startup? I tried starting in safe mode but it still did not work?
Mark H 10000,
which model MacBook do you have, and which version of OS X is installed on it? -
My macbook will startup only in save boot mode - otherwise it either comes to the login screen and nothing happens or I don't get the login option, only the apple logo and the cursor. . . it worked fine yesterday on the train, since I've neither installed nor deleted anything.
Try this:
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger and Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger, and 4.1 for Leopard) and/or TechTool Pro (4.6.1 for Leopard) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
You may have a corrupted preference file. If the previous doesn't help then create a new user account, log out of your normal account and log into the new one. Set the new account as the default at login and restart the computer. See if this causes the problem to cease. If so then you probably have a bad preference file or cache file. You can use software such as TinkerTool System to help clean out caches. -
MacBook Startup Chime Repeating
Hi, I have a late a late 2009 Macbook and im having a problem with the startup chime repeating and its starting to get rather annoying. It usually just gets to the point where i get sick of listening to it and just hold down the power button to restart it. I have had a look around on other forums and have seen a few people posting the same problem but im yet to find a solution. Have tried the 4 key combo for reseting the PRAM and the problem went away for a couple of days, not sure if it was just a coincidence or... taking it into apple to get looked at isn't really an option as i'm not in the original country of purchase and am constantly travelling at the moment. Anyways has anyone had the same problem or has any ideas on how to solve this? it would be very much appreciated!!
Also it sounds like the chime sound file is corrupted, it crackles a little towards the end of it and cuts off before it finishes and then just loops again....
Message was edited by: ValdiCBUHello v:
Welcome to Apple discussions.
The single chime is an audible indication that the Mac has successfully performed self testing at start up.
The repeat is a new one and I do not know if that is indicating some sort of hardware issue.
You could reset the PRAM again and also reset the SMC:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Barry -
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Also, I realized that when i am hooked into a network via ethernet cable the globe logo pops out for almost about a min or longer.
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Please let me know if there are any solutionsThe post above mine answers the question, I just wanted to offer a quick explanation. Somehow, your startup disk is set to Network, which is checking your network for a networked harddrive to boot from. I assume what's happening is that it's not finding one, it boots from the secondary source, OS X.
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Looking into the issue I noticed this model of Macbooks had issues with their hard drives and they could be replaced under warranty. Brilliant, booked myself into see a Genius and ha presto a few weeks later my hard drive had been replaced. However a couple of weeks after the replacement the issue started happening again but after a few attempts the Macbook would fire up so it wasn't really an issue just a pain in the butt!! Now 18 months down the line its becoming a real issue again, it must take 7 or 8 attempts to fire the blasted thing up, 25 is my highest so how.
My question is, what could be causing this start up issue, could it be the hard drive again???? as replacing the hard drive previously didn't really solve the issue in the first place?? Would apple replace this hard drive again????
The MB is a late 2006 model with Dual Core run Snow Leopard
Hope someone can help :o(
Thanks
DeanoThis looks like a kernel panic. Try to startup the mac in safe mode (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1455) and observe for a few startups whether the problem occurs again or not.
If this solves the problem then you may have a problem with your software installation. Consider reinstalling os x or take a look at your system log file and search for kernel panics (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3742).
If the problem persists you may have an issue with your hardware. I would recommend to take it to an Apple Genius to have the system checked (free of charge afaik). -
Hey guys.
I'm having a distressful startup issue with my Macbook (13-inch, black). It's happened to me before, but that was a few months ago and everything was fine. Now it's happening again and I'm getting worried that the workaround I've found won't work anymore.
The first time it happened, I wanted to restart my computer because I had installed a bunch of things and it was running a little slow. After I restarted, I heard the "GONG", the apple appeared, and the spinning gear also appeared. It seemed to be working, but after a few minutes, the apple changed to a "do not enter" sign.
I tried resetting the P-RAM to no avail, and finally ended up starting up in Safe Mode (by holding the Shift Key) which at least allowed me to start up my computer. From there, I was able to reset and my computer started up normally after that just fine.
Now, last night, the same thing started happening. There were a few different things that happened this time. For one, I got a big gray box on my screen that told me I needed to reset my computer in a few different languages. Secondly, (the only thing I can attribute the cause to) was that I had opened iChat for the first time in 5 months or so. Shortly after is when I got the box.
So I reset and started having the same problem. I've reset in safe mode now, and am currently installing an update to OSX 10.6.3.
The only programs running at the time of the incident were:
-Google Chrome
-Text Edit
-iCal
-iTunes
Any help you guys have for me would be GREATLY appreciated! I took it to an Apple store the first time it happened and they didn't know what was wrong with it. :/Well, after booting in Safe Mode and installing the update, it started up just fine. I am afraid that this is going to happen again, though. Any help you guys have would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks. -
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What did you move onto the external disk? After you copied the files to the external did you drag the originals to the trash and empty?
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You might have to enter the password a few times before the prompts stop. If you don't actually use iCloud, sign out of it in the iCloud preference pane.
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When i start up my macbook there is a folder icon for about 1 second then the the screen goes to the apple sign. There is no problem starting up but i am just wondering why there is a folder sign wheni start up with a question mark in it. I used to have boot camp running windows on my macbook but when i restored the hard drive to one disk that folder comes up every time i start up. My macbook is still running perfectly but i am just wondering about this problem.
Go to System Preferences > Startup Disk and make a selection. That should fix it.
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