Monitor failure on boot

I have OSX Leopard fully updated and XP Professional fully updated on MacBook Pro and it keeps overheating and monitor is not working? Has anyone else experienced this? Are there any boot proceedings I can use to get screenback. It's clearly not damaged, there is a software issue somewhere.

Welcome to Apple discussions!
While your Mac may seem old to you, Macs last a long time. Your Mac is not a bona fide Older Mac.
Most readers in this "Older Hardware Products" forum are using Desktop and Tower Macs that were produced before the turn of the century. iMacs have their own forums, too.
The forums in the link below are visited by users of MacBooks, who are much more likely to be able to offer you accurate advice on a problem like yours. I suggest you choose a specific forum (you don't get a "post new topic" button until you select an individual forum, not the composite one first shown) create e new topic there, then cut and paste your query from above. Adding the processor speed of your Mac is very helpful on homing in on exactly which model it is.
Apple.com > Support > Discussions > MacBook Pro

Similar Messages

10.4.7 and monitor failure after boot up

10.4.7 again. I have some strange experience with my core duo mini, after installing the 10.4.7 update. After the boot procedure I get a blank grey screen with some flashing in every seconds on my Xerox LCD display. It looks like the monitor is on "energy save" mode or something like that because this flashing is abnormal. So at this stage i cannot do anything, except push the "power on" button of my mini to get it sleep. After the "wake up" the monitor works perfectly.
I got te same error when my system put my monitor into "energy save" mode after some inactive minutes. For this problem i can switch off this energy saving, but for the problem during the process i have no idea.
Anyone have the same, or have some guess about the solution?
Mac Mini Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Both. Don't forget to reboot afterwards so the system can generate new files.

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!

Failure to boot after restarting, no distinct pattern.

My Mac Pro has an issue where every third or fourth restart the mac will fail to boot, needing me to hold the power button until it turns off.
I get the grey apple and the spinning progress wheel for 30 seconds, then the screen stays grey and the apple is replaced by what looks like a circle with a diagonal bar through it. I believe this means something along the lines of 'No Bootable Directory Found'.
Before the 10.5.2 update this happened almost every restart. I'm using a Samsung Spinpoint 750gig drive as my boot drive, and the stock 500gig drive as a media disk.
I have tried several solutions. Repair permissions, Disk Utility from CD and run verify and repair disk, AHT extensive, TechTool Deluxe with surface scan, Format and Reinstall (twice), Memtest, NVRam.
Could the Samsung drive be bad even though I can't get any software to find a fault?

Here is a console log of the most recent failure to boot. The events here are a restart, a failure to boot, a forced off and a power on. Hopefully this helps.
27/02/2008 02:31:00 com.apple.launchd[68] (0x10a650.Locum[2615]) Exited: Terminated
27/02/2008 02:31:57 com.apple.launchd[68] ([0x0-0xa00a].com.apple.dock[94]) Stray process with PGID equal to this dead job: PID 2586 PPID 1 DashboardClient
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] *Wakein::CancelEvents: requested event type: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] *Wakein::CancelEvents: requested app name: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] *Wakein::CancelEvents: canceling wakepoweron - com.elgato.eyetv - 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] *Wakein: 0 entries in power event schedule table
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested event type: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested app name: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested date: 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] *Wakein: 1 entries in power event schedule table
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] * date: 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] * appName: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:31:57 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[106] * eventType: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:32:07 com.apple.loginwindow[23] Shutdown NOW!
27/02/2008 02:32:07 com.apple.loginwindow[23] System shutdown time has arrived
27/02/2008 02:32:07 com.apple.SystemStarter[16] Starting Aladdin USB daemon
27/02/2008 02:32:08 com.apple.SystemStarter[16] process already running on this system - daemon terminated!
27/02/2008 02:34:04 com.apple.launchctl.System[2] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/dashboardadvisoryd.plist
27/02/2008 02:34:04 com.apple.launchd[1] (com.adobe.versioncueCS3) Unknown key: ServiceDescription
27/02/2008 02:34:04 com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cupsd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
27/02/2008 02:34:04 com.apple.launchd[1] (org.ntp.ntpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
27/02/2008 02:34:22 com.wacom.wacomtablet[79] TabletDriver[79]: ISO keyboard: OSI
27/02/2008 02:34:23 com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[80]) Exited: Terminated
27/02/2008 02:34:23 com.apple.launchd[1] ([0x0-0x7007].com.wacom.TabletDriver[87]) Exited: Terminated
27/02/2008 02:34:23 com.apple.launchd[1] (com.wacom.wacomtablet[79]) Exited with exit code: 255
27/02/2008 02:34:23 com.apple.launchctl.Aqua[88] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/machinit_peruser.d/com.adobe.versioncueCS3.monitor.plist
27/02/2008 02:34:23 com.apple.launchd[69] (0x1010d0.VersionCueCS3monitor) Failed to check-in!
27/02/2008 02:34:24 com.wacom.wacomtablet[89] TabletDriver[89]: ISO keyboard: OSI
27/02/2008 02:34:31 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] EyeTV Helper version 3.0 build 267
27/02/2008 02:34:33 com.apple.SystemStarter[16] Starting Aladdin USB daemon
27/02/2008 02:38:48 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein::CancelEvents: requested event type: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:38:48 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein::CancelEvents: requested app name: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:38:48 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein::CancelEvents: canceling wakepoweron - com.elgato.eyetv - 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:38:49 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein: 0 entries in power event schedule table
27/02/2008 02:38:51 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein::CancelEvents: requested event type: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:38:51 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein::CancelEvents: requested app name: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:38:51 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein: 0 entries in power event schedule table
27/02/2008 02:38:51 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested event type: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:38:51 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested app name: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:38:51 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested date: 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:38:51 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] *Wakein: 1 entries in power event schedule table
27/02/2008 02:38:51 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] * date: 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:38:51 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] * appName: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:38:51 [0x0-0x1b01b].com.elgato.eyetv[158] * eventType: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::CancelEvents: requested event type: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::CancelEvents: requested app name: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::CancelEvents: canceling wakepoweron - com.elgato.eyetv - 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein: 0 entries in power event schedule table
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested event type: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested app name: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested date: 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein: 1 entries in power event schedule table
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] * date: 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] * appName: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:39:38 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] * eventType: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:39:48 com.apple.loginwindow[23] Shutdown NOW!
27/02/2008 02:39:48 com.apple.loginwindow[23] System shutdown time has arrived
27/02/2008 02:39:48 com.apple.SystemStarter[16] Starting Aladdin USB daemon
27/02/2008 02:39:48 com.apple.SystemStarter[16] process already running on this system - daemon terminated!
27/02/2008 02:40:11 com.apple.launchctl.System[2] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/dashboardadvisoryd.plist
27/02/2008 02:40:11 com.apple.launchd[1] (com.adobe.versioncueCS3) Unknown key: ServiceDescription
27/02/2008 02:40:11 com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cupsd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
27/02/2008 02:40:11 com.apple.launchd[1] (org.ntp.ntpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
27/02/2008 02:40:30 com.wacom.wacomtablet[79] TabletDriver[79]: ISO keyboard: OSI
27/02/2008 02:40:30 com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[80]) Exited: Terminated
27/02/2008 02:40:30 com.apple.launchd[1] ([0x0-0x7007].com.wacom.TabletDriver[87]) Exited: Terminated
27/02/2008 02:40:30 com.apple.launchd[1] (com.wacom.wacomtablet[79]) Exited with exit code: 255
27/02/2008 02:40:30 com.apple.launchctl.Aqua[88] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/machinit_peruser.d/com.adobe.versioncueCS3.monitor.plist
27/02/2008 02:40:30 Dock[97] _DESCRegisterDockExtraClient failed 268435459
27/02/2008 02:40:31 com.apple.launchd[69] (0x1010d0.VersionCueCS3monitor) Failed to check-in!
27/02/2008 02:40:31 com.wacom.wacomtablet[89] TabletDriver[89]: ISO keyboard: OSI
27/02/2008 02:40:37 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] EyeTV Helper version 3.0 build 267
27/02/2008 02:40:40 com.apple.SystemStarter[16] Starting Aladdin USB daemon
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::CancelEvents: requested event type: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::CancelEvents: requested app name: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::CancelEvents: canceling wakepoweron - com.elgato.eyetv - 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein: 0 entries in power event schedule table
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested event type: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested app name: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein::ScheduleEvent: requested date: 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] *Wakein: 1 entries in power event schedule table
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] * date: 02/27/08 21:35:00
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] * appName: com.elgato.eyetv
27/02/2008 02:40:45 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] * eventType: wakepoweron
27/02/2008 02:40:45 com.apple.loginwindow[23] Shutdown NOW!
27/02/2008 02:40:45 com.apple.loginwindow[23] System shutdown time has arrived
27/02/2008 02:40:45 com.apple.SystemStarter[16] Starting Aladdin USB daemon
27/02/2008 02:40:45 com.apple.SystemStarter[16] process already running on this system - daemon terminated!
27/02/2008 04:06:51 com.apple.launchctl.System[2] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/dashboardadvisoryd.plist
27/02/2008 04:06:51 com.apple.launchd[1] (com.adobe.versioncueCS3) Unknown key: ServiceDescription
27/02/2008 04:06:51 com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cupsd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
27/02/2008 04:06:51 com.apple.launchd[1] (org.ntp.ntpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
27/02/2008 04:07:07 com.wacom.wacomtablet[79] TabletDriver[79]: ISO keyboard: OSI
27/02/2008 04:07:07 com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[80]) Exited: Terminated
27/02/2008 04:07:07 com.apple.launchd[1] ([0x0-0x7007].com.wacom.TabletDriver[87]) Exited: Terminated
27/02/2008 04:07:07 com.apple.launchd[1] (com.wacom.wacomtablet[79]) Exited with exit code: 255
27/02/2008 04:07:07 com.apple.launchctl.Aqua[88] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/machinit_peruser.d/com.adobe.versioncueCS3.monitor.plist
27/02/2008 04:07:07 Dock[96] _DESCRegisterDockExtraClient failed 268435459
27/02/2008 04:07:08 com.wacom.wacomtablet[89] TabletDriver[89]: ISO keyboard: OSI
27/02/2008 04:07:08 com.apple.launchd[73] (0x1010d0.VersionCueCS3monitor) Failed to check-in!
27/02/2008 04:07:15 [0x0-0x13013].com.elgato.eyetvhelper[115] EyeTV Helper version 3.0 build 267
27/02/2008 04:07:18 com.apple.SystemStarter[16] Starting Aladdin USB daemon

"Error 300: Failure to boot" When trying to boot up imac

This is the error I get when I try to boot up my imac, it will not boot up, just leaves me with this Error 300: Failure to boot. I don't know what to do as I'm not all that mac - knowlegeable. Please help me if you can.

Message from daughter in Italy:
Here's what happened. When I typed in the first line, the output was a TON of lines somewhat like this:
-rw-rw-r-- 1 0 80 12292 (a date, a time) (Firefox, Users, etc.)
drw------- 7 0 99 238 (a date, a time) (Volumes, afs, bin,etc.)
d-wx-wx-wt 2 0 80 68 (a date, a time) (var -> /private/var, etc)
drwxr-xr-x 1 0 80 649 (a date, a time) (Desktop Folder, private)
There were lots of lines that started with drwxr. Also, where I typed parentheses above, there weren't any parentheses (that's just to show where the date and time would be). And on the very last item, those things listed in parentheses (which were not on the code) include some samplings of what was listed there (but not necessarily corresponding to the previous code in the line that I typed -- I just wrote down some of the words I saw throughout). There was only one word at the end of each line (or sometimes something like the very two last lines, which were var -> /private/var and one other somewhat like it with the var.delete code.
When I typed in the second line of code suggested, there was nothing, just a new prompt (that same weird prompt with the pound sign).
When I typed in the third line of code suggested, the output was the following:
ls: /private/etc/: No such file or directory
Also, when I typed in the very first line of code, there was no weird prompt thing...just a blank line with the cursor blinking. The prompt thing always appears after you type in something and hit return.
Hope that all makes sense (at least to the Apple geniuses out there). Thank you!!

Intermittent failure to boot, flashing question mark or white screen

So, I've had two MacBooks with similar problems (I am a Mac consultant). The first one would intermittently boot to a white screen, often enough to be annoying. This current one is occasionally booting to a flashing question mark. My first thought is, of course, the hard drive, but in both cases the hard drive tests fine using SMART Utility, which is usually great at giving advance warning when a drive starts experiencing hardware errors.
On the first MacBook, the one with the white-screen boots, I tried reinstalling the system with no effect; replacing the drive eventually made the problem go away. The current MacBook, with the question-mark boots, has already had its drive replaced once, when the stock drive failed.
I will reseat the drive, which is all Apple could suggest. I just wonder if anybody else had experienced something like this and can offer any information about what might be going on.

Thanks for the reply. Aside from finding that holding the mouse button down at boot might cause a flashing question mark, I already knew all that. I will ask the owner if she is leaning on the trackpad button when she starts up her computer in the morning.
I've already reset the power manager and the PRAM; we'll see if that makes any difference. The puzzling thing here is that the problem is intermittent.
I also need to ask her if, when the computer does boot to the question mark, there has been a chime first. Somehow I think there has to be, for the system to have gotten as far as looking for a boot drive. I couldn't find anything useful in the logs; not surprising, since if it can't find a drive to boot to, it won't have anything to write a log to.
Again, the mystery is why the failure to boot is intermittent. If it happened every time, I'd know what to do!
Thanks
cavenewt

Failure to boot due to Biohd-4,-8 errors

My PC was built with Windows Vista OS. I installed W7 upgrade and I had no end of problems. Most important is boot failure. I ran the HP doctor diagnostics and was told the the PC ship, ram and Hard drive were OK, but the diognostics pointed out two errors. the first error was Biohd-8 and the second is Biohd-4. I am assuming that this means there is some problem in the Bios. The system will not boot all the way using the W7 repair disc or the old W Vista recovery discs. Help !!!

Lou, welcome to the forum.
The error codes (BioHD-4 & 8) are generated by S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology). It is used to alert you to problems with your hard drive/s. It appears that you have a failed hard drive. The only way to solve the problem is by replacing the drive.
Please click "Accept as Solution" if your problem is solved.
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IMac Drive Failures and Boot Camp - large install experience and question

We have a large 24" iMac install, purchased in August of '08, 49 machines spread across 6 offices. All run Windows Vista in Boot Camp as their primary (and mostly sole) operating mode - I will be happy to explain why after we get this cleared up, but that is not the point of this question.
We have had 11 hard drive failures, a rate of over 22% in one year. No machine has failed twice. The equipment was purchased in different groups so a bad lot is unlikely. I am aware that there is an HD failure issue with the iMac's but this seems to be extreme. Personally I've been building apples and pc's since my first apple kit, have a mac plus in a box somewhere, and am fond of these machines (as is the staff) but I've never seen a failure rate like this.
It has been suggested that it is the use of Boot Camp that is causing these failures. While I have seen viruses over the years that can lead to hardware failure I've never seen validated (or even simply non-malignant) software have the same effect.
Any thoughts on this? Could BC be the cause? Is this failure rate unusual? Have folks heard of similar cases? Thanks.

no one has any thoughts on this?

Hard Drive failure - various boot modes won't work, HELP!

Hello all,
First of all, sorry for the essay, but I didn't want to miss out on possible crucial details that could help!
A couple of weeks ago, my beloved 27" iMac had a hard drive failure. It won't boot, but instead goes to the grey 'no entry' sign when booting up. I tried holding Cmd + V on boot and this message repeated itself whilst failing to boot:
"rooting via boot-uuid from chosen/: D94DA2D5-DB38-3517-B05D-70A97AC6EE5B
Waiting on <dict ID="0"><key><IOProviderClass</key><string ID="1"> IOResorces</string><key>IOResourceMach</key><string ID= "2">boot-uuid-media</string></dict>
Got boot device = IOService:/AppleACPlatformExpert/PCI0@0/AppleACPIPCI/SATA@1F,2/AppleIntel5Serie sAHCI/PRT0@0/IOAHCIDiskDriver/IOAHCBlockStorageDevice/IOBLockStorageDriver/Hitac hi HDS722020ALA330 Media/IOGUIDPartitionScheme
BSD root: disk0s2, major 14, minor 2
jnl: unknown-dev: open: phys_blksz 4096 does not match journal header size 512, and journal is not empty!
hfs: late jnl init: failed to open/create the journal (retval 0)
cannot mount root, errno = 19"
I'm not sure how much of that is useful, but I thought I'd copy it all down anyway.
I googled error number = 19 and found articles on an invalid b-tree node and corrupt journals, leaving me to believe that because I recently deleted a Windows Vista partition and reformed the overall HD into a 2TB OSX volume, some windows data may have been left over and corrupted the journal?
So it fails to boot normaly, using Cmd V, and using the OSX install disk, as well as failing to boot from the DiskWarrior 4 DVD I purchased from my local Apple Reseller because I'd heard that it's very good at helping with issues such as what I think my HD is having. I tried Disk Utility whilst booting from the install disk, and tried to repair the drive, and each time I tried it said that invalid content was present in the journal but the disk repair had been successful.
Am I right in thinking that my data is on the drive, it's just that OSX won't register the drive's existence because of a corrupted journal? (the little I know of hard drives is shining brightly through at this point, I'm sure!)
I also tried to boot using target mode by connecting my iMac to a MacBook Pro also running Snow Leopard, but, whilst the iMac clearly went into target mode (bouncing firewire icon on screen), my HD never appeared on the desktop of the MacBook Pro, nor in Disk Utility.
Whilst I have AppleCare, I haven't tried taking it to a mac store yet because of two reasons; 1. The last time I did this I had HD failure on my old 2008 MBP and, whilst I told them to keep the data on it, the first thing they did was reformat the disk. Needless to say, it worked, but I lost all my valuable Data! The second reason is that it's bloody heavy, and I don't own a car!
Before people go on about the way I should have backed up my data, I did, and that's gone as well! D:
System Specs:
First generation of 27" iMacs
2.8Ghz Intel i7 quad core
2TB HD
ATi Radeon HD 4850 512mb VRAM
8GB DDR3 RAM
OS version: not the very latest snow leopard but the one before.
Thanks in advance, and once again sorry for the essay!
Westy

I'm not sure about the DW disk. Check that out at Alsoft's website. Apple doesn't provide data recovery services.
Apple has records of your iTunes purchases. However, the licensing for music only permits you to download it once. I'm surprised that you don't have backups.
If you get an external enclosure in which to put the drive then you might try accessing it from the MBP as an external drive. If you have an external drive you could try using recovery software:
General File Recovery
If you stop using the drive it's possible to recover deleted files that have not been overwritten by using recovery software such as Data Rescue II, File Salvage or TechTool Pro. Each of the preceding come on bootable CDs to enable usage without risk of writing more data to the hard drive. Two free alternatives are Disk Drill and TestDisk. Look for them and demos at MacUpdate or CNET Downloads.
The longer the hard drive remains in use and data are written to it, the greater the risk your deleted files will be overwritten.
Also visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on Data Recovery.
Beyond this you would need to send the drive off to a data recovery service which will be extremely expensive.

No mouse cursor on one monitor - Windows 7 Boot Camp

Hello,
I installed Windows 7, and ran the boot camp installer; however, since then, my mouse cursor does not appear on one of my two monitors. I can still click on things (if I can figure out where my invisible mouse is), but the arrow itself is just gone. This is only the case within Windows; mouse works fine on the Mac end.
Hardware in question:
Computer - Mac Pro with NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics card
Monitor with issue - Hannspree widescreen monitor connected via HDMI cable + HDMI to mini DV adaptor
Other monitor - hp fullscreen monitor, connected via VGA
I'm wondering if it has something to do with my NVIDIA drivers on windows, because the mouse shenanigans seemed to start after this step in the Bootcamp installation process.
Any ideas for how to fix this?
Thanks very much.

Then google for Cirrus Logic Audio for Mac running Windows.
Something like this...
MacBook Pro audio sound fix
http://realitypod.com/2010/07/macbook-pro-no-sound-in-windows-7-final-fix/
Cirrus Logic CS4206A (AB 11)
I tried downloading the "High Definition Codecs" driver from Cirrus Logic's website but the download link doesn't work.
http://www.cirrus.com/en/support/lic/lic3.html?uri=/en/pubs/software/CS4207WinVista_Win7_32-64-bit6-6001-1-30.zip
*MacBook Pro No Sound in Windows 7*
Posted by Geek on +Jul 23rd, 2010+
* You are running Vista or Windows 7 on a Macbook
* You have no or low audio/ sound. In macbook pro, you may also see a red light in your audio jack.
*Step 1:* Download the Macbook Pro Cirrus Logic CS4206A Driver from our server.
+(As a request, please do not hotlink this file anywhere else or our server will automatically remove the file from server.)+
+In case the above download link does not work google+ CirrusAudio.10.6.1.zip
*Step 2:* Extract the right type of Driver
(depending on your windows XP/ 7/ 32 bit/ 64bit)
Step3: for Windows 7 only: Right Click on exe file of driver.
Select Properties> Compatibility > run in compatibility mode
Select Windows Vista from drop down menu and Click OK
*Step 4:* Double click the driver and install.

MacPro triple monitor black at boot

I have a Mac Pro (Early 2008) with an ATI Radeon HD 5770. I have connected three DVI monitors (using the expensive active adapters) and all is working fine on Yosemite and Windows 7. The problem I have is that all screens stay "off" during OS X boot. Once the boot is finished they turn on and I see my desktop. I need to blindly enter my file vault password. On windows, they turn on as soon as Windows starts. This is extremely annoying for boot selection, file vault password prompt or other things I might want to do before boot. If I unplug one of the three monitoring, it works and I see the boot again.
Does anyone have a similar situation with a Radeon HD 5770 and has fixed it or has anyone a clue or a tip or something I could try?
Thanks

You probably have a 5770 originally intended for a PC. These do not show a picture until the driver loads, which is exactly the login screen (or Desktop if you auto-login).
Many PC 5770 cards have two DVI ports. The genuine Apple card that has Apple firmware and an Apple ROM has one DVI and two Mini DisplayPorts (and no more ports) and look like the ones pictured below:

Radeon 7000 pci card leaves monitors blank when booting up in os9.2

Hi, I've installed a Radeon 7000 pci card to run a second vga display and it works perfectly when I am in os x 10.4.10. But, when I start up into os 9.2 (to run a legacy program and scsi device) both monitors go grey after the start up is completed. Once I pull the video card out, os 9.2 is visible on the monitor running off of the agp card. I don't need the dual monitors for the times I use os9.2, but I don't want to have to pull the pci card out each time I switch to 9.2 either.
Would anyone have any ideas as to why this card isn't working when I go to os9.2? It looks like it almost works as it displays all of the start up screens and extension icons, then goes grey. Is it a Tiger issue with a cure? Or would there be a agp card that would allow me to run both vga monitors and would work on at least one monitor when I switch over to os9.2?
Any replies would be greatly appreciated!
spkan
B.C., Canada

The OSX install CD was a retail (black) one.
I also tried both 10.3 and 9.2 retail install disks.
At one point the CD seemed to go through the
activity of booting (activity light and noises) but the
screen was black with not even the power light lit on the monitor.
All other times it spun up, blinked a few times then stopped.
The time it went through the blinking and spinning
of booting it was with a new EIDE cable.
I noticed the original cable had pinholes in it.
I tried the CD drive by itself on both the
motherhoard connectors (jumper on CD set to master).
I also tried it with the HD with it set to slave (HD set to master).
I'm thinking this is a cable issue.
But with new EIDE cables to the HD and optical
it still is a no go.
I'm going to lay the motherboard and all components
out on a desk and use an OCZ ATX power supply I have.
However when I first got the G3 and it wouldn't power on
I plugged the OCZ into the motherboard and HD.
It still would not power on. Then I discovered the
two buttons on the LB and after pressing them it
started OK with the original PS.
It usually starts OK now with the front button.
I also have a DVI to ACD Apple converter and
an ACD display.
It shows a splash screen very distorted then goes black.
Any other thoughts?
Thanks again for trying...
Ken
"Also, keyboard shortcuts for booting from the optical drive can depend on the compatibility of the specific optical drive installed. If the drive has been changed, a third-party drive may not be recognized for booting purposes."
I'll try the original drive again and report back.

Unable to set external display as primary/main monitor on Macbook Boot Camp

I have an LG Flatron W1942TQ monitor hooked up to my Macbook right now. I am able to extend the desktop to this monitor and use it dual display style, but the Start menu remains on the Macbook display.
I want the monitor to be the primary monitor. So I go to check off "Set as Primary Monitor" in the control panel, but when I do that it suddenly reverts back to having the Macbook monitor as the only display, shutting off the LG Flatron.
Just wondering if there is a driver issue or something I am overlooking as to how to have my external display as the main monitor.

I think that works for Mac OS but in Boot Camp Windows XP OS does not have that option. I did try to drag the XP system bar at the bottom onto my external display but no luck. I am having the same issue as Jack Ryan and Philtones. I am a mild timpered guy and love my MBP but this agrivation just about has me ready to throw it.
I hooked it up at a LAN party & the display wouldn't come on at first. It finally just started working & I played several games in mirror mode. Then, I decided to correct the resolution and couldn't get mirroring back on no matter what I tryed. I also can't switch primary monitor.
Please, someone, has anyone found the solution?
Windows is a very bad 7-letter word.

Failure to boot under any troubleshooting methods

I have here yet another "dead iBook" question which is just different enough to warrent a new thread.
It's a first gen. G4 iBook, 1GHz, 12.1", 60GB HD, 512MB added RAM module, Airport Extreme card, original battery. It was bought refurbished from Apple and has been through one (1) logicboard replacement. I believe it was running the latest OS version from a month ago (late March 2006).
1. The owner of the machine for whom I'm troubleshooting said that it was running normally until he hit a system freeze (not a kernal panic, just something that required a hard restart). 2. He held the power button, it turned off, then he booted again. The chime sounded but the screen stayed black. 3. Switched off, then tried booting again. This time, no chime, no display, and fan at full blast. So he came to me.
I've tried all the tips and tricks listed in the popular Apple support page concerning boot troubleshooting, and resetting the PMU with both the battery and DC in causes the power indicator to change color for a moment, so at least that does something. The catch seems to be that the iBook can't even start the boot process. I'll explain:
1. While the machine definitely responds to the power button (only for on, I can't hold the button to turn it off) that's about all it does beside spin the fan at full. Also, if the iBook is tipped or jiggled the fan makes a harsher noise, but there's no physical damage to the fan that I can see.
2. No chime
3. I put in the restore CD but can't boot from it. Holding C just doesn't work. Holding the mouse button at boot fails to eject the CD.
4. No Single User mode, no Open Firmware mode, no Verbose mode, no Safe mode, no PRAM reset indication.
5. Using a 1GHz eMac as the primary computer, cannot mount drive in target disk mode.
6. Removed Airport and RAM, tried above with combinations of DC, battery, and waiting a really long time (e.g. holding keys for open firmware for 38 minutes), none of which succeeded in producing anything different.
7. It all sticks at the black, non-backlit screen.
So I used the ifixit guide to remove the harddrive and stick it in a USB 2.0 enclosure. I was able to mount the drive this way, and the HD name appeared on the desktop, but when I tried to access the contents, the finder hung, animated process monitors froze, and the external drive itself spun up and spun down rapidly and repeatedly. Sounds like a bad drive. Therefore I borrowed a spare 2.5" drive (formatted capacity 4.9GB) and tried to install Tiger on it over the USB enclosure. Boot said eMac from CD, but Installer says the OS can't boot from this volume and thus can't install to it. So I format the disk again (HFS+ Journaled), no luck; then zero it, no luck; then partition it with enough space for install (required 4.7GB), no luck. Maybe it's the USB.
Put this small temporary drive in the iBook hoping that I could boot from the restore CD that was still stuck in the drive and install the OS to this functioning drive. Same problems as before. It just won't respond to any input.
Thanks for reading all that, I hope it was coherent. I wonder if the short answer will be "convince your pal to wait for a spiffy new 13.3" MacBook."
iBook G4 12.1" 1GHz Mac OS X (10.4.5) 512MB, 60GB HD

Hello.
Before you start applying pressure here and there, or replacing parts, may I suggest something? My wife's iBook went through a similar spell, but is working fine, now. I had heard all kinds of advice (from a bad logic board to a bad hard drive) from Apple and from people on this discussion board. I was even chastised for allowing my wife to leave the iBook powered on all the time (even though it went to Sleep every night).
The problem occurred during the first week of April, when the 10.4.6 update was released. I'm not saying the update caused the problem, but I am saying the problem occurred at about the same time as the release.
Here's what we did:
Unplug the power cord.
Remove the battery.
Plug in the power cord. (Yes, you can power up the iBook or almost any Apple laptop without a battery installed).
Power up the iBook.
If the screen is grey for more than 5 minutes, hold down the power button until the machine powers off, then try powering it up again.
If the screen is grey with an Apple icon, I'd recommend just being patient. Eventually, my wife's computer did a full boot, shut itself down, restarted, and stabilized for about 5 minutes before it shut itself down again. The fan seemed to run faster than normal as the noise was very noticeable. Eventually, after repeating the process, when the computer restarted, it stayed on and the noise was gone.
When her iBook came back up, no files were lost and it returned to normal operation. She did a normal shutdown, put the battery back in, and it's been fine ever since (the past 14 days).
If you have the same results, I'd recommend backing up all of your data to an external drive, or burn it to a CD/DVD. If you end up having to send the computer in for repair, you're data will rarely remain intact, especially with a hard drive replacement. Besides, it's always a good idea to back-up your data regularly.
Good luck.
Rob K.

Failure to Boot Up, HP dv4-1225dx BLACK SCREEN Blinking Caps/Num Lock

HP,
Since yesterday, my laptop has been unable to start up, at all. When I turn on the power button, the fans start to run, but there is no backlight on the monitor at all, just the audio system on the keyboard with continous blinking lights on both Caps Lock and Num Lock. These lights continue to blink forever until I am forced to shut the computer off.
The HP model is Dv4-1225dx, was running Vista.
Could I get some help to resolve this problem?
Thanks!

Hi,
Although I hope you already resolved this issue I do have a temporary; possibly perminate solution. I read an article that sounds ridiculous, but it worked for me. Cover your pc with towels to block all air flow. Just leave the screen open so you can see it. MONITER THIS CLOSELY!! After 20 minutes or so it should turn on. Log in and back up what you can just in case. You also want to let the pc run a while to cool down. Shut down and let cool for at least an hour. Try to boot up. If you cant now repeat the above. It may take more than 1 try.
Hope this helps someone. Please also remember, this isnt a perminate fix but its better than junking your pc!

Monitor failure on boot

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