New E540 won't boot from optical drive

Hello!
I just bought a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E540 and I have no interest in Windows 8 nor the HDD the laptop came with. I replaced the original HDD with a Samsung 250 gb SSD and now I want to install it with a fresh Windows 7 which I already had laying around.
My issue is that I can't get the DVD-reader to boot into the disc. I get to a Boot Menu where I can choose between a few alternatives, one being the CD0. When I select it and hit Enter the screen goes black for a few seconds and then returns me back to the Boot Menu. I have tried this with 2 different Windows 7 discs, which I have also tested in my desktop pc to ensure they work correctly. The same thing also happens when I choose "Windows Boot Manager" or the empty new SSD.
I tried setting the optical drive to the first boot order in the BIOS but with no result.
What am I doing wrong? halp.

Is the Leopard disk you're trying to boot from a full retail install disk or a gray install disk? If it's a gray install disk from another Mac that would cause the problems that you're describing. It has to be for the exact same model as yours to have the correct drivers on it. A full retail install disk has the drivers for every Mac on it.

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XServe won't boot from any drive, but recognizes them in OS X Installer

I know I have another post here but this is a different issue, and I've already fixed that one thanks to Camelot .
I just received an 2 used xserves for work. One booted into OS X Server fine, so I scrubbed it and reinstalled without issue.
The second however never booted into an install. That is, I never found it on my network when I started it up and when I pushed the power button it would turn off immediately, suggesting that there was no OS on the disk or that the xserve couldn't find it. I didn't have a spare monitor to plug into it (surprisingly) so I just chalked it up to the fact that it was a new disk and hadn't had OS X Server installed on it.
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MrHoffman wrote:
The EFI firmware, the SMC and possibly the disk I/O path seem good potential candidates for culprit.
Load and run the hardware diagnostics.
Reset the SMC, and reset the LOM.
I'm running the EFI diagnostic tool now. Firmware and disk I/O path came to mind, let's just hope it's not a major hardware issue
beatle20359 wrote:
Hi Jeff,
Do you have the specs of the xserve and the version of OSX server you are trying to install? Does the Xserve have the RAID card installed in it and what size are the drive modules.
All the best
Beatle
2x 3GHz Dual-Core Xeon
8GB RAM
OS X Server v 10.6.3 (the version I'm trying to install, that is)
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New MacBook won't boot from external disk

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Ian Patterson wrote:
golferx,
Will any other Intel Mac boot from the drive? If not, it's possibly because the drive uses an Apple Partition Map (bootable for PowerPC Macs) instead of a GUID Partition Table (bootable for Intel Macs).
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I am trying to replace my internal drive. I got a WD Scorpio from OWC and formatted and installed OS 10.6. But when I boot from the drive I get the panic screen.
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Try prepping the drive this way:
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So I bought a Macbook (Mid-2010) from a friend recently and I can't seem to get it to boot from the hard drive or optical drive. At first I tried booting from the HD it already had and when I didn't have any luck, I went out and bought a new one. It still won't boot. I'll turn it on, it'll chime and will try to load, and then I'll get the "You need to restart your." message. I've tried booting from disc (Leopard & Snow Leopard) and will still get the same message. I have also tried all possible startup key combinations and haven't had any luck. I don't have the original DVD it came with. So was wondering if any of you guys out there have experienced this. I would like to hear your tips before I go to an Apple Store and see if they can get it fixed for me.

"You need to restart your." message
That is referred to as a "kernel panic"...
Try here > Tutorial: Avoiding and eliminating Kernel panics | MacFixIt - CNETReviews
I don't have the original DVD it came with
You will need those discs. Replacement disc(s) from Apple: You can get replacement System Install & Restore CD/DVDs from Apple's Customer Support - in the US, (800) 767-2775 - for a nominal S&H fee. You'll need to have the model and/or serial number of your Mac available.
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Thanks for the further suggestions.
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To wrap everyone's comments, since I just got back—we had a rare power failure due to someone knocking a local transformer down—yes, the new machine won't allow you to boot an earlier version's disc. The one that came with your new machine is now your GM for that machine. The other, the SL GM, is unusable for it, but good for all the machines that shipped before it arrived. The new disc can be used on any properly formatted volume, internal or external. If you followed the steps in Best Practices and Setup new Mac, then your new MBP should mimic your previous machine. You do the same. Install the OS onto the ext HD and, on first boot, use the Setup Assistant to migrate from the MRB to the ext HD. We used that procedure throughout the beta-test period. HTH

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I've looked through some of the older posts here and none of them exactly matches my problem, and I've tried just about any possible solution I can think of.
I recently noticed that my PowerBook was acting a bit strange. It was making more fan noises than usual, and sometimes the computer would make the very last noise it makes as it shuts down (which is the hard drive coming to rest, I suppose?), though the computer would still be running. Then, yesterday the computer froze and I hit command-control-power, and when the computer restarted it gave me a folder icon blinking between a question mark and the Mac logo.
I tried restarting again, but I had no luck. Now when I try to start up I get the start-up chime, then I get one of three things:
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2) If I restart it with the Software Restore and Install DVD in (but without holding down the C key), it gets to the Apple logo and shows the spinning pinwheel or whatever you want to call it, then freezes and some nasty horizontal bars pop across the screen.
3) If I restart it with the Restore & Install DVD in and I hold down the C key, it gives me the Apple logo, then the "Your computer has encountered a problem and needs to be restarted" box pops up.
I tried zapping the PRAM--no luck. I tried Open Firmware; the screen pops up, then I type in "mac-boot" and I get the same thing as in #2 above.
I used the Hardware Test CD; it told me that there was a Mass Storage error with the error code 2STF/1/4. That doesn't sound too pleasant.
I'm not sure what caused it; perhaps it was a heat thing, but I moved it too a different surface. All the hardware is original except for the Airport card, which has worked fine since Christmas. The only recent software changes I've made were updating to the newest versions of iTunes and Firefox. It doesn't seem like a hard drive problem, since the boot CD won't work.
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I finally got to another Mac. I installed Mac OS X onto my Firewire drive, then hooked up the drive to my Powerbook and used the Startup Manager. The drive showed up on Startup Manager and I chose to boot from it. When I did, the startup process continued briefly, then froze just like it does when I try to boot from the CD.
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Also, my Powerbook isn't one of the ones with a recalled battery. The computer can get pretty hot, even when sitting on a desk, but I just figured that was normal.
Thanks,
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Hey Pevavol,
Same problem here. New 10.6 install DVD.
My boot disc is free of scratches and boots my MacBook Pro
What didn't work.
- Cleaned the DVD drive with optical drive cleaner
- Formatted the new HD via target disc mode.
What worked.
- Booting from an external Firewire Optical Drive something like
http://www.lacie.com/ca/products/product.htm?pid=11170
[Does not have to be a lacie, just for illustration]
Then I got an error that the computer doesn't have the required RAM to install 10.6 perhaps check that. [http://www.apple.com/macosx/specs.html]
The Macbook has 512mb and 10.6 requires 1GB of memory
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If this is a problem with an OS X Installer Disc then you should take the computer to an Apple service center for repair or replacement.
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New E540 won't boot from optical drive

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