HT1352: Setting up firmware password protection on PowerPC-based Macs

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Kaydell
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Q: After Accepting Update On 32-bit Mac Mini Running Snow Leopard 10.6.8, The Mac Won't Boot

About a month ago, I was using my older Mac-Mini which was running 10.6.8, a screen came up from the Mac App Store, telling me that an update to OS X was available so I took the update.

 

I regret it now.  When the Mac restarted itself, it went down, but it hasn't been back up since.

 

I've been around Macs a long time now, and I should know by now to restart, quitting all of my apps and everything as much as possible.  The Apple updater really should restart before and after a system update, in my humble opinion.

 

But, I want to get my old Mac running again now.

 

I've researched this some and I've tried the following

 

* Disconnected all peripherals, except the monitor, and cycled power.

* Cycled the power and tried to zap the P-RAM (NV-RAM)

* Cycled the power and then hold down the "D" key (for diagnostic).

* Cycled the power again and hold down the Option key (to boot from the original optical disk).

* Cycled the power again and hold down the "C" key (ditto)

* Cycled the power again and hold down Command-V (for verbose mode)

* Cycled the power again and hold down Option-Command-O-F (to get into open-firmare) I don't know if I have an open-firmare password, but nothing else worked.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352

   Maybe open-firmare isn't the issue as to why the other key-combinations didn't work.

 

I've tried a different keyboard and mouse. 

 

I doubt that the problem is a hardware problem.  The problem seems so highly correlated with my taking anothing OS update from Apple.

Mac mini, 32-bit (Intel?)

Posted on Sep 26, 2013 11:38 PM

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Kaydell

Q: After Accepting Update On 32-bit Mac Mini Running Snow Leopard 10.6.8, The Mac Won't Boot

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit Sep 27, 2013 12:47 AM in response to Kaydell
    Level 10 (120,969 points)
    Apple Music
    Sep 27, 2013 12:47 AM in response to Kaydell

    Hold down the C key to boot from an install disc, not the Option key.

     

    Holding down the Option at startup prompts the Startup Manager window.

     

     

    Try booting in Safe Mode and verify the startup disk for errors.

     

    Startup your Mac in Safe Mode

     

    A Safe Mode boot takes much longer than a normal boot so be patient.

     

    Once you are in Safe Mode, launch Disk Utility located in HD > Applications > Utilities

     

    Select the startup disk on the left then select the First tab.

     

    Click Verify Disk  (not Verify Disk Permissions)

     

    Boot from your install disc while holding down the C key if Disk Utility reports problems.

     

    Mac OS X 10.6: Reinstalling Mac OS X

  • by Kaydell,

    Kaydell Kaydell Sep 27, 2013 1:49 PM in response to Carolyn Samit
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 27, 2013 1:49 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

    @Carolyn, thank you very much for your reply.  I appreciate you taking the time to try and help me.

     

    > Hold down the C key to boot from an install disc, not the Option key.

     

    I inserted my Snow Leopard install disk and cycled the power, holding downt he C key and I got to the grey screen with the Apple logo in the center of the screen with a little spinning progress indicator.  This is what I always get.

     

    > Try booting in Safe Mode and verify the startup disk for errors.

    > Startup your Mac in Safe Mode

    > A Safe Mode boot takes much longer than a normal boot so be patient.

     

    I carefully read and followed the link on Safe Mode that you provided and I got the same result as always.

     

    > Once you are in Safe Mode, launch Disk Utility located in HD > Applications > Utilities

    > Select the startup disk on the left then select the First tab.

    > Click Verify Disk  (not Verify Disk Permissions)

     

    Maybe it is something of a hardware problem.  Maybe the disk does need to be repaired, but I can't get in to repair it now.

     

    I will keep this in mind when taking updates from Apple in the future.

     

    1. Quit all applications.

    2. Verify the disk and repair any errors.

    3. Restart.

    4. Then, let Apple update my software.

     

    > Boot from your install disc while holding down the C key if Disk Utility reports problems.

    > Mac OS X 10.6: Reinstalling Mac OS X

     

    I've done this before, with the same Mac-Mini and the same optiical disk, and it worked.

     

    I also tried starting in target-disk mode, but I always get the same result, the grey screen with an Apple logo and a spinning progress indicator.

     

    I don't know what else to try.

     

    -- Kaydell

    http://kaydell.us

  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit Sep 27, 2013 3:13 PM in response to Kaydell
    Level 10 (120,969 points)
    Apple Music
    Sep 27, 2013 3:13 PM in response to Kaydell

    If you startup while holding down the Option key do you not see the Startup Manager window?

     

    If you do, and MacintosHD does not show up, that's an indication that the startup disk has failed and needs replacing.

     

     

     

     

    You're welcome 

  • by Kaydell,

    Kaydell Kaydell Sep 27, 2013 3:49 PM in response to Carolyn Samit
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 27, 2013 3:49 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

    @Carolyn, Thank you again for your help.

     

    > If you startup while holding down the Option key do you not see the Startup Manager window?

     

    No, I only ever see the grey screen with the Apple logo and a spinning progress indicator.

     

    > If you do, and MacintosHD does not show up, that's an indication that the startup disk has failed and needs replacing.

     

    The startup disk?  The internal hard-drive for example?

     

    I tried several different optical disks with OS X installers on them.

     

    1. Snow Leopard.

    2. Leopard

    3. Panther

     

    My Mac-Mini does start to boot.  I wonder where this screen  comes from.  It could be from ROM or from the startup disk.  I don't know.

     

    I can see the Apple logo.  The monitor seems to work, and I'm getting some "Appleness" showing, but could the problem be my monitor?  I don't know.  The problem is probably my hard drive, but then, I can't boot from an optical disk.

     

    I suppose that I could take my old Mac over by my new Mac and connect a FireWire cable to connect the two Macs together and try to boot the old Mac in Target Disk Mode.  This way, I would know that my old monitor wouldn't be the problem.

     

    -- Kaydell