tonydenson

Q: My 15" MBP (Late 2013) won't reboot

For a while now my MBP won't reboot - it just goes to a white screen and stays there until I do a hard power off. This now gives me a problem trying to install the latest update to El Capitan and the upgrade won't work because it requires to reboot the machine itself.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Oct 29, 2015 6:53 AM

Close

Q: My 15" MBP (Late 2013) won't reboot

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Oct 29, 2015 7:04 AM in response to tonydenson
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Oct 29, 2015 7:04 AM in response to tonydenson

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.

    This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

    The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

    Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem.

    Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

    Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

    The login screen appears even if you usually login 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.

    Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

    After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

  • by tonydenson,

    tonydenson tonydenson Oct 29, 2015 10:48 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Desktops
    Oct 29, 2015 10:48 AM in response to Linc Davis

    I should have said I had already tried safe mode to no effect

  • by OGELTHORPE,Helpful

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Oct 29, 2015 10:40 PM in response to tonydenson
    Level 9 (52,511 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 29, 2015 10:40 PM in response to tonydenson
  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Oct 29, 2015 11:24 AM in response to tonydenson
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Oct 29, 2015 11:24 AM in response to tonydenson

    Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Some of them may not be applicable to your model or your situation. Stop when the problem is resolved.

    To restart an unresponsive computer, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the power shuts off, then release, wait a few more seconds, and press it again briefly.

    Step 1

    The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.

    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.

    a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.

    b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.

    c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.

    d. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.

    Step 2

    If you've started from an external drive, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.

    Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. If you don't see the words "Safe Boot" in the startup screen, you haven't started in safe mode. Ask for further instructions.

    Safe mode is much slower to start and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.

    The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

    If the startup progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 9. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.

    If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)

    If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by third-party software that you installed. Ask for further instructions.

    Step 3

    If the startup process stops at a plain gray screen with a movable cursor, then the login dialog may be active but not visible because of a bug. You might be able to log in by using the arrow keys or the cursor to select the password field and typing your password as usual.

    Step 4

    If Step 3 fails, the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.

    Step 5

    If a desktop Mac (without a built-in keyboard) hangs at a plain gray screen with a movable cursor, the keyboard may not be recognized. Press and hold the button on the side of an Apple wireless keyboard to make it discoverable. If need be, replace or recharge the batteries. If you're using a USB keyboard connected to a hub, connect it to a built-in port.

    Step 6

    Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.

    Step 7

    If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.

    Step 8

    Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.

    Step 9

    Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.

    This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then restart as usual.

    Step 10

    If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support. 

    Step 11

    Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.

    Step 12

    Do as in Step 11, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.

    Step 13

    This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's, MacBooks with a removable main battery, and some others (not current models.) A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.

    Step 14

    If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

  • by tonydenson,

    tonydenson tonydenson Oct 29, 2015 11:48 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Desktops
    Oct 29, 2015 11:48 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Most of that seems to be aimed at a Mac that won't start up. I have the opposite problem - it won't shut down

  • by tonydenson,

    tonydenson tonydenson Oct 29, 2015 11:49 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Desktops
    Oct 29, 2015 11:49 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    I will try that, but I can't at the moment as it is in the middle of a lengthy uninterruptible process.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Oct 29, 2015 12:32 PM in response to tonydenson
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Oct 29, 2015 12:32 PM in response to tonydenson

    These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.

    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 and start typing the name.

    Step 1

    For this step, the title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select

              SYSTEM LOG QUERIES All Messages

    from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

              View Show Log List

    from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

    In the top right corner of the Console window, there's a search box labeled Filter. Enter "BOOT_TIME" (without the quotes.)

    Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Select the BOOT_TIME log message that corresponds to the last boot time when you had the problem. Now clear the search box to reveal all messages. Select the ones logged before the boot, during the time something abnormal was happening. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.

    For example, if the system was unresponsive or was failing to shut down for three minutes before you forced a restart, post the messages timestamped within three minutes before the boot time, not after. Please include the BOOT_TIME message at the end of the log extract—not at the beginning.

    If there are long runs of repeated messages, please post only one example of each. Don’t post many repetitions of the same message.

    When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.

    Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

    Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

    Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.

    Step 2

    In the Console window, select

              DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION System Diagnostic Reports

    (not Diagnostic and Usage Messages) from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

              View Show Log List

    from the menu bar.

    There is a disclosure triangle to the left of the list item. If the triangle is pointing to the right, click it so that it points down. You'll see a list of reports. A crash report has a name that begins with the name of the crashed process and ends in ".crash". A panic report has a name that begins with "Kernel" and ends in ".panic". A shutdown stall report has a name that ends in ".shutdownstall". Select the most recent of each, if any. The contents of the report will appear on the right. Use copy and paste to post the entire contents—the text, not a screenshot. It's possible that none of these reports exists.

    I know the report is long, maybe several hundred lines. Please post all of it anyway.

    If you don't see any reports listed, but you know there was a crash or panic, you may have chosen Diagnostic and Usage Messages from the log list. Choose DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION instead.

    In the interest of privacy, I suggest that, before posting, you edit out the “Anonymous UUID,” a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes in the header of the report, if it’s present (it may not be.)

    Please don’t post other kinds of diagnostic report—they're very long and rarely helpful.

    When you post the log extract or the crash report, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the forum software. Please post the text on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

  • by tonydenson,

    tonydenson tonydenson Oct 29, 2015 10:47 PM in response to tonydenson
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Desktops
    Oct 29, 2015 10:47 PM in response to tonydenson

    Now fixed thanks. I think it was the NVRAM reset but it was a bit curious. I did the reset but it still wouldn't restart. So then I crashed it and rebooted it and then did a shutdown instead of restart. That worked and from then on I have been able to do a restart.