Graeme Parker1

Q: Macbook Pro stalls at startup then auto shuts down

Hi,

 

My older Macbook Pro (2009 running Yosemite) is behaving badly!

On startup and after the apple and progress bar appear it will auto shut down after about one third of the progress bar is reached.

I have tried resetting PRAM and SMC.

I have tried starting in safe mode but it shuts down before it gets there!

 

Any other things to try, or this faithful old servant a gonna??

 

Many Thanks.

Posted on Mar 9, 2016 8:26 PM

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Q: Macbook Pro stalls at startup then auto shuts down

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  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Mar 9, 2016 8:49 PM in response to Graeme Parker1
    Level 10 (271,691 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 9, 2016 8:49 PM in response to Graeme Parker1

    Reinstalling OS X Without Erasing the Drive

     

    Make sure you have a current backup before proceeding.

     

    Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears.

     

    Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.

     

    When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility and press the Continue button. After Disk Utility loads select the indented Macintosh HD entry from the the left side list.  Click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If Disk Utility 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 Disk Utility and return to the main menu.

     

    Reinstall OS X: Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Continue button.

     

    Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless and more reliable.


  • by Graeme Parker1,

    Graeme Parker1 Graeme Parker1 Mar 9, 2016 10:44 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Mar 9, 2016 10:44 PM in response to Kappy

    Thanks for your suggestion, but no joy I'm afraid. The same situation arises while I'm holding down Command and R keys - the progress bar is loading then the computer auto shuts down.

     

    Any other ideas to try to test/check what is actually going on with the Macbook?

  • by Kappy,Solvedanswer

    Kappy Kappy Mar 10, 2016 2:37 PM in response to Graeme Parker1
    Level 10 (271,691 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 10, 2016 2:37 PM in response to Graeme Parker1

    In that case I would surmise that the hard drive is failing or has failed. Do you have an external drive with a bootable system on it that you can try? Otherwise, make an appointment at the Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar and take it in for service. If you are not in the USA or cannot set up an appointment this way, then contact your local Apple Store directly.

  • by Graeme Parker1,

    Graeme Parker1 Graeme Parker1 Mar 10, 2016 2:36 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Mar 10, 2016 2:36 PM in response to Kappy

    Yes, I have just tried an external drive and managed to boot the computer to life again!

    I ran Disk Utility and it tells me that the HD has errors which Disk Utility is unable to fix. I'm now running some third party software on the old HD to see if it can be repaired (Stellar Volume Repair).

    Thanks for your help.

  • by Brent55,

    Brent55 Brent55 Oct 2, 2016 1:25 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 2, 2016 1:25 PM in response to Kappy

    I am able to get started in recovery mode but the disk will not load.  The wheel just keeps spinning.