forty_two

Q: MBP 2010 won't boot up regularly or in safe mode

Hi, I know there are similar questions on here but I'm still unclear about some stuff...today I was using my MBP and it was working fine, I just had my browser open, and at some point everything froze. I restarted it, and then it would not reboot, it was just stuck on the gray loading screen with the Apple and status bar. When it would get about 20-25% up the bar, it would cut off. Sometimes when it was starting up this way there would be a kind of buzzing sound in addition to the normal fan sound. I tried starting it in Safe Mode, but it would do the same thing -- 20-25% up the bar and then stop. I got into Disk Utility and that said my disk could not be repaired. I booted up the Single User and typed in fsck -yf like I had found elsewhere, and it said "Keys out of order," then "Disk full error" and "The volume Macintosh HD could not be repaired."

 

I was going to upgrade MBPs anyway when the new one comes out, so I don't really want to sink money into it right now and I have another computer I can use in the meantime...but how can I get my files off here? I do have an external HD and there is an iMac in the house I could hook this up to somehow if that would help?

 

Also the Disk Utility suggested getting my files off (with no way to do that) and then reformatting it, and I saw some posts against reformatting -- should I not reformat it? Any help is VERY appreciated.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Apr 11, 2016 7:20 PM

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Q: MBP 2010 won't boot up regularly or in safe mode

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  • by theratter,

    theratter theratter Apr 11, 2016 7:36 PM in response to forty_two
    Level 4 (3,907 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 11, 2016 7:36 PM in response to forty_two

    You will need to erase your drive and install OS X from scratch.

     

    Install  or Reinstall OS X on Your Mac

     

    1. Follow the instructions in this article for Lion through Yosemite: How to install or reinstall OS X on your Mac.
    2. How to perform a clean install of El Capitan: How to Perform a Clean Install of OS X El Capitan on Your Mac.


    If you have a late 2010 or later model, then you can do this:


    Restart the computer. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command-Option-R keys until a globe appears. The Utility Menu will appear in from 5-20 minutes. Be patient.

     

    1. Select Disk Utility from the Utility Menu and click on Continue button.
    2. When Disk Utility loads select the drive (out-dented entry) from the side list.
    3. Click on the Partition tab in Disk Utility's main window. A panel will drop down.
    4. Set the partition scheme to GUID.
    5. Set the Format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)
    6. Click on the Apply button, then wait for the Done button to activate and click on it.
    7. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu.
    8. Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Continue button.

     

    This will install the version of OS X that came with the computer when it was new.

  • by forty_two,

    forty_two forty_two Apr 14, 2016 11:23 AM in response to theratter
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 14, 2016 11:23 AM in response to theratter

    I was able to backup all my files thankfully and am now trying to erase this thing. Anything I do and any set of instructions I follow now results in "couldn't unmount disk."

  • by theratter,

    theratter theratter Apr 14, 2016 11:41 AM in response to forty_two
    Level 4 (3,907 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 14, 2016 11:41 AM in response to forty_two

    Are you able to boot from the Recovery HD? If so, then after the Utility Menu appears when you try to erase the disk do you still get the error? If you do then quit Disk Utility. From the Utilities menu in the menubar select Terminal. When the Terminal window appears enter the following at the prompt:

     

         diskutil unmount force /dev/disk0

     

    Press Return. If the command completes without error then quit Terminal to return to the Utility Menu. Re-open Disk Utility. Your startup volume should now appear ghosted in the device list. Select it then click on the Erase icon in the toolbar. Follow the earlier instructions from that point on to erase the drive. Upon completion check to see if the volume is still ghosted. If it is then re-select it and click on the Mount icon in the toolbar. You can then continue with reinstalling OS X.

  • by forty_two,

    forty_two forty_two Apr 15, 2016 10:58 AM in response to theratter
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 15, 2016 10:58 AM in response to theratter

    So now when I open disk utility it lists the 250.06 GB ST[numbers] disk on the left and there is nothing indented underneath it. I can't create a partition, because whenever I do I get "Partition failed with error: POSIX reports: The operation couldn't be completed. Cannot allocate memory." I uh guess I erased it? Or something?

     

    I do have an iMac that I connected via FireWire to move all my files off -- could I use that to fix the MBP?

     

    Thanks for the help, I probably shouldn't have been working on this the other day after no sleep.

  • by OGELTHORPE,Apple recommended

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Apr 15, 2016 11:17 AM in response to forty_two
    Level 9 (52,313 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 15, 2016 11:17 AM in response to forty_two

    To get the data off of the MBP HDD you can try Target Disk mode with the iMac:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201462

     

    If that fails, take out the HDD, install it in an enclosure and connect it to the iMac.

     

    The next to last option is to try data recovery software that can be found on the Internet.

     

    The worst case is to engage a data recovery firm that will be very expensive with no guarantee for success.

     

    Ciao.

  • by forty_two,

    forty_two forty_two Apr 15, 2016 11:22 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 15, 2016 11:22 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    I've already got all the files off! Firewire to an iMac. I just don't know what to do with it now -- in DiskUtility nothing's showing up.

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Apr 15, 2016 11:29 AM in response to forty_two
    Level 9 (52,313 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 15, 2016 11:29 AM in response to forty_two

    May I assume that all data has been taken off of the MBP HDD?

     

    forty_two wrote:

    I just don't know what to do with it now -- in DiskUtility nothing's showing up.

    Pardon, but what is 'it'?  The HDD or the MBP?

     

    I am apt to say, install a functional HDD/SSD.

     

    Ciao.

  • by forty_two,

    forty_two forty_two Apr 17, 2016 10:52 PM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 17, 2016 10:52 PM in response to OGELTHORPE

    I guess 'it' means my computer. In general. In DiskUtility in the left column there is the "250.06 GB [numbers]" and nothing underneath. When I try to boot from the install disk, it takes me to the "select the disk where you want to install mac os x" screen, but there is nothing there to select.

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Apr 18, 2016 4:23 AM in response to forty_two
    Level 9 (52,313 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 18, 2016 4:23 AM in response to forty_two

    Purchase and install a new HDD or SSD.  The symptoms point to a failed HDD.

     

    Ciao.

  • by forty_two,

    forty_two forty_two May 1, 2016 10:52 AM in response to forty_two
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    May 1, 2016 10:52 AM in response to forty_two

    I installed a new hard drive today. When I tried to install the OS and it asked which disk I wanted to install it on, nothing showed up for me to select. When I go to Disk Utility, the new Hard Drive shows up as 500.11 GB HGST HTS [etc] with nothing indented underneath (partitions?). When I try to partition the disk I get the error message POSIX reports: The operation couldn't be completed. Cannot allocate memory. ><