White Screen of Death? (HELP!!!)

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White Screen of Death? (HELP!!!)

Okay, after coming back from a movie, I go onto my Macbook.

For the first five minutes, everything's okay, then all of a sudden it starts making odd noises and starts freezing up.

After a few minutes of trying to get control back, I just hit the power button.

I then turn the Macbook back on and get the start up sound.

Then I see a white screen, and if I let it run for a bit, it shows a grayish folder in the middle of a screen with a white question mark which blinks in and out.

It just stays a that.

It seems to keep doing this, no matter how many times I try.

Help please!

Macbook, Mac OS X (10.5.3), Leopard

Posted on Jun 27, 2008 2:59 PM

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Answer 1

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bdkjones

Level 4

1,335 points

Jun 27, 2008 3:40 PM in response to wolfpack0

The icon you're seeing means that the Mac can't find your hard disk or read from it.

Insert the first of the two recovery disks that came with your computer and hold C while you turn it on. This will boot from the DVD. From the menubar, choose Disk Utility and see if your hard disk is listed in the left-hand pane. If not, restart the computer and hold D this time. Run the Apple hardware test and see if it passes.

If your hard disk IS listed in Disk Utility, choose "Verify Disk" and if any problems are found, repair it. Try restarting after that.

If the disk is not listed, and the Apple hardware test fails, your hard drive has most likely gone bad and will need to be replaced. You can take the computer to Apple if it's under warranty and they'll do it for free or you can do it yourself by following these directions:

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/MacBook13inch_HardDriveDIY.pdf

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Answer 2

wolfpack0 Author

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Jun 27, 2008 4:45 PM in response to bdkjones

I've done the verify and repair, and it keeps coming back with:

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit

That mean anything to anyone?

ALSO: I originally had Tiger on my Mac, but I upgraded to Leopard using my friends disks.

Now, I've been using the disks I originally received, but do I need to use my friends Leopard disk for it to work correctly?

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Answer 3

wolfpack0 Author

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Jun 27, 2008 7:38 PM in response to bdkjones

bump

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Answer 4

Jun 27, 2008 8:26 PM in response to wolfpack0

Well I can tell you it's not a good thing. Does it give another error message? And I think the disk repair on your tiger disk is sufficient to repair a leopard disk. You could try running [fsck|http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417] (look for the section that says "Use fsck"). This is the equivalent Disk Utility to the one on the leopard disk but I have a feeling you will get the same result. Therefore you might have to use something like [DiskWarrior|http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior> to repair your hard drive.
Steve

Message was edited by: Steven Vanderhoek

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Answer 5

bdkjones

Level 4

1,335 points

Jun 27, 2008 8:42 PM in response to wolfpack0

You must use the appropriate disk for your operating system. A Tiger recovery DVD should not be used with a Leopard system and vice versa. You'll need a Leopard DVD to proceed. Run the verification again with the correct recovery disk.

Is the drive making any strange or unusual noises? Constant clicking, for instance?

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Answer 6

wolfpack0 Author

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Jun 27, 2008 9:12 PM in response to bdkjones

Yeah, it makes some odd clicking and groaning noises

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Answer 7

Paul4900

Level 2

350 points

Jun 27, 2008 9:58 PM in response to wolfpack0

If this isn't yet another one of those suicidal Seagate hard drives that are impossible to recover data from, then I'm a dead guy strapped to a ceiling fan. (And of course, I'm not.)

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Answer 8

bdkjones

Level 4

1,335 points

Jun 28, 2008 8:28 AM in response to wolfpack0

If it's making weird noises it's very likely that the drive has failed.

Take the computer into your local Apple store if it's under warranty. Otherwise, you can buy a new hard disk and install it yourself. It's not hard at all. Follow these directions:

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/MacBook13inch_HardDriveDIY.pdf

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Answer 9

edoras

Level 1

30 points

Jun 28, 2008 8:51 AM in response to wolfpack0

My HDD used to have that sound.... the hdd failed. I send for repair and got a new HDD replacement...

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Answer 10

Jun 28, 2008 11:06 AM in response to edoras

Hi,

I'd try booting from the system install disc, then running trouble shooting utility. Examine the hard drive's SMART (self monitoring and reporting technology) status. If you don't see, "verified," then you know the drive is probably defective.

The other things to try - if you have an external drive, try installing Mac OS on the external drive and boot from the external drive. The internal drive may mount and you may be able to get some files even though you can't boot the internal drive.

You can try hooking your MacBook with FireWire to another Mac, and booting your MacBook in target disk mode. You may be able to read some files with the other working Mac.

Bill

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