MacBook air does not boot

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Level 1

35 points

MacBook air does not boot

Hi all. Sorry for typos amwriting this from iPod touch. I have new mcbk air. I migrated user and apps from
MacBook pro rnning 10.4.10. After migration air would not get fully boot. Used DVDs to do an archive and install system. Air was then able to boot. Few days later noticed sound and audio outputs on c trl panel had dissappeared so Irebooted

Now Air does not boot. Gets past grey apple screen with, then I get a blue screen with a mouse pointer that I. Can move aroun but seems to stop short of loading the finder.

Reset pram does not help. Am on an overseas trip without DVD SuperDrive drive so I don't know what else to do

Any ideas? Thx !

al 2., Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Posted on Aug 21, 2008 10:49 AM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Aug 21, 2008 12:38 PM in response to Aj Epstein

If you have your installer discs with you, then you need to do an Erase and Install using the Remote Disc feature where you can use the DVD drive on another computer - see your User Guide about how this is done.

The problem is you migrated a system from a machine running an incompatible version of OS X to your MBA which requires Leopard. You then did an Archive and Install but this does not remove any incompatible components that were migrated into the user folder unless you opted not to preserve the user accounts, which it sounds like you did not do. Hence the problems that you have now encountered. So what you must do is a clean install - Erase and Install. If you have valuable data you need to save then you will need to backup this data before you wipe the drive.

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Answer 2

Aj Epstein Author

Level 1

35 points

Aug 22, 2008 4:25 PM in response to Kappy

Hi Kappy,

thanks for getting back to me. That makes a lot of sense.

I've got quite an extensive user folder, that I've been building up for years now, so I'm most interested in being able to migrate a user using Apple's tools, rather than having to manually copy files and reenter all sorts of settings.

Back home, I've got extensive backups, so I'm confident with doing the following, but am not sure, based on your repsonse if if will ultimately work...

What I'd like to do is: reformat my macbook air's drive and reinstall 10.5; clone my Macbook Pro hard drive to a portable drive; then booting my Macbook Pro off that portable, upgrade the OS on the portable to 10.5.x; boot the Macbook Pro off the upgraded drive; and then do the user migration from Pro to Air.

Is this a sound workflow, or will there still be legacy stuff in my user settings coming off the Pro that will choke the Air?

thanks!

AJ

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Aug 22, 2008 4:51 PM in response to Aj Epstein

It depends on whether you have the same OS version installed on both computers. If so there shouldn't be any problem. If not then only migrate the user folder. If you have potentially incompatible third-party applications then install them separately. Generally there aren't too many problems that will crop up when migrating from one Intel Mac to another except when there are differences in the minimal OS versions required and the two machines aren't at the same version.

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Answer 4

Aj Epstein Author

Level 1

35 points

Aug 22, 2008 4:54 PM in response to Aj Epstein

Thanks. I'll give it a try when I'm back home.

cheers!

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