Bootable drive inactive and white screen

Question

Level 1

8 points

Bootable drive inactive and white screen

Hi,

To revive a Mac Pro 3.1 after a hard drive failure I installed a Samsung SSD 870 QVO and tried to reboot using a bootable USB drive (El Capitan). I pressed start button holding the option key but the screen turned to white showing a file with a question mark. I noticed that the bootable drive didn't show the usual blinking light and I didn't hear the usual chime when the system starts. I tried it several times with the same result. I also tried to boot pressing the shift key, then Command+R, always with the same white screen. Could a brave heart help me to revive this honorable machine ?

Thanks,

Leovigildo

Mac Pro, OS X 10.11

Posted on Jan 29, 2021 1:35 PM

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Answer 1

Feb 4, 2021 3:55 PM in response to Leovigildo

The 8800GT is a certified antique. These cards get hot, and die. Most of those died long ago.

You can get a used apple-firmware GT120 for under US$50 on US eBay, for example. Apple-firmware 5770 for under US$75

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Answer 2

Jan 31, 2021 11:54 AM in response to Leovigildo

Pull out the future boot drive and try to boot the USB-stick alone. Hold the Option key at startup (again, a keyboard on USB on the chassis.)

It should boot up and run. eventually getting to the point it tells you there is nothing to install onto.

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Answer 3

Jan 29, 2021 3:18 PM in response to Leovigildo

If you have the blinking question ark, your Mac is likely working, but cannot find a drive to boot from.

Mac Pro 3,1 is limited to MacOS 10.11 El Capitan maximum, and it is slightly more complex to make the bootable USB-stick from the download. Must be plugged into a USB port on the chassis, not on a USB Hub on a display.

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Answer 4

Jan 31, 2021 12:03 PM in response to Leovigildo

A white screen says your graphics card initialized the display. Immediately, it should be also showing a watch cursor, and after a few minutes, a pointer-cursor.

The drive-eject button should be active, and open the tray of the DVD Reader.

If all that works, your Mac is working and your bootable drive is not working for some reason.

What MacOS version is it?

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Answer 5

Feb 1, 2021 6:04 AM in response to Leovigildo

The power-On Self test sequence is a halt-on-Error test, so seeing the screen background other than completely black says your Mac is working.

It could be having problems with the bootable drive. But also, consider that the graphics card may be failing, and thus no picture.

what graphics card is it?

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Answer 6

Leovigildo Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 31, 2021 11:49 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thank you Grant. Actually I was already using a USB port on the chassis. I tried the other ports with no effect. I checked the bootable usb and it's working alright. I am afraid I should consider this machine as dead. I appreciate your advice anyway.

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Answer 7

Leovigildo Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 1, 2021 4:49 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Unfortunately none of this occurs. The screen remains white. I don't see a watch cursor, nor pointer cursor, nor the drive-eject button. The Mac OS version is 10.11 El Capitan, which is the latest OS Mac Pro 3.1 supports. I appreciate your attention and your time Grant.

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