MacBook stuck on spinning wheel

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Level 1

0 points

MacBook stuck on spinning wheel

Froze while asleep (sleep light on, but not pulsing), now it won't start up--hangs on spinning wheel. No recent updates, installs, etc.

What I've tried:
-reset PRAM, PMU.
-Safe boot (still sticks on spinning wheel. For hours.)
-Verbose mode: displays disk0s2 I/O error, repeatedly. Creates crash log files.
-Single-user mode: fsck OK's drive. Can view logs (vim) and traverse HD.
-FireWire Target: Pulled crashlog files.
-Disk Utility from 10.4.11 PPC (via firewire) reports: Volume Header needs minor repair.

Questions: Is it safe to repair a GUID volume on an Intel Mac using my PPC's Disk Utility?
Is the system hosed (IE, archive and reinstall)?

Will post log files; hoping for a suggestion to fix without reinstalling the system as I do not have OS disc (bought MacBook used this summer, came with no discs).

Thanks!
-J

MacBook Core Duo (black), Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Dec 19, 2010 12:43 PM

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Answer 1

blackbirder Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 19, 2010 12:44 PM in response to blackbirder

Process: loginwindow [25]
Path: /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS/loginwindow
Identifier: loginwindow
Version: ??? (???)
Code Type: X86 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [1]

Date/Time: 2010-12-18 19:04:34.304 -0500
OS Version: Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L31a)
Report Version: 6
Anonymous UUID: 944280FE-5CC1-4A73-A507-63F2ADD0DFD8

Exception Type: EXC BADACCESS (SIGBUS)
Exception Codes: 0x000000000000000a, 0x0000000004cba17c
Crashed Thread: 0

Thread 0 Crashed:
0 dyld 0x8fe13b9d ImageLoaderMachO::preFetch(int, unsigned long long, ImageLoader::LinkContext const&) + 109
1 dyld 0x8fe14be4 ImageLoaderMachO::ImageLoaderMachO(char const*, int, unsigned char const*, unsigned long long, unsigned long long, stat const&, ImageLoader::LinkContext const&) + 628
2 dyld 0x8fe05bec dyld::loadPhase5open(char const*, dyld::LoadContext const&, std::vector<char const*, std::allocator<char const*> >*) + 1036
3 dyld 0x8fe05f71 dyld::loadPhase4(char const*, dyld::LoadContext const&, std::vector<char const*, std::allocator<char const*> >*) + 161
4 dyld 0x8fe06445 dyld::loadPhase3(char const*, dyld::LoadContext const&, std::vector<char const*, std::allocator<char const*> >*) + 773
5 dyld 0x8fe069ac dyld::loadPhase1(char const*, dyld::LoadContext const&, std::vector<char const*, std::allocator<char const*> >*) + 156
6 dyld 0x8fe06a73 dyld::loadPhase0(char const*, dyld::LoadContext const&, std::vector<char const*, std::allocator<char const*> >*) + 67
7 dyld 0x8fe06bd2 dyld::load(char const*, dyld::LoadContext const&) + 130
8 dyld 0x8fe06df8 dyld::libraryLocator(char const*, bool, bool, char const*, ImageLoader::RPathChain const*) + 72
9 dyld 0x8fe0f22d ImageLoader::recursiveLoadLibraries(ImageLoader::LinkContext const&, ImageLoader::RPathChain const&) + 557
10 dyld 0x8fe0f13f ImageLoader::recursiveLoadLibraries(ImageLoader::LinkContext const&, ImageLoader::RPathChain const&) + 319
11 dyld 0x8fe0f13f ImageLoader::recursiveLoadLibraries(ImageLoader::LinkContext const&, ImageLoader::RPathChain const&) + 319
12 dyld 0x8fe1057e ImageLoader::link(ImageLoader::LinkContext const&, bool, bool, ImageLoader::RPathChain const&) + 62
13 dyld 0x8fe051ae dyld::link(ImageLoader*, bool, ImageLoader::RPathChain const&) + 158
14 dyld 0x8fe07acf dyld:: main(machheader const*, unsigned long, int, char const**, char const**, char const**) + 2831
15 dyld 0x8fe01872 dyldbootstrap::start(mach_header const*, int, char const**, long) + 818
16 dyld 0x8fe01037 dyldstart + 39

Thread 0 crashed with X86 Thread State (32-bit):
eax: 0x04cba188 ebx: 0x8fe13b44 ecx: 0x8fe364b4 edx: 0x0038a000
edi: 0x000f76cc esi: 0x003af7b8 ebp: 0xbfffadf8 esp: 0xbfffad90
ss: 0x0000001f efl: 0x00010216 eip: 0x8fe13b9d cs: 0x00000017
ds: 0x0000001f es: 0x0000001f fs: 0x00000000 gs: 0x00000037
cr2: 0x04cba17c

Binary Images:
0x8fe00000 - 0x8fe2db43 dyld 97.1 (???) <458eed38a009e5658a79579e7bc26603> /usr/lib/dyld

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Answer 2

blackbirder Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 19, 2010 12:45 PM in response to blackbirder

Process: ReportCrash [107]
Path: /System/Library/CoreServices/ReportCrash
Identifier: ReportCrash
Version: ??? (???)
Code Type: X86 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [1]

Date/Time: 2010-12-18 19:14:42.693 -0500
OS Version: Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L31a)
Report Version: 6
Anonymous UUID: 944280FE-5CC1-4A73-A507-63F2ADD0DFD8

Exception Type: EXC BADACCESS (SIGBUS)
Exception Codes: 0x000000000000000a, 0x0000000006f28000
Crashed Thread: 1

Thread 0:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00a7144e _semwaitsignal + 10
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00ac6e71 sleep$UNIX2003 + 63
2 ReportCrash 0x0000bd95 0x1000 + 44437
3 ReportCrash 0x000021ca 0x1000 + 4554

Thread 1 Crashed:
0 com.apple.Symbolication 0x009ed56b -[VMUMemoryView_Native nlist] + 255
1 com.apple.Symbolication 0x009f2b05 -[VMUStabsExtractor readStabsFromMachOHeader:nsyms:nlist:stringTable:] + 747
2 com.apple.Symbolication 0x009f3e32 -[VMUStabsExtractor initWithMachOHeader:] + 1334
3 com.apple.Symbolication 0x009f27f1 +[VMUStabsExtractor stabsExtractorWithMachOHeader:] + 64
4 com.apple.Symbolication 0x009f4b6b +[VMUSymbolExtractor extractSymbolOwnerFromHeader:] + 80
5 com.apple.Symbolication 0x009f5ed4 -[VMUSymbolicator faultLazySymbolOwnerAtIndex:] + 316
6 com.apple.Symbolication 0x009f869b -[VMUSymbolicator forceFullSymbolExtraction] + 183
7 com.apple.Symbolication 0x009f7fe0 -[VMUSymbolicator symbolOwners] + 39
8 ReportCrash 0x00004c64 0x1000 + 15460
9 ReportCrash 0x00003970 0x1000 + 10608
10 ReportCrash 0x0000a992 0x1000 + 39314
11 ReportCrash 0x00002ea4 0x1000 + 7844
12 ReportCrash 0x000029f1 0x1000 + 6641
13 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00ac703b mach msg_serveronce + 416
14 ReportCrash 0x0000c254 0x1000 + 45652
15 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00a9b155 pthreadstart + 321
16 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00a9b012 thread_start + 34

Thread 2:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00a6a266 mach msgtrap + 10
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00a71a5c mach_msg + 72
2 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00ac6fd9 mach msg_serveronce + 318
3 ReportCrash 0x0000c254 0x1000 + 45652
4 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00a9b155 pthreadstart + 321
5 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00a9b012 thread_start + 34

Thread 1 crashed with X86 Thread State (32-bit):
eax: 0x0006837c ebx: 0x009ed48b ecx: 0x06f28000 edx: 0x041711f0
edi: 0x00000000 esi: 0x0000d4f4 ebp: 0xb00805f8 esp: 0xb0080580
ss: 0x0000001f efl: 0x00010216 eip: 0x009ed56b cs: 0x00000017
ds: 0x0000001f es: 0x0000001f fs: 0x0000001f gs: 0x00000037
cr2: 0x06f28000

Binary Images:
0x1000 - 0xefff ReportCrash ??? (???) <a9b20e027463d14eb9084f970d0e7c7a> /System/Library/CoreServices/ReportCrash
0x16000 - 0x16ffa com.apple.CoreServices 32 (32) <2fcc8f3bd5bbfc000b476cad8e6a3dd2> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/CoreServices
0x1e000 - 0x20ffd com.apple.CrashReporterSupport 10.5.7 (161) <ccdc3f2000afa5fcbb8537845f36dc01> /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/CrashReporterSupport.framework/Versions/A/Cra shReporterSupport
0x27000 - 0x2efe9 libgcc_s.1.dylib ??? (???) <f53c808e87d1184c0f9df63aef53ce0b> /usr/lib/libgcc_s.1.dylib
0x56000 - 0x8dfff com.apple.SystemConfiguration 1.9.2 (1.9.2) <41d5aeffefc6d19d471f51ae0b15024f> /System/Library/Frameworks/SystemConfiguration.framework/Versions/A/SystemConfi guration
0xb4000 - 0xb8fff libmathCommon.A.dylib ??? (???) /usr/lib/system/libmathCommon.A.dylib
0xc9000 - 0xd1fff com.apple.DiskArbitration 2.2.1 (2.2.1) <ba64dd6ada417b5e7be736957f380bca> /System/Library/Frameworks/DiskArbitration.framework/Versions/A/DiskArbitration
0x10a000 - 0x120fff com.apple.DictionaryServices 1.0.0 (1.0.0) <ad0aa0252e3323d182e17f50defe56fc> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/Diction aryServices.framework/Versions/A/DictionaryServices
0x22b000 - 0x25afe3 com.apple.AE 402.3 (402.3) <dba512e47f68eea1dd0ab35f596edb34> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/AE.fram ework/Versions/A/AE
0x3da000 - 0x656fe7 com.apple.Foundation 6.5.9 (677.26) <c68b3cff7864959becfc7fd1a384f925> /System/Library/Frameworks/Foundation.framework/Versions/C/Foundation
0x7b4000 - 0x8e7fe7 com.apple.CoreFoundation 6.5.7 (476.19) <a332c8f45529ee26d2e9c36d0c723bad> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreFoundation.framework/Versions/A/CoreFoundation
0x9df000 - 0xa36ff7 com.apple.Symbolication 1.1 (42.3.6) <d960dbcbadecc945884f13a467515d55> /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Symbolication.framework/Versions/A/Symbolicat ion
0xa69000 - 0xbd0ff3 libSystem.B.dylib ??? (???) <c8f52e158bf540cc000146ca8a705958> /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib
0xc5f000 - 0xd3ffff libobjc.A.dylib ??? (???) <3ca288b625a47bbcfe378158e4dc328f> /usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib
0xdb1000 - 0x108bff3 com.apple.CoreServices.CarbonCore 786.16 (786.16) <60b518e4ad02b91826240199a6311286> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/CarbonC ore.framework/Versions/A/CarbonCore
0x10f5000 - 0x119cfec com.apple.CFNetwork 438.16 (438.16) <dbf00ca36a09edfae60ec44f9d7a9ef9> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/CFNetwo rk.framework/Versions/A/CFNetwork
0x121b000 - 0x1264fef com.apple.Metadata 10.5.8 (398.26) <e4d268ea45379200f03cdc7c8bedae6f> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/Metadat a.framework/Versions/A/Metadata
0x1281000 - 0x133cfe3 com.apple.CoreServices.OSServices 228.1 (228.1) <76fdc146b4d9937f9c5cbaa1512e0023> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/OSServi ces.framework/Versions/A/OSServices
0x13a1000 - 0x1420ff5 com.apple.SearchKit 1.2.2 (1.2.2) <3b5f3ab6a363a4d8a2bbbf74213ab0e5> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/SearchK it.framework/Versions/A/SearchKit
0x1463000 - 0x14f0ff7 com.apple.LaunchServices 292 (292) <a41286c7c1eb20ffd5cc796f791070f0> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchS ervices.framework/Versions/A/LaunchServices
0x1536000 - 0x15c3ff7 com.apple.framework.IOKit 1.5.2 (???) <7a3cc24f78f93931731203854ae0d891> /System/Library/Frameworks/IOKit.framework/Versions/A/IOKit
0x15e9000 - 0x1722ff7 libicucore.A.dylib ??? (???) <f2819243b278259b9a622ea111ea5fd6> /usr/lib/libicucore.A.dylib
0x1776000 - 0x177dffe libbsm.dylib ??? (???) <d25c63378a5029648ffd4b4669be31bf> /usr/lib/libbsm.dylib
0x1784000 - 0x17e1ffb libstdc++.6.dylib ??? (???) <04b812dcec670daa8b7d2852ab14be60> /usr/lib/libstdc++.6.dylib
0x1832000 - 0x1840ffd libz.1.dylib ??? (???) <5ddd8539ae2ebfd8e7cc1c57525385c7> /usr/lib/libz.1.dylib
0x1846000 - 0x1871fe7 libauto.dylib ??? (???) <4f3e58cb81da07a1662c1f647ce30225> /usr/lib/libauto.dylib
0x187f000 - 0x1a50ff3 com.apple.security 5.0.6 (37592) <0b25e1e4cc34431630f01edb3fdf54d1> /System/Library/Frameworks/Security.framework/Versions/A/Security
0x1b96000 - 0x1c1dff7 libsqlite3.0.dylib ??? (???) <aaaf72c093e13f34b96e2688b95bdb4a> /usr/lib/libsqlite3.0.dylib
0x1c2a000 - 0x1c48fff libresolv.9.dylib ??? (???) <0e26b308654f33fc94a0c010a50751f9> /usr/lib/libresolv.9.dylib
0x1c52000 - 0x1d33ff7 libxml2.2.dylib ??? (???) <b3bc0b280c36aa17ac477b4da56cd038> /usr/lib/libxml2.2.dylib
0x1d60000 - 0x1d84fff libxslt.1.dylib ??? (???) <adfe90a3d564d824d5ae0fa6df8d6c3f> /usr/lib/libxslt.1.dylib
0x1d8e000 - 0x1d92fff com.apple.DebugSymbols 1.1 (1.0) <4289eda66425c0f6adcba0fea7b06ccd> /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DebugSymbols.framework/Versions/A/DebugSymbol s
0x8fe00000 - 0x8fe2db43 dyld 97.1 (???) <458eed38a009e5658a79579e7bc26603> /usr/lib/dyld
0xfffe8000 - 0xfffebfff libobjc.A.dylib ??? (???) /usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib
0xffff0000 - 0xffff1780 libSystem.B.dylib ??? (???) /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib

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Answer 3

blackbirder Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 19, 2010 12:45 PM in response to blackbirder

Process: syslogd [12]
Path: /usr/sbin/syslogd
Identifier: syslogd
Version: ??? (???)
Code Type: X86 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [1]

Date/Time: 2010-12-13 08:46:23.851 -0500
OS Version: Mac OS X 10.5.8 (9L31a)
Report Version: 6
Anonymous UUID: 944280FE-5CC1-4A73-A507-63F2ADD0DFD8

Exception Type: EXC BADACCESS (SIGSEGV)
Exception Codes: KERN INVALIDADDRESS at 0x00000000002078ce
Crashed Thread: 3

Thread 0:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x958172ae semaphore wait_signaltrap + 10
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x9581ed85 pthread mutexlock + 569
2 syslogd 0x000095fa 0x1000 + 34298
3 syslogd 0x0000f539 0x1000 + 58681
4 syslogd 0x000017f2 0x1000 + 2034

Thread 1:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x95817266 mach msgtrap + 10
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x9581ea5c mach_msg + 72
2 syslogd 0x0000ab42 0x1000 + 39746
3 libSystem.B.dylib 0x95848155 pthreadstart + 321
4 libSystem.B.dylib 0x95848012 thread_start + 34

Thread 2:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x9581e44e _semwaitsignal + 10
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x95848dcd pthread condwait$UNIX2003 + 73
2 syslogd 0x0000a29f 0x1000 + 37535
3 syslogd 0x0000a53a 0x1000 + 38202
4 libSystem.B.dylib 0x95848155 pthreadstart + 321
5 libSystem.B.dylib 0x95848012 thread_start + 34

Thread 3 Crashed:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x95820b9a tiny free_list_addptr + 139
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x9581f65c tiny malloc_from_freelist + 898
2 libSystem.B.dylib 0x958181ad szone_malloc + 180
3 libSystem.B.dylib 0x958180b8 malloc zonemalloc + 81
4 libSystem.B.dylib 0x9581804c malloc + 55
5 libSystem.B.dylib 0x95842112 strdup + 34
6 syslogd 0x000085a7 0x1000 + 30119
7 syslogd 0x000086f1 0x1000 + 30449
8 syslogd 0x000087a1 0x1000 + 30625
9 syslogd 0x0000a11b 0x1000 + 37147
10 libSystem.B.dylib 0x9593fa4e vprocmgr_logdrain + 203
11 syslogd 0x00009580 0x1000 + 34176
12 libSystem.B.dylib 0x95848155 pthreadstart + 321
13 libSystem.B.dylib 0x95848012 thread_start + 34

Thread 3 crashed with X86 Thread State (32-bit):
eax: 0x000fffa0 ebx: 0x95820b28 ecx: 0x0000fffa edx: 0x00107930
edi: 0x00109af0 esi: 0x00100000 ebp: 0xb0184b68 esp: 0xb0184b20
ss: 0x0000001f efl: 0x00010206 eip: 0x95820b9a cs: 0x00000017
ds: 0x0000001f es: 0x0000001f fs: 0x0000001f gs: 0x00000037
cr2: 0x002078ce

Binary Images:
0x1000 - 0x10ffe +syslogd ??? (???) <ccfdfaec1c3f0fd82de7bc0a117001b5> /usr/sbin/syslogd
0x8fe00000 - 0x8fe2db43 dyld 97.1 (???) <458eed38a009e5658a79579e7bc26603> /usr/lib/dyld
0x91e57000 - 0x91e5efe9 libgcc_s.1.dylib ??? (???) <f53c808e87d1184c0f9df63aef53ce0b> /usr/lib/libgcc_s.1.dylib
0x95816000 - 0x9597dff3 libSystem.B.dylib ??? (???) <c8f52e158bf540cc000146ca8a705958> /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib
0x9656c000 - 0x96570fff libmathCommon.A.dylib ??? (???) /usr/lib/system/libmathCommon.A.dylib
0xffff0000 - 0xffff1780 libSystem.B.dylib ??? (???) /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib

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Answer 4

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Dec 19, 2010 12:56 PM in response to blackbirder

Questions: Is it safe to repair a GUID volume on an Intel Mac using my PPC's Disk Utility?

Absolutely not. Do not use any PPC utility to repair your drive.

Is the system hosed (IE, archive and reinstall)?

Yes, most likely. A required system file is likely damaged.

Do you not have an Intel version of OS X? Surely you must have a Leopard installer since you have Leopard installed.

Reply

Answer 5

blackbirder Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 19, 2010 1:17 PM in response to Kappy

Kappy wrote:

Questions: Is it safe to repair a GUID volume on an Intel Mac using my PPC's Disk Utility?

Absolutely not. Do not use any PPC utility to repair your drive.

That's what I thought. =)

Is the system hosed (IE, archive and reinstall)?

Yes, most likely. A required system file is likely damaged.

...and I was afraid of that. =(

Do you not have an Intel version of OS X? Surely you must have a Leopard installer since you have Leopard installed.

That's the whole problem here, really. Bought the system this summer used with no discs. Not a problem at the time, as I was a tech at the local University. Lost the job, lost the resources. So I'm trying to find a local source for the disc, but no luck yet. Hence, this post.

-J

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Answer 6

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Dec 19, 2010 1:35 PM in response to blackbirder

You will have to purchase an OS X installer DVD. Leopard retail packs are scarce and expensive. You can call AppleCare and order one ($129) if they are available. Otherwise, you would need to buy third-party on eBay or from Amazon.com where they will cost even more. Or you can buy the $30 copy of Snow Leopard but you must have at least 1 GB of RAM (2 GBs would be much better.)

If it's merely a disk repair solution then you can do the following:

Print this post out in a mono-spaced font, and type carefully, paying attention to spaces and punctuation, since you cannot copy/paste in Single User mode.

Caution: in single user mode you have root privileges. Be careful!

Boot into single-user mode which will eventually get you to a shell prompt (ending in #). Then type the following (Press RETURN after each command):

/sbin/fsck -fy

Press RETURN. Wait a few seconds for 8-10 lines of output. If the last line says repairs were carried out, repeat this command until you get a message 'The volume <yourdiskname> appears to be OK'. Then continue with:

reboot

Although this is not as useful as doing the same with Disk Utility you may be able to fix a basic problem if that's all it is. But if the above doesn't help you will need to get an installer disc in order to reinstall OS X.

If you get Snow Leopard then do not simply upgrade. You will need to first erase the drive then install Snow Leopard, so you want to backup your files if that's possible.

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Answer 7

blackbirder Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 19, 2010 3:01 PM in response to Kappy

Kappy wrote:
You will have to purchase an OS X installer DVD. Leopard retail packs are scarce and expensive. You can call AppleCare and order one ($129) if they are available. Otherwise, you would need to buy third-party on eBay or from Amazon.com where they will cost even more. Or you can buy the $30 copy of Snow Leopard but you must have at least 1 GB of RAM (2 GBs would be much better.)

Thanks for the Snow Leopard tip. I had heard it was inexpensive, and promptly forgot. =) I do have 2GBs RAM, so that's what I'll do.

If it's merely a disk repair solution then you can do the following:

Print this post out in a mono-spaced font, and type carefully, paying attention to spaces and punctuation, since you cannot copy/paste in Single User mode.

Caution: in single user mode you have root privileges. Be careful!

Boot into single-user mode which will eventually get you to a shell prompt (ending in #). Then type the following (Press RETURN after each command):

/sbin/fsck -fy

Press RETURN. Wait a few seconds for 8-10 lines of output. If the last line says repairs were carried out, repeat this command until you get a message 'The volume <yourdiskname> appears to be OK'. Then continue with:

reboot

Done--twice. Both times reports OK. Still won't boot.

Although this is not as useful as doing the same with Disk Utility you may be able to fix a basic problem if that's all it is. But if the above doesn't help you will need to get an installer disc in order to reinstall OS X.

If you get Snow Leopard then do not simply upgrade. You will need to first erase the drive then install Snow Leopard, so you want to backup your files if that's possible.

Are you saying I shouldn't archive and install, but erase and install?

-J

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Answer 8

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Dec 19, 2010 3:31 PM in response to blackbirder

Yes, you should erase the drive before installing Snow Leopard. Your existing system is apparently damaged. Upgrading it may simply lead to a damaged Snow Leopard, so I would be prudent at this point and erase the drive first unless you absolutely can't afford to do so.

If you aren't willing to erase the drive, then be sure to run Disk Utility after you boot the Snow Leopard installer and repair both the hard drive and permissions:

Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions

Boot from Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU 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 DU and return to the installer. Now install OS X.

If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.

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Answer 9

Sajidmib

Level 1

8 points

Dec 20, 2010 4:11 AM in response to Kappy

Kappy!

I first upgraded my leopard pre-installed with the new macbook pro mid2009 version 13" inch, i upgraded from the $29 DVD all was fine when suddenly one day it was showing the blue screen with cursor only moving. after all the solution i tried from the internet it didnt work so finally has to erase and re-install. I made a USB image from my DVD re-installed Snow leopard a couple of times it used to get stuck at when ever i tried to access any 3rd party software like google chrome and after running updates especially Safari 5.0.3 it would wreck the whole system.

Now i planned to erase and install leopard a couple of time from the DVD and it seems to be giving me errors like "input/output failed" some location files showing all the eropean location, plus when repaired and all it does give me error and the disk cannot be repaired, plus I have also seen the partition info on DU it says "cant repair permission: NO" why is the partition on which the MAC OS X is installed shows cant repair permissions.

Now i installed LEopard from DVD that came with it and it is stuck on main screen after the grey apple, now i am on a screen with grey background similar to snow leaopard boot failure described earlier and cannot go it to the system. the cursor is still moving.

Does this mean my system is used to snow leopard now or Leopard picks the same corrupted file on the HD, I ve also zero-out the drive. DO i need to change the hard drive to macbook will any normal Laptop hard drive do.

In my HP laptop i can format and install WIN XP professional sometimes or WIN 7 sometimes it never does that... what with make being so advanced but it is so delicate?

Please Help I know i didnt write it short but i am trying to resolve this issue since 7 days, it seems that it is not repairable either.

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Answer 10

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Dec 20, 2010 11:07 AM in response to Sajidmib

System Upgrade and Installation Procedure

Basic Caveats

1. Disconnect all peripherals except the original mouse and keyboard.

2. Quit all applications if this is not an installation from an Installer DVD.

3. The installation process should not be interrupted. If a power outage or other interruption occurs during installation you may have to erase the hard drive and reinstall from scratch.

4. Once the installation begins do not use the computer in any way except to reply to dialog prompts or to restart when the installation is completed. This is especially critical during the installation stage known as "Optimizing the System."

System Update Procedure

A. Repair hard drive and permissions.

Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions

Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) After DU loads select your OS X volume from the list on the left, click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU 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 DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.

If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.1 for Leopard) and/or TechTool Pro (4.6.2 for Leopard) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X. Note that Disk Warrior will not work on Intel Macs.

B. Clone your existing system to an external Firewire drive.

How to Clone Using Restore Option of Disk Utility

1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
2. Select the startup or source volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Drag the startup or source volume to the Source entry field.
5. Select the backup or destination volume from the leftside list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
6. Check the box to Erase Destination. Skip this step if you've already formatted the drive.
7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.

C. Decide upon an installation option ( Does not apply to Snow Leopard.)

You have three upgrade options. If you use the Upgrade installation option be sure you have repaired the hard drive and permissions first and made your backup. If you choose the Archive and Install option then you only need to repair the hard drive.

Neither of the above options will erase the disk. Some of your software may not work with a new system. You will need to upgrade those programs. It would be best to do the upgrades to your software before upgrading to the new system version.

D. For Snow Leopard there are no installation options for the user to choose. If an existing system is already installed the Snow Leopard installer does an Upgrade type of installation. This installation is a bit like an Archive and Install installation so it applies both to pre-Show Leopard as well as to existing Snow Leopard installations. The user no longer needs to make a choice unless they wish to do a Erase and Install.

Because Snow Leopard does not pre-erase the drive the user must first erase the drive before installing Snow Leopard if the wish to do an Erase and Install type of installation.

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