I just installed Crystal Clear Interface on my Macbook Air running 10.7.2 and it has essentially turned into a brick.
I have a backup at home but I am currently out of town. In addition the licensing code on severalmof my apps does not hande reinstallation from a backup well.
Is there ant way to repair my Lion installation? An option that can reinstall the Os over the current install?
MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7), 2010 13"
Yes, you can boot from yourRecovery Volume.
The only problem is if the corruption is in your Home folder, it won't accomplish anything.
Create a new User go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > "+" (make it an admin acct) and test the apps in this new account, if they work the problem is isolated to your User and not systemwide.
If it's in your User try restarting in Safe Mode
If your apps functions correctly that way, go to System Preferences >> Accounts >> Login Items and remove them. Boot normally and test. If not go to/Users/yourname/Library/Contextual Menu Items and move whatever is there to the desktop. Then do the same with /Library/Contextual Menu Items. Lastly, try moving/Users/yourname/Library/Fonts to your desktop.
* Go to your Finder "Go" menu hold the option key to choose ~/Library
Log out/in or restart, if that sorts it start putting items back one at a time until you find the culprit.
If the issue is systemwide then, you may be able to repair with a re-install.
Only system components will be re-installed and all your data should be left in place.
Yes, you can boot from yourRecovery Volume.
The only problem is if the corruption is in your Home folder, it won't accomplish anything.
Create a new User go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > "+" (make it an admin acct) and test the apps in this new account, if they work the problem is isolated to your User and not systemwide.
If it's in your User try restarting in Safe Mode
If your apps functions correctly that way, go to System Preferences >> Accounts >> Login Items and remove them. Boot normally and test. If not go to/Users/yourname/Library/Contextual Menu Items and move whatever is there to the desktop. Then do the same with /Library/Contextual Menu Items. Lastly, try moving/Users/yourname/Library/Fonts to your desktop.
* Go to your Finder "Go" menu hold the option key to choose ~/Library
Log out/in or restart, if that sorts it start putting items back one at a time until you find the culprit.
If the issue is systemwide then, you may be able to repair with a re-install.
Only system components will be re-installed and all your data should be left in place.
Hold the Shift key while booting, it's "safe mode"
Next you will have to run the uninstaller, or find the .kext files "crystal" or like it (company name?) in the name of the kext file in the System/Library/Extensions folder and remove them before booting normally again.
You'll also have to remove wherever else it's installed files.
Thanks, MacJack. I was looking for confirmatin that the system files would be updated and my files left intact.
dsstore, Crystal has completely bricked the machine. I can boot and log in, both from the user and the admin accounts, but nothing works -- no finder, terminal, etc. -- even in safe mode. It does not appear to be related to the note on the Crystal site.
Stu Farnham wrote:
I can boot and log in, both from the user and the admin accounts, but nothing works -- no finder, terminal, etc. -- even in safe mode.
Sounds like the issue is then confined to both users when it installed and you can't use either user to create a new account as both are hosed by Crystal.
What you do have is:
1: Lion Recovery Partition
2: Single User Mode
What I would do is hold command r keys and boot into Lion Recovery, use Disk Utility to format a new blank powered external drive 1 partition, Option: GUID, Format: OS X Extended (journaled) then quit and install Lion onto the external drive. You will need your AppleID and password to get Lion again.
Reboot holding the option key down and you should be able to boot off the external Lion drive, then grab your user file folders from both users.
Another method is to use Firewire Target Disk Mode (hold T and boot problem Mac) connect a Firewire cable (800 to 400 adapter if needed) to another Mac and boot that one, the hard drive appears on the desktop to grab files.
None of the above steps are required if you have a recent copy of the files off the machine already on a regular storage drive.
(don't include TimeMachine as that also might be hosed)
Once you grabbed files off you can try this method here that worked on 10.6 to create another user while in Single User Mode (hold command s while booting)
http://osxdaily.com/2010/08/10/forgot-mac-password-how-to-reset-mac-password/
Because the Crystal installer should have installed for all users, your not running the installer now, so the new user should be untouched.
From this new Admin user account you can transfer your files via the Root Level>Shared folder, create another users etc. Even attempt to manually uninstall the crap by Crystal in the other infected users if possible.
If Crystal installed something in OS X itself (not a kext file that safe boot could disable) then a command r boot into Lion Recovery and doing a simple install of OS X (no Disk Utility Erase!) should boot it out of OS X, but then your users could remain screwed up still, only trying and finding out will see if this alone is enough.
If both OS X and your users are screwed up, then only a total erase (DIsk Utility) of the OS X Lion Partition from the Lion Recovery Partition, followed by Lion install, all your programs again (iLife from AppStore) and setup two new users, and return files from the external drive will suffice.
Keep in mind that each user, the applications folder and OS X are essentially seperate.
install over existing installation?
