Q: Will not boot into Safe Mode

This is my first post in this thread, but I'm experiencing the same problem. I just updated to 10.8.3, tried a Safe Mode boot, and it failed the same way: the progress bar got to a little over 25 percent and just stopped. The gear kept spinning, but the progress bar wouldn't move.

I have a stock late-2012 21.5-inch iMac, 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5, that has 8 GB of factory-installed 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM.

I just got this computer at the end of January of this year. I've been on the phone for hours with two different Mac techs over the past two days trying to solve this. Neither seemed to have a clue about this thread and the fact that the issue isn't just isolated to my computer. I've been put through:

• Zapping PRAM
• Booting to the backup volume and using Disk Utility to verify the disk and verify and repair permissions
• Booting in "verbose" mode (though doing nothing else or telling anybody what it said)
• Reinstalling Mountain Lion
• Running Apple Hardware Test (holding down "D" key at startup), basic and extended

Neither Disk Utility nor the Apple Hardware Test found anything wrong.

Now one of the techs wants me to wipe my hard drive and do a clean install, then an incremental backup from Time Machine—which could take the rest of my life. Ha! Not a chance. I've already seen in some related threads where others have gone through a clean install and gotten nowhere.

Apple needs to speak up about this issue, and clue their techs in. There can't possibly be this many people experiencing the same problem without it being something very fundamental to the OS.

UPDATE: I apologize for posting about an iMac in a MacBook Pro forum. I found this thread with a Google search, and didn't realize where I was until I had posted. Given that this is about the exact same issue on a Mac, though—unable to boot in Safe Mode—I hope it has some relevance. I believe this is independent of the specific type of Mac involved.

Message was edited by: Marie Avante

I too have just installed the latest upgrade but the new OS still hangs about a fifth into the safe boot process.  It seems we've been ignored.

for what its worth, if you guys having problems are able to get a copy of the latest build of Disk Warrior v4.4 (build 1109)

It fixes the safeboot problem quickly and easily by rebuilding the directory of your boot disk

Use of DiskWarrior is not certain to work around. If it does work around, it maybe not long-lasting.

Please see the post that I made on 2012-11-11.

OK, so my pre-release use of OS X 10.8.3 was probably coincidental to the workaround.

As promised, some details. Essentially:

• no change to memory
• less content in the OS X startup volume.

Approaches to reducing the amount of content will vary. In my case I moved as much data as reasonably possible:

• from HFS Plus
• to ZFS (ZEVO Community Edition 1.1.1).

More specifically, I moved the following categories/directories away from the startup volume:

• my home directory, which contains the majority of data on the disk
• /opt
• a few Classic apps
• a few PowerPC-only apps.

Hardware

Seagate Momentus® XT ST750LX003-1AC154 solid state hybrid drive, 750 GB at 7,200 rpm.

MacBookPro5,2 with 8 GB memory installed by Apple..

Software

Whilst ZFS is a bonus for me, use of ZEVO is probably coincidental to the workaround.

Users might achieve the workaround by moving data to a separate volume with HFS Plus.

WebHarmony, I see your Apple reference 12988864 on page three.

For other readers: Apple is aware of the bug. The reference number for my report is on page one of this topic and may appear elsewhere in public. I'm happy to share that number, but for this bug:

• sorry, 152162960 is not in Open Radar.

Amongst my correspondence with Apple, in July 2012 I drew attention to this topic.

Other readers: if you wish to send feedback on the operating system, please use the form provided by Apple:

• http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

> WebHarmony, I see your Apple reference 12988864 on page three.

Correction: page four.

laughing_badger, I like your guess. Whilst you may not have time to debug …

… have you sent feedback to Apple? (Are you a Mac Developer Program member? Bug Reporter reference?)

Thanks

I received notice from Apple:

Many things have changed since this report was filed.  Engineering has determined that this issue no longer applies.

If you have questions regarding the resolution of this issue, please update your bug report with that information.

We are now closing this bug report.

So I updated my bugreport, saying the problem still is not solved.

And asking if they can re-open or if I should enter a new one.

FYI Bug ID 12973498: Cannot boot into Safe Mode

I will not start to try and install another File System, that's way beyond my capabalities...

I can also confirm that the 10.8.3 update did not fix my safe mode boot issue on my MBP.

have either of you guys tried installing a virgin 10.8.3 OS on another drive to test safeboot from a fresh install? (with all other peripherals detached)

If that doesn't work, only then would I start blaming hardware/firmware

Hi folks,

Apple asked me to run a Hardware Test, so I did (3 times).

Results:

4MOT/4/4000003/;HDD-1291

4MOT/4/4000003/;HDD-1288

4MOT/4/4000003/;HDD-1285

I did some searching and found that is probably related to a fan cooling the HD.

Two questions:

- should I take the machine in to get it fixed, or leave it like it is. (I don't encounter any problems so far)

- could this error be the cause of failing the Safe Boot?

Thanks

Jan

I ran the Apple Hardware Test, both the quick one and the long one, and it came up with no problems.

It seems a stretch that the fan issue would be at the root of failing to boot in Safe Mode, especially with all the people who have reported the anomaly, and the different computers and configurations involved. That doesn't mean I think you shouldn't get any fan hardware issues fixed. I just don't really see how there is a likely cause-effect relationship to this issue.

The hardware test runs without the resident kernel and a completely different OS, fixing the safeboot problem as per the inastructions in this thread only corrects a kernel parameter.

Try forcing high pressure air through your fans to blast any dust out

This is my first post in this thread, but I'm experiencing the same problem. I just updated to 10.8.3, tried a Safe Mode boot, and it failed the same way: the progress bar got to a little over 25 percent and just stopped. The gear kept spinning, but the progress bar wouldn't move.

I have a Macbook Pro 15 inch Retina with 16GB and 750GB hard drive.

There is nothing wrong with the drive. It is a bug. As long as I don't have to boot in Safe Mode I guess I'm okay with it. I can boot off the recovery volume and run disk utilities fine so hopefully nothing happens.

The reason I wanted to boot in safe mode was to supposedly clear up an error in the system logs:

mdworker[814]: Unable to talk to lsboxd

This seems to be another bug and some users say booting in safe mode clears it up but who knows.