So I got the endlessly spinning gear screen at start, booted to the install disc, tried to verify then repair disk, got the messages- "keys out of order" and "can't be repaired - backup your files REFORMAT, then restore your files". This means a re-install of the OS, right? What's better in this case, clean install or archive and install (that is, if they're both do-able on SL)? Advice?
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
trebber wrote:
So I got the endlessly spinning gear screen at start,
Grey screen issue, hold the Shift Key down while booting, it might get you in to copy files out to a regular storage drive (don't use TimeMachine)
Most commonly used backup methods
tried to verify then repair disk, got the messages- "keys out of order" and "can't be repaired - backup your files REFORMAT, then restore your files". This means a re-install of the OS, right? What's better in this case, clean install or archive and install (that is, if they're both do-able on SL)? Advice?
Archive and install isn't do-able like it was on 10.5
In 10.6+ you have two options, Reinstall just OS X or erase and install OS X.
In your case the file structure is toast, so a Erase and Install of OS X is in order, meaning all your files, programs etc are gone and have to be reinstalled from fresh sources or disks/downloads.
If you don't have a backup of your data on a storage drive (TimeMachine could be corrupted) then you need to recover files first using this method
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
If you use this above method as outlined, you have already rebuilt your boot drive, but it's on a external bootable drive. Then you Zero Erase the internal drive and use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the external to the internal. Done.
If you already have your files on a external drive and they are in a free state (not trapped by TimeMachine) then you can zero erase and install 10.6 again fresh onto the internal drive.
How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6
The Security Option > Zero All Data on the entire drive booted from the 10.6 is very important to elliminate bad/failing sectors BEFORE you place data on the drive. Your initial drive problems likey occured because of failing sectors.
Read why here
Lot of good information there, thank you!
A couple things:
hold the Shift Key down while booting
Safe boot, did that, wouldn't boot, grey screen. I WAS able to launch Target mode with a friend's MBP and retrieve all of my important data. So do I still need:
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
trebber wrote:
So do I still need:
No, just do
How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6
Later, then use a blank powered external drive to Carbon Copy Cloner your new setup to the external drive, this way you have a hold option key bootable backup in case your drive dies.
TimeMachine drives are not 100% bootable, just to restore only, not to use like before.
Thank you very much for all your help. I was able to erase and re-install with the help of your instructions and all seems to be well again. I appreciate your input, thanks for your time!
Glad to help and that my UT's have assisted you. 🙂
You solved my original post, but sadly my MBP is doing the same thing again. It started with a Finder crash, and I could not reopen or ignore. The message "Finder quit unexpectedly" just kept popping up over and over. Then Safari would not launch certain web pages but would launch others. Said "tried repeatedly" but couldn't open. Firefox did. Set up a new user account, but Safari, Mail, Photo Booth and a few other apps wouldn't even launch, quit unexpectedly before even opening, although other apps did seem to work. Logged back into original account and Safari crashed. Tried to repair permissions, couldn't complete. Then a kernel panic. So I rebooted safe mode, but couldn't log into either account. Then I rebooted to the install disc and tried to verify: "Invalid extent entry". Couldn't repair disk, corrupt. Don't know where to go from here other then another erase/install. Any light shed on the potential underlying problem(s) would be more that welcome.
Reformat- clean install or archive install
