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User profile for user: chris3388
chris3388 Author
User level: Level 1
0 points

Cannot boot into mountain lion after I have set the start volume to CD drive

Previously I need to boot from CD so I have set the start volume to CD drive by pressing command+option+P+R at the same time and change the start up volume to CD drive.


But right now, it can just start from CD but cannot boot into Mac OS (Mountain Lion) which is installed in the hard disk.


I have tried to press command+option+P+R at teh same time during bootup but seems like right now it doesn't recognize this command. I have tried pressing "X" or "option" or spacebar, etc during bootup but still it tries to boot from CD.


Anyway I can change the start volume back to my internal hard disk?


I have even disassembled my iMac and the CD drive to remove the previous CD as well. Then it still tries to boot from CD drive but now saying the device is not bootable and ask me to insert a bootup disk. I then tried to put the Mountain lion installation DVD (I previously created the installation DVD by following the DIY way from this link http://www.cultofmac.com/180925/how-to-make-a-bootable-disk-or-usb-drive-of-os-x -mountain-lion/) there in the drive but it still said the device is not bootable.


I have disassembled my iMac again to remove the mountain lion disk right now. So the CD drive is now empty. Anyway I can change the start volume back to my internal hard disk?


This is really frustrating .. Hope someone can help.


thanks!

Posted on Dec 13, 2012 9:54 PM

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18 replies
User profile for user: LousyFool
LousyFool
User level: Level 4
2,662 points

Dec 15, 2012 1:15 AM in response to BDAqua

You are running around the wrong tree here. All this guesswork and "trying this, trying that"... oh well.


1.) All resetting NVRAM and SMC won't do anything.

2.) It should never be necessary to remove a CD/DVD by taking the Mac and eventually the optical drive apart. It's likely that you have damaged the drive or the connection in the process, if not anything else. The Apple Hardware Test would show if the optical drive is still okay. Better ways of removing "stuck" DVDs/CDs.

Needless to say that neither Apple's warranty nor AppleCare would cover this sort of "repair work".

3.) I'm missing information on which iMac model this is. No one seems to care?! If it's a newer one, it's unlikely to be able to boot either Leopard or Snow Leopard, no matter from what media.

4.) Try again booting by holding the Option key. Hold it all the time. There MUST be a screen coming up showing your available drives, at least your internal disk and the optical drive... unless you damaged all of it. Click on the arrow below the HDD then.

5.) Do you have a backup? Possibly a bootable one?

6.) Why do you, or did you, need to boot from optical media in the first place? Is there reason to believe that the Mountain Lion on the internal disk is not bootable anymore?

- If ML is "defect", you will need to boot into and use the Recovery System to first check and repair your internal disk, then re-install.

- If this doesn't work, you've screwed it all up, seemingly. You might need another Mac to download and create a bootable Mountain Lion "installer" on a USB drive, then making it a clean install on your iMac after wiping and re-formatting your HDD.

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Cannot boot into mountain lion after I have set the start volume to CD drive

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