My mac book has just frozen, crashed and now only opens in Utilities
MACBOOK PRO
Since you're apparently in recovery mode, launch Disk Utility and repair the permissions and disk. Then, restart.
Thanks but tried the repair but got a message unable to complete repair after about 20 mins- message to said to re install Mac OS X from disc but when I try the installation screen doesn't give me drive to load it onto, Also tried to reinstall Lion but message shows saying HD is locked!!!!
Then, you really have a bad wobbly. You can't do anything to a locked disk. Launch the Terminal app when in recovery mode and enter these commands, one at a time. Follow each with hitting the return key:
sudo chflags 0 /volumes/*
sudo chmod a+rx /volumes/*
After the first return key, you'll get a Password: prompt, carefully type in your admin password, since nothing shows on the screen, and hit the return key. You won't need to enter it again for five minutes. Then, return to Disk Utility and repair the disk.
Thanks- all of that sounds promising but having rebooted it again I now just have a ' no entry' sign and the spinning circle- been like that for about 20 mins!!!!!
Progress- how do I reformat a disk?
IIRC, that indicates that it can't boot into the HD that's locked. You need to reboot into recovery mode: CMD+R. Terminal is one of its utilities.
OOOOPPS. We're now cross-posting. What kind of progress? What mode are you in? There should be no reason to reformat the HD. That wipes it clean.
Sorry got carried away-rebooted, held the alt key down and I went into the recovery HD.
I'll come out reboot and start again following your instructions- appreciate your patience.....more to follow....
In Terminal but its showing message
-bash-3.2#
Then, copy in the first command and hit the return key. If you get the Password: prompt, then enter your admin password. If not, enter the second command and hit the return key. Once, you get the -bash-3.2# prompt, quit the Terminal app and try repairing the disk w/Disk Utility. That should work if the HD's been unlocked.
Thanks but I'm getting
-bash: sudo: command not found
In response to both......:0(
OK. Apparently, the recovery mode doesn't have all the standard commands. Booting into recovery mode may already log you in as the root user. Try without the sudo part. If that works, then do the second one.
Sorry but still command not found- am I a hopeless case?
Thanks for your attempts to help me- appreciate that its quite challenging trying to resolve these things remotely.
So, when you enter
chflags 0 /volumes/*
you're getting a command not found response? If so, try
/usr/bin/chflags 0 /volumes/*
Hi, sorry to hijack the thread. I'm also getting command not found in Recovery Mode (actually, booted from OSX install DVD, but effectively the same thing,eh?).
I was wondering what the 0 argument meant, as the man chflags gives no indication of this.
I assume I can use /usr/bin/chflags from the boot DVD too? Or will I have to preface with /Volumes/[myHDname] before the usr/bin string?
thx
adam
My MacBook Pro has thrown a wobbly and starts in Utilities- help
