flashing globe at startup

This happened to me on my G5.

This is what I did.

Boot> The globe appears> Go away and let it twirl for about five minutes> The globe will turn into a flashing folder with a question mark and a face. Like old times Sad Mac sign> let it continue for anther few minutes and it will turn into an Apple and you are back into your Mac.

I fiddled about with Disk Utility which took forever but didn't end so I turned off in frustration.

I rebooted and my Mac now boots normally.

I will reinstall this OS next.

Good luck.

Mac is attempting to start from network

Goto System Preferences > Startup Disk

Set it to the disk where the operating system is installed

This is called Macintosh HD unless you changed it

Allan

Give her an account without administrator privieges then all she can messup is her account and not the whole Mac.

Allan

You can try to reset PRAM by

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
3. Turn on the computer.
4. Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
5. Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
6. Release the keys.

Resetting NVRAM in Open Firmware

If your computer is Open Firmware-based and you are unable to reset NVRAM as described above, you may alternatively reset the NVRAM and Open Firmware settings using the steps in the Solution section of Message “To continue booting, type 'mac-boot' and press return”.

In some cases, an Open Firmware-based computer may not respond to the keyboard commands noted above, and may not allow starting up into Open Firmware by pressing and holding the Command, Option, O, and F keys during startup. If you are unable to get to an Open Firmware prompt (and your Mac supports doing so), try holding the power button held down continuously during start up.

Then try to boot from the CD again.

Allan

It is begining to sound like something more serious then anything she could have done. It sound like your Mac is no longer able to reach either the disk or the optical drive. It might be time to call in Apple for help on this one.

Allan