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Level 1

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MacBook hanged and won't start up now!

Hi I need some help desperately as I'm in my last semester and I need to get things done on this 4 year old machine – bought in late 2008, it was the very first aluminum unibody MacBook (not MacBook Pro), its running Lion OS now.

So what happened was that: like any other ordinary day, I was running iTunes, have about 4 Safari pages on, Pages with about 3 documents and was chatting on Skype as well. So all of sudden, the music stopped and everything slowed down, almost hanging. There was the 'rainbow' wheel of course, and music came back on, and stopped again. So I force quitted iTunes. And 5-10mins later after trying to let it sort itself out, I force shut down the entire machine.

I turned the MacBook back on, allow it to do its thing, and it prompted me to reformat, basically the page where you could choose to reformat, repair and stuff like that. I didn't know what problem it was at first, so I choose to restart again, in hope to get in again normally by typing my password. But I was wrong.

My case seems to be the most similar to this one here in terms of how it happened:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3730738?start=0&tstart=0

Right now I can't get pass that prohibitory sign even though I tried to press 'shift' to get into safe mode, seems like it was running so slowly that it did not register my effort there for about 5minutes, so this already happened the second time. And it's been so slow that it took 25mins to change from the apple logo to the prohibitory sign.

Please help me! I need my data inside, is it possible to just repair or reinstall snow leopard but have all my data untouched?

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on Jan 24, 2013 9:28 PM

26 replies

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,486 points

Jan 25, 2013 3:38 PM in response to yellowjello

Hopefully DW can get your data off that drive or better yet even repair it.

yellowjello Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 25, 2013 3:53 PM in response to SeaPapp

Well I was going to use data rescue then I thought since I've already managed to load a new Mac startup from the external hard disk and the disk warrior DVD is still in the optical drive, so I might as well give it a shot.

So I don't think I'm getting anything (directories, and values, and what not), replaced here, but I believe they may have overwritten some files that were missing. Whatever the case, I'm copying my data from my entire folder out now (the pictures, music, movies, documents, etc). After that I'm gonna go ahead with copying the other parts of the internal drive. And finally attempt to reformat the whole hard drive.

Sounds sensible?

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,486 points

Jan 25, 2013 3:57 PM in response to yellowjello

Sounds perfectly sensible to me. I've never used DW for recovery so I'm interested in how successful you are.

yellowjello Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 26, 2013 9:08 PM in response to SeaPapp

So I believe I have complete copied my data out from the internal hard drive. Problem is that clicking 'replace' wasn't an option for me, I had to cancel and just reboot the computer. Now the next problem arises.

I've tried rebooting the MacBook using the external hard drive initially, and it was pretty much like a new MacBook just that its connected to a 'life support', the external hard drive. Now no matter how I startup, (with an OS X installer DVD, external hard drive), it just shows me a flashing folder with a question mark icon. I wouldn't even get to see the apple logo.

What's going on now?is the hard disk completely dead?

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,486 points

Jan 27, 2013 6:03 AM in response to yellowjello

The question mark indicates that the computer can't find a valid system file. Your internal hard drive may be dead, the activity of moving those files may have been the nail in the coffin, but that was the reason for trying to recover files anyway so if it is no loss there. You should be able to start from the DVD by pressing C as soon as you hear the startup chime, or the external by pressing Option after the startup chime and choosing it from the boot manager screen. Is it possible you're pressing the keys too early or too late in ten startup process and the MacBook is still trying to start from the failed hard drive?

yellowjello Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 27, 2013 6:12 AM in response to SeaPapp

Looks like what you've analyzed might be highly likely the case.

I've tried all possible ways except verbose mode (still don't really know what that is) – option, C, Command + R – they all end up with the folder and question mark sign. And booting with diskwarrior DVD still works too, only that its useless now since I've already got my data out.

I have engaged the keys as soon as I power up, just about a second before the chime sounds.

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,486 points

Jan 27, 2013 6:17 AM in response to yellowjello

Hold the key immediately AFTER you hear the chime.

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,486 points

Jan 27, 2013 6:18 AM in response to yellowjello

And since you can start up from the Disk Warrior CD will it repair the internal drives directory?

yellowjello Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 27, 2013 7:24 AM in response to SeaPapp

I'm still in the midst of letting it run through an old hard drive that was previously used. I had no idea what I could have done earlier. And now it has turned into a brutal 12 hour scan-rebuilding of directory.

I shall try that out, soon after its done.

yellowjello Author

Level 1

0 points

Feb 1, 2013 8:52 AM in response to yellowjello

So diskwarrior scanned through my original hard drive for a week!! Now all back up is done.

And my external hard drive is still not bootable under the 'option' key. I'm planning to get the hard disk replaced tomorrow, but in the meantime, is there a way that I can get pass this 'folder with a flashing question mark' sign?

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,486 points

Feb 1, 2013 11:12 AM in response to yellowjello

You said earlier in the thread that you successfully installed Lion, which is OS X 10.7 onto the external and booted off of it. How dd you do that and what happened that it no longer boots? It sounds like you need to reinstall but it doesn't make sense that it started once but not again. I'm afraid something must be getting lost in our communication. Other than the actual data recovery what you're doing, or trying to do, isn't difficult. I'm missing something here. You might be better off seeking out the nearest genius bar.

MacBook hanged and won't start up now!