p_a_t_r_i_c_k
Level 1 (1 points)

Q: My Early 2009 Mac Pro won't restart after installing Mavericks

I have installed Mavericks on my Early 2009 Mac Pro and all seemed to install just fine but when I restart the Mac then it won't get past a grey screen with Apple logo. It seems that it does get reasonabley far into the startup, it gets passed the grey screen with cricling progress thingmy under the Apple logo, then it flashes very quickly and after that it is a grey screen with the Apple logo and no further.

 

I did try installing Mavericks when it first came out and I had this problem so I just abandoned and reinstalled Mountain Lion from my Time Machine backup. However I thought that with Mavericks now at 9.1, maybe it would work okay this time but no change. However this time I do want to get it working because the lastest Final Cut Pro X requires Mavericks and I do a lot of video editing.

 

Here are the things I've tried which have made no difference:

 

Removed all peripherals, so that now nothing is plugged in except the original Apple Keyboard, my Apple trackpad and my Eizo monitor.

 

I tried starting it in Safe Boot mode but this made no difference.

 

I started it up in Recovery mode and it will start in Recovery mode. While in Recovery mode I checked the startup hard drive with Disk Utility, the drive is fine, as and I repaired disk permisions which made no difference.

 

I zapped the PRAM.

 

I connected it to my MacBook Pro in Target Disk mode and used ProSoft's Drive Genius 3 to check over the startup hard drive again and check disk permissions and all is well.

 

It still will not startup

 

I would be most grateful if someone could assist.

Mac Pro (Early 2009), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Dec 23, 2013 2:38 PM

Close
p_a_t_r_i_c_k

Q: My Early 2009 Mac Pro won't restart after installing Mavericks

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by William Lloyd,Helpful

    William Lloyd William Lloyd Dec 23, 2013 2:52 PM in response to p_a_t_r_i_c_k
    Level 7 (21,218 points)
    Dec 23, 2013 2:52 PM in response to p_a_t_r_i_c_k

    Weird.  I was going to suggest recovery mode and verifying the disk, but you've done that.  And safe mode doesn't work

     

    How about booting into Recovery mode and trying to re-install the OS on your main partition?  That's all I can think of if your disk isn't hosed.

  • by Linc Davis,Helpful

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Dec 23, 2013 3:39 PM in response to p_a_t_r_i_c_k
    Level 10 (208,044 points)
    Applications
    Dec 23, 2013 3:39 PM in response to p_a_t_r_i_c_k

    Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.

       
    Step 1
        
    The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since your last backup, you can skip this step.
       
    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
        
    a. Boot into the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”

    b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.

    c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.

    Step 2

    Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.

    Step 3

    If you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.

    Step 4

    If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.

    Step 5

    Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.

    If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.

    Step 6

     

    Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.

      

    Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.

       

    The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

       

    When you boot in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, your boot volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 6.

     

    If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)

     

    If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.

     

    Step 7

     

    Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select your startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.

     

    This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then reboot as usual.

     

    Step 8

     

    Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.

     

    Step 9

     

    Repeat Step 6, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a Time Machine or other backup.

      

    Step 10

      

    This step applies only to older Macs (not current models) that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery. Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a boot failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.

      

    Step 11

      

    If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

  • by p_a_t_r_i_c_k,

    p_a_t_r_i_c_k p_a_t_r_i_c_k Dec 30, 2013 6:42 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Dec 30, 2013 6:42 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks to William and Linc for your replies.

     

    I had already done pretty much all the steps that Linc suggested.

     

    As a final attempt I created a new partitian on my startup hard drive and installed Snow Leopard from an optical disc, then upgraded that so that I could access the App Store, then used the App Store to install Mavericks. It still did not work.

     

    So, I took the Mac Pro to an Apple Store in Brighton, not too far for me. The technician there was able to install Mavericks from the ground up, which is what he did. They had this available to them on a network in the store. The Mac Pro worked fine with this version of Mavericks.

  • by Francis Drouillard,

    Francis Drouillard Francis Drouillard Apr 7, 2014 8:14 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 7, 2014 8:14 AM in response to Linc Davis

    After upgrading my early 2009 iMac to Mavericks, it too would no longer start. None of the procedures tried above would work because the startup disk (and every other disk) was locked! What's up with that?

     

    I'm now doing a Time Machine restore of the system immediately prior to upgrading to Mavericks. I'd like to try the upgrade again. Can anyone explain how to avoid locking the startup disk in the process?

     

    Thanks!

  • by Francis Drouillard,

    Francis Drouillard Francis Drouillard Apr 7, 2014 9:13 AM in response to Francis Drouillard
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 7, 2014 9:13 AM in response to Francis Drouillard

    Ugh!

     

    Now that I've reinstalled from TM backup, it won't let me sign in with any of the local usernames. I see that it doesn't recognize any network users either.

     

    Now what?