cw2554
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Computer won't turn on?

I have mavericks on my mac. Whenever I try to turn my mac on it gets to about 20-25% through the grey progress bar and then switches off. None of my stuff is backed up or saved and I don't want to lose anything. Does anyone have a solution for this problem?

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Feb 14, 2014 8:06 PM

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cw2554

Q: Computer won't turn on?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Kappy,Helpful

    Kappy Kappy Feb 14, 2014 8:08 PM in response to cw2554
    Level 10 (271,860 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 14, 2014 8:08 PM in response to cw2554

    Not one you will like:

     

    OS X v10.6- Gray progress bar appears under Apple logo during startup

  • by cw2554,

    cw2554 cw2554 Feb 14, 2014 8:23 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 14, 2014 8:23 PM in response to Kappy

    Does this mean that there is no way to fix it?

  • by gdeadfan,

    gdeadfan gdeadfan Feb 19, 2014 8:02 AM in response to cw2554
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 19, 2014 8:02 AM in response to cw2554

    I'm currently dealing with the same issue (only on Mountain Lion). From much of what I've read, there's a chance that the contents of the hard drive are still salvageable, and a much smaller chance that your hard drive will live to run your computer again. It really irks me, because apparently Apple sent out a recall on my specific harddrive (iMac 1tb Seagate HDD) and never notified me of it. Here I am, outside of the recall period, with a ruined harddrive and an appointment with Apple tonight where I'll probably be spending $500 pointless dollars to fix something they knew was defective. Pretty cool, Apple.

  • by gdeadfan,

    gdeadfan gdeadfan Feb 19, 2014 9:19 AM in response to gdeadfan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 19, 2014 9:19 AM in response to gdeadfan

    Two interesting attempts you can make to save any data from the HDD is http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1661 and http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1553. The "target drive" option can also be used to potentially restore your HDD to its original working condition. I'm trying to find the article where I originally read about that method

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Feb 19, 2014 11:50 AM in response to gdeadfan
    Level 10 (271,860 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 19, 2014 11:50 AM in response to gdeadfan

    It'sTarget Disk Mode, if that's what you are referring to. It and other methods are workable only if the drive can be mounted and is accessible. Otherwise, only file recovery software could be used to access an unmountable/inaccessible drive provided the motor is working.

  • by gdeadfan,

    gdeadfan gdeadfan Feb 19, 2014 8:49 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 19, 2014 8:49 PM in response to Kappy

    Wonderful news, Target Disk Mode worked for me! I was able to grab all my important files off my iMac by allowing my girlfriend's old MBP to host it via firewire. After doing that, I decided to try rebooting my iMac and sure enough the crazy thing finally booted to the desktop first try! I'm doing a full Time Machine backup to an external drive now.

     

    Two questions:

    1. Is there anything more I should do while I have access to my desktop in case it is only very temporary?

    2. If I happen to install a new harddrive, or reformat my current one, should I avoid restoring the backup I'm making since it may contain corrupted files or whatever caused the thing to crash in the first place?

     

    cw2554, if you haven't already, you should definitely try Target Disk mode. Go to Best Buy, get a firewire cable for like 30 bucks (and return it once you're done ) and borrow a friend's Mac to pull whatever off the old HDD you may need. It's as easy as connecting the two via Firewire 9-pin, booting up the crappy computer while holding "t," and exploring the drive on the working Mac in Finder. I hope this works for you as it did for me!