Major boot problem

Question

Major boot problem

I've noticed that other people seem to also be having this problem.

My MacBook Pro will no longer successfully boot. It gets stuck loading at the apple logo and wheel. In verbose mode, it gets to a random point and just stops. It did successfully get to the blue screen before loginwindow loads, but immediately kernel panicked. In addition, I can boot to the OS X install DVD, but my hard disk is apparently damaged somehow as it will not let me reinstall the OS there.

I do have the drive set up for Boot Camp - it's been that way for awhile and I've had no problems. For the moment, I'm stuck using a slow old PC. I've had my MBP since May; I have had no problems with it before. Whatsoever.

I have tried unplugging everything to see if it was a device conflict, and no go. I have tried resetting PRAM and the PMU. Also no go.

My AppleCare account had better cover this. Because at this point it's the only option I can think of.

Yes, I did update to 10.4.8. It did not cause any major problems at first. Everything still worked, sound, iSight, AirPort, etc. But it seems that even some with 10.4.7 are also having this same problem>

ALSO< WHILE TYPING THIS< WINDOWS XP DECIDED TO TURN ON FILTERKEYS AND IT WILL NOT TURN OFF> SO I APOLOGIZE FOR SOME OF THIS BEING IN ALL CAPS>

MacBook Pro, 2Ghz Core Duo, 80GBHD, 1GB RAM, Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Sep 30, 2006 2:34 PM

Reply

Answer 1

NYCGuru

Level 1

8 points

Sep 30, 2006 3:54 PM in response to upbeatpenguin

HI,

I just downloaded the latest update and encountered a similar problem, the computer gets stuck at the wheel startup. Each time I did a repair, the same thing happened, it would say the directory count is 0 instead of 1. It would fix it, I would reboot and encounter the same startup problem. I would do a repair, and the same things would be wrong, the repair seemed not to stick.

I finally had to do a restore from a backup I had done late last night but I think I will wait before I try to do that update again.

MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Reply

Answer 2

igrok-mac

Level 3

947 points

Sep 30, 2006 4:30 PM in response to upbeatpenguin

I'm sure you folks have read many of the threads here, but when I did the update I was surprised at how long it took on reboot at the Apple logo and wheel, definitely long enough to get me concerned, and then it booted by itself a second time. The second time it spent some time at the logo and wheel too, though now it's quick.

Did you let it stay at the logo and wheel for a long time before trying to fix it?

Mark

Reply

Answer 3

NYCGuru

Level 1

8 points

Sep 30, 2006 4:40 PM in response to igrok-mac

Hi,

I waited about 2 minutes maybe less, what do you consider a long time? 😉

By the way, for some reason I seem to cause a browser crash when I try to change the Model and system info, so if it says anything but MacBook Pro, OSX 10.4.7 ignore it.

Power Book 1.5 GHz PowerPC G4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Reply

Answer 4

igrok-mac

Level 3

947 points

Sep 30, 2006 5:06 PM in response to NYCGuru

Well, I'm not exactly sure how long it took, but after a while I listened closely to the MBP and it's hard drive was still doing its thing so I just waited. I'm sure it was more than a minute, and less than 5 minutes, but it easily could have been 3 minutes or more. 🙂

Mark

Reply

Answer 5

Sep 30, 2006 5:22 PM in response to igrok-mac

I managed to get the machine up and running again (and even get Windows installed) after doing an archive and install, and updating back to 10.4.8. There are no problems now.

Before, I was waiting at the Apple logo and the wheel for up to half an hour. Other people have waited for 3 hours, or more.

Reply

Answer 6

NYCGuru

Level 1

8 points

Sep 30, 2006 5:47 PM in response to upbeatpenguin

Not to belabour the details but there may be a difference between an MacIntel and G4; seems it hit the MacIntel harder than the PPC.

MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Reply

Answer 7

NYCGuru

Level 1

8 points

Oct 1, 2006 6:27 PM in response to NYCGuru

Well,

I tried the update again and this time - after two minutes - it went to blue screen and to desktop. So it works after all, guess my computer decided to cooperate today. ;-/

Reply

Answer 8

Oct 1, 2006 7:07 PM in response to NYCGuru

There is a huge difference: The Intel update is 148 MB and the PPC is 24MB! I have 3 PPC machines and they all updated readily. My MBP went through 2 reboot cycles--it felt like at least 5 minutes--but has been fine ever since.

It would have been helpful for Apple to have a note about that to go along with the software update!

Reply

Answer 9

NYCGuru

Level 1

8 points

Oct 1, 2006 8:29 PM in response to Kenneth Gorelick

It would have been helpful for Apple to have a note
about that to go along with the software update!

YEAH SURE WOULD HAVE!

MacBook Pro 15" Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Reply

Answer 10

igrok-mac

Level 3

947 points

Oct 1, 2006 10:29 PM in response to NYCGuru

Ummm, they did.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304200 and
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304201

At least for the full delta and combo update packages. While I'm fine with Software Update for small updates, like to the ilife apps, for a system software update I always download the package, first checking any docs associated with it. I also use the full combo update, rather than the delta update, just in case any of the previous updates missed something, and just in case I have to reinstall and then update again. I've never had to, but since the size difference is not very large, why not? Just seems like the safest path, and in this case saved me worrying too much about the reboot-takes-a-long-time-and-then-reboots-a-second-time situation.

Mark

Reply

Answer 11

Oct 2, 2006 5:09 AM in response to igrok-mac

Ummm, they did.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304200
and
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304201

At least for the full delta and combo update
packages. While I'm fine with Software Update for
small updates, like to the ilife apps, for a system
software update I always download the package, first
checking any docs associated with it. I also use the
full combo update, rather than the delta update, just
in case any of the previous updates missed something,
and just in case I have to reinstall and then update
again. I've never had to, but since the size
difference is not very large, why not? Just seems
like the safest path, and in this case saved me
worrying too much about the
reboot-takes-a-long-time-and-then-reboots-a-second-tim
e situation.

Mark

I guess I made the mistake of using the computer the way it APPEARS to be used rather than the way it SHOULD be used. Software update had the package, and gave a description of it. First time this has happened to me, and I have been on OS X since 10.1

Reply

Answer 12

igrok-mac

Level 3

947 points

Oct 2, 2006 6:52 AM in response to Kenneth Gorelick

I think for the vast majority of users, no problems occur, because they generally don't move things out of important directories (like moving apps out of Applications) or add kernel extension that do weird things to the system. But I think for system software updates there should be some sort of stronger warning in software update to read the update info documents, and that if you've done anything unusual you should use the delta or combo update. Just my two cents....

Mark

Reply

Answer 13

NYCGuru

Level 1

8 points

Oct 2, 2006 9:34 AM in response to igrok-mac

I try to check the Docs to but I didn't notice those pages.

Oh well, it's okay now but I still wish they would do more to get that information out BEFORE one starts an update.

Reply