Macloo
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Software update is stuck

Today I saw a notice that my MacBook Air had to restart to install updates. I clicked restart, and now the reboot just hangs at halfway.

 

BLack screen. Apple logo. Progress bar. Moves to halfway, then nothing. Fan runs loudly. Case gets super hot. Eventually it shuts down.

MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Mar 11, 2015 3:14 PM

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Macloo

Q: Software update is stuck

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  • by alex_h1,

    alex_h1 alex_h1 Mar 14, 2015 8:09 AM in response to Macloo
    Community Specialists
    Mar 14, 2015 8:09 AM in response to Macloo

    Hello Macloo,

     

    Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

     

    To start troubleshooting this issue where your Mac is not booting past the Apple logo, I'd like you to reset your SMC and PRAM.

     

    1. Shut down the computer.
    2. Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
    3. On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
    4. Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
    5. Press the power button to turn on the computer.
      Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.

     

     

    Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) - Apple Support

     

     

    1. Shut down your Mac.
    2. Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. 
    3. Turn on your Mac.
    4. Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys immediately after you hear the startup sound.
    5. Hold these keys until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for a second time.
    6. Release the keys.

    After resetting NVRAM, you may need to reconfigure settings for speaker volume, screen resolution, startup disk selection, and time zone information.

     

     

    How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

     

    Have a great weekend,

    Alex H.

  • by Macloo,

    Macloo Macloo Mar 14, 2015 8:31 AM in response to alex_h1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2015 8:31 AM in response to alex_h1

    Well, as more than 48 hours passed between my MacBook Air becoming completely unusable and your reply appearing here, naturally I had to look for help elsewhere.

     

    I am replying for the sake of others who might find this discussion in a similarly dark hour.

     

    I tried all the things you suggested, thanks to other sites and forums that gave me advice. Nothing worked. Even "Safe mode" did not work. I also tried booting in Recovery mode. That opened the Disk Repair Utility. After "verifying" the disk failed, I tried to repair the disk. The disk could not be repaired. I feared my data was all lost.

     

    The next morning I spent an hour or two on the phone with Apple Support. The support person had me do all the things I had already done. In the end, he said I would need to erase and reformat my hard disk, thus erasing all my data.

     

    https://github.com/macloo/recovering-mac-files

     

    That is a step-by-step list of how I recovered my data. No thanks to Apple Support.

     

    Remember, this all happened because I did a normal Apple Software Update in the normal way. When I clicked restart, the computer was never able to restart. I keep my MacBook Air very well up-to-date, usually installing everything within a week of the update's release. I won't be doing THAT in the future, as clearly this update was seriously flawed. It's clear that a lot of people had this 50%-stuck-on-reboot error. You can search around and see that. Whatever software update Apple released in early March, it was a disaster.

     

    I'm lucky. I paid for a 3-year Apple Care plan. When I took my Air into the authorized Apple repair place and they ran a diagnostic on it, they confirmed that the solid-state hard drive in my 2013 MacBook Air had bad sectors and cannot be repaired. I say I am lucky because: (a) I had recovered all my data, and (b) the new hard disk and installation costs are covered by Apple Care.

     

    Of course, I lost hours of time, and I have to be without the Air for five days at least (weekend), and when I get it back, I'll have to reinstall all my software.

     

    The moral of the story is: Do not trust the Apple updates. Back up all data before doing any kind of Apple update, and ideally you should wait and then Google around and see whether the update is killing people's hard disks before you install it.