vs the goat
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Q: OSX startup fail after java revert -- Yosemite

Hi,

 

I'm on a late 2012 MBP running Yosemite. I installed an older version of Java in an effort to get Illustrator to work. After install, every application stopped responding and I had to do a hard shutdown. Now on startup I get the folder icon with the question mark and it doesn't progress to OSX.

 

When I hold option and go into startup manager, it looks like it thinks it's running Lion (ie it asks me if I want to 'reinstall' OSX Lion). In disk utility it's not letting me repair the disk.

 

I've tried holding shift during startup, and holding x but it still isn't booting up.

 

(it's impossible to confirm if it actually is Java's fault, but installing it seemed to cause a pretty serious hang directly before prior to this nonsense.)

 

Can anyone help me out please?

MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2010), iOS 8.2

Posted on Mar 14, 2015 2:05 AM

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vs the goat

Q: OSX startup fail after java revert -- Yosemite

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 14, 2015 10:57 AM in response to vs the goat
    Level 10 (208,044 points)
    Applications
    Mar 14, 2015 10:57 AM in response to vs the goat

    How are you trying to repair the disk? In Recovery mode? If so, what exactly happens? What backups do you have?

  • by vs the goat,

    vs the goat vs the goat Mar 14, 2015 6:49 PM in response to Linc Davis
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    Mar 14, 2015 6:49 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi, thanks for replying.

     

    In Recovery Mode, I'm trying to use the repair options in Disk Utility's first aid tab, but all the options for my system drive are greyed out.

     

    Sadly I don't have a time machine backup.

     

    thanks

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 14, 2015 7:08 PM in response to vs the goat
    Level 10 (208,044 points)
    Applications
    Mar 14, 2015 7:08 PM in response to vs the goat

    If you want to preserve the data on the startup drive, and it's not already backed up, 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, you can skip this step.

    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is not fully functional. You need an external hard drive or other storage device to hold the data.

    1. Start up from the Recovery partition, from Internet Recovery, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.

    If you use FileVault 2, then you must first unlock the startup volume. Select its icon ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) It will be nested below another disk icon, usually with the same name. Click the Unlock button in the toolbar. Enter your login password when prompted.

    2. If Method 1 fails because of disk errors, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.

    3. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start 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.

    4. 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.

  • by vs the goat,

    vs the goat vs the goat Mar 15, 2015 1:46 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 15, 2015 1:46 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi, thanks for all your help.

     

    I wasn't able to back up the system drive (internal hybrid SATA) in recovery mode. Disk utility couldn't verify the disk.

     

    I installed Yosemite onto an external drive and booted up from that, but the internal drive doesn't appear in Finder. It also gave me a prompt on startup about being unable to read a drive.

     

    Running Disk Utility from the external boot disk, I still can't back up the drive - I get "Could not validate source - error 252".

     

    Anything else you could suggest?

     

    Thanks again

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 15, 2015 8:08 AM in response to vs the goat
    Level 10 (208,044 points)
    Applications
    Mar 15, 2015 8:08 AM in response to vs the goat

    The drive can't be backed up by ordinary means. That's a data-rescue situation, which is beyond my experience. In my opinion, if the data is valuable, it's a job for a specialist such as "Drive Savers." Their services are very expensive.

  • by vs the goat,

    vs the goat vs the goat Mar 15, 2015 9:16 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 15, 2015 9:16 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks for all your help.

     

    I'm going to try to use another machine to see if I can access the drive remotely. I'll post my results here.

     

    The other option is removing the drive and trying to access it via an external SATA enclosure.

     

    It does seem like a pretty drastic outcome for following the instructions of a prompt from inside a pretty common OSX application like Illustrator!

     

    Fingers crossed I find a solution

     

    Thanks again