foxmxer

Q: Startup not working

Yesterday my iMac decided to freeze up with the beachball when I tried to switch applications. I had to hold the power button down in order to shut down. When I tried to restart I would get the Apple logo and a progress bar that took forever to go beyond half way. After several attempts, I let it sit for a few hours off. I tried again several times throughout the day to start up again. Some times it would stick on the apple and progress bar, one time it got to attempting to find the keyboard and a few times after a couple hours it would go to a black screen with the mouse pointer in the corner but I couldn't move it.

 

Today I got it started up in Diso Utility and tried to verify and repair. Both of which had errors. I tried restarting again and after a couple minutes of the Apple and progress bar it turned itself off.


I'm scared to even attemp another restart now. Is there anything I can do? I have most of my important files stored on an external HD but don't want to lose what is on the imac HD. Music, movies etc. Hopefully I could recover much of that from the cloud.


Help!

iMac (21.5-inch Late 2009), OS X Yosemite (10.10.4)

Posted on Jul 19, 2015 4:04 PM

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Q: Startup not working

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 19, 2015 5:42 PM in response to foxmxer
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Jul 19, 2015 5:42 PM in response to foxmxer

    The startup drive is failing, or there is some other internal hardware fault.

    Back up all data on the drive immediately if you don't already have a current backup. There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional—ask if you need guidance.

    Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

    If privacy is a concern, erase the data partition(s) with the option to write zeros* (do this only if you have at least two complete, independent backups, and you know how to restore to an empty drive from any of them.) Don’t erase the recovery partition, if present.

    Keeping your confidential data secure during hardware repair

    Apple also recommends that you deauthorize a device in the iTunes Store before having it serviced.

    *An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.

  • by ShannaKi,

    ShannaKi ShannaKi Jul 19, 2015 5:46 PM in response to foxmxer
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 19, 2015 5:46 PM in response to foxmxer

    Also remember not everything goes to iCloud...  make sure you actually look at what is stored at www.cloud.com before assuming something is there.  Using Time Machine if possible to complete a backup is definitely recommended.  The proceed with the instructions Linc mentioned.

  • by foxmxer,

    foxmxer foxmxer Jul 19, 2015 6:07 PM in response to foxmxer
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 19, 2015 6:07 PM in response to foxmxer

    Thank you for the responses. I was afraid something big was going wrong. How can I back up what is on there if I can't get it started up?

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jul 19, 2015 6:29 PM in response to foxmxer
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Jul 19, 2015 6:29 PM in response to foxmxer

    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.