MacbookPro won't boot/hard drive won't mount

Question

Level 1

0 points

MacbookPro won't boot/hard drive won't mount

This started a couple days ago.

I just finished streaming a show and tried to nav a page back when my computer went unresponsive. I got the spinning wheel cursor and waited a while for it to fix but it stayed unresponsive. So I shut down the computer using the power button. Upon attempting to power on again, the boot screen would show up and the progress bar would go about a fourth of the way before suddenly shutting down again. I tried a couple more times before I started to research on the Internet for some solutions. I tried opening up disk utility and noticed Mac HD was grayed out. i attempted to repair disk but after some error messages it said it could not be repaired. I tried booting in safe mode that same night but it would keep shutting down during boot. So the next day (yesterday) I tried again to boot in safe mode. This time it worked and I was able to see my desktop. I then tried to open Finder, but again The whole computer went unresponsive.

I do not have a backup of my hard drive so yesterday I went out and bought an external hard drive to try to backup my computer before trying anything else. But again, my HD will not mount while in boot up Disk Utility so I can't even try to make a backup. What I'm trying to do right now is boot into safe mode to try disk utility from there to see if my HD will be mounted.

I did notice a repeating sound coming from what I believe is the hard drive when my computer is unresponsive. The sound reminds me of a slow heartbeat with the faint pattern of a rotary phone spinning back to 0. I know that's kind of a strange description but this is hard to put into words.

I have a lot of family photos and music I would really like to not lose, so if anyone has any tricks up their sleeve for helping me create a backup in this situation, it would be very greatly appreciated. If you need more specific info such as Disk Utility's repair errors or whatever, let me know.

A couple side notes: I've seen mention of costly things such as Disk Warrior, but I don't have the funds to afford something like that.

We do not own another Mac so connecting two together is not an option.

I'm running a 15" Mid 2009 MacbookPro with the most recent version of OSX

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Aug 28, 2015 2:58 PM

Reply

Answer 1

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Aug 28, 2015 3:18 PM in response to butterfunky

Did you boot to Recovery and try to repair the startup disk?

OS X: About OS X Recovery - Apple Support

Since you said "while in boot up Disk Utility " yo may have do that already.

If it can't be repaired in Recovery mode the disk has failed and has to be replaced

You can try getting data from the disk by inserting an install DVD and booting from that installing OSX on an external drive. Then boot fro that external drive and see if you can access the data on the internal disk. If not then maybe a disk app like Disk Warrior can help.

This is the Mac Pro desktop forum. I requested your post be moved to the MacBook Pro laptop forum.

Reply

Answer 2

butterfunky Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 28, 2015 3:37 PM in response to lllaass

I Have not yet tried Recovery Since I wasnot sure what it needed in order to work like a backup I don't have or something. I'll give that a try once I can finally get those options to show up during bootup. Right now, it seems to be freezing during bootup and not progressing past the half way point.

Reply

Answer 3

butterfunky Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 29, 2015 12:57 AM in response to butterfunky

Now the boot is not progressing past the halfway ppint on the progress bar. Also, strangely enough, the somewhat robotic man voice said "If English is your primary language, press return". I have no idea where that came from but the screen stayed on the normal grey boot screen when it happened.

Reply

Answer 4

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Aug 29, 2015 1:27 AM in response to butterfunky

If you can not start up from the RecoveryPartition, your disk is really dead.

But you can try this:

Startup in the RecoveryPartition while holding the Alt(option) key: this should start the internet recovery partition: use DiskUtility in there to try and repair disk.

Reply

Answer 5

butterfunky Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 29, 2015 2:47 AM in response to Lexiepex

I'd love to try this if the boot wouldn't freeze halfway. I currently cannot boot to Disk Utility or Recovery or Safe Mode since it randomly decides to freeze during boot. Ive tried resetting PRAM and SCM or whatever and neither of those seemed to help it boot farther. Does this sound like a hardware malfunction or a software malfunction or both? I initially thought it was just my hard drive acting up but with the startup freezing mid boot it seems like a software problem. I just don't know what to try differently now other than just trying the same methods repeatedly until it works. I may be going textbook insane.

Reply

Answer 6

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Aug 29, 2015 2:53 AM in response to butterfunky

For butterfunky That means even the Recovery partition is damaged since the voice is part of booting to Recovery with accessibility option.

Thus you have to do the action if the latter part of my previous reply.

butterfunky wrote:

Now the boot is not progressing past the halfway ppint on the progress bar. Also, strangely enough, the somewhat robotic man voice said "If English is your primary language, press return". I have no idea where that came from but the screen stayed on the normal grey boot screen when it happened.

For LexSchellings unless you did a terminal command, Recovery is not an option in Yosemite when you boot with the Option key depressed.

Yosemite recovery partition - gone?

Reply

Answer 7

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Aug 29, 2015 2:59 AM in response to butterfunky

The InternetRecoveryPartition may well start up. You should try at least.

For Illaass; of course the Recovery is not an option, the disk is dying or dead. I did not recommend it. It would be ridiculous anyway to try it, because it would download the original OS for that machine (Leopard).

Reply

Answer 8

butterfunky Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 29, 2015 3:02 AM in response to lllaass

Oh ok gotcha. So just for clarification, I only need to start the boot while holding Option key and not like Cmd + R + Option? And what parts of the computer does this strategy utilize? Like the parts that have already shown to not be working properly aren't involved in this?

Reply

Answer 9

butterfunky Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 29, 2015 3:04 AM in response to Lexiepex

I Wouldn't care what OS I would end up installing as long as I can get even temp access to the data I want to try to backup. Man, I really wish I would've had a backup system from the start but I guess most computer owners learn the hard way huh.

Reply

Answer 10

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Aug 29, 2015 3:17 AM in response to butterfunky

1. Starting the Internet recovery, you do with CMD+R+Option.

It use the internet connection.

2. CMD+R only uses the 650MB RecoveryPartition on the disk (it contains boot items and DiskUtility a.o.). This uses the internet connection to download OS (actual) when you want to restore that, which you do not want here.

Reply

Answer 11

butterfunky Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 29, 2015 3:37 AM in response to butterfunky

I really appreciate the responses guys, thanks much. I'll give your advices a go later today and update here with the results.

Reply

Answer 12

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Aug 29, 2015 3:49 AM in response to Lexiepex

The 2007 MacBook Pros do not have Internet Recovery. For MacBook Pros Internet Recovery started with 2011 and then only if you updated the EFI

Computers that can be upgraded to use OS X Internet Recovery - Apple Support

Reply

Answer 13

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Aug 29, 2015 4:00 AM in response to lllaass

Wow, you are correct Illaass, how unspecific of me. Learned something now.

Thanks, Lex

Reply

Answer 14

butterfunky Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 29, 2015 4:12 PM in response to butterfunky

Thanks again for the advice guys. I think I may just have to get a new HDD (or possibly just upgrade to a SSD while I'm at it) and use a data recovery service or some kind of data recovery software. I don't have a lot of money to spend on this stuff so I'm not sure which option I will pursue. I had also seeked advice on reddit: https://m.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/3iklp5/help_mac_shuts_down_during_boot_up/

The last boot I did I checked out in Verbose mode and just before an emergency shut down message it said the disk failed to mount. So unless there is another method to try, I'll probably just do what is stated above.

Reply

Answer 15

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Aug 29, 2015 4:19 PM in response to butterfunky

I would purchase a replacement disk, SSD perferred, and external USB enclosure for the disk.

Swap out the disk and install OX on the new internal disk using your Snow Leopard install DVD. Then fully update SL and go to the Mac App Store and upgrade to Yosemite.

The place the old disk in the enclosure and connect to the Mac and see if you can retrieve any data from the disk.

Reply