caimiko
Level 1 (14 points)
Notebooks

Q: Startup problems

Hey there! Two days ago I was working on my computer and all of a sudden it went black and straight to startup. The problem is, it won't get past the white screen on startup now. Ive tried every little trick in the book: reset ram, safe mode, etc. I try to start in safe mode and goes to white screen. Try to access Disk Utility using command+r and it won't even get me there. I even took out the HD, and mounted it into another computer to test it and the first aid results came out fine. It appears to be working well.

I also tried to startup the computer with a fresh copy of OS in a USB to try and reinstall from scratch and same results: white screen.

 

I have no idea what it might be. If anyone has an idea of what Im dealing with, please let me know what I can do to fix this.

 

Thanks in advance!

macbook, Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Posted on Oct 18, 2016 8:37 PM

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caimiko

Q: Startup problems

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  • by leroydouglas,

    leroydouglas leroydouglas Oct 18, 2016 8:47 PM in response to caimiko
    Level 7 (24,100 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 18, 2016 8:47 PM in response to caimiko
    I even took out the HD, and mounted it into another computer to test it and the first aid results came out fine. It appears to be working well.

     

    Did you swap out for a new SATA cable on the HD?

     

    Did you boot off that HD from an external encolsure bypassing the internal SATA cable.

     

    SMART status and DiskUtility on the HD, can pass all the test and still be failing.

     

    ref: How to create a boot clone

  • by caimiko,

    caimiko caimiko Oct 19, 2016 6:03 PM in response to leroydouglas
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 19, 2016 6:03 PM in response to leroydouglas

    I did not do that.

     

    I just had it removed and deleted it from another computer as an external drive. I do have backup.

    Now, I tried reformatting it, and it doesnt allow me to. It shows an error occurred on the process. Is this a signal that the SSD is damaged? Should I just buy another one and install it?

    Im trying to fix it using Internet Recovery. Lets see how that goes.

    Another question: how would I go about installing OS X from a bootable USB I have into the newly erased SSD?

  • by leroydouglas,

    leroydouglas leroydouglas Oct 19, 2016 6:48 PM in response to caimiko
    Level 7 (24,100 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 19, 2016 6:48 PM in response to caimiko

    If the SSD is repaired successfully and formatted for the Mac,

     

    you  can Boot off the installer (holding the option key) and follow the on screen prompts.

  • by caimiko,

    caimiko caimiko Oct 20, 2016 7:48 AM in response to leroydouglas
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 20, 2016 7:48 AM in response to leroydouglas

    Got it.

     

    Ok, how would I go about installing OS X on that hard drive, from another computer? Let me clarify: I have the hard drive connected through USB to a working computer. Im trying to erase it completely and install a fresh copy of OS. Then I intend to plug it back in to the original computer and start it up that way. Will this work? How would I go about doing that?

  • by caimiko,

    caimiko caimiko Oct 20, 2016 12:31 PM in response to leroydouglas
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 20, 2016 12:31 PM in response to leroydouglas

    So I just finished installing OSSierra, having the SSD connected via USB to my other computer. After installed, it booted from it, and it worked perfectly. Went through the whole OS set up.

    I then shut it down and connected the SSD to the "non-responding" computer. It won't start up with it. It goes to the first progress bar, and then shuts off.

    Any ideas what this might be? Is my computer dead?

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Oct 20, 2016 1:20 PM in response to caimiko
    Level 9 (52,769 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 20, 2016 1:20 PM in response to caimiko

    Was one of the 'etc' a SMC reset?

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

     

    Ciao.