Resolved: Can't use OS X as boot volume

[El Awesome]

Hey guys,

I have a very strange problem.
When I go to my system settings, I can't set my system-SSD as boot volume, because the can't create the Boot-Caches on the Boot-helper partition.
However, OS X boots fine without any problems, and I can set it as boot under Bootcamp.

I already found the root of the trouble:
I recently bought a Cyborg RAT 7 mouse. Cyborg claims it to be Mac compatible, but that doesen't seem to be true for 10.8.2.
A friend of my has it working properly under 10.7.
Anyway, I had to install some sofware that included a .kext file.
After I installed that software, I got this strange boot volume thing.
The next time I wanted to boot into Windows, it said that Bootmanager is missing. Well ok, took my Win7 DVD, booted of it, and same error again on the DVD? This couldn't be true.
Booted back into OS X (without trouble), deleted the Cyborg .kext, and suddendly Windows booted fine without repairing anything.

Although I didn't change any settings, Windows was suddendly my boot volume. Couldn't change that setting in OS X, so I booted back into Windows and changed it to OS X there, and now it's working fine.
I had to reinstall the Cyborg kext to get the mouse working, but it seems that Windows is still working.
But I still can't set my OS X as boot volume. This isn't hardware related, I check my SSDs, and they are working fine.

I also repaired all my permissions and stuff.

Is somebody able to help?

By the way, the Cyborg support is horrible, they gave me software that made my Mac crash and I had to repair it myself because they never answered my emails. Piece of crap company!

The specs of the Mac Pro is in the sig, I have 10.8.2 installed with all updates.

This what the console says (  SSD is the name of my OS X system SSD):

01.12.12 16:23:04.772 System Preferences[2070]: OSXCheck: disk appears to be a valid OS X disk Volume Name:  SSD. Kind: DADiskRef disk3s2.
ContextualData: {
ProductBuildVersion = 12C60;
ProductCopyright = "1983-2012 Apple Inc.";
ProductName = "OS X";
ProductVersion = "10.8.2";
SystemFolderPath = "/System/Library/CoreServices";
SystemVersionMajor = 10;
kSDSelectDiskOnAddIfValid = 0;

01.12.12 16:25:21.046 System Preferences[2070]: Saving cache: (
"/Volumes/Windows SSD/Windows",
"/System/Library/CoreServices"
)
01.12.12 16:25:22.638 com.apple.kextd[14]: kextcache error while updating / (error count: 35)
01.12.12 16:25:22.700 System Preferences[2070]: Startup Disk could not set the startup disk: Erzeugen von Boot-Caches auf der Boot-Helper-Partition ist fehlgeschlagen.

[justperry]

Originally Posted by El Awesome

Hey guys,......

Maybe resetting smc might help.

[El Awesome]

Didn't help.
Windows is still working, I just checked that.
Something interesting happened: For booting into Windows, I use a little app called BootChamp. It sets the Windows-partition temporarily as boot volume, so I don't have to press alt and select windows while booting. Usually then when I reboot, it automatically boots into OS X.
Now when I used this today, Windows stayed the boot volume, and I had to change that manually under windows. Even in the recovery partition this doesen't work.
I'm reinstalling OS X right now, maybe that helps.

[justperry]

Originally Posted by El Awesome

Didn't help.
Windows is still working, I just checked that.
Something interesting happened: For booting into Windows, I use a little app called BootChamp. It sets the Windows-partition temporarily as boot volume, so I don't have to press alt and select windows while booting. Usually then when I reboot, it automatically boots into OS X.
Now when I used this today, Windows stayed the boot volume, and I had to change that manually under windows. Even in the recovery partition this doesen't work.
I'm reinstalling OS X right now, maybe that helps.

I would not trust such software, first thing I would've done is to deactivate it, I think this one might be the one causing troubles.

I would try without it for a week or so, then install and see if the problem reoccurs.

[El Awesome]

Originally Posted by justperry

I would not trust such software, first thing I would've done is to deactivate it, I think this one might be the one causing troubles.

I would try without it for a week or so, then install and see if the problem reoccurs.

I've been using BootChamp for more than half a year now, and new had any trouble with it. It's great.

I know that BootChamp isn't the troublemaker, it's the Cyborg Software.


Reinstalling didn't helped, but I feel that my machine is slightley faster now.

[justperry]

Originally Posted by El Awesome

I've been using BootChamp for more than half a year now, and new had any trouble with it. It's great.

I know that BootChamp isn't the troublemaker, it's the Cyborg Software.


Reinstalling didn't helped, but I feel that my machine is slightley faster now.

Could be the boot manager itself, and if you want to solve that problem I think you need to completely reinstall everything.
Or, what you say, the Cyborg *****.

[El Awesome]

Originally Posted by justperry

Could be the boot manager itself, and if you want to solve that problem I think you need to completely reinstall everything.
Or, what you say, the Cyborg *****.

Already reinstalled the Cyborg ************ twice.
I don't have enough time to do a complete clean install, and I think this is just a little thing making the boot-helper unsuable. It MUST exist and work properly, otherwise I couldn't boot flawlessy.

[justperry]

Originally Posted by El Awesome

Already reinstalled the Cyborg ************ twice.
I don't have enough time to do a complete clean install, and I think this is just a little thing making the boot-helper unsuable. It MUST exist and work properly, otherwise I couldn't boot flawlessy.

What about trying to bless the system in terminal!
I think this is the command:

bless --folder=/System/Library/CoreServices --file=/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi --setBoot

[El Awesome]

Originally Posted by justperry

What about trying to bless the system in terminal!
I think this is the command:

bless --folder=/System/Library/CoreServices --file=/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi --setBoot

It needs Auhtorization, how can I enter it? It just says Authorization required, nowhere tu put in my password.

[justperry]

Originally Posted by El Awesome

It needs Auhtorization, how can I enter it? It just says Authorization required, nowhere tu put in my password.

Sorry, you have to add sudo before this all, so:

sudo bless --folder=/System/Library/CoreServices --file=/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi --setBoot

enter password


Edit: And after this does it show the OS X partion as the boot volume in Startup Disk?

[El Awesome]

Didn't give me any errors, so I suppose it worked.

The OS X was already set as boot volume because I did so in Windows, it's just OS X having problems. But thanks, this seems to be a method how I can set it in Mac.


Interesting: I just chose my Windows partition as boot volume, closed siystem preferences, opened it again, and chose OS X. It gave me the error, but when I opened the tab again, OS X was selected.
Very strange!


This what the console says (  SSD is the name of my OS X system SSD):

01.12.12 16:23:04.772 System Preferences[2070]: OSXCheck: disk appears to be a valid OS X disk Volume Name:  SSD. Kind: DADiskRef disk3s2.
ContextualData: {
ProductBuildVersion = 12C60;
ProductCopyright = "1983-2012 Apple Inc.";
ProductName = "OS X";
ProductVersion = "10.8.2";
SystemFolderPath = "/System/Library/CoreServices";
SystemVersionMajor = 10;
kSDSelectDiskOnAddIfValid = 0;

01.12.12 16:25:21.046 System Preferences[2070]: Saving cache: (
"/Volumes/Windows SSD/Windows",
"/System/Library/CoreServices"
)
01.12.12 16:25:22.638 com.apple.kextd[14]: kextcache error while updating / (error count: 35)
01.12.12 16:25:22.700 System Preferences[2070]: Startup Disk could not set the startup disk: Erzeugen von Boot-Caches auf der Boot-Helper-Partition ist fehlgeschlagen.


Just spoke to the Apple Support, they didn't have a quick solution for this problem. They adivsed me to get a single support ticket for 70$ (!!!).
I'm not going to do this, this is way to expensive.

[justperry]

Originally Posted by El Awesome

Didn't give me any errors, so I suppose it worked.

The OS X was already set as boot volume because I did so in Windows, it's just OS X having problems. But thanks, this seems to be a method how I can set it in Mac.


Interesting: I just chose my Windows partition as boot volume, closed siystem preferences, opened it again, and chose OS X. It gave me the error, but when I opened the tab again, OS X was selected.
Very strange!


This what the console says (  SSD is the name of my OS X system SSD):

01.12.12 16:23:04.772 System Preferences[2070]: OSXCheck: disk appears to be a valid OS X disk Volume Name:  SSD. Kind: DADiskRef disk3s2.
ContextualData: {
ProductBuildVersion = 12C60;
ProductCopyright = "1983-2012 Apple Inc.";
ProductName = "OS X";
ProductVersion = "10.8.2";
SystemFolderPath = "/System/Library/CoreServices";
SystemVersionMajor = 10;
kSDSelectDiskOnAddIfValid = 0;

01.12.12 16:25:21.046 System Preferences[2070]: Saving cache: (
"/Volumes/Windows SSD/Windows",
"/System/Library/CoreServices"
)
01.12.12 16:25:22.638 com.apple.kextd[14]: kextcache error while updating / (error count: 35)
01.12.12 16:25:22.700 System Preferences[2070]: Startup Disk could not set the startup disk: Erzeugen von Boot-Caches auf der Boot-Helper-Partition ist fehlgeschlagen.


Just spoke to the Apple Support, they didn't have a quick solution for this problem. They adivsed me to get a single support ticket for 70$ (!!!).
I'm not going to do this, this is way to expensive.

It seems to me what I said before, there is something wrong with the boot partition, translated the german part(understand German a bit), and it says "Create boot caches on boot helper partition failed."
Especially the thing in bold, seems your efi boot partition is "broken", not that bad it won't boot but sufficient to have this problem, bootcamp or EFI partition.

Oh yeah, the 70$ is ridiculous, you could easily solve it yourself by reinstalling, yes a pain but fixing this won't be easy without I think.

[El Awesome]

Obviously OS X as well as Windows boot, an I only get this error from system preferences on OS X. Blessing worked fine (thanks man!), and choosing in Windows works, so I guess something makes OS X think it's broken.
You translated the german correct, this is pretty much what it said.

So if I make a backup of my current system SSD, and them reformat it and load the backup on it, it should work?

[justperry]

By the way, have you tried permissions, I read the post once more and it said Kextcache can not be saved, might be a permission problem.

Originally Posted by El Awesome

Obviously OS X as well as Windows boot, an I only get this error from system preferences on OS X. Blessing worked fine (thanks man!), and choosing in Windows works, so I guess something makes OS X think it's broken.
You translated the german correct, this is pretty much what it said.

So if I make a backup of my current system SSD, and them reformat it and load the backup on it, it should work?

Try the thing above(Permissions) first.

I am wondering if you should reinstall, don't reinstall everything, it might still be solvable.


Edit/Update: Wait, I have an idea why(maybe), there is a Kext inside the Extensions folder for this crappy software you installed, if that extension gives problems that might be the reason the kextcache can not be saved, this is just a hunch, if so try moving it out of the extension folder, then delete the kextcache and look if the problem persists,

[El Awesome]

Originally Posted by justperry

By the way, have you tried permissions, I read the post once more and it said Kextcache can not be saved, might be a permission problem.





Try the thing above(Permissions) first.

I am wondering if you should reinstall, don't reinstall everything, it might still be solvable.

Did permissions quite a few times today. I reinstalled OS X ML today too, running a fresh install atm.

Hardwaretest says my System SSD is alright.

[justperry]

Originally Posted by El Awesome

Did permissions quite a few times today. I reinstalled OS X ML today too, running a fresh install atm.

Hardwaretest says my System SSD is alright.

Updated my last post↑↑

[El Awesome]

Originally Posted by justperry

Updated my last post↑↑

Tried yesterday evening, didn't help.
But at least deleting the -kext made my Windows bootable again, then today I reinstalled the software.

[justperry]

Originally Posted by El Awesome

Tried yesterday evening, didn't help.
But at least deleting the -kext made my Windows bootable again, then today I reinstalled the software.

Tried doing the thing in the Edit/Update part of my last post?

And, also delete all the caches in:

/User/Your name/Caches
/Library/Caches
/System/Caches
Private/Var/Folders/1-2-3... folders(all folders in this folder)
There is also a cache in the root user folder if this is enabled but that one won't make a difference.
Restart

[justperry]

Bedtime, 24.15, I'll read more tomorrow.

[El Awesome]

Originally Posted by justperry

Tried doing the thing in the Edit/Update part of my last post?

And, also delete all the caches in:

/User/Your name/Caches
/Library/Caches
/System/Caches
Private/Var/Folders/1-2-3... folders(all folders in this folder)
There is also a cache in the root user folder if this is enabled but that one won't make a difference.
Restart

Thanks!!!
This worked. I'm getting no errors.

I'll drop the kext into the extension folder again, reboot and check what happens then.

Edit: Sleep well dude, you deserved it
Edit2: Alrught, problem solved. It's the software, and if I deleted the kext and all the caches, it works fine.

Thank you so much man!

[justperry]

Originally Posted by El Awesome

Thanks!!!
This worked. I'm getting no errors.

I'll drop the kext into the extension folder again, reboot and check what happens then.

Edit: Sleep well dude, you deserved it
Edit2: Alrught, problem solved. It's the software, and if I deleted the kext and all the caches, it works fine.

Thank you so much man!

No worries, glad it's solved.