complete crash :(

[rocket-magnet]

hi not sure if this is the right forum to post on but please someone help!!!!

my macbook started crashing ( i think after someone clicked install updates as this has happened before) but after a few tries it would eventually restart and work, this continued getting worse

it's now at the stage where upon powering up it immeadiately displays
your computer must be restarted, and each time it is the same happens

my ex had my osx disks so have waited a month for a new set i ordered to try and boot from disk, but before the disk has a chance to run i get the restart screen

does anyone know a way to force the laptop to boot from disk, or any other idea to fix it?
it contains all my files, music and photos (which i'd just bought a dvd burner to back-up and it wouldn't work!) so ideally i'd like to save it!

there was a virus sent out through a networking site just before the crashing happened, is it possible the virus has done the damage?

aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh

any help would be greatly appreciated thankyou

 

[Tallest Skil]

there was a virus sent out through a networking site just before the crashing happened, is it possible the virus has done the damage?

I know for a fact that it didn't.

Kernel panics when you boot from the disk?! I've never seen that before.

You held Option during the start up sound and chose the OS disk from the EFI menu? If that's the case, it's... crashing in the EFI... that's insane.

 

[rocket-magnet]

I know for a fact that it didn't.

Kernel panics when you boot from the disk?! I've never seen that before.

You held Option during the start up sound and chose the OS disk from the EFI menu? If that's the case, it's... crashing in the EFI... that's insane.

only got the disks today
i can't get it to boot from disk

tried to boot into safe mode but it kjust does the apple logo screen then switches off :S

will try pressing option (the apple key?)

tried the apple key on startup

i'm now stuck on the logo screen with spinning timer thingy
which is progress haha

but that's as much as it's doing

the only repair centre i can find is pc world
they manage to completely destroy pcs never mind macs :S

 

[*old-guy*]

Maybe this is too obvious but have you tried forcing the Mac to shut down, with the System disk in the drive, by holding down the power button, then start it again with the "C" button pressed until it fires up from the CD/DVD?

 

[rocket-magnet]

Maybe this is too obvious but have you tried forcing the Mac to shut down, with the System disk in the drive, by holding down the power button, then start it again with the "C" button pressed until it fires up from the CD/DVD?

to be honest i had no idea how to make it boot from disk that's why i tried here (first mac )

i've done that and selected to restart from disk
but the restart your computer message displays yet again

 

[JG271]

to be honest i had no idea how to make it boot from disk that's why i tried here (first mac )

i've done that and selected to restart from disk
but the restart your computer message displays yet again

So you manage to get into the DVD?

 

[rocket-magnet]

So you manage to get into the DVD?

yeah but it comes up
this software cannot be installed on this computer i'm then given the option to restart via hd or disk,

both options result in the same you must restart screen

it's driving me insane!

 

[*old-guy*]

OK, I know I'm new to this Mac stuff but it sounds to me (from your description) that the disk you have in the drive is NOT the proper disk for your PC. It may be for the correct Operating System but the wrong disk for a MacBook.

 

[rocket-magnet]

OK, I know I'm new to this Mac stuff but it sounds to me (from your description) that the disk you have in the drive is NOT the proper disk for your PC. It may be for the correct Operating System but the wrong disk for a MacBook.

it could be

its the correct version and it has pro on it mine is a macbook pro

but.....
i've gotten into disk utilities
hitting first aid repair volume can't make it worse....right?

no patience lol
did verify volume (hd) it quit as volume needs repair
hit repair volume
it quit
volume could not be repaired because of an error

invalid node structure is highlighted red

there's also erase- (no thanks) raid, and restore
any advice before i go hitting buttons?

 

[*old-guy*]

Got a fire extinguisher handy?

You're right. What harm can it do?

 

[rocket-magnet]

nope just keeps telling me it can't repair due to an error
may just set fire to it myself!!!

 

[Chaszmyr]

I had this exact same problem a week ago. My Mac Pro was getting kernel panics during the boot process, and I diagnosed it as a logic board problem, because I couldn't boot from the CD without the HDD installed.

HOWEVER, I took the HDD out and put it in a new Mac Pro, and the new Mac Pro got the exact same error when the HDD was installed. So, apparently what happened was the logic board somehow failed, which caused the HDD to be seriously corrupted.

Major, major problem. It cost me 5 months worth of data (I didn't have a recent backup ) and I had to buy a whole new computer. I haven't been able to find out yet if Apple is going to be able to repair the old one, but I couldn't afford to wait for them to fix it, I had to buy a new one.

 

[rocket-magnet]

I had this exact same problem a week ago. My Mac Pro was getting kernel panics during the boot process, and I diagnosed it as a logic board problem, because I couldn't boot from the CD without the HDD installed.

HOWEVER, I took the HDD out and put it in a new Mac Pro, and the new Mac Pro got the exact same error when the HDD was installed. So, apparently what happened was the logic board somehow failed, which caused the HDD to be seriously corrupted.

Major, major problem. It cost me 5 months worth of data (I didn't have a recent backup ) and I had to buy a whole new computer. I haven't been able to find out yet if Apple is going to be able to repair the old one, but I couldn't afford to wait for them to fix it, I had to buy a new one.

oh
sounds like it's the same thing then

like i said i hadn't managed to do any backups so there's over a year of data gone, fingers crossed you get yours repaired.

where abouts are you located? i can't even find a service centre
might see if pc world can do a data recovery (very much doubt it the state the laptops in, but i suppose it's worth a go)

 

[sickmacdoc]

Well on the off chance that you have a copy of Disk Warrior it would probably stand a better than average chance of fixing what sounds like just disk directory corruption since you can "see" the disk in Disk Utility. It is not uncommon for Disk Utility to not be able to fix anything other than minor directory troubles, and exits with the type of error noted as yours did, whereas DW is designed to then go the next step and totally rebuild the directory. It is one of those essentials to me since I have 17 drives between my normal drives and full backups for each!

After reading through all the posts on this (and I may well be missing it) but did you ever actually try the Option key startup as was suggested above? I saw one response in which you asked it was the Apple key (which it is not- it is the key beside the Apple [command] key) so wanted to ask.

And finally, the disks you got-- were they replacement System Restore disks from Apple or what?

 

[Chaszmyr]

Disk Warrior was unable to fix my problem. Since you seem to have the same problem, I wouldn't waste your money on it.

 

[IJ Reilly]

DiskWarrior won't fix your problem if the underlying issue is hardware, but it might very well if the problem is strictly hard disk corruption.

 

[rocket-magnet]

Well on the off chance that you have a copy of Disk Warrior it would probably stand a better than average chance of fixing what sounds like just disk directory corruption since you can "see" the disk in Disk Utility. It is not uncommon for Disk Utility to not be able to fix anything other than minor directory troubles, and exits with the type of error noted as yours did, whereas DW is designed to then go the next step and totally rebuild the directory. It is one of those essentials to me since I have 17 drives between my normal drives and full backups for each!

After reading through all the posts on this (and I may well be missing it) but did you ever actually try the Option key startup as was suggested above? I saw one response in which you asked it was the Apple key (which it is not- it is the key beside the Apple [command] key) so wanted to ask.

And finally, the disks you got-- were they replacement System Restore disks from Apple or what?

i might try and get hold of DW it's worth atry

i'll have another go with the option key too, i'm sure i tried it earlier though

the disks were genuine osx install disks, as the ones that came with my laptop are missing,
had a similar problem before after updates and running a repair with those disks worked
but like someone said earlier they may be the wrong disks

 

[sickmacdoc]

<clip>
the disks were genuine osx install disks, as the ones that came with my laptop are missing,
had a similar problem before after updates and running a repair with those disks worked
but like someone said earlier they may be the wrong disks

One thing to keep in mind there is that if you are talking disks (plural that is) they are some version of System Restore disks and have to be from the same model Mac. Even one from another model will however let you run the Disk Utility that is in the menus at the initial installer screen which sounds like what you meant when you said you did repairs and such- they will just refuse to install the OS and additional applications that might be on them. The reason I mentioned plural is that in retail Leopard or Tiger installer packages, there is only one disk.

 

[rocket-magnet]

One thing to keep in mind there is that if you are talking disks (plural that is) they are some version of System Restore disks and have to be from the same model Mac. Even one from another model will however let you run the Disk Utility that is in the menus at the initial installer screen which sounds like what you meant when you said you did repairs and such- they will just refuse to install the OS and additional applications that might be on them. The reason I mentioned plural is that in retail Leopard or Tiger installer packages, there is only one disk.

that might be the problem, i did buy the disk for macbook pro 10.4.9 which mine is but you could be right, there's no chance my ex will give the original disk back though

***update***
continued messing around with utilites not actually getting anywhere, then just tried booting up the laptop loads of times
eventually i got as far as my screensaver, then next attempt loaded up the desktop, but no apps/files well anything really were there to click, tried again and got it up with icons etc flashing and unable to open, tried again and got it running, the finder window would not open and all apps were empty of files, however going into apps and choosing to add files, meant i could browse and they were still in their folders....
but after about an hour the system crashed again
and has not worked since
so bloody frustrating!!!