Help with failed startup please?

[ycart]

Hi there,
I have a MacBook Pro, which is not starting up. It is my sons, and although I am not completely computer illiterate - I am certainly no techie!
It just didn't start for him once while I wasn't home so he tried to repair it himself - used disk utility and I think he chose Erase option before he worked out that he should have done repair.
Since then, I have run disk repair, fsck and all the other utility options to get it to start. Disk repair comes back with no faults. It fails when I try to install Lion using the recovery option, and it fails when I try to start it from the Mac OSX Leopard discs that came with the laptop.

I'd rather not take it to the repair shop - and simply blowing everything away and starting again is an option, as there is no especially important data on it.

Can someone please help with either some new options to try or how do I simply erase everything and start again???

Very much appreciate any help !!!

 

[Weaselboy]

It fails when I try to install Lion using the recovery option, and it fails when I try to start it from the Mac OSX Leopard discs that came with the laptop.

So it still has the recovery partition on there then and that is what you are booted to?

If so, launch Disk Util and select Macintosh HD then go to the erase tab and pick Mac OS Extended (Journaled) form the dropdown and apply that format. The quit Disk Util and click reinstall OS X. What happens then?

 

[ycart]

I did the erase function (took about 40min), then ran the check/verify disk which tells me that the disk is ok.
Then I ran reinstall Lion from the Internet and I got an input output error?? I think. I can do it again and get the exact error?

I have a Snow Leopard CD - is it worth trying to reinstall from that now that I have erased?

I'm wondering if I need to create a partition first because there are none?

----------

I just started it up again to get the correct error message for you - but I get to the Install Max OS X page, and it says it is going to take 124 hours, so something isnt' right there!!

 

[yjchua95]

Hi there,
I have a MacBook Pro, which is not starting up. It is my sons, and although I am not completely computer illiterate - I am certainly no techie!
It just didn't start for him once while I wasn't home so he tried to repair it himself - used disk utility and I think he chose Erase option before he worked out that he should have done repair.
Since then, I have run disk repair, fsck and all the other utility options to get it to start. Disk repair comes back with no faults. It fails when I try to install Lion using the recovery option, and it fails when I try to start it from the Mac OSX Leopard discs that came with the laptop.

I'd rather not take it to the repair shop - and simply blowing everything away and starting again is an option, as there is no especially important data on it.

Can someone please help with either some new options to try or how do I simply erase everything and start again???

Very much appreciate any help !!!

Is it a 2011 15"/17" model?

 

[ycart]

pretty sure it is a 2011, but a 13"

 

[cjmillsnun]

I did the erase function (took about 40min), then ran the check/verify disk which tells me that the disk is ok.
Then I ran reinstall Lion from the Internet and I got an input output error?? I think. I can do it again and get the exact error?

I have a Snow Leopard CD - is it worth trying to reinstall from that now that I have erased?

I'm wondering if I need to create a partition first because there are none?

----------

I just started it up again to get the correct error message for you - but I get to the Install Max OS X page, and it says it is going to take 124 hours, so something isnt' right there!!

If it's a 2011, then Snow Leopard won't work. You need Lion as a minimum. If it came with a Leopard disk, then it's probably a 2008.

 

[ChinkyBob]

Hi there,
I have a MacBook Pro, which is not starting up. It is my sons, and although I am not completely computer illiterate - I am certainly no techie!
It just didn't start for him once while I wasn't home so he tried to repair it himself - used disk utility and I think he chose Erase option before he worked out that he should have done repair.
Since then, I have run disk repair, fsck and all the other utility options to get it to start. Disk repair comes back with no faults. It fails when I try to install Lion using the recovery option, and it fails when I try to start it from the Mac OSX Leopard discs that came with the laptop.

I'd rather not take it to the repair shop - and simply blowing everything away and starting again is an option, as there is no especially important data on it.

Can someone please help with either some new options to try or how do I simply erase everything and start again???

Very much appreciate any help !!!

I had a major issue with my 2011 mac air, and emailed tech support and they set up a Chat-window, using their step by step help I was able to use Internet-installation/rescue and reload yosemite. I lost my data but like you can live without it. Try it. Its free. I was out of warranty too - I had the one year basic but they assisted all the same. A very positive experience.

 

[ycart]

Its definitely not old enough to be a 2008, only purchased just over 2 years ago. Maybe it wasn't Snow Leopard that it came with, I'm just searching through disks I have.

I seem to have managed to get through the installation process of Lion from the web, but it won't restart. Can't get it to boot properly - just keeps the apple logo on, and the spinning circle.

 

[ChinkyBob]

Its definitely not old enough to be a 2008, only purchased just over 2 years ago. Maybe it wasn't Snow Leopard that it came with, I'm just searching through disks I have.

I seem to have managed to get through the installation process of Lion from the web, but it won't restart. Can't get it to boot properly - just keeps the apple logo on, and the spinning circle.

...BELOW is an extract from the Chat I had with Apple Customer Support. They were great and fixed my Mac Air.

the battery is fine, it goes to a white screen...
barrie:
with an apple logo and spinning wheel and carries until until the battery dies.
barrie:
Is there away I can do a factory reset or something?
Drew:
Oh wow! Well, I can certainly understand how important it is to have your Mac booting properly! Good news is, I’m going to do everything I can to get this resolved for you!!
barrie:
...ok
barrie:
..what can you recommend?
Drew:
Have you tried going into Internet Recovery and reinstalling OS X?
Drew:
Or, have you attempted to do an SMC and PRAM reset, Barrie?
barrie:
No. I have no idea what that is.
Drew:
Oh ok, no problem! Since your Mac is staying on the screen with the Apple Logo, it’s very possible that there’s a corrupt startup file. What I would recommend is restarting your Mac, then holding down COMMAND, OPTION, R. This will take you into Internet Recovery. From there, I would choose Reinstall OS X! I’m confident that should fix this issue for you!
barrie:
I tried booting up holding command and R but it 'doesn't get that far', the spinning wheel goes on forever.
Drew:
Ok, now great troubleshooting so far! Command R will take you to “Recovery”, COMMAND, OPTION, R will take you to internet Recovery. If the startup file is affecting the recovery partition, holding COMMAND R won’t get past that screen. Make sense?
barrie:
Im trying it now with alt-command-r and internet recovery is doing something, so is good,
Drew:
Excellent! Does it show a spinning globe on the screen?
barrie:
yes.
barrie:
do i have to keep holding the keys down?
Drew:
Once you see the globe, you can let go of the keys.
Drew:
Now, internet recovery is going to “download” a NEW recovery partition on your Mac. Barrie, this normally can take 15-25 minutes. Therefore, do you feel COMFORTABLE with letting that finish downloading, then choosing REINSTALL OS X from the menu that will come up shortly? I’m super confident that you can do this!
barrie:
there is a clock or timer,, and a bar thats about 10% full. i don't know what this is.
Drew:
That is the progress of the recovery partition that’s downloading.
barrie:[/COLOR]

 

[ycart]

Ive tried all that ChinkyBob - nothing working

OK, Im a bit wrong with the dates, would have been purchased 4 years ago. Its a 13", but a custom made job for my husband who wanted a 15" spec in a 13" body. The disk it came with is Leopard i think.
I have erased and partitioned discs, and tried to reinstall Lion - I think it must have done something, but it simply won't start again. I burnt the Mac OS X base system onto a CD, so I can use that to get to Disk Utilities - but can't actually do anything else.

We have no Genius bars in South Australia, so I'm just about to give up and go and pay a gazillion dollars so someone can wipe it properly - blah!

 

[anonthymous]

I think I had the exact same problem but what I did was instead create a USB bootable of the OS and booted it from which allowed me to do a clean install.

 

[cjmillsnun]

I think the hard drive may have gone bad.

If it is newer than 2010, it won't have come with restore disks.

Buy a new HD or SSD, fit it (there are instructions on Youtube) and reboot holding down, CMD+OPT+R. I reckon Lion will install and you'll be AOK.

 

[ycart]

I have finally found the proper original install disks that came with the laptop. I booted from it, and it ran the install for about 30 minutes then failed.
I think your right, despite the verify and repair disk running ok, it must be a hard disk problem I think.

 

[ycart]

Thanks everyone for your help - gave in and took it to a repair place. Hard drive is in fact faulty, so nothing I was going to do would have helped!