MacBook 2007 not really doing anything.

[Berto33]

Hi!

I was hoping one of you clever people could help me out with this little problem!

My sister's Mac Book stopped working a year ago. She's since then bought a new one. I've turned it on, it comes on : so I can safely say it's not the battery that is the problem. First of all, it stays for like 20 minutes or so on the start up page (The gray one, with the apple logo and the little wheel), I was amazed to see that her desktop picture appeared, but nothing else does : no Finder, no Dock, Nothing!

It's been on for about 2 hours now, and still nothing has happened!

Can anybody help me?

Cheers,
Albert

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Reinstall the OS?
Or is that not an option?

If not:
Have you tried any of these steps?

Mac doesn't boot

Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck
​

To learn more about Mac OS X: Helpful Information for Any Mac User by GGJstudios​

 

[Berto33]

Hi,

What do you mean by "Reinstalling the OS"?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Hi,

What do you mean by "Reinstalling the OS"?

Depending on what installation media you have (probably none, though you can buy Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard via the Apple Online Store for 29 USD), you can reinstall* Mac OS X, since the Mac hasn't been used for two years, it is safe to assume, that the data on there is not important and you can give it a fresh start. Unless you want to troubleshoot the problem and spend more than half an hour (the time it takes for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard to install) solving it.
Are you proficient in Mac OS X?

* Completely deleting the existing OS and installing it again, giving you a working OS

 

[Berto33]

Hi again,

I actually followed the first link you sent me, and it works! I can't thank you enough! I might still format it to get it to go a bit quicker and to have, as you say, a fresh start!

Thanks again!

Albert