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Macbook air Prohibition sign on startup Problem

M

muaaman

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 14, 2013
10
0
If nothing is pressed soon, pressing the power button leads to a grey screen with a prohibition sign on a Macbook Air 13'' running Mountain Lion.

Attempt 1: Pressed Command+Option+R

Internet recovery on compatible network -> leads to this error:

apple.com/support
-3400F


Attempt 2: Pressed D

Internet recovery on compatible network -> leads to this error:

apple.com/support
-3400D

Attempt 3: Pressed Command+R

Prohibition sign.

Resolution input would be greatly appreciated.
 
internet recovery is option command R
internet hardware test is option D

please post a screen shot of the prohibition screen

google makes it sound like you are trying to download os x over a wifi network that is not encrypted.
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT4718

try ethernet.
try a different wifi network

you could also run like "install os x .app" on one computer and tell it to install to the computer with the prohibition screen using target disk mode and a firewire / thunderbolt cable
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT1661

borrow someones mac , and use it to make a bootable usb key of os x

The only-slightly-less-easy way

If you don't want to use Diskmaker X for some reason, poster tywebb13 on the MacRumors forums has your hookup. Assuming that you have the OS X Mavericks installer in your Applications folder, and you have a Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)-formatted volume named "Untitled" mounted on the system, you can create a Mavericks install drive by typing the following command into the Terminal.

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction

The command will erase the disk and copy the install files over. Give it some time, and your volume will soon be loaded up with not just the OS X installer, but also an external recovery partition that may come in handy if your hard drive dies and you're away from an Internet connection.

Whichever method you use, you should be able to boot from your new USB drive either by changing the default Startup Disk in System Preferences or by holding down the Option key at boot and selecting the drive. Once booted, you'll be able to install or upgrade Mavericks as you normally would.
 
Last edited:
rigormortis said:
internet recovery is option command R
internet hardware test is option D

please post a screen shot
of the prohibition screen
Click to expand...


I pressed Option+D -> leads to the internet recovery screen -> I enter password of network compatible with recovery -> error -3400D

Option command R results in a screen saying:

apple.com/support
-3400F

Here's a screenshot of the prohibition screen (Grey with sign) (Attached)
 

Attachments

  • photo-2.JPG
    photo-2.JPG
    100 KB · Views: 2,487
I have a Macbook Pro at my disposal to help with recovering the Macbook Air.
 
resetting pram and smc might help. doubtful but worth a try

support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063

apple hardware test does not test the hard disk.
it only checks to make sure it is present.

another possibility is your hard disk has died.

once you boot into recovery, you can use disk utility to verify it

or

you can probably use disk utility to verify it over target disk mode as well
 
on the macbook pro
go to the app store
go to purchases
find a copy of "mavericks" or "yosemite" that you previously purchased
download it
hopefully it will say that it is compatible.
hopefully it won't say you can't run it

once it downloads it will put install os x . app in applications

go to terminal and use this command to make a usb key
sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction

once its done, put usb key in mac with prohibition and hold down the option key during boot

-----

have you tried holding option on the computer you are having issues with

----

once you have install os x in applications on the mac book pro, you can tell it to install it to the non functional mac with target disk mode. and also run disk tests on that mac as well. however, this costs a lot of money because the firewire and thunderbolt cables needed will cost money


3400F means wifi network issue of some sort, i think
 
I am thinking of using the Macbook Pro to create a flash drive that has Mavericks. How do I boot the non-functioning Macbook Air with the USB flash drive i.e. what is the key press?

----------
SusanK said:
https://www.apple.com/support/macbookair-flashdrive/

Is your issue possibly related to this?
Click to expand...

Wow my Mac actually falls within this time interval! I think I am going to check it out with a Genius to check on this. Thank you for sharing this.
 
with a usb key
you can either hold down the option key or you can hold down the c key to boot it


3400 F error
I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW
i think its because your wifi is double NAT
i remember something like this once

your wifi network is either not encrypted or your computers internal ip address
does not match your external ip address.

and i remember i had to connect it directly to the internet modem (and not a router or a router behind a router ) to get past this error.

i remember one time i had problems with apple and double nat and finding out that it prevented some stuff

at the time i was double nat because of hughes net satellite internet
 
rigormortis said:
on the macbook pro
go to the app store
go to purchases
find a copy of "mavericks" or "yosemite" that you previously purchased
download it
hopefully it will say that it is compatible.
hopefully it won't say you can't run it

once it downloads it will put install os x . app in applications

go to terminal and use this command to make a usb key
sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction

once its done, put usb key in mac with prohibition and hold down the option key during boot

-----

have you tried holding option on the computer you are having issues with

----

once you have install os x in applications on the mac book pro, you can tell it to install it to the non functional mac with target disk mode. and also run disk tests on that mac as well. however, this costs a lot of money because the firewire and thunderbolt cables needed will cost money


3400F means wifi network issue of some sort, i think
Click to expand...

Ok I think I am going to try with the flash drive route as well. This information from this post and the previous posts is so informative. Thank you!

----------
rigormortis said:
with a usb key
you can either hold down the option key or you can hold down the c key to boot it


3400 F error
I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW
i think its because your wifi is double NAT
i remember something like this once

your wifi network is either not encrypted or your computers internal ip address
does not match your external ip address.

and i remember i had to connect it directly to the internet modem (and not a router or a router behind a router ) to get past this error.

i remember one time i had problems with apple and double nat and finding out that it prevented some stuff

at the time i was double nat because of hughes net satellite internet
Click to expand...

So if I connect it to the ethernet cable would it work?
 
muaaman said:
Ok I think I am going to try with the flash drive route as well. This information from this post and the previous posts is so informative. Thank you!

----------



So if I connect it to the ethernet cable would it work?
Click to expand...

maybe if it was connected from the mac via ethernet directly to your dsl/cable modem's ethernet port. with nothing in between , it might allow you to do internet recovery ( with wifi turned off)

(option command R)

i clearly remember having to physically take one of my computers and drive 20 miles to the library's wifi just to do some basic apple thing, simply because i was using double NAT.

i forget if it was internet recovery or if it was simply authorizing my computer on iTunes.
 
Update

rigormortis said:
maybe if it was connected from the mac via ethernet directly to your dsl/cable modem's ethernet port. with nothing in between , it might allow you to do internet recovery ( with wifi turned off)

(option command R)

i clearly remember having to physically take one of my computers and drive 20 miles to the library's wifi just to do some basic apple thing, simply because i was using double NAT.

i forget if it was internet recovery or if it was simply authorizing my computer on iTunes.
Click to expand...

UPDATE: I tried the flash drive method and I pressed the disk for "Install OS X Mavericks". Unfortunately, clicking it led to the prohibition sign screen...

Tried with:
1. OS X Recovery disc
2. Disk Utility method with terminal http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/clean-install-mavericks/

:(
 
Last edited:
are you able to boot the flash drive so you can click on utilities and disk utility to either check and repair the hard drive or erase the hard disk? and reinstall ?

is it booting the usb key so you see the install os x button?

or does it flash prohibition screen during the usb boot

this is looking like a serious hardware failure

what about safe mode?
hold down the S key during boot , see if you can load safe mode and run disk utility


the net says prohibition can either mean start up files are missing on the hard disk or a bad wifi network

if you can run disk utility off the usb key, i would erase the entire hard didk. and reinstall os x . unless of course you have something on there worth saving


if it won't boot from the usb key and erase the hard disk by clicking on utilities , then you its gotta be hardware
 
Last edited:
Update

rigormortis said:
are you able to boot the flash drive so you can click on utilities and disk utility to either check and repair the hard drive or erase the hard disk? and reinstall ?

is it booting the usb key so you see the install os x button?

or does it flash prohibition screen during the usb boot

this is looking like a serious hardware failure

what about safe mode?
hold down the S key during boot , see if you can load safe mode and run disk utility


the net says prohibition can either mean start up files are missing on the hard disk or a bad wifi network

if you can run disk utility off the usb key, i would erase the entire hard didk. and reinstall os x . unless of course you have something on there worth saving


if it won't boot from the usb key and erase the hard disk by clicking on utilities , then you its gotta be hardware
Click to expand...

Update: Tried Disc Recovery Assistant and Flash USB key booting but it leads to the prohibition screen.


So hardware problem it is you think?
 
any luck yet???
the only thing left to try is target disk mode and to check the disk with another mac

have you tried running in single user mode?

i was thinking that if you held down the COMMAND S or COMMAND V keys
maybe it will boot partially into verbose mode to see what the error is!?!?!?
 
Pressing COMMAND S or COMMAND V leads to black screen where the prominent phrase is the following:

"This version of Mac OS X is not supported on this platform!"
 
muaaman said:
Pressing COMMAND S or COMMAND V leads to black screen where the prominent phrase is the following:

"This version of Mac OS X is not supported on this platform!"
Click to expand...

mountain lion supposed to work on any mac book air made after 2008 with 2 gigs of ram!

i don't get it. i do not understand why you are having an issue.


maybe try leopard or snow leopard or lion


yeah! umm try installing LION and then upgrade to maintain lion

i dunno what else to suggest . other then going to the genius bar and asking them to install os x for you. they will do that for free if you walk in with your computer. , as long as your computer does not need hardware repairs


if you go to an authorized service partner they will charge you money
 
muaaman said:
I pressed Option+D -> leads to the internet recovery screen -> I enter password of network compatible with recovery -> error -3400D

Option command R results in a screen saying:

apple.com/support
-3400F

Here's a screenshot of the prohibition screen (Grey with sign) (Attached)
Click to expand...
This sign often comes up when I start my mac mini.
Sometimes he then just continues to boot normaly and sometimes he boots into recovery.
A reboot has always solved the problem so far.

what does this sign mean ?
 
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