Macbook Pro 15" won't boot, now invalid node errors.

[tivoboy]

So, i've read all the regular posts, and here is what I have tried.

From one day to the next, I was hanging on the Apple Grey startup screen.

It won't let me zap the PRAM.

I CAN boot to the system disk and run HW test, which are all perfect, no errors.

I CAN boot to the system disk and run disk utility and I tried to repair permissions, but that got about 95% of the way done and then stayed like that for two+ hours.

I tried running the disk utility and repair disk but I get

Invalid Node errors, disk cannot be repaired.

I tried booting to FW target disk mode, with my other MPB. I could get the FW symbol on the screen and connect it to my MBP, and it would show up in Disk Utility on the host computer, but it never mounted so I couldn't get any DATA off it, which is what I really need.

I've tried running from terminal and single user mode and running the

fsck_hfs -vpr /dev/disk0s2 (I don't have the exact command here, but you get the drift) That ran for 30 minutes, a bunch of stuff, but mostly invalid node errors.

So, WHAT can I do? Everything seems to point to disk warrior utilities, but DANG 100$ is a lot of coin these days. I simply cannot imagine that there isn't a user available solution for such errors?

Can anyone point me to another possible solution? can anyone LOAN me DW?

Does DW at least have a guarantee if it doesn't fix the disk?

thanks for the great insight and thoughts community.

 

[davidlv]

LOL Loan DW? 😱😱😱
If you can afford a MacBook Pro, you should be able to buy the very reasonably priced Disk Warrior, considered by many to be the #1 disk utility tool available on the market, and considered an essential "must have" part of any repair kit.
There are no warranties on data repair, to quote Bruce Cockburn, "You pay your money and you take your chances" (he was talking about love and not computers of course, but it still applies). However, since it seems you do not have a backup, DW is the best chance, in my opinion, you have to save some of those files. It is a very well done application that specializes in directory problems.
Your choice, but I think it is your only valid one, for a reasonable amount of money. Data rescue specialists can charge far more than 100 dollars!

 

[tivoboy]

thanks

thanks for the tip, I'll keep searching.

I'll just add, I don't know if you have been reading anything but macrumors lately, but the world has changed quite a bit in the THREE YEARS SINCE I bought this macbook pro.

Fortunately, I haven't had to sell it.

 

[tivoboy]

drive

Well, couldn't get the data to fix itself, but got the drive out. was able to get the drive to allow copying of files OFF, so I captured all the data.

Put in a new drive, but of course couldn't find the older disks, and my more recent still CD2 MBP disks wouldn't work. Found the disk and rebuilt the OS.

Now, the question is, what is the best way to migrate OVER ITUNES, lots of songs, movies, etc.

Mail,
some applications like OFFICE, etc.

Can these just be dragged over to the correct locations? the startup assistant on 10.4 only has a FW option, or a second partition on the drive option.

I have everything on a network drive AND a usb drive.