ø on screen and won't boot up

[Brotpen]

MacBook Pro shows ø on screen and won't boot up

 

[simonsi]

It means it can't find a bootable OS so either your HDD has died, been corrupted or erased.

How old is it? Probably time to swap out the HDD ($), fit and SSD ($$$) and restore that backup.

 

[Baron015]

Disk failure ?

 

[Brotpen]

It means it can't find a bootable OS so either your HDD has died, been corrupted or erased.

How old is it? Probably time to swap out the HDD ($), fit and SSD ($$$) and restore that backup.

I got the machine in 2010 and I tried to use the original install disc and the apple care disc to boot up by holding down the "command" & "c" keys and it can't switch from the internal hard drive to an alternate bootable OS on the discs. Is there another way to force the machine to use a startup disc when it doesn't display that option after holding down "command" & "c"? Thanks for your reply.

 

[Weaselboy]

I got the machine in 2010 and I tried to use the original install disc and the apple care disc to boot up by holding down the "command" & "c" keys and it can't switch from the internal hard drive to an alternate bootable OS on the discs. Is there another way to force the machine to use a startup disc when it doesn't display that option after holding down "command" & "c"? Thanks for your reply.

Just hold the C key to boot to the installer DVD... not command-c.

 

[Brotpen]

I held down just the C key and nothing happens initially, then it ejects the install disc. So, I keep holding down the c key and push in the install disc. I hear the disc start rotating but then is stops and ejects and the ø symbol shows up. The computer meanwhile is getting hot to the touch in the top left section. If figure more than just the hard drive must have gotten fried, and my computer is not fixable. Should I say "adios" or "amen"?

 

[Weaselboy]

I held down just the C key and nothing happens initially, then it ejects the install disc. So, I keep holding down the c key and push in the install disc. I hear the disc start rotating but then is stops and ejects and the ø symbol shows up. The computer meanwhile is getting hot to the touch in the top left section. If figure more than just the hard drive must have gotten fried, and my computer is not fixable. Should I say "adios" or "amen"?

Hard to say at this point. Even if the hard drive is bad, it still should boot to the DVD, assuming you have the correct DVD. The optical drives fail often on these also... was the optical drive working okay lately?

 

[DeltaMac]

Some hard drive failures may not allow booting to any other device, unless the hard drive is removed from the system.
IIRC, the failed hard drive blocks other boot devices. It's uncommon, but I have seen it a couple of times in a service shop.

Do you get anything else on the screen if you restart while holding the Option key?