Startup flashing Folder Issue

[blkhwk]

So the other day, I was using my 2008 MBP like usual, and suddenly I got a kernel panic. I didn't think much of it because I was using some new software that I had just downloaded a few days earlier (Ableton Live, I don't think it was the software's fault though) and I turned off the computer like the instructions said & restarted. Problem was, when I tried restarting it it gave me a grey screen for a long time and then a flashing folder w/ a question mark icon showed up. I looked online and it saw that preforming a safe boot could correct the issue, since I tried repairing the disk image through Disk Utility, but the hard drive did not show up, only the optical drive was detected, but I digress. Is there any way that I can force the computer into safe boot via a terminal command? Or is there anything else that I can do to save my data? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Astroboy907]

What model MBP was it? The pre-unibodies have a graphics card that often fails with kernel panics, it might be part of the issue. But it sounds like you have a corrupted hard drive or bad SATA cable.

You can use a 2.5" SATA to USB converter (if you have a portable backup drive you can use it like a sata to USB adapter also) to try to connect the drive to your computer (around $20). But if the hard drive died you will probably lose your data.

I think you can do a safe boot by holding the left shift on startup but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[blkhwk]

Sorry, I didn't notice the typo but I have a Mid-2009 2.26 GHz MBP and I tried holding shift immediately after the startup chime, but it kept giving me the flashing folder screen. Then I tried using the Disk Utility, but like I said, it didn't show up on the list of available drives. I heard that the "fsck" command line provided some sort of disk check but I'm not really familiar with Terminal/command line stuff.

 

[Astroboy907]

Mid 2009s seem to have issues with the SATA cables, I would recommend getting a new one. Cables run about $20 online, and can be repaired fairly easily with a few tools (I'm pretty sure this voids the warranty if you have any left). Or you could take it to apple and see if they will repair it, they should be willing to do the repair for a decent price. They should be able to check your drive as well.

If it is the cable not the drive, I doubt running fsck will help, as it can't see the drive at all.
You could test the drive by yourself if you have access to another computer that runs 2.5" SATA drives or an external portable drive you are willing to take apart. Or you could buy a dedicated SATA to USB adapter.