Urgent help needed - mbp will not boot

[mortenjensen]

Hi all,

I have a situation here: suddenly, out of the blue, I am unable to reboot my mbp.
Here is the case:
- I have a ssd installed, Yosemite, TRIM not enabled.
- I am able to get into recovery using cdm-r.
- Each time, my ssd is locked and I have to unlock it.
- When I reboot, the screen stays black, the fan is on. Nothing happens.
- The first time, I got into recovery, I ran disk utility and some errors were found. Not the times after that.

What the heck is going on?

Has it something to do with Yosemite and trim?

I have not seen the grey screen with a block warning.

What should I try in order to get it to work?

Morten

 

[mortenjensen]

By the way, this is written from with the recovery utilities that can run safari. So it seems that the ssd is working, I suspect.

Any ideas?

 

[grahamperrin]

Advice and a question

… ssd is locked …

If you use FileVault 2, it's normal for the OS X slice (partition) to remain locked when Recovery OS starts.

- When I reboot, the screen stays black, the fan is on. Nothing happens.

Reset the PRAM.

OS X Yosemite: Reset your computer’s PRAM

- The first time, I got into recovery, I ran disk utility and some errors were found. …

What the heck is going on? …

Can you recall any detail about any of the errors?

 

[mortenjensen]

What does a reset of PRAM do?

The errors were something with incorrect numbers of blocks.

 

[grahamperrin]

What does a reset of PRAM do?

The errors were something with incorrect numbers of blocks.

OS X Yosemite: PRAM

If the supposed number of free blocks was less than the actual number, I should not worry about that file system inconsistency.

 

[maflynn]

Hi all,

I have a situation here: suddenly, out of the blue, I am unable to reboot my mbp.

One possible option ls to reformat and reload OS X (provided you have a backup). What you detail is not right, you shouldn't need to boot into the recovery partition to unlock the drive.

 

[grahamperrin]

Background and additional advice

… mbp …

… reboot, the screen stays black, the fan is on. Nothing happens. …

I, too, have a MacBook Pro.

I, too, find that symptom occasionally.

If a reset of PRAM does not work around the problem, then …

… whilst the Mac is switched off, try leaving the mains adapter disconnected for a minute. (I'm quite lazy about that routine, I don't know whether what I do is a proper fit with what's documented by Apple below.)

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

One possible option ls to reformat …

That's a reasonable option (there has been a clean install in the past), but with or without a backup: I'd treat any destructive approach as close to a last resort.

What you detail is not right, you shouldn't need to boot into the recovery partition to unlock the drive.

Think of it the other way round; if there's FileVault 2, then any start of the Recovery OS (for the protected OS X) will find the protected part/slice of the disk locked, as it should be.

(Whether or not FileVault users are in a minority, I always begin with an assumption that FileVault 2 is used on modern systems. Privacy, security etc..)

 

[mortenjensen]

Thanks for replies.

Well: After a "nights rest", my mac is up and running it seems. I disconnected the magsafe for a minute or so and then just turned the system back on. I don't know if it started do to that or do to it now is cold after a nights rest.

I was getting ready to pull the battery connection inside and doing a SMC.

Now:
- What was this? I have never encountered it before?
- Has it something to do with me now running a SSD without TRIM enabled?
- Should I enable TRIM under Yosemite killing the "kext"? My ssd is a 500 mb samsung 840 (the non pro).

Morten

BTW: The PRAM-reset did not to the trick (tried that last night and was only able to get into the recovery mode).
BTW2: Another screen that I could produce was the "you have forgotten your password for the harddrive"-screen. I tried to boot in safe mode with shift, no luck.

 

[grahamperrin]

Progress

… After a "nights rest", my mac is up and running it seems. I disconnected the magsafe for a minute or so and then just turned the system back on. …

Cool. Good news.

I was getting ready to pull the battery connection inside and doing a SMC.

If the battery is not removable, then there should be no need to take apart the hardware. Please review Apple's article about the SMC.

… Has it something to do with me now running a SSD without TRIM enabled? …

I doubt it.

There are many topics about TRIM; the search features here should find whatever you need.

… Another screen that I could produce was the "you have forgotten your password for the harddrive"-screen.

In the Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences, is FileVault enabled?

I tried to boot in safe mode with shift, no luck.

When exactly did you apply the shift key, and what exactly happened?

 

[mortenjensen]

My MBP is a 15'' 2011 sandy bridge - when the back panel is unscrewed, you can pull the plug between the logic board and the battery.

Yes, FileVault is enabled.

Nothing happened, when I tried to boot with the shift key pressed down.

Does this have something to do with the FileVault, then?

Morten

 

[grahamperrin]

Black screen in lieu of EfiLoginUI (FileVault 2): additional information

… Yes, FileVault is enabled.

Nothing happened, when I tried to boot with the shift key pressed down. …

Unless I'm missing something, I can not find the following routine – good for (at least) Mavericks – documented by Apple for users of FileVault 2. From what I recall, I'll verify this maybe later today:

(deleted)

With reference to your opening post –

… I reboot, the screen stays black …

– for as long as you found a black screen instead of the unlock routine, you would have been unable to perform a safe boot.

OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?

Side note: the user interface that is normally presented to unlock the OS X startup volume is technically sometimes known as 'EfiLoginUI'. In at least one Apple document there's an alternative phrase 'EFI-based login'.

Apple Technical White Paper

Best Practices for Deploying FileVault 2 (PDF, 2012-08-17)

Of possible interest to readers of this topic: Appendix B: FileVault 2 Process Flow

 

[mortenjensen]

Hi,
Thanks for this suggestion - only: when I had the problem last night, all I got was a blank screen (fans on) or the recovery mode.

So you routine describes a different problem, not?

Morten

Unless I'm missing something, I can not find the following routine – good for (at least) Mavericks – documented by Apple for users of FileVault 2. From what I recall, I'll verify this maybe later today:

1. Be sure your Mac is shut down.
2. Press the power button.
3. Select a user.
4. Type the passphrase for that user but do not key Enter or Return.
5. Press and hold the Shift key.
6. Whilst holding the Shift key, also key Enter or Return.
7. When the progress bar appears, release the Shift key

– at step 6 you might click the arrow instead of keying Enter or Return, but that's the gist of it.

With reference to your opening post –



– for as long as you found a black screen instead of the unlock routine, you would have been unable to perform a safe boot.

OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?

Side note: the user interface that is normally presented to unlock the OS X startup volume is technically sometimes known as 'EfiLoginUI'. In at least one Apple document there's an alternative phrase 'EFI-based login'.

Apple Technical White Paper

Best Practices for Deploying FileVault 2 (PDF, 2012-08-17)

Of possible interest to readers of this topic: Appendix B: FileVault 2 Process Flow

 

[grahamperrin]

Correction and clarification

… From what I recall, I'll verify this maybe later today: …

Sorry, the seven-step routine that I suggested earlier was not valid. It's now deleted.

(My recollection of things was confused. A relatively relatively late press and hold of the Shift key (somewhat later than the startup chime) is valid when Startup Manager (Option/Alt key at startup) is present.)​

… when I had the problem last night, all I got was a blank screen (fans on) or the recovery mode. …

The fans running, with a blank black screen instead of EfiLoginUI, might have been an issue affecting the system management controller, worked about by the simple reset of the SMC.

I don't know enough about SMC behaviours to tell whether that would have affected EfiLoginUI without affecting Recovery OS.

Technical

…

Best Practices for Deploying FileVault 2 … Appendix B: FileVault 2 Process Flow

An extract from that appendix:

----
1. User powers on device
2. EFI
2.1. Loads authorized FDE users’ information from boot volume
…
8. Unlock volume
…
9. Operating System boot
9.1. System discovers root volume as usual
…
----​

As far as I know …

The boot volume at step 2 is not the same as the boot volume at step 9. (Logically: a Mac can not load information from a volume that is locked.) Visualise the authorised full disk encryption users' information being loaded from the Apple_Boot slice (typically named 'Recovery HD') that belongs with the Apple_CoreStorage slice of the disk.

In the example below, a view of things whilst running Yosemite, OS X Mavericks is at disk0s4 (slice 4 of disk 0). The authorised FDE users' information for this installation of Mavericks is stored on, loaded from, disk0s5.

sh-3.2$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *750.2 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         616.0 GB   disk0s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Boot OS X               134.2 MB   disk0s3
   4:          Apple_CoreStorage                         133.2 GB   disk0s4
   5:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk0s5
/dev/disk1
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *2.0 TB     disk1
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1
   2:       Microsoft Basic Data PC-BSD                  250.0 GB   disk1s2
   3:                  Apple_HFS 10.9.5                  199.9 GB   disk1s3
   4:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk1s4
   5:                  Apple_HFS Graham                  684.1 GB   disk1s5
   6:          Apple_CoreStorage                         665.8 GB   disk1s6
   7:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk1s7
/dev/disk2
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                  Apple_HFS Yosemite               *600.0 GB   disk2
                                 Logical Volume on disk1s6
                                 DAED4621-90CF-43D1-BC40-F7ACABD7174F
                                 Unlocked Encrypted
/dev/disk3
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *32.3 GB    disk3
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk3s1
   2:                        ZFS                         31.9 GB    disk3s2
Offline
                                 Logical Volume cs on disk0s2
                                 7F235D8B-0AA8-465E-9E55-979047029F4F
                                 Locked Encrypted
Offline
                                 Logical Volume OS on disk0s4
                                 DD186BBB-DBB1-4B6D-A9F4-0AF46CA49B6F
                                 Locked Encrypted
sh-3.2$

In plain english

Where an installation of OS X is secured with FileVault, every normal start of that operating system is preceded by brief use of Recovery HD.

Hope that helps
Graham

 

[karboN.6]

I'm having a similar issue, let me know if anyone figures out what to do. I have finals and this is literally the worst thing to happen right now regarding my finals.

----------

My startup screen with be on the apple symbol but then it will just turn off around 60% of full boot.

 

[mortenjensen]

Yes, it seems we actually need two things:

- a proper understanding what causes blank screen.
- a secure way to fix it (in may case, it seemed to have fixed itself 'over night').

Morten

 

[grahamperrin]

… startup screen with be on the apple symbol but then it will just turn off around 60% of full boot.

Test the hardware.

Using Apple Hardware Test