on pc, when they get software related issues, i press F8 for Safe Mode and im in 9/10 times. on Mac, I've never gotten Safe Mode to work when there's a problem.
say i DID get into safe mode, whereas i couldn't get in regularly. what more could I do that I couldn't do from disk than Repair permissions?
I guess what i'm getting at is WHAT IS SAFE MODE GOOD FOR?
I have a 15" mbp with 10.6 Intel core duo, 4gb ram with a boot camp and ubuntu partition through parallels. The other day I was installing xcode from apple's website, which failed 3 times after downloading saying the package couldn't be expanded. I left my computer for a while and came back where i then had to log in again. it rejected my password numerous time (i'm positive it was correct). when i restarted my computer i got a kernal panic screen when the apple logo came up. it told me to restart the computer which i did. didn't work. i restarted with the osx cd to use the disk utility. when it checked the drive it found a bunch of errors, which i then tried to correct. it went for a couple minutes then told me they couldn't be fixed and i should try to back up my data and reinstall osx. i don't know how to back up my hard drive when i can't log into my account. i've tried to boot in target disk mode and copy some files that way, but the only disk the other computer sees is my windows partition- no mac partition.
i've also tried these, none of these have worked: restarting in safe mode resetting the ram and pram booting with different sticks of ram all result in a kernal panic.
my windows partition still works fine though (as much as i hate to say it) the only things I really care about on my computer are my files from school and my itunes library. is there any way i can get these files off my computer?
I have a 21.5 inch iMac and am running Snow Leopard. I am familiar with Safe Mode and I understand that it does a disk check and repair and also does some cache clearing during a startup process that allows the user to startup into a system where certain kernel extensions, etc, are disabled to allow for trouble shooting. Then the user can do a restart and end up back in normal mode.
My question is whether starting up into Safe Mode could prove beneficial as some sort of routine maintenance?
I'm trying to start up in safe mode, per a recommendation from Objective Development, for a Little Snitch upgrade. I'm following these steps perfectly, and I see no indication that I'm running in safe mode. Of course, I've never seen safe mode, so I'm not sure what it looks like, but I'm guessing I ain't in it because I never see the "Safe boot at the login window".
Quote:
To start up into Safe Mode, do this:
1. Be sure the computer is shut down.
2. Press the power button.
3. Immediately after you hear the startup tone, press and hold the Shift key (the Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone but not before).
4. Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple and the spinning gear. Please be patient, booting in Safe Mode may take some while.
During the startup you will see "Safe Boot" on the login window, which appears even if you normally log in automatically.
I started (because I wanted to) my MBA into safe mode. Just hadn't tried it before. It took, what seemed, an inordinate amount of time to boot.
I pressed the shift ket at the BONG and released at the spinning gear screen. Is this normal? Does OS X perform disc read/write, verification, cache handling, etc. that causes the lengthy boot.
I have a G4 533 and up till 3 weeks ago it worked wonderful for a mail server. I have 1.5gb and a 300gb hard drive which has been working wonderful with no conflicts. When restarting after a software update, I noticed on the start up screen that it restarted in "safe mode". I checked for a stuck shift key and of course they were just fine. I thought it might be a heat problem because the next day I started it back up and it started normally so I ran disk utility to make sure. The next time I started, no matter if it was cool or warm, it went straight to "safe mode" just for grins, I backed up all my information onto an external drive and attempted to re-install the 10.4 disk and it went straight to the black "kernel panic" screen. "OK" I said, so I took out the 300gb hard drive all together, installed a freshly "zeroed out" 120gb hard drive that I had and then tried to start it up and it went straight back to the "kernel panic" screen. Next, I not only unplugged the cord but also took out the battery which only then would it start up alright. So now that is the only way that I can get the machine to start up in anything other than "safe mode". At this point, it is a pain in the ass but so far it is working. Does anyone have any idea what I have overlooked or what is wrong? I would really like to use the box but it is just a pain in the a$$ to do this.
Soda was spilled on the side of the notebook. It was never powered on. I opened up the notebook and cleaned all the components. Now the MBP only boots into safe mode.
I have a number of macs one being a G5 1.8 x 2 that has been running 10.3.9 for quite some time with no problems whatsoever. Decided to upgrade to keep in line with other macs but first just to 10.4. Machine only boots in safe boot mode. If regular boot, get message that I need to restart. Restart message reappears and often fans race. May have kernell panic but did hardware test, disk first aid and all hardware checks out fine. Finally downgraded back to 10.3 and machine works fine. Did total clean install with 10.4 again and same results. Is there a firmware I need to upgrade, I can't find one. I have been working with macs exclusively since 1989 (never user a "PC") but I'm perplexed.
I wonder, if there is a possibility to tell OS X to always boot in Safe Mode. Because often, after a power failure, the mac mini boots automatically how he should, but then he crashes while booting.
This iBook G4 will not boot. I can boot it into safe mode, but that is about it. I have tried resetting the PRAM, to no avail. It cannot even boot off of an OSX disc. When I try to boot it normally, it just shows the Apple symbol, but no progress wheel thing spinning. When I try to boot it normally, it appears as if the hard drive is not being read from/written to, because it is dead silent, but when I boot into safe mode, you can hear the HDD noise. When I booted into safe mode, I checked the HDD's SMART status, and it says "Verified," so I do not think that the HDD is at fault. However, it still has its original HDD from 2004.
Today, my Macbook Pro 15" started to automatically boot up in Safe Boot / Safe Mode. So every time I boot up, I have to wait 5-10 minutes and stuff. It's not normal.
I tried: Restarting, Shutting down and booting.
Resetting PRAM, NVRAM
Verifying and repairing Hard Disk in Disk Utility (it fails). Tried in Mac OS and OS Installation Disk. etc. I got this computer 6 days ago, and there is already this problem. Is there a way without reinstalling the OS? I have Windows installed on it for gaming, but I don't see anything else that could be causing the problem.
I cannot get my camera to be recognized by my computer when I plug it in and the computer is normally booted.
* If plug the camera into my MacBook, Image Capture and iPhoto will not recognize it. * If I plug the SD card into my computer with a card reader, the card will be read just fine. * The camera works on two other MacBook Pros * The camera will be found on my MacBook if I boot into Safe Mode * The camera is found in System Profiler when the computer is normally booted, however, the information provided is limited. * The camera is found in System Profiler when the computer is Safe Booted, and the camera shows the full amount of information about the camera
When I open the system log and then plug the camera in, I receive the following:
Sep 6 11:46:14 JoAlDe kernel[0]: USBF: 958.769 AppleUSBEHCI0x27b8800::Found a transaction which hasn't moved in 5 seconds on bus 0xfd, timing out! (Addr: 3, EP: 0) Sep 6 11:46:19 JoAlDe kernel[0]: USBF: 963.770 AppleUSBEHCI0x27b8800::Found a transaction past the completion deadline on bus 0xfd, timing out! (Addr: 3, EP: 1)
From what I understand, this means that the computer is unable to see that the camera is a Mass Storage Device, thus it times out and is unable to boot it as such.
So I set up my system with the USB Prober and the associated logging file.
I ran the USB Prober on level 7 while I connected the camera.
I know zilch about reading and comprehending any of the results except this snippet really stuck out to me:
It occurred twice more:
3635.575 [5] Finding driver for interface #0 of Samsung Digital Camera, matching personality using com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient, score: 104999, wildCard = 5 3635.575 [6] Matched: idVendor (8107) idProduct (4152) bcdDevice (256) bConfigurationValue (1) bInterfaceNumber (0) 3635.575 [6] Didn't Match: nothing
Just looking at this particular result, it looks like the computer is unable to identify what exactly USB device is being plugged in.
Major issues here please I can use all the help I can get. My MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Aluminum is booting in safe mode everytime. I restate. Someone has advised my shift key could be stuck? How the he'll could that have happened? It's only a few months old, I just upgraded hard drie. My trackpad was running funky before that. My keyboard was acting wired, only symbols showed up.
i splashed some theraflu on the right side of the keyboard approximately 3 days ago. as many had mentioned, i removed the keyboard and carefully removed any liquid residue i could find and kept my computer off for a few days. today i went to figure out the damage and everything seems to work okay in terms of the computer turning on and stuff. the keyboard is still acting up though. the left side of the keyboard works mostly okay, but if i press certain letters, the number along with random number appears. the right side of the keyboard, on the other hand, several keys don't even respond at all. from these "symptoms" do you guys think the only thing that i may have to replace is the keyboard or could these "symptoms" i've described be related to some other damage also? how much does replacing a keyboard usually cost? i'm thinking this isn't going to be covered by my warranty. lastly, i've noticed that when i do turn the computer on, it automatically starts in safe-mode.
Powebook G4 won't boot up. Safe mode doesn't work. Reset pram. Went onto single user mode. At first there was a modification and then I ran it a second time until it said HD was ok.
My MBP (2012 or 2013 not sure which!) is having an issue. When I try to login, my password is accepted and then a progress bar appears. After a quarter load, my mac turns off. Unfortunately safe mode (holding shift) does not work. I have tried smc and pvram resets and repairing through disk utility. None of this has worked... Â
I'm running yosemite. The last thing I did before logging off is installing divx web player.
Been having probs w Mac Pro w Lion seeming to hang on shutdown/restart. Have 'reopen windows' unchecked in prefs.  Was able to run through safe mode boot once but now seems to hang about 20% in everytime.  Have had to do shutdowns w power button (I hate that) or /by ctrl-option-command-esc Boot single user run rack -fy says 'apparently ok'Mount -uw / reports removed 10 orphaned or unlinked files and 10 directories?
Info: Mac Pro, 2xDual2.66, 4GB, GeForce 7300 GT, 23" Apple LCD, Mac OS X (10.5), G4 Cube, Rev A/C iMac, NeXTCube,PwrMac8500,Quadras,SE30s,MacPlus
My Mac Pro main boot drive us encrypted. I booted into recovery mode the other day & it wouldn't let me boot back o my main drive. Now upon start up I can't enter either recovery mode nor safe mode nor chose the main drive to boot from. I'm absolutely stymied in what to do.
I have been unable to restart me computer after a software update (White screen/apple logo/spinning wheel continuously). I have tried to start up in safe mode (holding down shift key) but it hasn't worked.
my computer wont run in regular mode. The problem occurred when I was changing my resolution and I pressed the wrong one. The screen went blank so I restarted, then the screen turned black after the apple logo. Now I can only run in safe boot. Is there any way to change the res. for the regular boot in the safe boo mode?
I have a 08 MacBook pro (not unibody) and it is now not booting up. I recently installed a Hitachi 500gb hard drive on the computer and restored through time machine and it worked fine for about 2 weeks and now wont boot and I'm wondering if its probably the hard drive. When I click power the light on the front of the computer will come on and it will sound like it is about to boot then a clicking noise seems to come from the computer and it instantly shuts off. I have gotten it to turn on a couple times since it happened by slamming the comp on the bed then for some reason it will work but as soon as I shut it, it wont turnback on. Any ideas?
Oh and PS the screen never comes on and can't boot in safe mode.
I was getting a error code 36 on my mac so I decided to try to boot up in safe mode now my macbook pro will not stop trying to boot to safe mode. I am on snow leopard.
i need help cause my brother logged in to the guest mode and since then it goes to guest mode automatically with out giving me the chance to log in the only way i can get back in to my account i have to hold the shift key down at boot, yet when i let the mac boot up normal way it goes straight to that safari web browser.
I've been running OSX 10.6.2 without any problem for the last six months until today....Now when I try to run applications (other than Safari which is working slow, but otherwise ok) the application icon will appear in the dock for 2-3 seconds and then disappears without opening the program. I'm not aware that I've added or changed anything that might have triggered this problem. I can however open the applications without any problem if I boot into safe mode. I've tried more than one user profile, disk utilities, resetting PRAM, running Onyx maintenance utilities etc.
Upon start up, I hear the chime, see the grey Apple load screen, but then after it just reaches the blue screen and stops. Cannot reach login screen, unless in safe mode.Steps I've tried:
-Reinstall tiger (erase and install) -Replace CMOS battery (time now works correctly) -Run Apple Hardware Test (no errors)
Did a Shift - Command-V and the black screen showing all the startup steps appeared and it all looked good except: AFL Alart Sockwed cant update and INIT Reboot transmit failed. All else looks good. I have tried this 3 times and never go past that point. Then the screen turns off white like it does when it starts normally before the apple appears and the last time the screen went black.
I have tried starting with just the Shift Key and computer starts up but not in safe mode. I have tired starting with the OS X disk and the C key and it will not recognize the disk.I used the #1 disk since the instructions are printed on the disk. Did not work so I tried disk 2 and I get a menu to start the OS or tools. If I click on either one the screen goes white and stays that way.
computer starts fine and provides a login window, and then the desktop screen with screen saver pictures in perfect color. As it goes through starting programs it starts the same programs that is had open when the computer originally crashed. Even when I close them, before it locks up again, and I am forced to restart the same programs open up to the same place. Its like the computer is frozen in one location and will not go beyond that point. Eventually the screen turns white and sometimes black and sometimes gray.
Tech support thought it was the video card, put a new one in but did not fix the problem and then said it was not that but that it was the monitor. I said that did not make sense since the monitor and desktop icons and pictures are beautiful and clear. They then said it was the inverter board on the monitor and Apple only replace the whole thing. I purchased an inverter board and replace it. No change. The tech person said that the computer works find without the monitor connected - I will see if that is correct next. Isn't that a more systimatic testing procedure then trying parts to see if it works? Oh I did do the complete long hardware test. Took about an hour and it passed! Isn't this strange?