OS X V10.6 Snow Leopard :: Hit A Key To Start Up The Computer, Getting Blank Screen
Feb 7, 2012
In the last few days, when I hit a key to start up the computer, all I will get is a blank screen with the small, multi-colored, rotating disk icon. I can't get out of this unless I hold the power key down for about 5 seconds, which I know is probably not the right way to shut down.
Since installing SL, as many know, many older screensavers no longer work. I looooved this Blank Screen Saver [URL], and if anyone could tell me how I could use the same thing, or something incredibly similar, I'd be very very grateful.
I did some reading online, and know that the flashing question mark basically means that there's either a problem with the OS installation or the hard drive itself. I borrowed a friend's Snow Leopard installation CD (mine didn't come with the CD) to try to boot from it, but it refuses to boot from the CD.
The only keyboard bootup control that does anything so far as I can tell is the alt key (using a windows keyboard), which results a long delay while booting, followed by a blank screen with a mouse cursor. Everything else just ends up with the flashing question mark. If I try to hold C to boot from the CD, it sits there for 3-4 minutes with the occassional CD whirring sound, then ejects the CD and goes to the flashing question mark.
this isn't an isolated issue - there are threads about this over at Apple and InsanelyMac: I'm unable to install Snow Leopard. When I run the installer, it'll tell me that "Mac OS X cannot be installed on "Macintosh HD", because this disk cannot be used to start up your computer" (Macintosh HD being my OS X volume, obviously). I'm seeing this issue on a relatively new 1.8ghz Macbook Air with a 128gb SSD - however, as far as I can tell from the other threads, the problem also affects iMacs and Macbooks.
Some people apparently attributed the issue to a PGP installation they had on their harddrive. Others found a file called backup.backupdb in their root - deleting it fixed the problem. However, most people don't have any of that installed on their computers and the upgrade still won't work. - if anyone has found a solution to the issue, please let me know :-( I'm stuck here. I don't have an external drive for the MBA and booting from a network drive has never worked on this particular machine - so I can't do a clean install, either.
The only thing that showed up in disk utility were the DVD drive (Matshita DVD...) and the actual Mac OS X installation disc. I realize I could try and simply re-install Mac OS X, but I have a research paper (as well as lots of songs and photos) that hasn't been backed up and I will lose it if I reinstall. What can I do?!
My Mac Pro arrived today and of the six or so times I've restarted this has happened three times:
I get the normal grey Apple logo screen then as it switches to the login screen the screen goes black. The monitor doesn't go into sleep mode, it thinks its getting a signal. If I hit the power button and put the Mac to sleep then wake it up the login screen appears.
I am currently running OS X Lion. There are no system updates. My macbook pro JUST started doing this. It never did it before. When I shut my computer and let it sit for however long and then open my computer, the screen comes on, and then about 5 seconds after that, the screen goes blank. In order to turn my screen on, I have to adjust the brightness on my keyboard EVERY single time.
my macbook was almost dead on power when I shut it down. I couldn't charge it because I was on a plane. Anyway, I plugged it in recently and tried starting it up, it makes the start up sound but won't get passed a blank white screen. Is there anyway to fix this? I've heard reinstalling the startup cd might work, but will I lose my files on it? All the pictures of my dog that just passed away on it, and I don't want to lose these. I just got the right cds to back them up and was going to.
My MacBook Air just started messing up yesterday and I'm not sure why? When I turn the power on, it will make the startup sound and go to the log in screen as it should but after my password is entered the screen goes white and it never loads.
I have had my g4 for about two years and all of a sudden the thing decided that it's not going to turn on anymore. Power is getting to the machine and a certain amount of whirring is heard but not the signature! as it starts. The screen remains blank and would stay like that all night if I let it. The only thing I did differently before this appeared was to take it to work in a different bag a few times. Rucksack before, Side bag (more vibration).
Yesterday I was working with my MBP in one of my client's office and the computer went blank. The screen turn to black and it was still ON. I had to press the ON/OFF button to shut the computer.
I turn on my computer and all i get is a blank white screen. No logo, no loading symbol, just a blank screen; though the start-up music still plays. I have tried almost all the solutions.
I have a ibook G4 that's been randomly shutting down. It started doing this maybe about a month ago but it's started getting really bad lately. At first it would shut down if I unplugged the adapter. Not every time I unplugged it, but probably about 50% of the time. When I press the battery button all of the green lights would light up. About half of the time it will start up again if I just hit the power button but the half of the time I have to reset the pRAM. Lately this same thing has been happening except when the computer is still plugged in. And when in say shutting down I mean essentially instantaneously. One second it's on and then the screen goes black and it makes that turning off noise. Not a chime, but like all the fans and hardware are coming to a stop.
My daughter's old I Mac won't start. It is not backed up. We want to get some things off of it if we can. When we turn it on, we get the Apple logo with spinning wheel for awhile, then a question mark briefly and then a sky blue blank screen. Is there any hope of getting this to work? This computer is out of warranty. Does it seem that if we reinstall the Operating System we might find old data? Â
I have a problem with my internal SuperDrive where it is saying that blank DVD's are not writable. When I insert a blank disk the Mac recognises it is a blank disc as the Blank DVD Options box appears but when I actually go to burn a disk the burn will start then immediately fail saying the disk isn't writable. From Disk Utility I get the following info from a blank disk: MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-85J:Firmware Revision:FEW7 Interconnect: [code] It doesn't matter what brand of disk I buy (have tried Verbatim, Bulkpaq, Sony, Tesco & Asda) I get the same issue. All these disks have then worked fine in my girlfriends PC (yuk!) laptop so I don't think it is the disks themselves that are at fault and the fact it is happening with different brands points to a problem with the drive rather than the disks. The drive seems to be working ok as it will play DVD's ok.
Info: Mac Mini (MA608B/A) Intel Core Duo 1.83 GHz 2 GB RAM, Mac OS X (10.6.7)
So, I have a new MBP. I bought a 500gb drive to swap out with the 250gb drive. I did make a time machine backup, I have formatted the 500gb drive to be bootable etc.
However, I was hoping to do a fresh install and pick and choose what I moved over from Time Machine. So with the blank drive in the MBP, I have tried 2 different OS X discs. 1 that came with the MBP, and the upgrade disc I bought for my MacBook (in case the discs somehow behave differently)
Holding down C on restart does nothing in most cases. Holding down Option tends to get my pointer on screen allowing me to select the DVD, then it goes off and sounds like the DVD is seeking/running, and the screen alternates from it's blue and black, like its doing reboots without loading. That has gone on for a long time with no new messages/errors/status/reason for me to believe anything is actually happening.
My question is this....what am I not doing right, or what can I do different, so that a blank HDD can load Leopard? I'd rather not clone or load off of time machine, just never loved the image I have, wanted a fresh start.
I am being driven to distraction by this. It is a difficulty that has been mentioned again and again in MacRumors and elsewhere, but I cannot find any definitive answer to it.Â
"In addition, it is possible to completely erase a hard drive and install Snow Leopard without a pre-existing operating system in place, enabling users to bypass the possible headaches of an upgrade and go with a clean install instead."
I'm a newbie here but wonder if the above AppleInsider statement is true. I installed Snow Leopard over my existing Leopard w/out a hitch. Earlier OS X retail DVD versions clearly distinguished between "Install" and "Upgrade" - correct?. I'm confused where I read Snow Leopard required an existing OS (Leopard or Tiger) to install. It appears Snow Leopard is a "full install" DVD?
Just recently i sent an email (yahoo mail) attachment to my friend.She got the email but when she opened the attachment it loaded and was blank, with nothing there.I think she has a window computer, if that helps.I sent it to myself. It showed up on my mac(obviously) but the attachment was blank on my ipod touch.
Just noticed that the parental controls is missing. The tab is there in system prefs and I've tried 2 different admin accounts but when selected all I get is a blank area with Parental Controls across the top, no tabs nothing. I'm using 10.6.8 on a 2 yr old IMac.
Every time I try to install a software program onto my computer (Mac OS X 10.6.8), a blank permission screen pops us, with NO TEXT appearing. When I try to type in the information i think it's asking me, nothing shows up, as if my keyboard has been disabled. BTW, I've been trying to install Photoshop Elements and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium, which I know are compatible.Â
When i start the computer and the grey screen comes up with the apple logo etc., a grey "loading" bar has started appearing in the bottom of the screen. Takes a few minutes for it to go away. In the meantime the computer gets very hot and the fans are up to 6000 rpm. Then the os starts up, and I cannot download anything, due to the fact that it thinks my harddrive is full, though i have more than 100 gb of free space.I cant even download the 10.6.2 now due to the harddrive appears to be full
A friend used the Kapersky Flashbackcheck.com site to check her MacBook running OS 10.5.8. The UID check indicated her computer was infected so she told me she downloaded and ran the first option that she presumes was the Flashback Removal software. After running it and restarting her computer the screen was blank. There wasnt even a menu bar. However the Skype login popped up and that ˜suddenly made a menu bar appear giving her access to the normal Skype menus, Apple Menu, spotlight etc. A bit of rummaging around indicates that all her files are still there it is just that the desktop doesnt launch (Finder problem maybe?) after multiple restarts.
I won't be able to actually get the computer for a week as she is a student and out of town presently.
Info: Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.3), MacBook Pro, iPad 3G, iPod Touch
Allright so my girlfriend accidentally spilled a drink on her macbook the other day. We thought we had cleaned it off and everything was fine. We were mistaken. During normal usage the computer crashed so we restarted it and are now greeted upon startup with a gray screen and a gray application folder with a question mark on it flashing repeatedly. What is the course of action guys? I'm not computer whiz and I'm wondering if we can fix this ourselves without having to take it in for repair. And FYI she does not have apple care