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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Unknown Operating Error
MTOM - May 17, 2005 - 5:55 am
Basically when I try to boot it up, there's a grey screen with a dark grey
apple in the centre and a little spinning wheel (which you can usually move
around with the mouse). Normally after a few seconds that screen changes to
a blue screen and then into the desktop. However, mine is stuck on the grey
screen (and you can't move the cursor with the mouse). At the same time the
fan keeps getting louder and louder til it sounds like a jet engine.
Last night when I was using Safari (a web browser), the programme seized up
a few times, the beachball just kept spinning. Then I tried rebooting and had the problem.
I have a PowerMac G5 and I'm running the
operating system (OS) 10.3 or Panther.
Anuy ideas?
apple in the centre and a little spinning wheel (which you can usually move
around with the mouse). Normally after a few seconds that screen changes to
a blue screen and then into the desktop. However, mine is stuck on the grey
screen (and you can't move the cursor with the mouse). At the same time the
fan keeps getting louder and louder til it sounds like a jet engine.
Last night when I was using Safari (a web browser), the programme seized up
a few times, the beachball just kept spinning. Then I tried rebooting and had the problem.
I have a PowerMac G5 and I'm running the
operating system (OS) 10.3 or Panther.
Anuy ideas?
earthsaver - May 17, 2005 - 1:57 pm
Have you tried booting to your system install/restore disc?, from which you can use Disk Utility to repair the disk. Hold the mouse button while starting up the computer to cause the optical drive to open so you can insert the disc. Then restart and hold C to cause the system to choose the CD as the startup disc. Find Disk Utility in one of the menus of the installer and repair from there.
Three ideas if that doesn't work:
- Try zapping the PRAM. Restart and hold Command+Option+P+R through three startup chimes and see if that resolves the issue.
- Try resetting via Open Firmware. Restart and hold Command+Option+O+F until you see a prompt in Open Firmware. Type the following, pressing return at the end of each line:
reset-nvram
reset-all
- Try repairing the disk in Single User Mode. Restart and hold Command+S until you reach a black screen with a command prompt. Type
fsck -fy
and press return. When it finishes the repair, type
shutdown -r now
Let me know how it goes.
- Ben
Three ideas if that doesn't work:
- Try zapping the PRAM. Restart and hold Command+Option+P+R through three startup chimes and see if that resolves the issue.
- Try resetting via Open Firmware. Restart and hold Command+Option+O+F until you see a prompt in Open Firmware. Type the following, pressing return at the end of each line:
reset-nvram
reset-all
- Try repairing the disk in Single User Mode. Restart and hold Command+S until you reach a black screen with a command prompt. Type
fsck -fy
and press return. When it finishes the repair, type
shutdown -r now
Let me know how it goes.
- Ben
MTOM - May 19, 2005 - 7:12 am
Ben, thanks for the response.
Here is what I've tried:
- Zapped the PRAM (repeatedly to no effect)
- Ran an Apple Hardware Test from the Install DVD - while going through the Mass Storage, it told me there was an error. It said *ERROR*CODE* 2STF/8/3:A (upper).
- I ran the Disk Utility and tried to check and repair the drive. In its list of actions it's goes through, it said in red 'Keys out of order' then in black 'Rebuilding Catalog B-tree'. Then it stopped and a message said "The Volume Macintosh HD could not be repaired" and "Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972)"
- Then I ran Disk Warrior from the DW CD. I hoped it might fix the drive. However, after a couple minutes of going through rebuilding the drive, it stopped. A message in the box below said something to the nature of 'speed affected by disk error'. So seemingly Disk Warrior couldn't do anything either.
My conclusion is that the problem is due to this error on the main hard drive and the error cannot be repaired. That said, I will definitely try resetting the Open Firmware and fsck in Single User Mode.
However, from the error messages, I figure I probably have one of two options:
- Reformat the existing hard drive (so it's blank) and then reload OSX, all my software and files
- Or toss the old drive, buy a new drive for about £100 and reload OSX, software and files
Obviously the first option is cheaper and I could certainly try it... but if there's a good chance the drive is faulty and it could happen again, I don't reload everything onto it and have it happen again at some inopportune time. What would you suggest?
Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Here is what I've tried:
- Zapped the PRAM (repeatedly to no effect)
- Ran an Apple Hardware Test from the Install DVD - while going through the Mass Storage, it told me there was an error. It said *ERROR*CODE* 2STF/8/3:A (upper).
- I ran the Disk Utility and tried to check and repair the drive. In its list of actions it's goes through, it said in red 'Keys out of order' then in black 'Rebuilding Catalog B-tree'. Then it stopped and a message said "The Volume Macintosh HD could not be repaired" and "Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972)"
- Then I ran Disk Warrior from the DW CD. I hoped it might fix the drive. However, after a couple minutes of going through rebuilding the drive, it stopped. A message in the box below said something to the nature of 'speed affected by disk error'. So seemingly Disk Warrior couldn't do anything either.
My conclusion is that the problem is due to this error on the main hard drive and the error cannot be repaired. That said, I will definitely try resetting the Open Firmware and fsck in Single User Mode.
However, from the error messages, I figure I probably have one of two options:
- Reformat the existing hard drive (so it's blank) and then reload OSX, all my software and files
- Or toss the old drive, buy a new drive for about £100 and reload OSX, software and files
Obviously the first option is cheaper and I could certainly try it... but if there's a good chance the drive is faulty and it could happen again, I don't reload everything onto it and have it happen again at some inopportune time. What would you suggest?
Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.
earthsaver - May 19, 2005 - 7:22 am
If there's such a gaping error on the drive, then no other utility is worth running. (fsck is the same as Disk Utility's Repair Disk, and resetting the firmware is unrelated to the problem at hand.)
That said, I guess you have all your files backed up, hence your ability to restore them in a flash. Is your G5 still under warrantee/do you have AppleCare? Apple will replace your hard disk; I don't think a format is likely to help. I would call Apple immediately.
- Ben
That said, I guess you have all your files backed up, hence your ability to restore them in a flash. Is your G5 still under warrantee/do you have AppleCare? Apple will replace your hard disk; I don't think a format is likely to help. I would call Apple immediately.
- Ben
TechSupport - May 23, 2005 - 12:30 pm
This ticket has been moved to the open forums for more exposure.
Please follow this link:
http://www.macosx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116301
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