# Please help:  Macbook freezing on desktop, spinning wheel, nothing else



## seaneen (Nov 5, 2009)

Hi, I really need some help!

The other day I went to restart my Macbook. It wouldn't so I had to force it via the off button. Now it boots but is stuck at desktop. I can't do ANYTHING but just look at the desktop background (which loads) and the spinning cursor. I reset PRAM and booted in Safe Mode but the same thing happens, it's just stuck on the desktop with no dock, no nothing but the spinning cursor. My disc drive is broken so can't do a reinstall right now and not sure if I could use an external disc drive.

What I have tried:

Resetting PRAM
Going into single user and running a check- returns saying the volume is okay.  When I typed reboot it didn't reboot.  Exit brings me to the same desktop with spinning wheel.

Can anyone help or give me some suggestions? Thank you in advance!


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## Doctor X (Nov 5, 2009)

Help us . . . to help you!

1. *Post Your Machine Specifications:*

That being written you have a couple of potential problems:

1. Frelled Volume
2. Dying Hard Drive
3. Something Else
4. Daemon Possession

With all of those you need the ability to "boot" your Mac from another source--preferably your *Installation/System Disks*.  This is particularly true if you need to repair your HD or save your data.

In the case of the first two, the more you use it, the more you risk increasing the errors in your volume and/or your HD dying. 

--J.D.


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## Satcomer (Nov 5, 2009)

Download either Onyx or Yasu and run all the cleaning/maintenance routines, all of them! Then after the program reboots your Mac manually reboot again to completely rebuild your startup/shutdown routines. 

Doing software maintenance like this once about every 3 months can keep your OS X Mac running almost like new, baring any hardware issues. 


Good Luck.


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## djackmac (Nov 5, 2009)

Better try to put it in target disk mode and mount it to another Mac via firewire and back up what you can while you can. Macbooks are pretty popular for failing HDs and these symptoms sound like its ready to die. When they go, they usually go hard and fast to where a data recovery service won't even stand a chance of getting data off the drive.


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## seaneen (Nov 6, 2009)

Thank you for the advice- I ended up just doing an erase and install.  Works fine now, though lost everything which was a bit annoying.  Could have done an archive install but think it might not have fixed everything.


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