Help! Mac OS X server hangs and freezes on startup

Rachvdg

Registered
Help! I am running mac os x server on a g4 with an old sony (not flat) screen. I was able to install the server from the installation cd, and then updated it all with the available updates...

I think the problem is somehow linked the fact that before i shut it down i changed the screen resolution to a much higher setting, which worked fine while the computer was on. But now it won't restart.
I know that the screen is not broken because i have hooked it up to another laptop in the meantime to see if it will still run, and it still displays correctly when used as an external screen. The only thing is that when I reconnect the screen to the computer and try and start it up, the screen displays correctly until the Apple appears, then the cog appears for a while. then it suddenly changes to a blue screen, with the mouse visible, and the whole window is smaller and scewed, and crooked on the screen. At this point, it then freezes and won't do anything, even though I can move my mouse around. What the heck is going on??!! Is it the hard drive, the screen or a compatibiility issue???? Help!!

I havent been able to restart it at all...not once! I have tried all the possible shortcut keys to get it to load up in different ways, but no success...

I have tried booting up into safe mode - no start
i have tried bypassing the startup volume and booting from the original cd - so that i can re-install the operating system on top, without having to reformat everything, but it wont let me because the version on the cd is older than the version on the computer now.
I have tried starting up in Single User mode, but that didnt help either - it ended up only getting as far as the blue screen and then hanging as well.

I am totally stuck and have no idea where to go from here. I really really don't want to have to reformat the hard drive and try and boot from scratch again because i will lose all my data. Is there any way anyone knows anythign that could help me?

Thanks for all your input!

If you're wondering why someone as clueless as me is using Mac OS x server - its becuase my husband is using it, but he can't figure it out either...so I decided to write in about it.
 
Tried that...still doesnt work...any other suggestions?
I also have changed the screen now and am using a ForMac screen - but I am still having the same problem - what else could be wrong?
Thanks for your help!
 
Two suggestions:

1) Try to start the server in target disk mode and see if you can see the disk

2) Install a system om a external hard disk and try to boot from that

If the server can't boot in safe it might lead to the conclusion that there is something quite wrong with you machine
 
Rachvdg said:
Help! I am running mac os x server on a g4 with an old sony (not flat) screen. I was able to install the server from the installation cd, and then updated it all with the available updates...

If you're wondering why someone as clueless as me is using Mac OS x server - its becuase my husband is using it, but he can't figure it out either...so I decided to write in about it.

The first thing to do when installing mac os x server is putting it on a separate partition form your data. I learned this the hard way too.

Try to find a better screen which can show the selected resolution properly and check if this saves your problem.

Otherwise can can try to reset the PRAM settings (command -control - p - r) i gues (i have to look it up, but can not do that until monday).

Last but not least, find yourself a second harddrive and install the os on that one. Make a backup of the data, split the harddisk and problems solved.


Good luck, Kees
 
Hey all...
Thanks for all your help with this...in the end it turned out to be something wrong with the machine itself, and the only way to fix it was to re-install the system...but thankfully my husband was able to hook up the mac to our other mac and use a firewire connection to migrate all our data over to the other machine before we had to reinstall...so i haven't lost anything, its just ended up being inconveniently on the other machine temporarily! Oh well...
Thanks again for all your suggestions!
 
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