URGENT! Mac NOT Starting up! URGENT!

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dave-dave

Registered
I'm running a iMac version 10.2.8
The software updater told me that there was an iPod update. It was about 28 mb. Once the update finished I beleive we shut down the computer (or restarted it - one of those two). Now when we click the startup button on the iMac we get the gray apple logo for about 15 seconds then a black bar about half an inch or so tall and about an 1.5-2 in. wide. It doesn't completely startup now and freezes once the black bar appears. In the black bar the is covering the stem of the apple logo (not the apple itself). In the black bar there is two small blue lines, and several colored pixels on the top of the black bar. I do have access to the mac, just not any programs as the comnputer freezes at the start up. The blue screen doesn't even show up. PLEASE HELP!
 
The first thing I would do is try to boot from your OS X installation CD/DVD. Load Disk Utility from one of the menus, and click "Repair Disk" and "Repair Permissions". Keep hitting "Repair Disk" until no errors come up.

You might also want to boot from the Hardware Test CD that came with your machine, and run the exensive test. I had a similar problem myself once, and it turned out to be a faulty logic board. (Although I doubt an iPod update could trigger something so severe.)
 
One problem: The guys who fixed our computer last (CDW) installed mac osx 10.2.8, we don't have that 10.2.8 CD. All we have is an older version of Mac OSX CD. Another 2 things: Will putting the OSX CD (or re-installing OSX) make us loose all of our data currently on that operating system? And also: The installation CD is in the computer and I can't seem to get it out. I haven't done anything yet. I need these answers first.
Thanks SOOOO much (this service is worth millions as I could have brought it in to CDW and had to pay $150.00 to get it fixed - thanks),
Dave
 
I don't believe it would do any harm using an older install CD/DVD to repair the disk and permissions.

To get the CD/DVD out of the drive, reboot holding down the f12 key or the eject key, right after you press the power button. Keep holding it down, and shortly after the CD/DVD should eject from the drive.

What Mikuro is talking about is booting up with the install CD/DVD in the Mac. Go through the process, as if you are going to install, BUT DON"T. When you get to the screen that allows you to select install options, just ignore that. There are drop down menus on the top of the screen. Drop down the menu and select Disk Utility, and repair disk and permissions. When that has completed, go to the other drop down menu and just quit the installer. You are not installing any software, just running the Disk Utility program from the boot disk, which allows you to repair Hard Drive.
 
Here's what is happening: the mac osx insstallation CD is version 10.1
I just inserted the disk while holding the "c" button. I am seeing the mac face. At the top left corner there is a color wheel spinning. Now the background screen turned blue. I now have a blue mac icon, the words "Mac OS X" and below the color thinking mijiger thing and below saying Preparing Installation. A screen just popped up. It says to select a language. I am English speaking lagnuage so I picked Engilsh. I then clicked Continue at the bottom right of the screen. The title of the screen says "Inst6all Mac OS X". TO the left there is a menu. The menu is reading going down. I am in the intro. page so it is in dark black with a blue button to the left of those words. Below it reads Read Me, License, Select Destination, Installation Type, Installing, and Finish Up.

I clicked continue. I agreed to the Read ME and the license agreement. At the "Select Destination" screen there is a Mac Hard Disk Icon (below it it reads 38.2GB) and a Mac OS X Inatallation CD icon (below it reads 626MB). Both are dimmed. When I hold my mouse over the Mac Hard Disk Icon it doesn't let mne click it. Instead, at the bottom left, about 2 inches from the bottom the words appear "This disk is dimmed because the Mac OSX CD installs in different languages". When I hold my mouse (and try to click - which doesn't work) it says "Mac OS X install CD is disabled because it is read only". The continue button is dimmed out (so I can't click on it). I am now awaiting advice on how to continue.
 
You seem to be going through the installation steps. You need to explore the menus at the very top of the screen (to the right of the Apple menu). In there, you should find "Disk Utility". I believe in 10.1 and 10.2, you'll find it under the "Installer" menu. Once you have DU open, you'll select your iMac's hard drive then click "repair disk" in the lower right. Followed by 'Repair Disk Permissions" in the lower left (if it will let you).

Once you're done with those two steps, choose "Quit" from the Installer menu and it will confirm that you'd like to reboot normally.

Now, my guess is that your Power/Analog/Video board is fried or you may have some RAM that's gone bad. The PAV board failure is not uncommon in these older iMacs. But go ahead and try the other stuff first and see what you come up with.
 
All the titles on the top menu bar are dimmed out aswell. The only options I have is "about installer", "Quit installer", and "show logs". That's all. Any more advice. There is no disk utility option.
 
You may be too far ahead in the installer steps. You may need to "Go back" to the beginning of the Installation options to get the items in the menu bars back.
 
you might want to try starting it in external-harddrive mode(holdin "t" when you start it up) if you can get that booted up, you could back up all your files(if you haven't already), then start from square one.
 
I see the words "Open Disk Utility" I just cli8cked on it and now under the "First Aid" tab I am "Verifying disk 'Mac Hard Disk' ". Here is what appeared at the bottom of all the words:
"The volume Mac Hard Disk needs to be repaired" Then it says "Verify Completed" (below the Mac Hard Disk message). Now what do I do?
(THANKS FOR GETTING ME THIS FAR!)
The list of items it showed below the first words are:

This is the text in red (I'm not going to type out all of the black text unless you need it or it would help you):
ALL IS IN READ ON MY SCREEN:
Overlapped extent allocation (file 3108280d)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 3208488d)
Overlapped extent allocation (file 3153076d)

Then theres some black text saying that it's checking stuff

Now it says (in red):
Volume Bitmap needs minor repair
then one more line of black text and now it says (in red)
Invalid volume block count
(it should be 4329314 instead of 4329447)

Then in black it says the "Mac Hard disk needs to be repaired"

Then verify completed (in black)
Th bottom left now says the buttons "stop" - dimmed out, "repair" - dimmed out, and "verify" - glowing blue. What should I do now? What should I click on. At the top the tabs read : "information", "First Aid" - where I am now, "Erase", "Partition", and "Raid". To the far left on the colum where above it reads "1 disk and 0 volumes selected" there reads a hard disk icon with the text 38.16 GB and below it there is a hard disk icon reading 719.99 MB to the left of the hard disk icon on those there is a triangle turned at 90 degrees (I believe - I didn't do very well in geometry".

Thanks again for getting me this far (if this site didn't exist I would be writting out a a check for 250.00 dollars. I am waiting for further instructions, thanks, Dave.
Further advice needed!
 
EDIT TO LAST POST:
I clicked on the triangle and now the words "Mac Hard disk" appear hilighted. The text (Mac Hard Disk) is hilighted and now the repair icon is not dimmed. Should I click it? I DO NOT, want want much risk of loosing files. Advice greatly appreciated.
 
Given the list of errors, you could just go ahead and hit repair. If you're really concerned, boot the computer in Firewire disk mode (as described by minnird), connect to another computer and backup the files.

If it's actually unable to repair your files, you'll need a little more robust utility like Disk Warrior to make the repairs (make sure you're using DW 3.0.3)
 
The disk repair didn't repair the files :(
Would there be any hope in retrying for a while to see if I get anywhere?
Also: If it's Ram or something that's broken or fried - Are you sure that it's not that, because I don't want to drop $80 for it if it may not fix the problem. Are the errors the cause of this black bar? If not, I don't know :(
Thanks,
Dave
 
huh? Is there a way I can back everything up before installing a new hard drive? Besides the firewire way (holding "t" at startup - does it have to be a external hard drive? Will USB Flash Drive Work? - What about CD?). HELP!
Are you sure i need a new hard drive? Could something as simple as a iPod updater do this? Was it the iPod updater? What exactly happened to my computer? Sorry about all the questions. Thanks,
Dave
 
dave-dave said:
The disk repair didn't repair the files :(
Would there be any hope in retrying for a while to see if I get anywhere?
Also: If it's Ram or something that's broken or fried - Are you sure that it's not that, because I don't want to drop $80 for it if it may not fix the problem. Are the errors the cause of this black bar? If not, I don't know :(
Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...

It is common practise to run Repair more then once, some times several passes are needed before all the errors are corrected. If the repairs are successfull, this will be indicated upon completion.
But, there is always the chance that Disk Utility might not be able to fix a really messed up hard disk.

jb.
 
UPDATE: Some errors cleared (like the block count one)... Now the only errors are the 3 file numbers with a "d" at the end. My computer still doesn't startup without freezing with the black bar. :(
 
So now what do I need? I don't have an external hard drive for back up in the "t" firewire mode... Where would I get one for UNDER $60.00 that's mac and PC compatible that can backup in that mode. AND that works with MAC 10.2.8

I also am wondering if there's another way to backup - whether it's a USB backup or if backing up with FIREWIRE is the ONLY WAY and if I can't do it with a USB external hard drive (which I would need to purchase) or with CDs, or something. This also must be able to backup WHILE the problem I am having is STILL persisting.

Thanks
Dave
 
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