Apple blocking Snow Leopard?

[Seanog]

Mid 2007 2.16ghz Core 2 Duo White MacBook. I Have been running OS X.7(Lion) quite happily for a while now but someone used it and I decided to reinstall the OS. I started with OS X.5.1, then OS X.6, then OS X.6.3. All seem to load Ok, some saying "Installation successful", but when it starts talking to Apple it locks up. It was working fine yesterday. Has Apple put the block on these OS's? They are all Original Apple DVD's

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

Apple hasn't blocked any version of Mac OS X/macOS that I know of. I assume you connected to your Wi-Fi during setup? Do you have an Ethernet cable and connection you could try?

C

 

[Seanog]

Yes, wifi working fine. It connects to wifi Ok and then you must give a name and it is then "Creating your account" that it hangs. Once or twice have got all the Icons on the screen, but when I try to open an App, the machine hangs.
With X.6 I got "Connecting to Apple" then "Choose photo", then Spinning ball.
Seems to vary when it hans but always when connecting to Apple

 

[Cory Cooper]

OK.

It sounds a bit like there may be hardware issue, like a failing hard drive. As a point of clarification..you mentioned you tried "OS X.5.1, then OS X.6, then OS X.6.3". Do they all hang when creating the account? Do you have an external drive you could try the install on to see if the issue happens at the same point?

C

 

[Seanog]

Yes, tried them all with a Clean install every time. Also tried OS 6 from a USB but same result. Don't think it's a hardware issue cause I was using it every day with no problems till I tried to reinstall the OS. It has a 120gb ssd. Will try with external drive

 

[Seanog]

Strange. I have another white MacBook, 1.83ghz Core Duo, 2gb ram. Tried installing OS X.4.9(The 2 set Grey Disks). Installs Ok, asks a lot of info, then when it starts sending this info to Apple..........spinning ball.

 

[Seanog]

Have got OS10.5.1 installed on the 2.16ghz. machine. It goes through the flashy introductions, so it's installed OK, but when you give your info in and it's "talking to Apple", it locks up. Which is prettymuch the same for all the OSs. Cannot get it to recognise any OS DVD from an external drive.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hmmm..this is very strange.

-Is it fully freezing, or can you move the mouse/use keyboard input?
-How long are you letting it sit in that state?
-Do you have third-party RAM installed?

C

 

[Seanog]

Hmmm..this is very strange.

-Is it fully freezing, or can you move the mouse/use keyboard input?
-How long are you letting it sit in that state?
-Do you have third-party RAM installed?

C

I am staying with the 2.16ghz machine and OS 6 as its getting very confusing. DVD loads Ok, as for lLanguage, Keyboard layout, wifi, etc. Then it comes to Personal Info. I can skip the 1st. screen with CMD + Q but the next screen asking for a name you cannot pass until you enter a name. I give a name in then "setting up your computer" and a small ball(not the coloured ball) starts spinning. I leave it and after a few minutes the screen goes Black and the only thing to do is to power with the on/off key.
It will not recognise and external drive.
Have used a USB boot but the result is the same.

 

[Seanog]

Ok, took the HD & SSD and connected them to my iMac , they tested Ok, no faults. Reinstalled drives and have now got to the stage where everything looks Ok until you try and do something. Open Safari and it loads Apple's latest offering & then promptly locks up.
I saw a 2007 2.16 selling as scrap on ebay but the seller assured me that the OS worked Ok. It just arrived.......and guess what. Yes it loads just like the other 2 then locks up.
Going nuts.

 

[Cory Cooper]

I forgot to ask - what is the Mac OS X install media you are using?

C

 

[Seanog]

Sorry was away.
They are original grey DVD's, but also the White Snow Leopard. I have managed to get the 1.83 & 2.16 loading Ok but when I start any app, they both seize up. I saw a 2.16 being sold for scrap, the owner assured me that the OS loaded Ok but when it got here it had the same problem, loads the OS then locks up. I have swaped the Ram out of the 3 machines but same problem. I could not run Apple Hardware test on the Snow Leopard so reinstalled OS 4.9 on my 2.16 machine. Rand Apple Hardware Test and when it is testing Memory it locks up. Sometimes I get the error: 4mem / 9 / 40000000:491 bc 664

 

[Cory Cooper]

No worries.

Hmmm...this is a stumper. It is sounding like there are issues with the RAM or the RAM slots/logic boards in all of the Macs. It would be a huge coincidence for multiple Macs to have failing RAM, but it could happen.

-Is the RAM in them original Apple RAM, or third-party?
-Are you sure the RAM is the correct type/speed for each Mac?
-Are you connecting anything to them other than AC power?

C

 

[Seanog]

No worries.

Hmmm...this is a stumper. It is sounding like there are issues with the RAM or the RAM slots/logic boards in all of the Macs. It would be a huge coincidence for multiple Macs to have failing RAM, but it could happen.

-Is the RAM in them original Apple RAM, or third-party?
-Are you sure the RAM is the correct type/speed for each Mac?
-Are you connecting anything to them other than AC power?

C

Not sure if they were Original but I have 6 x 1gb. & 1 x 2gb ram modules. I have tried various combinations. As I say the 2.16 & the 1.83 were working fine until I tried to reinstall Snow Leopard.
Have managed to get AHT working. On the 2.16 with the Quick pass I get "4MOT/1/4000002:exhaust". With the Extended pass it locks up after about 20 minutes.
On the 1.83 with Quick pass i get "No problems found" but with extended pass I get " 4/MOT/2/40000004:Center-lower-front".
How many fans are in these Macs?

 

[Cory Cooper]

The Mid 2007 MacBooks only have a single fan. It is located in the center towards the display hinge - about where the Num Lock and 6/7 keys are.

I believe the first error 4MOT/1/4000002:exhaust is related to the fan. There could be a lot of dust/foreign material blocking where the fan is held in place by tape to the exhaust fins on the heatsink. I do not recommend removing the heatsink, but you could try removing the fan and blowing out any foreign matter from the fan area and exhaust fins.

The second error 4/MOT/2/40000004:Center-lower-front is a bit tougher. I would guess it is a temperature sensor. If the fan is blocked , the entire machine could overheat, especially after an extended stress test due to heat build up.

iFixit - MacBook Core 2 Duo

Again, they haven't blocked Snow Leopard. I will try to install Snow Leopard on one of my old Macs and see what happens.

I wonder if it might be prudent to try different version of Mac OS X? It can support from 10.4.11 Tiger to 10.7.5 Lion?

C

 

[Cory Cooper]

Update:

I successfully installed Snow Leopard on a Late 2009 iMac from a retail install disc. It talked to Apple and registered my install normally.

I have two different versions of the retail Snow Leopard disc - 10.6 and 10.6.3. I wonder if it could be the disc versions you have. Also, when installing Snow Leopard, try a custom install by clicking the Customize... button and uncheck everything but Essential System Software.

C

 

[Seanog]

Thanks for that Cory. I also have the same discs but makes no difference. I think you could well be right about the Fan, I had a look at IFixit so will try and look at the fan. Iv'e nothing to lose really. Will keep you posted.

 

[Seanog]

Well, swapped the fan from the 2.16 to the 1.83 and vice a versa. Both come up with the same error that they displayed before. Then again both fans could be broken. But there doesn't seem to be much dirt in either of them and they spin well when blown on. Think i'll call it a day, wasting too much time on them. Thanks anyway.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

Sorry we haven't been able to resolve this. It is sounding like it may be logic board issues for both. Sometimes it is hard to diagnose things when we can't see them in person, and don't have all of the diagnostic tools available that certified techs do.

If I think of anything additional, I will let you know.

C

 

[Seanog]

I have been trying again but it's a waste of time, I'm out of my depth. Thanks for your help Cory.