(sorry for my english has it is not my native language)
im having this problem where my macbook wont boot any further than the grey apple logo. i know there are lots of threads on similar issues but i found that none were exactly as my problem.
after a week of testing and searching forums i feel like i got a full picture o the situation.
if it has been thoroughly discussed in pasts threads feel free to link them!
ok so here is the situation:
i was having problem with airport and safari was frozen. the application quit by itself and i ignored the error report and re-opened safari to find that all my preference (top site, bookmarks) were gone. as i was getting everything back to normal my mac lagged and froze again, this time a forced shut down was the only option. since then it wont restart.
on startup my status indicator light in the front goes on but turn off when i hear the startup tone and it turns back on when i close the screen of my macbook. the HDD doesnt seems to be running, nor anything else beside the fan which goes on full speed everytime.
i already tried the following:
-P-RAM and V-Ram reset: cmd+alt+P+R i did this a single time or three or even four time in a row as prescribed on some forums)
-cmd+alt+O+F: doesnt boot in open firmware, doesnt do anything at all
-SMC reset (with removing battery and pushing power for 5 seconds thing): doesnt do anything.
-cmd+S: opens the command prompt but i cant type in anything (i was trying to run fsck)
after a while it gives me an error message in loading the mach_kernel and eventually restart.
-safe boot: cant get past that spinning wheel, and i waited like 3 hours but nothing comes up.. interisting fact: i need to hold the power button for 10 second to shut down the macbook, in opposition to instantly while on grey screen
-finally i ran the Apple Hardware Test (extended) and it came up with the dreaded 4HDD/11/4000004 error message that seems to indicate a hard drive failure. however when i boot while holding Alt the macbook recognise my HDD as it is a suggested volume for boot-up. doesnt this hint that my HDD isnt THAT damaged?
i unforntunately dont have access to my OS dvd at the moment but i will try booting from it to run disk utilities later this week. however i dont have high hopes since i cant even run fsck from single user mode.
Now my question is:
any of you guys that succeeded in resolving a similar issue without loosing your data? because the more deeper i dig the more it seems i will need a new HDD...
and is there a way to backup my data as of now? i backed-up a while ago so the essential (like itunes library) is safe but there are documents i was working on that were not backed-up... anyway of accessing them (i heard you can plug two macbook together maybe?)
Thanks a lot in advance guys!
specs:
Macbook 5,2 (white plastic, late 2009)
intel core 2 duo 2.13 Ghz
L2 cpu cache: 3 mb
nvidia geforce 9400m
2x 2Gb (@ 800Mhz) for 4gb of RAM
im having this problem where my macbook wont boot any further than the grey apple logo. i know there are lots of threads on similar issues but i found that none were exactly as my problem.
after a week of testing and searching forums i feel like i got a full picture o the situation.
if it has been thoroughly discussed in pasts threads feel free to link them!
ok so here is the situation:
i was having problem with airport and safari was frozen. the application quit by itself and i ignored the error report and re-opened safari to find that all my preference (top site, bookmarks) were gone. as i was getting everything back to normal my mac lagged and froze again, this time a forced shut down was the only option. since then it wont restart.
on startup my status indicator light in the front goes on but turn off when i hear the startup tone and it turns back on when i close the screen of my macbook. the HDD doesnt seems to be running, nor anything else beside the fan which goes on full speed everytime.
i already tried the following:
-P-RAM and V-Ram reset: cmd+alt+P+R i did this a single time or three or even four time in a row as prescribed on some forums)
-cmd+alt+O+F: doesnt boot in open firmware, doesnt do anything at all
-SMC reset (with removing battery and pushing power for 5 seconds thing): doesnt do anything.
-cmd+S: opens the command prompt but i cant type in anything (i was trying to run fsck)
after a while it gives me an error message in loading the mach_kernel and eventually restart.
-safe boot: cant get past that spinning wheel, and i waited like 3 hours but nothing comes up.. interisting fact: i need to hold the power button for 10 second to shut down the macbook, in opposition to instantly while on grey screen
-finally i ran the Apple Hardware Test (extended) and it came up with the dreaded 4HDD/11/4000004 error message that seems to indicate a hard drive failure. however when i boot while holding Alt the macbook recognise my HDD as it is a suggested volume for boot-up. doesnt this hint that my HDD isnt THAT damaged?
i unforntunately dont have access to my OS dvd at the moment but i will try booting from it to run disk utilities later this week. however i dont have high hopes since i cant even run fsck from single user mode.
Now my question is:
any of you guys that succeeded in resolving a similar issue without loosing your data? because the more deeper i dig the more it seems i will need a new HDD...
and is there a way to backup my data as of now? i backed-up a while ago so the essential (like itunes library) is safe but there are documents i was working on that were not backed-up... anyway of accessing them (i heard you can plug two macbook together maybe?)
Thanks a lot in advance guys!
specs:
Macbook 5,2 (white plastic, late 2009)
intel core 2 duo 2.13 Ghz
L2 cpu cache: 3 mb
nvidia geforce 9400m
2x 2Gb (@ 800Mhz) for 4gb of RAM