Enormous problems OSX
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- jox
My laptop has gone completely mad, and I've tried everything.
Here's a timeline over the last two days:
- Mail keeps quitting unexpectedly whilst downloading emails from the server
- Mail starts working again, however it seems to have infected Safari, which now unexpectedly quits.
- I boot from the CD, i repair the hard drive and I rebuild the permissions. Still nothing.- I run DiskWarrior, repair, rebuild directories etc etc. Nothing helps.
- Now, the system ain't starting AT ALL. It just stays put where the grey apple is, right before the login screen.
- I manage to get it going in OS9, but after a few restarts - it dies too.
- I decide to format the drive and make a clean install, which seems to go just fine, until the installation is almost done and it restarts.- Again, it stays put where the grey apple is, ONLY THIS TIME, the apple becomes a circle with a line over it, like the no-parking symbol. WTF?
- I format/reinstall again - same thing.
HOW do I get my computer working again? This particular installation had been working for weeks, I had no other fonts installed / activated than the factory ones, the only app installed was Office.
This is causing me some massive problems, I have never needed a laptop as much as I will next week.
I beg you, help me. I have absolutely no idea as to what to do next.
- ********0
Send it back to the manufacturer.
- johndiggity0
where are you now?
- 2cent0
from what i've read of all your OSX posts it sounds like you pretty new to Macs, and OSX... correct me if I'm wrong.
so if that is the case and you desperately need you laptop i would either...
1. take it back to where you bought it cuz it sounds like you've only had it a few weeks... could be you got a machine with a bad drive.
2. take it to a make Mac repairs shop and pay to have it sorted out.
I think any advice you get here will get you nowhere as it seems to be a big problem that you really need to be infront of the machine to work out.
good luck.
- DutchBoy0
sounds like a hardware issue to me.
sorry to hear it though as you just ,ade the move to a Mac.
I have hardly ever experienced a thing like that though..
anyway, i recommend to visit an expert in some store that sells Apples, better don't go to the Apple-Store itself though as they will prolly have it sent to Apple and that can take ages...
- jox0
thanks 2cent. You're absolutely right, I'm *very* new to OSX (i have, however, used 9 for about a year).
I suppose there's not much left to do but to take it to the repairs :( It definitely seems to be hardware related now that there's nothign on it.
- johndiggity0
what i was getting at was if you are in the us or japan go to an apple store and visit the genius bar, bring you computer obviously. usually they can help you out on the spot. or call apple care, they are pretty good about it.
or try using a friend's install disk, maybe yours is bunk. my friend was ahving problems with his safari crashin and reinstalled 3 different times. i lent him my disk and it been all gravy train since.
- SteveJobs0
i'm guessing a bad harddrive. and if that's the case, i'd order one and replace it myself - unless you're under the apple-care warranty.
- Gilt0010
i'd recommend taking it to an Apple Store. Have them look at it at the Genius Bar.
Apple services all laptops out of a depot. So it has to get sent out for repair. However they ship overnight and all work is usually done within 48hrs.
Since you're machine isn't very old you might even want to go back to wherever you purchased it. Hopefully you got Applecare to just as an extra measure, but DO NOT pay for any repairs as your machine (with what looks like a hardware failure) should be covered under mfg warranty.
- 2cent0
if its hardware i would think apple will cover it being how new it is... altho dutchie has a point that if apple will cover it you may not see your laptop for a few weeks or more.
it really sucks that you buy a new computer and then have to go drop more cash on making it work right, if you can wait let apple sort it out... if not, the repair shop will be your new friend.
- johndiggity0
ask about a loaner if yours has to go in the shop and keep all your stuff on a fire drive or ipod in the mean time.
- jox0
thanks guys! yeah, problem is though, they dont have a lot of apple stores in my neck of the woods - stockholm. I purchased the computer through my company from a firm not offering any kind of support (they redirect to apple. Silly me thought that wouldn't be a problem since "macs just work")
I'm going to London some time soon though, hopefully the warranty is worldwide so I can have it repaired there. And no applecare for me, the swedish equivalent of applecare is around $800 / year - no way!
- ribit0
Arent you still covered under the basic hardware warranty? (which means you should be calling Applecare and they will talk you through diagnostics and then repair it for you).
The 3yr Applecare coverage is highly recommended for Powerbooks..You can buy it seperately up to one year after yu bought the Powerbook, so it might be your best option even for this repair...
- tymeframe0
Reboot with the CD in the drive and hold down the Option key.
Run the Apple Hardware Test. It scans all your internal hardware, except for the optical drive (i think). Anyway, if there's a hardware problem, it will tell you. It will also give you a hardware error code. Write that down and get in touch with a Service Provider.
- jox0
I'm trying that right now tymeframe, I'll let you know how it works out! Thanks a lot!