| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Mac start-up; Tell me what I don't want to hear...
Jon Blacker, Photographer
 |
Toronto | ON | Canada | Posted: 2:10 PM on 09.13.08 |
->> When, at start-up on my 1.67GHz Powerbook G4 running OSX 10.4.x, I get an icon of a small folder in the middle of the screen which flashes between the Finder icon and a question mark......
.......that's bad, right? |
|
Ron Erdrich, Photographer
 |
Abilene | TX | USA | Posted: 2:19 PM on 09.13.08 |
->> That means your OS isn't loading. Do you have your original system disk? You can start up from there. I would also recommend getting a copy of Disk Warrior which is invaluable in cases like this. You can order it online and get a downloaded version of it (assuming you have another Mac you can download to).
You don't want to reinstall your OS if you haven't backed anything up, however. That might wipe your hard drive though perhaps somebody here might know of a way to repair it using the disk without wiping your data.
But to reiterate, Disk Warrior is a sure cure for what ails you.
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
-Ron- |
|
Marc F. Henning, Photographer
 |
Bentonville | AR | USA | Posted: 2:34 PM on 09.13.08 |
->> i've only had the dreaded folder icon appear at startup once since owning Macs all of my professional career. it happened to my Intel iMac two years ago. i spent 20 minutes on the phone with Apple and we exhausted every possible way to restart the computer. the hard drive crashed and it had to be replaced. like Ron said above. you could try booting from the startup disc that came with your Mac. i hope you had all of your important data and photos backed up.
good luck.
marc |
|
Alex Jones, Photographer
 |
McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 3:41 PM on 09.13.08 |
->> What Ron said.
You might also try booting your Powerbook in firewire disk mode by restarting it and holding down T. From there, you can plug it into another Mac with a firewire cable, and try running DiskWarrior, which can be purchased instantly from Alsoft's website. Alsoft even offers VERY skilled tech support over iChat with the purchase of their software. |
|
Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
 |
Live HVN : Work SFO-NYC | | | Posted: 4:24 PM on 09.13.08 |
->> This might be a good time to remind people that they should use Time Machine, which is included in Leopard, and backup externally every day!
Time Machine can completely restore a computer to exactly how it was, down to how the desktop looked, should you need to install a new hard drive. |
|
Michael Muszynski, Photographer, Student/Intern
 |
Chicago | IL | USA | Posted: 6:44 PM on 09.13.08 |
->> Woah woah woah! There are some other things you should do before you look at reinstalling everything. First of all, zap the PRAM. Here is how to do this:
1. Restart your computer while holding Command (apple) - Option - P - R
2. Keep holding the keys down while you hear the startup bong a few times
3. Let go and see if that fixed it
If that doesn't work, you might be able to hold down just option when you start up to select the boot disk. I can't remember if this works for that era powerbook.
If that doesn't work, you should try the install disc to see if the computer even boots any operating system.
Here is an article that might have more information for you:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440 |
|
Rich Cruse, Photographer
 |
Laguna Niguel | CA | USA | Posted: 6:54 PM on 09.13.08 |
| ->> First start from the System Disk by inserting the DVD into the slot. Restart and hold down the C key. Do not start the install process, instead look in the menu for Disk Utility. Choose the Disk First Aid Option. If your computer hard drive does not show-up, you "may" have a hard drive failure. The drive on that PowerBook is at the age where they begin to fail. Seek the advice of a professional before spending all day on it. |
|
Matt Barton, Photographer
 |
Lexington | KY | USA | Posted: 7:16 PM on 09.13.08 |
->> Jon, Does it continue to boot up or just freeze? I've had the question mark before but ultimately it would boot a few seconds later. All I had to do was open Sys Prefs-> Startup Disk and re-select my startup drive. Sometimes that stuff mysteriously gets changed.
If it doesn't boot at all, assume the drive is dying and clone it with ccc before it's too late. |
|
Jon Blacker, Photographer
|
Toronto | ON | Canada | Posted: 10:09 AM on 09.14.08 |
->> All,
Thank you for your replies here, and off-board. I spent the evening trying all of your suggestions to no avail. My machine is not seeing my drive, though I can boot from the install disk.
Fortunately, all of my images reside on redundant drives on my G5. Not so fortunately, my email doesn't.
I have a 1pm appointment at the Genius Bar..... |
|
Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
 |
Washington | DC | US | Posted: 9:21 AM on 09.15.08 |
->> Jon...that's definitely not good news.
I'll second what Steve Frischling said above and re-remind people that they should use Time Machine. A few days ago I saved over a spreadsheet that I had been working on and Time Machine totally saved my butt. I've been using TM since March/April and it's really easy to set up and well worth the money.
Delane
http://www.contrastphotography.com
http://www.delanerousephotography.com |
|
Jared Wickerham, Student/Intern, Photographer
 |
Pittsburgh | PA | U.S.A. | Posted: 10:18 AM on 09.15.08 |
| ->> Can Time Machine be used on the previous Mac OS? |
|
Ron Erdrich, Photographer
|
Abilene | TX | USA | Posted: 10:33 AM on 09.15.08 |
->> No, it is a new function in OS X 10.5.
-R- |
|
George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
 |
Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 11:52 AM on 09.15.08 |
->> Time Machine is only for 10.5 (Leopard) but there are numerous options available for older iterations of OSX.
SuperDuper, Carbon Copy Cloner and Silverkeeper are all good backup utilities.
They all let you create a full, bootable backup of your system and then do incremental backups (replacing only what has been changed instead of the whole system) either on a schedule or by manually clicking the backup function.
As one who had a hard drive die on a laptop I can strongly recommend doing this. One bit of data save is worth the $30 or less of the software (some are free) and a hundred bucks or so on an external firewire drive.
This thread reminded me I hadn't done a full backup in a while so I just spent the morning doing that. |
|
Corey Perrine, Photographer
 |
Hudson | NH | USA | Posted: 12:16 PM on 09.15.08 |
| ->> Whoops. Didn't even read the other responses. Redundant info. |
|
Jared Wickerham, Student/Intern, Photographer
|
Pittsburgh | PA | U.S.A. | Posted: 2:35 PM on 09.15.08 |
| ->> Now, I have 3 500GB external drives that are all backed up but I did it manually, dragging all of the folders to each. This data is NOT on my laptop at all. What is the best program to use to back up and update these drives automatically? |
|
Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Washington | DC | US | Posted: 2:52 PM on 09.15.08 |
->> Jared-
I can personally recommend Time Machine and Carbon Copy.
Delane |
|
Max Gersh, Photographer
 |
St. Louis | MO | USA | Posted: 3:06 PM on 09.15.08 |
->> Jon,
I don't know if you are a NPPA member (I know, I know. The 4 letter org.) but I just got an email from them letting me know of a new service with DriverSavers. Data recovery can be expensive and they offer a discount to NPPA members. It might be worth looking into if you're a member. |
|
Jon Blacker, Photographer
|
Toronto | ON | Canada | Posted: 3:09 PM on 09.15.08 |
->> It will never happen to you until it happens to you.
There is going to be an $80 charge to determine what can be salvaged. Pending the outcome of the review, recovery will begin at $800.
I have a new hard drive and a copy of Leopard sitting on my desk.
Guess what I'm doing tonight. |
|
Jared Wickerham, Student/Intern, Photographer
|
Pittsburgh | PA | U.S.A. | Posted: 4:10 PM on 09.15.08 |
| ->> Thanks Delane! Carbon Copy it is! |
|
Mark Loundy, Photo Editor
 |
San Jose | CA | USA | Posted: 4:54 PM on 09.15.08 |
->> Corey,
The NPPA just added a member discount to Drivesavers. They're among the best known and best respected data recovery companies out there.
--Mark |
|
George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 8:36 PM on 09.15.08 |
->> BTW,
Ron, there is a way to reload the OS without losing all data -- provided the drive isn't hosed.
You can do an Archive and Install of Mac OS which will re-install the software while maintaining your user data and programs. You may have to put in a serial number or two afterwards but it is a good way to clear up big OS problems.
You insert the install disk and choose the Archive and Install option when going through the menus. |
|
Jon Blacker, Photographer
|
Toronto | ON | Canada | Posted: 8:59 PM on 09.15.08 |
->> George,
Ron...Jon...I've been called worse. Today, even.
I'm certain would be a great option under some conditions, however my system can't even see the drive. Hosed indeed.
Thanks though, and I'm happy to have helped remind you to back up. |
|
Jon Blacker, Photographer
|
Toronto | ON | Canada | Posted: 9:00 PM on 09.15.08 |
| ->> Never mind...you WERE talking to Ron. It's been a tough day. |
|
John Riddell, Photographer
 |
| ON | Canada | Posted: 11:46 PM on 09.15.08 |
->> Jon
E-mail sent. |
|
Mike Burley, Photographer
 |
Honolulu | HI | USA | Posted: 1:07 AM on 09.16.08 |
| ->> Before trying anything, I would go to a Apple Store. They saved my last ibook and didn't charge. They are brilliant, most of the time. They see the same problems hundreds of times, and are really knowledgeable. |
|
Rich Cruse, Photographer
|
Laguna Niguel | CA | USA | Posted: 2:08 PM on 09.16.08 |
->> One last suggestion- if you have a PowerBook that has a failed drive, think about replacing it with a new one. You can buy MacBook Pros for around $1500 and MacBooks for a little over $1000. If you can wait a few weeks, wait for the new models that should be faster and cheaper expected no later than October 14th.
This is all about diminishing returns. Even with a new drive, the PowerBook will be worth less than $500! It is half as fast as the cheapest MacBook too! One thing I like about the current MacBooks is that the drives are user replaceable. I have the first model and I just bought an external 250 gig drive, removed it from the case and installed it in my MacBook. The old drive is now in the external case and I have a 250 internal drive. Total cost? $95!
With every new Mac, you also get the latest version of the Mac OS and all the iApps as well. A full year of warranty is there for you too. |
|
Adam Cairns, Photographer
 |
Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 5:13 PM on 09.16.08 |
->> Something similar happened to the hard drive in my Powerbook a few months ago. The computer wasn't able to communicate with the hard drive, so I assumed it was spent. A trip to the Genius Bar confirmed my assumption. I replaced the hard drive myself, and popped the old hard drive in an external enclosure. Amazingly it works in the enclosure. I was due for an upgrade anyway, so no big loss on the purchase of the new drive. It would probably worth it for you to hit up Other World Computing for an external enclosure just to test your old hard drive.
And as an FYI, step-by-step instructions for installing a new Powerbook hard drive can be found at http://www.ifixit.com |
|
David Ahntholz, Photographer, Photo Editor
 |
Cleveland | OH | USA | Posted: 11:51 PM on 09.16.08 |
->> I assume you tried Alex's suggestion of trying to boot as a firewire target drive? I've had computers that wouldn't recognize the system (even as a drive is failing), but would mount on another computer in target disk mode.
I use SuperDuper, which is usually very highly rated. You can create a bootable backup drive (something Time Machine doesn't do), with smart update it will automatically update the changed items however frequently you set it to update.
As far as e-mail, if you have your e-mail from an IMAP server, your e-mail will also reside on the server. For anyone who still uses POP, I'd suggest migrating to IMAP for just these types of problems. |
|
|| Sponsor Special Deals
We BUY & TRADE you OLD Gear
|
Available from:
Adorama Camera
|
Price: $0.00 |
Notes:
We all have some cameras & lenses sitting around collecting dust right?...Or you work at a Newspaper that has downsized?...What to do with your excess photographic equipment? Adorama's Used Dept is looking for your used gear to purchase or take in trade. Contact me directly jsnyder@adorama.com or 1-800-223-2500 X2435 and I can fill you in on the details. Cash in your pocket is better than sitting on the shelf, right?
|
|
-- More Info -- |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|