!!!HELP!!! Mac gurus need solution to start up issue

[prolesunited]

I was having some problems with my iMac running on OSX. I decided to do a hardware check using the Apple CD. I have a third party keyboard and it wasn't booting from the CD by pressing Apple C, so I went under system preferences and changed the startup volume to the CD.

HOWEVER, it doesn't give you access to any system preferences so I can't change my boot volume. I can't see my hard drive or anything on my desktop either.

I tried restarting by pushing Apple C so it would eject the CD and I could restart with the system folder on restoration CD but that won't work.

So, what do I do now?

[htuttle]

1. To eject the CD, hold down the mouse button when you turn the power on

Also, if you hold down the option key as you initially startup (VERY early in the startup sequence -- right after power on), you will get a 'system chooser' that will scan for all bootable devices and allow you to select one to boot from.

swings back out the window on a rope

[prolesunited]

2. I'm not at home right now

so I can't try it. Will this system chooser have a dialog box or what? If this doesn't work, can I PM you later? Do you have any good links for troubleshooting resources?

Thanks!

[Poiuyt]

3. macfixit.com is a good source, also apple.com support page

I'm not sure I understand your problem. Were you able to start up with the original OSX installation disk? At what point were you not able to see the system preferences, under which startup (hard drive, CD, etc.)? If you can start up with the install CD, you can go to Disk Utility and run Fix Disk and Repair Permissions.

What is the third party keyboard? Do you still have access to the original Apple keyboard?

[prolesunited]

5. I started up

with the hardware check CD NOT the installation disk. After I started up with that, is when I lost access to my system preferences. There's just the dialog box for the hardware check and two buttons on the bottom, shutdown or restart.

I've selected to start up with my system CD before with other things, but I've always had access to go back and change it to start up from my hard drive again. Imagine my shock when I saw the screen and realized what I had done.

No, I bought a new one because I had spilled a beer on the Mac one. I have a Mac keyboard and mouse at work that I can borrow.

[Mika]

15. When you boot from a different system disk CD..

.. you won't have access to the sys prefs from the system on the HD (because you aren't running that sys).

-

[htuttle]

7. The system chooser is just a simple screen with a button...

...for each bootable device. Also, it has buttons to rescan your devices and continue with starting up.

The troubleshooting links posted by pduck are good, especially http://www.macfixit.com .

Did you try holding the mouse button down while you turned the power on yet? Hold it down until the CD pops out. If a third party keyboard is giving you trouble, you can try plugging only the mouse in (directly to the computer) to get the CD-ROM out.

You can try PM'ing me later (I support dozens of OSX macs as part of my job, so it's no trouble). I should be on and off DU most of the day.

[prolesunited]

8. I'm at work now

and have to go to my other job later, so I won't be home until late. I'll give these things a try and let you know how it turns out. Sounds like it will work. :-)

What started the whole thing was that I was having repeated crashes, which has never happened to me on a Mac. My screen would fade and I would get the message about needing to restart in five different languages. When I did, it was taking forever to boot and locked up shortly after a couple of times.

I haven't added any new software or done anything different lately. I'm running Virex and have done all the system updates.

Ever run into that? What would you do. I'm thinking of re-installing my system software.

[htuttle]

10. Hmm...Kernel Panics, eh?

Colonel Panic and his cohorts, General Pandemonium and Major Problem.

Sometimes they can be caused by exhausting your system resources (ie., RAM or hard drive space). This is less common on newer versions of OSX, and about impossible on OSX 10.2 or newer.

More often, and especially if they happen over and over, the cause is ultimately a emerging hardware problem somewhere. Bad RAM can cause it, but RAM rarely goes bad over time, so you'd only see this right after you installed new RAM chips.

Hard drive problems, both software and hardware related, can also cause it. What sort of iMac is it? (bondi blue, fruit-flavored, slot-loading or flatscreen). If it's a very old one, you *might* be loosing your hard drive, but it's not very common unless your machine is in a hostile environment (ie.,. hot, dusty, etc...).

I'd start by running disk first aid on the hard drive (via the install CD -> Launch Disk Utility), and see how that goes.

[prolesunited]

13. Actually, it's fairly new

15" flat panel with a superdrive and I'm running 10.2. I didn't have a lot apps open and I have tons of hard drive space. I've used Macs for 15+ years and never had a problem.

I'll run disk first aid if I can get it back up. The hardware utility test came up clean. :shrug:

[Blue-Jay]

4. I have a solution!

See if your imac bounces from a second story window.

<ducks>

[prolesunited]

6. It's your fault for saying bad things about it

:spank:

[Mika]

9. To get my Mac to boot from the CD hold down "c" not Apple +c

Hold down the eject key on start up to open the CD tray, then eject key to close it.

[Poiuyt]

11. I feel so stupid!

Of course it's just "c"

[prolesunited]

12. <Smacks self on forehead>

:silly:

[Mika]

14. Once you get this resolved..

.. get Diskwarrior and Plusoptimizer from Alsoft.

Seriously. Run them once a month (or more) to keep your HD running smoothly.

Good luck.