03-09-2010, 11:14 PM

i have a problem in my book pro which is i cant start up i always get "Broken folder" icon, prohibitory sign

i kno how to solve this problem by reinstall mac again but i have important files i dont wanna lose them in other world i need to make a back up

plz guys tell me how can i do it step by step =)

Thanx

03-09-2010, 11:40 PM

You didn't say anything about specifically what machine you have, what OS version you have, are you using Time Machine, what external devices (if any) you have and so on and so forth, so I'll have to be extremely generic in my suggestions.

You might try connecting your machine to another Mac via a firewire cable and restarting your machine holding down the "T" key. This will put it in firewire disk TARGET mode, and the hard drive SHOULD show up on the other Mac as a normal external hard drive, from which you MAY be able to copy your User Folder (this is where all the non-application stuff you want to save will be located).

If the hard drive has actually FAILED, this won't work -- but if its just the boot system that's having a problem, this should work fine.

Assuming you are able to rescue your stuff, you can repair your HD using a tool like Disk Warrior ($100). You might just try booting into single-user mode (a UNIX-y environment) by holding command-s at startup and do the "fsck -fy" repair you'll see suggested when you boot into that mode, it certainly couldn't hurt and could possibly fix the issue. But the priority should be backing up your stuff because apparently you haven't been up till now.

Once you've repaired your system, learn the lesson and develop a backup strategy. Good luck to you!

03-11-2010, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by chas_m

her Mac via a firewire cable and restarting your machine holding down the "T" key. This will put it in firewire disk TARGET mode, and the hard drive SHOULD show up on the other Mac as a normal external hard drive, from which you MAY be able to copy your User Folder (this is where all the non-application stuff you want to save will be located).

i am trying to back up my macbook too, i got a firewire, i opened the computer holding down the T key but when i connect it with my win xp computer nothing happens. do i neeed any specific software for reading the macbook as external hd?

03-11-2010, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by mbit

i am trying to back up my macbook too, i got a firewire, i opened the computer holding down the T key but when i connect it with my win xp computer nothing happens. do i neeed any specific software for reading the macbook as external hd?

Your problem is that you are trying to connect to a Windows computer. The Firewire connection chas described can only be done with another Mac computer.

03-11-2010, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by EndlessMac

Your problem is that you are trying to connect to a Windows computer. The Firewire connection chas described can only be done with another Mac computer. If it doesn't work with another Mac and do what chas said about getting Disk Warrior and see if it can repair your hard drive.

i started my mac with a xubuntu live cd and i could see the drive and the files but the documents of the user are locked and i cant copy them. any idea? maybe if i try with Singe User Mode? is there a way to back up files through there?

Thanks in advance

03-11-2010, 03:31 PM

Sorry I don't have experience with xubuntu live so I can't help you there. Although if you can see the hard drive then it may not be the hard drive that is the problem. Do you have a friend who has a Mac because you can transfer your data to their computer temporarily.

edited: Sorry I'm confusing you with the original poster. It's one reason why it's good to start your own thread instead of piggybacking onto someone else's. If you just want to backup your hard drive then why haven't you just used an external hard drive? Is there some reason why you want to connect to another computer?

03-11-2010, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by EndlessMac

Sorry I don't have experience with xubuntu live so I can't help you there. Although if you can see the hard drive then it may not be the hard drive that is the problem. Do you have a friend who has a Mac because you can transfer your data to their computer temporarily.

edited: Sorry I'm confusing you with the original poster. It's one reason why it's good to start your own thread instead of piggybacking onto someone else's. If you just want to backup your hard drive then why haven't you just used an external hard drive? Is there some reason why you want to connect to another computer?

well i did created another topic but no solution so far. My macbook doesnt let me log in

03-11-2010, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by mbit

well i did created another topic but no solution so far. My macbook doesnt let me log in

Well from reading your other post, at this point you should bring it into to an Apple store and see if they can get the data off the hard drive for you.