07-03-2011, 06:20 AM

Hi
I have a MacBook Pro 15"
Processor 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory4GB 1066Mz DDR3 SDRAM-2x2GB
Hard Drive 250GB Serial ATA @ 7200
OS: Snow Leopard

So about a week ago I shut down my macbook and when i restarted it a multi language panic message appeared saying "You need to restart your computer. Please hold down the power button" every time i did this the same massage appeared.

I changed the RAM and rest the RAM and i managed to get to the user login screen, when i logged into my user the screen went two shades of blue, as if it was loading then took me back to the login page.

I repaired the HD and Verified disk permissions and ran a hardware check using the disk that came with my macbook and everything was fine with that.

I then tried to reinstall the OS and it kept failing saying "Install Failed: The installer could not copy the necessary support files"
i then attempted to format the hard drive and an error kept occurring with that also so i couldnt even format the hard drive, does anyone have any ideas of what i need to do to fix this problem?

07-03-2011, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by ferritt33

So about a week ago I shut down my macbook and when i restarted it a multi language panic message appeared saying "You need to restart your computer. Please hold down the power button" every time i did this the same massage appeared.

I changed the RAM and rest the RAM and i managed to get to the user login screen, when i logged into my user the screen went two shades of blue, as if it was loading then took me back to the login page.

I repaired the HD and Verified disk permissions and ran a hardware check using the disk that came with my macbook and everything was fine with that.

I then tried to reinstall the OS and it kept failing saying "Install Failed: The installer could not copy the necessary support files"
i then attempted to format the hard drive and an error kept occurring with that also so i couldnt even format the hard drive, does anyone have any ideas of what i need to do to fix this problem?

Get a new hard drive.

07-23-2011, 06:15 PM

i got a new hard drive from an old windows computer, 160GB i started up my mac with the hard drive plugged into the USB slot with a external hard drive case and installed OSX... i can launch from the hard drive via the option key when its plugged in through the USB but as soon as i connect it via the internal Hard Drive connection my mac doesnt recognize it and starts up with a flash foler with a ? inside... and it still doesnt work when i hold option key like its not plugged in at all, any ideas?

07-23-2011, 07:07 PM

As you were told in the reply from member lifeisabeach: "Get a new hard drive".

He wasn't referring to an external hard drive... you need to replace the internal hard drive.

07-24-2011, 06:27 PM

2 things it is an internal hard drive, but i put it into an external hard drive case just to install OSX, now i think the problem is the internal hard drive connector, such as the wire etc. any ideas on how that could be fixed?, there is no visible damage

07-24-2011, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by ferritt33

2 things it is an internal hard drive, but i put it into an external hard drive case just to install OSX, now i think the problem is the internal hard drive connector, such as the wire etc. any ideas on how that could be fixed?, there is no visible damage

If I am interpreting your replies correctly, you took an internal drive from another computer; put it in an external case; installed OS X to it; and can boot from that external drive just fine. But when you take that drive out of the external case, put it inside the Mac, it no longer boots correctly? Most likely then, you have a fault on the motherboard. Perhaps the SATA controller in particular is faulty. That would explain why you can use an external drive, but not an internal one. I would run the Apple Hardware Test to see if it can determine if you have any hardware errors. Be aware though that the AHT doesn't always detect errors, even though they do exist.
The Apple Hardware Test

EDIT: Have you tried booting from your old internal drive while in that external case?

07-30-2011, 03:33 PM

i did boot up my old drive in the external drive but the same problem with the logging in happened... also i ran an extended AHT and as you said no faults came back, but there obviously is a fault... any ideas? or shall i just give in and see how much a repair will cost?

07-30-2011, 05:48 PM

It sounds to me like you're trying to use another Mac's Install DVD to install OS X?
Install DVDs that come with a particular model are specific to ONE model. They don't have all the "necessary support files" to allow successful installation on a different model. The drive that was working on one model won't work on the other, either.

07-30-2011, 06:40 PM

the install DVD im using is the same i got with my original mac

07-30-2011, 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by ferritt33

i did boot up my old drive in the external drive but the same problem with the logging in happened... also i ran an extended AHT and as you said no faults came back, but there obviously is a fault... any ideas? or shall i just give in and see how much a repair will cost?

Ok, so you can boot the Mac fine if the drive, either drive, is in an external enclosure, but it fails when either drive is inside the Mac? In all likelihood, you need a new motherboard. The AHT can be helpful, but it doesn't always find problems even when they are there. At any rate, knowing that the drives are good when booted from externally, there are only 3 points of failure here: the SATA cable; the power supply cable; or the motherboard (i.e. the SATA controller chip in particular). A cable failure is HIGHLY unlikely, but you can always double check to make sure they are intact and seated properly.

07-30-2011, 07:49 PM

so i just tried booting from the external casing again, and my laptop doesnt even detect that anymore, does this change the situation at all?

07-30-2011, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by ferritt33

so i just tried booting from the external casing again, and my laptop doesnt even detect that anymore, does this change the situation at all?

Maybe. You never really tried a new drive. You tried an old drive from an old computer. That may well have been bad also, or going bad. You really aren't going to know until you try a brand new one.