Mac OSX 10.6.4 Startup problem. TRIED EVERYTHING.

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Hey, today I experienced a number of screen crashes while playing a game, I ended up having to force a shut down, 3 times.
Now when i boot up into my mac drive the apple logo appears, the loading wheel loads (the gray one) for a while then stops.
I have tried everything, fsck (dident seem to help, tried it a number of times), booting from install disk (just asks me to reboot, i reboot then its the same thing again), deleting pram and the other volatile ram and safe mode. Nothing seems to work, and im unable to boot in safe mode as the loading bar gets around half way and just stops, goes away and the wheel spins then pauses like before.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 

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I can guarantee you...you have NOT tried everything!;)

If you're able to boot from an OS install disk...then there's a good possibility that the hard drive is dead or dying.

When you boot from the OS install disk...have you tried running Disk Utility on the hard drive to see if there are any problems...and if there are...using Disk Utility's "repair disk" feature. You can also try repairing permissions...again using Disk Utility.

Good luck,

- Nick
 
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I can guarantee you...you have NOT tried everything!;)

If you're able to boot from an OS install disk...then there's a good possibility that the hard drive is dead or dying.

When you boot from the OS install disk...have you tried running Disk Utility on the hard drive to see if there are any problems...and if there are...using Disk Utility's "repair disk" feature. You can also try repairing permissions...again using Disk Utility.

Good luck,

- Nick

sorry if i explained my problem badly, i meant that when i did boot from an OS install disk it dident boot, at all, it simply asked me to restart the computer.
 
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Nick I guess means the original install discs, but agree sounds like dying hard drive. Pop the original install disc in, reboot and hold down 'D' if an Intel machine and run Apple Hardware Test. Not using discs from another machine are you as these will not boot. You do have the original discs that came with the machine I trust?

Also always supply machine details and OS.
 
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Yes, both the original and the leopard are original the first being the one that came with my iMac and the second being a retail version I bought from an apple store just the other day.
 
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When I do try and boot from my snowleopard install disk, I get the logo, the spinning loading bar, then the screen turns dark grey and a message box comes up telling me to restart my computer
 

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Thoughts:

- IF your OS install disks are full retail & are not damaged (and the computer won't boot from them)
- IF your optical drive (CD/DVD) is not damaged.
- IF your hard drive is not damaged

THEN...about the only thing that is left is a bad logic board.

You mentioned in your 3rd post that we are talking about an Mac. How old is this iMac & what model is it? Does it still have Applecare on it?...if so get to the nearest Apple Store ASAP for them to check it out.

HTH,

- Nick
 
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I just got this computer back from the store, there was à video card fault. I guess my force shut down was the main cause of all this.
 
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It's over 2years old, first time it's started messing up like this. Is there any way I can completely reinstall the os?
 

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When I do try and boot from my snowleopard install disk, I get the logo, the spinning loading bar, then the screen turns dark grey and a message box comes up telling me to restart my computer

Is this the window that comes up...says you needs to restart...and is in something like 4 languages?

This is usually hardware related. Have you installed any new ram into this computer recently. If so, it may be bad. Pull out the new ram & install the old ram...and see if this helps.

If you did not install any new/different ram...this message may point back to a bad logic board.

One other thing...do you have any peripheral devices plugged into your iMac? If so, unplug that...and try starting the iMac again.

Good luck,

- Nick
 
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When I said back from the store i mean this week, I send it in a few weeks ago because the screen wouldent turn on.
 

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I just got this computer back from the store, there was à video card fault. I guess my force shut down was the main cause of all this.

What do you mean by this? We really need more detail in order to help & understand what's going on!

This is something you should have mentioned in the beginning of this thread!

- Nick
 
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No, no new ram has been installed recently

and yes that window with four languages appears
 

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When I said back from the store i mean this week, I send it in a few weeks ago because the screen wouldent turn on.

Again...more detail!

- who did you send it in to?
- what did "they" say?
- did "they" repair anything?
- are you saying that the computer worked after you got it back...and now a short time later it's not working again?

Come on...you got to give us the whole story...not keep giving us "bits & pieces"! All of this should have been in your original post!

- Nick
 

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Is there any way I can completely reinstall the os?

Yes it is possible...but you need to be able to successfully boot from the OS install DVD first.

- Nick
 
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Well, a few weeks back the display wasent working, turned out it was the video card brought it to the mac store it was replaced, recetly got it back, updated to osx10.6.3 then downloaded the .4 update. Then today when I was opening wow the screen froze, I forced a shut down, this happened three times the same way.
 
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Sorry about the lack of detail in my first post, I wasent sure what was essential information.
 

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Well, a few weeks back the display wasent working, turned out it was the video card brought it to the mac store it was replaced, recetly got it back, updated to osx10.6.3 then downloaded the .4 update. Then today when I was opening wow the screen froze, I forced a shut down, this happened three times the same way.

2 year-old iMacs do not have replaceable video cards. They have video hardware soldered onto the logic board. If anything was replaced related to the video...then it would have been the whole logic board.

- Did you have to pay for this repair?
- If you took it in for repair...and it' not working again a short time later...then I think that you should get back to the "mac store" ASAP!
- When you say the "mac store"...are you talking about the "Apple Store"? Because there are independent repair shops out there.

I'm just trying to help...but you're making it difficult not supplying details & always having to be asked for them!:(

- Nick
 
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Sorry, i'll start from the beginning.
I first brought my mac into an offical mac store because the screen was not working, nor was it chiming, they took it in and told me it could possibly be a logic card fault, Then when I called back they told me it was a video card fault and they would need to order the replacement in, next they called me to say there was a problem with the wireing connecting the built in mic to the sound card ( open wire I belive) and that they couldent let it go out like this so they needed to order in another part to fix this, in the end they for some reason told me when I went to collect it they had replaced the sound card video card and casing, before I went there on the phone I was saying how this was an inconvience as this wire was a mac fault , the man at the store talked gibberish around these technical related things and dident seem to be listening to me, he kept interupting me etc with talk of how this needed this and that, I then asked to speek with the manager, he denied me and then finaly said he would fix it for free. When I was at the shop as I was saying the total amount was around £200 but as I said it was on the house. And when I got it home it was working fine, installed osx 10.6.3 then updated to .4
 

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