OS X Lion doesn't start after switching on the MacBook Pro

I am new in the forum so I don’t know very well how it works. If I am doing something wrong I do apologize in advance.

I’ve bought a MacBook Pro with Lion on eBay and it was working like a dream. One day I decided that was time to start building up Mac applications to start using it for business (so far I am using Ubuntu Linux for business on my PC), went to Apple Shop and I did click to buy iWorks with the idea of after to buy FileMaker Pro (I am using this applications in a voluntary work that I am doing so I know them).

When I did click on “Buy now”, a notice came up saying that my OS was not updated so the application could no be downloaded until the system was updated; it direct me to a link to update and I did click on the link. It took near 30 minutes to update. At the end of the updating did restart the MacBook automatically and… The problem did start…

It gets on and under the grey apple a spinning wheel… For ever! Simply it doesn’t start up at all.

After 4 hours I did switched the MacBook off, kept pressing the Command key and switched on the Mac Book again. The Mac OS X Utility did show up as expected.
I did click on Disk Utility and in the left shows two parts. The upper part contains Mac OS X and Superdrive and the lower part Disk 1 – Mac OS X Base System.

If I do highlight ac OS X Base System I can do nothing because all the commands are greyed so they can’t be used.

I did highlight Mac OS X and I did click on Repair Disk.

In the report that shows, under "Checking catalog file" says in red "Incorrect number of thread records"; under "Checking catalog hierarchy" says in red "Invalid volume file count (It should be 254576 instead 254573)"; and in the end, in red, "Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files."

I have not the OS disk, so if I format the HD I can’t get again the OS.

If in the Mac OS X Utility window I do click in "Get Help Online" a document titled "Recovery Information" shows up that just says all the things that says in the Disk Utility menu. Not too much of “Help”…

I did another things that I know, like start pressing Command+Options+P+R, Command+Options+V, etc., and after writing the appropriate sudo commands on the terminal, nothing happens.

Searching the net about this problem I’ve found out that there are hundreds of people with the same problem and no one did manage to repair it. If I manage to solve this issue never ever again I will update anything from Mac online… AppleMac, in this sense, is as bad as Linux. Try to update or upgrade something in Ubuntu Linux and then nothing, absolutely nothing works again.

I will appreciate if someone is so kind to give me a solution or I'm going to need to through away this MacBook and to buy another one.

Thank you in advance for your kindness.

Kind regards.

Tino

G'day and welcome to the forums.

Helps if you provide model details. Problem with Lion and Mountain Lion is ownership always remains with the purchaser's Apple ID Account and does not pass on with the selling of the computer regardless if on eBay or elsewhere. Depending on the model, you may be better off purchasing Snow Leopard OS X.6 from Apple online, formatting the drive and installing that, updating to version OS X.6.8 and then creating your own Apple ID Account, purchasing Mountain Lion from the App Store and proceeding from there.

Ta harryb2448.

Sorry for the delay. I am working from home as a translator/interpreter (plus some voluntary works) and some times even can't sleep for days.

I didn't know about what you said, so thank you for the teaching.

The practical and positive thing to do then is going just now into Apple Shop online and buy what you said.

What I don't manage to understand is how an update from Apple can make such a mess and how many people have the same problem.

All the best.

Tino

The update didn't screw up your mac.
Those disk errors have been building up over time, its just that the disk info has become corrupted at the same time as you ran the update.

Depending on the model of Mac you can buy Snow leopard 10.6 *for an older mac) or Mountain Lion 10.8 - if your mac meets its requirements.

If you have an Apple ID you can reinstall from the recovery partition, if not you can create one using your Ubuntu machine

Ta louishen

Following the advise from harryb2448, while purchasing the Snow Leopard, I did create my account so I have now an Apple ID.

Sorry... I have not a clue about technical details on Mac. I've been on IT since 1973 with an IBM 3060 mainframe but I am getting too old to cope with this new developments. While in London I did start to get into Microsoft and the first OS I did use was Windows 3x. No Microsoft Office yet at that time so I was using Framework II from Ashton-Tate. I am now a bit hooked into Linux also since when in London with RedHat. Linux is not customer friendly at all and is driving me insane (more than usual...).

The solo thing that I did manage to open is the Disk Utility as I said in my original post.

So, How can I get into the recovery partition?

Thank you.

Tino

Ta gsahli

I did open your link and it doesn't say how to get into the recovery partition at all. What it says is going to the Utilities window where there is nothing that can repair it as I detailed in my original post.

All the things that says are in the document that I described in my first post by clicking in "Get Help Online" in the Mac OS X Utilities menu, but all that litany is not of help at all, just a document saying click the keys stated and switching on the MacBook, but -as I said in my first post- no one works, no even the scripts in the terminal.

Perhaps this article will clear up how to boot into recovery mode. Please don't take the title as a comment on your current state of Mac knowledge.

Once you are in Disk Utility try this

Ta Slydude.

I like your sense of humor... But in this case fits like a glove: I have not a clue about Mac.

In the end I suppose that all of you call "Recovery partition" at the left menu in the Disk Utility. Because nothing else shows up...

But then, I am going to copy and paste what I said in my first post:

"The upper part contains Mac OS X and Superdrive and the lower part Disk 1 – Mac OS X Base System.

If I do highlight ac OS X Base System I can do nothing because all the commands are greyed so they can’t be used.

I did highlight Mac OS X and I did click on Repair Disk.

In the report that shows, under "Checking catalog file" says in red "Incorrect number of thread records"; under "Checking catalog hierarchy" says in red "Invalid volume file count (It should be 254576 instead 254573)"; and in the end, in red, "Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files."

So, again, all those links lead to what I already did and didn't work.

So far the best idea is the one from harryb2448. I did buy already Snow Leopard disc and I will do what he said. Sorry, but all your tips don't work or I don't know how to use them (what is the more likely...).

No You did things right. I think I misread something in your initial post.

If I do highlight ac OS X Base System I can do nothing because all the commands are greyed so they can’t be used.

Click to expand...

That makes sense OS X Base System is the name given to the recovery partition. You can't usually make repairs to that partition from it.

Do you have any of your own data on the drive? it sounds like it might be time to backup data and reformat the drive.

Hi Slydude.

Ah! So the famous "Recovery partition" is where says "Disk 1". Thank you.

No, I have nothing personal, data or files. If I format the HDD I lose nothing.

But if I do format the HDD I will delete the OS too, Isn't it? And I have not the OS disc.

By the way... I did buy the Snow Leopard disc following the harryb2448 advise, Why? Can not be installed directly the Lion OS? Or Lion is an upgrade of Snow Leopard?

Again, I have not clue about Mac, in other systems one can buy straight away the new OS version or just install it for free, as is the case with Linux where all is open source.

Lion was the first OS shipped by download and not initially available on disc. If it was not pre-installed on a Mac one had to have Snow Leopard installed to access the Mac App store, then create an account and download the Lion or later Mountain Lion OS.

Normally OS X could be reinstalled from the recovery partition without using the Snow Leopard disc. Since your drive appears to be having some underlying issues it's possible (though not likely) the Recovery partition may be "twitchy" as well. Since you have the Snow Leopard Disc here's what I would do as a "best practice":

1. Boot from the Snow Leopard DVD, format your hard drive and install Snow Leopard. Directions for everything from booting from the DVD to formatting the drive to re-installing are here. You can skip the directions on erasing the drive since you are formatting it.

2 When you finish using Disk Utility (step 5) and Quit that program the Snow Leopard installer will guide you through the rest of the process.

3. When the initial installation is completed reboot the computer (may do so automatically).

4. Your disc probably has the most recent Snow Leopard update so you can now launch the App Store icon and log into your account.

5. If you have already paid for Mountain Lion click on the Purchases tab and Mountain Lion will appear without your needing to purchase it again,

Edit: If any of this is unclear chalk it up to horrible directions on my part. My fellow mods will administer the obligatory forty lashes with a wet noodle and straighten out the mess.

Ta Slydude.

I've just received an email from Apple telling me that the disc have been shipped.

I did print the instructions in your link and your post and as soon as it arrives I will proceed.

Yes, I like your sense of humor... You make me laugh.

I'll be back to report the results of my mess.

Have a nice one.

Tino

You're welcome. Hope that mass of information wasn't too overwhelming.

Yes, I like your sense of humor... You make me laugh.

Click to expand...

LOL. I hope that's a good thing.

Good work Tino1948.

Whenever purchasing a used machine it is a great idea to erase and format the drive Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) and do a complete new install with your own passwords, network setup etc. Pop in the Snow Leopard disc, reboot and hold down'C', leave Installer into utilities, erase and format, and back to installer and proceed, then update ot OS X.6.8 using the Combo Updater.

http://support.apple.com/kb/dl1399

From there you can go Mountain Lion or whatever you wish subject to the MBP specs. Also have a look at LionDiskMaker for making a bootable USB thumb drive of Mountain lion prior to installing.

Ta harryb2448.

I'm attaching your new info in the file I did open to do the repair.

In that doc I have all your advise and the one from Slydude.

As I said to Slydude, when I finish the repairing job I'll be back to all of you with the results.

Now I am going to have some sleep because is near 1am over here and I've been sitting in front of this evil machine for hours due to a short deadline job as translator.

Have a nice one.

Tino

Good morning, afternoon, evening everyone.

I did receive today the Snow Leopard disc, I did put it in the optical drive, I did start the MacBook. I was expecting to happen what says in the link that Sludude gave me in his post, but nothing, absolutely nothing happens like says in About.com Macs, "How to Perform a Clean Install of Snow Leopard OS X 10.6".

I put the disc in the optical drive of my MacBook and a window with the typical background of Snow Leopard shows up and a window titled Max OS X that asks me to choose language; I do choose "Use English for the main language" and press the "Enter" key; a window saying "Preparing Installation"; a window "To set up the installation of Snow Leopard, click Continue", I do click "Continue"; I click "Agree"; a window "Select the disk where you want to install Mac OS X" and shows only an icon of a HDD that says Mac OS X, and underneath says "Mac OS X cannot start up from this disc". End of the road...Now what?

Great!!! Now I can't take off the CD from the optical drive... In the PCs there are a knob to click to eject the CD but in this toaster there is nothing. How to take the disc off?

Sounds like the HD failed, coincidentally with your installation. As for the CD, does the eject button on the keyboard do nothing? Also, try these hints from Apple.

Hi MacInWin

I kept pressing the eject button by 3 minutes and nothing happen.

What do you mean " coincidentally with your installation"?

And what to do next, them? Throw away this MacBook with the disc inside and buy another one?

As I said before, I am new on Mac and it seems to me as much no customer friendly than Linux. Must be the reason that Linux is only the 4% being used and Mac the 20%.

I hate Microsoft and its rubbish but I must to accept that is the easy OS to use (but still is rubbish...).