I think my macbook is broken :(!

hey, it all started when one time i came home from school turned on my mac and i noticed that when i pressed the volume up button it showed the bar full and below it a "locked" symbol like the ones around no smoking signs. So, i reformated and re installed tiger 10.4 it was going good for a week then wham! yesterday , my internet wasnt responding to my apps. msn wouldnt log in, safari wouldnt find pages. I thought it was just the net but it wasnt i checked other computers and everything was fine. So i reformatted again and reinstall tiger 10.4 NOW i have an even bigger problem. When im getting started and setting up my language and those preferences. It freezes where it gets to select keyboard type. I choose canadian and click next and it freezes?

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME! what is wrong wiht my mac!

an update... i just got past the keyboard setup and now the same long freeze for the wireless network... something isnt right.. maybe we've got a MAC VIRUS!!

Never mind the Mac virus for now, ok? Let's concentrate on other stuff for now.

Could you slip in the install disk that includes the Apple Hardware Test? Restart, holding down the D key and when prompted, ask for the extended test. This will check all the hardware components. Report back with the results.

Also, just to be clear: when you say you reinstalled, did you use the Archive and Install option or the Delete and Install one? Because if you used the first option, if there is a corruption, you just might be bringing it over in the newer install each time.

Another thought, here. Since the MacBook started acting up, did you add a peripheral to your set up? Or did you install new software just prior to the problems showed up?

MacHeadCase said:

Never mind the Mac virus for now, ok? Let's concentrate on other stuff for now.

Could you slip in the install disk that includes the Apple Hardware Test? Restart, holding down the D key and when prompted, ask for the extended test. This will check all the hardware components. Report back with the results.

Also, just to be clear: when you say you reinstalled, did you use the Archive and Install option or the Delete and Install one? Because if you used the first option, if there is a corruption, you just might be bringing it over in the newer install each time.

Another thought, here. Since the MacBook started acting up, did you add a peripheral to your set up? Or did you install new software just prior to the problems showed up?

Click to expand...

I used to dekete and reinstall feature, and i have an external hard drive. I notice sometimes that the Usb inputs give out and dont respond so i have to put the usb from the hard drive into the other one

i installed norton anti virus 10. i think it started acting up after that

Ok, so i got past the getting started but my net is still not working! im doing the extent hardware check. the check came back fine and airport is tellign me its connected! whats goin on

Please get rid of Norton Anti-Virus. You have much more viable choices out there for Mac then whatever Norton can cook up. Use the uninstaller as I am sure it's bloody too complicated to get rid of with a simple drag to the trash and delete thing.

That just might be the problem right there. I wouldn't touch Norton or any of their software with a 12 foot pole.

And your internet thing acting up is probably related to the Anti-Virus anyway. It closes off ports.

MacHeadCase said:

Please get rid of Norton Anti-Virus. You have much more viable choices out there for Mac then whatever Norton can cook up. Use the uninstaller as I am sure it's bloody too complicated to get rid of with a simple drag to the trash and delete thing.

That just might be the problem right there. I wouldn't touch Norton or any of their software with a 12 foot pole.

And your internet thing acting up is probably related to the Anti-Virus anyway. It closes off ports.

Click to expand...

well no.. norton would of been deleted with the erase + reinstall thing wouldnt it of? and i did the network diagnostics test? and it said everything was good except the "internet" and "server" were in red? but it cant be my internet because im on it right now on a different computer? I really dont know whats going on!

Norton probably left something persistent in there that was not deleted. What can I say? I don't trust the buggers. Maybe you need to really delete all data off the internal hard drive by zeroing all the data.

It's quite simple if you want to test the internet thing (you did make sure your settings are correct?) as I said in my first post in this thread, run the Hardware Test. You are connected via Ethernet cable to a router or modem? It would be easy to see if the Ethernet port is still working with that diagnostic tool.

I did the hardware test which came back fine, i did the network diagnostics test who passed everything but the Internet and Server part and stated " you have an internet connection but cant connect to www.apple.com" but thats a lie cause i changed it to google and still doesnt work. I'm using airport and it says airport is working fine!

Patrick C! said:

I did the hardware test which came back fine, i did the network diagnostics test who passed everything but the Internet and Server part and stated " you have an internet connection but cant connect to www.apple.com" but thats a lie cause i changed it to google and still doesnt work. I'm using airport and it says airport is working fine!

Click to expand...

Does your Wireless have a Password or Key? Do you have that set up correctly on your Mac Book? What router do you use?

I use a D-link router, and no it doesnt have a password. hmm what do you mean by set up? im not an expert on ports or that TCP stuff or whatever. But i think i have a bigger problem than just the internet. Applications are taking a lot longer to respond than they used to. I just opened itunes which wont open .. my usbs dont connect sometimes. but the hardware test came back fine.. very strange it sounds like a big problem to me

Am assuming you ran the hardware diagnostics from the CD/DVD that came with your machine?

Because you are having multiple issues - I would do another fresh install.

Note: am very familiar with hardware setup and OS install on the windows/linux side of things. Have not done a fresh install since getting OS X, so am not familiar with all of the options available during install, however:

Prior to the install, re-run the diagnostics from the disk.
Once beginning, if options allow either delete the existing partition and then create it again (best) or erase the drive prior to formatting.

# 2 (and most important) disconnect all external peripherals from your MacBook. Never have external devices attached during an install of any OS.
This could be your issue at this point.

Note: Norton System Utilities was quite an exceptional piece of software in the early and mid-nineties. And during that period of time, I wouldn't own a windows machine that did not have it installed. However, I would never suggest to anyone today to install this memory hog piece of bloated stuff onto a windows machine, much less onto OS X. Please do not put this back onto your system until everything else is sorted through.

Once the re-install is complete, play around with applications, like iTunes and such, make sure they are all working, then try connecting to the internet.
Let us know the results. Do not connect any peripherals yet.

bobtomay, very well said especially about Norton. Norton was quite good back in the day but not anymore.