Black Screen when trying to install OSX on Macbook Pro

[glassis4breakin]

I just upgraded my Macbook Pro with new RAM and a new hard drive. I need to install OSX, but I've run into a problem. Here's what I've been doing:

1. Turn the computer on
2. Hold down "option" on the keyboard (I've also tried holding "C", in which case it just jumps to 5)
3. The disk that came with my computer is in, and it comes up as "Mac OSX Install DVD"
4. Select that
5. The Apple Logo appears, and a moment later a spinning icon appears underneath, and I can hear the disk drive spinning.
6. Here's where things go awry. Instead of the installer coming up as expected, the screen goes black.
7. After a minute, the disk drive sounds like it's powering down.
8. Sometimes it starts making noise again immediately, sometimes touching the trackpad does it.
9. Return to 7

Any suggestions?

PS: I've read on several forms that if there is a problem installing the operating system, you should use Disk Utilities to reformat the drive. This is not applicable, as it seems the people having the problem had gotten to the select destination stage of installation, and I can't open disk utility yet anyway, so please don't suggest this.

 

[harryb2448]

G'day and welcome to the forums.

First up was the memory purchased from a Mac dealer and have you tried re-seating it? Checked and/or replaced the hard drive ribbon cable as these are pretty fragile and with heat become very brittle with time? Also 100% certain the discs you are using are the ones that arrived with the MBP as they can become mixed up?

 

[glassis4breakin]

G'day and welcome to the forums.

First up was the memory purchased from a Mac dealer and have you tried re-seating it? Checked and/or replaced the hard drive ribbon cable as these are pretty fragile and with heat become very brittle with time? Also 100% certain the discs you are using are the ones that arrived with the MBP as they can become mixed up?

Thanks. I rechecked that everything was inserted correctly. There doesn't appear to be any damage to the cable. I purchased the memory from Other World Computing. I am 100% certain that the disk is the correct one.

 

[chscag]

It may be the disk drive that's at fault. Try blowing some canned (compressed) air into the drive to see if that will help.

 

[glassis4breakin]

I put the original hard drive back in and it booted up alright, and it detected the RAM, so the cable and the RAM aren't at fault. I'll try spraying the disk drive with compressed air and trying again. While in OSX on the original hard drive, the install disk came up alright, so if that doesn't work, I'll try target booting the computer (with the new hard drive) and installing the operating system from my Mac Mini.

 

[glassis4breakin]

It may be the disk drive that's at fault. Try blowing some canned (compressed) air into the drive to see if that will help.

That worked! The installer came up! I should be able to take it from here. Thank you very much. :]

 

[mephitic]

1. Turn the computer on
2. Hold down "option" on the keyboard (I've also tried holding "C", in which case it just jumps to 5)
3. The disk that came with my computer is in, and it comes up as "Mac OSX Install DVD"
4. Select that
5. The Apple Logo appears, and a moment later a spinning icon appears underneath, and I can hear the disk drive spinning.
6. Here's where things go awry. Instead of the installer coming up as expected, the screen goes black.
7. After a minute, the disk drive sounds like it's powering down.
8. Sometimes it starts making noise again immediately, sometimes touching the trackpad does it.
9. Return to 7

So, I'm having a very similar problem. I have NOT upgraded any hardware. I am trying to just do a fresh install of OSX from scratch. After running into this issue while using the Install DVD, I cloned the disc onto an external hdd and tried running the install that way, giving the same exact result (Black screen after the apple-logo-screen).

The curious thing is, when I press return while the screen is black, I can tell the system is responding and doing something.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[stbrob]

Solution

Hi I had this same problem today, but I think that I have found the answer.

I was trying to do a fresh install, onto a newly installed hard-drive. I too was getting all the way through to the grey screen, and then it was turning black.

When I connected my second screen to the Macbook Pro, the laptop screen flashed on and you could see the installer.

This suggested that it was some setting that was turning off the screen, so I cleared the NVRAM and a the installer came good.

The instructions for clearing the NVRAM can be found here https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1533

 

[saitias]

Hi I had this same problem today, but I think that I have found the answer.

I was trying to do a fresh install, onto a newly installed hard-drive. I too was getting all the way through to the grey screen, and then it was turning black.

When I connected my second screen to the Macbook Pro, the laptop screen flashed on and you could see the installer.

This suggested that it was some setting that was turning off the screen, so I cleared the NVRAM and a the installer came good.

The instructions for clearing the NVRAM can be found here https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1533

this did the trick for me! Thank you

 

[altamarus]

Quote Originally Posted by stbrob View Post
Hi I had this same problem today, but I think that I have found the answer.

I was trying to do a fresh install, onto a newly installed hard-drive. I too was getting all the way through to the grey screen, and then it was turning black.

When I connected my second screen to the Macbook Pro, the laptop screen flashed on and you could see the installer.

This suggested that it was some setting that was turning off the screen, so I cleared the NVRAM and a the installer came good.

The instructions for clearing the NVRAM can be found here Page Not Found - Apple Support

-------------------------
Had the same problem. It also worked for me. Thanks a lot

 

[pm-r]

Had the same problem. It also worked for me. Thanks a lot

Welcome to mac-forums, and you obviously found the proper Apple support document for clearing the NVRAM for your Mac Model.

I gather you are back in business with your Mac now working properly.

Well done.


- Patrick
======

 

[harryb2448]

Sure hope so as this thread is over nine years old and proves the point of having old threads available!