Mac Pro Startup Disk Problem…Try your luck!!!

[dannye]

I've been working on this for a while, and I'm stumped. What's my next troubleshooting step??

Finder has been having issues over the past week or so, and last night my computer froze. I rebooted and got a flashing folder w/question mark: can't find startup disk. So I restarted holding Option to get to Startup Manager - only disk was "EFI Boot" (no Recovery Disk, no HD). Selected EFI Boot, nothing. Back to the flashing question mark.
Tried loading into Recovery Mode (command + r), no dice. Just goes to question mark again.
Created a USB Recovery Disk, then tried loading in recovery, tried loading startup manager, nothing different.
Reset the PRAM (option+command+p+r)…no change.
Reseated RAM…no change.
Maybe it's a failed hard drive? Nope. Replaced it, still nothing.

What am I missing?? I don't know what to do next.

Mac Pro running Mountain Lion, 2x2.66 Ghz dual-core xenon, 8GB RAM.

 

[harryb2448]

What model Mac Pro as model 1.1 was dual core 2.66GHz capable of natively running up to Lion OS X.7 only. If you have done a Hack, to get over th 32bit EFI, sounds like it has died.

The models 4.1 and also 5.1 also offered the 2.66GHz format.

 

[dannye]

Oh - you're right! Sorry, I'm running Lion, not Mountain Lion. It is a 1.1 model, and I believe I'm at 10.7.5.

 

[pigoo3]

I rebooted and got a flashing folder w/question mark: can't find startup disk.

Maybe it's a failed hard drive? Nope. Replaced it, still nothing.

The flashing folder icon definitely means something is wrong between the hard drive and the logic board (hard drive, data cabling).

Firstly...I don't know what sort of computing resources you have available…but if your Mac Pro is not working properly…how did you install an OS on the 2nd hard drive? Does it boot ok from the CD/DVD drive?

If this 2nd hard drive didn't cure the problem (and the 2nd HD is definitely good)…then it could be something to do with the data cabling.

How about trying this 2nd HD (or maybe even the original HD)…in a different hard drive bay. Maybe the HD bay you've been trying (assuming it is the same bay) has some sort of problem.

- Nick

 

[dannye]

…how did you install an OS on the 2nd hard drive? Does it boot ok from the CD/DVD drive?

If this 2nd hard drive didn't cure the problem (and the 2nd HD is definitely good)…then it could be something to do with the data cabling.

How about trying this 2nd HD (or maybe even the original HD)…in a different hard drive bay. Maybe the HD bay you've been trying (assuming it is the same bay) has some sort of problem.

- Nick

Thanks for the feedback! I didn't install an OS on the new hard drive - I thought I would be able to install it from my TIme Machine backup once I got to recovery mode.

I just reinstalled the original HD in Bay 2, then tried both startup manager and recovery mode, both with the same results. Can't get past the flashing question mark.

Why doesn't the computer recognize my USB Recovery Drive? I have a Macbook Pro (also running 10.7.5), and it recognizes the drive just fine...

One of my coworkers mentioned that the battery on the motherboard of these original Mac Pros can go bad. Should I try replacing the battery? Or is that barking up the wrong tree?

 

[harryb2448]

Try placing the drive with the operating system in Bay One. That is where the machine will look for a boot system. And sure replace the PRAM battery. It is under the graphics card, CR2032 from memory, and like a coin.


http://www.newertech.com/products/pram_3v.php

 

[dannye]

Try placing the drive with the operating system in Bay One. That is where the machine will look for a boot system. And sure replace the PRAM battery. It is under the graphics card, CR2032 from memory, and like a coin.

Thanks for the suggestion HarryB. I replaced the PRAM battery and reinstalled the HD into Bay 1. My first boot was looking hopeful - I got all the way to the apple logo (when trying to boot into Recovery Mode), but then it stalled out and went to a gray screen.

Upon reboot, now it doesn't even get to the logo. I just get the gray screen when I try to get to Recovery Mode, and I get the flashing question mark when I try to get to Startup Manager. Startup Manager used to show me a drive called "EFI Boot" - but now nothing at all.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I'm out of ideas for what to try!!

Thanks for ANY feedback!

 

[harryb2448]

Sounds like logic board failure. Checked out the diagnostic LEDs?

Have sent PM.