PLEASE HELP - startup disk, where's my hard drive??

[jh87]

I'd been trying to upgrade from tiger 10.4.11 to snow leopard, had install issues, looked around on the web for help, and one of the suggestions was to partition and zero out the hd. So I did that and the install still failed with the same message that not all the files could be installed. Whatever.

ANYWAY, the big problem now is that I don't know what to do. Previously, after trying several times to install, then getting fed up with it, I'd select my os from the startup disk options, and that would just reboot my computer normally. NOW, that's no longer an option - if I got to utilities -> startup disk, the only options that appear are the SL install disk and network startup. When I've tried rebooting my macbook while holding down the trackbad to eject the disk, then I just get a gray screen with a blinking folder symbol and question mark.

Thankfully, I copied everything to my external, but I can't do anything with it now if I can't even get to my actual hd!

I have a 15" macbook pro from Aug 2006. I don't know what to do! PLEASE HELP!!! I'm going crazy/freaking out. (Also, sorry if I used the wrong wording for certain things...please let me know I was unclear as to what I'm referring to.)

 

[shanlon]

First, you need to have some patience. You won't be able to follow logic or think clearly and miss big details when you're frustrated and impatient. This is not the end of the world, and the sooner you accept that, we will be able to get this fixed. The definition of crazy is repeating the same steps and expecting a different result

Now, as we currently stand, you have a 2006 model Macbook Pro and a Snow Leopard 10.6 Retail Install Disk?

Make sure the disk is formatted as pictured below. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and the GUID Partition Table

If so, let's move forward with some more questions. Have you tried a 'customized' install? This is a button on the lower left before you choose the hard drive to install too. Uncheck all boxes here and try to install again and report back.

 

[jh87]

Hi Shanlon - thanks for replying!

Yes, it's the retail disk, purchased straight from Apple.

I've actually tried doing the custom install (unchecking all the boxes I could) before and after partitioning. Both times, it just reduced the initial install time, but ultimately stalled and gave me that same message that it could not copy all the files.

I also just tried doing a safe boot and resetting the nvram/pram (as instructed on the apple website), but that didn't seem to do anything either. I think I'm going to try to go find that original os install disk that came with my mac. Maybe it'll help?

I've never had any other issues with my mac, except for the battery, which needs to be plugged in to an outlet at all times - otherwise it'll power off immediately.

Thanks for your help, and any further advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[jh87]

Sorry, I forgot to add, that that's what my screen looks like too, but with a different message at the right.

 

[shanlon]

When the install fails, can you take a picture of it with a smartphone or something? You can also see the installer log, and show errors only. If you can save that to a flash drive and upload it here I can review. The retail install disk has no scratches, right?

 

[jh87]

Maybe I'm just being ridiculous, but how do I upload something here? I took the pictures with my iphone and then emailed them to myself, but there's no upload option here. Should I just open them up in a new window and paste the links here?

 

[jh87]

Ok, hopefully this will work - here are the pictures (the install failure screen is sideways)

the rest of the log that got cut off:

 

[shanlon]

I'm sorry but your images don't show up. Please use photobucket.com and copy/paste the 'IMG' URL that it gives you. Then it will appear in this thread.

 

[jh87]

Here they are again:

the rest of the log that got cut off:

oh, also, the install disk is clean and without scratches. Thanks again for the help

 

[shanlon]

Boot back into your install disk and run 'Verify Disk' in disk utility.

Based on the error message, it's an input/output error. So either a problem with your DVD drive reading the files properly, or the hard drive not communicating with the DVD properly.

Might as well upload a picture as well just in case, so I can see if there are any red flags with your setup.

 

[jh87]

 

[shanlon]

Good. I should have told you to do this before, but now click on the DVD drive and also do the same verify. We want to make sure the I/O error is due to the DVD drive or the disk itself, hard drive looks fine.

 

[jh87]

Hm, it seems it won't let me verify...

 

[shanlon]

****. Based on all the info you provided, it feels like an issue with the DVD drive. Have you been able to make good burns on it lately, or do you even use it?

My next suggestion would be to pickup a firewire DVD drive at a bestbuy or something that you can plugin and boot to. You can just return it when you're done.

Do a little googling about which drives support booting with this method.

What are the specs of your Macbook? CPU/RAM? Maybe you can just pick up a Lion install USB drive instead if it meets the specs. Replacing the optical drive might be tough and more expensive.

 

[shanlon]

Do you have another mac you can test this install disk on?

 

[jh87]

oh boy. Well I haven't had issues in the past with the dvd drive - playing or burning.

It's Intel Core Duo, I think 2.16 ghz, and I remember upping all my options when I bought it - 100 GB for the hd and I THINK 1 gb memory, though I can't be sure because I can't even check to see it.

Unfortunately, that's the only mac I have, so I can't test it on anything else.

I guess I'll have to try another DVD drive. Just to be clear, there's no way that I can get back to my original os and move things back from my external hd? I'd definitely want to avoid having to replace (expensive) parts at this point, since I was planning to get a new macbook next summer. And I mostly wanted to upgrade to SL so that it would be compatible with my new iphone. Well this is unfortunate :/

 

[shanlon]

The only way to get everything back to the way it was, was if you used carbon copy cloner, since 10.4 doesn't have time machine.

Otherwise you'll need to reinstall and drag/drop the data back manually.

 

[jh87]

I looked up my specific problem (error message that not all supporting files could be installed) again, and it seemed like replacing one or both RAM sticks was the solution for many people. So I tried that - didn't work. At this point, I decided to just set an appointment for the genius bar, and lo and behold, problem solved (I left my mac with them for 30-45 min). I still don't know what was wrong in the first place (kind of frustrating); I'm thinking it might be a faulty dvd, because my dvd drive has worked w/o giving me any problems in the past.

Anyway, the other positive that came out of this is that my wireless connection to fios now works. I hadn't had problems with any other wireless connections in the past, both in the US and in Paris, but then we changed from comcast (w/netgear router) to fios (w/verizon's router) and my mac would just not connect wirelessly. But now, with SL, it works!

Shanlon - thanks again for your help!

 

[shanlon]

Awesome, glad you got it worked out. I wish they would have told you how they fixed it.. must have been hardware either way.