Hello Laura and others It may also be worth trying a start up and resetting the parameter RAM.
Set the system preferences to start from the working external drive (system preferences/startup drive). Then shut the machine down and restart while holding Command + Option + P + R. Wait until the starting chimes sound 3 times. Then let the machine continue the starting process from there. When you are able, reset the start up drive to the internal drive again, then try re-starting. There are a few different ways to achieve this but the object is to reset the parameter RAM, which will not harm anything. You may have already tried this of course of course. If it works, repair permissions then update to 10.6.3 using the Combo update (ask if you need help with where to get that) then repair permissions again. Kind regards Greg On 06/06/2010, at 8:54 AM, Eugene wrote: > Hi Laura, > > all is not too bad. > > The mother board and memory modules are still good otherwise you wouldn't > have got going. > > By the sound of it, it is down to the internal hard drive. Good on you for > having a backup drive to boot from and hopefully with all of your essential > documents still safe. > > With the computer now booting is the other drive visible? If yes, it probably > has a corrupt file essential for running/starting up the computer, simply > reinstall the operating system. (not so likely as it died during operation, > as you said) > > If not then can you see the HD using Disk Utility? (find this in > applications/utility or on the install disks) If yes, get Disk Utility to do > a repair. > > If Disk Utility can't see the HD then the HD could have died. Apple had a > huge amount of problems with these drives. Is it still under warranty? Even > if it is not under warranty I would hassle Apples as there is a implied > warranty that HD should not die even after 3 years. > > If they won't come to the party, 2.5 inch SATA drives are relatively cheap > and simple to install on the MB, hopefully this will be the last resort. > > Regards, > Eugene > > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- > Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> > Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> > Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au> > <(null) 4.tiff> > On 06/06/2010, at 8:21 AM, Laura Webb wrote: > >> >> 13" MacBook 10.6.2 >> 1.83 GHZ Intel Core Duo >> 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 5DRAM >> >> Last evening the screen froze so I had to switch off, expecting that when re >> started all would be well. Not so, the chime was there but then a blank >> whitish screen appeared and after a while a black rectangular object in the >> middle of the screen with a question mark. >> >> I switched off again and hoped everything would be OK this morning but it is >> not. The only way I could start up was to use my external hard drive that I >> use for back ups. How glad I am to have that!! And that's how I am connected >> right now. >> >> Please can someone offer some advice? It's a bit like getting sick at the >> weekend, there are no outside resources available, and then of course we >> also have a holiday tomorrow. >> >> A;though relieved that the external drive has saved the day I still hope >> someone might be able to tell me what the problem is. I've never seen this >> happen before. >> >> Regards >> Laura >> >> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- >> Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> >> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> >> Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au> >> > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au>
