Dear All ­

A 2 year old 1.83 GHz Intel MacBook came in (it's not true, I went and got 
it) from a client. Won't complete start-up - just gets stuck at the rotating 
dominoes.

Back-up, ran TechTool Pro to check filestore - problems, which it fixed, but 
still machine won't complete start-up.

OK, Archive and install, restore user, update to 10.4.11. One or two updates 
not done, return to client and finish off on site. Three or four updates 
later, restart - and we're back to the rotating dominoes. :-(

I've reinstalled the combo 10.4.11 from an Intel based miniMac, but no joy.

JonB thinks perhaps it needs (another) HD (It had one under warranty just 
before the first year was out). Just before I get my one-size-fits-all 
screwdriver to work - any other ideas?

TIA


Happy weekends everyone

-- 
regards
hugh
hugh at clarity point uk point co
(by the sea) (using Hogwasher)

Believe me, my young friend (said the water rat, solemnly), there 
is nothing - absolutely nothing - half as much worth doing as simply 
messing about in boats. Simply messing about. Nothing seems really to 
matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away or whether you 
don't, whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach 
somewhere else, or whether you get anywhere at all, you're always 
busy, and you never do anything in particular.

On Fri, 4 Jul 2008 19:23:13 +0100, Chris Ridd wrote
(in article ):

> On 2008-07-04 18:41:16 +0100, Hugh Browton <useneth@**.not.uk> said:
> 
>> JonB thinks perhaps it needs (another) HD (It had one under warranty just
>> before the first year was out). Just before I get my one-size-fits-all
>> screwdriver to work - any other ideas?
> 
> How's the firmware? ISTR some Intel firmware updates...
> 
> Does verbose booting show anything? I can't remember if it goes chatty 
> before or after the dominoes...
> 


Ok, this confirms it gets stuck at the Login Window


-- 
regards
hugh
hugh at clarity point uk point co
(by the sea) (using Hogwasher)

Believe me, my young friend (said the water rat, solemnly), there 
is nothing - absolutely nothing - half as much worth doing as simply 
messing about in boats. Simply messing about. Nothing seems really to 
matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away or whether you 
don't, whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach 
somewhere else, or whether you get anywhere at all, you're always 
busy, and you never do anything in particular.

On Fri, 4 Jul 2008 22:50:16 +0100, Ian Piper wrote
(in article ):

> On 2008-07-04 18:41:16 +0100, Hugh Browton <useneth@**.not.uk> said:
> 
>> 
>> Dear All ­
>> 
>> A 2 year old 1.83 GHz Intel MacBook came in (it's not true, I went and got
>> it) from a client. Won't complete start-up - just gets stuck at the rotating
>> dominoes.
>> 
>> Back-up, ran TechTool Pro to check filestore - problems, which it fixed, but
>> still machine won't complete start-up.
>> 
>> OK, Archive and install, restore user, update to 10.4.11. One or two updates
>> not done, return to client and finish off on site. Three or four updates
>> later, restart - and we're back to the rotating dominoes. :-(
>> 
>> I've reinstalled the combo 10.4.11 from an Intel based miniMac, but no joy.
>> 
>> JonB thinks perhaps it needs (another) HD (It had one under warranty just
>> before the first year was out). Just before I get my one-size-fits-all
>> screwdriver to work - any other ideas?
>> 
>> TIA
>> 
>> 
>> Happy weekends everyone
> 
> Have you tried booting from an external FW or USB hard disk?
> 


Worked fine. So looks like the problem is getting to/past the Login Window 
application. Now is that a rebuild problem (which I have already done) or a 
hard disk failure - and if that why does it stop in the same place everytime?


-- 
regards
hugh
hugh at clarity point uk point co
(by the sea) (using Hogwasher)

Believe me, my young friend (said the water rat, solemnly), there 
is nothing - absolutely nothing - half as much worth doing as simply 
messing about in boats. Simply messing about. Nothing seems really to 
matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away or whether you 
don't, whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach 
somewhere else, or whether you get anywhere at all, you're always 
busy, and you never do anything in particular.