Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Mac pro won't start up properly

Jun 13, 2012 3:21PM PDT

Hi, I've been working for 2 weeks in Safe Boot cause my Mac Pro won't start up and load up as normal. It's as if something is blocking it. I've reloaded my Snow Leopard 10.6.3 and tried to get going but at one point the screen said the operating system was not compatible with this version. It worked well before. Thanks.

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
make a backup of everything you want to keep
Jun 13, 2012 11:56PM PDT

and do it quickly.
First create a new Admin account on that machine and restart it as normal.
Can you log into the new Admin account?
If no,
Find either the disks that came with it or a copy of OS X retail installation disk.
Boot from the disk and follow the instructions to do an Archive and Install. (it should be the default method)
Now does it work?
If no,
Time to consider a re-format of the drive and install of OS X again.

what version of OS X do you have?

P

- Collapse -
Mac Pro won't start up properly
Jun 14, 2012 7:31AM PDT

Hello - Thanks for that. I'll try to do a backup of what I've got on the machine. If I start up as normal the screen stays gray and the rotating/loading pie symbol goes to the top left hand side of the screen and just keeps turning.After a while the screen goes black and a message comes on saying that the screen saver is not compatible refer to vendor for permission. I'm on Mac OS X 10.6.8 Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 3 GB
Bus Speed: 1.33 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MP11.005C.B08
SMC Version (system): 1.7f10
Serial Number (system): YM715063UQ2
Hardware UUID: 00000000-0000-1000-8000-0017F20963FE

- Collapse -
(NT) What happened when you created the new account?
Jun 15, 2012 12:09AM PDT
- Collapse -
Answer
Reset your PRAM
Jun 17, 2012 1:38AM PDT

Hi,

Running into a similar situation with my Mac Pro, one of the first things I did was to reset the PRAM. This is done by holding the OPTION + CMD + P and R keys simultaneously. Hold the keys down until you hear the "chimes" ring three times.

Hope this helps!

- Collapse -
Mac Pro won't start up properly
Jul 7, 2012 2:57AM PDT

Hello friends,

If your computer won't turn on, try each of these steps:

Make sure that the power cord is plugged into a working wall outlet, and that it's properly connected to the power adapter. (To check if the wall socket is working, plug in a lamp or other electrical device.)
Make sure that the power adapter is properly connected to the power port on the side or back of the computer.
Disconnect all accessories that are plugged into the computer, such as a printer, hub, or other mobile device.
Reset the computer's PMU, SMC, or PRAM. Refer to the instructions for your model:
Portable (iBook or PowerBook)
Mac mini
iMac
Power Mac
Mac Pro
MacBook or MacBook Pro
Other Mac computers
Try plugging a different power cord into the computer (if you have a working one available). If the computer starts up, replace the old power cord.
If the computer uses a power adapter, try connecting a different power adapter to the computer (if you have a working one available). If the computer starts up, replace the old power adapter. (Computers that use a power adapter include MacBook, MacBook Pro, iBooks, PowerBooks, Power Mac G4 Cube, and Mac mini.)
If you tried all of the steps above and the computer still won't turn on, contact Apple technical support (1-800-APL-CARE in the U.S.) or take your computer to the nearest Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) for diagnosis. If you plan to visit an Apple Retail store, make a reservation at the Genius Bar using http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/ (available in some countries only).

Best regards
Tony

- Collapse -
The computer WILL turn on.
Jul 7, 2012 11:00AM PDT

much better to actually read the posts before wasting your bandwidth and everyone's time

P