boot

Apple has released an update to the Boot Camp drivers for the latest MacBook Pro systems. This update addresses a couple of problems with Japanese and Korean keyboards in the system, and also fixes shutdown problems, according to the update's download page. The update is specific for Windows 7, so if you are using an alternative version of Windows, this will not apply to you.

The update should be available for Boot Camp users via Apple's Software Update utility, but it can also be downloaded and applied manually from the Boot Camp 3.2 Update Web page. The … Read more

When upgrading from a spinning hard disk to a solid-state disk in your Mac, you may experience slower startup times than expected. Solid-state drives should be booting your system in 15 seconds or less--a considerable upgrade from traditional hard disks--but failing to set your newly installed drive as the default startup disk can keep your boot times slow.

Apple Discussions commenter "Luis Ortega" writes:

I just installed a 256gb ssd drive (from OWC) into my 2007 Santa Rosa 2.4 core 2 duo 17" macbook pro.

I had done a clone from my old hard drive (7200rpm … Read more

Retail DVDs that are stamped as opposed to burned track-by-track in a home burner are more compatible with drives and usually can be read by most DVD burners. Despite this, sometimes there may be issues with a particular drive that prevent a disc from being read or used in special situations such as a boot drive.

If this happens with your boot DVD, there are several options available:

Replace the disc

Check the disc for any visible errors, and if they are present, then try replacing it. Sometimes people have had success in getting new discs at Apple retail stores, … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer e-mailed questions from our readers. This week we have questions about a Mac not booting after months of no use, heat differences between the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro, upgrading a commercial external hard drive, bootable backup options, and the difference between partitioning and using two drives. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we certainly welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: Mac not booting after months of no use MacFixIt reader "… Read more

Many users are aware of some boot commands for Mac OS X that provide different functionality for your system. The following is a more comprehensive list of the keyboard commands you know and many you may not.

A recent tweet from @superfetz reminded me of several boot commands I've learned over the years, so I thought a more comprehensive list would be useful for MacFixIt readers.

While you cannot run any code from Terminal or otherwise to set an order of boot devices, you can easily control where your Mac boots via keyboard commands. The following key combinations can … Read more

Normally when you boot OS X, the system displays a gray screen with an Apple symbol and a revolving progress indicator, and then may display a blue screen before loading the log-in window and default background. These screens are just coverings for the activity that is happening during boot, and make OS X more visually appealing.

While most people may not need to see what is happening every time the system starts up, if your system takes a while to load or has other problems at boot such as crashing or hanging, then seeing where this is happening can help. … Read more

When setting up a hard drive or even after using one for a while, sometimes it is useful to partition it so sections of its space can be used for different purposes. These purposes can be to set up a multiboot environment, separating system files from user files, or for segmenting used data from scratch and backup disks. For instance, if you use a drive to back files up, it may be beneficial to create one large partition for Time Machine, and have a second partition be used for manual backups since Time Machine will eventually use most of the … Read more

Sometimes people who have just reinstalled OS X on their systems or migrated to a new boot device may find a folder entitled "Boot OSX" appearing on their desktops. The folder cannot be removed, and only seems to disappear when the system is restarted. In a nutshell, these folders appear because of a glitch that recognizes a residual boot helper partition that is used on non-standard filesystem setups.

On nonstandard filesystems such as RAID disks (including those used in an Apple Software RAID setup through Disk Utility), the system will create the main storage partitions, but in addition … Read more

On rare occurrences people may find that after updating their Macs the system will not boot. Sometimes the system will hang at a specific boot screen such as the gray Apple, or at a blank blue screen. At other times, the system may not boot at all and show a blank screen even though the fans are spinning.

If this happens, there are a few steps you can take to try to clear the problem before taking the computer in for servicing:

Strip the Mac Sometimes interference from third-party hardware can cause odd boot problems, especially when the OS configuration … Read more