News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

October 1, 2006

troubleshooting

When Apple fails, be your own Genius

Posted Oct. 1, ’06, 10:58 AM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Troubleshooting

Sad mac iconAs Derik informed you the other day, my MacBook Pro was having some issues. Some very serious issues. Every time I would turn on my computer the screen would turn gray and the kernal panic message would appear, telling me I needed to restart my computer. It was just a big cycle, and my computer would not boot into OS X.

This problem occurred sometime after I had attempted to install 10.4.8. If you recall my post the other day, I had been having some issues with software update, where updates would fail to install once they had downloaded. When I saw the 10.4.8 update I took the advice of some commenters and quit all running apps. I then ran the 10.4.8 update and it failed with a little red exclamation mark (just like the other day).

At this point I was confused: I started seeing some very weird behavior in OS X. Applications would not launch and weird things were happening—like the volume overlay that appears over the screen when adjusting system volume: it was now just a big white box that appeared on the screen. This freaked me out, and I decided that I should restart . And so I did, only to be greeted repeatedly by the “You need to restart your computer message.” Now click below for the rest of my problem, story, and solution.

Since I could not get my system up and running I decided it was time to see a Genius. I made the trek into Boston to the CambridgeSide Apple Store, where a two and a half hour wait finally got a Genius to look at my problem. He turned on the computer, saw the problem, and then tried to boot to an external hard drive. The computer refused to boot, just sitting at the Apple logo screen with a spinning gray circle. A similar process occurred for target disk mode. The Genius then declared that my MacBook Pro was having a “hardware problem” and would need to go in for service. I had two options: wait the 1-2 week time to get it repaired by Apple, or take my computer to a authorized repair center in Boston, which would bill Apple for the repair. Needing the computer back ASAP, I opted for the second, buying a refreshed black MacBook to use as a loaner computer.

Once back home I was determined to attempt to fix my own computer. I wouldn’t be able to get a repair until Monday anyways (the repair shops is closed on the weekends), so what did I have to lose? Plus, after a little bit of reseach on the web, I found out that kernal panics rarely occur as a result of a hardware issue. Silly Genius.

Now with a second Mac in hand, I found a new set of troubleshooting opportunities. The first thing I tried was booting to my OS X install CD. Surprisingly this worked, and I was able to repair the disk permissions on my MBP’s hard drive. It found a long, long list of permissions problems and fixed all of them. I then booted up the black MacBook and got it running, at which point I attempted target disk mode again on my MBP. Amazingly this worked, and I was able to back up my entire MBP hard drive to an external drive.

Feeling better about the whole situation, I tried booting into OS X one more time: still no luck. Remembering that I had Windows XP loaded onto the machine, I restarted and successfully booted into Windows! What was this?! Mac OS X was not working but Windows was?! I was simply baffled to say the least.

I realized now that, contrary to the belief of the Genius, this most likely was a software problem. With my whole system backed up, what did I have to lose? I booted to the install CD once again and did a “erase and install” of 10.4 on my MBP. This wiped the whole hard drive and (drum roll please!) fixed the problem.

With my Mac up-and-running once again, all I had to do was reinstall my applications and transfer my files. This took a good 10 hours, but at least it didn’t need to go in for a week of repairs.

Looking back now, I’m actually a little disappointed in the Genius at the Apple Store. This obviously wasn’t a hardware problem, as my computer is now running perfectly with 10.4.8 installed. The Genius hardly spent five minutes troubleshooting the computer before he declared it was “a hardware problem.”

Although I usually find Apple’s in-store tech support to be knowledgeable and informative, this experience definitely left something to be desired. Maybe I could get a free iPod out of it…?


8 Comments

Adam Hansen said:

I'm surprised that the Genius did not attempt to boot from an installating/restore disk before declaring it a hardware problem. Most kernel panics are a software problem, but I have seen some rare instances when they are caused by a hardware problem. I'm also shocked that the Genius did not attempt to repair the permissions on your MBP before declaring it a hardware problem. Incorrect permission problems are a major culprit when a computer will not boot.

Since the kernel pancis began occurring after the 10.4.8 update failed to install, more than likely you could have fixed the problem by manually installing the 10.4.8 Combo Updater onto the MacBook Pro's hard drive once it was in target disk mode on the MacBook. Doing so would have saved you from having to perform an erase and install. The most important thing, however, is that you are back up-and-running. It doesn't really matter how the problem was fixed, just that the problem was fixed.

October 1, 2006 11:30 AM
Dan Moren Author Profile Page said:

You know, Scott, I've had less than great results with the Cambridgeside geniuses before. I probably should have mentioned that to you :). Unfortunately, there's not a lot of other easily accessible options for you. Glad you're up and running again.

October 1, 2006 12:04 PM
Matt Hoult said:

There are a few things to note about the Genius in this story:

They are expected to fix issues very quickly, this means coming to a conclusion quickly, like 5 minutes. What I am saying is people can't have it both ways.

You also have to consider that you said that what worked for you when you got home didn't work for him when he tried; so that moves the posts a little but no? His conclusion was correct based upon the information available to him on the spot in the alloted time.

Still, good to know you got it working, strange one. Are you going to keep the MacBook now?

October 1, 2006 12:16 PM
Erik Haugan said:

Having worked for Apple and other companies in a tech-support role, I think it's important to note that time is always an issue.

The Genius would have been under some kind of pressure to turn around cases quickly.

As you pointed out yourself, you had to wait two hours.

What appears to have happened here, is that if there wasn't an indication that the problem could be solved within a reasonable timeframe, the Genius was expected to make a judgment call. This would get the faulty unit off the Genius Bar in one way or another.

I'm not trying to defend the Genius, but I do think it's important to consider the pressures they are put under both from customers and their employer.

October 1, 2006 12:20 PM
Matt said:

Wouldn't it be fun now to go back and 'diff' your backup and your new system to figure out what files were different and why? I'm sure you have a few free days to spend on this. :-)

October 1, 2006 12:43 PM
siegling Author Profile Page said:

I recommend using Migration Assistant to move things back to the freshly installed OS - should save some time.

October 1, 2006 12:44 PM
Andre said:

All i can say is that i can't wait for them to open the store in back bay, because the store in Cambridgeside is terrible..Horrible service, and extremly rude apple employees... So it is no surprise that you were brused aside with their famous line "it is a hardware problem...needs to be sent in for service"

October 1, 2006 1:26 PM
Dillon K. said:

Wow, Scott, I'm glad you got that figured out... I sure hope the geniuses in the Penn Square (oklahoma) store are good... because my MacBook died earlier :(. I'm typing this from my mom's windblows machine as we speak :(.

October 1, 2006 9:40 PM

Leave a comment

 



Visit other IDG sites: