Help!!! MacBook won't restart!

[Monte]

Hi all,

I've had my macbook for a year now and haven't had any problems with it (feeling very lucky). But yesterday, I was checking my email and the computer froze. I tried to force quit, but that didn't work. so i manually turned off the computer. I wait 10 seconds before I turned it on but then the computer would not reboot. I get a gray screen and then the apple logo and the turning wheel (looks like it is looking for the hard disk). then the screen goes grey again and after about 30 minutes of searching pops up with an error message.
I've tried everything the manual says, reset the PRAM, check to see if the harddisk needs repairs (disk utilities, first aid kit found no need to repair). I am not sure what to do next. I just want to access my hard disk so i can transfer the files to my external hard drive before reinstalling the software (that the only step that i haven't tried yet, because I would like to get some data from my computer before reinstalling.)
Please help!!! I love my mac, but I have no idea what to do to make it work again! THANKS!!!!

 

[kinchee87]

Can you give us the exact error message? Knowing what the exact error message would help us a lot.

 

[Monte]

Hi
Thanks for replying so soon, I don't have the error message word for word, but it essentially said "failed, unable to detect hard disk" it came up once on a black screen, and everytime after that (if I wait for about 45 minutes for it to try to reboot) I just get a blank black screen with a little white box in the corner, with no error message.

 

[kinchee87]

Hmmm stab in the dark:

Boot from the Mac OS restore disk and run the application that allows you to set the startup disk. Set it to the appropriate disk (probably only one disk to select from). See if that helps the booting.

 

[iliveinashed]

Same thing happened to me yesterday. spent hours trying to fix it(swap back to original ram, original HDD etc) turns out for me it works with only one ram module in it, not 2. i originally had 2 non apple 1gb rams and now i can only have one installed in the top module space (when it is upside down... if that makes sense ) either ram works but neither works when there is ram installed in the bottom position.

No idea why, not partically happy about it as can only have 1gb of ram and i def need more than that, but at least it is working again! hope that helps!

 

[Monte]

Hi,
Thanks for the suggestion, I was finally able to access the harddisk and transfered all my files over to my harddrive. Then I wipe the harddrive and reverted it back to factory setting.
My new problem (not so much a problem) is that it takes about 3 1/2 minutes to restart the computer, is there anything that I can do to make it reload faster (it use to take about a minute).
Also it takes a little longer to start any program.
Any suggestions or expertise would be greatly appreciated!

thanks!!!