Yosemite won't boot - stuck on black screen

[johndevasia]

hi johndevasia , hmmm.... so you said that you can see the apple logo lit up but the screen dies afterwards , if I understood correctly , did you mean NVram ? if not try reseting that too, The weird part about your situation is you get past the logo , ok no worries try connecting your mac with a hdmi to a tv/screen , let me know if you get any output .

Hi Armin. Thank you for the reply.
Yes

that's what it does every time.
I tried connecting to the TV and it still doesn't show anything.
Regarding the pram reset. Isn't that the same thing as nvram reset? Afaik the command+alt+p+r is the only combination to do this?
By the way I have windows 7 on bootcamp and it too won't load. I managed to log into windows safe mode and copied all my user files from the mac partition onto a hard drive. Dunno how much that will help in terms of a "backup" but it's the best I could do.

 

[905014]

Hi Armin. Thank you for the reply.
Yes View attachment 572873 that's what it does every time.
I tried connecting to the TV and it still doesn't show anything.
Regarding the pram reset. Isn't that the same thing as nvram reset? Afaik the command+alt+p+r is the only combination to do this?
By the way I have windows 7 on bootcamp and it too won't load. I managed to log into windows safe mode and copied all my user files from the mac partition onto a hard drive. Dunno how much that will help in terms of a "backup" but it's the best I could do.

hi you're welcome hmmm.. Im afraid my knowledge isn't enough to solve this problem, the thing is why isn't the apple logo in the middle ??? okay , so you told me you have backup your files great ! Now try holding the command-r buttons at startup , and reinstalling the mac os or if you have a second mac try creating a bootable usb drive and install from it I have explained how to do so in previous posts , i'm not certain about your situation it may or may not be a hardware issue , if recovering your software doesn't work try getting an apple genius appointment , if you live in a country that doesn't have apple support try finding an unofficial apple repair center ,
P.S first try the mac os recovery method , it won't be nice if you do a hardware repair then realize it was a simple software restore all along !!!
cheers

 

[johndevasia]

I tried the command+r option but that also does the same thing. It gets stuck on the Apple logo.
I have an appointment today but I don't have much faith in them. Let's see. I'll keep you updated.

 

[905014]

I tried the command+r option but that also does the same thing. It gets stuck on the Apple logo.
I have an appointment today but I don't have much faith in them. Let's see. I'll keep you updated.

okay lets try one last thing only hold the option key and choose mac os again , boot into mac os go to settings --> boot disk --> choose yosemite drive . restart your mac do the NVram reset keep doing it for 4-5 times in a row !

 

[johndevasia]

That's the problem right there Armin. It simply refuses to proceed booting into mac os. It hangs at the Apple logo with progress bar.
I tried all those things but can't seem to come right...
I even did the pram and smc reset several times.

 

[905014]

Hi johndevasia, okay I have found a workaround hold the D button at startup let it connect o the internet and run a hardware test when it finish's it will let you to restart your mac don't do so instead click on the safari option (get started or something like that ) it will take you to a safari page click on the apple logo in the top and choose the select drive option (choose your drive) and hit restart ! done !

 

[johndevasia]

Wow bud. You really do your homework don't you! Thank you very much.
I have good news though. Got to the genius bar and the lady there fixed it for me. I first gave her lots of grief but she was rather patient with me. Kudos to her!
First she connected my mac to another one in target disk mode.
Then she ran an app called disk warrior. It literally rebuilt my drive.
Viola! So happy I apologised to her and made friends.

 

[905014]

hi johndevasia, thats great to hear actually i thought of it but i had in mind that you may not have a mac nearby or you may not want to restore your OS X, anyway I tried my best to help ;-) if I only had an opportunity for a scholarship at software engineering believe me you won't be having those kind of bugs right now !

 

[johndevasia]

Well done man. Really great work nonetheless. You should keep doing what you love and I'm sure one day that dream will come to pass.

 

[905014]

Thankyou dear johndevasia !
take care!

 

[CoastalOR]

I have good news though. Got to the genius bar and the lady there fixed it for me. I first gave her lots of grief but she was rather patient with me. Kudos to her!
First she connected my mac to another one in target disk mode.
Then she ran an app called disk warrior. It literally rebuilt my drive.

Disk Warrior is a great tool! It has gotten pricey over the years, but it has helped me and bailed out many people on the forum. Here is a link to their web site:
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/

Disk Warrior 5 also has a DiskWarrior Recovery Maker app so you can make a bootable USB flash drive with Disk Warrior on it. You can then boot and run Disk Warrior from the thumb drive.

 

[sonjasifsne]

Same issue. My variation is that I recently tried using the iCloud lock feature. rMBP early 2014 running Yosamite. Worked perfect for 1 year then all of a sudden after locking it boots to backlit black screen. The boot chime sounds once. Nothing happens after that except the comp heats up.
I've tried the cmd + option + r +p, never get a second boot chime, nothing happens.
Have tried booting to safe mode, nothing happens.
Tried reseting the smc (shift + opt + ctrl +pwr). Nothing happens.
Tried connecting to external monitor. No input detected.

Any thoughts?

 

[905014]

Same issue. My variation is that I recently tried using the iCloud lock feature. rMBP early 2014 running Yosamite. Worked perfect for 1 year then all of a sudden after locking it boots to backlit black screen. The boot chime sounds once. Nothing happens after that except the comp heats up.
I've tried the cmd + option + r +p, never get a second boot chime, nothing happens.
Have tried booting to safe mode, nothing happens.
Tried reseting the smc (shift + opt + ctrl +pwr). Nothing happens.
Tried connecting to external monitor. No input detected.

Any thoughts?

Hi sonjasifsne, okay so the cmd+option+r+p is a little tricky to perform many people had the same issue at first but after a few tries it actually works , try it a few more times , you have to hold the keys for like 10-20 seconds quickly after pressing the power key , if the methods didn't work for you try thread No.57,
I hope you have backed up your important files ,
Do not proceed if you don't have a backup from your files !
if you do have a backup hold cmd-r buttons at startup , connect it to the internet and let it restore your mac OSX ! For downgrade and restore go to Thread No.26 !
message me if you need help !
By the way if you have planned a genius appointment at apple don't forget to mention my name and this forum in macrumors please ! thankyou ,
cheers,

 

[sonjasifsne]

Hi sonjasifsne, okay so the cmd+option+r+p is a little tricky to perform many people had the same issue at first but after a few tries it actually works , try it a few more times , you have to hold the keys for like 10-20 seconds quickly after pressing the power key , if the methods didn't work for you try thread No.57,
I hope you have backed up your important files ,
Do not proceed if you don't have a backup from your files !
if you do have a backup hold cmd-r buttons at startup , connect it to the internet and let it restore your mac OSX ! For downgrade and restore go to Thread No.26 !
message me if you need help !
By the way if you have planned a genius appointment at apple don't forget to mention my name and this forum in macrumors please ! thankyou ,
cheers,

Thank you for the help.
- have tried the cmd option r p many times, it does not change anything
- I have tried the hold d method, nothing happens.

I will mention your name. Do you think the icloud lock might be affecting my ability to use commands to force different boot sequences? because nothing works, I can't boot into safe mode, I cant boot into recovery, different disk partitions etc.

 

[905014]

Thank you for the help.
- have tried the cmd option r p many times, it does not change anything
- I have tried the hold d method, nothing happens.

I will mention your name. Do you think the icloud lock might be affecting my ability to use commands to force different boot sequences? because nothing works, I can't boot into safe mode, I cant boot into recovery, different disk partitions etc.

you're welcome , actually I believe this issue can be caused by many possibilities, some experience this while trying to boot from another drive ( holding the option key at startup ) some other after updating and some because of activating file vault it depends , and so on ....
this issue is so common that I answer to new people everyday ,
ok so , another option is to fully restore mac os to fresh , you can do so either by creating a osx usb flash or booting mac os in target disk mode and creating a drive using disk warrior, to be honest i never have done the second one but if you have another mac nearby try the second method (you can do so by connecting the second mac to the same network and holding cmd-t on your own mac at startup and choosing the second mac as startup disk ) , it has worked for some , but its a little complicated to perform!

 

[johndevasia]

Hi all. Again. Lol.
So my macbook pro did it again. Seems like it gets stuck at the Apple logo every time I restart. Need to send it in.
However. In the interim I think I found something that works. Here's what I did twice today when it seemed to log in but I see the black screen.

1. Press these keys together:
Command-Shift-Option-Q

This will log you out of your user account. Unfortunately it wont let you save any unsaved work. But I'm assuming at this stage you don't care much about it anyway.

2. Press: Shift–Control–Power button

This puts your display to sleep.

3. Close the lid and wait for the computer to turn off completely.

4. Open the lid and wait for it to get to the login screen. If that doesn't happen automatically, press the power button and wait for it to show the login screen.

Please don't hold me liable for any losses you may incur doing the above.
Secondly. You may have to do these steps in another order. But I'll keep trying it myself and update if I'm successful. All the best.

 

[johndevasia]

Hi all. It finally messed up my computer so bad that even the genius bar couldn't help. So we booked it in for repairs.
They too couldnt figure out what was wrong. They sent a diagnostics log to Apple and ended up replacing the logic board (mlb) under warranty although my Macbook Pro is older than two years.
Now everything seems to be working fine.

 

[905014]

Hi all. It finally messed up my computer so bad that even the genius bar couldn't help. So we booked it in for repairs.
They too couldnt figure out what was wrong. They sent a diagnostics log to Apple and ended up replacing the logic board (mlb) under warranty although my Macbook Pro is older than two years.
Now everything seems to be working fine.

Hi , wow thats sad to hear but i'm happy that your mac was under warranty and you could replace it free of charge , never thought an issue could go that deep ,
well this time keep everything backedup just in case anything goes wrong !
thankyou for updating us on your status ! by the way you can join my fruity hackz group on telegram ! please share the link with others on this thread ! thankyou !

 

[johndevasia]

Thank you Armin.
Yes. I have got a hard drive split into two partitions. One for Mac backups and the other for Windows backups. Although I don't really know how to do a windows backup...

 

[905014]

Thank you Armin.
Yes. I have got a hard drive split into two partitions. One for Mac backups and the other for Windows backups. Although I don't really know how to do a windows backup...

sorry johndevasia I was busy for a few days , sure you can do so by installing a thirdparty app , I don't know much about these apps but there are tons of them out there that can help you backup your windows also there is a built in feature you can use , if you have further questions consider joining my group in telegram , this theard is heading out of direction,
 ;-)

 

[Gaanesh]

Did you try reseting your SMC?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?v...S&locale=en_US

You can also try OPTION_CMD:R while booting.

Try holding down OPTION while starting as well.

Ctrl Cmd R worked for me. Thank you.

 

[Christophereece]

Haven't had success with any of these options. When I try cmd + option + r + p, it resets in a loop

 

[Just4AQuestion]

I've been grappling with this issue for the past month or so, and it seems my computer has a few different quirks / snags. But I can add some things I know haven't worked, and what seems to have triggered this, so maybe we can figure it out.
(rMBP, 13", 2013)

Basic problem: After sleep or startup, mac boots to a black screen. No cursor, no dimly lit info. Happened randomly at first, but more consistently until finally always boots this way. Can show that computer is on with Caps lock. Can only view screen through external screen connected by HDMI.

When booting up normally, gets stuck during or before apple bootup logo. Can boot into single-user mode, safe-mode, and recovery mode. But again, screen only shows up on external. (Don't know what variations you guys run into).

Things that don't work:
1) Resetting SMC
2) Resetting VRAM
3) Deleting com.apple.loginwindow.plist.
4) Repairing disk/permissions with applejack.

After wiping hard drive, reinstalling Mavericks instead of El Capitan, it stayed dark for one evening, then booted up in the morning!

Things worked for about a week until Sunday, when I did two things:
1) Installed STEAM and played a few games for about an hour
2) Watched Bob's Burger's on an external TV connected by HDMI

The following day, after closing and opening lid, I get the black screen again! Hmm... So I safe-booted (being able to see the desktop through an hdmi connected tv), made sure all display and power settings were set at default, deleted Steam, deleted Popcorn Time.

Still dark, left it overnight to recharge. Next day while at work, I walked down to a different tv, connected my computer by HDMI and booted into single user mode. Single-user mode worked on the INTERNAL display, nothing on the external. Used applejack to delete the user caches. Lots of files deleted.

Booted normally, everything worked (with a tiny blip during load, but otherwise fine). So in the end, I don't know what has fixed it but when I looked at the bar at the top of the screen, I saw the "Mirroring displays" menu icon, which should only be there when a display is connected... I clicked on it and it only showed the preferences menu, and when I unchecked the preference to show this, it went away and did not come back when rechecked.

So based on what happened, I think I can narrow it down to either
1) the increased GPU load from the game, or
2) connecting to an external monitor via hdmi. I think it's this one.

Does anyone know anything about what's going on when the graphics card detects an external monitor? What settings/preferences get changed? Where these changes are stored?