Blue Screen ? tried everything ? need help please!

satl

I cannot startup my computer. It gets stuck on a blue screen with a movable mouse pointer. It will startup successfully in safe mode by holding down shift at startup.



I haven?t downloading anything recent that I can think of, or made any recent updates that would have caused this. It just seemed to happen out of nowhere. My Mac has been down for 5 days now trying to fix this. I have spent hours searching the forums. This is my first post for help.



Computer details:

Mac Pro

2 x 3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon

8GB Ram

Leopard



So far, here?s what I?ve done:



I reset the PRAM by holding down Command-Option-P-R at startup. It did the double boot thing.



I tried holding down Command-Option-O-F at starup to reset the firmware, but it would never boot the Mac into Open Firmware.



I have 2 x 2GB Ram, plus 4 x 1GB Ram, and I?ve tried switching them around, only using some of them, etc? it?s not the Ram that?s causing the problem.



I unplugged all external devices and hard drives.



I took the panel off the Mac Pro and pulled out all my drive bay slots, leaving only my main drive with the OS in.



I created a second login, and disabled automatic login, but it never gets to the screen to let me choose, unless I startup in safe mode.



I did a clean install with my OS X disk on my main drive, erasing and installing fresh and new. Still sticks at the blue screen.



I did a fresh erase and install using my OS X disk on an external drive connected via firewire and booted from it, still sticks on blue screen.



I can safe boot into both, either my external, or internal drive, each with a fresh install of OS X.



I downloaded Combo/Software Updates, even updated to the new 10.5.7 combo. Still sticks at blue screen.



I pulled up Disk Utility in safe mode and repaired disk permissions, still sticks at blue screen.



Here is what the Console is showing happening during startup. There are a bunch of errors at the end, I don?t know what they mean, or how to fix them. I tried Google searching it with no luck:



4:39:54 PM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/dashboardadvisoryd.plist

4:39:54 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cupsd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight

4:39:54 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.ntp.ntpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight

4:39:54 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.x.privileged_startx) Unknown key for boolean: EnableTransactions

4:40:03 PM org.ntp.ntpd[18] Error : nodename nor servname provided, or not known

4:40:14 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[99]) Exited: Terminated

4:40:14 PM com.apple.launchd[89] (com.apple.AirPortBaseStationAgent) Unknown key for boolean: EnableTransactions

4:40:14 PM com.apple.launchd[89] (org.x.startx) Unknown key for boolean: EnableTransactions

4:40:15 PM com.apple.ATSServer[116] FODBCheck: New annex file created

4:40:22 PM [0x0-0xb00b].com.apple.finder[121] Thu May 14 16:40:22 shane-womers-mac-pro.local Finder[121] <Error>: Failed to create window context device

4:40:22 PM [0x0-0xb00b].com.apple.finder[121] Thu May 14 16:40:22 shane-womers-mac-pro.local Finder[121] <Error>: CGWindowContextCreate: failed to create context delegate.

4:40:22 PM [0x0-0xb00b].com.apple.finder[121] Thu May 14 16:40:22 shane-womers-mac-pro.local Finder[121] <Error>: Failed to create window context device

4:40:22 PM [0x0-0xb00b].com.apple.finder[121] Thu May 14 16:40:22 shane-womers-mac-pro.local Finder[121] <Error>: CGWindowContextCreate: failed to create context delegate.

4:40:22 PM [0x0-0xb00b].com.apple.finder[121] Thu May 14 16:40:22 shane-womers-mac-pro.local Finder[121] <Error>: Failed to create window context device

4:40:22 PM [0x0-0xb00b].com.apple.finder[121] Thu May 14 16:40:22 shane-womers-mac-pro.local Finder[121] <Error>: CGWindowContextCreate: failed to create context delegate.

yo_applefreak

Hi Buddy,



To be honest with you this one has completely got me confused man..!!



If you say that it boots to safe boot that means that it clearly is a SW issue but if you have done an Erase and Install and its the same issue that means it is clearly HW. So now we are in a loop as to what the problem might be.

The only thing that i can think of as of now is to try with a different Leopard install disc ( i know it sounds stupid but thats the only thing that comes to my mind reading what ever u did.)



I will do a little more research on the error logs that you have provided and try to come up with a valid fix.



In the mean time if you do manage to fix it please post it here so that i can also know what the issue was.

satl

I think I figured it out.



I started up in safe mode, then set my iChat to automatic login.



I shutdown, removed the video card, and started up the computer. I waited a few minutes.



Then, on another Mac connected to the same network here in the house, I logged into my iChat and sent myself a message to the broken computer.



With no screen to see what I was doing on my broken computer, I hoped for the best and pushed the iChat hot keys to bring it to the front, typed a reply, and hit enter.



Whhallllaaaa! My reply showed up on my other Mac! I can type back and forth to myself, so now I know it logged in without freezing up, without the video card in.



Does that mean for sure that my video card is the problem? Is it possible the video card slot on my motherboard is bad? Is there anymore testing I should do before buying another video card?



The one I have been using now, that seems to have gone bad, is a NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT.



Thanks, Shane

yo_applefreak

Shane,



If you don't mind please post the serial # of the Mac. Also apart from the standard configurations if you have added anything extra please lemme know..!!



The best way to find out if the Video card is bad is to run an Apple Hardware Test from the install disc.



Like i said at this point i do not know if this is a SW issue or a HW issue. (your issue has gotten me completely confused man) Will get back to you once i check out the console reports that you got.



I would not recommend you going for a new video card so soon..!!



Paul.

satl

Quote:

Originally Posted by yo_applefreak


Shane,



If you don't mind please post the serial # of the Mac. Also apart from the standard configurations if you have added anything extra please lemme know..!!



Paul.

Paul,



Thanks so much for your help.



If I go to "About This Mac" and click on "More Info", underneath "Hardware", it shows this:



Serial Number (system): G86432G4UPZ



Is that the number you needed?



Shane

yo_applefreak

yeah man thats the # i need also if u have added any extra config to it lemme know.

i will get back to 2moro same time with a possible fix man..

always glad to be of assistance..!!

satl

Quote:

Originally Posted by yo_applefreak


yeah man thats the # i need also if u have added any extra config to it lemme know.

i will get back to 2moro same time with a possible fix man..

always glad to be of assistance..!!

Serial Number (system): G86432G4UPZ



NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT



No extra config that I can think of, besides adding RAM from OWC to bump it up to 8GB.



I did have all 4 drive bay slots full, and was using external drives via firewire as well, for all the video editing I do, and backups with Time Machine, but I've unplugged all that. I only left the one drive bay slot in the Mac with OS X on it, and did an erase and fresh install, trying to see if I could get it to work through the process of elimination. Right now, the whole computer is stripped down to as basic as you can get.



It's been hard being down, because I make a living with the media production work that I do on it. Please stay on top of this with me as quick as possible. I appreciate the help!



Shane

yo_applefreak

Well i guess you have given me all the info i was looking for..!! right now at home and really tired so goin to hit the sack..!! more than anything else i wanna know what exactly is happening here so i also am really curious to find a fix for this..!! as soon i get to office 2moro first thing will be to find a fix for this..!!

will get back to you on this one for sure man..!!



Shane also in the mean time just run an AHT from the install disc and check if it gives any errors with the Video card.. run the advanced diagnostics. Heads up it will take time at least 4 hrs.. and do not interrupt the AHT.

Have a good one..!!



Paul..!!

satl

I would have tried that already by now, but I purchased this from a guy who bought it for his studio, which he never finished building, and I don't know what he did with the software restore DVD that should've been with the Mac. That was over a year ago. There's no way to get it from him now.



I would have downloaded the image from here and burned it to a disk, but they don't list one for the Mac Pro on that page.



Here are some interesting tidbits that may help:



I first started noticing the problem about week ago when my Mac would freeze while the screen saver was running. Then I just restarted the computer and it worked fine from there. A couple days later, it wouldn't restart at all, just a blue screen. Sometimes it would slightly continue restarting, and icons from the desktop would start to pop through the blue screen, but never finished loading the desktop. It was just blue screen with icons popping through. Then, after a while, it didn't get that far anymore. Nothing but pure blue screen every time. It seemed to be a progressive dying process. Safe mode has always worked though. In-fact, I can't even get the OS X install disk to pull up, unless I choose it as the restart choice, and then hold down shift for safe mode while starting up, otherwise, I just get a blue screen, even with the install disk. But I can always get the install disk to pull up after I've chosen it, as long as I hold down shift after the apple startup sound.



One more thing, my LCD 23" Widescreen Apple Display has wavy lines through it, even during startup on the white screen with the Apple logo. I thought it just looked like that because I was starting up in safe mode, and I figured that must have disabled so much that it couldn't have a clean resolution image, but I'm thinking that it shouldn't look that like that in the beginning, when it's just starting up.



I also changed the CR 2032 coin battery on the motherboard to a new one, which didn't fix anything.



And I tried putting the NVIDIA graphics card into slot 2 on the motherboard instead of slot 1, and that didn't fix it either.



Unless you come back with any astonishing information on this, I will try ordering the new Radeon 4870, because I'd like to upgrade my graphics card anyway, so won't be such a bad thing after all... Assuming that fixes the problem.



Shane

yo_applefreak

Shane,



I have a fix for you..!! its not a complete fix as of now but i can assure u that it will work.. replacing the graphics card on this one wont work man..!! This clearly is a SW issue.!! i just read ur last post and it looks like you have a little complex problem here. we may be dealing with multiple issues here..



I have send u a message in your inbox.. please check it..!!

satl

Quote:

Originally Posted by yo_applefreak


Shane,



I have a fix for you..!! its not a complete fix as of now but i can assure u that it will work.. replacing the graphics card on this one wont work man..!! This clearly is a SW issue.!! i just read ur last post and it looks like you have a little complex problem here. we may be dealing with multiple issues here..



I have send u a message in your inbox.. please check it..!!

PM replied to.



Thanks!



Shane

satl

It was the video card. I received my order in the mail today, and my computer is up and flying again!



I ended up going with two Nvidia 8800 cards, to prepare for Snow Leopard with OpenCL implementation, which should take advantage of all CPU and GPU resources, for hopefully, some serious ProApps performance.



http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...p_of_cuda.html



Shane