Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Your MacBook Air Won't Start
Few problems are as frustrating as a MacBook Air that can't get on its feet. Here are some ideas for
troubleshooting this most vexing problem:
Check your connections.
If MacBook Air won't even turn on (and the power cord isn't connected), the bat-
tery is probably drained. Connect the power cord and try powering up. If MacBook Air still won't start, make
sure the power cord is properly connected at both ends. The LED on the connector that plugs into MacBook Air
should be either green (indicating that the battery is fully charged) or amber (indicating that the battery is char-
ging). Also, if the power cord is plugged in to a power bar or surge protector, make sure that device is turned
on. If the device has a reset switch, press that switch.
Remove all nonessential devices.
Disconnect everything from MacBook Air. If it starts successfully, one of
the disconnected devices is likely the culprit. Reconnect the devices one at a time, restarting each one after you
connect it. If after connecting one of the devices MacBook Air refuses to start, that last device is the problem.
Try a Safe Mode boot and then restart.
One of the things a Safe Mode boot (described in Chapter 11) does
is delete the cache that MacBook Air uses for storing fonts to improve performance. If that cache gets corrup-
ted, it could cause start-up headaches. Trashing the cache might do the trick.
Repair the hard drive.
A hard drive problem could be causing your start-up woes. Boot to a secondary
device to repair it (as described in Chapter 11).
Repair hard drive permissions.
Improper permissions aren't likely to cause a start-up failure, but it's not
out of the realm of possibility. Boot to a secondary device to repair them (see Chapter 11).
Reset the parameter random access memory (PRAM).
The PRAM holds data like virtual memory and the
hard drive cache. It also holds settings, such as the speaker volume and monitor resolution. If any of these val-
ues is corrupted, it could prevent MacBook Air from starting. To reset the PRAM, press the MacBook Air
power button and then immediately press and hold the Option, , P, and R keys. Keep the keys held down until
MacBook Air restarts and you hear the start-up chime for the second time.
Reset MacBook Air's hard drive as the start-up device.
If you see a flashing question mark when you
start MacBook Air, the most likely problem is that it can't find the hard drive. To fix this, hold down the Option
key while you reboot MacBook Air. In the list of start-up devices that appears, choose Macintosh HD. If you
