Macbook Problem

Ok so recently my roommate's macbook crashed. I go to look at it...but I'm a windows guy so I have no idea what's going on with this thing. Can someone help me out? Here's the problem.

Turn the mac on, it boots up and shows a blank white screen. We called Apple and after giving the whole "Macs don't have system problems" bs, we managed to get some info. We were told to insert the Snow Leopard disk and do a clean install. Now the damn thing goes into an install loop and refuses to eject the disk. It asks for install language, then installs...then goes back to select install language.

Any info or help?? Its driving me nuts b/c hes having to use my comp to do his homework..and he *** b/c he doesn't know what does what...

Tell him to buy a PC. :) solved.

On a real note i cant help you. I only used mac's for Audio/Video/Photo artwork and such. Only thigns theyre good for . Other then that i have no experience with them and have no idea how to help you. Just wanted to poke fun at the mac :P

Oh you don't know how much ***I give him everytime something goes wrong with his precious mac.

In all seriousness just go to google and type in the problem sure you will find a page of someone having a similar problem i havent had any problems with my mac at all yet nor my pc cause i refuse to use lolvista or lol7 but goodluck on fixing the mac they can be a pain to fix i assume.

to get the disk out hold the eject the button the second u turn it on till it ejects.
then turn it off and turn back on, the second you turn it on hold the shift button to boot up safe mode hold it boots up, then restart it in safe mode for normal mode this will get it work, idk how to fix the white screen yet.

I run vista. Only problem I have had is UAC which i disabled. Anyway, we have been searching google for about 5 hours and nothing has popped up. Its campus wide though. Almost all of the mac users are having the same problem...but still no hits with google search. Also if its a security issue, according to mac's website, they refuse to discuss it until a patch is released...so these people could be without their computers for a while...

Tried the disk eject thing with no result. We have been trying safe mode as well and it refuses to respond to ANY keyboard commands. We can use the mouse, thats about it.

just tell him PC Win > lolMAc phail. If hes really hard up for the mac feel and look, he can buy almost any most recent windows system xp or vista and make it look and feel like a mac osx.

And it will continue to work just dont shut it down, or u will need to repeat what i said

All the macs on campus are having the issue?

Sounds like someone made a virus for the all mighty un breakable mac :P

try holdin the eject button before u turn on, is the power cord hooked up, it should eject, it did take me a few tries to get my install disk to eject

That's what I thought initially until it wouldn't eject the disk. Also with a clean install, it would abolish most viruses right?

*update* We tried the trick of sticking a piece of cardboard in to get the mac to stop reading the disk. It worked...but it still won't eject it and still blank white screen. ><

try stuff from this site??
http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2007/12/01/how-to-eject-a-stuck-cd-or-dvd-from-macbook-superdrive/
friend said it helped fix his.

On a serious note aside from my kidding. This is what i found based on 'closely alike' problems.

http://ask.metafilter.com/63757/My-iMac-only-displays-a-blank-white-screen-when-I-turn-it-on-What-should-I-do

"the one that finally fixed it was to power down, remove every peripheral, and completely remove the power source for about 10 seconds or so, and then power up (basically Blazecock Pileon's step 3)"

THey also tried the safe boot and Disc trick.

This is what my google searchs resulted.

http://www.google.com/search?q=MAC+BLANK+WHITE+SCREEN&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GWYE

yea that's just where I was lol, but the disk being stuck isn't the main problem...its the fact that the computer won't boot up normally at all. We managed to run the battery down then plugged it back up. It allowed him to login and then went straight back to the white screen....and then since the disk was still in, it continued with the install loop ><

hmmm have you tried taking a hammer to it?? maybe some duct tape?? idk but here at ITT a lot of other ppl's macs are messed up as well lol idk if its a virus or too much porn downloads. but as i said goodluck fixing it o.o

If you have an Apple Store nearby, make an appointment and take it there, they usually fix 80% of issues like that same day. If its under warranty there will be no charge, if its out of warranty there may or may not be a fee but they'll let you know ahead of time. It's always free to get it diagnosed.

As for all you Mac bashers- where are you going to take your PC when it breaks? Nowhere, you're going to pay for parts, and you're going to install them yourself, or you're going to buy an entirely new computer. Mac users don't have to bother, their computers are covered, and if they can't be fixed, they get replaced. So shut it, every computer has its pluses and minuses- an Apple runs on the same type of hardware a PC does now anyway, and you can run Windows on them now, so honestly, there really isn't that much of a difference any more. My Macbook Pro runs FFXI several times smoother than my old gaming desktop PC did- and it looks nicer than any PC laptop out there, imo.

One more thing to try, reset the PRAM. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

Also try removing the battery and power source and let it sit a couple minutes. If anything has been installed recently, ie. more memory, try replacing it with the old or ensuring that its firmly seated. If no luck with any of those- schedule a 15 minute appointment at the closest store to you: http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/

@ Reze: I am a mac basher as well. Almost everything you said about pcs (btw macs are pcs too just different OS and only sold from 1 vender) I have a counter argument against. However, I don't want this turning into a Mac vs Windows threat b/c personally Linux> All. Now that that has been said,

I'm taking the thing to the apple store in the morning (since he has class and I don't) but according to the *** that I talked to on the phone, its not a problem with the computer...which is a lie...and to Preflain, if the people at the apple store say something along those lines, you better believe I'll be taking a hammer to it.

Also, try holding option or alt right after you press the power button. See if it'll let you choose between the CD and Hard Drive. Holding spacebar or the mouse button during boot should eject the disk. If the credit card method doesn't work (using card to hold CD still to force eject) then my guess is a bad disk drive as well? White/gray screen on bootup sounds like it's failing to recognize the hard drive. So I dunno, seems like you have a couple problems there. 1-800-APL-CARE is their support number.

i had a laugh when reading this then saw to the right an add for an apple macbook pro for just $625.00 think i'll save that money :P

Dude. MacOSX is based on UNIX- you know, the same thing Linux is based on? Really, what's so bad about Apples? The only PCs I trust are the PCs I build myself. The support from any PC manufacturer in my personal experience has been absolute garbage. I've had plenty of experience. Since I can't build a laptop, I got an Apple, and I've never regretted the decision. They fully replaced my laptop when my original one overheated and transferred my data for me so I didn't even have to back it up myself, and I've never had to format because of software issues or run spyware/virus software on it and slow it down. I don't see how there are negatives, really.

no negatives? What do you think this thread is about? Also, Macs ARE PCS just different OS and only 1 manufacturer so that they can jack up the price for less hardware.

Yeah, no negatives. Unlike another manufacturer, you aren't stuck without a solution. You're going to take his computer to the store tomorrow and the issue will be resolved. That is not a negative. Don't act like this thread is the only computer problem you've ever had- the service is what makes Apple so great.

I could also ask you to tell me where you're going to find a computer with a one-year warranty, 27" IPS display with 2560x1440 resolution, 4850 graphics card, 4gb of memory, 1TB hard drive, for less than $1699, since Macs are "overpriced PCs." Don't bother looking because you won't find one.

I built a custom i7 system last year in May. I'd rather have a 27" iMac that came out in October. Sure, you can put great parts in a Honda, and you can take care of it well. Other people buy BMW's.

We have our aluminum unibodys, IPS LED glass displays, backlit keyboards, hi-res cameras, 7 hour battery life and excellent customer care- we're set for 3 years at the very least. Some people get what's on clearance at Best Buy every year. You pay for whatcha get.

I'm only giving you a hard time because I can tell you haven't even given Macs a chance. While you go to the Apple Store tomorrow, ask someone to show you multitouch on the laptops.

I was away from Apple for a long time. I was reintroduced when one of my favorite music artists produced his whole show on stage with his Mac. That really emphasized reliability to me. If he's going to take that thing on the road and use it to perform at every live show- that says something. The further I looked into it, the more artists I found using Macs. Since that time I've DJ'd at a radio station, parties, weddings, clubs, all from my Mac. Generally they are reliable, yes. The only issue I've had personally was when my old one overheated while playing FFXI.

Everyone is so set on the idea of "Mac vs PC" that marketing has created. Yes, they are the same on the inside. And they carry a price for a reason- engineering, design and service. Count how many different models of computers Apple makes. Then take any other computer manufacturer, and count how many different products they have, and look at how often they switch or drop models!

<3 macs for graphic design
<3 pcs for video games
nuff said

take it to an apple store, another great thing about apples is they have GREAT customer service. Granted, I have the applecare plan thanks to my work for paying for it all but I've had friends' macs taken care of swiftly by service reps.

o, and he should take better care of it.

I have 4 apple computers, and only my main design computer (mac pro) has ever burned out a graphics card... which taken to the apple store, was swapped out in an hour. Still yet to have any issues on the other 2-iMac design stations and a mac-mini which i run my media center through at home.
... except it won't let me go to tvshack.net w/o warning me of malicious malware.
...which is most likely the same ***that infected my PC a couple weeks ago, some lameass fake-security program.
but goddamn I love my Weeds episodes.
hulu needs to start hosting that ***.

Gateway FX series gaming laptop (only gateway computer I support) Got it for $1.1k then upgraded the HDD from 320 to 2tb for about $70. 3 Year warranty included and it covers everything from hardware malfunction to me running it over with my car (yes I asked them if it covered that). Only a 17" but thats all you need for a laptop.

I don't like the design of macs. The lack of buttons on the touch pad, the lack of full size keyboard functions, the lack of macro keys and the fact that apple "does not discuss security issues" does NOT make me feel comfortable at all. At least with windows, if theres a problem, you know it. Also, when my comp messes up, I don't pay to have it fixed unless its a complete hardware *** up. I usually fix it myself. 3rd year computer system analyst major. Software is my ***.

Everyone so hyped on Apple and Microsoft & OS's i can't remember the names of how to spell, What about VooDoo PC's?! http://www.voodoopc.com/

I was a windows user for a great many years but go tired of the problems they created and decided to buy a iMac recently, I've not once had a problem with it (which is a joy) and also run XP via bootcamp, which does run better than my old PC lol.

Apple are the future, "PC for life" people make me lol now.


Good luck with fixing the problem though, I'm sure they'll fix it in store np.

Throw it out the window, that`l get your disk out.

Cause you know, if one thing goes wrong you just throw it out the window or return the whole thing to Apple as opposed to finding the source of the issue and fixing the individual part that needed adjustments or replacement.

Yeah, that really makes sense to me.

I'm happier now than I ever was, to me that's the most important thing.