Technical information

Troubleshooting Symptom/Cure Tables: Startup Problems Before the Finder
System Hangs During Boot
This problem refers to a system that begins a normal startup process with a boot
chime and normal display, but then freezes before the Finder appears.
Possible Cause Possible Fix
System extensions caus-
ing a conflict.
Boot with Extensions off by holding down the Shift key
during startup. (See Kbase/TIL article #14343 for
more information on possible Extension conflicts.)
Does the system startup successfully with Extensions
off?
Yes: Begin adding back the system Extensions one at a
time and starting up the system after each addition. If
the system freezes again, you know that the last
Extension you added is causing the problem.
No: Go to the next step.
Corrupted system software
or bad SDRAM.
Boot from the system CD that came with the unit. Does
the system startup successfully?
Yes: Reinstall system software. (You must use the
system software CD that came with the unit to get the
correct version of Mac OS.)If the problem persists, go
to the next step.
No: Reseat the SDRAM. If the problem persists,
replace the SDRAM (one DIMM at a time) with known-
good PC-100 SDRAM.
Bad hard drive. Can you see the hard drive using Drive Setup?
Yes: Use Drive Setup to reinstall the software
drivers for the hard drive. If the problem persists,
use Drive Setup to reinitialize the hard drive.
(See Kbase/TIL article #22206 for Drive Setup
information.) Warning: You will lose all data on
the hard drive when you reinitialize it. Back up the
data first if possible.
No: Go to next step.
Bad hard drive, cables, or
cable connections.
If you don’t see the hard drive using Drive Setup:
1. Check all cable connections to and from the hard drive.
2. Replace the HD/CD/DVD data cable.
3. Replace the hard drive.
4. Replace the hard drive power cable.
5. Replace the logic board.
If the problem persists, go on to the next step.