09-07-2014, 12:35 PM
Bot holding the Option key at the startup sound. That gives you a choice of drives. Choose the Recovery Drive. Then chose Reinstall the OS. 10.9, and wait until it starts. The OS will be downloaded and the reinstallation will begin. Takes a bit of time, but it's worth it. No data will be lost. Use that time to set up a backup program for him, one that includes cloning a bootable backup so the next time he screws up he won't have to go through this again.
Fritz wrote:
my buddy has a '09 iMac. Last month he updated to 10.9.4.
He had also, unfortunately, installed AVG for Mac. How he bought that hoodwink I'll never understand.
AVG was doing it's thing the other night, found some issue that it went to "repair".
And it never stopped. He shut it down before too long, but not soon enough to have a mess.
Wouldn't start up today.
Wouldn't safe boot on the wireless Apple keyboard (new batts), or pRam zap, or Recovery or etc.
His son has a Logitech G710+ gaming keyboard. He used that to boot into Startup Manager (opt/alt) and he saw Recovery from TM, re-install onto Mac HD and the DVD install disc (10.6.2). It would not boot Single, Safe or any other as before with the Apple kb.
He ran Disk Uts and repaired disc and perms. All was normal there. Tried to re-boot. Nada.
Booted into Start-up Manager again. Choose re-install this time (no TM ever done ...... of course).
It goes thru all the motions, but when it reboots, it's back to the spinning gear on the gray screen.
He doesn't have another Mac there to target with, nor any other wired USB kb.
Off course it won't start-up any more from his DVD as there was a firmware change since.
Ideas, suggestions or time for a genius?