# Takes Forever to Boot



## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

Hi all. Question: what could be causing my 2008 MacBook (Lion 10.7.5) to take no less than seven or even eight minutes to boot up? That's insane! It just started doing this a few days ago and for no reason I can think of. For example, I didn't install anything new. The Activity Monitor doesn't seem to be telling me anything either. What could be doing this?

I really don't want to have to reformat my Mac. Is there any way to fix this?

Could it be a failing hard drive issue?

Thanks!


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

How much free space is there on the hard drive? How much RAM is the system reporting? How many login items do you have?


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## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

There are 197 GB free. 4 GB RAM are reported. Four login items. I did some troubleshooting with the login items, disabling them to see if it had any effect on bootup time, and it didn't.


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## MartyF81 (Jan 23, 2013)

Can you tell us what part is taking longer than expected?

Is it the initial gray screen with the apple logo? 

or maybe the part just before you have to enter your password at the login screen?

or perhaps is it after you enter your password and are waiting for desktop?


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## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

The whole bootup, every step, from beginning to end takes much longer. The 7-8 minutes is a sum total. But I should say that the part which has been stretched the most, which before only lasted a second or two and now lasts the bulk of the load-up time, is the blank screen of transition between the Apple logo and the desktop. The mouse cursor just sits there for minute after minute. I can even move it around.

(I do not enter in a password when booting up. I have my machine configured to bypass that step.)

Even after the desktop arrives, I still can't do anything for another minute or two. The machine is chugging away hard at something.


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## MartyF81 (Jan 23, 2013)

That Apple Logo/Gray screen transition is mostly Pre-Operating System stuff. I am not familiar with your Particular Model, but a PRAM or SMC reset may be a good place to start.

Resetting SMC: Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
(make sure you read full article for instructions for your model.)

Resetting PRAM/NVRAM: About NVRAM and PRAM

Maybe start with that to shake out any possible Pre-OS issues.


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## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

I assume this isn't going to damage my data in any fashion?


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## MartyF81 (Jan 23, 2013)

I will not say there is "no chance" because, well ya never know. But it is very low risk. Those are both used to reset low level computing stuff. So your clock might need to be reset etc... but for the most part it is kind of like pulling the battery out of your cell phone and putting it back in. Kind of gets the hardware a kick in the pants.


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## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

Did both of those tasks you suggested. Assuming I did them right (as there was no indication either way), it didn't help.

Here's something else that might help to discern the issue: contrary to seemingly chugging away, my machine doesn't even sound like it's doing so. It acts like it's doing so, but the truth is no sound (even processing sound) is coming from it at all. It's like it's hung up rather than wildly working.


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## MartyF81 (Jan 23, 2013)

Can you try setting up a New User account, and see if the same thing happens if you boot into that user instead of your normal user? I see you said you have it set up to skip the login stage and just boot straight into your account.


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## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

I'm sad to report no change in bootup time when booting into a new user. Ages are spent getting even to the password stage, and then I have to wait ages for my mouse clicks to actually accomplish anything on it.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Boot into safe mode and see if the time is reduced. Turn on your Mac, then hold down the shift key when you hear the bong, and keep it held until you see the desktop.

As for resetting the PRAM, your computer should of bonged again. Push the power button, then as fast as you can hold down the command, option, P, and R keys, and keep them pushed down until you hear the bong at least three times.


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## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

I'll try that, but I should also note every once in a while when I hit command-S to save something the whole computer hangs for about a full minute before saving it. I can move my mouse and click on other open windows, but nothing actually works within those program despite being brought to the foreground. Also, when transferring files from my Mac to an external HD, the Mac hangs bad when I try to transfer any file over about 120 MB or thereabouts. What should take 5-10 seconds to transfer suddenly takes that many minutes. It does nothing for a long time, then a little, then it does nothing again for a long time, then a little.

I also did a HD verification and everything checked out okay.


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## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

Okay, that's it. My Mac took 20 minutes to fully boot this morning, and now everything is running slower besides. I don't have time to troubleshoot this anymore. I'm going to reformat and restore.


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## sapikest (Mar 29, 2009)

To me it seems like a failing hard drive did you do ay hD tests?


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Sounds like a hard drive problem, one usually seen with a full hard drive. Let us know how the reformat works.


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## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

I too think it must be a hard drive issue. But the Disk Utility verifies the disk as okay, so...?

Anyway, as soon as I post this message, I'm reformatting.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

As long as the drive answers, Disk Utility will say it's okay. There is really no way for a hard disk to know that it's going bad.


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## johnny_stocazz (Mar 13, 2013)

Try to replace hard drive with a new one. Or install OS in an external drive.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

The OP already said he's doing that. Again, please read everything before posting so that you don't look like an idiot.


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## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

Update: reformatted the HD and tried to reinstall Lion but there was an unexplained error during installation. I am now almost entirely convinced that the problem must be a bad HD. I should've known this was a bad HD when I first bought it and it wouldn't make a new partitions without dumping error messages on me.

I have had to order a new HD and I've since been waiting for it to come in the mail. Should come in today or tomorrow.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Here's hoping it fixes the issue. At least now you can put a bigger and faster hard drive in.


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## Shoal (Aug 18, 2011)

I put exactly the same HD in. Well, the same speed and size. I really don't need anything more. Besides it was cheap. 

Anyway, the machine is back up and running and I'm typing on it right now. The boot problem is fixed.

However... interesting update: the same strange error problem I had installing Lion on my old HD happened with the new one too. But it wasn't the DVD I used, I verified it as a perfectly functional disc. So anyway, I ended up having to install Snow Leopard, update it to 10.6.8, and then upgrade to Lion. ... ... on the day after Mountain Lion came out. Sigh. ;(

So, in the end, I have no idea what the problem was, but getting a new HD seems to have fixed it anyway. Oh well.


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## sapikest (Mar 29, 2009)

So boot problem was the HD and i think installation error is just your disc i bet you if you borrow someone elses or get a copy of lion it would install


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