OS X Mountain Lion Portable Genius

Start-up Issues

When your Mac won’t start, it’s pretty scary. I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you there’s nothing to worry about, but most of the time this can be solved with a few quick-and-easy steps. If you told me you had start-up issues, the first question I would ask is if the Mac literally won’t power up, or if it is getting hung up in the boot process. Let’s take it from there.

Your Mac won’t power up

Here are a few questions and tips to try if your Mac simply won’t power up:

Is the power cable connected?

Does the power outlet you are connected to work with other devices?

If you are using a laptop, is the power adapter connected or are you running off the battery? If so, is the battery charged? Does the Mac work with the power adapter connected?

Is the Mac powering up, but the display won’t come on? If so, you could have a bad display. Try connecting another display to your Mac to determine if that is the issue. If a new display doesn’t work, or if your display works with another computer, there could be a problem with your Mac’s video card.

Have you added any ...