Not only users of the Microsoft operating system have to deal with problems starting up a computer or laptop. Apple devices, despite their full hardware and software orientation, are also not immune from such cases. This may be a technical malfunction of the device components, connected external equipment or incorrect software operation.
It is the errors in the software that are the most common cause of failures during boot. And with the help of recovery tools developed by Apple engineers, users can try to solve these problems.
For starters, it makes sense to restart the hovering device in "pure" mode, disabling all available peripherals. In some models, this is done by long pressing the power button, and in some by holding the Touch ID sensor in the same way. If we are talking about a one-time failure, then this procedure will return the device to working condition. But if the reason is more serious, you may need to run Mac OS in safe mode. It is in many ways similar to the similar operating system mode from Microsoft.
Mac OS Safe Mode
It represents the launch of an operating system with minimal functionality (including graphics acceleration), which involves disabling all external services, the startup list, clearing the system cache, as well as diagnosing and fixing possible errors in directories. In the modern version of Mac OS Sierra, safe mode is activated in two safe boot options - Safe Boot (regular) and Verbose (logging). They differ only in the logging in Verbose of the phased loading of all system components (data of the process manager, programs and drivers) to monitor their status by the user.
Start Safe Mode
To boot Mac OS in safe mode, you must turn off the device, and then press the power button while holding Shift. MaC with boot logging mode is started by adding the V and Command buttons to this combination. The keys should be released immediately after the Apple logo appears on the device’s display.
The process of loading the mode is not fast, so you should be patient: sometimes users, taking a long download for a failure, forcefully disconnect the device, which complicates the recovery process. If Mac OS failed to load into safe mode, you can restart the machine in normal mode. With a high probability, the computer will boot normally, allowing you to continue working.
Safe Mode Limitations
It is important to remember that safe mode is not designed to work on the device. Its task is the localization and correction of software errors. Therefore, most of the functionality of the computer will remain inaccessible to the user, and some of the functions may not work correctly.
Among them:
- The inability to play DVDs and some video content.
- The inability to fully work in graphic editors and video editors.
- Possible inoperability of Wi-Fi.
- Inaccessibility of many peripheral devices when trying to connect them. This applies to both mice and keyboards, and other USB devices. In addition, the correct operation of ports 1394 and Thunderbolt is not guaranteed.
- Possible interruptions in the operation of the speakers and microphone.
- Lack of file sharing.
- Malfunctioning gesture control system.
- Disabled graphics acceleration.
Troubleshooting
Since one of the components of Mac OS safe mode is the restoration of the cache and directories, when the boot problems reappear, the errors associated with this can be eliminated and attention should be paid to startup. A full check of the objects in it should be carried out by phasing out each element from the list and then restarting the computer.
The sequence of actions is as follows:
- Go to the "Users and Groups" section, which is located in the "System Preferences".
- Open the "Entrance Objects" block located in the account section (by clicking on the account name).
- Delete all entries from the list, having previously saved this information in one way or another.
- Reboot the device in normal mode.
- If restarting to normal mode is successful, you should restart Mac OS in safe mode and add each of the previously deleted items to the list one at a time. Operations must be done until the device stops loading, thereby localizing the source of the problems.