Snow Leopard install fails? Find a flashlight!
Summary: Several users report a blank screen after installing Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard. However, one suggested fix is to find a flashlight to read the screen.
Several users report a blank screen after installing Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard. However, one suggested fix is to find a flashlight to read the screen.
In the Apple Discussions topic Display blank 24hrs after SL install, as with another describing a "very faint screen," MacBook Pro users report that the backlight just goes out during the installation.
Some posters suggest that the display went to sleep during the installation and then it didn't "wake up" with the necessary brightness for humans to see the screen.
One answer is to find a flashlight.
I had a similar issue on my MacBook Pro. I was able to complete the installation by using a flashlight on the screen. My problem was that the screen was very very dim that it looked blank. I also attempted to increase the brightness of the display, but that didn't work. Once I used the flashlight I was able to select my language and locate the mouse so I could select accept. The installation completed once that was done.
In addition, you can try increasing the brightness. F2 is the usual keyboard command for increasing brightness. Depending on your config, you may have to hold down the Fn key to get this Function key to work.
Another post points to the Energy Saver settings as the culprit:
My installation was on a MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo. After I finally completed the installation, I had to change the screen brightness setting and manually change the gamma in the calibration of the display to 2.2. I now picture the Snow Leopard holding a high-end flashlight in its mouth.
It is possible that this problem could have been avoided if the display preferences in Energy Saver had been set, before the installation began, to never have the display sleep. My display went dark and did not recover after about the same amount of time for which sleep was set.
So, if you're heading into an install of Snow Leopard, it might be best to manually turn all of the display sleep settings to Never (and maybe do the same for system sleep as well as unchecking the hard disk sleep box). Of course, it's never wise to install systemware when running on battery power. But anything can happen, or the installer may decide you're running on the Power Adapter settings.
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Talkback
How would I react if this affected Windows?
endless jabs on every Windows related story. Ask
yourself how you would post if you needed a
flashlight to install Windows and post that here!
just like the whole...
seen virtually the same thing happen (but not during an OS upgrade) on
other brand machines running Windows...
You'd deny it happened...
Like you would think
Typed on my Apple Macintosh, non-Snow Leopard. So there. :-)
I think you might be right.
I really like my Macs and have never had issues in the two years I have been a convert. But in this case, someone needs to lose their Job.
Mac users ...
constant updates
No, he's right.
It updates as often as my Vista box except it doesn't do it automatically, needs password authentication from secure sources and requires a restart for virtually every one of them.
I mean a restart for a web browser? WTF?
LOL indeed.
I wouldn't...
There's a bug in snow leopard? I'm not surprised, it's software. As a programmer, I'm fully aware that anything as big as an OS installer is going to have a bug in it somewhere.
I find it fully possible that this problem did not occur in any of the test installs they did, and so they were unaware of the potential problem. You can't really expect any more from the developers, except perhaps fixing the issue in the next release.
Configurations.
Come now, Apple is supposed to be a closed system and this kind of thing should be easily picked up via testing. But hey, Apple don't allow the average Joe to trial a beta of their OS...
Yes, you can expect more from the developers, you should never be satisfied with sloppy testing, which is what this amounts to.
Exactly
compensates with the advantages of being a closed
system. In this case, Apple loses.
I would react the same way as I do to this
Duh.
EVERY story about a flaw in Windows I'd never get anything done.
Now I do read a few, because I support clients who DO have Windows,
and I even have a box here running Windows 7 (and it's working fine
thanks). But seriously, why do you care?
I get it, you use Windows, and you like it - great. I've been "kicking
the tires" of Windows 7 and you know what? It isn't half bad. I still like
Mac OS X more, but I've got lots of Mac software, and I use the Mac
more (so it feels more natural) but I can see why you like it.
But you're only doing what you accuse "Mac-heads" of doing.
Honestly, most Mac users don't care about Windows - they're happy
with their machines, they don't read or comment on PC stories. OK,
you got a PC and you like it - I get it, really I GET IT, what the heck
has this got to do with the PC?
I agree with you, but...
Beacaus Apple fanboys are blind and full of
illusions about Windows (I, Linux user who
tries to convince everyone to use what I
believe to be a "superior" system rarely had
any problems on Windows) , because "Mac is so
perfect", because they can't say anything
positive about Windows nor anything negative
about Mac OS X, and because we're tired...
I use Linux, Windows and Mac. Yes, all tree are
good OSs and a lot of work has been put to make
them, all three have their qualities and flaws.
I'm satisfied with none, but I respect them
all. Now I'm a Linux fan, but when my brother's
computer has a bug (he installed Linux on my
recommendation) I tell him I'm sorry, and I
don't start blaming some one else or changing
the subject (eg. "Well, it would be worse with
Windows"). Now Linux (ubuntu in that case) is
free, is running in a cheap computer.
I'd like to buy myself a Windows or Mac box,
but i'm not paying extra if it has the same
bugs as my free OS (regardless of any open-
source ideology or the such).
However, I'm sure I would have dropped/I'd drop
any Linux distro if it had a similar bug before
it was even fully installed. What about with a
costly OS? Would I make an exception?
I'd like it if we didn't see stories like this
(and seriously, its trivial), but that's not
going to change untill iFans calm down and
accept Mac OS X as a normal OS with normal
problems and stop ranting and snobbing "PC"s.
(That goes for Linux fans too, to a lesser
extent)
Cuts both ways.
(more accurately called bigots, shills and trolls) who lie awake at night
salivating at the prospect of being able to post an anti-Apple or anti-
Linux rant the following day. Either they are being paid by MS to do this,
or they really need to chill and get a life.
Yes, the Linux and Mac fanboys are tedious, but for some reason are not
nearly as numerous, or as shrill, and the Windows sycophants.
Back on topic: how many people have experienced this and what
suggestions do you have as a workaround?
All Bull#$%t
correctly in the first place and you installed your system complete with
incompatible 3rd parry plug-ins. Here is one of the most problem free
methods of installing install Snow Leopard problem free. First BACK UP
YOUR DRIVE using time machine and an external hard drive. On
completion insert the original disc which was supplied with your
computer. Select Install and erase of your hard drive. OS X will
completely erase your Macintosh Hard Drive and replace it with the
original system supplied with the machine. Use the second disk to
install iLife or any other bundled software. The run "System Update"
which will patch the system with every revision and security parches for
your specific Macintosh. When you have a clean 10.5.0 System and
system profiler reports that you are up-to-date. Insert the Snow
Leopard DVD and install the update as a custom update, select "rosetta"
as part of your update to cover applications not written in the Mac
native Cocoa programing language. Immediately there after you will
receive a few more incremental updates for both the OS and installed
Apple productivity (iLife & iWork) software bring your system version to
10.6.1. Restart the system with 6+4 keys held down and the system
will boot in 64 bit and stable. Then you can use Migration Assistant to
bring back your specific files and documents from your Time Machine
Back-up. It is thereafter suggested that you review the web sites of
your favorite plug-in's and 3rd party applications and you will witness
the most stable 64 bit OS you can run on Intel chips. For those who
just have to have the Windows PC "cool aid" experience, use Boot Camp
or VMware and install you favorite version of PC or LINUX OS and enjoy
two computers for the price of one! I run several versions of LINUX,
WINDOWS XP, VISTA and 7 as part of my application development
environment daily on a Apple Macintosh 17 MacBook Pro 3.06GHz Intel
Core 2 Duo, 8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X4GB and a 500GB Serial
ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm. This is the fastest machine on which you can
run ALL current versions of popular OS out of the box. This is a
capability often missed by the Zelots for Windows/Intel product.
Everyone wants a cheep machine, but have you ever considered that
with a MacBook Pro you can have as many machines as you want
running on this single platform, so what is rely at the root of the
complaints against the Mac, is it just the OS or the Price? Everyone gets
to chose what they can afford with no question we don't have to vilify
each other if we chose a different computing platform, after all I chose
a different car and wife from the one others did, we do not have to
chose the same. So cut the Bull#$%t and get on with the task you
purchased your choice of computer for and quit this pointless debate.
RE: Snow Leopard install fails? Find a flashlight!
Tiger a long time ago... it locked down with the backlight off
, and was very hard to see until I could get fully logged in
and turn the brightness up...
RE: Snow Leopard install fails? Find a flashlight!
Why so positive.
a flaw (and a major inconvenience). Would you not
trash Windows for that same exact bug?
RE: Snow Leopard install fails? Find a flashlight!