Even Macs can have technical issues that prevent them from rebooting. A real pain, especially when we’re short on time to finish and deliver a job. Yet, all is not lost. Before getting alarmed, it is advisable to try to “resurrect” the Apple PC.
To try to raise the fortunes, of what now seems a dead and not working computer,
there are several ways. Some are easy and others a little more complex. But don’t worry, with a little effort even those that seem the most difficult can be put into practice. There are several reasons why a Mac does not start correctly. Sometimes, in fact, it is possible that there is some software problem. In other situations, however, the fault may be hardware in nature and, in these cases, being able to “fix” the Cupertino-based California-based computer yourself is very complex.
3 things to check
Although it may sound strange, before we move on to listing the steps needed to try to start a Mac with booting problems, you need to check 3 things. One, make sure the computer has enough charge in the battery. Sometimes, in fact, the pc will not reboot simply because it is completely drained. Next, make sure that the brightness is not at its lowest and finally, check if the failure to reboot is due to a defect in the screen. After that, you can also try forcing a shutdown: just press and hold the power button for 10 seconds.
Reset NVRAM memory
If your computer does not reboot properly, the problem may lie in NVRAM memory. If, for a variety of reasons (such as an update), it does not reset itself automatically, NVRAM may prevent your computer from turning on. In most cases, the “fault” can be solved by resetting the NVRAM manually. Here’s how to do it. Restart the Mac and, immediately after hearing the first startup sound, press the “Command”, “Option”, “R” and “P” keys at the same time until you hear the same sound again.
For the latest Mac models, the procedure is slightly different. Once the Apple computer is turned off and on again, simply hold down the “Command”, “Option”, “R” and “P” keys for 20 seconds. At this point the NVRAM memory should have reset.
Use the Disk Utility
The previous advice didn’t work? Well, let’s move on to the second step. It is likely that the problem is in the hard disk, which may be corrupted. In such cases it is advisable to try to fix the defect through Utility Disk. To launch it, you must first turn off your Mac, restart it and hold down the “Command” and “R” keys simultaneously until the Apple logo appears. Once you enter the “Recovery” section, all you have to do is select the “Disk Utility” tool and continue. Next, you’ll have to click on the disk you want to fix and finally on the “S.O.S” button.
Restart your computer in Safe Mode
Nothing, your computer just won’t restart. Don’t worry, there are still several cards we can play with it. One of them is to try rebooting your Mac in safe mode. This is a system that allows the Apple PC to “restart”, loading only the software necessary for its restart and blocking everything else. It is possible, in fact, that the computer does not work because of some program. To start the Mac in safe mode, just press the “Shift” key, immediately after turning on the device, until the Apple logo appears. If everything went well, and you were able to boot up the computer correctly, it means that the defect is caused by external software.
Reset the SMC
We are coming to the extreme measures, which should only be put into practice if the previous measures have had no effect. One way to try is to reset the System Management Controller, which allows you to manage, among other things, the display or the cooling fans. Here the procedures are different, depending on the type of Mac you use.
If your computer has a battery that cannot be removed, here’s what to do. First, you will need to turn off your Mac and disconnect it from the power supply. Then, you will need to press the following key sequence: “Shift”, “CTRL”, “Option”, along with the power button. The combination will have to be pressed for 10 seconds. Then, after releasing the keys, you’ll have to reconnect the power supply and turn the Mac on again.
If, on the other hand, the battery is removable, to restore the SMC we’ll just have to unplug it, after turning off the computer and disconnecting the power supply. To reset the System Management Controller of a Mac Desktop, you will have to unplug the power cord from the computer for 15 seconds, turn off the computer, plug it back in, wait another 5 seconds and turn on the Mac.
Reinstall macOS
If, despite the attempts listed so far, your Mac does not reboot, all you have to do is reinstall macOS. The procedure is very simple. You need to enter the “Recovery” section, as we have seen with the disk repair tool. Again, turn off your computer, restart it and press the “Command” and “R” key combination until you see the utilities window. Click on “Reinstall macOS” and proceed according to the instructions.
Is the problem still not solved? Unfortunately, you just have to take your computer to one of Apple’s service centers.