Problems That Prevent You from Using Your MacBook
If your MacBook doesn’t respond or the pointer doesn’t move
On rare occasions, an application might “freeze” on the screen. Mac OS X provides a
way to quit a frozen application without restarting your computer.
To force an application to quit:
1
Press Command (x)-Option-Esc or choose Apple () > Force Quit from the menu bar.
The Force Quit Applications dialog appears with the application selected.
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2
Click Force Quit.
The application quits, leaving all other applications open.
If you need to, you can also restart the Finder from this dialog.
Next, save your work in any open applications and restart the computer to make sure
the problem is entirely cleared up.
If the problem occurs frequently, choose Help > Mac Help from the menu bar at the
top of the screen. Search for the word “freeze” to get help for instances when the
computer freezes or doesn’t respond.
If the problem occurs only when you use a particular application, check with the
application’s manufacturer to see if it’s compatible with your computer. To get support
and contact information for the software that came with your MacBook, go to
www.apple.com/guide.
If you know an application is compatible, you might need to reinstall your computer’s
system software. See “Reinstalling the Software That Came with Your MacBook” on
page 61.
If your MacBook freezes during startup, or you see a flashing question mark, or the
screen is dark and the sleep indicator light is glowing steadily (not in sleep)
The flashing question mark usually means that the computer can’t find the system
software on the hard disk or any disks attached to the computer.
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 Wait a few seconds. If the computer doesn’t soon start up, shut it down by holding
down the power (®) button for about 8 to 10 seconds. Disconnect all external
peripherals and try restarting by pressing the power (®) button while holding down
the Option key. When your computer starts up, click the hard disk icon, and then click
the right arrow. After the computer starts up, open System Preferences and click
Startup Disk. Select a local Mac OS X System folder.
 If that doesn’t work, try using Disk Utility to repair the disk:
 Insert the Mac OS X Install DVD into your computer.
 Restart your computer and hold down the C key as it starts up.
 Choose Installer from the menu bar, and then choose Open Disk Utility. When Disk
Utility opens, follow the instructions in the First Aid pane to see if Disk Utility can
repair the disk.
If using Disk Utility doesn’t help, you might need to reinstall your computer’s system
software. See “Reinstalling the Software That Came with Your MacBook” on page 61.
If your MacBook doesn’t turn on or start up
Try the following suggestions in order until your computer turns on:
 Make sure the power adapter is plugged into the computer and into a functioning
power outlet. Be sure to use the 60W MagSafe Power Adapter that came with your
MacBook. If the power adapter stops charging and you don’t see the indicator light
on the power adapter turn on when you plug in the power cord, try unplugging and
replugging the power cord to reseat it.
 If the indicator light on the MagSafe connector is amber, the battery might need to
be recharged. Keep the power adapter connected and charge the battery with the
computer off. A green light indicates that the battery is fully charged.
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 If the problem persists, reset the MacBook power manager by disconnecting the
power adapter and holding down the power (®) button for at least 5 seconds.
 If you recently installed additional memory, make sure that it is correctly installed and
that it is compatible with your computer. See whether removing it and reinstalling
the old memory allows the computer to start up (see page 46).
 Press the power (®) button and immediately hold down the Command (x), Option,
P, and R keys simultaneously until you hear the startup sound a second time. This
resets the parameter RAM (PRAM).
 If you still can’t start up your MacBook, see “Learning More, Service, and Support” on
page 63 for information about contacting Apple for service.
If the screen suddenly goes black or your MacBook freezes
Try restarting your MacBook.
1
Unplug any devices that are connected to your MacBook, except the power adapter.
2
Press the power (®) button to restart the system.
3
Let the battery charge to at least 10 percent before plugging in any external devices
and resuming your work.
To see how much the battery has charged, look at the Battery (
) status icon in the
menu bar.
The screen might also darken if you have energy saver features set for the battery.
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If an audio device plugged into the audio port isn’t working
Unplug the audio device. Choose Apple () > System Preferences, and open Sound
preferences. In the Input pane, specify whether you want the port to be used for Sound
Input or Sound Output. Plug the audio device back in.
Note: If you’re running Windows on your MacBook, the port supports only audio
output.
If you forget your password
You can reset your administrator password and passwords for all other accounts.
1
Insert the Mac OS X Install DVD. Then restart your computer and hold down the C key as
it starts up.
2
Choose Utilities > Reset Password from the menu bar. Follow the onscreen instructions.
If you have trouble ejecting a disc
 Quit any applications that might be using the disc and try again.
 If this doesn’t work, restart the computer while holding down the trackpad button.