Stopping a Bomb at Startup

Dan Knight - March 1998

I just installed a new program or upgraded an old program. Now my Mac bombs on startup.

First, boot with extensions off. You do that by holding down the shift key until the happy Mac goes away. If your computer boots without extensions, you have a conflict somewhere in your System Folder.

The most likely culprit is something left behind by the software installer. Open the System Folder and view by name. At or near the top you may see an extension and a folder with names like "Installer Temp." If so, drag them to the Trash and restart. (Don't empty the Trash until you know the system boots properly.)

The problem is that the installer left behind an extension that was supposed to clean up after itself, but instead that extension is somehow incompatible with your system. So, instead of quietly deleting old files, it crashes your computer.

For other possibilities, read What Works, What Doesn't.

Troubleshooting Your Mac Articles

Join us on Facebook!

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Go to the Troubleshooting Your Mac index.

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay