Starting Up From a CD is Chapter 2 of the Troubleshooting Handbook.

To install or remove system software on a hard disk, or to initialize a hard disk, you need to start up your computer from a CD-ROM disc that contains system software, such as your software install or software restore CD.

Starting Up From a CD

When starting from a CD, make sure you use a CD that contains system software.

1. Turn on your computer if it's not already on.

2. Press the CD Eject button on the front of the CD drive to open the tray. If your computer does not have a CD tray, insert the CD-ROM disc into the CD slot.

3. Place the CD in the tray with the disc label facing up. Make sure the disc is lying flat in the tray.

4. Gently push the tray in to close it.

5. Make sure the Caps Lock key is not engaged.

6. Hold down the C key on your keyboard while you choose Restart from the Special menu.

7. When you see the screen that says "Mac OS" and the phrase "Starting Up," release the C key.

Notes:

1. The desktop pattern will be different from the pattern you normally see, since your computer is now using the system software that's on the CD. Your regular desktop pattern will reappear when you start up from your normal startup disk.

2. If the computer does not start up properly from CD on the first attempt, power down the computer and disconnect any peripherals other than the original Apple-branded mouse and keyboard before trying again. If the difficulty persists, you may wish to reset parameter RAM (PRAM). For related information, please see:

Article 2238: " Macintosh: How to Reset PRAM and NVRAM "

When you start up your computer from a CD, the CD cannot be ejected in the usual way (by dragging the CD icon to the Trash). To restart your computer from the hard disk and eject the CD, do one of the following:

• Choose Restart from the Special menu. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, press the CD Eject button on the front of the CD drive. Remove the CD and store it in a safe place. Gently push the tray in to close it, if applicable.
• Open the Startup Disk control panel, select the hard disk, then close the control panel. Restart your computer. After startup, drag the CD icon to the Trash (or select the CD icon and choose Put Away from the File menu). When the CD tray opens or the CD ejects, remove the CD and store it in a safe place. Gently push the tray in to close it, if applicable.

If you want to start up from a CD, you can choose the CD drive as the startup disk in the Startup Disk control panel. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Insert a CD disc into the CD drive on your computer.

2. Open the Startup Disk control panel.

3. Click the CD icon, then close the control panel.

4. Restart the computer.

The following computers can also use the Startup Manager to choose the startup disk. See article 58477: " Using Startup Manager to Select Startup Device "

• iBook
• Power Mac G4
• PowerBook (FireWire) and newer
• iMac (Slot Loading) and newer