Remove a Jammed Disc.

The normal way to eject a CD is to drag its icon to the Trash.

If a CD or DVD disc is jammed, shut down your computer. Locate the emergency ejection hole near the disc drive's opening. (For more information, see the documentation that came with your computer.) Carefully insert the end of a straightened paper clip and push gently but firmly until the tray is released, then pull the paper clip out. Carefully pull the tray open and remove the disc. Do not use excessive force. ( Your drive may not look exactly as shown.)

Figure 1 , Inserting a paper clip into the emergency ejection hole

If the disc is still stuck in the drive or won't come out of the drive easily, you'll need to contact an Apple-authorized service provider. See the service and support information that came with your computer.

Resolve System Extension Conflicts.

System extensions are small programs that add to or extend the capabilities of your computer's system software. These programs reside in one of two folders in the System Folder:

• Extensions folder
• Control Panels folder

The term "extension" refers to items in either folder. If your computer does not start up properly or behaves erratically, you may have an extension that is not compatible with another extension, or with an application or system software.

Verify the issue

To verify that you have a compatibility issue:

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

2. Start up your computer while holding down the Space bar.

3. Release the Space bar when the Extensions Manager control panel opens.

Note: If the Extensions Manager control panel doesn't open after a few minutes, restart the computer holding the Shift key down, so all extensions are turned off. Then open the Extensions Manager control panel and continue with the steps below.

4. Make a note of the name of the currently selected set of extensions in the Selected Set pop-up menu so that you can return to it later if you want.

5. Open the Selected Set pop-up menu and choose Mac OS 8.5 Base.

6. Click the Continue button to continue startup.

7. When the computer is ready, try the same actions that caused the problem.

If the issue no longer occurs, you probably have one or more extensions or control panels that have unusable preferences, is unusable itself, or doesn't work with Mac OS 8.5. Continue with the steps in the next section.

Test Individual Extensions and Control Panels

A recently installed extension or control panel might be the issue. If you have a lot of extensions and control panels, you may want to "work by halves." Turn on half the extensions and control panels and test for the issue. If the issuedisappears, repeat the process turning on half of the remaining items. If the issue persists, repeat the process turning off half of the items that are turned on. Continue to work by halves like this until you locate the conflicting extensions or control panels.

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

2. Restart your computer while holding down the Space bar.

3. Release the Space bar when the Extensions Manager control panel opens.

Note: If the Extensions Manager control panel does not open after a few minutes, restart the computer holding the Shift key down, so all extensions are turned off. Then open the Extensions Manager control panel and continue with the steps below.

4. Open the Selected Set pop-up menu and choose the desired set of extensions you want to test.

5. Click the Duplicate Set button to create a new set of extensions. In the dialog box that appears, type a name for the set (for example, "Test Set") and click OK.

6. Turn off all the extensions in the new set by opening the Select Set menu and choosing All Off.

7. Turn on the item you want to test by clicking its checkbox.

8. Click the Continue button to continue startup.

9. Try the same actions that caused the problem.

If the issue occurs again, the item is probably incompatible. Remove the item from the Extensions or Control Panels folder or turn the item off using the Extensions Manager.

10. Restart your computer while holding down the Space bar to open the Extensions Manager. Turn on the next item you want to test. Repeat this step until you have located the extension that is causing the problem.

Note: If the Extensions Manager control panel does not open after a few minutes, restart the computer holding the Shift key down, so all extensions are turned off. Then open the Extensions Manager control panel and continue with the steps below.

Once you find that a piece of software is incompatible, try the following:

• Delete its preferences file, if it has one; it may be corrupted. Then restart your computer.
• Reinstall the extension and restart your computer.
• Contact the manufacturer of the extension to see if an updated version is available.

Important: When you reset the PRAM, preferences for the Memory and AppleTalk control panels are lost. Make a note of the settings in these control panels before you reset PRAM. Some third-party software programs also store information in PRAM. You may have to reconfigure video cards after resetting PRAM, and other aspects of your work may be affected.

To reset PRAM, follow these steps:

Note: This procedure may not work with some keyboards from manufacturers other than Apple.

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

2. Start up or restart your computer and immediately hold down the Command, Option, P, and R keys.

3. Keep holding down the keys until you hear the startup sound a second time, then release the keys.

4. If you had special settings in any control panels, open those control panels to reset the desired settings.

Make Sure Memory and Expansion Cards Are Installed Correctly.
If you've recently installed RAM, make sure you've used the correct type of memory for your computer. For more information, see the memory specifications in the documentation that came with your computer.

If you recently installed RAM or an expansion card in your computer, check the installation information in the documentation that came with your computer to make sure the memory or card is properly installed. If you purchased an expansion card from a manufacturer other than Apple, contact the manufacturer if you need further help.

Replace the Computer's Backup Battery.
If you have intermittent isues starting up your computer and the date is reset to something other than the current year, you need to replace the backup battery in your computer.

For some computers, you can replace the battery yourself. For others, you must have an Apple-authorized service provider do this for you. To find out if your computer's battery is user-replaceable, see the documentation that came with your computer.

Important Batteries contain chemicals, some of which may be harmful to the environment. Please dispose of used batteries according to your local environmental guidelines.

Replacing the battery may affect the settings in some of your control panels, including the following:

• Date & Time
• Memory (information lost includes RAM disk settings)
• Monitors & Sound
• Keyboard and Mouse (or Trackpad)
• AppleTalk ("Connect via" is set to the Ethernet port)
• Map

Make a note of the settings before you replace the battery. You may also have to restore modem settings in any communications software programs you are using.

Chapter 1: Problems Starting Up is continued in the following articles. Click on any of the links to go to that section:

• article 43046: Problems Starting Up: Problems
• article 43047: Problems Starting Up: Solutions - Part 1
• article 43048: Problems Starting Up: Solutions - Part 2