Please help!

[Guest]

This may not be the appropriate place to ask, but I really need help! Just today my Finder froze so i decided to force quit and relaunch it, except i don't think that it actually relaunched. So I decided to force shut my laptop down and start it back up again, except it won't go past the login screen. I type in my password correctly and it sort of freezes for a while (10 - 15 min?) and then returns back to the login screen. I am 100% sure I am typing in the right password. the thing is i can't return back to the original desktop. Please help! ):

[2310]

Does the password screen shake when you enter the password?

[Kayar]

This may not be the appropriate place to ask

You're right! It's not! O_O

As to your question, it sounds like you seriously screwed something up. What type of Mac is this, what OS, etc., and what were you doing when or before it froze?

[Guest]

the password does not shake and it is a macosx

[2310]

Try starting in safe mode. What is your version of OS X? (Tiger, Leopard, 10.6, 10.2 etc.)

[Guest]

haha yes I tried that. oh well its a school laptop. i'll just go to the IT tomorrow. just kinda sad that i'm losing a lot of stuff including halo maps. shoulda backed up. :'(

[Modzy]

haha yes I tried that. oh well its a school laptop. i'll just go to the IT tomorrow. just kinda sad that i'm losing a lot of stuff including halo maps. shoulda backed up. :'(

If you've got another Mac, hook both together by a firewire cable. Have the working one turned on and at the desktop. Then, turn the broken one on and hold T as it's turning on. The hard drive will mount on the working Mac just like a USB drive does and you'll be able to transfer your files to the working one.