Thursday, December 11, 2008

Boot key sequences

Following are some of the most commonly used boot key sequences for recent Macs (with Open Firmware or Extended Firmware Interface).
  • c = boot from CD
  • n = attempt to boot from network server (using BOOTP or TFTP)
  • t = boot into FireWire Target Disk mode
  • shift = safe mode, disable login items and non-essential kernel extensions (OS X, 10.1.3 and later)
  • hold down mouse = eject CD/DVD from drive
  • cmd-v = verbose mode, show console messages during boot
  • cmd-s = boot into single user mode
  • cmd-opt-shift-delete = boot from external disk drive (or CD)
  • opt = show Open Firmware system picker (PowerPC only)
  • cmd-opt-o-f = boot into Open Firmware (PowerPC only)
  • cmd-opt-p-r = reset parameter RAM (PRAM)