Mac OS X Server “Boot up” Controls
19 November 2002
Mac OS X is a powerful operating system, but there are times you need to reboot your Mac to perform disk checks or other maintenance. Here is a chart of keystrokes you can use to control the way your Mac boots (hold down the combination until the listed effect takes hold):
| Combination | Effect | |
| Command-S | Boot into Single User Mode | |
| Command-V | Boot using “Verbose” mode (shows all kernel and startup console messages) | |
| X | Reset startup disk selection and boot into Mac OS X Server | |
| Shift | Boot into “Safe Boot” mode, which runs Disk First Aid. A reboot will be required afterward. | |
| Option | Boot into Open Firmware to select a boot device | |
| Command-Option-Shift-Delete | Bypass internal harddrive on boot | |
| T | Boot into Firewire target disk mode | |
| C | Boot from the internal optical drive | |
| N | Start from the Network (NetBoot) | |
| Command-Option-P-R | Reset Parameter RAM (PRAM) and non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) | |
| (mouse button) | Eject (internal) removable media |