Trouble Zone

TROUBLE ZONE: When your Duo does not boot...

This is NOT Duo's clinic. I am only a Duo lover just like you are, and I am not an expert to answer all your questions. But I know what it is like and how you feel when your Duo has a trouble. So I try to give you some tips if you have problems with your Duo.

Of course it is best to bring your Duo to a shop and have it fixed though, you should try to find out what is wrong anyway. Even if you cannot figure it out, telling a shop what you have done would make it a lot easier to diagnose your Duo after all. Besides, some troubles can be solved by yourself!

Be prepared!

OK, first thing first. When you get a Duo, the first thing to do is to get a dock and to keep a backup file of OS. Whatever the trouble is, you will need to boot your Duo from an external device, so these two things are essential. You should have a dock and a backup system anyway for the comfortable Duo life! :-)

Docks

Any dock will do as far as you can boot your Duo from an external device.

Backup system

If you have a startup disk, that is fine. But if you do not, make one by copying necessary files from your Duo's HD before you have any trouble.

What is wrong?

Well, you should be able to boot your Duo from an external device. You know how to do, don't you?

In case you do not have an appropriate startup system (and I assume that you have another Mac), connect your Duo to another Mac and let this another Mac recognize your Duo as an external HD. But this method may not work because this another Mac optimizes the system depending on its CPU...

Now, let's try to discover the problem.

Software (System)

If you are able to boot your Duo from an external device, check and fix Duo's HD using a disk diagnose tool such as Disk First Aid and Norton Utilities. Also in many cases, the problem is the system software. Replacing 'System' and 'Finder' files in System Folder with healthy ones may sort the problem out. Of course it is better to reinstall the whole OS.

Hardware

If even an external device cannot boot your Duo, something in the hardware may be damaged. In this case, it is not easy to discover what is exactly wrong and fix it. It is safer to have your Duo checked by an expert. Remember, once you open your Duo by yourself, you may be no longer allowed to get a full support from Apple.

Battery

Another possibility is battery.

If you think that something is wrong with your battery, try and reset PowerManager. This is a built-in function of Duo's system and to reset Power Manager;

1. Remove a battery and disconnect an AC adaptor from Duo, and leave it for 3-5 minutes.

2. Press Command+Option+Control+PowerOn keys at the same time and hold them for 20 seconds.

3. Insert a battery. And plug an AC adaptor in, and then connect it to Duo.

4. Start up Duo.

If this does not improve the situation, the trouble may be the AC adaptor (connector), the battery or the hardware.

If it takes very short to charge and run out the battery, your battery is probably dead. Get another healthy battery and see if this works. It is good anyway to have another battery for your Duo!

Other places to go

There are some other great info resources about Duo. Try these sites as well.

DuoFAQ

Basic info on Duo's hardware, accessories (docks) and repair & upgrades.

O'Grady's Duo Board

A message board for Duo users.

We may not be able to give you the answer. But we want to hear about troubles you have suffered with Duo so we can share useful information and someone could possibly sort your problems out!

Tell us your experience -- troubles you have or had, how you found the solution, stupid things you did... Anything is OK!

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