HELP!! powerbook stuck on grey screen, not able to boot safe or single user

hey, i need some help, ive searched the forums the best i could, im experianced at fixing pc's but this has been my first mac in awhile, a friend of mine brought his 12" powerbook g4 to me, he says whenever he turns is on its stays stuck on the first screen where you see a grey apple and it shows a spinning wheel loading, he said hes even left it on overnight and it still stays there, he said he might have gotten a virus, cause he said he was searching **** last time it worked =P (hey i dont judge, every man has to find someway to reveive the "pressure")
so anyway, i dont have alot of his specs, not even the exact o/s # i just know he told me it osx 10.4, so i did some research and found some ways to TRY and fix it, i tried safe mode (shift) and single user mode (cmd+s) and even verbose mode(cmd+v) when booting up the powerbook, but alas, none have worked, safe mode doesnt do anything, just the same grey screen, and single and verbose mode both halts after the cmd screen goes through a few lines.
he doesnt have any software for his powerbook, they are all at home, which is about 900 kms away (or 559.26 miles to the non-metric ppl out there) so im working with nothing but my brain and the net, which isnt much, does anybody have any suggestions, maybe some third party software that would help, just point me in the right direction, or better yet, explain it to me like i was an infant, im not used to macs, but they intrigue. at least for now, i dont want to be put off just from this one little incident.
thanks to anyone who offers help, its my first time EVER asking for it in any forum.

Welcome to Apple Discussions.
There's a couple of things I can think of that may be the problem. Based upon what you have described, the first is a hard drive failure.
A couple of ways to check for this is to use the PowerBook's original installer disc (which you don't currently have access to), or perhaps a Mac OS X Tiger installation disc, to restart from and then use Disk Utility to perform a Repair Disk. Restarting from CD or DVD is performed by pressing the 'C' key during startup with the disc in the PB.
Another way to check is to see if the drive can be accessed via FireWire Target Disk Mode.
A second possibility is that there may be a directory corruption on the drive. If so, then DiskWarrior is the best option.
Another possibility is to take the PB in to an Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider for them to diagnose.
15" 1.25GHz/12" 1GHz PBs, 2xPPC Mac minis, 12" iBook G4,   Mac OS X (10.4.6)   Cube, 2xTAMs, iPods 2G/4G, iPs, AEBS, AX

Similar Messages

  • Mac Pro Stuck at Grey Screen, then will only boot into OS X Utilities.

    My Mac Pro is stuck at Gray Screen.  When I reset PRAM, it loads the OSX Utilities screen, prompting me Restore from Time Machine, Reinstall OS X, Get Help, or Disk Utility.  I ran Disk Repair and Repair Premissions, same thing.... stuck at grey screen.
    What will happen to the data on my HD if I choose to Reinstall the OS X?  IS that the best choice?  Thanks.

    Off hand I think your drive may be bad. But to find out you need to erase the drive, so you will need to have a recent, bootable backup.
    Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch
    Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
    Boot to the Recovery HD:
    Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
    Erase the hard drive:
      1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
      2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the
          left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
      3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on
            the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass. Click on
          the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
      4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
    Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
    Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
                because it is three times faster than wireless.
    If this does not work, then you need to replace your hard drive.

  • 2006 Mac Pro + NEC 3090 - grey screen not displayed during boot

    I have a September '06 Mac Pro 1,1 (Woodcrest variant) hooked up to an NEC 3090 30" LCD monitor, running OS X 10.5.7. Previously, I was using an Eizo S2110W 21" LCD; turning the monitor and computer on would cause the following to be displayed (in order):
    1. Light grey background with dark grey Apple logo with spinning thing.
    2. Solid blue background.
    3. Leopard wallpaper.
    4. Log-in dialogue.
    Since using the NEC, the grey screen is not displayed at all: the display stays blank until the blue screen is displayed, and then the Leopard wallpaper and so on. This is using the 2560x1600 native resolution of the display, and has occurred using both 10.5.6 and 10.5.7.
    If I change the resolution to 1280x960 and boot, the grey screen is displayed. If I change it to 1600x1200, I get weird corruption on-screen during the period when the grey screen should be displayed; for some reason, this includes part of the desktop wallpaper I was using before I rebooted.
    Resetting the non-volatile RAM using Command-Option-P-R works for the very first time I boot the computer, though the grey screen is displayed at very low resolution. If I reboot from the log-in dialogue immediately afterwards, normal behaviour occurs - i.e. the blank screen.
    The upshot of all of the above is that if I want to boot into Windows, or install OS X (e.g. when Snow Leopard comes out), I have to remember to boot into my existing OS X installation, change resolution, reboot whilst remembering also to hold down the ALT/Option key. It would be much easier if I could do away with having to change resolution.
    I have tried connecting the monitor to a PPC Mac mini at 1600x1200 (it won't go any higher), using Tiger 10.4.11 (not sure of exact version - the latest). At this resolution, the grey screen is displayed.
    Using a '08 MacBook Air (first generation) and the supplied DVI adapter, also at 1600x1200, nothing is displayed on the NEC until I get to the log-in screen. This occurs if the NEC is set to be the primary display or the secondary one - the only difference is where the log-in dialogue is displayed. I am not familiar with dual-screen behaviour, so I can't say whether anything is supposed to be displayed or not (i.e. does the grey appear on both displays?).
    I have been in touch with NEC Europe support on this issue, who suggested it might have something to do with the 10.5.7 release. I know this not to be the case, as it was occurring prior to 10.5.7 being released.
    Any ideas?

    Put more of your hardware listed in your profile.
    I looked and don't see you list your graphics card anywhere.
    Graphic card it came with was either X1900 (watch for heat and dust bunnies and clogged vent);
    OEM 7300GT (seems unlikely).
    You could have replaced either with 8800GT or ATI 3870.
    Require 10.5.2+ ideally 10.5.6+.
    Some problems cropped up with 10.5.7. 10.5.7 doesn't work on some (many) 3rd party displays and stay with 10.5.6 if necessary until it is fixed or resolved.
    But you say it happens with 10.5.6 also, and was doing so before 10.5.7? which makes your problem somewhat different or unique.
    Zapping PRAM or NVRAM reset obviously shouldn't be needed repeatedly. And your graphics card probably needs to be replaced, or test with another card to rule it out.

  • Mac won't boot, stuck on grey screen if the external hdd plugged in

    as the title.
    if i plug my external drive, via usb port, the mac won't boot and stuck at grey screen.
    unplugging it, the boot process will continue.
    the hdd is a LaCie mobile hdd
    any help?

    Hello jason(?)
    It's a LaCie external mobiel hdd, formatted as exFAT. without adapter. take power directly from usb port.
    i tested it on my iMac and it works fine. boot up as normal. the only difference is my iMac is on 10.6.8 and my Air is on 10.7.2
    I tested on both USB port on my Air and the problem still persist.
    the read/write speed is normal (bought it like a day ago).
    another thing is I don't have this problem with my external WD drive.
    One thing to notice is that, I accidentally left like for like 2-3 mins and it boots. So why the question now is why it's taking so long to boot? normally it just takes <20 seconds. Seems like it tried to boot from the external hdd, doesn't it?

  • Imac 2008 stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel no discs I lost them

    HI, I have a imac 2008 24" someone help please.stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel after 5 minutes mac just restarts again.I have no restore dvds as I borrowed them out and never got them back thanks

    If you are in the US call Apple Customer Support 1-800-767-2775, provide the Serial Number and specifications of the Mac, and for a reasonable fee, they will supply a replacement set of system discs (if available).
    The discs will be for the original version of the OS that was pre-installed when the Mac was manufactured.
    If you are in another country:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57
    Useful article here on the causes of the Spinning Beach Ball and how to troubleshoot it:
    http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177479/Troubleshoot_the_spinning_beach_b all?taxonomyId=89&pageNumber=1
    and also this:
    http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/sbbod.html

  • My old mac powerbook g4 wont boot up, it wont show apple logo and spinner aswell just stuck on grey screen while booting please help me

    i have a old powerbook g4 which i usally use to store some photos and to listen music. the battery of my powerbook is completly dead so i used to use my powerbook using charger adapter so whenever my power cuts down my laptop will be shutdown.
    one day i had just bootedup my powerbook and some date notificateion poped up so i press enter and suddenly my power went off and laptop shuted down. and next time when i tried to boot its stuck at grey screen , i even cant reach the apple logo and spinner. please helppp me :!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Resetting PRAM and NVRAM is not working
    and i cann't boot it on safemode holding shift button and while holding option or c button at startup i can only see three things 1 is refresh button, 2 macintosh HD with X under it, 3 arrow forward button please help me

  • My macbook pro is stuck on grey screen with apple symbol in center with the progress circle under it continusly spinning. After I had turned it on. Prior to turning it on I had to force close and shut down a few hours prior. Please Help?

    My macbook pro is stuck on grey screen with apple symbol in center with the progress circle under it continusly spinning. After I had turned it on. Prior to turning it on I had to force close and shut down a few hours prior. Please Help I have tried everything I know to do

    Unfortunately this means that there is a problem in the boot sector of your hard drive. It might be indicative of a fundamental corruption in the coding that allows your computer to boot your operating system from your hard drive. I had this problem twice and it resulted in me having to get a new hard drive and restore my data.
    In other words, your computer can't talk to your operating system so you can't access your data.
    Here is my advice: DON'T CALL APPLE TECH SUPPORT though they are kind and usually helpful it will take you an hour just to explain the situation and they will only tell you to do what I'm gonna say here.
    First: Shut down your computer completely
    Two: boot up while holding down the following keys: command, option, p, and r. The computer will reboot 3 times. This solution will likely fail so if you're frustrated skip to the next step.
    Three: Boot up while holding down the option key. Select recovery drive. Select your default language. Select disk utility, click on Macintosh HD, and select "verify and repair volume." Likely the verification will produce some line like "unused node not erased." Or something like that. If anything using the words "node structure" comes up, you need a new hard drive.
    If after verification and repairs you still can't boot I sincerely hope you have apple care because you will need a new hard drive. Set up an appointment to come in to the apple store, they will tell you to go and get data recovery, just ask them to give you the old hard drive. Unless you have an up to date backup in which case you can just restore from that. If you're lucky the only issue is with the boot sector which means that if you ask them to give you the old hard drive, you can buy an enclosure and you have effectively been given a free external hard drive. It still works to store data just not to load an operating system.
    If you have a back up drive bring it to the apple store and they'll do the whole thing right there, it should take around an hour and a half but may take longer.
    Hope this helps, it's annoying but it's your safest bet.
    All the best.

  • Macbook does not boot. stuck at grey screen. have tried single user mode, but text stops at AppleIntelCPUPPowerManagement: initialization complete, without anymore prompts. no

    macbook does not boot. stuck at grey screen. have tried single user mode, but text stops at AppleIntelCPUPPowerManagement: initialization complete, without anymore prompts. no hash key appears that will allow me to type in: fsck -fy
    have my trials for IB in one week and my history notes are all on my hard drive, that has not been backed up. help please =(

    macbook does not boot. stuck at grey screen. have tried single user mode, but text stops at AppleIntelCPUPPowerManagement: initialization complete, without anymore prompts. no hash key appears that will allow me to type in: fsck -fy
    have my trials for IB in one week and my history notes are all on my hard drive, that has not been backed up. help please =(

  • Need Help For iMac G5 Stuck On Grey Screen Or Apple Logo No Spinning Gear!

    Hello everyone i'm new here and i'm new for using iMac for some reason i was trying to clean or to fresh installation the iMac that my brother gave it to me that he bought it into the flea market without the original disk on it! when i erase the Macintosh  HD and some of the partition o iMac then reboot it now the iMac stuck on grey screen or apple logo no spinning wheel shown. and i also try to search and try all the tips of all mac user's like all the command key's and follow the instruction of them but still nothing happen..
    Holding CMD & R just to go disk utilities nothing shown up only apple logo and the noisy fan.
    Holding alt and it go to blue screen and show my mouse Pointer Refresh Logo, Hard drive Icon, Arrow Sign.
    i can click Arrow Sign and it go Apple Logo and within 2-3 seconds and it change to Power Sign Logo,
    i can click Refresh Logo but nothing happen .
    i can't click the Hard Drive icon.
    CMD, Option, P & R to Reset i also try and it's the same nothing change.
    CMD, Option, ESC no action shown.
    Is there anyway to fix this issue or problem please and thank you for help.
    Hoping to get result for all of you guys P.S
    iMac G5
    v10.5.8
    Leopard

    You need to have the install DVD that was issued with the iMac
    You can call Apple at 1-800-275-2273

  • STUCK ON GREY SCREEN! !PLEASE HELP!

    !!HELP!! STUCK ON GREY SCREEN
    I have a MacBook 10.5. Its a few years old anyway it seemed to be working fine up until a couple of weeks ago then it started taking ages to startup.
    I started it in singlemode then typed /sbin/fsck -fy then a message came up "harddrive appears to be ok" next i typed "reboot" and the system started booting.It started as normal with the apple logo and spinning chime,next the screen turns blue where the login screen normally appears but then the screen turns grey with no logo with just the pointer arrow on it and it doesn't seem to load past that point.Can anybody please help me solve this problem i have my kids photos and stuff on it that are unreplaceable.
    Hopefully there's a command line that can help also I don't have a installation disk so is there a way I can download 1 onto USB??
    THANKS HEAPS!!!!!

    Hi Eug07349,
    Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.
    It sounds like you may be experiencing a software issue. I'd suggest trying the first two steps in this article (Disconnect, test peripheral devices and network cables, Perform a Safe Boot):
    Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
    Best,
    Jeremy

  • TS2570 My Mac stays stuck on the grey screen. Doesn't boot up. I've tried everything the shift key to safe boot still doesn't boot. I've tried the option key n only has one option to go into. please help. problem Is I bought off a friend so I have no disk

    My Mac stays stuck on grey screen. I've tried the option key. The shift keys. Nothing helps. The problem is I bought the computer off a friend and I don't have any disks. Any suggests would be great..

    Can you see a serial number anywhere? Don't post it here, just let me know if if you have it.

  • Downloaded OSX Mountain Lion on MacBook now stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel HELP?!?!

    Downloaded OSX Mountain Lion on MacBook now stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel. What can I do, will I loose everything on my laptop?

    ashg23 wrote:
    Thank you, I have restarted but it is still stuck at the grey page with the spinning wheel? Any idea?
    Have you started up holding down Command + R and attempted to install again?
    Pete

  • 10.6 won't boot; stuck on grey screen

    I know this is covered here to some degree, at least, but I haven't been able to find a complete solution/answer, so here goes:
    (Please, redirect me to the right source of information, if you know where to look, but not before reading through my post.  Thanks!  Oh, and I'm no computer expert, so, please, bear with me.)
    First of all, my equipment:  17" iMac (serial #: w86262cru2n, emc #: 2104), running (ran?) 10.6 (w/updates)
    So, as my title says, my iMac won't boot up and gets stuck on the grey startup screen with the  and the spinning wheel.  I can wait and wait, but it never gets past this point.
    Here are some things I've tried (nothing has worked so far; "no success" = stuck on grey screen).  These steps are also laid out here.
    - Tried normal startup (no success)
    - Tried Safe Boot (no success)
    - Tried booting without connected peripherals (no success)
    - Tried alternate outlet (power source) (no success)
    - Tried resetting PRAM & NVRAM (no success)
    - Tried boot from 10.6 Install Disk (no success)
    - Tried replacing original RAM (no success)
    - Tried mounting internal drive as Target Disk on my 10.5 MacBook (mounts fine; used 10.6 install disk to verify, says disk is "ok")
    - Tried booting to MacBook via Target Disk (i.e. iMac is external drive connected by FireWire) (no success)
    - Tried booting from cloned copy of 10.6 disk on an external USB drive (yes, this can be done; I've done it before).  This drive was verified "ok" in the same way the internal disk was (see above). (no success)
    My next step appears to be to erase the original internal HD and reinstall 10.6.  This is where my my ignorance begins to rear it's head.  Since I can seem to boot from the iMac, can I do this through my MacBook, viz. mount the original, internal, 10.6 disk on my MacBook and erase it and install 10.6 from there (e.g. through Disk Utility on the 10.5 MacBook)?
    Assuming this is possible, can someone step me through the process?
    Assuming this last step isn't possible, does this all point to a faulty logic board (sounds like a 'worst case' to me)?
    Any ideas?  Suggestions?
    Many, many thanks, BTW, to all who have posted here and whose help I've availed myself of anonymously many times.  And thanks in advance to anyone with helpful ideas.

    Try a SMC reset and follow the steps again in the support doc for grey screen
    https://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
    https://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
    Your 10.6 install disk seems unreadable if it won't "hold c or option" boot.
    Clean the bottom with a alcohol and a very soft cloth and lightly polish until there is no streaks.
    Don't touch the bottom or place the disk onto something that will mar the bottom.
    If the disk still fails to work, get a replacement, as your going to need it. Get a jeweled plastic case for it.
    To make copies of your Snow Leopard install disk, follow these directions.
    http://www.walterjessen.com/make-a-bootable-backup-snow-leopard-install-disc/
    Once you can hold c and boot off a working 10.6 install disk, simply reinstall OS X without using Disk Utility to Erase and Format the drive, this will replace the OS X installed (and bundled programs) with the disk versions, then reboot and immediately use Software Update to get current.
    Your user files, third party programs will remain untouched, except for ones installed in OS X/root system files, those will have to be reinstalled with updated copies.
    All else fails:
    Grab a copy of your recent user file folders via FireWire target disk mode first or from a hold option bootable clone on a external drive
    If you have to completely erase and reformat the drive, reinstall 10.6, there are some things you need to know.
    1: The free iLife that came with your 10.5 install disks are not on the 10.6 retail disks
    So to get that you need to select the drive makers name in Disk Utility, erase and install with the 10.5 disks first (warning, wipe entire drive)
    2: Name the boot drive the same name as before in Disk Utility when formatting.
    3: When you go through inital "Welcome to Mac" setup, use the same username as before, (different password)
    4: Once in OS X 10.5 stick a working 10.6 installer disk in and upgrade. Once rebooted, immediately Software Update to current version.
    5: Install programs from fresh sources next and update.
    6: Finally, return the backup copies of your user file folders (Music, Documents, Pictures, etc., not Library) to their respective folders on the new configuration. Because you used the same hard drive and user name as before you should have little complications with things like iTunes song locations/playlists and other hard references to files on your drive.
    By installing the OS first, then upgrading, then programs, then finally user files last, keeps the drive optimized as the drive is faster on the data installed first than data installed later.  Since users files change size often, having them towards the end where they can grow or shrink keeps the performance of the computer up as much as possible for the OS and applicaitons. Eventually though with OS X updates it can get a bit more defragmented, but not much.

  • Macbook pro model A1278 wont boot osx stuck at grey screen

    I have had my mbp for about 3 years now and has worked great.  Just today i got home from work and when i opened the macbook which was already running I was in OSX but it was frozen with colored wheel spinning.  I had never experiened this before but I didnt think too much of it and held down the power button to reset it.  Now i am stuck at the grey screen with the Apple Logo and spinning wheel and cant get back into OSX at all.  So i started googling (on another computer obviously) and tried:
    1.  boot in safe mode.  Didnt work, still stuck at grey screen
    2.  boot in safe mode with "commd-shift-v" to see info.  stuck in "dos" looking screen. see pic at bottom.
    3.  tried resetting VRAM w/ "commd-opt-p-r".  did not work, still stuck at grey screen.
    4.  got original OSX install DVD.  Was able to boot to disc and make it to disk utilities.  went to repair and got error "unable to unmount disk"
    5.  ran "repair permissions" and completed that.  ran "verify disk" and got green "disk ok" message.  then re-ran repair and got same "unable to unmount disk"
    so know i am worried.  my main concern is the 80 GB of music I have on this computer (and dont currently have backed-up {que back-up lectures}) and my pictures.  Does it sound possible to recover music and pics based on this little bit of info?  Im willing to take it to the Apple store and pay the price if it sounds like I can recover it.  I am pretty computer savy but am reluctanct to just start trying anything that could lose my music/pics.  I cant try just deleteing and restoring OSX to factory settings and losing all that music/pics.
    so...what is best approach to access and back up these files myself?  I do have another macbook with a firewire connection but am not familiar with that process.  I will get a external HD immediatly (now ofcourse)...can I backup my files from disc utility?
    Thanks for any help.

    Sorry about specs...i entered in drop box menu but realize doesnt show on thread:
    MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 13" (SD/FW)
    2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo (P8700)
    Intro Date:
    June 8, 2009
    Disc Date:
    April 13, 2010
    Order No:
    MB991LL/A
    Model No:
    A1278 (EMC 2326*)
    Subfamily:
    Mid-2009 13"
    Model ID:
    MacBookPro5,5
    Std RAM:
    4 GB
    Std VRAM:
    256 MB
    Std Storage:
    250 GB (5400 RPM)
    Std Optical:
    8X DL "SuperDrive"
    I was running the last vesion of snow leopard (10.6.8 i think).
    I picked up a firewire today and am going to attempt to make "broken" macbook target and pull files onto other macbook.  Will give an update tomorrow after attempt.  Thank you for fast response.

  • After boot back from windows to OS X it stuck at grey screen

    After using windows 7 and use bootcamp to get back to OS X
    it stuck at grey screen with apple logo and the circle
    i'm be able to boot using option for choosing windows anytime now,
    but i can't use OS X and everytime booting back to OS X it stuck at greyscreen
    can anybody help me with that
    i'm using windows7 on mac OS X v10.7.5 lion to type this
    i have tried repair the disk using disk utilities from recoveryHD but it didn't work at all
    so if anybody knows how to solve pls tell me
    i did't backup anything on OS X and i feel sorry for that now
    The HDD work find though i can still get files from OS X partition.
    so if i have to backup i think i should be able to backup through windows 7
    PLS HELP!!!!!!!

    Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion Without Erasing the Drive
    Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
    Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
    When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
    Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Continue button.
    Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

Maybe you are looking for