Mac will not start up! Help!!?

Hi guys and gals - Before I reinstall my system software and lose my itunes and iphoto files I was wondering if anybody can help or has experienced the same problem as me.
Here is what happened;
I was about to import some pics from my camera when it froze. I could not do an escape so I did a reboot. But my desktop never appeared - I just got the grey screen with the spinning cog. Tries rebooting severla times to no avail.
I got the trouble shooting section of the maniual out and tried the following several times;
option;command'p;r;
and safe reboot
and option reboot.
After several hours of this I tried doing a basic install of the system software from the discs - but found errors at the end and so could not finish (tried this 3 times). My desktop did appear once but when I clicked on anything it froze up again.
I phoned Apple but they wanted £35 from me before they would give advice - even though this is under warranty (5 months old). I phoned John Lewis were I bought it from and they said bring it in and they will send it to Apple (but they said the hard drive will probably have to be wiped)- but I could probably do this myself anyway.
I was hoping somebody may have some ideas - or should I just bite the bullet and back my work up more regularly in future.
I am getting frustrated with Apple as well - I have worked with them for years now but the last one I bought was an e-mac which broke down this year 2 months out of warranty (it had a fault called a raster shift caused by poor insulation on some internal cable - it is such a common fault that there is a yahoo group on the internet that is dedicated to it!)
Anyway enough moaning. Feedback would be appreciated.
Merry Xmas
Martin

Safari shouldn't give you system hangs. It sounds more like a hardware or system problem with your connection. I'd still suggest booting from the system disks (with ethernet unplugged) and running Disk Utility to repair you HD and, Repair Permissioons while you're at it. It's a good rule of thumb when troubleshooting system problems to boot with no attachments (ethernet, external drives, etc). Also, if your going to use an alternative browser, I highly recommend Firefox 1.5. IE for Mac hasn't been updated for 3 yrs or so and MS just announced they are officially phasing it out.

Similar Messages

3 year old Mac will not start up, help?

My 3year old Mac will not start up, just sits there and spins. Any suggestions on corrective steps?

Kurt412,
which version of OS X is installed on your MacBook Pro?

TS1440 Flashing circle prohibition sign, Mac will not start. Help!

Hi there,
I need some guidance can some techie please help me!
My Mac book pro, 10.6 will not start, a flashing prohibition sign and a folder with a question mark appears on my screen.
I have shut down and tried thePRAM start up but nothing. I have snow leopard disk, should I re install. Will I lose all my data?
I recently updated iTunes and a day later my computer crashed. Any help would be appreciated.
Love,
Kind stranger

If your machine was upgraded to OS X 10.7 Lion or 10.8 Mountian Lion, then DO NOT PROCEED!
The 10.6 disks cannot be used for 10.7 or 10.8, if that's the case, then let me know as a different method is involved.
On the second screen booted from the 10.6 disk, under Utilities menu is Disk Utility.
Select your entire internal boot drive on the left, it should have a name and a size.
Click First Aid > Repair Disk and Repair Permissions.
If the drive doesn't appear on the left, it may mean it's dead or there is a broken connection between the drive and the computer.
If Disk Utility says "can't repair, backup and erase and install" then the drive works, it's that it can't repair the file structure, likely because of a failed sector on the drive (may be natural or caused by shock or failing drive)
However you don't have to erase if it says to do so, if the drive works mechanically the data can be recovered.
The drive may work fine if removed from the machine as well if it's not showing up on the left in Disk Utility.
If the drive doesn't work, then the data can be recovered if it wasn't Filevaulted, but the platter dissection required is expensive.
My computer is not working, is my personal data lost?
If the drive is repaired, do it again.
After the drive is repaired, Quit Disk Utiltiy and select Reset Password from the Utilties menu.
Don't change the password if your just repairing user permissions, instead select the drive at top and the account your having issues with.
See an area labeled Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs. Click the button.
After that, quit and your in the OS X install screen, select the boot volume and click Install, this will overwrite OS X 10.6 with a fresh copy.
Quit and restart, then when you log in hit Apple Menu > Software Update until clear, you should be on 10.6.8
Some third party programs may not work, you will have to reinstall them from original sources and make sure they are compliant with 10.6.8

Mac will not start. HELP!!

my 17" imac early 2006 will not start it came on yesterday with a fail screen and telling me to hold the power key to restart once i did that the cd drive was going made and no screen and the power light stays on. i have tried holding down the option key cmd+PR and this does nothing. no apple start up tune just a power light and a sound like the hard drive getting ready to start. any help would be great. wanna get fixed before my pc mates give me hard time as i always rave about macs.

Hi
It sounds like you are experiencing kernel panic, if you see that grey screen with multi languages. The cause is usually hardware, possibly RAM. Have a look at this link. It may help you.
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/kernelpanics.html
It mentions Tiger, but I think you could work with that.
I hope you can get things fixed before your mates come around.
Message was edited by: roam

TS2570 Mac will not start up after software up date, just screen with Apple logo and spinning icon?

Mac will not start up after software up date, just screen with Apple logo and spinning icon? I have tried safe start up, unplugged all other cables, no luck?

How to Perform an Archive and Install
An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) 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 installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

Hi, Mac will not start

Hi, Last night i downloaded flip for mac & a Samsung software (propably Windows) for my mobile phone... before shutting down i was asked if i want to install & restart, i said yes, after installation, now my mac will not start.... how can i go about this problem?

waynefromhockenheim wrote:
Hi, Last night i downloaded flip for mac & a Samsung software (propably Windows) for my mobile phone... before shutting down i was asked if i want to install & restart, i said yes, after installation, now my mac will not start.... how can i go about this problem?
Flip4Mac shouldn't have been a problem.
The Windows version of anything won't run on a Mac, the binaries are different. So no "PC Studio".
So the only thing I see is a Mac version of Kies, which allows you to manage your Samsung phone.
The spec call for a 10.5 or later, is very unlikely to work with 10.6.8 or 10.7, as there was some "changes"
Usually holding shift key while booting disables the third party kext files that cause the computer to freeze, which would allow you to remove the offending ones from your System/Library/Extensions folder.
Your remedy would be to hold c boot off the 10.6 installer disk (or hold command r boot if on 10.7) and simply overwrite OS X with a fresh copy (leaves your files and other programs alone), that will bump out the Samsung hacks in OS X itself, then immediatly software update to 10.6.8.
If you need replacement 10.6 grey disks then call Apple with a credit card and your serial number (about this mac >more info)
There is nothing you can do at this point without a fresh version of OSX 10.6, unless you know where all the Samsung hacks are and can remove them from Single User mode (aka root)
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16276201#16276201

I installed Yosemite and my mac will not start

I installed Yosemite and my mac will not start, as I can reload the previous system

Hi c.perez,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!
I know that it can be both frustrating and concerning when you cannot turn on your computer. In this situation there are several troubleshooting steps that I would recommend. Please use the attached article as a guide for troubleshooting.
Troubleshooting: My computer won't turn on - Apple Support
Have a great day,
Joe

My Mac will not start up i have tried safe reboot and verify file from disk utility to no avail am reinstalling Yosemite but couldn;t do it to recovery and its taking hours any ideas please

Followed some instructions to reboot as will not start and its taking ages any ideas please

Slow down and write clearly. What you're writing doesn't make sense. You need to write exactly what the problem is, and make understandable. Otherwise, no one will respond to you help request.
This (I May have found solution in 7 Mac start u options every os x user should know on a forum , gives recovery mode etc I had started to try to download yosemite again but that's what was taking forever! So I stopped it going to try the 7 options listed if not appointment at Genius - note to all back up your work, pictures etc I will be debased if they cannot recover them...) is slang. We don't speak slang.

Mac will not start up....

Need Help
I am unable to start up my G4 DP1.25GHz MDD
Once I push the startup button the Mac chimes
A grey screen appears with a apple sign
1 - 2 mins later it changes to the prohibitory sign and stays on it.
I checked the hard disk in another mac and that works fine and when I put a new hard disk in the sick G4 it does the same ( will not start up)
I have reset PMU
Replaced the RAM
Replaced Video Card
Changed Battery
Will not start from MAC OS Tiger or DiskWarrior 3.0.3 disks using C key
If I start up in Single User Mode I get this message:
Standard timeslicing quantum is 1000 us.
vmpagebootstrap: 254386 free pages
migtable_maxdispl = 70
Copyright (c) 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993
The Regents of the University of california. All rights reserved.
using 2621 buffer headers and 2621 cluster IO buffer header
Extension "com.apple.driver.KeyLargoATA" has no kernal dependency.
ApplePlatformExpert::getGMTTimeOfDay can not provide time of day RTC did not show up
Security auditing present
disabled
rooting via booting-uuid from /chosen: 36C2F349-48C8-3AC5-98C6-90426A8589A2
Waiting on <dict ID="0"><key>IOProviderClass</key><string ID="1">IOResources</string><key>IOResourceMatch</key><string ID="2">boot-uuid-media</string></dict>
Still waiting for root device
Still waiting for root device
Still waiting for root device
Still waiting for root device
Still waiting for root device
Any Ideas??

Try resetting PRAM with cmd-opt-P-R at boot.
Continue holding that combination until the system beeps several times.
there is also an open firware method of doing that, but I can't recall the coorect sequence...
If that doesn't work, try holding down the OPT key at power on. Continue holding until the screen changes. (It shoulf go the the blue screen, then display icons of any drives it finds, including CDs)
Select the drive with the appropriate OS logo superimposed, then click the arrow that points to the right.
If that works, then open the control pane and reselect the appropriate drive as your system startup disk.

I am going "Insane" - On windows 7 64 bit Itunes just stopped starting, it tries but gives up after a few mins - I have tried every reinstall-restart-that I can find in any forum, it still will not start up HELP

I am going "Insane" - On windows 7 64 bit Itunes just stopped starting, it tries but gives up after a few mins - I have tried every reinstall-restart-that I can find in any forum, it still will not start up HELP

Hi, ATPMolloy.
I certainly understand your frustration and will do my best to help. I see you have uninstalled and reinstalled iTunes with no change in results. I have attached an article below that specifically troubleshoots this issue that you are experiencing.
iTunes for Windows Vista or Windows 7: Troubleshooting unexpected quits, freezes, or launch issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1717
Regards,
Jason H.

Mac will not start up - Start up Disc is Full

I switched on my Mac tonight and it will not start up when I try to log in i just get a white screen
I have tried to get into the utility but I am a bit lost as there is no way to get into the HD to remove the files from the HD to enable the machine to start up.
anyone know what to do?
Robin

Here are some general tips to keep your Mac's hard drive trim and slim as possible
You should never, EVER let a computer hard drive get completely full, EVER!
With Macs and OS X, you shouldn't let the hard drive get below 15 GBs or less of free data space.
If it does, it's time for some hard drive housecleaning.
Follow some of my tips for cleaning out, deleting and archiving data from your Mac's internal hard drive.
Have you emptied your Mac's Trash icon in the Dock?
If you use iPhoto or Aperture, both have its own trash that needs to be emptied, also.
If you store images in other locations other than iPhoto, then you will have to weed through these to determine what to archive and what to delete.
If you are an iMovie/ Final Cut user, both apps have their own individual Trash location that needs to be emptied, too!
If you use Apple Mail app, Apple Mail also has its own trash area that needs to be emptied, too!
Delete any old or no longer needed emails and/or archive to disc, flash drives or external hard drive, older emails you want to save.
Look through your other Mailboxes and other Mail categories to see If there is other mail you can archive and/or delete.
STAY AWAY FROM DELETING ANY FILES FROM OS X SYSTEM FOLDER!
Look through your Documents folder and delete any type of old useless type files like "Read Me" type files.
Again, archive to disc, flash drives, ext. hard drives or delete any old documents you no longer use or immediately need.
Look in your Applications folder, if you have applications you haven't used in a long time, if the app doesn't have a dedicated uninstaller, then you can simply drag it into the OS X Trash icon. IF the application has an uninstaller app, then use it to completely delete the app from your Mac.
To find other large files, download an app called Omni Disk Sweeper.
http://www.omnigroup.com/more
Also, Find Any File
http://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/
Download an app called OnyX for your version of OS X.
http://www.titanium.free.fr/downloadonyx.php
When you install and launch it, let it do its initial automatic tests, then go to the cleaning and maintenance tabs and run the maintenance tabs that let OnyX clean out all web browser cache files, web browser histories, system cache files, delete old error log files.
Typically, iTunes and iPhoto libraries are the biggest users of HD space.
move these files/data off of your internal drive to the external hard drive and deleted off of the internal hard drive.
If you have any other large folders of personal data or projects, these should be archived or moved, also, to the optical discs, flash drives or external hard drive and then either archived to disc and/or deleted off your internal hard drive.
Moving iTunes library
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
Moving iPhoto library
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2506
Moving iMovie projects folder
http://support.apple.com/kb/ph2289
Good Luck!

Power mac will not start

my brother just bought the new 27inch imac and was going to migrate from his power mac. his power mac is now dead. it will not start at all. any ideas

I decided to get a hard drive enclosure. I chose the Mercury Elite Pro...highly recommended in my Mac magazines.
The ones from OWC are easy to put drives in, even for a beginner. Easy to understand instructions and they back up their merchandise 100%, no questions asked. Now if a drive goes bad, I can put a new one in the enclosure in minutes (or put a bigger one in). Mine works great!
But make sure you get an enclosure that uses the PowerMac drive. Since you did not tell us what model he has we can not advise as to which one he needs.
Once the Migration is over, he can reformat the drive to GUID (for Intel) and use it as a backup drive....always needed! DALE

My mac will not start due to a corrupted software update.

My mac will not boot into mountain lion OS which I think is due to a failed or corrupted software update.. I can access the recovery menu but I cant reinstall OS over the Internet. I have also tried to repair the disk but will not let me and foolishly I haven't backed up my mac up through time machine. I'm wondering if anyone can help as I don't really want to loose pictures, music and documents.
Thank Amy

If you want to preserve the data on the boot drive, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to fully boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
1. Boot into Recovery (command-R at startup) or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in the support article linked below, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
How to back up and restore your files
2. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode by holding down the key combination command-T at the startup chime. Connect the two Macs with a FireWire or Thunderbolt cable. The internal drive of the machine running in target mode will mount as an external drive on the other machine. Copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode
3. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.

My Mac will not start up like normal and I don't knwo why

My iMac will not start up like normal and I don't know why. I tried to run Skype then nothing happend so I tried to restart my computer, but then it never loaded

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since your last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Boot into the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. The easiest way to deal with the problem is to boot from an external drive, or else to use either of the techniques in Steps 1b and 1c to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
Step 3
Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
Step 7
If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you boot in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, your boot volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 6.
If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select your startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then reboot as usual.
Step 9
Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 10
Repeat Step 9, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 11
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a boot failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 12
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

HT1750 my mac will not start

My Imac will not start or boot up

There are a few of things you could try, but success is not guaranteed:
An SMC and PRAM reset:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3603
A Safe Boot:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1455
Booting into the Recovery HD to try to effect repairs to the HD with Disk Utility:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

Mac will not START UP after software update. Help?

I just updated my 24" iMac to Snow Leopard and also put on the new iLife package. Everything was working fine, Then i tried to get onto the internet using my Bigpond wifi (usb stick) the software started fine and connected to the internet, but in safari no web page would load. so i clicked on the update software/firmware option for the bigpond wifi usb stick and after several minutes realised everything had frozen. nothing would respond.i held the power button down, it shut down. Now it will not power up. just sitting at the first white screen with the apple and rotating line dial. I have tried all of the stup options recommended iner manual and removed/replaced te ram. still no fix.. Can someone please help?

Try starting the Mac with the original DVD that came with the computer, then run disk utility and repair the hard drive also repair permissions. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1782

Mac will not start up! Help!!?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for