When I start up my Mac it won't go past the grey screen. Any suggestions?

When I start up my MAC it won't go past the grey screen. Any suggestion?

Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

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Hi guys. I've had my MacBook Pro for 2 years now. Last night it suddenly kept glitching to a dark grey screen every now and then, then it would flash yellow / blue spots, and now it won't go past the grey screen even when I reboot it. I don't think I can

Hi guys.
I've had my MacBook Pro for 2 years now. Last night it suddenly kept glitching to a dark grey screen every now and then, then it would flash yellow / blue spots, and now it won't go past the grey screen even when I reboot it.
I don't think I can access my disk anymore as I've moved across countries since I've first gotten my laptop. it was working perfectly fine before it kept going to the dark grey screen with a little blue on the bottom.
If it helps, my camera light is still on, and it seems that my computer is working properly itself, but won't go past this grey screen.
I'm a college student and am really panicking about this - can anyone please tell me what to do?
Thank you & sorry for the long post.

What operating system are you running on it? (iOS 5.1 is for iPhone, iPad...not a Mac).

My MacBook won't boot past the grey screen.. help!

Today I was having a problem with Safari. For some reason, it kept restarting. This annoyed me, so I restarted my MacBook. Unfortunately, it won't boot past the grey screen, with the thing spinning in the middle. I've been into disk utility and it says my HDD is fine. I restarted from this, and yet it still won't boot. Can anyone suggest what's wrong/what to do?
Thanks in advance

Retrieving data using Target Disk Mode:
1) Shut down both computers
2) Connect the two computers using a Firewire cable
3) Start up the working computer.
4) Once the working computer is ready, startup your MacBook with the T key held down.
5) Your MacBook's hard drive should appear as an external hard drive on the working Mac. Drag & drop any files you want to save.
~Lyssa

My MacBook won't boot past the grey screen showing a folder sign with question mark, My MacBook won't boot past the grey screen showing a folder sign with question mark, My MacBook won't boot past the grey screen showing a folder sign with question mark

Hi, I need some serious help immediately. I have been using an external hard disc to watch movies and stuff on my MacBook. However last night I removed the external hard disc accidentally without closing the programs that were still using the data from the hard disk and hence the complete MacBook got hanged and nothing responded. I tried using command Q to shut down the program buy it didn't help either. So finally I gave up and shut down the MacBook manually by pressing the power on/off button.
However when I tried restarting my MacBook I faced a serious problem. The start up won't boot beyond the grey screen showing a folder sign with a question mark sign in it .. I just don't know what to do. Somebody please help me and guide me through this problem
Awaiting quick response
Gratitude in advance
Regards
AJ

If you try booting your Mac holding down the Option key, you should see the icon for Macintosh HD. Try selecting that to boot. If you can get in that way, go to System Preferences > Startup Disk and select your Mac HD, then click Restart.
If you can't see the Mac HD, the volume may indeed need repair as Niel said.

My emac won't get past the grey screen with spinning indicator

before i went to bed last nite it was fine. when i woke up i click on the screen and got the little rainbow ball. that lasted for about 5-10 minutes so i had to push the button. when i try to turn it on now it gets to the grey screen with the spinning indicator but won't get past that. any help would be appreciated

An Archive and Install will preserve you user settings and data. You will need a minimum of 5 GB free on the hard drive to perform an A&I; you can reduce the space required by about 1 GB by selecting the option to install language support only for the language you use (assuming you don't need multiple languages).
However, after seeing your other post (BTW, it'll be easier to keep track if relted issues are in the same thread), you do not want to try an A&I if Disk Utility is reporting anything about 'could not be repaired'. Doing so will would ensure problems down the road, if it worked at all. It's possible for one disk problem to mask another. Whenever Disk Utility (or any other repair utility) reports making repairs, it's good practice to repeat the repair until it reports no problems found or it becomes clear it cannot repair the disk.
DiskWarrior has an excellent track record at repairing problems that Disk Utility cannot (especially Disk Utility versions prior to OS X 10.4.2).
If the drive cannot be repaired, you may be able to keep it by doing an erase install with the write zeros (one pass) option. That will update the hard drive firmware record of bad disk sectors to avoid using. If there are only a few bad sectors, that may let you keep using the hard drive for several more years. An erase install will do just that to your data, through. If you have access to another Mac with either a large amount of free disk space of a DVD burner, you can try using the other Mac as host and the eMac as target in FireWire target disk mode. You can run the host's copy of Disk Utility on the eMac hard drive, and hopefully be able to mount the emac HD so that you can back up the data in your Home directory.

My Mac Book will not go past the grey screen

I had my Mac Book Pro at a apple store and they had to reformat the hard driver. Now several weeks later I installed the 2012 turbo tax software and restarted the machine however now I cannot get past the grey screen.
What is wrong with this, they stated the reformat would solve the problem.
Need help

Which os version are you using and is it compatible with your os?
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

My Imac won't go past the grey screen and apple logo! How do I fix the start up in my Imac?

I really need help with this one!
My Imac is stuck on the grey screen with the apple Logo, and it wont go past that.
It does listen to certain keyboard commands to start it up (ive tried fixing it by reading other's posts.) But it will only listen to some commands,
It doesn't start on Shift (safe mode) but it does start on command+shift+(other button) which is safemode viewed so you can see whats going on.
As the letters on the screen type on, it says it's loading something but stays stuck there.
I've heard about a way where you can use terminal from another computer and boot it that way, or using firewire cables.
Please help! and take in mind I'm not really tech-savy with computers, so guides would be helpful!
If there is any way to save the files in the computer that would be great. If it can't be done, it's fine, I just want it working again .
Thanks,
Gian Varela

I really need help with this one!
My Imac is stuck on the grey screen with the apple Logo, and it wont go past that.
It does listen to certain keyboard commands to start it up (ive tried fixing it by reading other's posts.) But it will only listen to some commands,
It doesn't start on Shift (safe mode) but it does start on command+shift+(other button) which is safemode viewed so you can see whats going on.
As the letters on the screen type on, it says it's loading something but stays stuck there.
I've heard about a way where you can use terminal from another computer and boot it that way, or using firewire cables.
Please help! and take in mind I'm not really tech-savy with computers, so guides would be helpful!
If there is any way to save the files in the computer that would be great. If it can't be done, it's fine, I just want it working again .
Thanks,
Gian Varela

27' imac (2011) won't go past the grey screen

my 27" iMac (mid 2011) won't start up. When i turn it on, I get the grey screen with green vertical stripes. It will then go to the apple logo with task bar. It moves to about one third of the bar and then goes to a solid grey screen. It stays like this for under a minute and then shuts it self off and then restarts. It seems to be stuck in this loop. I have had it to the shop twice now- the first time they fixed something (can't remember) a hey have put in a new display/backlight this last time and it worked for about 30 minutes and then the problem started again.

Gave it a go, didnt work will just take it to the store !

Rebooting old mac g5: Can't get past the grey screen.

This problem concerns an old mac g5 that I had replaced three years ago because it hadn't been working properly. I am getting it out because my son needs a computer and I was hoping that the thing would work for a little while.
I can't get past the grey apple screen. I have the installation disc in and restart while pressing the c. I just am not getting any further than that. The fans begin to sound like a jet taking off. I have tried resetting the pram while starting up, but that doesn't seem to be working either. I have heard about a hair dryer trick and don't really know what is supposed to get warmed up by that.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks.

No hair dryer. What you need to do is make sure the PRAM battery is new. It is a coin shaped battery on the logic board. Radio Shack sells them.
Option key booting sometimes works. You have to us a Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.4.6 retail disc, which are black with a white X logo, and do not say Update Dropin or OEM on them. If you have the original iMac G5 disc that's fine, but web browsing with older operating systems is not very friendly. Some of these machines were known to have leaky capacitors, and getting the power supply replaced on them now would be quite hard because of the age.
http://www.ifixit.com/ may be able to help if you suspect that.

My laptop won't go past the grey screen

I have been using lots of software - indesign, photoshop, illustrator as well as other programs at the same time and my laptop started to slow down. I then tried to force quite pages and it wouldnt work so I had to force shut down. It then would not turn fully on and was on the grey screen for a long period of time. It eventually came back to homepage after about 30 minutes but did not fully load. It now wont go past grey screen and has a bar at the bottom. Whats wrong ?!!

Gave it a go, didnt work will just take it to the store !

My apple mac pro won't get past opening grey screen with revolving circle

when I turn on the apple mac there is the blue screen with apple logo and revolving circle - nothing else happens

Hi johnjak,
In order to troubleshoot this issue where your Mac Pro is getting stuck on a gray screen with a spinning gear, please follow the steps in the article linked to below.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup - Apple Support
Happy Holidays!
Alex H.;

My MacBook Pro won't go past the grey screen. It only shows that it's loading and doesn't go any further.

Okay well, to start off, I got my MacBook from a distant family member who got a new one so they let me have their old one. They got it from a pawn shop so I don't have the disk that we got the OS from but it hasn't had any issues UNTIL NOW. I need to use my laptop for a homework assignment so please help me quickly. Everytime I turn it on it'll just stay on the loading screen, I left it for 4 hours yesterday and it still wouldn't work. I reset the (insert acronym here) thing already, the thing where you press control, option, P, R keys at start up. I really need help because my assignment is on the laptop and it's due tomorrow. Please help. ={ And I'm not entirely sure which OS it's using because I've never really checked.

Boot from the OS DVD you have for the computer.
Repair 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 Utilities menu. 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.
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.
You can reinstall OS X, but the procedure depends on the version of OS X that is installed.

Deleted everything on Mac, how do I get past the grey screen?

I tried to delete all my data on my old Mac so I could sell it on. I've obviously deleted something important as now when you turn on the computer all that comes up is a grey start up screen with a flashing no entry sign, apple icon and a file with a question mark. I'm not worried about data loss but is there a way I can gain access to the computer again?

It would appear that you deleted some or all of the operating system files. Boot your iMac from the installer disk that came with it (or a more recent retail copy of Mac OS X) and reinstall Mac OS X. I'd recommend running Disk Utility from the menu and erase the hard drive, using the Zero All Data option under Security Options before you reinstall to make sure your data isn't recoverable.
Regards.

11-04-2008, 08:55 AM Hello all, Hoping someone can offer me some help. My macbook won't boot past the grey screen with the apple logo with the spinning disc. I've left it for around an hour and nothing happens.

pls help me need help badlypls help me, need really bad

Look at this support article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Ciao.

My Mac Mini won't get past the initial startup screen with the Apple logo. What can I do?

After a long distance move, my Mac Mini won't startup past the logo screen. What can I do?

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 startup failure is to secure the 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 the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
     a. Start up from 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.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, boot from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start 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.
d. 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. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d 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 startup 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 start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up 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 started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start 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 the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up 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, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 10. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup 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 restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup 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 the 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 restart as usual.
Step 9
If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support.
Step 10
Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 11
Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 12
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 startup 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 13
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.

When I start up my Mac it won't go past the grey screen. Any suggestions?

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