Another blank blue screen at startup issue

Can anyone shed some light on this?
The iMac was operating fine up until a few nights ago. I had been using the machine all day without a hitch then in the evening tried switching to another user account and the system hung up stuck with the spinning pinwheel before login. I forced a reboot and got the blank blue screen.
I did all the recommendations I've seen posted here before. Repair Permissions and Disk Repair from the Install Disc (neither of which returned any issues) I rebooted in Safe Mode which runs fine but after rebooting I had the same problem. I booted Safe Mode again and tried making new accounts, that wasn't any help. I then went into single user mode to wipe out the preferences and netinfo database. No luck. reset SMU, reset PRAM, reset NVRAM, unplugged all external devices and pulled out the 3rd party RAM (bought it in 2005 from Crucial when I bought the iMac). No Go.
I reinstalled OSX using the Archive feature and that didn't fix things. Then I reinstalled OSX and let it wipe the entire HD clean after using Safe Mode to back-up my essentials onto external USB HD first. Even the clean install didn't help. It certainly runs a lot more zippy but it only runs in Safe Mode.
I ran the extended hardware tests from the Install CD/DVD and everything passed OK.
Now, there is one issue I can't solve myself and I have to wonder if this may be the cause of the problems, even though hardware tests don't reveal any problems. When I opened the case to pull the RAM, I noticed two capacitors on the logic board that had leaked, however the leaks are all dried up and crusty, not wet like a recent leak. Here's a photo:
http://www.mikepipes.com/sketchbook/imac-1.jpg
Is there anything I may have missed?
Now I have seen the other posts regarding the repair programs Apple has for certain model of iMac, and my serial number does fall within the range (QP519XXXXXX), however this is a 2nd generation iMac and the page states that only 1st gen iMacs are elligible. Wonder if the photo of the leaky caps could sway them to make an exception?
I'm trying to get as far as I can through troubleshooting because the closest Apple Store or Apple tech is 3 hours away.

Present you case to Apple. If you don't get anywhere w/them then ask to be transferred (or call them yourself) to Customer Relations - 1-800-767-2775.
Otherwise, you will have no alternative but to take your computer to your local AASP.
If you have AppleCare, you can have the repair tech come to your home (under certain conditions). Read the small print in the AC booklet.
You can also check AASP or AASP's Outside of the USA to find a repair shop closer to you.
*PS Thank you for providing detailed info about your troubleshooting efforts. It was a great help.*

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I see a blank blue screen at startup

I see a blank blue screen at startup. Am I going to lose everything that I didn't backup?

So I booted off the install disc (hold C at startup), did an archive and install) and then shut it down. Powered it up and zapped the PRAM at startup (commandoption+PR) and it now boots instantly. Just curious as to what video card you have in yours? I've been reading a lot of threads about problems caused by the ATI Radeon HD 2600, which is what I have in mine. Sounds as if a firmware update is needed, but not yet available. I also had 4 kernel panics in my first 20 starts. Apple Genius Bar said this was due to Symantec Anti-Virus for Mac.

Blank blue screen on startup

This has been an intermittant problem lately. When starting up the computer I just get a blank blue screen on the monitor. Other times the monitor just shows the clock marks going round and round and seems frozen. A quick push of the power button will put the computer to sleep then when I wake it from the keyboard the dashboard and desktop icons appear but with a blank grey screen, not with my chosen wallpaper.
A restart will just bring me back to the blank blue screen. Powering down seems to reset everything and I get the normal bootup action on the monitor. What's going on?
Mac mini Mac OS X (10.4.9)

As a first step, check this link for system troubleshooting procedures and when doing so, follow all steps/instructions in the order provided.
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/repairprocess.html

Blank grey screen on startup issue

I have started up my G4 powerbook and am met with a blank grey screen.
I had previously been using the laptop for connecting to a projector for a presentation and having been met with this problem I reconnected the laptop to a projector and the image of the desktop was viewable on the projector screen and thus I could manage the laptop via this. How can I get the screen on the laptop back to where it should be that I can see the what I am doing?
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Hello again,
In order to try to resolve this I need to connect the laptop to a projector to be able to see the desktop image and open such things as System preferences. This takes me bait longer than it should thus the delay in adding to this discussion.
I did connect it up to the projector. Switched off the mirroring and tried a few switching off and on's etc. I have also tried resting the PRAM and the PMU but to now avail. There appears to be a disconnect between the screen and the system. I reckon it is maybe to do with the fact that the last time is was used and functioned as usual was when I was using the laptop with the projector.
It is of course frustrating as the laptop in question though of a certain vintage is in very good condition and operates very well other than this issue.

Blank Blue Screen at startup lasts a llooonnnnnggg time - 3-4 minutes

What else can I say? It just sits there for a long time, 3-5 minutes. Then it finally starts running and gives me the login screen.

So I booted off the install disc (hold C at startup), did an archive and install) and then shut it down. Powered it up and zapped the PRAM at startup (commandoption+PR) and it now boots instantly. Just curious as to what video card you have in yours? I've been reading a lot of threads about problems caused by the ATI Radeon HD 2600, which is what I have in mine. Sounds as if a firmware update is needed, but not yet available. I also had 4 kernel panics in my first 20 starts. Apple Genius Bar said this was due to Symantec Anti-Virus for Mac.

Blank blue screen at start up

Hello,
I have a newer iBook and somehow it got stuck on blank blue screen upon startup. The normal screen no longer appears where I am expected to enter my password etc.
A friend was recently using it only watching videos & movies while we were traveling.
Not sure if she accidentally entered a command but, now I can't use the computer at all.
How do I reboot/reset it without losing my data etc. Or is there a simpler trick to get UN stuck from the blank blue screen?
Thanks for any help.
~Day

Hello,
Which iBook model do you own? You can select from this list.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/ibook/index-ibook.html
You may wish to try resetting the PMU by following these instrcions
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1431

My mac book startup disk is full and when I start it, it give me a blank blue screen. I have tried the shift and I started in safe mode, and it gave me the stars screen. How can I delete files to fix the problem

My mac book startup disk is full and when I start it, it give me a blank blue screen. I have tried the shift upon start
and I started in safe mode, and it gave me the stars screen. How can I delete files to fix the problem

1. Start up in Safe Mode.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11212
2. Empty Trash.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10677
3. Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
    Hold the option key down and click "Go" menu in the Finder menu bar.
    Select "Library" from the dropdown.
    Library > Mail > V2 > Mailboxes
    Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
    Empty Trash. Restart.
4. Delete old iOS Devices Backup.
    iTunes > Preferences > Devices
    Highlight the old Backups , press “Delete Backup” and then “OK”.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
5. Re-index Macintosh HD
   System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy
   http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2409

Startup stops in blank blue screen

I have an iMac G4 which has been running Leopard fine for months up until this morning. When I started it this morning it stopped booting at a blank blue screen. I have never touched any startup/system files that I know of. I have been able to get the computer to start into target disk mode to connect to my MacBook and I was able to start up holding down option to get to the disk select screen, but after selecting the harddrive it again booted into the blank blue screen. Attempting to start in safe mode only gets me to the gray screen with the apple logo. The only thing I can think of that may be related is that I installed a few updates last night through system updater. I can't remember which they were, but the computer restarted fine after I installed them.

I have this problem as well, but eventually I get a warning that the application "FileSyncAgent" has not launched, along with "ignore", "relaunch" and "reboot". This is apparently related to a .mac sync problem that I've seen discussed on some other boards, but with no solution. I can also boot into target mode. Since I'm travelling, I can't reload OS X 10.5 from my disks, and can't restore from Time Machine either. I think that for me, the answer is probably to reload the OS (and go through updates) when I get home. In the meantime, I'm more or less stuck. I have access to an imac, but not with Iwork, which I really really need right now.
This just stinks...

Blue screen at startup---have tried EVERYTHING!!! Any ideas???

Hi there, I've got a really frustrating problem concering my husband's iBook G4. One day he got home from work, tried to start up, and got only a blue screen (no cursor.) (This is shortly after updating to 10.4.11, incidentally...coincidence?) We went to the forums, and tried numerous fixes, including:
Booting from install and running disk repair (none needed)
Booting in target disk mode with my mac and removing the login.plist file
Removing all login items from both user accounts in target mode
Attempting a boot (and eventual restore) from the external firewire backup, but it won't get past the blue screen here, either.
It started up in safe mode a couple of times, and even restarted in normal mode once, but then in primary account froze back up after a few minutes. Then it wouldn't even start in safe mode.
Then we did an Archive & Install from the original startup (Panther) but when it got to the login screen, it wouldn't accept either user password (even though the hint indicated we were using the right ones) and then froze. It now won't even boot from this disk, or start up in safe mode.
Everything seems to be intact while perusing it in target disk mode; even ran a hardware test from the Apple Hardware Test disc and that all checked out (no idea if this would have made any difference, but I'm grasping at straws, here!)
I know we did a couple more things suggested in the forums/support pages, but I can't remember what they are at this point...my brain is fried! (Also remember following Apple's instruction's for what to do when you get a blue screen at startup...tried this first thing to no avail.)
Soooooo...any suggestions or ideas? We would greatly appreciate the help!
Thanks so much!
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,
Ok, so...what's going on today is that Leopard will open to the login screen (sometimes I can log in but generally not), but then the cursor is frozen, as is the keyboard (can't type to login or use shortcuts) and even a usb mouse doesn't work. The only thing I can do is power down with the off button, and upon restarting, if I get past the login, get the message "Computer was restarted after Mac OSX quit unexpectedly" or something like that. (Just restarted from frozen login screen and got blue screen again.)
Wondering if it's Leopard or my wonky install (we started up in target mode, with the install disc in the drive, and opened the installer on my mac, then chose the broken mac hd to install to. Seemed to work, but may this be related to the driver issue you mentioned?) We did it this way (after doing a zero-out erase) because it wouldn't even start up from the install disc itself.
It sounds to me like this method of installing is okay. If you did not have the correct drivers, you could never get as far as you do in Leopard. I am wondering why you install with the disk in your Mac and not in the iBook.
Anyway, have reset the PRAM, still no luck. On the apple page regarding this procedure they mention a power management unit reset for ibooks...would this correspond at all to our problems? Is it something I should try or steer clear of?
Okay. Resetting PRAM was a long shot, but worth trying. I would steer clear of trying to reset PMU. That is related to sleeping, waking and such things and your problems do not seem to be related to that. Also, I have never reset PMU, but from what I recall, it sounded a bit tricky.
Am now attempting to reboot from backup. And yes, when I open Startup Manager, the internal hard drive DOES show up. If that means anything. Have a bootable backup (created with SuperDuper) which also shows up, but when I try to start up with it, I get stuck at blue screen (still.)
As far as the iBook hard drive is concerned, this is a good sign. I am thinking that perhaps the hard drive is okay and the problem is something else.
So, since the iBook originally came with Panther, and Leopard is really yet another unknown to throw into the loop, if I do another erase/install, I'm thinking Panther is the way to go? (Unfortunately we shared a family pack Tiger with a friend, and haven't got a hold of that install disc yet, otherwise I'd try Tiger, since it's what it was running and so is what the backup is, too.)
From what I have seen in the forums, when people are having startup problems, the last resort solution usually works. That is, they take the install disk that came with the machine (Panther in your case), erase and zero out the hard drive and then re-install. That usually seems to do the trick. What they have probably done is either replaced some corrupted piece of software or fixed a directory problem on the disk. In your case, you have already done most of this except not with the Panther disk. So, I think it is worth going through this effort with Panther. If this actually worked, then you could worry about how to update your software to where you want it to be. If it does not work, I would consider this more evidence that there is probably a hardware issue.
If this doesn't work (and would probably have to try in target mode again if the install disc won't open...) should I buy Tech Tool or Disk Warrior or just send it in for repair? I suppose there's a point at which I'll have to admit defeat!
Not sure that I caught this before. You imply that the install disk will not open if it is inserted into the iBook. Is this a problem that showed up when the blue screen business started? When you insert the disk into the iBook and then reboot that computer from the disk (pressing the C key during startup), do you get something on the desktop?
If, when repairing the hard drive with Disk Utility, you had received a message that the disk was not repaired, then a stronger utility would be a reasonable choice. But, that does not seem to be your situation. So, if it were me, I would probably not buy Tech Tool or Disk Warrior at this point. I do think that it is possible that these utilities might be able to do more troubleshooting than you can do with Disk Utility and the Apple hardware CD. Tech Tool in particular has some hardware testing capability. So, if money were no object, you might buy that and see if it can give you more detailed diagnostic information. Of course, these are purely my opinions. I could be totally wrong on any of this.
Oh yeah, I don't know if I mentioned this earlier or not but all the restarts yesterday were accompanied be a brief "whooshing" sound (like a fan) for a second or so, and once I got both that sound and a "boooooop" issuing from the innards. Not sure if this means anything or not, but thought I'd mention it. Maybe the hard drive is melting! (Also I get further along the startup route after it's been turned off for a while.)
This is worth mentioning and I overlooked it in your previous posts. The "booooooop" sound got my attention. When the computer is started up, one of the first things that is done is that there are some hardware tests performed. Apple does use some sounds to indicate certain problems. You can learn a little more at You hear "breaking glass" or "musical beeps" when you turn on your Mac. I don't know if you are hearing one of these sounds or if they are unrelated. But, I think that the "boooooop" sound in particular might be trying to tell you something.
Let me sum up my opinions (which could be dead wrong). I still suspect a hardware problem. However, maybe the hard drive is okay. I think it would be worth using the Panther CD to do another erase and install on the iBook. If you still do not have a working computer, it is probably time to seek professional help. (However, if you get to this point, it is conceivable that you could be having some problems with your RAM chips. If you have worked with RAM chips before, you could try to play games with them: reseating them and removing them one by one- if you have two chips. But, if you have not done this before and are do not have some familiarity with working on hardware of this nature, perhaps you should just leave this alone.)
If you need to seek some professional help, you might be able to try one of these options - If you have AppleCare, you should definitely give them a call. If you live close enough to an Apple store, you could take your computer to the genius bar and see if they can help.
Sorry that you are having such a hassle,
Rich

How can I fix a blank blue screen?

How can I get passed a blank blue screen?

There are several things you could try, as indicated by those mentioned in this Apple Support
article about how to resolve startup issues, and perform disk maintenance. Read through them:
•Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck - Apple Support
If you have the install-restore DVD for the system running in the Mac, that may help to start up
from and see if Disk Utility's repair disk could help. Of course, if there is a problem in hardware
a replacement hard disk drive may be necessary because these parts wear out.
A slightly different set of symptoms appear other Support articles about startup issues, but some
of the ideas are the same when attempting to resolve the cause at a user-level. If issues are too
difficult, you may choose to locate an authorized Apple service provider to have a professional
diagnostic test performed to determine if other things are behind the problematic Mac.
•Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup - Apple Support
•Your Mac won't start up in Mac OS X (Mac OS X Panther 10.3.9 or earlier) - Apple Support
(for later 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7 etc systems, see 'Gray screen appears on startup' above)
Links in these support pages (blue) are similar:
•OS X Mountain Lion: If you see a blue screen at startup
•OS X Mavericks: If you see a blue screen at startup
If you have an Intel-based Mac, some of the issues may be different than those with PowerPC
hardware; so it helps to be sure you have correctly identified the computer & its working OS X.
Good luck & happy computing!

Boot freezes at blank blue screen

I am completely stuck. I have a Powermac G4, which just today became suddenly unstable---apps crashing when I tried to quit them, everything freezing, logging out didn't work. So I shut it down and restarted.
Now I get the chime, the apple screen, and then the blue screen (and a mouse pointer) but at that point nothing else happens. No window showing services starting up, just a blank blue screen.
I can log into single-user mode, and the file system checks out ok. I did the cmd-opt-P-R, I reset-nvram from the Forth interpreter, all that.
I can boot verbosely, and it doesn't tell me anything because the hanging happens after it leaves the text screen and the UI starts.
Question: what should I do? Here's a related question: from single-user mode, is there any way to get files off the computer, towit accessing a USB drive or the network?
Xcott

Empty,Blue Screen.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106464
1. Start up in Safe Mode.(shift key at startup)
a. Drag the Fonts folder from the Mac OS 9 System Folder (not the Mac OS X System folder) to the desktop.
b. Drag the Fonts folder from ~/Library/Fonts to the desktop.
b. Restart the computer in Mac OS X.
c. If this solves the problem....you have a corrupt font in one of the above font folders
2. Remove incompatible third-party startup items.
a. Start up in Safe Mode.(shift at startup)
b. Open the Mac OS X hard disk.
c. Drag third-party items out of ....
/Library/StartupItems .......
/System/Library/StartupItems ... Place them on the desktop .... If you're unsure whether an item is a third-party item or an Apple-installed item, don't move it.
d.Restart the computer.
Note.. If this resolves the issue, add the Startup Items one at a time until the symptom occurs again. That way you'll know which one is incompatible. Repeat these steps and remove the incompatible item.
george

Stuck on blank blue screen when booting- HELP!

When I boot up up I get the normal grey screening with spinning pin wheel, but then it goes to a blank blue screen and just hangs there. Tried resetting the PRAM but didn't work, also want to boot from the install cd but I can't the cd drive door to open from the keyboard button.
Help please!

Hold the mouse down during startup to get the drive to open.
Or use the OPTION key to stop at boot selector and do it then.
I would make sure to have a working bootable backup of your drive at all times, and an emergency boot drive/partition.
What might help:
Boot from another drive. Turn off journaling. Repair drive.
Once at Finder desktop, delete the caches folders on your main drive.
/Library/Caches
/System/Library/Caches
/System/Library/Extensions.mkext
If the repair was "successful" and DU is not 100% certain to see and fix all possible errors, for that Disk Warrior or TTPro would be needed.
At the least, repair from current DVD of OS X, or SAFE BOOT, or Single User Mode and run FSCK.
Then do Safe Boot from your main drive.
But do install OS X to another drive to work from.
PRAM only affects settings. If you mean PRAM/NVRAM from cold boot, that would help with corrupt nvram due to hardware changes.
If you have or suspect a corrupt boot drive I would invest in Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro/Deluxe to use along with Apple Disk Utility.

Satellite L500 - blank blue screen after login to Win 7

Hi
I have this laptop and i can start up the laptop and it loads fine to the login page i then can login but when the screens opens after login it appears as a blank blue screen with the document folder open i have no background picture and no startup menu nothing else except the document folder.
From there i can access my files etc and anything else internet etc everything but i dont know how to get the screen back to normal.
If i go on background display i can see the image that should be on the background and change it but nothing happens on the full screen.
I have no restore point as yet as new laptop for xmas, i do have backup discs but think its just something to do with the display.
If go into files and folders it shows me the icons on the desktop but all i see is this blank screen.
Any ideas please, if not would restore files work or full back up disc
Thanks very much for any help

Hi
Check this:
Click right on the desktop and choose Personalize.
There you should check the area: Basis design and design with high contrast
Choose Windows 7 basic.
Then reboot the unit.
Usually this should help to get the Windows 7 common design and desktop settings.
But if this will not help then you could use an fast solution which would be a usage of the recovery disk of HDD recovery option.
This would format the HDD and would reinstall everything again

"blue screen" at startup- still stuck!

So for some reason or another, I've ended up with the "blue screen" at startup problem. when I start my macBook in Leopard, after the apple logo, I get stuck permanently at a blue screen. The first thing I did was to repair the disk but the disk utility told me my disk was fine. Then I tried to do a restore of Mac OS X but after about a minute I get a error message saying "Restore Failure could not restore- File Exists". I have no idea how or why this happened or what it means. I would like to try apple's solution to the problem but they are very vague. They say try an "Archive and Install installation of Leopard". I have no idea how to do that! They say it is covered on "page 7 of the Install & Setup Guide included on the Leopard DVD" but I can't seem to find this so-called "Install & Setup Guide" anywhere on either of the two DVDs. Can anyone tell me how to fix this?

It's all in http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1545?viewlocale=en_US BTW, the setup guide's on the Leopard installation disk (retail version) and not on the disks that came with your machine.

My OS X is die ?? Blank blue Screen at start up.....

one day in the middle of use my Macbook Pro all the suddenly the screen all get scremble. and the machine just hang can't even reboot.
SO i takeoff the battery to reboot, but now all i get is a blank blue screen after the Apple Logo.
i try boot in safe mode.
i go as far as the login screen after login then just OS x10.5 default wallpaper and nothing etc ?
so how can i make my macbook work again ?
i really don't want to reinstall the OS as the comp also get another bootcamp partition.
so any suggestion ?
thx

True, everyone should but not everyone does. Some people, newcomers especially, have the naive idea that when they spend a lot of money on something it should work, so they don't worry that any day could be their computers last. I guess we all have to go through something like this so we learn the lesson. I hope that in the future he'll just get an inexpensive usb drive and use time machine if he wants. It works pretty well.
In the meantime we have to get him going again with the least criticism applied. The page I referenced is nonjudgemental and, I thought, contained the advice you gave him in a somewhat neater format.
Peace, and thanks for helping a fellow Macintosher

Another blank blue screen at startup issue

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