Apple logo with spinning wheel in Mac OS X 10.8.5

I have a 15 inch MacBook Pro with 4GB ram and 2.4 GHz Intel i5 and OS X 10.8.5 and everytime i boot up it gives an apple logo with the spinning wheel, after 3 or 4 boot try, it actualy boots normaly to mac os x normaly. I already repaired the permissions, reseted the PRAM, and still no use.
I often use heavy programs like Final Cut Pro 7 (.0.3), Firefox, EyeTV, and Soundtrack Pro.

I already done this way and still no due
here's a list of things i've already done:
- Reset the PRAM
- Uninstalled some programs i didn't use, like the older versions of iLife, iWork and MS Office for Mac
- Repaired permissions
- Uninstalled most third-party content i didnt use, like the black barry files.
I also did a full backup and a full reinstall of the OS and software I used most such as the latest version of Adobe's CS6, and Sun Office suite and the MS Office for Mac, and the Final Cut Pro X suite and Final Cut Pro 7 suite.

Similar Messages

I Mac won't start -- we get apple logo with spinning wheel, question mark that disappears and then a blank blue screen

My daughter's old I Mac won't start. It is not backed up. We want to get some things off of it if we can.
When we turn it on, we get the Apple logo with spinning wheel for awhile, then a question mark briefly and then a sky blue blank screen. Is there any hope of getting this to work? This computer is out of warranty. Does it seem that if we reinstall the Operating System we might find old data?

First try restarting with the original install disc an run Disk Utility to repair the drive. If you have to re install the OS make sure you select archive and install or else everything will be lost.

Macbook pro will not boot, gets stuck on great apple logo with spinning wheel.

I have a Macbook Pro A1287 13" Core2Duo Intel running Mavericks. This morning it would not boot and got stuck at the grey apple logo with the spinning wheel. I have tried:
1. Resetting PRAM
2. Resetting SMC
3. Starting in Safe Mode
4. Boting to recovery partition and verifiying and repairing both disc and permissions
Unfortunately none of these have worked.
I thought after reading other discussions that it may be the sign/start of hard drive failure and that the hard drive may be corrupt.
The strange thing is that I swapped the hard drive with another macbook pro that I use in work and it boots to the HD no problem, all my files and desktop are as expected.
So, I thought this must be a hardware issue, maybe something to do with the hard drive cable, the battery or worse the main board, but when I put my work macbook hard drive in my macbook it also boots. Other than swapping the machines, I'm not really sure what to do.
One thing to note is that I have noticed over the past few months that the clock will have re-set when booting up and that occasionally the machine will turn off with no warning and reboot.
I would have thought if it was a hard drive problem, the drive would not boot in any machine, and if it were a hardware problem then the machine would not boot with different drive in it.
Any ideas, would be appreciated.

Thanks Linc for the swift answer. From what I have read on this discussion board and from other sources the model of Macbook I have does not have a logic-board battery, but may have a soldered on capacitor.
Also, would this not cause the other drive I tried in the laptop to fail to boot also, as I said in my original post, the machine works ok with a boot drive from my work macbook pro. Just trying to eliminate all possible causes before taking it in somewhere to be looked at by a technician.

Macbook Pro (A1278) - Unable to startup - stucks at Apple logo with spinning wheel.

My friend gave me his macbook pro today having startup issue. It stucks on apple logo at startup with a spinning wheel.
I have tried to repair disk but does not work.
tried to reinstall OS but it says This Apple ID is not the one which you used to purchase this OS version (something like that)
I upgraded from mac os x lion to mountain lion.
I do not have any installation media as well.

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
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.
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.
Step 3
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 damaged and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to step 5.
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 4
Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 5
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 6
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 7
Repeat step 6, 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 backup.
Step 8
A dead logic-board battery in a Mac Pro can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions.
Step 9
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.

Apple Logo With Spinning Wheel Takes Ages

Hi all,
A peculiar issue with my awesome MacBook Pro.
I installed Windows 7 via Boot Camp, then deleted the partition using disk utility and resizing Macintosh HD. After removing the partition, my Mac boots slow. It will show the Apple logo quite soon after power-on, but then it stays at the Logo with the spinning wheel for 40 seconds or so before I see the login window!! I have tried to reset PRAM but to no avail.... So I decided to re-install Windows 7 via Boot Camp and do another PRAM reset and now it only takes 25 seconds (at the Apple logo) But on my pal's MacBook it takes like 10 seconds?? Do i need to Defragment my hard drive? Any tips in doing so?
Thanks,
BK

Ok so basically I need a solution to slow booting thanks

Macbook pro won't startup. Stuck on apple logo with spinning wheel.

When I start up my 15 inch Macbook pro, it gets to the apple logo screen with the spinning gear underneath and it just stays there and does not startup. I have let it sit that way for up to an hour and it juts stays on that screen. Please help!

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
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.
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.
Step 3
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 damaged and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to step 5.
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 4
Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 5
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 6
Boot into Recovery again. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, follow the prompts to 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.
Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with proxy servers, or with networks that require a certificate for authentication.
Step 7
Repeat step 6, 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 backup.
Step 8
A dead logic-board battery in a Mac Pro can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions.
Step 9
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.

IMac wont boot up - stuck on Apple logo with Spinning wheel.

(Title is the Problem) any fixes?
Ive tried repairing disc using the installed disk/utility and it says that the Macintosh HD cannot be repaired & i really dont want to lose all my files.
However..
I have my iMac Dual booted with W7, Now is it possible to do the following....
Go to:
Windows icon (bottom left) > Computer > Copy Macintosh HD > External HDD > Paste?
(so in effect its a backup)
Will i then be able to reinstall OSX and then load my files from it, or restore from it? (from the Ex. HDD)
Many Thanks in advance.
(1st post by the by)
Tom
EDIT:
Just thought:
If i reinstall the OSX - Will my files already upload onto the new OS install? As i have a feeling that Windows does that when upgrading - whether its the same for Reinstalling is a different matter i s'pose.
Message was edited by: Tom.Rhodes

Boot with your install disc, launch Disk Utility from the Utilities menu after selecting your language, and repair the disk. You can't repair the boot volume. Now some other tips. Reinstalling Snow Leopard only replaces all the OS components and basic Apple apps, such as TextEdit, Mail, and Safari, but leaves everything else in place. There's no chance of losing data unless it's already corrupted and lost anyway. There's no need to muck around with the windoze stuff, which, IIRC, won't work anyway.

My macbook pro 2012 mac os x lion 10.7 stuck at apple logo with spinn wheel

my macbook pro 2012 mac os x lion 10.7 stuck at apple logo with spinn whell and i held it for hours nothing happend so i tried to boot from recovery hd so i started mac and pressed option key ...so a screen appears telling recovery hd with bar for wifi connection selection then i put my wifi details and choose roc. hd it again booted with same apple logo with spin wheel...what to do now ....i haven't tried reseeting pvram..etc nvram..

Hi there lakra,
You may find the troubleshooting steps in the article below helpful.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
-Griff W.

MacBook doesnt boot. It shows Apple logo and spinning wheel. Soon it wont go beyond prohibitory sign with spinning wheel

I have a MacBook (Late 2008 edition) having Mac OS X 10.6.8 SnowLeopard OS installed (2 X 512GB RAM, 160 HDD). I copied some mp3 into iTunes library and soon the process got stucked. MacBook was not accepting any command/it seemed to got hanged. Carelessly, I switched the MacBook OFF by pressing the Power button. Now, when it began to boot again, all I hear was some clicking sound from the MacBook (seems HardDrive failure because the sounds seems to be from HardDrive). After few seconds, It showed flashing folder with question mark and it wont go beyond that.
Steps I tried:
1. Resetting NVRAM, PVRAM and SMC.
2. Booting in safe mode.
3. To boot from install DVD (Mac OS X 10.6.3 SnowLeopard).
4. Holding down 'option' button while booting. It shows the "Mac OS X Install DVD" icon but as I click it and press return, it again shows Apple logo with spinning wheel and little later it shows prohibitory sign with spinning wheel. This will now remain for ever and ever.
5. I bought a new 500 GB HardDrive and replaced the old one with this. Now trying to boot with DVD (Mac OS X 10.6.3 SnowLeopard) it again hows Apple logo with spinning wheel and little later it shows prohibitory sign with spinning wheel. This will remain for ever.
Any suggestions to overcome this problem will be highly appreciated and I'll be very grateful for all your help.
Thanking You.

Hi julenawang,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
It sounds like your MacBook has a startup issue and you aren't able to reinstall Mac OS X on a new hard disk. The article linked below has a lot of great information and suggestions that will resolve most issues like the one you described.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
I hope this helps.
-Jason

HT204347 Hi my serial number on bottom of my mac is W8*******66E when l try to try the computer on it is just going to grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel i have tried starting in safe mode and a few other suggested solutions and they have not

Hi my serial number on bottom of my mac is W8******66E when l try to turn the computer on it is just going to grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel i have tried starting in safe mode and a few other suggested solutions and they have not worked?
<Edited by Host>

What other solutions have you tried?
This may help you:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3353
Ciao.

Mac Mini won't boot past Apple logo and spinning wheel

Hello,
I have a Mac mini (late 2009) running 10.8.2. Today, I tried to log into the computer. It accepted my username and password, but then the screen turned gray instead of logging in. I left it like that for about twenty minutes, then gave up on waiting and Ctrl-Command-Power rebooted it. It then wouldn't reboot: it gets to the Apple logo and spinning loading wheel, but won't go past there.
So I went into single-user mode and was able to access the HD fine. I ran a filesystems check using the recommended syntax (/sbin/fsck -fy, I think). It said that the volume looked okay, and that it had been modified. I took this as a good sign (that it had been repaired) and typed "reboot" to restart the machine. I held Command-Shift-V to perform a Verbose Safe Boot.
The computer makes no further progress after the following four lines:
vboxdrv: fAsync=0 offMin0x809 offMax=0x2bc3
VBoxDrv: version 3.2.12 r68302; IOCtl version 0x140001; IDC version 0x10000; dev major=34
VBoxFltDrv: version 3.2.12 r68302
VBoxAdpDrv: version 3.2.12 r68302
I'm assuming all the instances of "vbox" are in reference to Oracle's VirtualBox VM. I do have VirtualBox installed, but haven't used it in a while (months), so I don't see why it's suddenly causing a problem.
To clarify, the computer doesn't "hang" after these lines: I can still type text into the terminal. The entire log is being saved to /dev/console, so I could probably grab it from Single-User Mode if necessary.
Everything else seems to be working properly: even the wl0 drivers are loaded.
Does anyone have any suggestions about how to fix this, or at least disable VirtualBox so the computer can start?
Thanks!
WC

Cult of Mac post:
When the Apple Logo appears your Mac has found a valid system disk, and Mac OS X begins loading.
Apple Logo with Spinning Gear
Once the spinning gear appears the BSD kernel (Darwin) has assumed command and begins loading device drivers. Shortly thereafter it transfers command to the almighty (and controversial) launchd process. Such are the workings of UNIX.
What this means for us mortals is that when a Mac stalls at the Apple logo or the logo with a spinning gear, it probably has a corrupt Mac OS X installation. It may also be having trouble accessing an internal or external hardware component, but this is less-likely.
Rebooting your Mac in Safe Mode can sometimes get things working well-enough that a second, normal reboot then works normally Hold down the Shift key at startup to boot in Safe Mode. DiskWarrior is also worth a shot (this is by far my most used disk utility). If that doesn’t work, an Archive & Install may be needed.
Read more at http://www.cultofmac.com/50685/how-to-fix-common-mac-startup-problems-macrx/#CGI mG3jeGEBtysX1.99

Macbook Pro (2011) froze while working, forced shut down, now won't turn on. Grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel for hours. Help?

Macbook Pro (2011) froze while working, forced shut down, now won't turn on. Grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel for hours. Help?
Unfortunately do not know the operating system since I never updated anything and I can't get in to it.
Thanks for your assistance.

If you want to preserve the data on the boot drive, and it's not already backed up, 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 not fully functional. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
1. Boot from the Recovery partition or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
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. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
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.

I cannot start my mac book. Apple logo and spinning wheel on gray screen. Tried pressing shift key on start up nothing happen. Tried shift command V screen is still stuck

I cannot start my mac book. Apple logo and spinning wheel on gray screen. Tried pressing shift key on start up nothing happen. Tried shift+command+V screen is still stuck

Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard 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.
2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
=======================================
Reinstall - Mavericks, Lion/Mountain Lion
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
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 then click on the Repair Permissions button. When the process is completed, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
Reinstall Mountain Lion or Mavericks
OS X Mavericks- Reinstall OS X
OS X Mountain Lion- Reinstall OS X
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is
three times faster than wireless.

Mac pro running OS 10.5.8 won't boot. Apple logo and spinning wheel shows then Apple logo turns into Forbidden signage while spinning wheel continue. It happenened right after I installed a firmware. Had to restart.Please help. What can I do?

Mac pro running OS 10.5.8 won't boot. Apple logo and spinning wheel shows then Apple logo turns into Forbidden signage while spinning wheel continue. It happenened right after I installed a firmware. Had to restart.Please help. What can I do?

Work through the suggestions in this article:
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

I did an auto software update on my iMac, which included a restart. When the machine restarted it's stuck with an Apple logo and spinning wheel. I've tried all of the key strokes that are supposed to work, but nothing has. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I did an auto software update on my iMac, which included a restart. When the machine restarted it's stuck with an Apple logo and spinning wheel. I've tried all of the key strokes that are supposed to work, but nothing has. Any suggestions?

Gray screen could be any number of things, bad third party at boot kext file, a bad Apple one, a bad install/upgrade of OS X, drive corruption etc.
Run through this list of fixes
Step by Step to fix your Mac

Apple logo with spinning wheel in Mac OS X 10.8.5

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for