Back up issue for MBP stuck on grey screen

Recently my MBP went down with the grey screen of death. I've tried all the steps recommended in Apple's support document up until archive and install and archive and erase. Before I try the final two steps I was hoping someone could advise me about a back-up issue, and how to restore if a new hard drive is needed.
I have been backing-up to an external hard-drive (western digital my book 1TB) quite regularly. My last back-up was only a couple of weeks before the grey screen problem and since then I'd uploaded some photos and messed around on a project in imovie. I can access the hard drive in target mode and have transferred the photos to an imac ( as well as a couple of other files that had been changed) and wondered what my options were from this point.
If I end up having to install and erase, will it be simple to restore all my files from the last time machine back-up or do I need to clone my HD with Carbon Copy Cloner? I've read that I would need to format my external hard-drive and partition it before cloning the MBP hard-drive, which would erase all my old time machine back-ups since it is not partitioned.
I'm quite confused as to how to proceed best and would really appreciate some input from more technical minded people than myself.
Thanks in advance.

I've tried all the available options, including archive and install and then erase and install, however, when I tried to erase got the following message:
'volume erase failed: could not unmount disk'
I have tried unmounting in disk utility to no avail. Does anybody have any suggestions or should I visit the apple store ( I have no protection plan)?
Is the hard drive shot, even though I was able to access it in target mode to drag and drop my user folders on to an external hd?

Similar Messages

MBP stuck on grey screen

This morning my MBP, mod 6,2 (8GB, 500GB), started acting strange (would not minimize Word, Safari would crash and re-crash on restart...)
so I decided to reboot it. Never came back.
The system sits on the grey screen forever. In many attempts, once or twice it went to the login screen, and after I entered the password, got stuck on that screen removing the cursor.
So far I have:
- booted ML in recovery mode, checked and rechecked the HD (verify disk, check permissions....) - all ok
(recovery mode runs fine, I can browse the web, run disk utility....without any problem)
- reset PRAM and SMC (even if the problem does not appear related)
- booted the AHT disk and passed the brief test (am running the extended one now)
- booted in verbose mode and learned that the system gets stuck in these steps
Com.apple.launchd          1 com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow                       #          stopping job
Com.apple.launchd          1 com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow                                #          Sent Job SIGKILL
Com.apple.launchd           1 com.apple.universalaccessd                                           #          stopping job
Com.apple.launchd            1 com.apple.universalaccessd                                                    #          Sent Job SIGKILL
Com.apple.launchd            1 com.apple.helpd                                                               #          stopping job
Com.apple.launchd            1 com.apple.helpd                                                                        #          Sent Job SIGKILL
Com.apple.launchd            1 com.apple.coreservices.appleid.authentication   #          stopping job
where # is the process ID, which keeps increasing. The first time it appears, reads 249, then works its way up constantly.
Any clue on what could be wrong?? I'm mostly interested in backing up the last few days of work before doing anything
drastic with the system, but need to get in the system to do that.
Thanks in advance

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.

Grey Screen, so, bought a new HD for MBP and still grey screen! Please help

The first thing I did was I used CCC to copy the image to the new HD and still got the grey screen, I then tried SuperDuper, same result, grey screen, the old image is still attached wonder if that makes a difference but I selected STARTUP DRIVE as the new HD, I even ran the fix permissions and apple files from DiskWarrior and when I ran Disk Utilities, it passes. I then took out the battery and held the power button down, thought I was getting somewhere as the blue screen stayed BLUE about five seconds longer before going grey.
Anyway, here are the results from DiskWarrior FILES section, fix permissions and files.DiskWarrior scanned the disk named "Leopard 2 Omni" checking all files and folders for damage and potential
compatibility problems.
DiskWarrior scanned the disk named "Leopard 2 Omni" checking all files and folders for damage and potential
compatibility problems.
Permissions:
Started verify/repair permissions on disk disk1s2 Leopard 2 Omni
Permissions differ on "Library/Application Support/ProApps/Internal Plug-Ins/BrowserKit/iLife.bkplugin/Contents/
CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r--
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/BrowserKit.framework/Versions/A/CodeResources ",
should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r--
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/ProKit.framework/Versions/A/Resources/
LeopardPanels.bundle/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r--
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r--
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/InternetUtilities.bundle/Contents/
CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r--
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources/iTunesHelper.app/Contents/CodeResou rces",
should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r--
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskManagement.framework/Versions/A/Resources /
DiskManagementTool" has been modified and will not be repaired
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DesktopServicesPriv.framework/Versions/A/Reso urces/
Locum" has been modified and will not be repaired
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/Extensions/webdavfs.kext/Contents/Resources/loadwebdav" has been
modified and will not be repaired
Warning: SUID file "usr/sbin/pppd" has been modified and will not be repaired
Warning: SUID file "usr/sbin/vpnd" has been modified and will not be repaired
Permissions differ on "Library/Spotlight/iWork.mdimporter/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are
lrw-rw-r--
Finished verify/repair permissions on disk disk1s2 Leopard 2 Omni
*(AM WONDERING SINCE I HAVE THIS COPY OF LEOPARD (as well as snow) if I can or cannot just replace these files with the ones on the working Leopard? since I have tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard.....
Disk: "Leopard 2 Omni"
The Property List data was checked in 17,889 files.
The Resource Data was checked in 7,279 files.
The maximum Folder Depth on this disk is 21. This does not exceed the maximum recommended depth.
The System Symbolic Link Files were checked and no problems were found.
Location: "Desktop"
File: "Localized.rsrc"
Detected that the resource header is damaged and cannot be repaired
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Microsoft Messenger.app/Contents/Resources/
Norwegian.lproj/"
File: "com.atems.achlorhydria.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/princesssheri/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.Wayanic.Wonderment.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/princesssheri/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.AtenetsCorporation.e2001.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/princesssheri/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.corp.featherbrain.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/princesssheri/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.signcorporation.centralmagic.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/princesssheri/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.inginvestments.spaniard.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/princesssheri/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.appleeurope.windowscentre.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/princesssheri/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.CormicUSA.Pleopod.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/princesssheri/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.secondspeed.succeed.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/princesssheri/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.AtenetsCorporation.e2001.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/composer/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.corp.featherbrain.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/composer/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.signcorporation.centralmagic.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/composer/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.inginvestments.spaniard.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/composer/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.appleeurope.windowscentre.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/composer/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.CormicUSA.Pleopod.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/composer/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.secondspeed.succeed.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected character '0x0' at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/composer/Library/Preferences/"
File: "cupsd00000000-0000-1000-8000-001EC20A2976CrashHistory.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character 6 at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected ';' or '=' after key at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Library/Application Support/CrashReporter/"
File: "com.apple.Safari.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header if XML.
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/.Trashes/501/"
File: "com.apple.FolderActions.enabled.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header if XML.
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/.Trashes/501/"
File: "com.apple.AddressBook.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header if XML.
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/.Trashes/501/"
File: "Intervals_00000000-0000-1000-8000-001EC20A2976.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header if XML.
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/composer/Library/Application Support/CrashReporter/"
File: "com.google.Keystone.Agent.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header if XML.
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/.Trashes/501/"
File: ".GlobalPreferences.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header if XML.
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/private/var/root/Library/Preferences/"
File: ".GlobalPreferences.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header if XML.
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/composer/Library/Preferences/"
File: "com.apple.dock.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header if XML.
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/.Trashes/501/"
File: "com.apple.iCal.helper.001ec20a2976.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header if XML.
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Users/composer/Library/Preferences/ByHost/"
File: "com.rogueamoeba.hermes.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
Conversion of data failed. The file is not UTF-8, or in the encoding specified in XML header if XML.
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/.Trashes/501/"
File: ".GlobalPreferences.plist"
Detected that Property List data is damaged and cannot be repaired.
XML parser error:
Unexpected character 0 at line 1
Old-style plist parser error:
Unexpected ';' or '=' after key at line 1
Location: "Leopard 2 Omni/Library/Preferences/"
Explanations:
Folder Depth: This number indicates how many folders are nested inside each other. If a disk contains only three
folders and Folder A is inside Folder B and Folder B is inside Folder C, then this disk has a maximum folder depth of
three. Folders nested too deeply can cause software compatibility problems.
Permissions: This is the part of the directory information for files and folders that records ownership, what type of
access, if any, other users have, and designates whether a file is a system file with a special purpose. Files and
folders that make up a Mac OS X installation must have specific user permissions for proper startup and operation.
Property List: This is a standard file format for storing data and is often used to store preferences. The names of
these files normally end with a .plist file extension. Corrupt property list files can cause system instability.
Resource Data: This is an older file format for storing data and was often used to store preferences. The names of
these files normally end with a .rsrc file extension. Corrupt resource data files can cause system instability.
System Symbolic Link Files: These are files used by the operating system that are similar to aliases. If these files are
damaged it may prevent startup or cause system instability.
Time: 4/16/10 10:52:07 AM
DiskWarrior Version: 4.2 - RE785412

I think I might have tio do that.
I have used Drive Genius 3, Tech Tool 5 and Disk Warrior.
Most say the preferences or repair is okay, but I get a grey screen OOOORRRRR I get an never ending Apple Logo that spins forever.
Would I use the migrations assistant BEFORE the final BOOTUP to the OS, rather will it give me that option before I create a new account?
Crazy..
I have three external hard drives, all with new cables.
I cloned the Leopard to the new HD and like I said, sometimes it says ok, but still get stuck on grey screen, or endless apple logo.
Is there a way to boot into SAFE mode via external?
I notice unless I do a PRAM reset, sometimes I won't hear the APPLE BOOT UP tone and am not sure if after the tone you PRESS SHIFT until you see the APPLE LOGO or BOTH THE APPLE LOGO and GEARS, Then release SHIFT.
Have also heard of this method, but did not work for me, you go into disk utility, change the size of the drive you are trying to fix, then go back to the exact size you had before doing anything and that apparently creates a new boot volume, has not worked for me.

MBP stuck on Grey Screen after Mavericks Install

I have a MBP 5,5 and every time I try installing Mavericks my computer restarts and after the grey spinning wheel my screen flashes black and then stops at a grey screen. I have tried running in Verbose mode and I notice it said I have a SMC error and that it tries to use an old SMC. If I try installing mavericks to an external drive everything is fine. Could it be something configured in one of my programs?
Model Name:          MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:          MacBookPro5,5
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          2.26 GHz
Number of Processors:          1
Total Number of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          3 MB
Memory:          4 GB
Bus Speed:          1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version:          MBP55.00AC.B03
SMC Version (system):          1.47f2

I have already restored my laptop to the state before installing Mavericks. I am attaching the EtreCheck that I ran while running 10.8.5 I won't be able to try to install Mavericks until the weekend as I use the laptop for school and work.
Hardware Information:
          MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
          MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro5,5
          1 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
          4 GB RAM
Video Information:
          NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - VRAM: 256 MB
System Software:
          OS X 10.8.5 (12F45) - Uptime: 0 days 22:12:2
Disk Information:
          WDC WD7500BPKT-22PK4T0 disk0 : (750.16 GB)
                    disk0s1 (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 749.3 GB (174.02 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
          OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5960S
USB Information:
          Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
          Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
          Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
          Fitbit Inc. Fitbit Base Station
          Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
Configuration files:
          /etc/hosts - Count: 20
Kernel Extensions:
          com.avatron.AVExVideo          (1.7 - SDK 10.8)
          com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower          (1.5.2)
          com.hzsystems.terminus.driver          (4)
          com.avatron.AVExFramebuffer          (1.7 - SDK 10.8)
          com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.snowleopard          (5.9 - SDK 10.6)
Startup Items:
          ChmodBPF: Path: /Library/StartupItems/ChmodBPF
          HP IO: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO
          M-Audio FireWire Audio Helper: Path: /Library/StartupItems/M-Audio FireWire Audio Helper
          M-Audio Firmware Loader: Path: /Library/StartupItems/M-Audio Firmware Loader
          MAudioMobilePreUSB: Path: /Library/StartupItems/MAudioMobilePreUSB
          rEFItBlesser: Path: /Library/StartupItems/rEFItBlesser
Launch Daemons:
          [System] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.barebones.textwrangler.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.bombich.ccc.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.fernlightning.fseventer.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.fitbit.galileod.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.m-audio.firewire.helper.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.m-audio.usb.firmwareloader.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.megacloud.helper.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.micromat.TechToolProDaemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.paceap.eden.licensed.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.skype.skypeinstaller.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] PACESupport.plist 3rd-Party support link
Launch Agents:
          [System] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.google.keystone.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.gopro.stereomodestatus.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.hp.messagecenter.launcher.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.micromat.TechToolProAgent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.wacom.pentablet.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist 3rd-Party support link
          [not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist 3rd-Party support link
          [not loaded] com.google.GoogleContactSyncAgent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [not loaded] com.redgiantsoftware.updater.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [not loaded] com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Login Items:
          smcFanControl
          Dropbox
          NIHardwareAgent
          Fitbit Connect Menubar Helper
          DJM-900nexus AutoLauncher
          ProFire Agent
Internet Plug-ins:
          o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.2.4.18058 3rd-Party support link
          WacomNetscape: Version: 1.1.1-1 3rd-Party support link
          Unity Web Player: Version: UnityPlayer version 3.3.0f4 3rd-Party support link
          AdobeExManDetect: Version: AdobeExManDetect 1.1.0.0 - SDK 10.7 3rd-Party support link
          Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 2.4.4.2 3rd-Party support link
          iLokClientHelper: Version: 3.6 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
          AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.9 3rd-Party support link
          FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 12.0.0.77 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          WacomTabletPlugin: Version: WacomTabletPlugin 2.0.0.4 3rd-Party support link
          Flash Player: Version: 12.0.0.77 - SDK 10.6 Outdated! Update
          iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.8
          QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.1
          googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.2.4.18058 3rd-Party support link
          AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.9 3rd-Party support link
          SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.0.0 3rd-Party support link
          JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 51 3rd-Party support link
Safari Extensions:
          iGetter Extension: Version: 2.9.2
Audio Plug-ins:
          AirPlay: Version: 1.7 - SDK 10.8
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.1 - SDK 10.8
iTunes Plug-ins:
          Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.8
User iTunes Plug-ins:
          SoundThing: Version: (null) 3rd-Party support link
          TrapcodeKlangfarbe_BETA5: Version: (null) 3rd-Party support link
User Internet Plug-ins:
          BlueStacks Install Detector: Version: 0.2.5 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          iGetterScriptablePlugin: Version: 2.9.2 3rd-Party support link
          WebEx64: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          PenTablet 3rd-Party support link
          Cineform 3rd-Party support link
          Flash Player 3rd-Party support link
          Flip4Mac WMV 3rd-Party support link
          Java 3rd-Party support link
          PreferencesPane 3rd-Party support link
          MAudioMobilePreUSB 3rd-Party support link
          PreferencesPane 3rd-Party support link
          Perian 3rd-Party support link
          TechTool Protection 3rd-Party support link
Old Applications:
          InterLok Helper:          Version: 5.9 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
                    /Library/Application Support/PACE Anti-Piracy/InterLok Helper.app
          Uninstall Pro Tools:          Version: 10.0 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
                    /Applications/Avid/Pro Tools/Pro Tools Utilities/Uninstall Pro Tools.app
          Data Rescue 3:          Version: 3.2.1 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
          Angry Birds Rio:          Version: 1.0.0 - SDK 10.0 3rd-Party support link
          Audacity:          Version: 1.3.13.0 - SDK 10.4 3rd-Party support link
Time Machine:
          Skip System Files: NO
          Mobile backups: ON
          Auto backup: YES
          Volumes being backed up:
                    Macintosh HD: Disk size: 697.84 GB Disk used: 535.77 GB
          Destinations:
                    Time Machine [Network] (Last used)
                    Total size: 2
                    Total number of backups: 67
                    Oldest backup: 2013-04-27 22:06:51 +0000
                    Last backup: 2014-04-06 18:29:25 +0000
                    Size of backup disk: Adequate
                              Backup size 2 > (Disk used 535.77 GB X 3)
          Time Machine details may not be accurate.
          All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
Top Processes by CPU:
               5%          WindowServer
               2%          EtreCheck
               1%          Dropbox
               1%          Google Chrome
               1%          coreservicesd
Top Processes by Memory:
          233 MB          WebProcess
          176 MB          mds
          127 MB          Mail
          123 MB          Google Chrome
          90 MB          iTunes
Virtual Memory Information:
          236 MB          Free RAM
          1.58 GB          Active RAM
          1.23 GB          Inactive RAM
          723 MB          Wired RAM
          10.80 GB          Page-ins
          1.69 GB          Page-outs

Late 2008 MBP stuck on grey screen with grey wheel

I did a routine software update and now itnot boot. It has been spinning for over 3 hours now. I do not have the original discs it came with, I do have applecare though, until October. What could be wrong?

Hi c,
First, shut it down by holding down the power button for 5-10 seconds. After that, try a Safe Boot:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564

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

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

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

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

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

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

Macbook pro model A1278 wont boot osx stuck at grey screen

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

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

Early 2011 MBP stuck on gray screen, verbose mode shows SMC error too

Hi!
I have and early 2011 MBP, running on OS 10.7.5 is continuously stuck at grey screen upon start-up.
I tried the steps as mentioned in Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup - Apple Support article apart from reinstalling OS X. The laptop started after every step, but then stopped again. I tried SMC update, that also worked for once, and on the second start up I ended up with a blue screen. During a later attempt, it worked again for a while, but ended with a distorted graphics after 15 mins. AHT (short version) doesn't show any hardware errors. Now the laptop doesn't go further than grey screen at all, and after a minute or so there's a heavy fan activity. The verbose mode also shows and SMC error, smc: : smcinithelper error: mmio regmap ==null - fall back to old smc mode (AHT Shows SMC version as 1.69f4)
What do you advise?

Try this:
Reset the SMC and the NVRAM:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063
Then try a safe boot:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262
Any success?
Ciao.

Stuck on grey screen screen at start up...apparent Qmaster bug.

So I found what appears to be a bug. At least for me...and at least in 10.6. Not sure if this effects other OS versions.
I was having an issue with start up getting stuck on grey screen. Symptom is eventually start-up circle segments would stop spinning and left hanging there on the grey screen.
There are Apple doc's and ample google hits on this subject. But I have found nothing pertaining to Qmaster as being a possible cause.
It took me awhile to figure it out and was not an obvious issue.
I thought it might be helpful posting this here to bring this up on a google search for someone who may be having the same problem.
My issue:
Doing image sequence Maya render's. However, I doubt it is Maya related.
If I pause the render in the Batch Monitor. And shutdown. Something with Qmaster still being active hangs my startup. It is repeatable behavior.
I have to start up holding shift key for safe mode.
You will note, if you have 'Show Qmaster service status in menu bar', under the Advance button of QM's System Pref's pane, that the green light is on.
That green light being on, gave me the clue that it was something to do with Qmaster.
Clicking; Stop Sharing and restarting clears the start up hang.
It appears, whatever permutations Qmaster expresses with a paused render on start up, is somehow preventing normal start up.
Since I have read that menu bar items may be one possible cause for start up issues. It's also possible and therefore worth mentioning that unchecking "Show Qmaster service status in menu bar". May also resolve the problem. I have not tested that.

Issues like this are often caused by startup jobs that are taking far too long to finish. It definitely looks like a serious bug so it's worth reporting it to Apple at either of the following places:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/compressor.html
http://bugreport.apple.com

STUCK ON GREY SCREEN! !PLEASE HELP!

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

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

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

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

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

Macbook pro retina 2012 mid year stuck on grey screen

Hi everyone.
I've just update for the lastest mac os x mountain lion update, when half way the progress and it goes stucked. All the function are unable to function, so i've force shut it down. After mac shutted down and i tried to boots it back it stuck on grey screen which below apple logo forever loading icon. i've tried Reset the PRAM, but it still not working for me. Also, i tried when when start up hold with cmd + r to reinstall the os x , but it just won't let me to reinstall it , it wrote you can't upgrade this version of OS X because a newer version is installed?
Help please! need a solution that wont delete all my files at the same time

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 on some models, 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 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 Time Machine or other backup.
Step 8
This step applies only to older Macs (not current models) that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery. Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery 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. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
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. If you can't get to an Apple Store, go to another authorized service provider.

Mac book air stuck on grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel

I had a lot of tabs open and several applications as well. things really slowed up when I added El media player to the mix. finally computer froze completely and now can't get it to restart (stuck on grey screen) tried SMR plus PRAM procedures without success.

Hmm... try doing this:
1) Force your Mac to shut down by pressing and holding the power button for about 5 sec.
2) Start in Safe Mode. Press the power button to turn it on, and before you hear the Startup "Dummmmm" chime, hold down the Shift key. For a few sec, you won't see the Apple logo. Keep pressing the Shift key until you see it. If you press it after the Apple logo appears, start from Step 1 again.
3) This time, your Mac should take longer to boot. (Like a minute or 2 longer as it is going thru the necessary files to boot from, and not just everything like in Normal Startup mode; which caused it to hang)
4) Does your Mac boot sucessfully to the Login Screen or Desktop? The login Screen should show SAFE MODE in red at the top. The Desktop should have Sound disabled and seems a lot slower. If you see either of these, backup ALL your files (if you have not already done so) on to an External HDD. Create a new User Account in System Preferences>Accounts with about the same info as your current account (The name will have to be different though, if your previous account was John, this time, add your last name as in John Appleseed.) Make sure it is an Admin account. Then, login into the new account and delete your previous account. Copy all your files over to your new account and restart your Mac correctly by going to Apple Menu>Restart.
5) This time, don't press anything and let it boot normally. Does your Mac boot correctly? I hope that helps you a little. Get back to me if it does not work!

Macbook air Lion stuck at grey screen and spinning wheel

HI
I have a Macbook air with Lion installed. I pressed the On button, but it gets stuck at grey screen, apple logo and spining wheel. I then managed to get it to startup in Safe Mode.
How can I find out what the problem was?
Please could you let me know if there are some simple steps to fix this?
Thank you in advance.

Please carefully read Gray screen appears during startup, Apple will tell you how to trouble shoot the issue. I suspect your HD has crashed, not a big deal if you have been backing up. However if you haven't then you're probably about to learn a lesson on why backup is critical.

Back up issue for MBP stuck on grey screen

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