Black screen, Grey Circle and an exclamation mark! Why?

I'm using iPhoto 09. I can view photos as thumbnails in all Events. But when I click on them I get a black screen with a grey circle and an exclamation mark. This only happens on some events, not all. Whats happened?

The ! turns up when iPhoto loses the connection between the thumbnail in the iPhoto Window and the file it represents.
Option 1
Back Up and try rebuild the library: hold down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Choose to Rebuild iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup.
If that fails:
Option 2
Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords back.
Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one. .
Regards
TD

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My pictures will not open. When I click on them they only display a grey triangle and an exclamation mark inside it.

I know how I messed it all up.
I opened up Finder from the bottom dock and saw all my files including pics. Trying to free up as much space as possible on my pc I selected all and then deleted it. I thought because it is all in iphoto ,deleting it from Finder will not take it off everywhere. Later on I emptied the trash. When I finally realised that I had messed up I just went back on Time Machine and restored.
Now I can see what looks like all the files again it is there in Finder but when I try and open the pics in iphoto it simply shows a grey triangle with an exclamation mark in it?
I tried dragging them all into my iphoto from Finder but it said I do not have enough space.
Please help I am new to Apple.

1 - NEVER make any changes of any sort tot he content or structure of the iPhoto library using the finder - there are no user servicable parts in it
2 - what did you restore from Time Machine? and how did you restore?
3 - how much free space do you have on your hard drive?
LN

When I upload new music onto my iPhone 5 it causes existing music to no longer be playable and a circle with an exclamation mark to appear next to it. Or that it won't upload at all, the song is in grey with a dotted circle. Why is that?

When I manually upload new music onto my iPhone 5 it causes existing music to no longer be playable and a circle with an exclamation mark to appear next to it. Or that it won't upload at all, the song is in grey with a dotted circle next to it. This is incredibly frustrating; especially as I have 1.9GB free on my phone.. why is that?

Try this procedure; it has worked for many people.
Un-sync all your music to remove it from the device, then restart (hold down the home button along with the sleep/wake button until you see the apple, then let go). Now re-sync your music.

My hard drive crashed. Replaced my hard drive. Installed Yosemite. Restored from Time Machine most recent backup before hard drive crash. Now laptop won't start up. Grey screen with circle and slash through it.

How to start up laptop from grey screen with circle and slash through it?

After you installed Yosemite and prior to restoring from the backup, were you able to start the Mac?

MacBook Pro has a grey screen with circle and slash and will not start up or start into safe mode.

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Try starting the MBP with the OPTION key down. If you see two HDD icons, select the recovery Icon. From the 4 option menu, select Disk Utility. Select Disk Utility>First Aid and run Verify and Repair.
If you cannot get into the recovery partition, make an appointment at an Apple store genius bar.
Ciao.

In i photo when double clicking on a photo to get it full screen it briefly comes full screen and then goes off and all i get is a large exclamation mark why is this happening? please help

in i photo double clcking on a photo it comes full screen briefly and then goes off and a
exclamation mark appears

iPhoto rebuild database: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT2638
Sometimes it's a file problem that is automatically loaded when the program launches, like iPhoto for instance, you'll have to do a tedious process of elimination to find the culprit, like a corrupt picture in a huge iPhoto Library folder.
One can right click on the iPhoto Library and "show package contents" to access the Originals folder containing one's original photos.
..Step by Step to fix your Mac

I use an ipod touch. I charged it using my pc but on disconnecting it went to black screen with circle going round. I cannot switch off, reboot or anything. Help please

I use an ipod touch. I charged it using my pc but on disconnecting it went to black screen with circle going round. I cannot switch off, reboot or anything. Help please

connect the ipod back to the computer used to sync the ipod
hold both power and home for 30sec's when u c the apple logo let goof both buttons and let the ipod reboot
it this does not work un plug the ipod allow the battery to run out plug in to charge for 1hr and try the reset again
if this does not work try a restore to a back up or a restore to factory settings via itunes

Since the Nov update about a third of my songs have a circle with an exclamation mark inside it. These song will not play on my computer. I reload with my own cd collection, it works for a while then the same thing happens. Message says "Song could not be

Since Nov update about a third of my songs have a circle with an exclamation mark inside the circle. These songs will not play on my computer. Message says "The song .... could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" I have reloaded these back onto itunes with my own CD collection. They work for a short while, then the same thing happens. I don't know what is causing this or how to fix it.

I finally resolved my problem after spending way too much time on it. I simply handed my 160GB iPod to my husband to put his fav Stones & Beatles songs on and I went back to my 80GB Microsoft Zune which has never disappointed me.
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Stuck with black screen with Apple and download bar approx 1 quarter done. Downloading Yosemite. It has completely stopped. I can't access anything. Please help

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You should really read the manual.
"How do you restore from backup? "
Restore. When given the choice, choose to use backup.
"And how can I check to see if the pics and videos are on my computer somewhere first??"
They would only be where you put them. What program did you use to import them? Pics/vids taken with ipod are not part of the sync process at all. You should be importing them just as you would with any digital camera.
If you did not import them, then they are not on your computer.

How do I reboot my iMac in Lion? Right now it opens a black screen with dos and asks me to insert the boot disk.

How do I reboot my iMac in Lion? Right now it opens a black screen with Dos and asks me to insert the boot disk.I recently installed Parallels & Windows 7. Now if I have to turn the system off, it starts up as per above in Dos. know I need to start up and press a couple of keys, but which ones? I forgot....

A simple search around here, identified this thread https://discussions.apple.com/message/15762361#15762361
The More Like This box on the right has more.

TS3274 I just updated my Ipad to I0S 7.02 like it asked me too. Now i have a black screen Itunes logo and a picture of the plug in cord. I can't get to my home screen. What happened?

I just updated my Ipad to I0S 7.02 like it asked me too. Now i have a black screen Itunes logo and a picture of the plug in cord. I can't get to my home screen. What happened?

You are in Recovery Mode. Follow the instructions below to recover your iPad.
1. Disconnect the USB cable from the device, but leave the other end of the cable connected to your computer's USB port.
2. Turn off the device: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears, then slide the slider. Wait for the device to turn off.
If you cannot turn off the device using the slider, press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons at the same time. When the device turns off, release the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons.
3. While pressing and holding the Home button, reconnect the USB cable to the device. The device should turn on.
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TS1363 I recently updated my iphone overnight and today I can't get it to come on, I've tried the restore and nothing works. I've tried syncing with 3 different computers and nothing works. I'm getting the black screen, white apple and a line under that

I updated my phone overnight and now I can't get it to come on. I've tried everything, I have a black screen, white apple and a mine below that looks like it's trying to load but it has stopped. HELP!

You're not alone. I am having similar problems with my Ipod 5th gen 30gb.
When I connect it to my laptop (Vista - basic) it is not recognised by itunes. Itunes simply locks up.
So far I have tried the following to no avail:
Checked my pc's device manager - it recognises the device and says it is functioning properly.
Checked the drivers to make sure they are upt to date.
Uninstalled & reinstalled a previous version of itunes (as it worked fine before the latest release).
Reinstalled the latest itunes.
Reset the ipod.
Put the ipod into disk mode and reconnected to itunes.
Have tried to use the windows tool to scan and fix any bad sectors but it fails to complete a scan without locking that up as well.
Placed into disk mode when fully charged and then allowed the battery to drain completely. Then reconnected ipod (in disk mode)and it still is not recognised and locks up itunes.
At this point I dont really want to part with another $300 odd dollars for a new one.

When I play videos on itunes for my PC, a black screen comes up and there's sound for a few seconds, but it stops and the counter skips to 11-

When I play videos or TV shows on itunes for my PC, a black screen comes up and there's sound for a few seconds, but it stops and the counter skips to -11...

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Does this happen with all videos?
Do purchased songs play fine on your iPod?
Does the sample video here (for the iPod) work?
Quicktime: Sample Files
Is the software on your computer and iPod up to date?
iTunes
iPod Updater
Update iPod's Software
Have you tried the Five Rs
btabz

Won't boot. Gong sound and Black screen alternate over and over and over.

So yesterday, on a Mac Pro (newer, came with slim keyboarboard) I tried to launch iPhoto. The Icon bounced as though it was opening like 4 different times then suddenly the screen dropped to a really low resolution (i could tell by the size of the cursor) and all blue. Nothing would save it, so I forced it to shut down. Now, when trying to boot it cycles between the gong and a black screen. Over, and over. Even when booting from a disk. If I hold down option it will take me to the screen to select a drive/disk/partition to boot from, but as soon as one is selected: black, gong, black, gong, etc.
I think it's important to note that this bad boy is equipped with Faronics Deep Freeze. It's had problems 3 times within the past month or so, where a clean re-image is necessary. Any ideas on the problem would be great!

Hi Riley Florence;
I hope you have a back up because it sounds like your hard drive has given up. I suggest that it time for it to go back to Apple.
After reading some of the reviews on Faronica Deep Freeze and its security vulnerabilities, I am not going to install it on any of my Macs.
Allan
Message was edited by: Allan Eckert

Black Screen, Grey Screen, then flashing question mark, now frozen....

hi everyone,
i know i have probably the most common problem - and i've tried to read all about the logic board problems which i'm fairly certain i have.
I realize i will most likely have to buy a new macbook - but before i do - i need to retrieve files that are on my ibook g3 (bought in early 2003).
This is what has happened in the past 2 days:
1. I can hear the power start up (and chimes) but screen is completely black.
2. Tried resetting PRAM and PMU, now blank grey screen sometimes appears.
3. Now, grey screen with flashing question mark in the middle alternating with mac face. So i assumed this meant it couldn't locate my hard drive. So i found my ibook install disc and inserted it and restarted while holding down "C" key.
4. Grey screen - with Apple (thought this was success) - then it turned to a large grey circle with a line through it (a slash). And then suddenly frozen.
Since then it has just been a lot of lines through the screen alternating with completely grey screen, etc. along with any of the above-mentioned outcomes. I tried pushing on the lower-left-hand corner of the computer and yes, it affects the display - more or less lines, etc.
How can i get my old files off of it? Do i buy a new macbook and connect them via fire wire cable and try that way? or will that not work if the above is happening? Or is it possible for someone (myself or perhaps IT professionals) to remove the hard drive from my old ibook and place it somewhere where i can copy over the files?
Any help is appreciated - i know this is a popular topic - i've just had so many weird outcomes in the past 2 days i'm not exactly sure which solution (if any) would work for me right now.
Thanks so much!

Hi Ronda -
I do have access to another mac (mini) with firewire at my work. Or I might go out and buy a new macbook this weekend as well (preferable since I don't really want my personal files on my work computer, etc.) But yes, i need to get my old files off of this one.
I have never added additional memory or anything to it really since I got it. So it should be the original specs:
iBook (14.1 LCD 900 MHz 32 VRAM)
256MB memory
Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Hard drive: 40GB
Not a lot of space was remaining if i recall. I did get the 'disk full' notice a few weeks ago, but i did end up deleting a lot of stuff. Needless to say, i'm sure it was quite full, but not at maximum when this happened.
Update: Last night i tried to start it up again, and it would ONLY go to a black screen this time (ie. no display at all). What do you think i should do?

Black screen, Grey Circle and an exclamation mark! Why?

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