Blue screen on start up

This is a late 2008 macbook pro i finally got it to respond to me pushing buttons so now that i got it to turn on using taking the battery out then pressing the start button for 10 seconds then putting in the plug it turned on...now i am stuck on this blue screen and if anyone can help me resolve this issue i will gladly appreciate it.

rdeguzz3 wrote:
hey tjk
i dont have any of the discs my ex girlfriend doesn't remember where she put it for crying out loud. i have had my mbp for almost 4 years and I dont want to give up on her even though i have 2 new ones. The first one will always have sentimental value for me and also many of my important documents are in the hdd. is there any way i can resolve this without the discs and how do i go on safe mode? the only thing i get is the blue screen no turning wheel i don't even see the mouse cursor so for the life of me i have been frustrated the past rthree days since she was in her coma state...so tjk anything please i would appreciate and if you can step by step procedures if possible
thanks
robert
The gf thing sounds like selective memory, but that's another story.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone but not before.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564

Similar Messages

What would cause a prolonged blue screen during start up?

I have an iMac desktop. Recently I've had trouble with a prolonged blue screen during start up (approx. 10 mins) before it finally takes me to the login screen. Any ideas why this is happening?
Jeff P.

Hi Jeff,
Open console in Applications>Utilities, check the system log for the date/time of the last problem Startup for clues.

Why can't I access my own wifi? why do I get a blue screen on start up or after watching a netflix movie, and why is it getting so hot?

My mac has been showing a blue screen on start up and before shut down, especially after netflix. Is it silverlight? Why can't I get on my own wifi? It defaults to a linkys public network, I try to access the secure network, type my password, enter, and I get connection timeout.

I was re-decorating my blogger .. then I got the 'Bad Request Error 400' .. I re-formatted my computer, reloaded all .. I can now access my Blogger sites .. Don't know what the problem is/was, but I solved it by reloading my computer to Out-of-Box condition, and all is perfect now .. I have an alert set up for this Error 400 .. Masses of people are having problems daily ..
http://littlemisscinderellasquotes.blogspot.com/

On start up sometimes I get a blue screen and start up hang there

On start up I sometimes get a blue screen and it hangs there the only way to get out of this is to turn the iMac off at the back then when you turn it back on the desk top appears without going through the startup screens. Even had the blue screen when starting in safe mode.

Then run Apple Hardware Test in Extended Mode, it's possible you have a hardware issue. If you still can't locate the issue the next step is taking the machine in for a professional diagnosis at your local Apple Store or AASP.

Can't get past the blue screen with "starting Mac OS X"

I am having problems with starting my iMac. It gets to the blue screen with "starting Mac OS X" but won't go beyond that point. I was able to get the disc drive open with the help of other posts, holding down the mouse while turning on the computer, but the drive won't stay closed with the install disc in it. I have even tried holding down the "c" key while restarting the computer and it wouldn't work. Any help would be greatly appreciated. So much info that I could really use. Also, please keep in mind that I am not too computer savy. Simple language please.
Thanks

If the steps I provided in my earlier post are not helping, then I see your options at this point as follows:
1. Run the Apple Hardware Test (AHT) that came the affected computer. See my "Apple Hardware Test" FAQ for comprehensive advice on using the AHT in troubleshooting.
2. Performing an Archive and Install. For important tips on this, see my "General advice on performing an Archive and Install" FAQ. Perform the steps therein in the specified order.
3. Take the computer in for service. If there is an Apple Retail Store in your area, I'd recommend taking it there. You may wish to call ahead to make an appointment at the Genius Bar.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

Blue screen at start up,safe mode only, resolved ,what next?

I got the old stuck on blue screen at start up ,
would only boot in safe mode , after two afternoons of RAM test , repairing disk permissions , hrdware tests , zapping PRam and the likes to no avail , I finally resolved the problem thanks to a tip from this forum:
bad video card drivers ( ATIRadeon 8500 ) , after removing them from the extension folder , it boots up! ( I tried to reset the pram , it won't work though , one chime only then nothing).
so I'm wondering what's next , can i reinstall the video card drivers only ?
is it the card itself ? (everything looks normal) or should I go for an archive and install ?
any input would be great,
Thanks,
JB

Hi-
Jean Baptiste mentioned that he removed extensions for the drivers.
Removing a conflicting driver is fine as long as the driver specific for the card installed remains.
In this case, I think it may have been a corrupt driver, rather than a conflicting driver.
Radeon drivers in OS X have a good track record of compatibility, and such driver conflict is not a historically common occurrence.
Hard drive maintenance with Disk Warrior is the best way to correct corrupt files, unless bad RAM is corrupting the files.....
In your case, it shouldn't hurt anything to remove the Radeon 8500 drivers.
Could it be the driver extensions that are preventing a proper boot. The monitor displays perfectly in safe mode so I don't understand why it would be the video card.
Booting to Safe mode unloads drivers. Only very basic core graphics rendering drivers are loaded.
No Quartz/Quartz Extreme, no Core Image, no 3D acceleration, etc.
This doesn't tax a graphics card.
Failure to boot, or failure of graphics when drivers are loaded are due to one of two things- corrupt drivers or failing components on the graphics card.
A reinstall of the OS can rule out the first.
Installing a different graphics card is the only way to rule out the second.
Before buying a new card, I would try a fresh OS.
Installing a new OS on a separate drive, and booting to that is an easy way to test.

How to get past blue screen at start up on MacPro?

I have a blue screen at start up and the MacPro won't boot up.
Before I attempt to hold down keys at start, pls let me know which one to hold down.

See if there is assistance here:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-5282
Ciao.

Hi, Hi, Hi I have the old MacBook Pro. Upgraded to Mountain Lion which completely wrecked the system. So downgraded to Snow Leopard. The updated the combo update. Now stuck on blue screen at start-up. Need help. Greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi,
I have the old MacBook Pro. Upgraded to Mountain Lion which completely wrecked the system. So downgraded to Snow Leopard.
Then updated the combo update. Now stuck on blue screen at start-up.
Need help. Greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Downgrade Lion/Mountain Lion to Snow Leopard
1. 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.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the
      mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status
      of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then
      the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART
      info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on
      the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions
      from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS
      Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the
      partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on
      the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the installer. Install Snow Leopard.
This will erase the whole drive so be sure to backup your files if you don't have a backup already. If you have performed a TM backup using Lion be aware that you cannot restore from that backup in Snow Leopard (see below.) I suggest you make a separate backup using Carbon Copy Cloner.
If you have Snow Leopard Time Machine backups, do a full system restore per #14 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions. If you have subsequent backups from Lion, you can restore newer items selectively, via the "Star Wars" display, per #15 there, but be careful; some Snow Leopard apps may not work with the Lion files.

Blue screen after start up; mouse still moves but no icons are visible

blue screen after start up; mouse still moves but no icons are visible. Removed SDRAM and reinserted the SDRAM

Thank you, I had forgotten about target mode. I was able to back up all of my files. I also copied some additional 50 GB of files of the disk as a stress test and the hard drive worked fine and quick (and because it was quicker than retrieving the same files from a network drive to my desktop).
I was hoping to also unpack the Applejack files on my desktop and put them back so I could run them in single user mode without running /etc/rc. However I haven't been able to get my Linux desktop to mount the iBook in Read-Write instead of Read-Only yet (I don't have access to another Mac at the moment).

Blue Screen on start up with dual monitors

I have a macpro running Mac OS X 10.5.6 (9G55) when 2 monitors are hooked up to it the computer the machine Blue Screens on start up. This also occurs when the computer wakes up from a deep sleep. Currently the only work around is to just use one monitor. Ive read the posting here and on macosrumors.com, but there does not seem to be a solution, however most post are from last summer. Was this fixed at some point? Is there a solution? I also tried boot from another drive (from another macpro) with both monitors hooked up and the problem continues.
Ive also read the KB article and removed ApplicationEnchancer.bundle, but the problem continues.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1545?viewlocale=en_US
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Scott

Scott,
Ok here are the next things on my list, and I will start with what I think is the most valuable to the just plain fun and simple you and I would be shocked if it fixed it. I only skimmed your other post, if you feel that something I recommend is a repeat you can ignore it and I will not take any offense. Sorry If my post is a little loopy I've been up for way to long.
1) Safe Boot your mac. To do so hold shift whilst your Mac boots. Please note it will take longer to load.
Starting up into Safe Mode does several things:
1. It forces a directory check of the startup volume.
2. It loads only required kernel extensions (some of the items in /System/Library/Extensions).
3. In Mac OS X 10.3.9 or earlier, Safe Mode runs only Apple-installed startup items (such items may be installed either in /Library/StartupItems or in /System/Library/StartupItems; these are different than user-selected account login items).
4. It disables all fonts other than those in /System/Library/Fonts (Mac OS X 10.4 or later).
5. It moves to the Trash all font caches normally stored in /Library/Caches/com.apple.ATS/(uid)/ , where (uid) is a user ID number such as 501 (Mac OS X 10.4 or later).
6. It disables all startup items and login items (Mac OS X 10.4 or later).
7. Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later: A Safe Boot deletes the dynamic loader shared cache at (/var/db/dyld/). A cache with issues may cause a blue screen on startup, particularly after a Software Update. Restarting normally recreates this cache.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564
2) Try reseting the Pram.
Resetting PRAM and NVRAM
1. Shut down the computer.
2. Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
3. Turn on the computer.
4. Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
5. Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
6. Release the keys.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
3) Reset the startup Disk. Open System Preferences -> Startup Disk -> Select Mac OS X.
I'll leave you with that, please come back with your results.
Weston

Blue screen on start up. Safe mode not working?

Blue screen on start up. Safe mode not working, any suggestions?

Thank you, I had forgotten about target mode. I was able to back up all of my files. I also copied some additional 50 GB of files of the disk as a stress test and the hard drive worked fine and quick (and because it was quicker than retrieving the same files from a network drive to my desktop).
I was hoping to also unpack the Applejack files on my desktop and put them back so I could run them in single user mode without running /etc/rc. However I haven't been able to get my Linux desktop to mount the iBook in Read-Write instead of Read-Only yet (I don't have access to another Mac at the moment).

Help Blue screen on start up

Hey Guys,
I could use a little help on this one.
Symptoms:
I am only getting a blue screen on start up.
This happened after I downloaded an FLV player.
I think it was called "whimpy flv player."
Might be a coincidence (not sure).
I can start up in safe mode only and can get online hardwired, but the option for wireless is gone.
Any help would be appreciated.
Poncho

First try resetting your PRAM
Then try booting from your install disc and verifying/repairing your hard drive.
Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk.

IMAC intel A1208 is stuck on blue screen after start-up. What is the fix?

IMAC intel A1208 is stuck on blue screen after start-up. How can this condition be resolved?

Please carefully read Apple's Gray screen appears during startup

Stuck at Blue Screen on start up

My MacBook Pro gets stuck on the blue screen at start up. Have tried all the obvious fixes but no joy.
I put my mac in target mode and connected to another MacBook Pro
Then selected my HDD as the start up disc, rebooted, and this worked fine, i was able to run my HDD and all software fine.
I conclude this shows i have a hardware problem on my mac.
Can anyone please give me a clue as to what it might be? or is it time for a visit to the apple store (and a remortgage on the house)?
Many thanks Phil.

I know you already mentioned that you "Tried all the obvious fixes" but this is the first thing that came to mind when I read your problem.
Hold down the power button until your Macintosh shuts off.
Then hold down the power button until the white light on the front of your Macintosh starts flashing rapidly.
Then release the button and see if your device boots up normally.
I had this very same problem happen to me a few weeks ago and I was able to solve it by doing those few steps.
Hope this helps!
-Benjamin

Blue screen on start up, even in safe mode, common fixes not working

I did quite a bit of searching for the problem I'm having, and it seems some of the symptoms are common, but none of the various fixes I've come across have worked. Any help pointing to other things to try would be appreciated, as it is getting harder to search for things without finding repeats of what I've already tried. Also, I was going to post this on the OSX 10.4 board, but changes in symptoms (mentioned at the end of this post) are starting to make me think this could be a hardware issue.
The main problem is that my computer boots normally until the blue screen just before the login window should appear, then hangs.
My system: iBook G4, 800 MHz, running 10.4.11, has an extra GB of RAM installed (for a total of 1.1 GB), new hard drive that is less than a year old.
Things I've tried:
Booting in safe mode: No change, still hangs at blue screen.
Removing airport card, and extra ram has no effect.
I've done a PRAM reset
I've done a PSU reset
Checked for file system and permissions errors with Disk Utility on OS CD
Booting into single user mode works fine, where I tried:
fsck -fy, no errors reported
running /etc/rc worked fine for a while
No unexpected errors or problems seen in /Library/Logs/Console/501/console.log, or in /var/log/system.log
I've temporarily moved /Library/Preferences, /Library/Caches, and /System/Library/Caches, /User/Library/Caches, /User/Library/Preferences, /System/Extensions.kextcache and /var/db/netinfo/local.nidb to make sure none of those were corrupted (plus checked preferences with plutil), nothing fixed.
I've double checked the permissions of the root directory.
This problem did not follow an update or installation of any kind. The computer just completely locked up in the middle of using Safari (and just typing in an edit box, nothing with much of a workload) and the blue screen hang happened upon rebooting after shutting down by holding down the power button.
Single user mode appeared to work fine, although I did get single user mode to hang when trying to back up a few GB of files onto a thumbdrive after copying about 90% of the files. And then a new problem came up where afterward, now the blue screen pops up and hangs about 30 seconds after running /etc/rc returns to the prompt (and about 20 seconds after last of it finishes outputting). I've tried clearing caches again but /etc/rc still causes this.
I was going to try to run AppleJack (recommended for checking permissions and clearing caches) after copying the files to the thumbdrive, but of course didn't think to install that until after I had a problem. And now that /etc/rc causes a problem, I don't know how to attach the AppleJack .dmg file other than hdiutil, which needs the /etc/rc to have been run, and also can't remount the thumbdrive to copy any more files over.
After this recent problem, I noticed that now booting from the OS CD goes to the blue screen too and no further. Has anyone else seen such a problem? I've heard of some issues with loose GPUs in the iBook G4, but they seem to mention scrambled or no/black video (video looks fine in single user mode and in open firmware, and up to the blue screen which is clear and bright). So now I don't seem to have an option to try an Archive & Install of the OS (which I was hoping to avoid, due to effort needed to reinstall other software).

Thank you, I had forgotten about target mode. I was able to back up all of my files. I also copied some additional 50 GB of files of the disk as a stress test and the hard drive worked fine and quick (and because it was quicker than retrieving the same files from a network drive to my desktop).
I was hoping to also unpack the Applejack files on my desktop and put them back so I could run them in single user mode without running /etc/rc. However I haven't been able to get my Linux desktop to mount the iBook in Read-Write instead of Read-Only yet (I don't have access to another Mac at the moment).

Mavericks 10.9.3 Blue Screen on start up and system unstable

I wonder if anyone is experiencing the same issue. After the last Safari update that I think was May 22nd 2014, My MBPro has been unstable. When booting up there is a brief dark blue screen with white Apple logo or occasionally a light blue screen with a white Apple Logo. The start up seems fine but the Mac becomes unstable after a while with the Finder crashing, apps hang which especially happens in FCPX or run really slowly and sometimes the Mac hangs when shutting down either showing a blank grey screen or the desktop wallpaper.
I read various forum articles and blogs, web site articles and have failed to find a solution. So far individually deleted each one of the start up items and did a restart each time to see if one of these was causing an issue. I now have no start up items and still have the blue screen.
I ran a disc check and did find some issues which I tried to repair. This failed so formatted the SDD. reinstalled Mavericks from a USB Stick with all files and settings from Time Machine to see if this worked. The SDD is now fine but still getting the blue screen.
Have on several occasions verified disc permissions using the disc utility. The only error that pops up seems to be with some help resource files associated with Safari. Have repaired these but the issue seems to return.
Besides the last OSX updates, I have not installed any new apps on my MBP and can't think of any other changes made since May 22nd. I can’t think of anything else that can be wrong unless there is some sort of sneaky virus or trojan lurking somewhere but Mac’s don’t suffer from these do they? Anyway always had Norton running, firewalls etc.
Any thoughts, solutions etc. gratefully received.

Barney-15E responded to my earlier question re the progress bar by writing that the progress bar appears only during a safe boot. What is a "safe boot?" Except for the last two days (out of a bit more than four years), the progress bar always showed up. Can someone explain what "safe" means and how you can do a safe boot v. a normal boot?
Thank you.

Blue screen on start up

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for