Can't get past the white screen at start up

I can not get past the white screen when it starts up. It will chime and then stay at the white screen. I have replaced the hard drive, memory, battery. I have reset the PRAM and the SMC.

Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
Do the following:
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 the Combo Updater for the version you prefer from support.apple.com/downloads/.

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Ipad screen is white. Restored it on iTunes. Press home and on switch goes black then back to white with no logo at all. Can't get past the white screen. This happened after running app updates. 16GB OS 7.1.1

The ipad screen is white. Holding buttons didn't work so I restored it on iTunes. When I press home and on switch, the screen is white, goes black then back to white with no logo at all. Can't get past the white screen. This happened after running app updates. Is there any fix besides going to Apple store? In iTunes on computer can see what is on there. 16GB OS 7.1.1

FORCE IPAD INTO RECOVERY MODE
1. Turn off iPad
2. Turn on computer and launch iTunes (make sure you have the latest version of iTune)
3. Plug USB cable into computer's USB port
4. Hold Home button down and plug the other end of cable into docking port.
DO NOT RELEASE BUTTON until you see picture of iTunes and plug
5. Release Home button.
ON COMPUTER
6. iTunes has detected iPad in recovery mode. You must restore this iPad before it can be used with iTunes.
7. Select "Restore iPad"...
Note:
1. Data will be lost if you do not have backup
2. You must follow step 1 to step 4 VERY CLOSELY.
3. Repeat the process if necessary.

How can I get past the white screen?

When I start my iMac I see a message that my start up disk is full and that I need to delete files. After I type in my user name and password, all I see if a white screen. This problem started today. The error message about the start up disk started two days ago, and when I looked at the disk, I saw that over half of it has files described as "other". The hard drive is 250 GB. I have Time Machine backups but I don't know how to get to them to help me. So, I guess that I have two questions: how do I get past the white screen, and what are the files that are catogoraized as other? Thanks.

I did not put the OS info in my question because I am not sure what I have. I upgraded to Lion so that I could use the cloud between my devices, however I do not know the number.
Apple menu item->About this Mac and the version is listed there. Click on that and get the build number. Click again and get the machine's serial number.
I am stuck on the white screen. Any other advice?
Start with a google search for white screen mac. This one might do the trick: http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/apple-desktops/138137-imac-wont-get-passed-whit e-screen.html

IMac won't start up, can't get past the white screen

I have an older iMac, I believe it's the g5, the white one, got it about 6 years ago or so. It was acting up recently, crashing programs, taking a long time to respond etc. I figured I just had too much stuff on my hard drive so I went out and bought an external hard drive. After I copied over a bunch of files (not everything, my music and my photos aren't backed up!) I then deleted the files I transferred from the iMac to make room. It took a very long time for the trash to empty, and then I tried to restart. It shut down but never rebooted. When I press the power button it will only get to the white screen with the gray apple and gray progress wheel. It stays like that for a minute or two with the wheel turning but barely any progress on the progress bar and then it turns off. I tried unplugging everything including the power cord but nothing works. Any ideas? Thanks.

will it start in Single User Mode ? (Hold Command + S after hearing the chime)
If so, follow the fsck section at http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1417
and when/if you (finally) get a 'volume appears to be OK' message
don't restart afterwards.
then, still in single user, type the command df/ followed by enter
making sure that the result shows Capacity at some reasonable level, like 90% or less.
df means 'display free disk space', you're checking that the drive isn't so horribly full that attemoting to start might further risk your data
if Capacity is ok- reboot as per the article; if not, post back.
If you can boot in Single User & have done the above, but still can't start normally - try
Safe Mode to see if you can copy your files off.
If Single works, but nothing else, it's probably possible to copy your files in that mode, using typed commands.
if you can't start at all -
Checking your exact model at http://www.ifixit.com/ will show how hard it is to remove the HD yourself... some are pretty easy with the right-sized screwdrivers, and the drive can then be taken to anywhere with a computer & the right cable/adaptor to copy your files.
or
Target Disk Mode : http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1661
if it works for you, would let someone with a computer & firewire port access any of your files that are intact. Apple may, as mentioned, say it's too old for them to look at.
finding the dvd's/getting replacements would be best.

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.

Can't get past the white screen with the grey apple in the middle

When I start up my PowerBook G4 I first get a gray screen with a small white box in the middle of the screen that contains planet earth. After this icon has flashed 14 times it disappears and then a small file appears in its place. Inside this file folder is an alternating flashing question mark and the Finder icon. After a few seconds this icon disappears and the screen turns white with an apple in the middle. I can not get the computer to do anything after that.
My problem is I got the computer from my mother and she can not find any of the disks that originally came with it.
Does anyone have any useful suggestions?
Thanks

Unfortunately, I just got off the phone with Apple Care and they do not carry them anymore. They're recommending I upgrade the system to Leopard. They want $120 for the disks. Any other suggestions?

I installed Lion OS, after restart it gives the startup screen with my user id but no window for password entry, no matter what I do I can't get past the opening screen.

I installed Lion OS, after restart it gives the startup screen with my user id but no window for password entry, no matter what I do I can't get past the opening screen.

MacBook Pro
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I can not get past the setup screen on my reader. What am I doing wrong?

I can not get past the setup screen on my reader. What can I do?

I have no idea what you mean; can you post a screenshot?

My MacBook Air can't get past the gray screen with the apple logo. What's the fix?

My MacBook Air can't get past the gray screen with the Apple logo, so I can't login. Does anyone know the fix for this?

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 Recovery by holding down the key combination command-R at the startup chime, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, 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
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 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
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.
Before reconnecting 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.* The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Shut down your computer, wait 30 seconds, and then hold down the shift key while pressing the power button.
When you see the gray Apple logo, release the shift key.
If you are prompted to log in, type your password, and then hold down the shift key again as you click Log in.
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.
*Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t boot in safe mode. Post for further instructions.
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, 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 above for instructions.) 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 produces. Look for the line "Permissions repaired successfully" 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
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.

My MacBook Pro has been having difficulties at startup. It sometimes locks and doesn't get past the white screen. It has also locked up several times and gotten a green stripes across the entire screen. What is causing this and how do I fix it?

My MacBook Pro has been having difficulties at startup. It sometimes locks and doesn't get past the white screen. It has also locked up several times and gotten a green stripes across the entire screen. What is causing this and how do I fix it?

You don't, take it to Apple for repair.
This might interest you if it's too old to fix.
My computer is not working, is my personal data lost?

Rebooting old mac g5: Can't get past the grey screen.

This problem concerns an old mac g5 that I had replaced three years ago because it hadn't been working properly. I am getting it out because my son needs a computer and I was hoping that the thing would work for a little while.
I can't get past the grey apple screen. I have the installation disc in and restart while pressing the c. I just am not getting any further than that. The fans begin to sound like a jet taking off. I have tried resetting the pram while starting up, but that doesn't seem to be working either. I have heard about a hair dryer trick and don't really know what is supposed to get warmed up by that.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks.

No hair dryer. What you need to do is make sure the PRAM battery is new. It is a coin shaped battery on the logic board. Radio Shack sells them.
Option key booting sometimes works. You have to us a Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.4.6 retail disc, which are black with a white X logo, and do not say Update Dropin or OEM on them. If you have the original iMac G5 disc that's fine, but web browsing with older operating systems is not very friendly. Some of these machines were known to have leaky capacitors, and getting the power supply replaced on them now would be quite hard because of the age.
http://www.ifixit.com/ may be able to help if you suspect that.

My new iMac had the old data transferred in-store but now it won't accept the password on the first screen. How can I reset this? I can't get past the first screen as a result.

I cannot get past the initial screen on my new iMac. Data was transferred from my old computer so when I turned it on It automatically had my name in the window and asked for the password, but none of my old passwords seem to be accepted. How can I fix this?? It's a new IMac with osx.

Which password isn't working? The one to access the iPad or the one to get your hotmail?
If hot mail, you go into the settings, mail, contacts and calendars and edit your hot mail account. Of if it won't edit, delete it off the iPad, then re-add it with the new password.

Can't get past the welcome screen

I just purchased this and have been trying to set it up. I have been on the welcome screen for 2 hours now. I can't get past the screen where you check the country. That's it. It's selected but nothing works and the VO hasn't indicated anything other then how to navigate through the table. Once you have highlighted the country you want, why can't I select it and move on??

remember that you can always call Apple to help you setup your MBP:
http://www.apple.com/contact/

Unable to restart my intel based iMac, I can't get past the grey screen

I shut down my imac and when I went to restart it, I can't get it to get past the grey screen. I can't even get to the apple screen. I have unplugged everything and nothing works. Help!!

See if this helps:
Gray screen appears during startup

Help! I can't get past the blue screen

I was having problems with my iMac last week with it freezing while doing my normal stuff. I force quit everything and restarted. This went on 3 or 4 times in one night. I shut it down for the night. The next morning, I started it up and it wouldn't get past the blue screen. It first got to the screen with the progression bar on the blue screen. So i did the troubleshooting in the manual. I had to go buy the USB mouse because I couldn't do it with my bluetooth mouse. Then I got so frustrated I did an archive and install. But it still would hang on the blue screen. So being more frustrated I erased my 160 gig hard drive since most of it is on my iBook G4, music, pix etc. Plus i have most of the stuff on my iDisk too and jump drives. I need to know what I can do before I have to drive 45 minutes to the nearest authorized Apple repair and reseller. My only days off to drive down are Wed and Fri. I would like to be able to load Leopard because all the problems started occurring the day Leopard arrived in the mail.. HAHA.

Hi there,
Have you booted off the Install Disk by holding the *d key* down at boot-up, (not the c key), and run the extended Apple HW Test? Some Install disks require holding the Option key at bootup to select the AHT. Some Macs came with separate AHT CDs.
It sounds like either HDD problems, or Logic Board naybe.
Before you try another Install, Erase the HDD with the Zero Data Option...
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 Erase 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, then chose MacOS Extended Journalled.
6. Click Erase & look for Options. choose Zero 1 pass.

Can't get past the white screen at start up

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