Can't log on-graay screen with folder icon only

The display shows only a gray screen with a folderin the middle flashing the finder icon on it alternately with a question mark. Tried to rebott and restart but no luck. Any ideas? HELP!!

Hi Daniel,
Welcome to the Discussions.
There's a problem with the hard drive. It could be directory damage or a physical problem.
Put the install disc in the drive and hold down the "c" key while starting. Select Disk Utility from the menu (in Installer with Panther), highlight the drive on the left and click Repair Disk. If it reports errors and repairs repeat the repair until no errors are reported. If it reports errors that can't be repaired, post the error message. Also, check the drive's SMART status at the bottom of the Disk Utility window.
John

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I have a Mac mini running the latest version of OS X and Server. Been running fine and flawlessly. However, I had a strange problem with the iCloud preferences panel crashing when I tried to access it, so I rebooted. Now I can not log into the system with any accounts. My master admin account (along with all the others) gives me the error:
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You're encountering a kernel panic.
[I got a black screen telling me I had to reboot in many languages, what was it?|http://www.dslreports.com/faq/4970] Also has detailed description of what happens during a KP.
[Apple docs: What's a kernel panic? (Mac OS X)|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106227]
[Topic : kmosx: Kernel Panics? Don't panic too !|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=121923]
[X-Lab: Resolving Kernel Panics|http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/kernelpanics.html]
[Tutorial: Avoiding and eliminating Kernel panics|http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20060911080447777]
[Tutorial: An introduction to reading Mac OS X crash reports|http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20060309075929717]
[12-Step Program to Isolate Freezes and/or Kernel Panics|http://macosg.com/group/viewtopic.php?t=800]
[Texas Mac Man's post on kernel panics|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1723768&tstart=0]
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Because there is a problem. Want to try fix it?
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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

Can't log on-graay screen with folder icon only

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