Failure to start up - 2007 imac stays on gray screen and clicks

Is this a simple fix?

Not really it sounds like a crashed HD. Run Hardware Test in Extended Mode, if nothing is found the first time run it 2-3x. If errors are found then you know for sure however you will need to take it into an Apple Store or AASP for repair.
If you hear a sound like one of the ones in Failing hard drive sounds then you know for sure it's a HD crash.

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My imac has a gray screen and spinning wheel and will not start up

my imac has a gray screen with a spinning wheel but will not start what does this mean?

Probably a damaged or failed HD. Please read Gray screen appears during startup on how to troubleshoot and what to do.

My iMac freezes at start. I just get the gray screen and apple symbol.

I turned it off and on and then nothing. Just gray screen and spinning wheel. I also see the mouse pointer.

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/.

When I start my MacBook I get a gray screen, I've tried safe start and it sounds like it's going to start and then shuts down. Any suggestions?

When I start my macbook I get the gray screen and gear. I've tried to safe start it and it sounds like it's going to start but then shuts down. I don't have any other products connected to it. Any suggestions?

Did you recently install any updates?
Do you have your original install discs?
~Lyssa

My Imac is showing gray screen with red line when booting and restarts again

My Imac is showing gray screen with red line when booting and restart again, I can load it in windows 7 safe mode with red lines across the display, pls help

The graphic card is damaged. You can't do anything more than taking your computer to an Apple Store or reseller and getting your graphic card replaced.
Sometimes, when the graphic card is damaged, operating systems can't start. That's caused because the drivers that make the graphic card work detect an error, telling the operating system that the graphic card is unusable, so the operating system can't start and it restarts. However, you can start in safe mode because operating systems use a basic driver in this startup mode

I used utilities to source my 10.6 snow leopard install disc to my main hardrive, and now when I turn on my computer the apple with the spinning wheel stays on the screen and stuck like that. How do I fix it Help please. I already tried all the commands

I used utilities to source my 10.6 snow leopard install disc to my main hardrive, and now when I turn on my computer the apple with the spinning wheel stays on the screen and stuck like that. How do I fix it Help please. I already tried all the commands such as Command R, Holding down the Option key, C and holding down shift at the start up but nothing happens.
initialy All I was trying to do was downgrade 10.7 to 10.6 .

You have to consider the possibility the hard drive may be dying. If your data isn't backed up, try one of the tools below:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1689
Once you are sure your data is backed up, we can examine other possibilities. In the meantime call AppleCare for your original installation DVDs. You may need them.

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.

My macbook pro won't start up. I get the white screen and the grey apple icon   the spinning wheel......and it doesn't change !

My macbook pro won't start up. I get the white screen and the grey apple icon   the spinning wheel......and it doesn't change !

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
To restart an unresponsive computer, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the power shuts off, then release, wait a few more seconds, and press it again briefly.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the 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 the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Start up from 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.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start 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.
d. 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
If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
Step 3
Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If a desktop Mac hangs at a plain gray screen with a movable cursor, the keyboard may not be recognized. Press and hold the button on the side of an Apple wireless keyboard to make it discoverable. If need be, replace or recharge the batteries. If you're using a USB keyboard connected to a hub, connect it to a built-in port.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up 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.
Step 7
If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start 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 the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up 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, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 11. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup 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 restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the 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 restart as usual.
Step 9
If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support.
Step 10
Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 11
Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 12
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 13
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

This is my first mac, it is a macbook pro. i restarted it but when it started back up i saw a white screen and then it prompted me to insert the reboot disk. anyone else have this problem?

I recently bought a Macbook Pro, this is my first Mac. I restarted it, but when it started back there was a plain white screen and then it prompted me to insert the reboot disk. Has anyone else had this problem and is there a way to do this manually like with PC's?

The new Mac's came with OS X Lion 10.7 and there are no boot disks.
Since it's so new, take it back to the Apple Store and let them deal with it.
If not you can hold Command and r (as in rotten) keys down and boot the computer.
You'll be presented with a several options, including one to reinstall OS X Lion provided you have a Apple ID, which means you have to use Safari in there to set one up. To do that you need to set up a email account with Google or Yahoo. Once you get the ID, then you can download Lion and reinstall it.
It's so stupid not having a copy of the OS on hand to perform your own repairs.
Of course Apple will be happy to sell you a $69 Lion USB stick.
Like I said, take it back to the store, and try to get your money back, that will force them to think about just giving you a replacement machine that works.
Lion doesn't work really but it can be acceptable until the patches get released.

I am suddenly having a problem with my iMac - when I try to restart or shut down, it hangs on a gray screen, and I have to hard reset to turn it off. How do I fix this?

I am suddenly having a problem with my iMac - when I try to restart or shut down, it hangs on a gray screen, and I have to hard reset to turn it off. How do I fix this?

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570 Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

Macbook will not boot, stays on gray screen no apple logo

I was in the middle of watching some streaming content in netflix when my macbook froze. I tried to force quit, but to no avail, so I forced shut down. When I press the power button to reboot, I hear a couple of clicking sounds like the fan is trying to start up, but it doesn't. The screen remains on the gray screen and the apple logo never appears (no apple startup sound either). I do not hear the fan running.
Other possible factors:
-I know there are some software updates waiting, I just haven't had the chance to.
-A few days ago I did get a message that virtual memory or maybe it said hard disk (I can't remember) memory is close to being full. I trashed a whole lot of stuff, but did not get around to clearing my trash yet.
Any ideas?

To those of you reporting these problems, are your MacBooks from 2006, roughly?
The reason I ask is, there are reports of 06 MacBooks having AirPort card issues (which I think may relate to a bigger issue, perhaps in the logic board), and my 06 Mac mini has also just recently died on me. Which, to my understanding, uses some of the same hardware as an 06 MacBook.
To elaborate furhter, my mini had a problem with the Wi-fi card at first. It would work fine for 20 minutes, then it would die. This would happen regardless of what operating system I was running (OS X, Windows, Linux), so I'm positive it was/is a hardware issue. More recently, after disassembling the mini, just to take a look for any physical problems, the computer was doing the exact thing described in this post.
Upon start up, I would get the chimes, but would recieve nothing after that. The hard drive would not spin up, and with a CD inserted, the drive would spin, but nothing would come of it. After tinkering some more, I tried removing the CD drive from the computer, so only the hard drive was plugged in, and voilla, the computer booted back to the OS X install. Also, if I were to unplug the hard drive, and have only the CD drive connected, I was able to boot to a CD.
This tells me it's a logic board/power issue, and the same thing may be affecting you.
My educated guess is your hard drive is fine, and all your files are safely stored on the disk, however, for whatever reason, there's not enough power to run BOTH the CD drive and the HDD.
If you feel up to it, disassemble your MacBook and try removing the HDD, or the CD Drive if possible, and see if you get anywhere. It may be easier to remove the HDD and try booting to a CD. However, I'm not familiar with how the insides of a MacBook are laid out.
Hopefully this helps.
-Chris.

My MacBook Pro shuts down within seconds after starting with a Gray Screen and Apple Logo, a bar comes at the bottom.

My MacBook Pro starts with a Gray Screen and Apple Logo, a bar comes at the bottom, but after few seconds the machine shuts down. This was bought approx 1 year back. Please help!!

jayanta.ray,
which model MacBook Pro do you have (did you buy it new?), and which version of OS X is installed on it?

HT201263 My phone is staying on Step 4 it won't even open Itunes. Please help! What is wrong with my phone? It stays on that screen and won't do anything else.

My phone is staying on Step 4 it won't even openn ITunes. Just stays on that screen and does nothing else! Please Help!

Have you tried holding the power and home button until it turns off?

After resetting my phone to factory settings, it will not turn on. When i press the power button a white screen and black apple pop up. it stays on that screen and will not go to the home screen, it will just die. please help!

after resetting my phone to factory settings, it will not turn on. When i press the power button a white screen and black apple pop up. it stays on that screen and will not go to the home screen, it will just die. please help!

Make sure it is charged for about 10min using the adapter, then connect in recovery mode, explained in this article:
If you can't update or restore your iOS device

Failure to start up - 2007 imac stays on gray screen and clicks

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