G4 stops in start up at the grey apple screen

Hi, a little desperate. My powerbook G4 1.5GHz has imploded. First problem I have had and unit is 5 days out of my 3 year protection plan. Lucky huh?
It froze this morning on a screen saver image. I pushed the power button to turn off and then again to turn on. Boot up stopped at the grey screen.
Have tried to reset PRAM and also tried to use Software Install and restore discs that came with the unit. The install disc starts to work until I get to the section that requests a volume to install to and it comes up with no option.
Disc utilty jammed twice, then I got it to recognise hd, but would not allow any options. Tried again and it did not recognise HD at all. Just DVD Drive and Powerbook Software.
Does anyone have any ideas what has happened and if I can fix it?? Please help.

Welcome to the Discussions valhalla57!
If you are unable to boot from the install disk, try starting in single user mode (holding command + s) and at the command-line prompt, type
/sbin/fsck -fy
Press return, and await the resulting message. When the "OK" report is returned, type "reboot", and press return.
For more information on running fsck, see:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Joe

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Hello,
I'm in dyer need of help. I just purchased an old G5 from a friend and when I connected it the internet it said there were a few (7 or 8) updates available for the system. There was very minimal memory left on the system but I proceeded with the updates, it said the system was going to restart after the updates. The grey screen appeared with the apple logo and the circular loading graphic but right after that the screen went blank and now each time I try to start the computer up it does the same and shuts down after that screen displays.
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I'm not able to do that without the proper install disc, am I correct?
Correct.
Is it possible for me to use that or am I in the same boat without the proper install disc?
Correct, you need an Install Disc.
Or will it try to install on my iMac?
Disconnect them to be sure.
Sooo, what is this Install Disc you're talking about? The iMac's Gray Disc? That won't work for the G5.
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http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
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Hi. I've just recently upgraded from snow leopard to osx lion 10.7.3 on my laptop and it works perfectly! However I then tried installing on desktop and problems......
1. I got the 'the error can't install message' so after researching' I made a bootable USB stick with lion on it.
2. Installed on start up from bootable USB stick, no problems their.
3. Restarted and it just hangs in the grey apple screen.
I've reset the PRAM, started in safe mode, fixed disk permission etc, Even done this (http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20070204093925888).
I'm going to leave the grey screen over night to see if it does start up, but then we have the problem of an extremely slow start up.
So.... I am posting this to find out if anyone else has this problem and fixed it without having to do a full clean install as some data like email lists etc I never backed up (I know stupid).
Hope someone can help as i am lost on what else to try.
HELP!?!?!?
Dan.

Update 01.03.12
Computer is starting now but.... It takes 10 minutes and that is without my sound card, hardware and external hard drives plugged in, gonna test that now.
Are their and fixes for slow start ups?
Dan.

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I tried restarting without any cables connected to it with the same outcome. I tried to insert the OS X disc and pressing the "C" key and cannot get past the password page. I also tried to start it pressing the OptionCommand+PR keys with no results.

I am experiencing this problem as well. I had assumed it was a result of attempting to uninstall the Boot Camp drivers because I was getting a blue screen error every time I tried to startup with Windows. But I had also installed some updates for OS X at the same time so it could have been caused by that as well. I've erased everything now and I am trying to reinstall OS X but I'm three attempts in now because the installation has just been getting stuck in an indefinite loop at random points during the installation.

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Hey,
My macbook, when it starts, will just stay at the grey apple screen with the loading thing under it. I've tried turning it off, turning it back on, Doing the Command COntrol Power thing, and nothing seems to work.
How can I fix this?

yes, i have the same problem exactly, and according to another thread, it seems to be happening to macbook users who upgrade to the latest itunes. my fix can get you macbook up and running, tho it requires an external drive. your 'can't install' message may be a sign of something more serious now tho- it could be your internal drive's data is lost.
anyway, plug in an external fw/usb2 drive so the leopard install disk can see it for installing on to. my internal drive showed up as an option, but i chose to install to the external. after this was finished, i booted off the external, and there was all my data, available from the internal drive (still couldn't boot from it tho) after saving what i wanted to save, i then used the install disc to do a reinstall using the 'archive and install, preserve user and network' option, under the option/custom button.
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PBT 400mhz wont start up passed the grey apple logo, I get a very weird symbol after 5 minutes of the logo. I get the "NOT" symbol. A circle with the line through it, then it just locks up forever.
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Brand new hard drive with 10.3.x was very recently installed w/no problems. Any ideas?

Oh I picked the ATARI 2800 format! Ooops!
Of course I picked the Mac OS Extended...
Well, you might be surprised to know how many people don't. One has to ask.
There was NO SMART status as I believ its not on 2.5" drives (?).
Not true. Some have SMART built in; others don't. Lately they all do. Jaguar may not support SMART (I don't recall), but Panther and Tiger do if your drive is equipped with it.
Installer disks are fine I use them to install on used macs to sell all the time...
...which, to all appearances, makes you a flagrant, repeat violator of Apple's licensing agreement and of the laws against software piracy. Probably not a good idea to advertise this here in Apple's house.
As for your LB error message in AHT, I'd hazard a guess (because your hard drive no longer appears) that it might have something to do with the ATA controller on the LB. Perhaps the controller was gagging intermittently for a while before its final complete collapse, which may now have occurred. Replacing the board is the remedy.

I have a MacBookPro1,1 running mac os x 10.6.8. It keeps freezing whenever i use it, and often takes 5 or more attempts to turn on. It just stays at the grey apple screen, causing me to force shut down. Is there anyway i can fix this?

When i am using the mac. often it will suddenly freeze, only the coloured loading wheel still moving. I will leave it for hours to unfreeze but nothing. The only remedy is to turn it off by the button. Moreover, sometimes when i turn it on it gets stuck at the grey apple screen and i have to turn it off by the button and on again. This can happen up to 10 times until it turns on! What can i do?

Shut down your computer and disconnect all peripherals (keyboard & mouse if pertinent) from your computer. Now reboot.
If the Mac starts up normally, shut it down again and then plug in one of the peripherals (keyboard or mouse first) and start up your computer again. If it does so successfully repeat the process, adding one peripheral at a time until your Mac acts up. At that point, disconnect the last peripheral you added, reboot your Mac and search the peripheral vendor's website for an updated driver.
If no driver exists or the problem remain after installing the new driver, try a different cable or a different port on your Mac.
If none of the above works, again disconnect all peripherals from your Mac, hold down the "shift" key to start up in "Safe Boot" mode.
If the Mac starts up correctly, restart without pressing the "shift" key.
If your computer still does not start up properly, shut it down and restart it while holding down the Apple+Option-P-R keys; keep holding "all 4 keys" down until you hear the startup sound "twice."
If none of the above work Disconnect all peripherals from your computer. Boot from your install disc & run Repair Disk from the utility menu. To use the Install Mac OS X disc, insert the disc, and restart your computer while holding down the C key as it starts up.
Select your language.
Once on the desktop, select Utility in the menu bar.
Select Disk Utility.
Select the disk or volume in the list of disks and volumes, and then click First Aid.
Click Repair Disk.
(If Disk Utility cannot repair, you will need a stronger utility (3rd party) - Diskwarrior or Techtool PRO)
Restart your computer when done.
Repair permissions after you reach the desktop-http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25751 and restart your computer.
If you are able to reach your desktop take note of how large your hard drive is and how much hard drive space do you have left?
Remove any 3rd party ram.
Reinstall Snow Leopard - This will install a "fresh" copy of Snow Leopard without archiving old system files but leaves the rest of your files in place.
If your computer is still under warranty or you have Apple Care, take full advantage of it by letting tech support deal with your problems. It's what you're paying them for.
Out of warranty - take the computer to an Apple store or an AASP. Whichever is more convenient for you.

My computer suddenly decides not to work and turns on but does not go past the grey apple screen with the loading wheel.. it will not go to my desktop. What should i do?

can somebody please help me fix this issue, i have been sitting at my computer all last night and this morning trying to figure it out. It could be the hardrive or anything really i just need to get it working. Alot of important things that need to be done using this computer and i am freaking out.
My computer suddenly decides not to work and turns on but does not go past the grey apple screen with the loading wheel.. it will not go to my desktop. What should i do?

Put your install DVD into the optical drive (CD/DVD drive) and reboot. Be sure to either use the disc that came with your Mac, or, if you installed a later Mac OS X version from disc, use the newer disc. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option Key until the Install Disk shows up) until the apple shows up. That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
Or if you are running 10.7 Lion, boot from the recovery partition (Command +R on boot) and use Disk Utility to repair your OS 10.7 partition.
When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Choose your language and press the Return key on your keyboard once. It will then present you with an Installation window. Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it. When it comes up is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
If it is, then click on the Mac OS partition of your hard drive in the left hand list. Then select the First Aid Tab and run Repair Disk. The Repair Disk button won't be available until you've clicked on the Mac OS partition on your hard drive. If that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions. After repairing use Startup Disk from the same menu to choose your hard drive for restarting from your hard drive.
If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

My G5 shut down + when it restarted it won't go past the grey apple screen

here's a general rundown of how I got to this point...
last yr the hard drive on my '05 G5 went, so i had it replaced (6-7 months ago) and for the last 2-3 months i've had problems with involuntary shut downs (cut to black) it started happening once a day and then there were days where it would happen more often and then less often and eventually got to a point where it was happening every 5-20 minutes, so i brought it in to get looked at and was told that it was the power supply that was malfunctioning. I mentioned that I would likely be buying a new mac in the coming weeks ( i did yesterday) and was told that I should be ok between now and then without having it fixed and then when i did get my new computer they would transfer all of my old data onto the new computer and would be installing the new power supply before selling it to a local school. then, 3 days before I was going to get my new mac, it shut off yet again, but when it rebooted it never went past the grey apple screen. after 4 or 5 minutes the fan comes on and is amazingly loud and this is where it stays until i shut it off. i'm not sure if this is simply the power supply finally going going gone or if this has something to do with the very new hard drive or who knows what else; i just want to get my info from the old computer onto the new and hopefully get the couple hundred dollars that i was told my g5 was worth. is there something i can do to get past the grey screen before i bring it in?
thanks in advance,
Jeremiah

I doubt that your data have been lost, the hard drive should be fine. Too bad that you're going to sell it, you could have used the hard drive in an enclosure to back up your new computer to. Please remember to make frequent backups/clones, I use SuperDuper! and it works perfectly. I have used it to re-clone a drive from the external when things have gone bad, you can also boot from a SuperDuper! clone.
Anyway, let us know how things go, I'm pretty sure your drive will be fine.

I can't get past the grey apple screen using mavericks

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I have a Mac Mini

Hello ther cnickers,
It sounds like the initial install of Mavericks went ok, and you have been using it for a while, but now cannot boot to your desktop and are stuck at a gray screen with an Apple logo. I would recommend a couple of things here:
First, try performing a Safe Boot to see if that will load up for you. If so then leave Safe Boot and restart from the Apple menu to try and get to your deskop:
To start up into Safe Mode (to Safe Boot), follow these steps.
Be sure your Mac is shut down.
Press the power button.
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 the tone.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple logo and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
After the logo appears, you should see a progress bar during startup. This indicates that your computer is performing a directory check as part of Safe Mode.
To leave Safe Mode, restart your computer without holding any keys during startup.
From: Mac OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1564
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Disk Utility 12.x: Repair a disk
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836
Print this help page so you can refer to it later. (You don’t have access to Disk Utility Help when you restart up your computer in the next step.)In the Disk Utility Help window, choose Print from the Action pop-up menu (looks like a gear).
Choose Apple menu > Restart. Hold down the Command (⌘) and R keys as your computer restarts.When you see a white screen with an Apple logo in the middle, you can release the keys.
Click Disk Utility, and then click Continue.
In the list at the left, select the item you want to repair. (Be sure to select an item that’s indented to the right in the list, not an item at the far left.)
Click First Aid.
If Disk Utility tells you the disk is about to fail, back it up and replace it. You can’t repair it.
Click Repair Disk.If Disk Utility reports that the disk appears to be OK or has been repaired, you’re done. Otherwise, you may need to do one of the following steps.
If Disk Utility reports “overlapped extent allocation” errors, two or more files occupy the same space on your disk, and at least one of them is likely to be corrupted. Check each file in the list of affected files. If you can replace a file or recreate it, delete it. If it contains information you need, open it and examine its data to make sure it hasn’t been corrupted. (Most of the files in the list have aliases in a DamagedFiles folder at the top level of your disk.)
If Disk Utility can’t repair your disk or it reports “The underlying task reported failure,” try to repair the disk or partition again. If that doesn’t work, back up as much of your data as possible, reformat the disk, reinstall Mac OS X, and then restore your backed-up data.If you continue to have problems with your disk, it may be physically damaged and need to be replaced.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Sterling

G5 Boots up and hangs at the grey apple screen, then fans rev up loud!

I am so confused. For some reason my G5 boots up, I hear the tone, and it gets to the grey screen with the apple. The circular "wait" image never comes up and then after about 1 minute, the fans rev so high it sounds like my computer is preparing to take off! I tried taking out all the RAM and reseating it. I even tried booting with each pair one at a time. I tried removing the battery, and putting it back, I tried unplugging, resetting the PRAM, removing the DVD drive, and replacing the DVD drive. No luck. about 4 weeks ago i was able to get it to start up with an install DVD in there when (and this may be dumb luck) I tried a trick I read on these forums where you use a hair dryer to heat up the RAM board. I reinstalled Tiger and it seemed to work perfectly. Then it revved up the fans and froze, no kernel panic on the screen. The heat trick did not work again. Now all I get is the grey apple screen with revving fans. It won't even recognize that I have the install DVD in there when I hit the "C" key. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Hi !
(don't mind my writing in english... I speak Dutch originally)
First question : What type of Powermac G5 do you have...?
If it's a liquid-cooled, then you might (perhaps) have trouble...
(we keep this (for the moment) aside)
If it's an air-cooled, just boot up pushing the Alt-button untill the "boing" sounds.
Then start up from your system-HD (select it, if you have more then 1).
Still doesn't work: insert your back-up(cloned) HD (who doesn't make a clone these days) & re-boot (same procedure as described above)(or just connect it over FireWire & select the HD after rebooting with Alt pushed)
When you were able to boot from your (original) HD > let the "stetoscope-program" (I forgot the name, I'm now at work right now & no Mac nearby) (programs > help-programs > stetoscope) run on your HD (controlling the Disk (right side button) & it's dedications (left side button). Patience...
If you (untill now) still have no luck (but, as some people like myself, have more then 1 Mac) > (re-)install OSX 10.5.8 (if you have it) or 10.4.11 on a (spare) HD & after installing > insert in your G5 & try again...
If still no (good) news... Let (me) know.
Grtz, H.

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Hey Cris
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sorry, a correction
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