G4 TiBook won't go past gray apple screen with spinning black wheel

Hi,
I am trying to get this machine to boot, and things are very strange.
The latest development, which I'll start with, is that I just finished an install of Tiger on the machine. It gets to the gray Apple screen with the spinning cursor. However, the startup/welcome music to Tiger played in the background, and it started walking me through keyboard commands via Voiceover.
1) It will boot off of a Tiger or Panther startup DVD/CD, and will install without incident.
2) It will actually boot from the hard drive with a fresh install of OS 9.2.
3) Another machine can boot the hard drive while the TiBook is in firewire target mode.
4) I have tried a brand new hard drive, and have tried to boot other machines while they were in Firewire target mode - same behavior.
5) I have tried resetting PMU, PRAM and NVRAM multiple times. Every time I boot into OF, the very top message is "NVRAM Corrupted" and it performs an init-vram command, to which it says "OK".
6) Before all of this happened, the machine underwent an upgrade from Panther to Tiger. Everything was working fine (albeit slowly, since the hard drive was almost totally full) until PRAM and NVRAM were reset. After that, the only thing the machine has been able to do (with OS X on the drive) is boot to this gray splash screen.
7) The hard drive has been wiped completely with a fresh install of Tiger and even Panther several times. Same behavior.
8) Have tried taking out the memory, changing the memory - all resulting in the same startup screen.
I've tried booting up using Verbose mode as well as Safe mode. Doesn't make any difference. The only thing I have not tried is taking out the CMOS battery (which I don't yet know where it's at on this machine).
Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks
Erik

Hi Erik,
Every time I boot into OF, the very top message is "NVRAM Corrupted"
Just one thought fwiw: I'm wondering if you have a bad cache. I can't remember if you can access your Apple Menu>About This Mac>More Info while booted to your install disc, but if so, see if your L2 and L3 cache are listed. If that doesn't work, again I don't remember if this will work, but while booted to FWTDM open Applications>Utilities>System Profiler on your Ti HD and see if caches are listed. Which Ti (CPU) do you have btw?
If it does turn out to be a cache issue, not good news, as cache is incorporated into the logic board, and the "repair" is actually replacing the LB.

Similar Messages

Macbook Pro won't go past gray apple screen

When I turn my macbook on, it makes the chime and the gray apple screen appears. Then a progress bar appears and after it is finished loading, there is just a spinning loading circle thingy under the apple. My laptop never goes past this screen, it was like this all day. What do I do. This my work computer and I have not used it in a few weeks and before that it was FINE....PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Thank you so much for your reply. I am in the processing of doing the safe boot (I chose to see it) and there are a lot of codes on the screen and it was checking all different things. All of that checking seems to have stopped and all the words and codes on the screen are staying the same. How do I know if the process is done and how long does it take? I am not sure what to do right now.

Indigo/Panther won't boot past gray apple screen.

Right before this started, the finder was stalled with a pinwheel in an almost-loaded configuration--menu bar not fully there, nothing on desktop yet. I finally shut it down with the power button, and since then, every attempt I make to boot up stops at the gray apple, except:
1. I can boot to the Restore CD if I wait through a lonnnnng gray apple phase--probably 5 minutes--after which all the CD's options load and seem normal. I tried restoring, which went without a hitch until restart, at which is simply stalled as before.
2. I can boot to Open Firmware.
I reset the PMU, and I tried resetting the PRAM, and might have done so I guess, but the chimes sounded abnormally close together, sort of like a broken record, and then of course when I let up on the keys, I got the gray apple.
Any clues? I'd certainly appreciate any thoughts you might have. Thank you.

The threadstarter has problems with his Indigo iBook.(366MHZ, firewire)
The AHT is available for Clamshells with firewire.
The next thing would be using Panthers Disk utility prior to installation.
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=169576&seqNum=10
Try to verify and repair your volume. With disk utility you can erase the HD and overwrite it with 0, (erase option) if there are too many bad sectors this process will fail.
You can pull out the RAM stick underneath the keyboard and swap it with the one from your tangerine and see if it works better.
Message was edited by: bund

My emac won't get past the grey screen with spinning indicator

before i went to bed last nite it was fine. when i woke up i click on the screen and got the little rainbow ball. that lasted for about 5-10 minutes so i had to push the button. when i try to turn it on now it gets to the grey screen with the spinning indicator but won't get past that. any help would be appreciated

An Archive and Install will preserve you user settings and data. You will need a minimum of 5 GB free on the hard drive to perform an A&I; you can reduce the space required by about 1 GB by selecting the option to install language support only for the language you use (assuming you don't need multiple languages).
However, after seeing your other post (BTW, it'll be easier to keep track if relted issues are in the same thread), you do not want to try an A&I if Disk Utility is reporting anything about 'could not be repaired'. Doing so will would ensure problems down the road, if it worked at all. It's possible for one disk problem to mask another. Whenever Disk Utility (or any other repair utility) reports making repairs, it's good practice to repeat the repair until it reports no problems found or it becomes clear it cannot repair the disk.
DiskWarrior has an excellent track record at repairing problems that Disk Utility cannot (especially Disk Utility versions prior to OS X 10.4.2).
If the drive cannot be repaired, you may be able to keep it by doing an erase install with the write zeros (one pass) option. That will update the hard drive firmware record of bad disk sectors to avoid using. If there are only a few bad sectors, that may let you keep using the hard drive for several more years. An erase install will do just that to your data, through. If you have access to another Mac with either a large amount of free disk space of a DVD burner, you can try using the other Mac as host and the eMac as target in FireWire target disk mode. You can run the host's copy of Disk Utility on the eMac hard drive, and hopefully be able to mount the emac HD so that you can back up the data in your Home directory.

Help: iMac won't boot past Grey logo screen with spinning lines

My fiance's iMac (intel based) running snow leopard (upgraded from Leopard a couple months ago) will not boot past the logo and spinning lines. This started after at attempting to restart after installing updates to Safari and iTunes.
When booting in verbose mode I get these lines:
Launchctl: Dubious permissions on file (skipping): /Library/LaunchDaemons
Launchctl: Dubious permissions on file (skipping): /System/Library/LaunchDaemons
Launchctl: Dubious permissions on file (skipping): /etc/mach_inid.d
AppleYukon2: Marvel Yukon Gigabit Adapter 88E8055 Singleport Copper SA
AppleYukon2: RxRingSize <= 1024, TxRingSize 256. RXMAXLE 1024, TXMAXLE 768, STMAXLE 3328
Then it just stops and does nothing.
I've unplugged everything except the apple keyboard and mouse. Ethernet is not connected.
She doesn't seem to have the original disc that came with the computer, but I do have the Snow Leopard upgrade disc.
What do I do? It won't boot in Safe Mode either, freezes at the same spot.
I'm not a particularly savvy Mac user as I recently embraced them when we moved in together.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Repairing permission is not the first answer. Should try to run fsck and reset the PRAM
Start up your computer in single-user mode to reach the command line.
Note: If necessary, perform a forced restart as described in the Emergency Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your computer. On desktop computers, you can do this by pressing the reset/interrupt button (if there is one) or holding down the power button for several seconds. On portable computers, simultaneously press the Command-Control-power keys. If your portable computer doesn't restart with this method, you may need to reset the Power Manager.
At the command-line prompt type:
/sbin/fsck -fy
Press Return. fsck will go through five "phases" and then return information about your disk's use and fragmentation. Once it finishes, it'll display this message if no issue is found:
** The volume (name_of_volume) appears to be OKIf fsck found issues and has altered, repaired, or fixed anything, it will display this message:
***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****
Important: If this message appears, repeat the fsck command you typed in step 2 until fsck tells you that your volume appears to be OK (first-pass repairs may uncover additional issues, so this is a normal thing to do).
When fsck reports that your volume is OK, typerebootat the prompt and then press Return.
Your computer should start up normally and allow you to log in.
Resetting PRAM and NVRAM
Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.
Your computer's PRAM and the NVRAM are reset to the default values. The clock settings may be reset to a default date on some models.

MBP won't reboot past the white screen with the grey apple. Why? How do I fix it?

MBP won't reboot past the white screen with the grey apple. Why? How can I fix it?

Which OS are you on.
try doing an SMC reset http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
How long do you wait until giving up??

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.

I was updating my macbook pro and it restarted but didn't boot up. It made it to the gray apple screen with a spinning wheel underneath it. What do I do?

I was updating my macbook pro and it restarted but didn't boot up. It made it to the gray apple screen with a spinning wheel underneath it. What do I do?

This was happening to mine as well and I had to take it in a few times and they had to wipe it completely. If your computer is more that 5 years old, it may be that it is time for a new one. I suggest taking it in so they can diagnose it!

MacBook Pro 2011- Allowed updates to install for iTunes software and Microsoft office (I think). After rebooting, computer wouldn't progress past grey apple screen with loading circle.

I have a MacBook Pro 2011. I allowed updates to install for iTunes software and Microsoft office (I think). After rebooting, computer wouldn't progress past grey apple screen with loading circle. No progression bar ever appeared. It just sits and spins. I tried rebooting with Command + Option + R + P and hearing the chime twice....this did not work.
I also tried Command +Option+R which took me to internet recovery. From there, I chose reinstall Mac OS X Lion 10.7 but it says my hard drive is locked so I wasnt able to select it. What do I do???? Help! I don't want to lose my files and it doesnt appear that I've used Time Machine Back Up.

macbookpro2011ISU wrote:
I also tried Command +Option+R which took me to internet recovery. From there, I chose reinstall Mac OS X Lion 10.7 but it says my hard drive is locked so I wasnt able to select it.
I you upgraded to OS X 10.8, then use RecoveryHD by holding Command R at boot time (no option) and reinstall OS X over itself that way so your installing Mountain Lion.
Also Disk Uility can be used to Repair the Macintosh HD parttion.
Also you can use that RecoveryHD to format and install OS X onto a external drive, then option/alt key boot from it and access your files on the non-booting internal drive before erasing, reformatting and reinstalling OS X fresh.
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
Most commonly used backup methods
..Step by Step to fix your Mac

Pavilion p6-2117 won't get past the splash screen with a parallel card installed.

Pavilion p6-2117c won't get past the splash screen with a pci express parallel card installed. I take the card out and the machine works just fine. The screen says press "esc" for startup menu but nothing happens.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Take a careful look at the slot and see if any of the pins are broken or smashed to the bottom of the slot. Do you have another pci slot to try or just the one?
Reminder: Please select the "Accept as Solution" button on the post that best answers your question. Also, you may click on the white star in the "Kudos" button for any helpful post to give that person a quick thanks. These feedback tools help keep our community active, so you receive better answers faster.

Dr. Smoke...Gray Apple Screen, Keeps Spinning...

My Father's G3 Blue and White 300 MHz machine (10.3.9) started having kernel panics during the boot sequence. (It would boot to the login screen, than panic right when it got there)
I could get the machine to boot into safe mode.
I ran TechTools Deluxe (the latest version) and every test checked out ok.
I attempted to run Archive and Install - It booted of the 10.3 disk fine, and gave me the option to Archive and install.
It started running the Test Disk, and the install failed, and said try installing again.
I read on the xlab to remove the items in the Library > startupItems folder - being that it seems the issue is during the startup sequence.
I dragged the contents to a folder on the desktop, and rebooted. The xlab said if it boots ok, add one startup item at a time and restart, working with process of elimination.
Well, now the machine stays on the gray screen with the Apple - and the spinning circle under it. (I let it try to startup for a few hours like this, no go.)
Tonight I may try Target Disk Mode between my G4 and the G3 to move the contents back in the startupitems folder, and go from there.
Anyone have any other recommendations?

Hi, maybe you can help me, since you seem to be very knowledgeable and experienced - like me. I have been a very proud and determined user of macs for about 18 years and never really had any issues with them until recently. I cleaned up my old G3 eMac and gave it to my kids about a year ago and a couple of moths ago I started getting the kernel panic and broken folder blinking icons, so I got Disk Warrior and hoped that would fix it. It didn't. I ran the hardware tests - everything was fine, got on live chat with the guy from Alsoft for three days, trying everythign we could to revive my poor eMac. Reluctantly I decided to erase the volume and re-install everything, which has been done, but now I can't get it to start off the new disk. It just sticks to the gray apple screen with the spinner just having a good time and I am miserable!! I refuse to believe that I am not going to get this one back - it's there, my information, files and pictures are gone, but the computer should be fine. What am I doing wrong?

Reset PMU and Powerbook won't boot past the blue screen with "Mac OSX" box

Hi-
Problem: I tried to reset my PMU, and now when my computer restarts it won't go past the blue screen with the "Mac OSX" logo in the box (and progress bar, that never fills up). I then also tried to reset PRAM, but it still won't boot properly.
Backstory--
I've had my 12-inch Powerbook G4 for about 3.5 years already, so things are starting to get a bit out of whack. I replaced my battery about 3 months ago, which has been great, but recently my power-cord has been wonky (having to unplug it and replug it in to make sure it actually charges the computer, the light flickers on and off, etc). Today it actually started producing SPARKS at the place where the thin white wire meets the white plastic power brick, so I decided it was time to get a new one. Brought it home, plugged it in, and since it seemed like the battery indication icon on the menu bar was all out of sync with the powercord colored-light, I tried restarting it a few times, but still the same. Then, I decided to reset the PMU, which may have been a huge mistake. And now it won't boot past the blue screen... Any advice? I'm going to try restarting it in "safe" mode, but I'd be so grateful for any recommendations. Hope I haven't done something irreversibly stupid with the PMU reset.
Thanks,
Samantha

Hello all,
Thanks for all of your great suggestions and info-- here are a few responses.
1) The disk I just borrowed from my friend appears to be the full retail version-- it looks just like the links that Ali B sent, and is in a large box saying "Mac OSX Tiger, version 10.4"... will this be the proper disk to do an Erase and Install? The only other disks I have came with my Powerbook when it was originally purchased, when it came Panther (I think, 10.3?). Would I use both sets of these disks to do erase and install? Or only the Tiger OSX disks?
2) I get the sense that Disk Warrior or Tech Tool might be necessary, but does it make sense to TRY to do erase-install before buying them? Also, are there any downloadable (for pay) versions of this, or would I need to track down the actual physical disks in Hong Kong or wait for them to be shipped?
3) I haven't yet tried the S.M.A.R.T. test, should I do that first? What is the procedure? Are there any results or ways to know if the drive is too far gone (so that I might instead replace the internal hard-drive) instead of pay 100 USD first to do the disk repair?
4) Cornelius said: "An alternative would be to completely reformat and erase the entire HDD, then re-install and restore your data from backup. If your backup is in the form of a bootable clone of the entire HDD, you can just clone it back." I use Super-Duper to back-up and the most recent one copied the whole thing-- what would be the later procedure of "cloning it back"?
5) As I'm able to use my computer pretty normally right now, but does it still mean that it might crash/die at any moment? Is there any way to tell?
Thanks so much!

Mac stuck on Apple screen with spinning cog

My daughter wanted to wipe our iMac and as we don't have a recovery disc she looked it up online and got some codes. I think she out something in wrong as it won't load past the gray apple screen with the spinning cog. We have tried the cmd actions. We don't have the original disc if the mac came with one but we have the snow leopard upgrade disc. We can't get to an apple store with it so any ideas?

To restart with the SL Upgrade DVD, insert the disc into the SuperDrive and when you hear the startup tone hold down the Option key until you see the install dic and follow these directions:
Insert the Snow Leopard Install DVD into your Mac’s optical drive.
Once the Snow Leopard DVD mounts on the desktop, the Mac OS X Install DVD window should open. If it doesn’t, double-click the DVD icon on the desktop.
In the Mac OS X Install DVD window, double-click the ‘Install Mac OS X’ icon.
The Install Mac OS X window will open and present you with two options. You can continue with a standard upgrade installation, or use the utilities included on the install DVD. Click the ‘Utilities’ button.
The Snow Leopard installer will inform you that in order to use the supplied utilities, you will need to restart your Mac and boot from the DVD. Click the ‘Restart’ button.

On doing a full Restore on my iMac from A time capsule, I am getting a permanent white apple screen with permanent loading wheel. This is my second attempt to restore with the same outcome. Seems like the last stage of the restore is getting stuck. Any ti

On doing a full Restore on my iMac from A time capsule, I am getting a permanent white apple screen with permanent loading wheel. This is my second attempt to restore with the same outcome. Seems like the last stage of the restore is getting stuck. Any tips on how to sort this out please.
iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

It just means some spammer is using your email address as the sender address for their spam. This is very easy to do - anyone can do it simply by changing the From email address in their email program. It does not mean your account was hacked or you have a virus (there are no current Mac viruses on the loose anyway, nor has there been for years).
There's nothing you can do about it. It can happen to anyone and the spammers will move on to using someone else's email address before long.

2012 MB Pro 13" came with Lion - nearly new, second owner. Stopped responding yesterday in the middle of work. Forced quit, booted up single user, ran fsck -fy, mount -us /, reboot. Stuck on grey apple screen with spinning wheel forever now. Please help

2012 MB Pro 13" came with Lion - nearly new, second owner. Stopped responding yesterday in the middle of work. Forced quit; reboot stuck on grey apple screen. Booted as single user; ran fsck -fy; mount -us /; reboot. Still stuck on grey apple screen with spinning wheel.
Any advice please?
Thanks

Run through this list of fixes, your solution is there
Step by Step to fix your Mac

G4 TiBook won't go past gray apple screen with spinning black wheel

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for