Grey screen with stop / prohibition sign os x maverick

Restarted mac and grey screen with apple logo shifts to gret screen with stop sign.
I tried "shift" key and "shift command v" and it did not work
I tried "option key" and did not work
I tried disconnecting all exterjnal devices like usb,mouse etc.. And restarted and still did not work.
Its not responding to keyboard.
History:
Bought macbook pro 2011
Updated to os x maverick last month
Did updates when prompted

Well,
I tried the "Internet Recovery" option and finally saw Mac OS X Mountain Lion's install page but after waiting 7 hours when I just thought its going to start installing, I got another progress bar with 36 hours remining time to download "Additional Components" then after progressing 2-3 hours, it shows "Unable to write installation something..., Contact Apple Care"
Then I accidently rebooted the machine and now it seems Internet Recovery don't work anymore, it shows "support.apple.com - 40 something!" error, and finally when I tried to reboot using Recovery HD, I found it's gone as-well!
To be honest, I don't know what to do now, I am and dissapointed... also I do not have any Apple Store nearby, there is an authorized country reseller almost 650/km far away from my residents and they even charges too high (like $250) for doing such repairs (as per phone conversation)
If anyone have any idea or anything to help me with, please do share- I'd be eternally grateful!

Similar Messages

I updated my MacBook Pro, and now it's to fully restarting.. It's stuck on the grey screen with the loading sign at the bottom of the apple.

How do I fix this issue???

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.
If you've booted from 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, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot 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 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 step 1.) 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 may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" 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.

Help I tried opening my Mac book pro after shutting it down and all I get is a grey screen with the apple sign and a moving mouse but I can't open it !! What should I do ??

Help I tried opening my Mac book pro after shutting it down but it won't open and all I get is a grey screen and a mo Jong mouse but nothin else so can u help me ??

Hey HJA96,
Thanks for the question. I understand that your MacBook Pro is booting to a gray screen. The following article addresses this symptom, and provides relevant troubleshooting information:
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Some of the steps included:
- Disconnect, test peripheral devices and network cables
- Perform a Safe Boot
- Reset the NVRAM / PRAM
- Start from your Mac OS X Install disc; use Disk Utility
- Check your cables and power source
- Remove third-party RAM and internal hardware
- Perform an Archive and Install installation of Mac OS X
- Perform an Erase and Install installation of Mac OS X as a last resort
(See article for full information on all of the above)
Thanks,
Matt M.

TS2570 On start up of my new iMac it locks on the grey screen with the apple logo and the progress wheel spins. Boot up in safe and this is where it stopped at "BootCacheControl: Unable to open /var/db/bootcache.playlist: 2 no such file or directory. "

On start up of my new iMac it locks on the grey screen with the apple logo and the progress wheel spins. Boot up in safe and this is where it stopped at "BootCacheControl: Unable to open /var/db/bootcache.playlist: 2 no such file or directory. "

Reinstalling MacOS does NOT fix the problem for me. I'm still searching a solution !
Bernard

My MacBook won't boot past the grey screen showing a folder sign with question mark, My MacBook won't boot past the grey screen showing a folder sign with question mark, My MacBook won't boot past the grey screen showing a folder sign with question mark

Hi, I need some serious help immediately. I have been using an external hard disc to watch movies and stuff on my MacBook. However last night I removed the external hard disc accidentally without closing the programs that were still using the data from the hard disk and hence the complete MacBook got hanged and nothing responded. I tried using command Q to shut down the program buy it didn't help either. So finally I gave up and shut down the MacBook manually by pressing the power on/off button.
However when I tried restarting my MacBook I faced a serious problem. The start up won't boot beyond the grey screen showing a folder sign with a question mark sign in it .. I just don't know what to do. Somebody please help me and guide me through this problem
Awaiting quick response
Gratitude in advance
Regards
AJ

If you try booting your Mac holding down the Option key, you should see the icon for Macintosh HD. Try selecting that to boot. If you can get in that way, go to System Preferences > Startup Disk and select your Mac HD, then click Restart.
If you can't see the Mac HD, the volume may indeed need repair as Niel said.

Suddenly on sunday while i was working, my macbook Air stopped working, right after that i tried getting it on but nothing came other than a grey screen with a question mark right in the center could you please help me in rectifying the problem. Would th

Suddenly on Sunday while i was working, my macbook Air which i bought last year in Spetember from Arkansas, Little Rock stopped working, right after that i tried getting it on but nothing came other than a grey screen with a question mark right in the center. Could someone please help me in rectifying the problem. Would thi issue also affect saved data. However, I have handed the notebook to Apple for reapirs and they will revert by Thursday 12/04/2012.

I just received some horrifying news from Adobe about my production suite. I just FINALLY learned today that what I've been trying to do for over a week now - CAN'T be done because of compatability issues involving updates of both Adobe & Microsucks Winders!!! I sincerely hope this is not your problem. Mine is ALMOST HOPELESS!! Being in this HOPELESS Obamma economy,,,, leaves NO STIMULUS in which to currently upgrade everything that needs upgraded for me to fully use my INVESTMENT in Adobe Suite - sad, horrible and SICKENING!!!
I just wanted to post this. And again, I truly hope you find a solution. Good Luck!

Screen stuck on grey apple screen with a loading sign

I thought i had lost my charger and i wasnt willing to fork out the money to buy one for awhile. During a recent move i found it. I charged it up but when i got to my login screen i kept trying to type my password and it wouldnt except it. After looking online i found several posts about click buttons i dont remember what exactly i clicked but it was along the lines of " option and the R key" Another screen popped up and it had several options one of which was to try to do a back up/ restore it through timemachine. I treid that and it wasnt working. I went back to the screen and saw an option that said install the lion thing. i tried that and it didnt work. I was frustrated so i decided it would be best to just shut down my computer and try again when i was less riled up. Well now it has been stuck on the grey apple screen with a loading sign under it for atleast a day now if not longer. I have no idea what to do. I'm not sure if i have apple care or not. Oh and not really sure what operating system i was using.

Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion Without Erasing the Drive
Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. 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 main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Continue button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

Stuck on grey screen with apple logo after failed iTunes update

I tried to install an update for iTunes 9.2 on my MacBook. During installation a box appeared telling me the update had failed. I clicked the 'Restart' button. Now it won't go past the grey screen with the apple logo and the rotating wheel; it just loads indefinitely. I have a very important document saved on the Mac which I've added to without backing it up. I'm worried that I will lose (or have already lost) a great deal of writing. Is there a way to get my computer running again without damaging my files? Because this computer was a gift, I don't have the software installation CDs that came with it (or Disk Utility). I'm also not very familiar with computers in general, so if you explain your solutions in a really basic way, I'd appreciate it. Any kind of advice would be extremely welcomed...

This one?
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck
* Last Modified: June 25, 2009
* Article: TS1417
* Old Article: 106214
[Email this article]
[Print this page]
Symptoms
If your computer won't start up normally, you may need to use a disk repair utility to fix the issue. Mac OS X includes two utilities for this—Disk Utility and fsck (a command-line utility). You can also use these even when your computer starts just fine but you want to check the disk for possible file system issues. For Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later, check out "About live verification in Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later," below.
Important: If you're using Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you should use Disk Utility instead of fsck, whenever possible.
In some situations, file system errors may prevent your computer from starting up. This can occur after an improper shutdown, forced restart, or power interruption. If your computer shows any of the following symptoms on startup, use a disk repair utility:
* Your computer partially starts but then displays a command line in a text-only environment. You may see the message, "file system dirty, run fsck." Below it, you'll see what's called a command-line prompt, indicated by a number sign (#), that allows you to type a command. If you see this, you'll need to run fsck from the command line (see "Use fsck if necessary," below).
* Your computer starts but either it won't reach the login screen, or it may reach the login screen but not load the Desktop after you log in. However, you can start up in single-user mode.
If your computer exhibits either of the above issues, here are some things to try to get your computer back to starting up properly again. If you can't find the system discs that came with your computer, see "Use fsck," below.
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.3, Mac OS X 10.2, Mac OS X 10.1
Resolution
Try a Safe Boot
If you're using Mac OS X 10.2 or later, you can start up your computer in Safe Mode, which includes an automatic disk check and repair. If you're using Mac OS X 10.1.5 or earlier, skip to the next section. A Safe Boot, which starts up your computer into Safe Mode, may allow you to start up your computer successfully using a reduced version of the system software. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Start up in Safe Mode.
2. After the system has fully started up, restart your computer again normally.
If the computer successfully restarts, you do not need to do any more troubleshooting. If the issue persists, try Disk Utility.
Try Disk Utility
1. Start from your Mac OS X Install disc: Insert the installation disc, 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 First Aid 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.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk.
Tip: Always start up your computer from an Install or Restore disc when using Disk Utility to verify or repair your startup volume. Otherwise, you might see some disk error messages.
Use fsck if necessary
fsck is a command-line utility that may be able to verify and repair a disk. If you can successfully start up in Safe Mode or use Disk Utility while started up from a disc, you don't need to use fsck. Here are some situations in which fsck may be necessary.
* Your Mac OS X disc isn't available.
* Your optical drive isn't available.
* You can't start with a Safe Boot by holding the Shift key during start up.
Tip: If you use a Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) formatted volume, such as with Mac OS X 10.3 or later, you probably won't need to use fsck. If you do use it for any reason, please be aware that benign error messages can appear.
If you're not sure how your volume is formatted and you can't start up from your Mac OS X volume to find out, type the following command in a command-line interface and then press Return: diskutil info /
If you see "File System: Journaled HFS+" returned, you have a Journaled volume.
To use fsck, you must run it from the command line. Unlike using your mouse pointer to open an application to do something, you'll need to type a text command at the prompt (#) to tell fsck what to do. The Terminal application (/Applications/Utilities) and single-user mode are two examples of command-line interfaces in which you can type such commands. To use fsck:
1. 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.
2. At the command-line prompt type:
/sbin/fsck -fy
3. 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 (nameofvolume) appears to be OK
If 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).
4. When fsck reports that your volume is OK, type reboot at the prompt and then press Return.
Your computer should start up normally and allow you to log in.
Additional Information
About live verification in Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later
In Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later, you can verify your Mac OS X volume while started from it. This is known as live verification, and can be used in three different ways.
Option 1: Verify your disk using Disk Utility while started from the startup disk. To find out how to do this, see this article. Please note that live verification does not involve any disk repair, so if verification finds something that should be repaired, start up from your Mac OS X Install disc and use Disk Utility as described above in "Try Disk Utility."
Option 2 (advanced): Use the command line and the command-line utility, diskutil.
1. Start up your computer and log in as an administrator.
2. Open Terminal (/Applications/Utilities).
3. At the prompt, type the following command and then press Return:
diskutil verify /
Note: Don't use this method to check non-startup volumes.
You should see messages such as the following during the disk check:
Could not unmount disk for verification, attempting live verify
Started verify/repair on volume disk0s3 Macintosh HD
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Checking Extended Attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
The volume Macintosh HD appears to be OK.
Mounting Disk
Verify/repair finished on volume disk0s3 Macintosh HD
Option 3 (advanced): Use the command line and the fsck_hfs -l command.
1. Start up your computer and log in as an administrator.
2. Open Terminal (/Applications/Utilities).
3. At the prompt, type the following command and then press Return to determine your filesytem ID:
df -hl
4. Look for some lines of text that look like this:
Filesystem Size Used Avail Capacity Mounted on
/dev/disk0s3 37G 20G 17G 55% /
/dev/disk0s5 37G 37G 641M 98% /Volumes/Storage
5. Make a note of the first "disk" name that appears after /dev/, such as "disk0s3." This is your filesystem ID for your startup volume.
6. At the prompt, type the following command and then press Return:
df -hl
7. Then type the following command, where "disk0s3" is your filesystem ID you noted in step 4, then press Return:
sudo fsck_hfs -l /dev/disk0s3
8. When prompted, enter your admin password, then press Return to begin the verification.
9. You should see messages like these during the disk check:
** /dev/rdisk0s3 (NO WRITE)
** Root file system
** Checking HFS Plus volume.
** Checking Extents Overflow file.
** Checking Catalog file.
** Checking multi-linked files.
** Checking Catalog hierarchy.
** Checking Extended Attributes file.
** Checking volume bitmap.
** Checking volume information.
** The volume Macintosh HD appears to be OK.
Advanced information
If you're interested in UNIX-style command-line syntax, here's a look at how a couple of flags used above can influence fsck:
* The -y flag: Tells fsck that you want to answer "yes" to all questions about fixing, repairing, or salvaging information. This is the optimal approach, as answering "no" to any question causes fsck to stop. You cannot determine that all necessary repairs have been made until fsck completes and gives its final report.
* The -f flag: Forces fsck to check "clean" filesystems when preening.
See also
* Handling "overlapped extent allocation" errors reported by Disk Utility or fsck
* Disk Utility reports "Underlying task reported failure" when repairing a volume

My PC has blue screened twice in the past week so I force quit it it came back on a few times after that it is now grey screening with inch wide blue lines from top to bottom the apple logo is there and it is trying to boot up but nothing happening

My Mac has blue screened a couple of times this week it started to work a couple of times after that but now it is grey screening with inch wide blue lines from top to bottom the apple logo is also there it is trying to boot up again but won't. Not sure don't know anything about how to fix things but I suspect the fan has stopped working as I can't hear one. The problem I have I now live in Turkey and I am 1000 km from the nearest apple shop which is in Istanbul I believe and I now live in Didim, Altinkum I don't trust the everyday Turkish shop to take it to as they will tell you they know how to fix it but will probably make it worse, typical in Turkey. Please can someone help as we use it for our business and obviously I need it up and running ASAP I am using IPad and iPhone at moment but can't access my files which are on PC.

Thanks for that information!
I'm sure I will be calling AppleCare, but the problem is, they charge for the phone calls don't they? Because I don't have money to be spending to be on the phone with a support service.
In other things, it seemed like the only time my MacBook was working was when I had Snow Leopard without the 10.6.8 update download that was supposed to be done to prepare for OS X Lion.
When I look at the information of my HD it says that I have 10.6.8 but that was the install that it claimed to have failed and caused me to restart resulting in all of the repeated problems.
Also, because my computer is currently down, and I've lost all files how would that effect the use of my iPhone? Because if it doesn't get fixed by the time OS 5 is released, how would I be able to upgrade?!

My mac froze in an application so I shut it down by powering off with button, now when I try to turn it on I have a grey screen with Apple loge and the timer swirling but it doesn't get past this, please help!

I Shut down my Mac by holding in the power button after my iMac froze and now when I try to turn it back it on all I get is the grey screen with Apple loge and the timer and doesn't get any further. I have tried the diagnostic test but nothing was found.

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.

Stuck on grey screen with apple logo when starting up?

Hi,
My Macbook (2009 aluminium unibody (Leopard 10.5.8)) won't boot. When I try to start it up it gives the chime and then gets stuck at the grey screen with the Apple logo and some spinning gear below. I have tried booting with the install DVD and repairing through Disk Utility but this doesn't work. Disk Utility can see the hard drive but none of the partitions on it! This makes me think the hard drive has died.
However, I can still boot to Windows through BootCamp. From Windows 7 I can still see and access files from the Mac partition. So maybe the hard drive is ok and something else needs fixing... SATA cable???
Other info:
The night before this happened my computer froze when trying to shut down from Windows and I had to force shut down.
The current internal hard drive is only about 4 months old (a bit short for it to be dying already - its a Western Digital 750gb 7200rpm). I replaced the old one as it had stopped working (at least i thought it was the hard drive ). The hard drive I replaced had lasted about 2 years (Seagate 500gb 7200rpm). Maybe the 7200rpm gets too hot?
Any help much appreciated as I really don't want to be reinstalling again.
Thanks

Boot from the OS dvd and start the install process, but stop immediately after the language selection. (You are not reinstalling.) At this point you will see a Utilities menu. Open Disk Utility, select your start up disk, and click on Repair Disk. When that is done, quit DU and restart.
See if that procedure will let you boot as usual.

My MacBook Pro will not boot up. I just get a grey screen with a "no entry" symbol and a spinning time icon. Any ideas as to how I can get over this issue?

Hi, I tried to start my MacBook Pro are 2 weeks and all I get is a grey screen with a grey no entry sign and a spinning timer. I have tried a reboot with shift cmd and v and it seems to be looping and referring to an external device. Only the power is attached. Can anyone provide advice on how to get past the grey screen? Many thanks.

Does the system automatically back up data?
No.
As you can getto the Recovery partition, you can at least verify your disk using Disk Utility. If it reports that repairs are needed, you can try to repair but I've found that nearly 100% of the time repairing the disk inevitably FAILS. You should be prepared to, 1) buy a new drive for your machine and, 2) buy a good (see here) enclosure for your damaged drive to try to recover data.
After you get everything fixed, use at least two backup methods to keep your data secure. See Most commonly used backup methods.
Clinton

MBP (2010) stuck in grey screen with Apple logo no matter what I do.

Hi everybody,
I know this issue has been posted many times in the past, and I have searched everywhere, but I am quickly running out of option but to repartition/reformat and do a clean install. I have important files on my computer (I know! Back up! Back up! Back up!) and need your help to preferably regain full access to my system or somehow find access to my files so I could transfer them to an external hdd.
From two days ago my as I was browing the net through Google Chrome my computer all of a sudden started to show the sippinig beach ball and became completely unresponsive. I could not force shut down any program or restart the system. So, I held down the power button and forced the system to shut down. When I rebooted the MB it all began going haywire. The boot process gets stuck in a grey screen with the Apple logo and the spinning wheel (not the beach ball) for a long time. After that I get the mouse pointer, and if I move that it turns to the spinning beach ball and nothing happens except that the screen flashes between silver and grey colors.
So here are the steps I have taken as to "attempt" to fix the issue (I have followed these instructions: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3353) :
1. Went into startup manager and ran the disk utility to verify disk volume and permissions. Everything seems to be OK.
2. Conducted a PRAM reset. No change.
3. Conducted a SMC reset. No change.
4. I did a fsck -fy run (in command mode) on startup. No change.
5. Ran the system in verbose mode and got the following error: "BootCacheControl : Unable to open /var/db/BootCache.playlist"
6. And lastly, I created 10.8 OSX image on a USB stick and reinstalled ML one more time only to get stuck at the same place yet again.
Additionally, I can see my computer from my wife's MBP also running ML for a while. The folder that I have set the permission to be available, I can access! I have moved some files, but naturally the files that I want are in folders that have restricted network access. That just tells me the hard itself should be fine (perhaps).
I am running out of ideas fast to save the system. If anyone can help me, I'd be immensely grateful. Thanks.
Amir

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, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot 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 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.

Macbook Pro stuck on grey screen with Apple logo

Macbook Pro was purchased in mid-late 2009 and is running on OS X 10.6. Today is suddenly stopped responding and so I turned it off. When I turned it back on it opend to the grey screen with the Apple logo and the loading icon and that is where it stayed. I have been searching for the answer on different forums but have yet to find a solution. My hard drive is appearing in the Disk Utility but not in the box when I try to reinstall OS X. Any suggestions on what to do?

Create a data recovery, undelete boot drive
dustysjuls wrote:
Will that erase all of the files on my hard drive? Or will it just erase and reinstall the operating system? I do not have my files backed up.
A #18 Reinstall Just OS X, details here:
Step by Step to fix your Mac

Computer won't start, grey screen with Apple logo only. Ideas?

Last night my wife's G5 froze. It is a G5 2.0 running OS X 10.4.11. I shut it down (had to use the power button) and tried to restart. No luck, just made it to the grey screen with Apple logo and spinning wheel. After a few seconds the Apple logo disappeared and a black box took its place, then the wheel stopped spinning. It was late, decided top wait until morning before trying again.
This morning I tried to start up again. This time got a warning(?) in upper left that a Firmtek item had already started. I'm sorry I didn't write this all down at the time, so I don't remember the entire message. Since there is a Firmtek card installed in one of the PCI slots I thought that might be the problem, and I pulled the card, as well as another Adaptec card that was also installed. Tried to start again, got to grey screen with Apple but this time no spinning wheel.
Opened media slot manually and inserted Diskwarrior. Tried to start with Diskwarrior but again only reached grey screen. Let run for ~5 minutes, until fans started to run and were begining to get noisy.
Next I reset the PRAM. No luck, still stuck on grey screen. Tried Diskwarrior again, this time got another message in upper left. Here is most of it -
System Failure : cpu=1; code=60000009 (Invalid pmap)
Lateset crash info for cpu1;
Exception state (sv=0x609bb280)
PC=0x000a4ad0; MSR=0x02003000 followed by more similar strings, then
backtrace terminated - unaligned frame address; 0xfc088891
So what's the diagnosis? I've had various issues with my G5s in the past, but have never had one refuse to boot with Diskwarrior before.
Thanks in advance for any help!

Whew, could be many things, from RAM, (or RAM slots/solder issue), to CPU #1 being bad, (CPU#1 is actually the second one.
Does it boot into any of these modes?
Target mode...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661
Does it boot to Single User Mode, CMD+s keys at bootup, if so try...
/sbin/fsck -fy
Repeat until it shows no errors fixed.
(Space between fsck AND -fy important).
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
We might get clues with verbose mode...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1492

Grey screen with stop / prohibition sign os x maverick

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