Grey screen with the apple logo

i updated my mum's MacBook Pro a week ago, but it wont turn back on, all i see is a grey screen with the apple logo and a loading circle

roz123,
which model MacBook Pro does your mum have, and which version of OS X is installed on it?

Similar Messages

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

I didn't close my mac air down properly and when i tried to use it, the screen was frozen. I turned it off and restarted it, and the grey screen with the apple logo appear and the circle just keeps spinning. Can you advise?

i didn't close my mac air down properly and when i tried to use it, the screen was frozen. I turned it off and restarted it, and the grey screen with the apple logo appear and the circle just keeps spinning. Can you advise?

Try resetting the SMC
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

On start up i just get a grey screen with the apple logo-this has suddenly started happenin. Please help?

on start up i just get a grey screen with the apple logo-this has suddenly started happenin. Please help?

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.

My Mac won´t load. When I turn it on, I type the password, then it starts to load, but nothing happens. It gets stuck on the grey screen with the apple logo. I can´t go to an Apple store since I´m working in Bolivia. Thanks

When I turn it on, I type the password, then it starts to load, but nothing happens. It gets stuck on the grey screen with the apple logo. I can´t go to an Apple store since I´m working in Bolivia. Thanks

RhysWills1,
which model MacBook Pro do you have, and which version of OS X is installed on it?

Computer crashed and is now stuck on a grey screen with the apple logo and pinwheel. What do I do?

Computer crashed and is stuck on a grey screen with the apple logo and pinwheel turning
Please help

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 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 you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
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, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or 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 10. 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.

During boot Yosemite shows a grey screen with the Apple logo and a progress bar - is this normal?

During boot Yosemite shows a grey screen with the Apple logo and a progress bar - is this normal?

Same here after upgrade yesterday.
I can get OS utilities up using CMD R or holding the shift key (eventually), but if I simply then reinstall the OS will it not loose everything on my drive? I do have it backed up on Time Machine? What a nightmare - Apple Support does suck. I am not paying £25 for them to call me to tell me how to fix a bug in their OS software upgrade. Any help
Also does anyone know if it is possible to use time machine to go back to Snow Leopard? I have wasted much of the day on this now
Cheers
Simon

Stuck on grey screen with the apple logo

My MacBook is struck on the grey screen withthe apple logo and the circle with the dots.
Is there any way I can get back on my MacBook? Any shirtcuts to get past this

A few tricks have worked for me.
1. First restart your computer while pressing the S key - that's the safeboot option, and may allow you to get onto your system.
2. Restart your system while pressing Apple-P-R-M; wait until you hear the chime before you release the keys.
3. Restart your system with your current system disk. Update your preferences while you're at it.

My mac wont get passed the grey screen with the apple logo and the timing circle, please help

My macbook wont get passed the grey screen, I rebooted it, any suggestions?

Work your way throught this knowledge base article:
Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7), 2.4GHz IntelCore i5 320 HD 8GB RAM

TS2570 Is downloaded mavericks and installed. I cannot boot up, it hangs on the grey screen with the apple logo

Will not boot

Here are some suggestions based on my recent issue with unable to get Mavericks up after upgrade - The Apple geniuses just simply couldnt figure this one out...despite it being in their shop for 3 days (They probably did not look at it...and asked if they can just wipe out everything and install fresh...i had said NO):
Restart computer and hold Cmd+V when you hear chime. This will start the computer in Verbose mode.
See the messages and see where the system boot fails. In my case, it was some backtrace IOStorageFamily issue with com.paragon-software.
Google may be able to solve your Apple issues - just type the error message in and see if you get any useful suggestions. in most cases - this would be some faulty 3rd party drivers.....
In my case, it was something stupid i had probably installed....I had to boot to safe mode (Hold Shift at boot chime) - open Terminal, delete the folder com.paragon-software.kext from System/Library/Extensions....that fixed the problem. Mavericks is working great now....
Let me know if your debugging thing works...

I think my HDD is dead - stuck at the grey screen, with the apple logo ..

Hi all,
I think my Mbp's HDD has partially failed. It is the original 100gig drive , which was 95% full.
It started getting incredibly slow so I decided to reboot it. It has not been possible to boot.
I have managed to connect the internal drive to another mac using FireWire and T on startup.
The drive shows up and the data can be accessed albeit slowly.
I tried to repair the drive in disk utility and it came up with a lot of " invalid node structures" and " invalid record counts".
The disk utility seemed to not complete the process so I had to quit it.
I can't boot from the cd , but I may be doing it wrong.
Can anyone help me with the next thing to try?
Thanks.

Slow access even with Target Disk Mode (TDM) can indicate a failing drive, but it's possible that drive can be rehabilitated by continuing to off-load files and keep trying with Disk Utility. Sometimes, enough DU runs can restore sanity.
I'd check the SMART status first (try: SMART Utility at Apple OSX Downloads ). This can be done from the other Mac while the MBP is in TDM. If the drive passes and you can off-load some of the load, then a directory repair utility like DiskWarrior might be worth a try.
However DiskWarrior is US$100 and you can get a new 500GB SATA 2.5" hard drive for less than that. The advantage to disk Warrior is that it's easier to install in an MBP than a new hard drive.

11-04-2008, 08:55 AM Hello all, Hoping someone can offer me some help. My macbook won't boot past the grey screen with the apple logo with the spinning disc. I've left it for around an hour and nothing happens.

pls help me need help badlypls help me, need really bad

Look at this support article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Ciao.

My macbook pro will not get past the gray screen with the apple logo and a loading bar.

My macbook pro will not get past the grey screen with the apple logo after attempting to load for hours. I have already tried resetting the NVRAM/PRAM and a couple other tricks and no luck. Anyone out there have suggestions for my problem? Help would be much appreciated since i use my computer for everything at school and i am in desperate need to get this baby working again.

You didn't say which OS in your tag, but maybe you might find something here.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4191
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH7213
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4125
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2213

Im having trouble getting my macbook pro to boot up after a fail safe boot, im getting as far as the grey screen with the apple loggo. so im trying to run a disk repair but is saying the disk is locked, how do i unlock disk??

Im having trouble getting my macbook pro to boot up after a fail safe boot, im getting as far as the grey screen with the apple loggo. so im trying to run a disk repair but is saying the disk is locked, how do i unlock disk??

Some clarification may help.
You say you cannot boot normally. It shows a gray screen with the Apple logo.
Did you say it will boot successfully in Safe Mode (boot, then hold down the Shift key)?
How did you boot the machine to run Disk Utility? (Which keyboard combinations)?

My Macbook pro 13 inch is stuck on a gray screen with the apple logo, how do I fix this?

Sooo, I was using my laptop for a while and the charger was kind of broken, it was dip in and out, and slowly I got a "Service Battery" notification. I updated my system and now everytime I try to boot up my computer it'd show a gray screen with the apple logo and a loading bar with a circular loading icon but it never actually boots up. It stays stuck at that loading screen. I don't think it's because I uploaded my system that it happened, but I'm wondering if it's because I didn't change my charger/battery, and I'm wondering if I have to get the harddrive changed or is there a way for me to recover my files and whatnot without having to whip it. Please help, and thanks in advice to any help offered.

Dwaniej,
you can try this: boot your MacBook Pro into Recovery mode by holding down a Command key and the R key as it starts up. Once the OS X Utilities menu appears, select Disk Utility. On the left-hand side of the Disk Utility window, select your internal disk’s boot partition (typically called “Macintosh HD”). On the right-hand side, press the Verify Disk button if it’s not greyed out; if it is greyed out, or if it reports that errors were found, press the Repair Disk button. Once the verification/repair is completed, exit Disk Utility and select Restart from the Apple menu to restart in normal mode. Does it get past the grey screen now?

Grey screen with the apple logo

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