Hard shut down causing restart error

A prompt to do a software update froze my MacBook. Force quit didn't help, so I did a hard shut down. Now, the machine will power on, but as soon as I hear the startup tone, a black screen drops down with the following message: "You need to restart your computer. Hold down the Power button for several seconds or press the Restart button." when I do this, I just get the startup tone and the same message every time. Im not familiar with the "Restart button." What can I do to get out of this loop, and what will I need to do once I do get past it?

You are experiencing a Kernel Panic, as shown in Apple doc. #HT1392.
Bad or incompatible RAM is, more often then not, the cause of most Kernel Panics. It could also just need to be reset.
Here's the most used site for Resolving Kernel Panics. Please do all the steps in order, even if you don't think you need to do a certain step.
Here is a great MacFixIt article.
 Good Luck! DALE

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    com.apple.filesystems.autofs    3.0
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    com.apple.driver.AppleHIDKeyboard    165.5
    com.apple.driver.IOBluetoothHIDDriver    4.0.9f33
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    com.apple.driver.DspFuncLib    2.3.1f2
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    com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily    1.7.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireSBP2    4.2.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice    3.5.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOAHCISerialATAPI    2.5.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily    3.5.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient    5.2.5
    com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily    4.5.5
    com.apple.iokit.IOEthernetAVBController    1.0.2b1
    com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family    500.15
    com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily    3.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily    2.2.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily    5.4.0
    com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime    1.6.1
    com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily    1.8.0
    com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily    1.1
    com.apple.security.sandbox    220
    com.apple.kext.AppleMatch    1.0.0d1
    com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet    7
    com.apple.driver.DiskImages    344
    com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily    1.8
    com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore    28.21
    com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform    1.6
    com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily    2.7.2
    com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily    1.4
    com.apple.kec.corecrypto    1.0

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       3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)
    Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
    It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
    A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.
    An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.
    For the reasons given above, App Store products, and other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. Sandboxing security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.
    4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
    5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they're not absolute protection. The first and best line of defense is always going to be your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "Trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the malware attacker. If you're smarter than he thinks you are, you'll win.
    That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbor of computing practices. How do you know what is safe?
    Any website that prompts you to install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one, is unsafe.
    A web operator who tells you that you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, or that you have won a prize in a contest you never entered, is trying to commit a crime with you as the victim. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
    Pirated copies or "cracks" of commercial software, no matter where they come from, are unsafe.
    Software of any kind downloaded from a BitTorrent or from a Usenet binary newsgroup is unsafe.
    Software that purports to help you do something that's illegal or that infringes copyright, such as saving streamed audio or video for reuse without permission, is unsafe. All YouTube "downloaders" are outside the safe harbor, though not all are necessarily harmful.
    Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. If it comes from any other source, it's unsafe. For instance, if a web page warns you that Flash is out of date, do not follow an offered link to an update. Go to the Adobe website to download it, if you need it at all.
    Even signed applications, no matter what the source, should not be trusted if they do something unexpected, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
    "FREE WI-FI !!!" networks in public places are unsafe unless you can verify that the network is not a trap (which you probably can't.) Even then, do not download any software or transmit any private information while connected to such a network, regardless of where it seems to come from or go to.
    6. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.
    Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
    Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable it — not JavaScript — in your browsers.
    Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a lock icon in the address bar with the abbreviation "https" when visiting a secure site.
    Follow the above guidelines, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself.
    7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good, if they do any good at all. Any database of known threats is always going to be out of date. Most of the danger is from unknown threats. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free anti-virus products in the Mac App Store — nothing else.
    Why shouldn't you use commercial "anti-virus" products?
    Their design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere.
    In order to meet that nonexistent threat, the software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
    To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. Most of the real danger comes from highly targeted "zero-day" attacks that are not yet recognized.
    By modifying the operating system, the software itself may create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
    8. An anti-malware product from the App Store, such as "ClamXav," doesn't have these drawbacks. That doesn't mean it's entirely safe. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
    An anti-virus app is not needed, and should not be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful only for detecting Windows malware. Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else.
    A Windows malware attachment in email is usually easy to recognize. The file name will often be targeted at people who aren't very bright; for example:
    ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!!!!!!!H0TBABEZ4U!!!!!!!.AVI♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.exe
    Anti-virus software may be able to tell you which particular trojan it is, but do you care? In practice, there's seldom a reason to use the software unless an institutional policy requires it.
    The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.
    9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.
    10. As a Mac user you don't have to live in fear that your computer may be infected every time you install software, read email, or visit a web page. But neither should you assume that you will always be safe from exploitation, no matter what you do. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then feel safe enough to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

  • I upgraded to lion. I now have the spinning wheel on the startup screen when I try to enter my user name and password. I tried shutting down and restarting, no luck

    I upgraded to lion. I now have the spinning wheel on the startup screen when I try to enter my user name and password. I tried shutting down and restarting, no luck

    Reinstalling Lion Without the Installer
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    Note: You can also re-download the Lion installer by opening the App Store application. Hold down the OPTION key and click on the Purchases icon in the toolbar. You should now see an active Install button to the right of your Lion purchase entry. There are situations in which this will not work. For example, if you are already booted into the Lion you originally purchased with your Apple ID or if an instance of the Lion installer is located anywhere on your computer.

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