Help! Can't get past grey apple screen after Time Machine restore

Today I did a complete restoration of my HD using Time Machine. It seemed to successfully complete, prompting me to his <RESTART>, which I did. After the grey screen with the apple, I get this black and white pattern, almost like patchwork. Anyway, I've rebooted a zillion times, each time with the same result. I haven't had any luck starting in safe mode, but I'm wondering if the wireless keyboard is even being recognized. I've got a phone call request into Applecare, but I am really freaking out. Anyone ever heard of this before?

navyshrink wrote:
Today I did a complete restoration of my HD using Time Machine.
Did you use a Leopard disc for that? If so, that's your problem: you must use a Snow Leopard disc to restore a Snow Leopard backup.

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Can't get past grey apple screen

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Boot from your install disc & run Repair Disk from the utility menu. To use the Install Mac OS X disc, insert the disc, and restart your computer while holding down the C key as it starts up.
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Two login screen after Time Machine Restore

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I have an iMac running Snow Leopard (most recent update) I recently tried norton antivirus for the mac but found that it slowed down my mac too much so i uninstalled it with the uninstaller. The error i got was a circle with a line thru it at startup. After following steps on disk repair and permission repair i still couldnt get rid of this so I did a restore from time machine. I used the original disk (not the snow leopard upgrade disk) to reach the time machine restore. After trying 2 different backups I'm now getting the gray screen that asks me to restart my imac. I've unplugged everything else. The internal hard drive and ram are all factory.
Any suggestions for a frustrated iMac user ???

HI Corey,
There are no Mac viruses in the wild. Unfortunately, you selected the worst A/V software possible. Here's a list of Mac users who installed Norton. http://discussions.apple.com/search.jspa?search=Go&q=norton
After trying 2 different backups I'm now getting the gray screen that asks me to restart my imac.
That's a kernel panic.
Thing to do now is a complete erase and install from your SL disc.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3910
or here...
http://macs.about.com/od/snowleopardmacosx106/qt/cleaninstall_sl.htm
Carolyn

Macbook won't get past grey apple screen

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I went to the mac store and they told me it could be two things 1. need an archive update or 2. need a new hard drive. It ended up being the hard drive is shot. It seems many people are having this problem even though it hasn't been out for long, so if you are having trouble restarting it (error reading 0x7 or any error reading driver messages) you should take it to the mac store.

Safe Boot OK -- but can't get past grey/blue screen

Hello,
Macbook Pro - early 2010. HAs been working flawlessly but today, screen turned "static" and then on re-start Macbook hangs on a gray or blue screen after the spinning startup wheel. I can boot int safe mode fine. I get the same results trying to boot from two different external bootable backups (hangs at blue screen in full mode - boots fine in safe mode).
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Unfortunately, I cannot locate the original OS disks, so I have not been able to test whether it would boot from those.
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Clinton,
you say:
"You can call Apple and, with your serial number handy, order a set of the machine-specific discs that shipped with your model. Cost is about $20 + shipping & taxes."
Do you know a phone number for this? I have called Apple tech support and the first tech claimed that Apple does not sell disks - his supervisor told me that he will sell me a disk but I have to pay $150 charge for consierge service first becasue the Macbook is out of warranty! Seems ridiculous to pay $170+ for a disk when I don;t even know it will solve my problem!
Is there any other way to get my hands on a disk?

I can't get past the gray screen after update of 10.10.3

downloade the new software on my 2011 Mac this morning, and after the download when the computer restarts a gray screen appear. I don't know how to get rid of it. It was working fine before the updat. Anyone have this problem?

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.

Grey screen after Time Machine restore

Hello, I have conducted a fair search for the problem I'm having but it seems like I'm going in circles. Before you all chose to beat on me for posting yet another grey screen issue please hear me out.
I have an early 2008 imac 8.1. The old HDD (WD3200AAJS) had a S.M.A.R.T fail. After reading many posts about this, I did not hesitate and quickly I replaced the HDD with a new one, the 1TB WD1000FAEX and installed the OS with no problem. Then I proceeded with the Snow Leopard install, again no problems. The imac started up and functioned with no flaws
Since it was a new HDD and none of my data was available, lucky me I have a Time Machine to bring all my data back. I used the Mac OS disk to get me to the installer screen and from there i was able to go to Utilities/Restore System From Back Up. 25 hours later, Grey screen! Did the PRAM reset, RAM check, safe boot, no periphials. Nada, still grey screen, I'm at a loss.
I booted up with MAC OS disk, holding C while she starts, went to Utilities/Disk Utility to check the HDD and it shows the used space 153.3GB which is what was in the Time Machine, hmmmm. So it has the original data. Prior to the TM restore the imac was functioning like new, after the restore it cannot get past the grey screen.
Has anyone had an restore issue with the TM similar to this?
Thanks for reading.
Alex

Hi Alex
Welcome to Apple Discussions
Sounds like maybe you forgot to properly set the new drives Partition Map Scheme to GUID Partition Table and Format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) before trying to install or restore the OS X on it.
1. Pop your install disk back in, skip the installer, go to the menu bar and select Disk Utility.
2. In Disk Utility select the Drives first icon in the list of drives and then the Partition tab.
3. Then under Volume Scheme: click on the box that say's Current and select 1 Partition.
4. Now click on the Options... button directly below the Untitled 1 box.
5. Select GUID Partition Table for Intel iMac's.
6. Hit OK and then the Apply button down in the right bottom corner.
7. Once that's done Install the OS X and Restore from your Time Machine backup.
If your OK up to that point, see > http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/14.html
Dennis

Can't get past the Apple screen

Hi. My Powerbook froze - its memory is nearly full. But when I restarted, the grey screen comes up, with the Apple logo, and nothing else happens. It's critical that I get this working, and I really appreciate any help.
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The operating system on the hard drive needs a certain amount of free space on the drive for its own use. Without that amount of free space, it can't run, and that's probably why your Powerbook doesn't start up now. You'll need to start up from some other suitable disk or volume that gives you access to the Finder.
If you have a bootable clone of your internal drive on an external FireWire drive (the most convenient and useful form of backup), simply start the Powerbook from that drive, and use the Finder to trash files from the internal drive and empty the Trash. If you don't have a bootable clone, but you do have access to another Mac with a Firewire port, connect the Powerbook to it in Target Disk Mode and use the host Mac's Finder to delete files from the Powerbook's drive.
Throw away 2-5GB of files, but start out by trashing just a few items at a time and emptying the trash after every few files. Paradoxically, it takes free space even to empty the Trash, and loading the Trash up with too many files before emptying it may make it impossible to empty.
Choose large files to remove. Movies, music, and photos are often the largest files stored on a computer, apart from a few very large applications (notably iDVD). If there are large applications on your hard drive that you could easily reinstall from original source discs, those are good candidates for removal too.
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Powerbook will turn on but won't get past grey apple screen

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--tonza

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Ptown wrote:
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Help! Can't get past grey apple screen after Time Machine restore

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