Help! G5 lockup, gray screen w/apple, endless timer & OS X downloads
This is my first time using Apple Discussions. I've had my G5 going on 5 years. I've never done any OS X updates, having rarely visited the apple website. Last week I logged onto the apple website and came across all of the OS X updates. I went to the earliest OS X update and attempted to download it. (In hindsight the download was to an earlier version than 10.3) The G5 locked up in the middle of the download. I pressed the power button on the front of the G5 to shut it down, and a message said something along the lines that if I were to power off at this time I could destablize the system. My computer was locked, and not knowing what else to do, I went ahead and shut it down.
When I attempted to reboot it, I got only a gray screen with an apple and the never-ending circular timer. We've moved twice and eventually when I locate the box that has the restore disk, I'll put it in the cd drive and life will return to normal.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Also, once I'm up and running, do I need to download the Mac OS X updates that apply to ver. 10.3.x and later, so that I'm eventually caught up with all of the updates?
This saga began when I went to the Apple website in an attempt to download a newer version of Flashplayer.
Thanks for your assistance,
Jerry
I suggest that you buy a retail copy of 10.5 along with some additional memory.
If you could find your original 10.3 installer disk, then you could go as high as 10.3.9 for free, but many present-day applications no longer support 10.3.
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Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
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IMac G5 boots to gray screen with Apple logo only
iMac G5 boots to gray screen with apple logo only.
What I've tried:
Won't boot to safe mode.
Reset PRAM several times.
Won't boot to install disk with "C" depressed at startup.
Will boot to screen showing HD and arrow buttons when "alt" depressed at startup. But clicking HD icon and proceed arrow just goes back to the gray screen with apple logo. Note the HD icon has a blue "x" symbol.
With install disc in, will boot with "alt" depressed at startup to three icons, HD, install disc, and apple hardware test. Both HD and install disc icons have the blue "x" symbol and won't run. BUT the apple hardware test icon doesn't have a blue "x" and runs. Extended test says all hardware OK.
Finally, startup in single user mode with "apple-s" depressed goes to a non-gui white text (UNIX core?) which gives blocks of repetitive text starting "unresolved kernal trap (cpu0)...(lots of date)...latest crash.....backtrace:" My rough guide to the Mac gives me text to enter at that point but I can't input to the screen.
That's where I'm stuck.You're encountering a kernel panic.
[I got a black screen telling me I had to reboot in many languages, what was it?|http://www.dslreports.com/faq/4970] Also has detailed description of what happens during a KP.
[Apple docs: What's a kernel panic? (Mac OS X)|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106227]
[Topic : kmosx: Kernel Panics? Don't panic too !|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=121923]
[X-Lab: Resolving Kernel Panics|http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/kernelpanics.html]
[Tutorial: Avoiding and eliminating Kernel panics|http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20060911080447777]
[Tutorial: An introduction to reading Mac OS X crash reports|http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20060309075929717]
[12-Step Program to Isolate Freezes and/or Kernel Panics|http://macosg.com/group/viewtopic.php?t=800]
[Texas Mac Man's post on kernel panics|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1723768&tstart=0]
These are often attributed to hardware problems though they can also be due to corruption of software. Since you're also encountering it with your DVD I'd tend more towards the former. Your computer seems to be passing the early stage POST tests for RAM. Apple Hardware Test also seems to be passing but [X-Lab: The Apple Hardware Test|http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/aht.html] document recommends using this in loop mode to test for intermittent problems.
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Please HelpThe internal drive is malfunctioning. What backups do you have?
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After a recent login, my iMac 27" has locked up with a gray screen. Cursor is visible, and moves, but I cannot get anything to actually open and the login screen does not appear. I tried the command+control+esc option, in an attempt to force quit / restart, but nothing happens.
See if this helps
http://macs.about.com/od/MacTroubleshootingTips/tp/Top-10-Troubleshooting-Tips-F or-Mac-Startup-Problems.htm
Especially tips 2 and 4. -
Macbook will not boot, stays on gray screen no apple logo
I was in the middle of watching some streaming content in netflix when my macbook froze. I tried to force quit, but to no avail, so I forced shut down. When I press the power button to reboot, I hear a couple of clicking sounds like the fan is trying to start up, but it doesn't. The screen remains on the gray screen and the apple logo never appears (no apple startup sound either). I do not hear the fan running.
Other possible factors:
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Any ideas?To those of you reporting these problems, are your MacBooks from 2006, roughly?
The reason I ask is, there are reports of 06 MacBooks having AirPort card issues (which I think may relate to a bigger issue, perhaps in the logic board), and my 06 Mac mini has also just recently died on me. Which, to my understanding, uses some of the same hardware as an 06 MacBook.
To elaborate furhter, my mini had a problem with the Wi-fi card at first. It would work fine for 20 minutes, then it would die. This would happen regardless of what operating system I was running (OS X, Windows, Linux), so I'm positive it was/is a hardware issue. More recently, after disassembling the mini, just to take a look for any physical problems, the computer was doing the exact thing described in this post.
Upon start up, I would get the chimes, but would recieve nothing after that. The hard drive would not spin up, and with a CD inserted, the drive would spin, but nothing would come of it. After tinkering some more, I tried removing the CD drive from the computer, so only the hard drive was plugged in, and voilla, the computer booted back to the OS X install. Also, if I were to unplug the hard drive, and have only the CD drive connected, I was able to boot to a CD.
This tells me it's a logic board/power issue, and the same thing may be affecting you.
My educated guess is your hard drive is fine, and all your files are safely stored on the disk, however, for whatever reason, there's not enough power to run BOTH the CD drive and the HDD.
If you feel up to it, disassemble your MacBook and try removing the HDD, or the CD Drive if possible, and see if you get anywhere. It may be easier to remove the HDD and try booting to a CD. However, I'm not familiar with how the insides of a MacBook are laid out.
Hopefully this helps.
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I tried ot update the softwear and i clicked accept and it went grey while it said updating items. Once it finished after about 2 minutes it said restart so i pressed restart and the screen whent black, when i went to turn it on again the grey apple screen came up but with all these words and letters in the top let corner. In the middle and top of the screen mixed in with the rest of the letters it says unable to find driver for this platform
Hello CathBuck,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities! I understand that you are experiencing issues with your MacBook Air. Based on the information you have provided, it sounds like the steps in the following resource may help to resolve your issue:
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup - Apple Support
http://support.apple.com/en-us/TS2570
Thanks,
Matt M. -
My iMacG5 shutsdown from the Gray screen with Apple logo after the fans run
I hope someone who might read this can help me...
Tonight my iMac G5 screen froze and prompted me to do a forced shut down. Upon restarting the computer it would not allow me to log in. After the start up chime sound and the gray screen with the Apple logo with spinning wheel happens, it shifted to a blue screen and stayed stuck that way not going further to my log in profile.
After a few forced shutdowns, the gray screen with the Apple logo did not shift to the blue screen, instead, as soon as I hear the computers fans blow, the computer now automatically shuts itself off.
Following online posts, I tried both the command option PR function and also at start up I tried the fscyk -fyk (something like that) but both failed to fix the issues.
I am worried that I might have to shell out fees just to get Apple advice that might not guarantee a fix.
Help!
Thank you.
Message was edited by: ao71Take a look at these 2 articles: Startup issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417
Gray screen at startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
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