Help!, my macbook won't boot up. It displays a gray screen.

Well, I was using Safari when the entire computer froze up. I could not get any apps to work so I shut down with the power button. After turning the machine back on, it displayed a gray screen with a picture of a file folder. The next day when I turned it on, it simply displays a blank gray screen.

Try starting up holding down the Option key- you should get a startup manager where (hopefully) it will show your hard drive, so that you can select it and start up.
If it doesn't, shutdown the mac, and start up holding down Command-Option-P-R as described here http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/26871.html .
If it still doesn't start, insert your installation disc that came with your mac and start up holding down C.
Choose your language, but do -NOT- reinstall. Go to the menu and choose "Utilities", then Disk Utility. Hopefully your hard drive shows up on the left side of this window. Click on "Macintosh HD" and click the button that says "Repair Disk". Quit disk utility once this has finished, choose "shutdown" from the Apple menu and try again.
Hope this helps!

Similar Messages

My iMac G5 1.6 Ghz Won't Boot. Shuts Down at Gray Screen. HELP!

Hi guys. I need some help. I have an iMac G5 that seems to be having some serious problems. It is a 17" 1.6 Ghz w/ 1GB of RAM.
The problem:
• When I press the power button, I get the beautiful Mac chime, and the LCD turns on to the gray apple screen. I get the spinning gray bars below the apple, and then...it shuts down. Sometimes it doesn't even make it to the gray screen and it shuts down.
What I have done recently/tried.
• I installed iLife '06 and all the updates a day or two before this began.
• I reset the PRAM.
• I tried booting in safe-mode...no luck.
• I tried starting from the factory CD. The drive begins to spin, and then it shuts down.
When this first happened (yesterday), I started it in safe-mode, and everything looked ok. I zapped the PRAM, and then started it up, and once again, everything looked ok. That was last night. When I got home from work tonight, none of those things worked, and I am now looking for some help from you guys. Any suggestions? Thanks, in advance, for the help.
BTW, I think I'm running 10.4, but I'm not certain because I can't start it up to tell.

See if your machine falls under the parameters of power supply or video and power issues.
Please post back and let us know,
Miriam

IMac won't boot from HDD - stays at gray screen

Quite simply, the iMac that we have in the house won't boot. It just gets stuck at the gray screen with the apple and the loading wheel (which is moving, so it's still not "frozen" per sey, but it sits there for going on 20 minutes). We have tried booting it in Safe Mode, which only succeeds in displaying the loading bar, but the computer still gets stuck. Single-User Mode works, but the fsck -fy command says that there are no errors. Booting from a Disk also does not work - we got it to get to the Setup Manager, but choosing the disk just freezes the computer. So we can't get into the Disk Utility. Loading in Verbose mode, the commands stop in the middle of "Running fsck on the boot volume", specifically "Launchcti: dubios permissions on file (skipping): /etc/mach_init.d"
The operating system is 10.6 something we believe, but we can't find out because we can't start up the computer. It is at least 10.6, if not newer.
Any ideas what's wrong and what could be done to fix it? We don't know a huge amount about Macs (although my brother knows a bit more about unix-based systems than I do). Any help would be appreciated!

Are you saying you haven't been backing up? If so and you have performed all the steps in the letter and reached the final step that says to do an erase and install then yeah you will lose all your data!
If you have not been backing up I hate to say it but this will be an extremely valuable lesson on why you should. That being said I'd also recommend bookmarking and reading the following 3 MacWorld articles on backing up, IMHO the common thread is not only should you be backing up but that you should do redundant backups.
Backup Plan I
Backup Plan II
Backup Plan III
Personally I use Time Machine and Super Duper on 2 seperate EHDs to backup daily.

Mac won't boot up. Sits at gray screen

When I boot, I get to the gray opening screen with the gray apple logo and the spinning gear. Then the fans get louder and faster over the next 2 minuts or so. It sound like a jet getting ready to take off.
What's wrong? It was running slow so I went to reboot it and this is what I got.
What can I do? Help!

Well I reformatted twice and in am able to boot up and the computer works but everything is still at a very slow pace. It takes 8 minutes to boot up and I have nothing installed except the OS and the OS update which I downloaded. I'm suspicious of my hard drive and I'm considering replacing it. Do I have to buy a Mac specific hard drive or can I buy one that meets my current type (SATA 3.0 Gb/s)?
I noticed the HD's at the mac site are considerably more expensive than at say NewEgg or somewhere like that.
Any advice would be appreciated.

My iMac won't boot up it has a gray screen and makes a steady beeping sound

My iMac won't boot up it makes a steady beeping sound and has a gray screen, occasionally it shows a picture of a file with a question mark blinking in the center, can anyone help

The blinking question mark indicates that the firmware could not find a valid Operating System on your machine.
Your harddrive may have failed. Your filesystem may have bcome corrupted.

IMac won't boot with install CD with gray screen

A couple of weeks ago I turned on my computer and couldn't get past the gray screen (with no Apple logo). I couldn't boot in safe mode, and had to boot with software install disc. I recently had to unplug my computer for a move and when I turned it on I had the same problem. Unfortunately after resetting PRAM nothing happened, and I couldn't boot in safe mode. Then I tried booting with disc pressing C during startup, and it sounded like the disc was reading ( I could hear it spinning), but I still had nothing but a gray screen. Also tried booting with recovery disc that comes with Apple Protect Plan and couldn't get past gray screen. After I leave the computer on for a couple of hours I get the folder with question mark flashing. Can anyone help?

den.thed,
Thanks. I tried the sleep method, but if I were listening to music through my Apple TV or was watching multiple movies, the IMac would shut down or go to sleep after 3 hours and sometimes that became a real bother. I have a HD with just my music from ITunes on it and then I have a new 1 TB HD that I have nothing but movies on it. Those are the 2 I want to leave on at all times, but the machine would freeze if I had both plugged in. Thanks!

IMac won't boot...goes to gray screen

I have an iMac 27...think it's a 2011. I'm running 10.10.1. Last week the machine crashed a couple times and after the last one, wouldn't boot to the login screen. It went to the gray screen And then rebooted itself. Took it in to the local Apple Store where they ran diagnostics for a couple days. Long story short, they reinstalled 10.10.1. Brought the machine home and it worked for about 4 hours before it crashed again, and I'm now back to the incomplete boot to gray screen. This sound familiar to anyone?

Yes Mike, I followed all the recommended trouble-shooting steps when this first happened, and then took the machine to the Apple Store where they reinstalled the OS and sent me on my way. The problem has returned.
Anyone else?

Please Help! Macbook won't boot up after attempted Leopard install (Wont bo

Ok so I'll go through EXACTLY what has happened to my laptop in the past day.. please note that the laptop was NEVER moved from the desk while this has all happened. Also a couple other things you should know.. I had Applecare, but 6 months ago when i sent it in to replace the harddrive -- they said they found some water damage, and it would cost $700 to replace... so i just put in the harddrive myself for $50, and it has worked fine since... So I'm pretty sure I can't turn to Applecare anymore...
Alright...
Yesterday
One of my memory sticks went bad on me... (i had 2- 1gig sticks.) I took the bad one out, and the computer seemed to run fine on the single stick of memory.
Last night
I started to install leopard as an update over 10.4, seemed to work fine, though it was slow -- and finally i got to the leopard installation complete thing (please reboot the computer)... so I did...
It starts loading up... shows the mac symbol with the loading circle thing... but wait, Oh ****, i was probally was supposed to take out the cd... So i turn off the macbook by holding down the power button... and I eject the cd, and then try to start it up...
Not loading... ****.
So after some mulling i decide, alright -- i'll reinstall again...
I boot to the cd drive, choose my options, start the install, and go to sleep..
This Morning
I wake up.. the install hasn't moved at all... It's still at the same place where i left it..
****... so again I manually shut it off, and try and restart to boot from the CD again..
NO GO....
If I hold down C to boot from DVD
The computer attempts to read the disk.. CD drive seems to power down.. then try again.. Then it ejects the cd, and goes to the Apple logo with the spinning circle, but never loads. I've tried it with My old 10.4 disk, and the new leopard disk. Same result on both. neither disk seems scratched either.
If I just boot up regular
It goes to the apple logo with spinning circle.
SOOOO...
I tried resetting the PMU, and PRAM
Is it likely that it is my superdrive gone bad, at a horrible time? If so I guess i'll just buy one on eBay and replace it myself. Is there any way to test it?
Could there by another problem wrong with it?
Please help me troubleshoot this! I'd be very appreciative -- I'm a poor college Computer science student that needs his computer to work for his classes.
Thanks All!
Message was edited by: chrysanthemum

Could there by another problem wrong with it?
Yes. You need the two RAM modules, or at the very least the remaining one RAM module must be for sure securely seated. If not securely seated with only one module, the result is as you've seen.
i was probally was supposed to take out the cd...
No, not necessary. After that, the very delayed loading was totally normal, sounds as if you were just impatient.
Message was edited by: myhighway
Oh, and check the AppleCare agreement, as to the best of my recollection, you can should be able to get a refund, pro-rated for time left.
Check how full your hard drive is now. I'm not clear if you've yet erased your HD or how many systems you've installed - if not erased perhaps it's full up.
A PRAM reset should allow you to boot from the install disc, access the Install Discs's System Profiler, and see what things look like. Also, you should be able to boot to the Apple Hardware Test - while you do need a working optical drive to do so, you don't need any hard drive at all, and it doesn't sound like either one has been lost.
Message was edited by: myhighway

Help! Macbook Won't Boot Up

First off, yes I have search for a few hours already and no other thread on the internet (that I could find) describes the symptoms of my laptop.
The Problem:
I have a 2007 Macbook Pro 15'' intel. I was running iTunes and Mail and had just closed out of Safari when I closed the laptop. Upon opening the laptop again (a minute or two later) the screen was off and the status light on the front was on. I mashed on the keys thinking it was just asleep but nothing happened. I turned off the computer. It is the next day as I type this and here are the up to date symptoms:
-Battery is charged
-When I turn the computer on:
--Start-up Chime DOES sound
--Screen stays off
--Keyboard light (caps and num lock) can turn on
--An error sound occurs when I try a command (like command X or command V) as normal
--Status light remains solid (brightly)
--I CAN hear the HDD spin
I have tried the following remedies:
-Held down the power button until light flashes
-All the battery tricks (use AC with/without, etc)
Thanks so much for any help
(I really do not want to have to go into the store because that would mean waiting until Monday (i'm out of town))
Message was edited by: Hank Steele

That does seem plausible, thanks. Although it does not really explain the status light. At least I know that if it is the NVIDIA I can get it repaired for free
(I don't have any disks with me to try the other solution, but thank you, I will try when I get home)

Won't boot I just have a gray screen

My MBA will not boot up I just have a gray screen

Go step by step and test.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
Start up in Safe Mode.
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14204?viewlocale=en_US
Repair Disk
Steps 2 through 8
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836
Reset PRAM. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4405
http://support.apple.com/kb/ph14222
Reinstall OS X
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10763?viewlocale=en_US

How do I back up my MacBook Pro from an external hard drive if my macbook won't boot up from the white start up screen? HELP!

I went to the Genius Bar a week ago, and the guy helping me there was nice enough to help me save some money by telling me I could replace the bad hard drive my MacBook Pro had by myself. I bought everything I needed (hard drive, screws, external hard drive) and my computer won't boot past the white start up screen. It doesn't even show the Apple sign at the start up screen. How do I back up my computer so I can save all my music, school files, etc.? Could really use someone's advice on what to do! Thanks!

Ok, to be sure I understand what's going on. You were able to boot the Macbook from the existing "damaged" internal drive, and it has been backed up to the internal.
If that is correct, your internal drive is working. Just to be sure, try booting with the R key down. Then run Disk Utility to repair the internal drive. That drive may in fact be useable.
You should be aware that you cannot boot the MBP from a Time Machine back up.
Please post back so I am sure I am understanding the situation.

Mdworker deny mach-lookup. But macbook won't boot in safe mode

I have a common problem, I get theese messages every now and then in console:
2/8/13 6:38:24.000 PM kernel[0]: Sandbox: sandboxd(793) deny mach-lookup com.apple.coresymbolicationd
2/8/13 6:38:24.534 PM sandboxd[793]: ([791]) mdworker(791) deny mach-lookup com.apple.ls.boxd
2/8/13 6:38:24.556 PM sandboxd[793]: ([792]) mdworker(792) deny mach-lookup com.apple.ls.boxd
There is a solution, which should resolve it, like here https://discussions.apple.com/message/19750564?searchText=mach-lookup%20com.appl e.ls.boxd#19750564
I have just boot in safe mode. (holding Shift during boot)
but my macbook won't boot in Safe mode. It just freeses with a grey screen for hours and wont boot.
I tried to leave it overnight to boot, but it didn't.
Please help me make my macbook to boot in SafeMode.
my configuration is the following:
MacBookPro8,1
OSX 10.8.2

There is a bug in fsck_hfs that is affecting a bunch of people. Basically as your comptuer starts in safe mode, it runs a file system check (fsck) against your hard drive, it gets to a certain point and... just sits there. No one knows why outside of apple.
Lots of info here, including a way to get around it by tricking the system to think fsck had been run, though the fsck will not be complete so it is not a good solution.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/21389737?ac_cid=tw123456#21389737

My Macbook won't boot up because there isn't enough free space for my start up disk. It's now stuck on a blue screen. How am I meant to delete files to free up space if I can't access the computer?

My Macbook won't boot up because there sin't enough free space to run the startup disk. My Macbook now won't go past the blue screen so exactly how am I meant to be able to delete files if I can't access the computer?

Do you have a bootable backup?
What operating system are you running? If OS X 10.6 or lower, boot from your original OS X DVD or a retail OS X DVD and then delete files as needed. Your goal should be to get to 10% of your disk capacity free.
If you have OS X 10.7 Lion or 10.8 Mountain Lion, you don't have many choices in recovery mode (boot holding the command and r keys down).
If you have a FireWire or Thunderbolt connection, you can try target disk mode with another mac.
If none of those work, perhaps your local Apple store can help with a bootable external drive.

Macbook won't boot, black screen, no chime

My macbook won't boot at all. It is a white non unibody one. When you press the power button the screen breifly blinks and a clicking sound is heard but no other sounds or chime or anything. I'm suspecting the worst but thought i'd submit it on here first. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks for the reply but it isn't a hard drive issue. I have tested the hard drive in an external enclosure and it's working fine. I even put in another hard drive i have and it wont boot that either. I'm thinking its a logic board issue. Any one know best place to get logic board replacement near london for cheap

MacBook won't boot when iPod is connected

I have the same problem as described here :
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=4112865
My MacBook won't boot if my iPod 5G is connected to the USB port.
If I unplug it, it will boot normally.
Does anyone know what could cause that ?

<When iPod is plugged in at startup, the MacBook does not startup; unplugging iPod lets it startup.
yes, it seems that the kernel is not loading
<After resetting the iPod and BEFORE synching it, there is no problem. Any type of synching seems <to make this problem recur.
only syncing music make the problem occur.
the other syncing works ok
<Even if iPod is connected directly to Mac and it is the only USB device connected, the problem still <occurs.
yes
<The iPod and MacBook work fine if iPod is connected after startup.
Yes
<If the iPod is set to NOT mount to the desktop, the problem with startup does not occur.
Yes, but there are some problems in the boot/halt process.
something like "killing all" fails and unmounting /home fails (45) blabla...
and the stopping process takes very very long, about 2 minutes.
thx robert

Help!, my macbook won't boot up. It displays a gray screen.

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for