HT3209 Grey screen for TV Series

I downloaded season 4 of parks and recreation on iTunes and when I try to play it on my MacBook (10.5.8) its just a grey screen with no audio. I have iTunes version 10.6.3. Anyone have a solution? Thanks!

Welcome to the Apple community.
Try quitting iTunes and playing them again, if that doesn't help:
Try deleting the problematic file (electing to remove original file if/when prompted) and then re-downloading the file from the iTunes store.
You can re-download content purchased from the iTunes store (availability varies depending on location) using the purchased option from the Quick Links section in the top right corner of the iTunes homepage in your iTunes application on your computer.
You can re-download content purchased from the iTunes store (availability varies depending on location) using the purchased option at the bottom of the screen of the iTunes app on your iOS device.
If the problem re-occurs, select the content which is causing a problem and use the 'Report a problem' button in Your Purchase History using your computer.

Similar Messages

Mac Pro 3,1 Stuck on Grey screen for 1 min during boot

I have a Late 2008 Mac Pro 3,1 and have started experiencing a very slow boot up. The computer gets stuck for over a minute on the initial gray screen after the first boot chime. Once the apple logo finally appears the boot goes normally. Once running it seems OK. The shut down seems normal with a grey screen for a few seconds with the "clock" logo.
Symptom:
After the chime I see a blank gray screen for in excess of 1 minute, it used to last only a couple of seconds.
Once the dark grey Apple logo appears the boot goes at normal speed
I have a number of different hard drives with older systems and booting from each of then gives the problem - so it does not seem to be system/disc related
Two partitions (Mavericks and ML) are on SSD's installed on a Sonnet PCIe Card and showed the same problem as the spinning hard discs.
I tried: (following a trawl of the bb's etc)
I repaired permissions and repaired all discs for all my boot partitions (10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8 and 10.9) using the appropriate Disc Utility
Zapping the Pram - this was very strange as I had to keep the cmd alt P R held down for around a minute before the second chime occurred, the time of the grey screen stays stuck
Resetting the SMC
Booting in Verbose Safe Mode: Again I had to hold the Alt V down for a minute on the gray screen before the screen went black and the text appeared
I looked on the console log but could see nothing obvious, additionally from the verbose safe mode boot the text log seems to start from when the grey screen disappears. The time stamps show the boot finishing in well under the minute I wait.
Any suggestions you may have are very welcome.
Regards
Dave

Thanks The Hatter for that information. The blank gray screen is now lasting 3 mins before the Apple appears. When I restarted the system log is as below. As you can see there is just over a three minute gap between the shut down and the boot, indicating to me that it is not something in the system software after the boot but a problem at the very start. It does look like it could be something to do with the hardware as you suggest. I have verified all the discs with the disc utility and they report as OK and their SMART status is also OK. I have disconnected the external drives with no change so I will now have to do a thorough check and systematically remove the internal ones but that will have to wait for the weekend.
I have Mavericks on the Samsung 840 Pro and ML on a Crucial SSD (Crucial_CT240M500SSD1 Media) on a PCIe card. The Mavericks install I think was an upgrade, not a clean install done quite a while ago. I only noticed the problem this week when I re-booted in an ML to run some software not compatible with Mavericks. I have made a system back up as a precaution to an external disc just in case my main drive is dying!
There are some firmware updates for both the SSD discs that I have not applied these yet but I will leave them out of the mix until I have tried simplifying my configuration with a single disc.
Apr 21 22:09:26 Davids-Mac-Pro.local shutdown[952]: reboot by _spotlight:
Apr 21 22:09:26 Davids-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Kext loading now disabled.
Apr 21 22:09:26 Davids-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Kext unloading now disabled.
Apr 21 22:09:26 Davids-Mac-Pro.local shutdown[952]: SHUTDOWN_TIME: 1429650566 934799
Apr 21 22:09:26 Davids-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Kext autounloading now disabled.
Apr 21 22:09:26 Davids-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Kernel requests now disabled.
Apr 21 22:09:26 Davids-Mac-Pro.local Mediatap[297]: XPC error messaging com.apple.IconServicesAgent: Connection interrupted
Apr 21 22:09:26 Davids-Mac-Pro.local Mediatap[297]: XPC error messaging com.apple.IconServicesAgent: Connection invalid
Apr 21 22:13:02 localhost bootlog[0]: BOOT_TIME 1429650782 0
Apr 21 22:13:04 localhost syslogd[18]: Configuration Notice:
ASL Module "com.apple.appstore" claims selected messages.
Those messages may not appear in standard system log files or in the ASL database.
Apr 21 22:13:04 localhost syslogd[18]: Configuration Notice:
ASL Module "com.apple.authd" sharing output destination "/var/log/system.log" with ASL Module "com.apple.asl".
Output parameters from ASL Module "com.apple.asl" override any specified in ASL Module "com.apple.authd".

Grey screen for no reason

Hi,
I noticed since few days that the grey screen asking e to reboot appeared few times.
I didn't install any new software or RAM neither.
I have the following report :
Thu Aug 28 14:15:24 2008
panic(cpu 0 caller 0x00223363): "rtunref: bad refcnt 0 for rt=0x2e1bc90\n"@/SourceCache/xnu/xnu-1228.5.20/bsd/net/route.c:460
Backtrace, Format - Frame : Return Address (4 potential args on stack)
0x1b5fbdc8 : 0x12b0fa (0x4592a4 0x1b5fbdfc 0x133243 0x0)
0x1b5fbe18 : 0x223363 (0x471d78 0x0 0x2e1bc90 0x1a236f)
0x1b5fbe38 : 0x223857 (0x2e1bc90 0x1 0x0 0x0)
0x1b5fbe68 : 0x224b03 (0x2e1bc90 0x2 0x1b5fbe98 0x2c5c178)
0x1b5fbe88 : 0x273d5c (0x2e1bc90 0xffff 0x1 0x3a938a)
0x1b5fbeb8 : 0x24ae8c (0x2c5c178 0x2c4d640 0x1b5fbf28 0x19d9da)
0x1b5fbf18 : 0x24cd61 (0x2c5c258 0x2 0x1 0x24ebe6)
0x1b5fbf58 : 0x39aa01 (0x2c4d850 0x23ac6253 0x1b5fbf78 0x1a236f)
0x1b5fbf78 : 0x13eb1d (0x0 0x0 0x0 0xbfffe7b0)
0x1b5fbfc8 : 0x19ebdc (0x0 0x0 0x1a20b5 0x3456998)
Backtrace terminated-invalid frame pointer 0
BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task
Mac OS version:
9E17
Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 9.4.0: Mon Jun 9 19:30:53 PDT 2008; root:xnu-1228.5.20~1/RELEASE_I386
System model name: iMac8,1 (Mac-F226BEC8)
Does anyone knows what its the problem?
Thanks in advance

In these situations the first step would be start the computer from the CD that came with it, by putting the CD in the slot and holding down the C key as the computer starts up. This will be a lot slower than normal, because you're starting off a CD and not a proper disk drive.
Once the computer has started, look for Disk Utilities (DO NOT choose the option of installing the system software - Apple has organised these disks in a very confusing way). In Disk Utilities, check and fix your hard drive, and repair permissions, then try once more to start up (not from the CD this time).
That's always the first thing to do. If it doesn't work....come back.

Boots to Apple logo, then grey screen for eternity

There's a glimmer of life, so I'm hoping that this computer can be salvaged. This is a first generation Macbook Pro, so it's getting on in age. However, I haven't heard any physical symptoms of failure (hard drive and fans sound like they're fine), so I'm hoping there's something I can do here. What happens with various boot methods:
OS X, normal: I get the Apple logo, then it goes back to a plain grey screen. I can leave the computer sit for hours, and it'll get warm like it's trying to do something yet never goes anywhere
Windows XP normal (boot camp): the images below tell the whole story there. Can the lines or codes be used to diagnose the problem? The ati2dvag error (plus the way the screen looks) makes me think video issues?
Windows XP safe mode: gets stuck loading one particular file.
OS X, safe: I CAN boot this way! I can complete a "repair permissions" task; verifying disk comes up saying that everyething is okay.
Is there anything I can do while I'm in Safe Boot that will let me help try to diagnose this problem? The first time it happened, I tried an SMC reset and was able to get back into to OS X normally. But the problem has returned, and numerous attempts at an SMC reset have proved useless. Thank you for your help!

Take the machine in for service. Nothing we can do.

Stuck at grey screen with termite like sound for a minute

Hi all,
I am traveling and my macbook suddenly froze. It just gets stuck at blank grey screen for a long time. After a restart, I hear a few weird termite-like/knocking/clicking noises from hard disk area for a minute and then goes normal and then after some twenty minutes I see a question mark. I took out the hard disk and the sound is gone so I know it is definitely hard disk issue. My question is: what type of hard disk failure is it? Since it returns to sound normal after a minute, should I assume it is not mechanical failure and hard disk would be recoverable using softwares (like diskwarrior, data rescue etc.) ? I really don't have money and time to go to data recovery experts .
I consider myself an advanced user but I don't have any install discs either. I have some very important data and lot of hard work on my computer.
I would appreciate any inputs.
Thanks

The following support article is somewhat outdated. Where it refers to booting from an installation disc, you should boot into Recovery (if running 10.7 or later) by holding down the key combination command-R at the chime. If your startup volume is encrypted with FileVault, you’ll have to unlock it in Disk Utility before you can do anything with it.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

Update failed... Now I have grey screen with flashing icons. Please help!

I was installing an update for Leopard and I wasn't connected to a power source. I thought it would be ok because I had a full battery. The screen was half closed over also so it may have switched off during update. Whatever happened, now my MacBook Pro won't boot up. I get a grey screen with a series of flashing icons one at a time (apple logo, circle with line through it and a folder with a question mark).
The other problem is that my system disks are in my friend's house a thousand miles away so I can't boot up from my system disks. Can anyone offer any advice please? I'm desperate!

If you can start up in target disk mode, connect your computer that works to the one that doesn't. (I'm assuming you have another computer since you can't get to the Apple Discussion Forums with a computer that won't start up!)
Use the computer that doesn't work as an external drive to the one that does.
Go to this part of the Apple Downloads website and find the update you were installing. Download it as a standalone installer, and try to install onto the external HD. If it works, problem solved!
If it doesn't work, you'll need to follow Alexandre's advice and go to the Apple Store to get working installation discs. However, you can have access to your important files whenever you want them by simply using Target Disk Mode.

Intermittent double beep and grey screen on startup

I just installed new third party RAM for my iMac (2008), because it was on sale. The initial RAM they sent me caused a kernel panic (forced shutdown) so I assumed they were faulty and sent them back. I just received my second set of RAM modules - which appear to work -- kind of. I have not had the kernel panic screen and no problems once the computer is booted, however about every second or third time I restart the computer I get the grey screen and a series of double beeps (which I have found out means incompatible RAM on startup testing). The hardware testing utility on my OSX Disc tests the RAM as being OK. I found a free app called rember which reports RAM errors. My question is: have I got a second set of faulty RAM - should I be looking at getting another brand (the one I have is "Add-On" and was specifically marketed as being for the aluminum intel based iMacs).
Thanks in advance,

Hi Machaon42
Welcome to Apple Discussions
That sounds like incorrect or incompatible RAM, double check the spec's of that RAM compared to either your User's Guide or > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1760
Then compare OWC's price, it is iMac tested and highly recommended by forum members.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iMac/IntelCore_2_DuoPC2-6400
Dennis

Boot Camp Installation - Grey screen before installing Windows

So I just got a new iMac and I am trying to install BC. I went through all the steps (making a FAT USB drive, buying a copy of windows, partitioning 150GB for windows). Then I clicked the Start Installation and the computer rebooted.
However, I have been stuck on a grey screen for about 45 minutes. There is no Apple logo (there was one for the first minute of the reboot) and now there is a big no-smoking symbol (without the cigarette of course. you know the symbol that is a circle with a line). Beneath it is the spinning ball thingy saying it is doing something.
Should I just let it run or try a hard restart?

I think after weeks of searching I have finally narrowed it down, based on what I have read, to a disk drive problem. It seems to be something wrong with the EFI or the entire disk drive in general. I am taking it to the apple store tomorrow and I highly doubt they will do anything.

Mac freezes, shows grey screen then starts back up

For the past two weeks I have had the issue of my iMac suddenly freezing for a few seconds and then it turns to a grey screen for a few more seconds before it starts back up on my user area.
All programs get shut down (which is annoying as I do graphic design so I'm usually on PS or AI and lose work I've done since last save). Programs which are set to start up automatically upon login do not start up. Thankfully firefox will start back up when I click it and continue from all the tabs I had open.
I cannot seem to find a source for this to be happening... The programs which are always running when this has happened previously are: Mac Mail, finder, Messages, Spotify, Wacom Desktop Center. This morning it happened when none of my adobe programs were running.
Has anyone had the same issue or knows what's up?
I tried to go to apple support but it said I need to pay £35 for someone to answer my question.
27" iMac
Late 2012
16GB
1TB storage with 431gb free
running OSX10.8.5

Hi,
Try ; Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
and : About NVRAM and PRAM
to ensure the proper operation of the SMC.
and if still issues persist, try: OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?
Cheers

My 2014 MacBook Pro stuck on grey screen since trying to update software over an hour ago

My 2012 MacBook Pro has been stuck on the grey screen for more than hour since I tried updating the software.

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 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 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 laptop won't go past the grey screen

I have been using lots of software - indesign, photoshop, illustrator as well as other programs at the same time and my laptop started to slow down. I then tried to force quite pages and it wouldnt work so I had to force shut down. It then would not turn fully on and was on the grey screen for a long period of time. It eventually came back to homepage after about 30 minutes but did not fully load. It now wont go past grey screen and has a bar at the bottom. Whats wrong ?!!

Gave it a go, didnt work will just take it to the store !

Grey Screen/ Defaulting to Windows

I have a first-generation Mac Pro 1.1 with the latest boot ROM (MP11.005C.B08) and SMC Version (1.7f10), 6GB of RAM w/ OS X 10.5.4 installed and Windows XP Pro installed on its own internal drive under Boot Camp. Although I have the Macintosh HD selected as the default startup drive under both OS X and XP, whenever I startup the Mac, it gives me the grey screen for a long time, maybe 2 or 3 minutes before finally defaulting to the Windows installation. The only way I can startup in OS X is if I manually hold down the option key during startup and select the Macintosh HD. Only on the EXTREMELY rare occasion will the machine actually default to OS X like it is supposed to. Ironically, if I just do a restart it will restart in OS X without any issues. It is only when I power on that the issue occurs.
I have tried everything I know of to fix this, but nothing seems to work. I have selected the startup disk over and over in both OS X and XP, I have repaired disk permissions, flashed the PRAM, but to no avail. It seems that since I installed the 10.5.4 update, the issue really became worse. It would always do this on occassion, but I'd just have to reselect the Macintosh HD either in OS X or XP and then it would start working again. Now, it only starts in OS X when it feels like it, which just isn't an option.
Does anyone have a solution for this problem?
Message was edited by: GuitarSlinger

Zapping the PRAM/NVRAM will wipe out the startup disk setting and require resetting it. So that should be a one time event.
Repairing your OS X drive would be first thing to do, first with Disk Utility (you need to boot from another hard drive, or at worst, the DVD) AND follow up with a 3rd party repair utility.
Try cloning your OS X drive to another drive. You should be making a bootable backup already, along with TimeMachine. SuperDuper or even Disk Utility Restore will copy a drive nicely.
I assume you have the OS Switcher in XP installed, ie, "BootCamp control panel" which should also be in your Taskbar. If you set that to OS X volume, does it not boot properly? or still reverts to Windows?
Sounds like your OS X drive is slow to spin up possibly. Are you still using the OEM drive your MP came with? I'd look into a new and better drive if you are, WD Caviar 640GB has replaced my Raptor drives, both faster and runs cool and quiet.
Disk Warrior or TechTool Pro 4.6.2 would be good choices for 3rd party disk repair, probably TTPro as 5.0 is due out and would be free upgrade. Or TechTool Deluxe
http://www.alsoft.com
http://www.micromat.com
http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html

Grey screen on startup MBP

i just updated efi firmware on my macbook pro (late 2011).. and my mbp always starts with a grey screen (not white screen anymore) and the apple logo with a status wheel evertime i turn it on. i just wondered is it normal?

Gray screen at boot usually means a problematic third party kernel extension file loading at boot time and/or a OS X or drive issue.
My guess is your comptuer is attempting to read from the drive, but it's taking longer than normal due to the failing sector, thus your getting the grey screen for a bit, then it completes and your in, as it takes time for the driver software to determine the sector is bad and map it off.
It might be a bad sector on the drive right where the third party or OS X kerenel extension file is located, so usually uninstalling and reinstalling third party software and reinstalling just OS X which will be written to another space on the drive can assist.
You'll have to do a proces of elimination, run through this Step by Step list,
hold the shift key at boot to get you in, if you don't get Gray screen, that usually means it's a kernel extension that OS X is not loading at boot time, so you eliminate the third party ones, then reboot normally and see if that fixed it, else you try a #18 Reinstall Just OS X.
if you hold shift key at boot and you still get the grey screen, then just skip to #18 right away
The ultimate fix for bad sectors is a #20 Zero Erase and install OS X (but it's a lot of work obviously)
Step by Step to fix your Mac
Cheat sheet to help diagnose and fix your Mac
Mac won't boot or "You need to restart"
Create a data recovery, undelete boot drive
You can reduce the effect of bad sectors by mapping as many off your hard drive before placing data on them or copying huge amounts where your most likely to cross one.
Reducing bad sectors effect on hard drives

Grey Screen during ML install

Just to help anyone like me, after downloading ML and going for install, I had a grey screen for ages. Despite rebooting my iMac, it wouldn't go away. After removing all USB connections and the power lead for a minute, then restarting, I now have an install screen. Hopefully, this will now install properly!

This is what's known as an SMC reset. Both SMC and PRAM reset's may solve power management problems duriing or after installing ML.
Please see the appropriate support articles:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

Lockups, and Grey Screens, and Kernel Panics, Oh My!

Everything I am about to describe happened on my 15" 1.67Ghz Powerbook (1 gig of ram, 128MB VRAM).
While I was (Secure) emptying my trash earlier today, my computer locked up, spinning beach ball of death and everything. Just prior to that while it was still emptying the trash, I attempted to open a folder that I know had files in it, but the finder window claimed that there were 0 files there. Anywho since the entire system seized up I was forced to do a hard restart. When the computer came back to life, just after hearing "The Chord" I was treated to a black grey screen (Darker than the grey of Apple's "pinwheel Loading screen"). I left the computer for a while hoping it would fix itself with time. Sadly, it did not, and I was forced to do a hard restart again. This time after waiting on the grey screen for about 5-10 minutes it displayed a folder icon in the center with a logo on it that switched between the "Finder Face" and a question mark. I tried to boot from my install disc only to have it cause a Kernel Panic just as it would give me hope by loading the "Apple Pinwheel loading screen" sans the pinwheel. Since then I have cleared my PRAM, NVRAM, PMU, Tried to boot into safe mode, held X to try to force it to load OS X, and various other things, all to no avail, and now, to add insult to injury, the Install disc refuses to eject, choosing to make a knocking sound instead. So every time I restart it attempts to start up, then it attempts to load the DVD and I get another beautiful Kernel Panic. It's a vicious cycle.
So, what do you say, can you help me? This laptop has my life on it. And although I backup, not everything was saved before the crash (The first of the month is my backup/cleanup day), and there is a lot to lose if I lose my computer, so I need help here.
Please help me, you're my only hope...until AppleCare comes back from vacation.
Thank you for your time.
-Nick

foxymcfox:
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
Sometimes having too many items, or just too much in the Trash as you try to empty Trash can lead to the spinning beachball as the computer tries to figure out what to do.
The flashing ? alternating folder indicates that the computer cannot find a bootable volume.
I suggest that you begin with Repair Disk
Insert Installer disk and Restart, holding down the "C" key until grey Apple appears.
Go to Installer menu (Panther and earlier) or Utilities menu (Tiger) and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in the left panel.
Select First Aid in the Main panel.
(Check S.M.A.R.T Status of HDD at the bottom of right panel, and report if it says anything but Verified)
Click Repair Disk on the bottom right.
If DU reports disk does not need repairs quit DU and restart.
If DU reports errors Repair again and again until DU reports disk is repaired.
If DU reports errors it cannot repair you will need to use a utility like Tech Tool Pro or Disk Warrior
Please do post back with an update and/or with further questions or comments.
Cheers
cornelius

HT3209 Grey screen for TV Series

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