I have a Macbook and I left it unplugged. It started up slowly when I plugged it in again, but it seemed fine. Once it started charging I shut it down so it would be easier, but now it will not go past the grey screen with the apple. What do I do?

I have a Macbook and I left it unplugged. It started up slowly when I plugged it in again, but it seemed fine. Once it started charging I shut it down so it would be easier, but now it will not go past the grey screen with the apple. What do I do?
I have Snow leopard on my computer, and I tried to do a hard restart as an article suggested, but it did not work. I also tried cleaning out the PRAM.
The only things I did last night:
-cleaned the history of Firefox out, including cookies
-let it unplugged all night
-plugged it back in the morning, it took a long time to figure itself out, but eventually the time was correct and I got on the internet for a bit
-shutdown the computer since I was going out and thought it would help the computer charge
-came back, tried to turn it on, and found that it would not go past the grey screen the apple on it and the spinning wheel even though I left it for 20 minutes or more
-tried turning it off and on to no avail

Before doing a reinstall, which may not be needed at this point,
Try using Disk Utility to do a Disk Repair, as shown in this link, while booted up on your install disk.
You could have some directory corruption. Let us know what errors Disk Repair reports and if DU was able to repair them. This could just be a start in repairs and you may need a better utility to finish the job.
Then Repair Permissions.
No need to report any Permissions errors........we all get them.
 DALE

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My Macbook aliminium unibody from late 2008 will not boot. I reach the grey screen with the apple icon and the spinning grey gear. I used disk utility to boot it but it said integrity test failed. I don't know what to do can anyone please help?

My Macbook aliminium unibody from late 2008 will not boot. I reach the grey screen with the apple icon and the spinning grey gear. I used disk utility to boot it but it said integrity test failed. I don't know what to do can anyone please help?

Sounds like you may have a harddrive issue. You are probably going to need to get that changed out and then install the OS X again to get it going.

My macbook pro will not boot. It gets the grey screen with the apple until the bar is half way across and then shuts down. The only screen I can get to is in safe mode and I don't know what to do with that

my macbook pro will not boot. It gets the grey screen with the apple until the bar is half way across and then shuts down. The only screen I can get to is in safe mode and I don't know what to do with that

Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup - Apple Support

My MacBook pro will not load past the grey screen with the spinning wheel. What do I do?

My MacBook will not load past the grey screen with the spinning wheel of death. Anyone have any solutions?

Invoke Safe Mode by holding down the shift Key as you restart. This will do a Disk Utility "Repair Disk" as it starts up (so it takes a few minutes longer) and then load with minimal extensions loaded, and request your login username and password, even if you normally do not use them to log in.
Safe Mode runs the screen using simple, unaccelerated commands. Most things are available in Safe Mode, but things that rely on extensions will not be.
Acomputer that works in Safe Mode, but fails again after you restart, often implicates your extensions and add-ons.

I installed snow leopard which I now realise that it was the wrong one because it came out before my laptop and now it won't changed from the grey screen with the apple on it how do I fix it ???

I installed snow leopard which I now realise that it was the wrong one because it came out before my laptop and now it won't changed from the grey screen with the apple on it how do I fix it ???

MacBook Pro
Apple - Support - MacBook Pro
Mac OS Version builds
When did yours come out? what does the above show as model and minimum build?
You should have yoru OEM OS X DVD, not one from another Mac, or retail, though the last retail OS X DVD was a year ago 10.6.3.
If it installed, I don't see an issue unless the drive had corrupt directory etc.
What you need to do is repair your boot drive or restore from backup.

Im having trouble getting my macbook pro to boot up after a fail safe boot, im getting as far as the grey screen with the apple loggo. so im trying to run a disk repair but is saying the disk is locked, how do i unlock disk??

Im having trouble getting my macbook pro to boot up after a fail safe boot, im getting as far as the grey screen with the apple loggo. so im trying to run a disk repair but is saying the disk is locked, how do i unlock disk??

Some clarification may help.
You say you cannot boot normally. It shows a gray screen with the Apple logo.
Did you say it will boot successfully in Safe Mode (boot, then hold down the Shift key)?
How did you boot the machine to run Disk Utility? (Which keyboard combinations)?

I was installing the new EFI software update on my macbook pro and I became stuck on the grey screen with the window that said "installing 2 items", its been on the same screen for 2 1/2 hours. does anyone know what I can do?

As the title says.
I was installing the new EFI software update on my macbook pro and I became stuck on the grey screen with the window that said "installing 2 items", its been on the same screen for 2 1/2 hours. does anyone know what I can do?
I don't want to restart it because im scared that something might go wrong.
operating lion

LimitLess- wrote:
Hi,
I had the power supply connected when I attempted it previously but even so my problem occurred. My rom is different and so I still need to update it.
Thanks
I wanted to mark your answer helpful too but I didn't know that I could only put it for 2 answers. Sorry
That was good advice by G-N and s/he is correct about it. Unfortunately, ASC allows only 2 "helpful" and 1 "correct" marks per thread.

When my Mac battery dies and I turn it back on, it always crashes on the grey screen with the progress bar, then it restarts (taking forever) and does not remember any of the programs I was running. MacBook Pro 13 inch running Mavericks

When my Mac battery dies and I turn it back on, it always crashes on the grey screen with the progress bar, then it restarts (taking forever) and does not remember any of the programs I was running. MacBook Pro 13 inch running Mavericks

http://osxdaily.com/2014/10/17/os-x-yosemite-installation-stuck/
also use the Command-L to view logs during installation

Hello my Mac Air is frozen on the grey screen (with the apple symbol, sleeping mode, restart-and off button), once you turn it on.

hello my Mac Air is frozen on the grey screen (with the apple symbol, sleeping mode, restart-and off button), once you turn it on. I Can`t press any button.My Mouse still works. Battery is charged. Alt-cmd-escape doesn`t work It even after a forced shutting off, the problem is the same.   what should i do? Thank you for your help.

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your 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 your last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
     a. Boot into 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.”
b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot 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.
c. 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
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot 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.
If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Step 3
Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot 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 your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you boot 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, your boot volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 5.
If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot 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 reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 4
Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 5
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select your 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 reboot as usual.
Step 6
Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 7
Repeat step 6, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 8
This step applies only to older Macs (not current models) that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery. The battery is distinct from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions.
Step 9
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.

My Imac will not move beyond the Grey Screen with the spirl spinning any ideas

Recently I rebooted my IMac, it now will not move past the grey screen with the spinning spirl.
Please help

Turn off your machine, then power on whilst holding down cmd+alt+p+r until the screen goes off and you hear the chime again.
Also, what iMac do you have/how old?

My Mac won´t load. When I turn it on, I type the password, then it starts to load, but nothing happens. It gets stuck on the grey screen with the apple logo. I can´t go to an Apple store since I´m working in Bolivia. Thanks

When I turn it on, I type the password, then it starts to load, but nothing happens. It gets stuck on the grey screen with the apple logo. I can´t go to an Apple store since I´m working in Bolivia. Thanks

RhysWills1,
which model MacBook Pro do you have, and which version of OS X is installed on it?

TS2570 On start up of my new iMac it locks on the grey screen with the apple logo and the progress wheel spins. Boot up in safe and this is where it stopped at "BootCacheControl: Unable to open /var/db/bootcache.playlist: 2 no such file or directory. "

On start up of my new iMac it locks on the grey screen with the apple logo and the progress wheel spins. Boot up in safe and this is where it stopped at "BootCacheControl: Unable to open /var/db/bootcache.playlist: 2 no such file or directory. "

Reinstalling MacOS does NOT fix the problem for me. I'm still searching a solution !
Bernard

I didn't close my mac air down properly and when i tried to use it, the screen was frozen. I turned it off and restarted it, and the grey screen with the apple logo appear and the circle just keeps spinning. Can you advise?

i didn't close my mac air down properly and when i tried to use it, the screen was frozen. I turned it off and restarted it, and the grey screen with the apple logo appear and the circle just keeps spinning. Can you advise?

Try resetting the SMC
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

My I mac 27 late 2009 will not start up I get to the grey screen with the mouse cursor but it stays that way. if I press shift during the boot i works into safe mode. any idea?

It gets to the grey screen and the mouse point sometime show up but noting more.
when I press shift it does load up into safe mode
i re-installed lion no changes

Restart you Mac holding the "Control + R " keys then run the Restore feature.

Mac book will not boot up,only grey screen with ? on it,Why?

Why won't my Mac book boot up,start up only grey screen with ? showing?

That folder with the question mark icon means that the MacBook can't find the boot directory. That can either mean it can't find the hard drive or the Operating System data on the hard drive is somehow corrupted.
With 10.4, 10.5 or 10.6 put your install DVD into the optical drive (CD/DVD drive) and reboot. Be sure to either use the disc that came with your Mac, or, if you installed a later Mac OS X version from disc, use the newer disc. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option Key until the Install Disk shows up) until the apple shows up. That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
Or if you are running 10.7 Lion, 10.8 Mountain Lion or 10.9 Mavericks, boot from the recovery partition (Command +R on boot) and use Disk Utility to repair your OS 10.7, 10.8 or 10.9 partition.
When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Choose your language and press the Return key on your keyboard once. It will then present you with an Installation window. Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it. When it comes up is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
If it is, then click on the Mac OS partition of your hard drive in the left hand list. Then select the First Aid Tab and run Repair Disk. The Repair Disk button won't be available until you've clicked on the Mac OS partition on your hard drive. If that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions. After repairing use Startup Disk from the same menu to choose your hard drive for restarting from your hard drive.
If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

I have a Macbook and I left it unplugged. It started up slowly when I plugged it in again, but it seemed fine. Once it started charging I shut it down so it would be easier, but now it will not go past the grey screen with the apple. What do I do?

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