I have a MacBook Pro 2008 with 17 inch screen. Experiencing a lock up when turning on power to boot up. While booting up it goes to gray screen with Apple logo and disc spinning icon running and doesn't go to my desktop. Any solutions to the problem?

I have an early 2009 17 inch MacBook Pro that just went on the fritz. When turning on the power it will go into boot up mode to the gray screen with the apple logo, then the disc icon will be running and will continue running, not allowing to proceed to my desk top screen. It's pretty much locked up at this point where I have to do a forced shut down by holding down the power button. I've tried everything that I know of such as taking battery out and pressing power button for 5 seconds and then reinstalling battery. I've cleaned inside of computer with compressed air duster in can as well as other key commands for resets. I've read that this is a common problem with the earlier MacBook Pros. Is this a problem that I can fix or does it have to be taken in for service? Any solutions to the problem would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

This could be a software/state problem or a hardware problem.  Here are steps to resolve the former.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-5282

Similar Messages

  • My macbook pro laptop has a grey screen at start up and doesn't boot up all the way

    to whom this may concern, i have a macbook pro and the computer on startup has a grey screen i get the apple symbol and a status bar but as the status bar is filling it only fills 1/3 of the way and the computer shuts down i tried turning back on several times and have had no luck. what could be the problem ?

    mr.edsr wrote:
    Where is the SMC located  and how is this done?  Thank you!
    Please read this link:
    http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295
    Ciao.

  • HT4623 when i make software update my i phone shut down and it can't start it always Show the apple mark and then disappear i can't make any thing what the problem and what the solution thank you

    Dear gentlemen:
       i know how can update ios update but when i make update my iphone shut down and it can't start.
      it always Show the apple mark and then disappear i can't make any thing i need know what can i do ?
    thank you

    Contact iTunes Customer Service and request assistance
    Use this Link  >  Apple  Support  iTunes Store  Contact

  • Macbook Pro (2011) froze while working, forced shut down, now won't turn on. Grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel for hours. Help?

    Macbook Pro (2011) froze while working, forced shut down, now won't turn on. Grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel for hours. Help?
    Unfortunately do not know the operating system since I never updated anything and I can't get in to it.
    Thanks for your assistance.

    If you want to preserve the data on the boot drive, and it's not already backed up, 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, you can skip this step.
    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is not fully functional. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
    1. Boot from the Recovery partition or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
    2. 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.
    3. 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.

  • I have snow leopard installed as an OS.  When trying to reboot a MacBook Pro I am getting stuck on grey screen with apple logo and rotating symbol.  What can I do?

    I have snow leopard installed as an OS.  When trying to reboot a MacBook Pro I am getting stuck on grey screen with apple logo and rotating symbol.  What can I do?

    Maybe this might help.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570

  • Trying to defrag my macbook pro(2010)with drive genius startup disc and the disc is stuck in my computer.  How do I get it out??

    Trying to defrag my macbook pro(2010)with drive genius startup disc and the disc is stuck in my computer.  How do I get it out??

    Try these options:
    Credit Kappy.
    Look at these discussions:
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/6369213#6369213
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4032
    Ciao.
    Message was edited by: OGELTHORPE

  • Since upgrading to Yosemite I lose my wifi connection. I have a MacBook Pro paired with verse. Our iPad and iPhones are fine. Any suggestions?

    Since upgrading to Yosemite I lose my wifi connection. I have a MacBook Pro paired with uverse. Our iPad and iPhones are fine. Any suggestions?

    Since upgrading to Yosemite I lose my wifi connection. I have a MacBook Pro paired with uverse. Our iPad and iPhones are fine. Any suggestions?

  • TS2570 Mac will not start up after software up date, just screen with Apple logo and spinning icon?

    Mac will not start up after software up date, just screen with Apple logo and spinning icon? I have tried safe start up, unplugged all other cables, no luck?

    How to Perform an Archive and Install
    An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
    1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
    Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
    2. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
    3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
    4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
    5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
    6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

  • My macbook is not starting properly, remains white screen as it is with apple logo and spinning gear

    my macbook is not starting properly, remains white screen as it is with apple logo and spinning gear

    Hi..
    Your profile indicates you are running Lion v10.7 so you need to use Lion Recovery  to repair the startup disk if necessary or reinstall Mac OS X.

  • Won't turn on white screen with apple logo and spinning disc

    Mac book air won't boot up just has a white screen with apple logo and spinning disc have tried all the startup multiple key pushes , I think

    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
    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. The easiest way to deal with the problem is to boot from an external drive, or else to use either of the techniques in Steps 1b and 1c 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 boot 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 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.
    Step 7
    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.
    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 6.
    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 8
    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 9
    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 10
    Repeat Step 9, 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 11
    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 boot 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 12
    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.

  • After some advice, I am new to Apple and looking to purchase either the MacBook Air 13inch with 256GB and 8GB mem or the MacBook Pro 13inch with retina 256Gb and 8GB mem. I am an assistant principal in a primary school and also studying my masters

    After some advice, I am new to Apple and looking to purchase either the MacBook Air 13inch with 256GB and 8GB mem or the MacBook Pro 13inch with retina 256Gb and 8GB mem. I am an assistant principal in a primary school and also studying my masters at university. I don't play computer games and I don't watch movies. I do store photos and videos of my kids and music on iTunes. I also like browsing the net with numerous windows open, check email etc. I am really wanting long battery life as I do a lot of my work on the couch - not close to a PowerPoint. Would the air do the trick or will it soon be outdated as Apple move towards retina display? Both air and pro seem very thin  - almost the same? And not much difference in weight either so both very portable which is also a necessary requirement. Just can't help dreaming about that 12 hour claimed battery life. Any helpful advice/opinions, very much appreciated. Thanks

    It's not likely that you'll get 12 hours in reql life. Those benchmarks are set under very strict controlled conditions. Kind of like mileage per gallon claims on cars. If 16GB of ram is an option at all I'd highly recommend you get that. As far as storage 256GB isn't alot, consider storing some things on an external thunderbolt real

  • Hi I have two macbook pro, i connected one from another via lan cable , now when i removed it, its showing me some pop up again and again saying server may not exists and there was a problem connecting to ishan's macbook pro

    Hi I have two macbook pro, i connected one from another via lan cable , now when i removed it, its showing me some pop up again and again saying server may not exists and there was a problem connecting to ishan's macbook pro

    If you just reboot it, does the problem go away?

  • HT201263 My iPhone 3G 16gb in white: I did all the things you mentioned, but it just keep looping the Apple logo and doesn't turn off until it is out of battery, and I am using a MacBook Pro 15inch Unibody if that does matter

    My iPhone 3G 16gb in white: I did all the things you mentioned, but it just keep looping the Apple logo and doesn't turn off until it is out of battery, and I am using a MacBook Pro 15inch Unibody if that does matter

    If you are in Hong Kong, go to Digital Trade, 1/F, Sincere Plaza, Argyle Street, and it will cost you 120-150HKD, but before you go check that your power button and home button are working correctly, if not press as hard as you can, hope this will help.

  • MacBook will not start. I have restarted with original CD. I have used Utilities and "no problem" with hard drive. I have reset PRAM. I have tried safe boot. Nothing is work. Gray screen with Apple logo and rotating wheel. Thanks for any suggestions!

    MacBook will not start. I have restarted with original CD. I have used Utilities and "no problem" with hard drive. I have reset PRAM. I have tried safe boot. Nothing is work. Gray screen with Apple logo and rotating wheel. Thanks for any suggestions!

    Snow Leopard is a Mac OS X version. You say that it's the version you have in your Mac (10.6.8). Do a back up of your files, format the hard drive (using Disk Utility) and reinstall again

  • HT204347 Hi my serial number on bottom of my mac is W8*******66E when l try to try the computer on it is just going to grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel i have tried starting in safe mode and a few other suggested solutions and they have not

    Hi my serial number on bottom of my mac is W8******66E when l try to turn the computer on it is just going to grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel i have tried starting in safe mode and a few other suggested solutions and they have not worked?
    <Edited by Host>

    What other solutions have you tried?
    This may help you:
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3353
    Ciao.

Maybe you are looking for