Imac 24" 2.8GHz won't boot from any device

Have an Imac Intel Metal unit.  24" with 4GB Ram.  Will not boot from anything.  It chimes loudly, the grey apple appears, the gear spins and then freezes.  Then nothing.  tried booting from several external drives.  Even pulled out the internal Hard Drive.

Hey MacMyDayTF,
Troubleshooting steps for those symptoms are outlined in the following document. I'd go through the steps within to see if that resolves the issue:
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Best,
Delgadoh

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