IMac 24' green & magenta vertical Lines will not boot.

Firstly let me say Hello all ^_^ Secondly, I hope this is posted in the right forum. :Oops:
The problem started a few days ago when my iMac went into screen saver mode and the whole screen had frozen and become pixlated with squares and a general scrambling of the screen, noise, grain, etc.. It wouldn't awaken from it's slumber so I did a hard restart.
The familiar friendly chime greeted me but the screen was covered in Vertical Green lines that are full of pixels, moving almost like static. The apple logo appeared and the spinning gear but that stopped spinning after about 20 - 30 seconds.
When I tried to boot into Safe mode this happened to the Apple logo (after about 3 or 4 mins)
The apple genius' are booked solid till next Thursday (27th) so I decided research and trial an error were my best options.
The following are the steps I have tried and where I am currently. Sorry for the lack of punctuation, etc...
On startup, Chime sounds, green vertical lines with what appears to be static, sometimes with Magenta in.
Apple logo appears
spinning lines lock up after about 10 seconds. Freeze.
Will not boot into Safe mode (by holding Shift after chime)
Will not boot from Mac OSX disk (by holding C after Chime)
Tried zapping the Pram (Shift, option, p & r on chime, Wait for 3 chimes)
Removed RAM 1 at a time tested in other slots, no change.
WILL enter into single user mode (holding Shift & S after Chime) so ran fsck twice to receive the Hard drive OK message. PHew Hard drive is OK then.
Reboot from here, same Vertical Magenta and green (sometimes just Green) Lines with static, Apple Logo, Spinning gear and freeze.
So connected with firewire into target disk mode. (connect mac book pro to imac using firewire cable and hold down the T key on your target computer, in my case my iMac) This essentially makes the imacs hard drive into an external firewire drive. Hard drive OK. Backed up. YAY. (most relieved to get back photos & current work)
Thanks for bearing with me on this epic post. ;);) and thanks in advance for sharing the knowledge.

Maybe this is a little late since this was last year but I thought I would post what the actual problem & solution was.
I took the iMac into see the Genius' and as it turns out it is indeed the graphics card. Luckily enough for me my iMac was just before they started soldering on them onto the logic boards AND it's one of the known faulty Nvidia Cards, which means a free repair, (luckily)
It took about 2 weeks to repair. when I recieved my iMac back unfortunatly there was lots of fingerprints inside the screen. Let it be said that the Mac store in Oxford street are the fairest of all, as instead of taking the machine and re-repairing, they replaced the whole iMac for a new one.
I hope anyone with this problem, or any other, has the same level of care from Mac as I have had.

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First of all, try a hard restart; making sure no disks are in the slot, unplug everything from your computer (keyboards, mice, etc.) and then unplug the computer itself. Leave it unplugged for a minute or two, then plug it back in and boot it up.
If that fails, reboot it while holding down the option-key on your keyboard. The screen should show a choice of which disk drive to boot from. Choose your usual drive.
If that fails, reboot it while holding down the shift-key on your keyboard. It should take a while for it to boot up, as it is destroying all connections to sources that may contain a virus.
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Imac display only white with purple lines will not boot

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Hello sprdthewrd,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
For more information on this, take a look at:
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Resetting the SMC for Mac Pro, Intel-based iMac, Intel-based Mac mini, or Intel-based Xserve
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord.
Wait fifteen seconds.
Attach the computer's power cord.
Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.
Best of luck,
Mario

My 27" iMac displays vertical green lines when turned on and then will not boot up

Can anyone tell me why my 27" iMac displays vertical green lines when it is turned on and then will not boot up?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
The display or graphic card are damaged. The only thing you can do is to take your computer to an Apple Store or reseller to get your computer repaired.
If you use an external display with your Mac, connect it to your computer and see if these lines appear on the external display. If so, it's a graphic card problem

TS1587 iMac will not boot. Monitor lights up with squiggly little lines, but that's all. Help??

My iMac 24" inte will not boot. Monitor lights up with squiggly little lines, but that's all. Help??

Can you run Apple Hardware Test. In you case it is not so much to see what it finds but to see whether you can boot it at all.
Or try a safe boot.
It may be time to take to apple for repair.

IMac will not boot from any mode except Target Disk

I have an Early 2008 Penryn iMac 24" MB398LL/A running OS X 10.7.4 (see specs below) that will not boot from ANY mode, It also has several strange vertical bars from top to bottom on the screen. They are about 10 px wide, with some pixels empty and looks a bit like a barcode if you squint at it.
I have tried Safe Boot, Force Boot, DVD Boot, FireWire/USB Boot, and it always gets to the same point. It gets to the apple screen with the spinning gear and then after about 8 seconds it freezes. The only way it works at all is in Target Disk Mode. It pops right up on my Macbook Pro and I was able to grab all my info!
I have run Disc Utilities and Tech Tool on it many times from my MBP and it passes every test.
I reformatted the HD and installed 10.7 again, it still freezes up at the same point.
I have tried using Single User mode and every time have had to run /sbin/fsck -fy twice because it always says the disk is ok but it was modified on the first pass.
I thought maybe it had a bad video card or logic board but and I ran the Apple Hardware Test on many occasions and it always passes. Recently I was told about Loop Mode and just completed running the AHT for just over 30 hours without any errors at all.
UPDATE...
Strange Part… I tried installing Mountain Lion in Target Disk Mode and everything went smoothly. When it restarted on its own the lines on the screen were gone for the moment, but the Mac still freezes up on the spinning gear and immediately restarts on its own. I have run every thing listed above on it and still nothing. Sometimes the lines reappear then in two more starts they are gone.
I did manage to have it start one time got a copy of the the error report (its at the bottom too) The Mac ran for at least 30 minutes with no problems, then the screen went crazy a few seconds and it became unresponsive. The mouse moved but that was all it could do. Now my iMac continually restarts itself, I don't have any more ideas, HELP!
Specs...
The iMac "Core 2 Duo" 3.06 24-Inch Aluminum (Early 2008/Penryn) features a 3.06 GHz Intel "Core 2 Duo" processor (E8435), with two independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip, a 6 MB shared level 2 cache, a 1066 MHz system bus, 2 GB of RAM (800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, PC2-6400), a 500 GB (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard drive, a vertically-mounted slot-loading DVD±R DL "SuperDrive", NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics acceleration with 512 MB of GDDR3 memory, a built-in iSight video camera, and built-in stereo speakers underneath the 24" glossy TFT Active Matrix LCD (1920x1200 native) display.
Error Report…
Sat Sep 1 17:13:12 2012
panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff801a4b7b95): Kernel trap at 0xffffff7f9bab8654, type 14=page fault, registers:
CR0: 0x000000008001003b, CR2: 0x0000000000000010, CR3: 0x0000000011803000, CR4: 0x0000000000000660
RAX: 0x0000000000000001, RBX: 0xffffff8050e00000, RCX: 0xffffff801aa8eb00, RDX: 0xffffff80602dba38
RSP: 0xffffff80602dbb60, RBP: 0xffffff80602dbb60, RSI: 0x0000000000000000, RDI: 0x0000000000000000
R8: 0x0000000000000000, R9: 0x00000000000000ff, R10: 0xffffffffffffffff, R11: 0x00000000ffffffff
R12: 0xffffff8050e00000, R13: 0x0000000000000000, R14: 0x0000000000000002, R15: 0x0000000000000000
RFL: 0x0000000000010246, RIP: 0xffffff7f9bab8654, CS: 0x0000000000000008, SS: 0x0000000000000010
Fault CR2: 0x0000000000000010, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Fault CPU: 0x0

Here is the complete error log...
Sat Sep 1 17:13:12 2012
panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff801a4b7b95): Kernel trap at 0xffffff7f9bab8654, type 14=page fault, registers:
CR0: 0x000000008001003b, CR2: 0x0000000000000010, CR3: 0x0000000011803000, CR4: 0x0000000000000660
RAX: 0x0000000000000001, RBX: 0xffffff8050e00000, RCX: 0xffffff801aa8eb00, RDX: 0xffffff80602dba38
RSP: 0xffffff80602dbb60, RBP: 0xffffff80602dbb60, RSI: 0x0000000000000000, RDI: 0x0000000000000000
R8: 0x0000000000000000, R9: 0x00000000000000ff, R10: 0xffffffffffffffff, R11: 0x00000000ffffffff
R12: 0xffffff8050e00000, R13: 0x0000000000000000, R14: 0x0000000000000002, R15: 0x0000000000000000
RFL: 0x0000000000010246, RIP: 0xffffff7f9bab8654, CS: 0x0000000000000008, SS: 0x0000000000000010
Fault CR2: 0x0000000000000010, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Fault CPU: 0x0
Backtrace (CPU 0), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff80602db800 : 0xffffff801a41d5f6
0xffffff80602db870 : 0xffffff801a4b7b95
0xffffff80602dba40 : 0xffffff801a4ce4ad
0xffffff80602dba60 : 0xffffff7f9bab8654
0xffffff80602dbb60 : 0xffffff7f9baa218c
0xffffff80602dbbb0 : 0xffffff7f9baa20e2
0xffffff80602dbbd0 : 0xffffff7f9ba73554
0xffffff80602dbc00 : 0xffffff7f9aa8d470
0xffffff80602dbc40 : 0xffffff7f9aa8d3df
0xffffff80602dbc60 : 0xffffff7f9aa926ec
0xffffff80602dbcf0 : 0xffffff7f9aa8af20
0xffffff80602dbd20 : 0xffffff7f9aadacc7
0xffffff80602dbd70 : 0xffffff801a833b9b
0xffffff80602dbdc0 : 0xffffff801a862d57
0xffffff80602dbe30 : 0xffffff801a497cef
0xffffff80602dbe80 : 0xffffff801a420abd
0xffffff80602dbeb0 : 0xffffff801a410448
0xffffff80602dbf00 : 0xffffff801a4195fb
0xffffff80602dbf70 : 0xffffff801a4a5ad6
0xffffff80602dbfb0 : 0xffffff801a4ced13
      Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
         com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3.4)[2600903C-EEDE-321B-A023-169DC9B26EA6]@0 xffffff7f9aa81000->0xffffff7f9aab8fff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7)[8C9E06A4-13D0-33F5-A377-9E36F0ECC229]@0xffffff 7f9aa4d000
         com.apple.NVDAResman(8.0)[6A699209-FB98-316B-A3C0-DCA82AA8C86B]@0xffffff7f9aad8 000->0xffffff7f9addafff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7)[8C9E06A4-13D0-33F5-A377-9E36F0ECC229]@0xffffff 7f9aa4d000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.3.4)[99CA4184-8D92-31B2-8726-46139E8E3DFF]@0xff ffff7f9aac4000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3.4)[2600903C-EEDE-321B-A023-169DC9B26EA6]@0 xffffff7f9aa81000
         com.apple.GeForce(8.0)[4B9BE287-5251-398E-96B0-BB16C9BFB2D9]@0xffffff7f9ba72000 ->0xffffff7f9bb34fff
            dependency: com.apple.NVDAResman(8.0.0)[6A699209-FB98-316B-A3C0-DCA82AA8C86B]@0xffffff7f9aa d8000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.3.4)[99CA4184-8D92-31B2-8726-46139E8E3DFF]@0xff ffff7f9aac4000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7)[8C9E06A4-13D0-33F5-A377-9E36F0ECC229]@0xffffff 7f9aa4d000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3.4)[2600903C-EEDE-321B-A023-169DC9B26EA6]@0 xffffff7f9aa81000
BSD process name corresponding to current thread: WindowServer
Mac OS version:
12B19
Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 12.1.0: Tue Aug 14 13:29:55 PDT 2012; root:xnu-2050.9.2~1/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: 3005059E-270B-3B9F-940D-7A66C05DDC9D
Kernel slide:     0x000000001a200000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff801a400000
System model name: iMac8,1 (Mac-F227BEC8)
System uptime in nanoseconds: 26349024446
last loaded kext at 22534854703: com.apple.driver.AppleHDAHardwareConfigDriver          2.3.0f2 (addr 0xffffff7f9c489000, size 12288)
loaded kexts:
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAHardwareConfigDriver          2.3.0f2
com.apple.driver.AppleHDA          2.3.0f2
com.apple.driver.AppleTyMCEDriver          1.0.2d2
com.apple.filesystems.autofs          3.0
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothSerialManager          4.0.9f8
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothUSBDFU          4.0.9f8
com.apple.driver.AppleLPC          1.6.0
com.apple.driver.AppleMuxControl          3.2.6
com.apple.driver.AppleBacklight          170.2.3
com.apple.driver.AppleUpstreamUserClient          3.5.10
com.apple.driver.AppleMCCSControl          1.0.33
com.apple.GeForce          8.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleSMCPDRC          1.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOUserEthernet          1.0.0d1
com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X          7.0.0
com.apple.driver.ApplePolicyControl          3.2.6
com.apple.driver.ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin          1.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleIRController          320.15
com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient          3.5.1
com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver          3.0.1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless          1.0.0d1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib          1.0.0d1
com.apple.BootCache          34
com.apple.driver.XsanFilter          404
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage          2.2.1
com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI          4.9.5
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub          5.1.6
com.apple.driver.AirPortBrcm43224          600.36.17
com.apple.iokit.AppleYukon2          3.2.3b1
com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort          2.4.0
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelPIIXATA          2.5.1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI          5.1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI          5.1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM          1.6.1
com.apple.driver.AppleRTC          1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleHPET          1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons          1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS          1.9
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC          1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC          1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient          196.0.0
com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall          4.0.39
com.apple.security.quarantine          2
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement          196.0.0
com.apple.driver.DspFuncLib          2.3.0f2
com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily          1.8.9fc9
com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib          1.6
com.apple.kext.triggers          1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily          10.0.6
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusPCI          1.0.10d0
com.apple.driver.AppleBacklightExpert          1.0.4
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusController          1.0.10d0
com.apple.nvidia.nv50hal          8.0.0
com.apple.NVDAResman          8.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireIP          2.2.5
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAController          2.3.0f2
com.apple.iokit.IOHDAFamily          2.3.0f2
com.apple.iokit.IOSurface          86.0.2
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily          4.0.9f8
com.apple.driver.AppleGraphicsControl          3.2.6
com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport          2.3.4
com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily          2.3.4
com.apple.driver.AppleSMC          3.1.3d11
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginLegacy          1.0.0
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginFamily          5.2.0d16
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver          5.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub          5.1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite          5.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice          3.5.1
com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily          1.7
com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily          1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily          1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOATAPIProtocolTransport          3.5.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily          3.5.1
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily          4.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient          5.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family          500.15
com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily          3.0
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily          2.2.0
com.apple.iokit.IOATAFamily          2.5.1
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily          5.1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime          1.6.1
com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily          1.8.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily          1.1
com.apple.security.sandbox          220
com.apple.kext.AppleMatch          1.0.0d1
com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet          7
com.apple.driver.DiskImages          344
com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily          1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore          28.18
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform          1.6
com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily          2.7
com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily          1.4
com.apple.kec.corecrypto          1.0
Model: iMac8,1, BootROM IM81.00C1.B00, 2 processors, Intel Core 2 Duo, 3.06 GHz, 2 GB, SMC 1.30f1
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS, PCIe, 512 MB
Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 1 GB, DDR2 SDRAM, 800 MHz, 0x2C00000000000000, 0x38485446313238363448445A2D3830304531
Memory Module: BANK 1/DIMM1, 1 GB, DDR2 SDRAM, 800 MHz, 0x2C00000000000000, 0x38485446313238363448445A2D3830304531
AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0x8C), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.10.131.36.16)
Bluetooth: Version 4.0.9f8 10405, 2 service, 18 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Serial ATA Device: WDC WD5000AAKS-40YGA1, 500.11 GB
Parallel ATA Device: MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-875
USB Device: Built-in iSight, apple_vendor_id, 0x8502, 0xfd400000 / 2
USB Device: BRCM2046 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0x1a100000 / 2
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, apple_vendor_id, 0x820f, 0x1a110000 / 5
USB Device: IR Receiver, apple_vendor_id, 0x8242, 0x5d100000 / 2
USB Device: Hub in Apple Extended USB Keyboard, apple_vendor_id, 0x1002, 0x1d100000 / 2
USB Device: Trackball, 0x046d (Logitech Inc.), 0xc404, 0x1d120000 / 4
USB Device: Apple Extended USB Keyboard, apple_vendor_id, 0x0204, 0x1d110000 / 3

Intel iMac (Early 2008) Has vertical lines on the screen and doesn't boot.

My iMac froze up tonight, and upon restarting it there are a number of yellow vertical line segments throughout the display, and it will not boot completely into the OS. The spinning segment just stops and the computer does nothing. I inserted my Leopard disc to run a hardware test but holding D during bootup does nothing, even though I can hear the disc spin up.
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/1843/img1821uf.jpg
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/1651/img1823s.jpg
Any Thoughts?

I've had this same exact issue and have had to have the graphics card replace (nvidia 8800gs).
It seems these graphics cards are defective in some way.
Unfortunately my iMac is out of warranty and I must pay 3500dkk ( 500usd ) for repair.
I'm very disappointed as to the reliability of these iMacs as I've only had it for 2 years my old iMac g4 1ghz has performed better than this and is actually what I'm using until my so called new iMac is back from repairs

Intel iMac will not boot past gray screen

Intel iMac will not boot past gray screen
my system:
new (month old) 24" intel imac, 2.8 ghz, 4 gb ram.
running: leopard (upgraded from tiger, which was pre-installed at purchase), installed 10.5.1 update right before this huge problem occurred.
install discs on-hand: two-disc tiget set, single leopard upgrade disc.
what led to this:
i wanted to install windows using bootcamp on a 50 gb partition.
at this point i was running leopard 10.5
i followed all bootcamp instructions, printing out the guide, as well. once i got into the windows setup, i was prompted to choose a partition to install windows. unlike the bootcamp guide, which showed three partitions, one clearly labeled "bootcamp", i saw only one partition. not wanting to risk writing over my mac partition, i quit the setup and rebooted the mac os. after some googling around, i looked for firmware updates (didn't need any), and then software updates. i decided to try updating to 10.5.1.
i then ran through boot camp again, deleting my previous windows partition, creating a new one, and moving forward as before. once again, i was only shown one partition to choose from in the windows setup. i exited the setup again to reboot through the mac os, but this time, i was only given a blank gray screen.
here's what i have tried so far:
booting from a CD, holding down the C or D keys: no response (in fact, i have to restart the computer holding down the mouse button to be able to eject the CD)
booting with option key held down: gray screen
booting with option key held down with external bootable firewire drive attached: the firewire drive appears as a boot icon, and i can click on it within a five second window, but then the screen freezes after that time period, and nothing changes
booting into target mode while attached to another mac: gray screen (no firewire icon, and drive never shows up on other mac)
resetting NVRAM: i'm able to hear the boot chimes, but no difference in performance. gray screen every time
Safe boot: nothing but a gray screen
Verbose mode: gray screen
Single user mode: gray screen
Single user mode with firewire drive attached: occasionally (not every time), i am able to get the white on black terminal to show up. from here, i'm able to run fsck, but it appears to only be checking the firewire drive. i have tried several times to boot from here, and once it took me to a blue screen with movable arrow cursor, but it never went beyond this.
is there anything else left to try before taking it to apple?
any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
Casey Burns
Casey Burns Illustration and Design
http://CaseyBurns.com

I'd call Apple support at this point. You'll need
to put this issue on the record.
Call U.S. iPod and Mac technical support: 1-800-APL-CARE (1-800-275-2273)
The wait may be long for an agent to come on the line
so expect that and have some other stuff to do in the meantime.
If you have the applecare protection plan, I'd ask about "onsite"
service.
I like your work ! Good luck !
Slim
Message was edited by: slimpikkunz

Install Disk for Snow Leopard will not boot on an iMac 27in

My Install Disk for Snow Leopard will not boot on my iMac 27in. The Apple Logo is the only thing the user will see. The current OS on the system is 10.6.6. Upon placing the Snow Leopard DVD in the system, the DVD players spins for a few seconds and displays the Apple Logo. Nothing happens after 20 minutes.

Yes, it is ridiculous how it is impossible to install Snow Leopard. I have two Snow Leopard DVDs: one that I purchased for a Macbook soon after it's release (10.6.0), and one that came with my iMac (10.6.4). Both of these boot up my Macbook (running 10.6.7) just fine. My SL 10.6.0 DVD mounts onto my iMac (Lion 10.7.0), but you cannot run the install. I attempted to boot from this DVD and got the infinite white screen and Apple logo, as some have reported above. The other SL 10.6.4 DVD will not even mount in Lion, and will not even show up as a bootable drive when I attempt to select it after holding alt/option on reboot.
I created a bootable external drive from SL 10.6.0, attempted boot, same infinite white screen/apple logo.
I created a bootable external drive from SL 10.6.4 on my macbook. I attempted to boot from this drive, and got the white screen of death, except that this time I actually got the loading symbol underneath the Apple logo. After about a minute of attempting to boot, the Apple logo changed to a circle with a diagonal line through it (the "NO!" sign).
I took my iMac to the genius bar. They inserted SL 10.6.0, which would not boot. Then they determined that my computer had to run 10.6.4 and later. So, they restored an image of SL 10.6.4 onto my partition (not an install from an image, but an image of SL already installed). Hurray! Snow Leopard was successfully shoved onto my iMac!
I then deleted a third partition on my hard drive I did not need anymore, which somehow screwed up my SL partition (even though it said "Will not erase partition SL or Macintosh HD). Now I am back at square one, and I guess I need to take my flippin iMac back to Apple for them to do what I should be able to do.
I like Apple, but sheesh do I hate Lion right now.

My 2011 IMac will not boot up past the White apple logo screen with the whirly circle

My 2011 IMac will not boot up past the White apple logo screen with the whirly circle. I have tried various commands but to no avail. does anybody have any advice?

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 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 Fusion Drive or 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.

Brand New 27" iMac i5 will not boot after installing software updates

I just purchased my new iMac 2 nights ago. I have been getting it setup with my apps, mobile me account, etc, and luckily just setup time machine and let it do a full backup.
I just ran Software Update for the first time, and now the machine will not boot. It hangs on the grey screen for about 1 minute before the Apple logo comes up. About 30 seconds after the Apple logo comes up, the grey spinning gear shows up, and about 1 minute after that I get the grey screen of death (You must restart your computer).
Any suggestions? A little frustrated here....

If you mean did I receive error messages, No, I didn't. However, the desktop reverted to the default purple night-sky looking thing, my applications and such all disappeared from the dock, and I couldn't open any files or folders (you don't have permission to ...), etc. I tried signing out and back in, rebooting, using a second admin account on the computer, creating a new admin account, etc. I ran Disk Utility, hardware checker, etc. No errors were found, and nothing changed. I could see all my files and folders, but they had a small red circle in the corner, indicating "locked" or "no permission".
I'll find the lines from the console log if that will help. The error showed up immediately and is in the computer's attempt to access the user/library/application support/sync services and same path to user/library/logs/sync services/log. (or something reasonably close to this. If you can use the exact path, I will get it) The link between my settings and files, and a password is apparently corrupted or something, so that the computer won't even let me change the desktop or any file, so I can't save, edit or discard anything, and can't drag files to another computer on the home network.
At least I'm still under the 90 day warranty, so I can call tomorrow. At this point, the SMART check says the drive is good, so I assume it's software. The only things new are the three auto Apple software updates I installed yesterday, so I immediately suspect them. But who knows?
Does this help you at all?

3400c will not boot/ green power light remains on

Strange thing happened. We lost power while I was away and when I came back my 3400c was on (the green power light was lit) but it will not boot, shut down or power up. Will not respond to the power button or force quit keys. I tried removing the cd drive, the battery and unplugging but when I reconnect the power all that I get is the green light. No internal noise, won't boot. Also, I tried pressing the reset "button" in the back and the green light will flash but nothing else happens. It hasn't been my main computer for awhile and I no longer have it connected to the internet but it is nice for the kids to run their cd games on it. Anyone have any idea on how I can go about troubleshooting this laptop.

I've done a ton of tinkering with my 3400c, and currently am having fun installing Linux on it. Through my adventures with this thing, I've occasionally seen the stationary green light.
I'd recommend removing what's in the media bay, and any PCMCIA cards, unplugging all components and removing the battery.
Disconnect the unit from power and press the PMU reset button on the back, and hold it for several seconds.
Let the unit sit for about 10 minutes, just to be on the thorough side. Then reconnect the power cable (no battery/media bay necessary). What SHOULD happen is an immediate boot chime.
If the issue persists, you might try booting into open firmware:
Hold down Option + Apple + O + F, and press the power key on upper right of keyboard while holding these keys. Hold them down until you (hopefully) see a grayish-white screen.
If so, type these lines, return after each one:
init-nvram
set-defaults
reset-all
If all goes well, should reboot normally. If not, you may have a hardware issue on your hands. I'd try disassembling it and removing debris, looking for loose components or any point of failure, but if not you may require a new logic board. Luckily, either a 3400c or Kanga G3 board will work with these models if that's the case. (Only caviat is that the ram that originally came with some 3400c models will not work on the Kanga logic boards).

IMac modell 8.1. will not boot, screen issues

Hi!
My iMac 24" modell 8.1. (IC2D - 2,8 GHz) will not boot from install disc OS X 10.6. When I turn the machin on I hear the sound ok, then the grey screen appear with the black apple logo and the spinning wheel starts up. Then nothing happens. I hear that the superdrive is spinning up with the install disc, but nothing happens on the screen.
The screen has much flickering/distortion, so I removed the LCD display and checked all the three cables between screen and logic board to see that they are secured.
I have installed an 2 TB HD in this iMac formatted in Mac OS X extended journaled. The 4 LED lights on the bottom of the logic board are on and green. Remember back with my PM G5 that I had to push a cuda button, is there any such button on this iMac?
Any suggestions?

Eric Ross wrote:
You need to start the iMac with the original DVD that came your with your computer. Then run disk utility to repair your hard drive and premissions. http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417
No, you want to run DU from whatever version is on the boot volume. The original version it shipped with was 10.5, but if it's now 10.6, he wants to use a 10.6 disc to repair with.
For the video symptoms, I would run the Hardware Test, in extended from the 10.5 disc, if it will boot to that.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1509
And Roam's suggestion to try a Safe Boot is a must.
EDIT: Permissions Repair should be done -- and I don't think this is appropriate to do now, anyway -- from the normal boot volume, not from the DVD. And, certainly not from the original disc.
Message was edited by: WZZZ

Flat Screen imac iMac won't boot up, will not boot from DVD

My 24" imac flat screen will not boot. I only get a blank gray/white screen. Reset the PRAM and tried to boot from the DVD. I held the C key down when I powered on but the system will not boot from the DVD. If I wait long enough, the DVD will eventually be ejected. I have had HD issues and Disk Warrior indicated that the drive was damaged. Will a dead hard drive cause the system to not boot from the DVD? Is there any way to get the system to boot from my DVD?

Hello PMcDer,
Welcome to Apple Discussions!
By what you are describing you're correct in believing your drive is probably gone. The sad news... if Disk utility can no longer see the drive, your ability to retrieve any data off of it is getting slim.
There are a couple of options for data retrieval.
1. If you still have Apple Care have them fix it. But make sure they know that you do not have a backup.
2. If you do not have Apple Care, have an Authorized Apple Tech replace the drive and make sure that they will give you back the old drive. This may prove to be a challenge. Or you can replace the drive yourself. It is not easy for some but take your time and you'll have no problems. Lots of youtube videos on this as well as on-line tutorials.
3. You could try a Hard Disk Utility program like Disk Warrior to see if it can help, but it's not free.
4. You could pay someone big bucks for Data recovery in order to get the data of the drive for you.
If you decided to do the HDD swap yourself. You could purchase a 3.5" firewire enclosure that you could put your old drive into once you do the swap. Plug it into the iMac and prey that it recognizes it. Then "MAYBE" you could copy the data over to the new drive, but that is a stretch.

IMac Late 2006 Will Not Boot Up

I have a late 2006 iMac. The problem I have is that it will not boot up. I press the power button and the light comes on but the display is blank. Do you all think the problem is the logic board?
Thanks in advance,
Andrew

Could be. Is it that the display is blank but the system is running???? If so, what if you connect an External Monitor.
My iBook has been having Logic Board issues similar to what you say though, but it's because of a chip on the lower side of the board that become desoldered. I ended up putting a small piece of rubber onto it to apply pressure onto the chip once I reapplied the case/undercover. It works & I backed up everything, but it sometime acts up again with similar symptoms as your iMac.

IMac 24' green & magenta vertical Lines will not boot.

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