IMac G3 Gray screen w/logo & Spinning Progress Wheel only!

When turning on my iMac G3 DV SE 400, Slot-Load, Graphite (1999-10), OS 10.3 (Panther), it only goes as far as a gray screen with the Apple logo and the spinning wheel (gear) (Progress wheel) below the logo, and that's it.
I've started up in Target Mode and transferred everything to my PowerBook.
I've started up from disk 1 of 10.3, went to Utilities and did a disk repair a few times.
I did a Restore from the same disk, but only that disk; there is no way to eject, except for manual, and then when the second disk is inserted (and re-starting, holding the "C" key), it just goes into the spinning Progress wheel routine.
My next step is to Erase the Hard drive, and then reload the 4-disks of 10.3.
Is this the correct thing to do? Is there something else I should be doing?
I suspect there is a corrupted piece of data that is preventing the computer from advancing during start-up, and erasing and re-loading 10.3 will clear it up. Wishful thinking?
Thanks in advance for any help.

You have already started up from Disc 1 and run Disk Utility from there. All you have to do now is go to the Erase tab. Make sure you have selected the internal DRIVE, not the volume indented below the drive, in the Disk Utility sidebar. If you want to be able to boot Mac OS 9 from the drive, check the checkbox to install Mac OS 9 drivers (there's no harm in checking it either way). Click Erase.
This will reformat the drive and any disk directory error should go away, assuming there are no underlying hardware issues with the drive.
You can then return to Installer and install Mac OS X on a clean drive. This will make any problems you may have had with the previous system go away.
After your system restarts, it would be a good idea to run Disk Utility (from the internal drive) and use the +Repair Disk Permissions+ routine. Then, immediately run Software Update to install the latest OS updates. You may have to restart and run it a second time to pick up all the dependent updates.

Similar Messages

Start Up Issue-Gray Screen, Apple Logo And Cognition Wheel-Blue screen before start up at times but no longer starting up beyond gray screen and cognition wheel

Power button pressed.
Start up light okay
Chimes okay
Gray screen, apple logo and cognition wheel spinning and the loading bar underneath loading 1/10th of the way.
Loading bar doesnt load fully and then disappears.
Gray screen remains with apple logo and cognition wheel only.
No start up to desktop. Before start up to desk top which is not happening any more a blue screen appeared before the desktop appeared. When start up complete the ' Finder' had no responded and did not work' Multi coloured loading pointer continually turned. ' Network' could not be loaded in 'System Prefrences'.
Ive tried reading and following propts...Results NVRAM/PRAM - Logic board battery replacement. How much will this cost?
Hardware test - No problem found
Safe Boot - ' volume Machintosh HD could not be repaired.'
' Run time corruption detected on Machintosh HD device'
What do you suggest aside from taking it to a apple store?
Thanks Stephen

Lion or Snow Leopard? If Lion, boot into your Recovery partition (hold down the Command and R keys whilst booting) and use Disk Utility to verify and, if needed, repair the boot volume.
If Snow Leopard, use the installation disc and use Disk Utility in the same manner.
Clinton

Gray screen, apple logo and spinning gear hang at start up

after a lengthy round of "bejeweled", i let my imac fall into screen saver mode. when i tried to log back in, i tapped the mouse and the imac flashed as it does when actuated outside a dialogue without clicking the okay button, and immediately returned to screen saver. i then manually shut down and restarted to the gray screen, apple logo and spinning gear hang. i then inserted the leopard install dvd, manually shut down and restarted pressing the option key and selected the install disc. it booted as usual. i selected the language preferred, used the utility drop down menu and selected DU, then selected the hard drive and verify permissions to reveal a pop up "Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit. Permissions verification complete." i immediately selected repair disc, and breathed a sigh of relief with the notification "appears to be ok". then utilities/start up disc/macintosh hd/restart. still get the hang. i have repeated this process several times, also resetting the PRAM as well to the infinite hang. as a matter of fact, the gear has been spinning the entire time creating this post. needless to say, i am truly at a loss. SOS!!!!!!! Please!!!!! SEND LAWYERS, GUNS AND MONEY!!!!

i have perused some of the threads posted per this topic and decided to attempt an "archive and install." i also have a 620gig acomdata external drive with close to a carbon copy of my internal. a few short minutes into the install, the imac reveals a pop up stating it cannot install some files on the hard drive, contact the software manufacturer or restart and try to install again. the internal drive is a 160gig with only about 60gigs of room, so i tried to archive and install to the acomdata instead as it has 180 gig of free space. i get the exact same dialogue once again. restart and a third attempt only archive and install will not highlight, only first time and/or erase and install. further, start up disc shows only the install disc and network as choices. so i attempt first time install on both drives and get the same pop up message again. DU recognizes both drives although verify/repair permissions does not highlight, but not start up disc.
i'm trying not to become frantic, but my patience is threadbare. i am in desperate need of sound advice as to what i need to do.
thanks again in advance,
bradley

IMac has gray screen with spinning wheel, but cannot login

After power failure last night, iMac has gray screen with spinning wheel when turned on, but does not go to login screen.

Having the same problem myself. iMac locked up and I had to hold the power button to turn it off. Ended up with the apple logo screen and spinning wheel. I tried the disk repair and got the same message as yourself, in that it couldn't repair it.
I linked up an external hard drive and installed OSX on it and booted from it. I was able to recover some files, but most I couldn't. I'm currently giving it a one pass erase in the hope (long shot) that a complete pass through the hard drive will show up any faults. Has anyone had this problem and been able to continue using the same hard drive? I really don't relish the thought of having to send it off to be replaced :-/
Assuming that the erase goes well I plan to put OSX back onto it and then run disk utility from directly on the drive and see if any faults show up. I'm kicking myself for not taking advantage of TimeMachine, but we live and learn.

After prompted to update 10.9.1, my MacBook Pro updates and went thru restart but failed...I tried to start my book and gray screen, Apple logo both on, chime sounded, then went to progress bar, less than half macbook shuts down...did few times, same!!

After prompted to update 10.9.1, my MacBook Pro updates and went thru restart but failed...I tried to start my book and gray screen, Apple logo both on, chime sounded, then went to progress bar, less than half macbook shuts down...did few times, same!!
Go to system repair, there is a prompt that cannot repair live etc....I don understand!!! Help, I need the book for work tomorrow!!

Thanks clintonfrombirmingham...
After clicking "repair disk" it says DISK UTILITY STOPPED REPAIRING MACINTOSH HD, DISK UTILITY CAN't REPAIR THIS DISK. BACK UO AS MANY OF YOUR FILES AS POSSIBLE, REFORMAT THE DISK, AND RESTORE YOUR BACKED -UP FILES....
written in red: ERROR: DISK UTILITY CAN'T REPAIR THIS DISK,,,DISK, AND RESTORE YOUR BACKED-UP FILES.
how can I back up when I cannot even start my macbook? I am stuck here and have lots of important files in the hd... Please help me? Thanks you!

About imac (early 2008 24") stuck on grey screen apple logo spinning wheel

HI all just wondering if any body has experienced the grey screen apple logo spinning wheel and also switches off and back on all by itself after 5-10 minutes in the past or recent.
how did you get on did you sort it?would like to read some feedback on this subject thanks

Generally that indicates a serious problem with the hard drive.
Power down, hold alt key at power on, what shows as boot choices?
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu at top of the screen. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
*Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair Disk, (not Repair Permissions). Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Report what happens or doesn't please.

Gray Screen, Mac Logo and Gears after Leopard Install

I installed Leopard, restarted the computer and am now stuck at the gray screen, MAC logo and gears turning. On the phone with Apple Support, had me hold down the C key upon restart, Repair Permissions, all checked out OK, restarted, but am still stuck at the same place. I'm on hold for the "portables" department. PowerBook is 45 days old. Any advice? Thanks,

any luck? i just received a brand new imac. it came with the leopard disc. i went through the install and it stuck at the grey screen. i tried a reboot holding down the c key and reinstalled the software a second time. same grey screen.

G5 turns on but display stops at gray screen+apple logo

Can someone tell me why my G5 turns on but display stops at gray screen+apple logo. The keyboard and the superdrive not responding. After a minute the fans kick in and grow louder and faster...?? I tried a reset with the P and R but keyboard N/S. USB have power. I do get the start sound then the gray logo+screen.
Thanks for the help anyone!!
G5 dual 2G Mac OS X (10.3.9) 2G RAM, 23" display

I was getting a similar issue yesterday, stuck on the
grey screen, then the G5 turned into mini turbine
engine. I'm not sure what fixed it, i took out the
plastic wind deflector and noticed three leds next to
the RAM slots were lit up.. with some quick googling
bringing me back to apple's support pages, it turned
out the lights came up because the deflector shield
wasn't in place. Anyway myabe it was slightly out of
place, but that coupled with unplugging the power
cable for some moments seemed to help, and i was able
to get past the logo screen etc..
but i was still getting intermittent issues, with
startup and programs, and getting plenty of crashes.
So i did the Apple Hardware Test, and after 3hrs it
turned out my RAM was at fault. I recieved the
machine only a week back, since then i've added new
RAM, which was the exact same Samsung RAM that apple
use, though one stick didn't share the exact same
serial, it was still the same spec.. anyway i've
removed the pair of 1GB sticks for the time being,
and since doing so, i've got my mac running to its
full strength.. i just hope i can sort out this RAM
issue and not have blown my money.
Thanks for the help but I tried the cable thing etc and nothing so I reformated the disk (clean install and I'm back to normal now...so the RAMS were not the problem in my case.
Also, I'm glad I backed up all my stuff frequently therefore, no losses...
G5 dual 2G Mac OS X (10.3.9) 2G RAM, 23' display

I cannot seem to get the app to download and install. I get the spinning progress wheel.

I cannot seem to get the app to download and install. I get the spinning progress wheel.

Hi profoto3,
Are you trying to download and install the Creative Cloud apps? Which operating system are you using?
Here is a helpful network troubleshooting doc. Go thru the steps in this doc to ensure that you can download.
http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-network-issues.html
Free Creative Cloud | Download Adobe Creative Cloud free trial
Thanks
Scott

Spinning progress wheel in Captivate 7 SWF - need help ASAP!

We have created an SWF in Captivate 7 of a tutorial for a work project, but a spinning progress wheel appears throughout the video, although the EXE and native Captivate version of the tutorial work fine. Need help with this by EOD to meet a crtical work deadline. Thanks!
Hardware: HP EliteBook 8440p running Vista, as well as one running Windows 7.

If you are testing this locally on a hard drive, check that your published folder location is a trusted location in Flash Global Security:
http://www.infosemantics.com.au/adobe-captivate-troubleshooting/how-to-set-up-flash-global -security
If that is not the issue, check the troubleshooting tips here:
http://www.infosemantics.com.au/adobe-captivate-troubleshooting/basic-troubleshooting-tech niques

IMac gray screen (with frozen "spinning gear") during startup

Hello all - my first post to the community, so be gentle....
I'm having a boot issue with my early 2008 Intel based iMac. After a recent power outage, I can't get the machine to boot to OSX - the spinning gear spins for about a minute then freezes. When I boot to Snow Leopard install CD, it gets to the same point then displays a Kernel Crash screen. I can boot to Windows using the option key on startup, but Windows runds a little weird...mostly graphic display errors (dragging windows and scrolling in web browser is slow and jumpy, games crash with strange graphics displayed). I suspect a graphics card malfunction (the machine has an NVidia GeForce 8800GS), but I'm not convinced and I can't figure out how to test it. Here's more info:
- I'm running OSX version 10.6 with a Boot Camp XP partition.
- I've disconnected all peripherals except keyboard and mouse (including Ethernet)
- I've reset NVRAM/PRAM
- Safe boot, Single-user mode won't boot
- I haven't pulled and reset any RAM modules yet.
Any thoughts would be appreciated - I'm three hours from the nearest Genius Bar, so I'd like to try as much at-home troubleshooting as possible.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570 Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
When I boot to Snow Leopard install CD, it gets to the same point then displays a Kernel Crash screen.
OS X: About kernel panics
User Tip: Kernel Panics? Don't panic too!
How to troubleshoot a kernel panic
I'm running OSX version 10.6
Use Software Update or the OS 10.6.8 combo update to update your OS. Also, update everything SU has to offer for your computer. When done, repair permissions and restart your computer.
I'm three hours from the nearest Genius Bar
Apple Stores are not the only places that repair Macs. There may be an AASP that is closer.
International AASP’s & Other Services
AASP's Outside of the USA
so be gentle....
As opposed to....

Just the gray screen with logo and spinning wheel

Hello
my computer acted up funny while typing every 10sec or so i got the spinning wheel. i tried to restart but everything just stopped and just got the spinning wheel so i shut down the computer with the power button and now I am just in the grey screen. I used the installation disc and used disc utility I was able to use disk repair and it did something but i can not do anything on the permission they are grayed out. After the disk repair no change the computer just sits in the gray screen and nothing happens . any idea

You need to reinstall OS X. Do this:
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard 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 Utilities menu. 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.
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.
If the drive was OK continue with the reinstallation. It's automatic and none of your files will be erased.

Can someone help me with my 27" iMac's Gray screen with 5 Pink Vertical Line Problem?

Hi there,
I'm new to the forums, but I have a serious problem with my nearly 4 year old iMac 27" model.
I was using my iMac one evening and then suddenly everything displayed on the screen gets immediately pushed to the left of the computer screen. Then after a minute, my screen turns a solid gray, displaying no dock, no header bar, no options, and the keyboard and mouse suddenly disconnect.
When I turned back on my computer, it seemed to boot up perfectly normal. The normal gray start-up screen displays:
Then it displays the Apple logo and begins to spin the loading circle icon below it. But this time it adds 5 vertical pink lines down the screen from left to right. They stay in place the entire time:
And then when the login screen finishes loading, instead of bringing up my Account and my Password text box, it displays just a solid gray screen with the same 5 pink vertical lines on it, as shown below:
I've let it set for a half hour and nothing changes. During this time the keyboard and mouse seem to be disconnected, nothing seems to work with the screen or the computer itself. I hold the on/off button on the rear, turning it off and then on again. The same process happens with the boot up, the Apple logo appears, then the spinning loading icon below it, and then the vertical bars appear and the Apple logo and spinning icon disappear.
Is this a problem with the screen that an external monitor hooked up to it might fix, or is it a graphics card problem? I didn't buy the extended warranty package for the computer and it's roughly 3 1/2 years old.
Any idea what might cause this and how it could be fixed in the cheapest way possible?

I have the same problem since yesterday evening.
My google research found this:
iMac (27-inch): AMD Radeon 6970M Video Card Replacement Program - Apple Support
Maybe this is our problem. My iMac fits into this category.

My apple wont turn on. it gets stuck on the gray screen with the spinning wheel and the apple on the screen

My macbook air turns on but not completely, it gets stuck on the grays screen.   It shows an apple an a spinning wheel and that is as far as it gets. sometimes I can get to an screen that shows macintosh hd and i clicked on it and the computer turned off.

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 10. 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 iMac start up screen is just spinning not connecting

My imac is not opening- I am getting the startup chime but then just the spinning wheel it is not making the connection to open the system

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 on some models, 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. Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery is separate 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. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
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. If you can't get to an Apple Store, go to another authorized service provider.

IMac G3 Gray screen w/logo & Spinning Progress Wheel only!

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for