Imac stuck at grey screen ( spinning wheel) i accidentally disconnected my keyboard, any help

i've tried everything. but i try going to safe mode but my keyboard is disconnected so i cant do much, ANY HELP??

Do you have access to a USB keyboard?
Startup - Gray, Blue or White screen at boot, w/spinner/progress bar
Startup Issues - Resolve
Startup Issues - Resolve (2)

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HT1455 My iMac stucked at loading screen( Spinning gear )..

My iMac stucked at loading screen( Spinning gear ), i tried everything including reboot process while pressing shift key in keyboard but it is not responding, please help me with this. thanks in advance.

You might try the following:
I would first reset the SMC:
Shut down and unplug the Mac.
Keep the Mac unplugged for at least fifteen seconds.
Plug the Mac back in and do not turn it back on for at least five seconds.
Press the power button to turn the Mac back on.
Then I would reset the PRAM by rebooting the iMac while simultaneously holding the Command-Option-P-R keys until the machine restarts a second time.
Hope this helps

Intel-based iMac stuck in grey screen with spinning wheel. SMC::smcReadKeyAction ERROR THOP kSMBadArgumentError(0x89)

Hi guys,
since yesterday my Intel-Based iMac doesn't boot normally, its stuck in grey screen with a spinning wheel.
Its an Intel-based iMac 21.5'' purchased in 2011, and i recently (2 months ago) upgraded it to Mavericks.
-2 weeks ago, i installed smcFanControl app
-Tried start up in Safe Mode by holding Shift but its not working. i think i hear fans are working more than they were before the problem occurs.
-entered Single User Mode and i get an error
SMC ::smcReadKeyAction ERROR THOP kSMCBadArgumentError(0x89) fKeyHashTable=0x0xffffff8029fa1000
-followed some instructions found online, but can execute the correct commands in SingleUserMode
tried to remove FanControl as explained here: http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/110667/errorr-kernel-smcsmcreadkeyactio n-in-console
any ideas what may caused this and how can i fix this?
Thanks in advance

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, boot 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
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 10
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 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 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 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.

Mac mini shut down on its own, will not restart, grey screen, spinning wheel. Unplugged everything, will still not restart. Did safe boot, will not restart after safe boot, only grey screen with spinning wheel.

Mac mini shut down on its own. Could not restart, chime, grey screen and spinning wheel. Unplugged everything but monitor, still only chime, grey screen and spinning wheel. Started in safe boot, shut Down, will not restart.
This happened a couple of months ago, unplugged everything and it restarted, now that won't work.

Hi BDAqua,
I just did the repair as you suggested. T ran the disc repair, and twice it cam back, the volume macintosh seems ti be okay, I also ran the verify and permissions repair, both came back okay.
I was actually hoping that they would find something, so they could repair. I shut the computer down, and restated with out holding a key, and I started up great. I'm baffled. I have moved 20 GB to an external hard drive, as I only had 10% open space.
I have Tech Tool 6, would you recommend to run a repair check on that, or just leave well enough alone.
I agree with you on the new Mac's, I have problems with no disc for back up, until they realize their mistake I will stay with Snow a Leopard. This is the first problem I have experienced, so I can't complain. Their last programs are not as perfected as under Steve, prior to his handling over the reins, hope this is not going to be the future we can expect from Apple.
I will wait to here back as to your suggestion regarding the Tech Tool check
Thanks for all your help.
Gratefully,
Cheri

Macbook stuck on apple screen / spinning wheel

macbook stuck on grey start up screen, with spinning whee, i have been surfing around all night looking for a fix - i tried to start it from the snow leopard dvd but after hearing internally try to load twice it just spits it out - i tried command+v and all the other things - any ideas what is wrong??????

Ok, I had this problem and it worked for me!!!
So switch the mac off, then switch it back on again but as soon as you have switched it on hold down the Apple cmd button + S, untill the booting screen comes up.
Once that has loaded
type:
/sbin/mount -uw /
then type:
chmod 775 /
then type:
exit
this re-boots the mac. should work!!!
hope it helps!

Startup hang: grey screen, spinning wheel, then automatic reset to same

Brand new imac, installed 10.5, updated to 10.5.1, ported over a few dozen applications, utilities and preferences, plus 20,000 files from G4 running 10.3.1, using the "migration assistant."
Took the obviously useless/ redundant apps and utilities out...plus some light, but possibly ill-advised pruning of what seemed like way outdated library items
Killed the automatically generated new user in favor of the migration-assistant ported over and updated G4 identity...(or was this where I went wrong?)
did some more house cleaning, including installing new versions of several pieces of software, including sheepshaver, and (last thing done) parallels with windows XP.
Everything working hunky dory...woo hoo, fast new computer ready for biz mon...but no;
After shutdown, it won't start up; hangs on grey screen with spinning clock, then resets...
Restarts fine from install disk, did disk utility/repair disk, no problems found, same issue on startup
My plan is to
1) repair permissions, try starting up
2) re-install system, with old system archieved, try starting up again
Any insights most welcome...

UPDATE:
First, forgot to mention that I'd globally changed permissions to read/write all around on the whole drive.
Second, I'll be darned if the Disk Utility/ Repair Permissions thing didn't unhang it...so much for the doubters I saw on some other forum post who said this is mere voodoo...
After a few hours of permissions repair, on a successful restart, it identified a bunch of startup item issues, which I fixed or deleted, and now all but parallels works. We'll see what happens after I reinstall parallels...

27" iMac stuck in Grey screen after startup

Hi everyone, I've read nearly all the posts on this subject. According to all the tips and suggestions I've done a SCM restart, I've run applejack and done an sbin/fsck -y rebuild, I've attached it to my Macbook pro via firewire in T mode and run disk utilities, I've also tried to startup from an install disc and got nowhere and I've done a PRAM rebuild. Still nothing. Someone thought it might be a Kernal panic?? Oddly enough I think it's a video card problem. as I have a second 27" Monitor and when I plug it in I normally get both screens go blue and then a second or two later I get both screens showing their respective images. This time I got nothing. not even the blue screen. I'm going nuts here. Does anyone have any ideas what the problems is???? Please help. oh and contrary to my listing, I'm running 10.8.1, not 10.6.8 ( I must fix that)

Hi everyone, I've read nearly all the posts on this subject. According to all the tips and suggestions I've done a SCM restart, I've run applejack and done an sbin/fsck -y rebuild, I've attached it to my Macbook pro via firewire in T mode and run disk utilities, I've also tried to startup from an install disc and got nowhere and I've done a PRAM rebuild. Still nothing. Someone thought it might be a Kernal panic?? Oddly enough I think it's a video card problem. as I have a second 27" Monitor and when I plug it in I normally get both screens go blue and then a second or two later I get both screens showing their respective images. This time I got nothing. not even the blue screen. I'm going nuts here. Does anyone have any ideas what the problems is???? Please help. oh and contrary to my listing, I'm running 10.8.1, not 10.6.8 ( I must fix that)

Intel 20" iMac stuck on grey screen

My 20" iMac will not start. I press the power button and get the Apple and whirling icon, but nothing after that. I put my Leopard DVD in and tried holding the "C" key down - nothing. I have disconnected everything but the keyboard. It was working slowly before it was shutdown and I could not open Safari before I shut it down the last time.

Hello Aquatone
Welcome to Apple Discussions
First Start up into Apple Hardware Test, insert your DVD and restart holding the D key.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509
If the Hardware test shows no problems, insert your DVD and hold the Option key and select the DVD to boot into it. Skip the over Install section and from the menu bar select Disk Utility and Repair the Macintosh HD.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8492.html
Dennis

Need Help For iMac G5 Stuck On Grey Screen Or Apple Logo No Spinning Gear!

Hello everyone i'm new here and i'm new for using iMac for some reason i was trying to clean or to fresh installation the iMac that my brother gave it to me that he bought it into the flea market without the original disk on it! when i erase the Macintosh HD and some of the partition o iMac then reboot it now the iMac stuck on grey screen or apple logo no spinning wheel shown. and i also try to search and try all the tips of all mac user's like all the command key's and follow the instruction of them but still nothing happen..
Holding CMD & R just to go disk utilities nothing shown up only apple logo and the noisy fan.
Holding alt and it go to blue screen and show my mouse Pointer Refresh Logo, Hard drive Icon, Arrow Sign.
i can click Arrow Sign and it go Apple Logo and within 2-3 seconds and it change to Power Sign Logo,
i can click Refresh Logo but nothing happen .
i can't click the Hard Drive icon.
CMD, Option, P & R to Reset i also try and it's the same nothing change.
CMD, Option, ESC no action shown.
Is there anyway to fix this issue or problem please and thank you for help.
Hoping to get result for all of you guys P.S
iMac G5
v10.5.8
Leopard

You need to have the install DVD that was issued with the iMac
You can call Apple at 1-800-275-2273

Wallpaper defaults to 'Galaxy' after log out + now stuck on grey screen

Hi all,
Hope someone can help with this one.
Basically, like many others, I've been trying to get around
the wallpaper problem that Lion has brought with it.
By this, I mean how if you change the wallpaper to a custom
image, as soon as you log out and back in it changes back
to the galaxy one from Lion.
So after searching the solutions on the forums I decided to
act on the following troubleshooting advice from a member
commenting on the problem... (advice I followed in bold)
(Originally posted by member: Ahmed21788)
One basic solution for this is to save your wallpapers in the HDD where you've installed the MAC OS X..
but I didnt want to save all my wallpapers in Native Mountain Lion HDD, so i figured out my perfect fix..!!
This is how i fixed..
I found this file in my Lion install drive.. autodiskmount.plist
Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/autodiskmount.plist
If you can't find it on your OS X Install Drive then you can make one by typing
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="0.9">
<dict>
<key>AutomountDisksWithoutUserLogin</key><true/>
</dict>
</plist>
rename ur txt file to autodiskmount.plist
save this in your MAC OS X HDD
Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/autodiskmount.plist
restart your system..
So... after following this advice I haven't been able to get my machine back on!
It just gets to the grey screen with apple and spinning wheel and goes no further.
It won't even safe boot.
However I did manage to get to repair disk permissions via cmd+option+p+r.
But when I restarted it still wouldn't go any further than the grey screen/spinning wheel.
Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Ben.

Hi keithos27,
I have a macbook pro early 2011 15" like you, and unfortunately something identical happened to me: "... the computer went black and an audio was stuck on a loop over and over..." - "...grey screen on for a few minutes and eventually the computer's fan spins up and runs at full speed".
I followed the article mentioned too, but nothing solved the problem.
Eventually I took the mac to the local authorized service provider. It turns out that the problem is due to the notorious GPU failure of the 2011 macbook pro.
It means that unless I replace the entire logic board, I end up with a marvellous piece of aluminium...
This is my experience, I can't say that's 100% your case. I hope it isn't. Try to check at an apple store.
Good luck!

New Mac froze overnight. Tried to power up just grey screen spinning.

New 21.5 iMac froze over night. Now just grey screen spinning wheel. No safe mode. Able to boot up in recovery disc once. Fixed permissions ? Restarted to no resolve. Tried again but mouse not working past mouse start up click freeze... Have also looked and found a problem boot cache control : unable to open..
Any ideas any one this Mac is 3 weeks old

I'd return it myself, but...
Bootup holding CMD+r, or the Option/alt key to boot from the Restore partition & use Disk Utility from there to Repair the Disk, then Repair Permissions.
If that doesn't help Reinstall the OS.

Imac 2008 stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel no discs I lost them

HI, I have a imac 2008 24" someone help please.stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel after 5 minutes mac just restarts again.I have no restore dvds as I borrowed them out and never got them back thanks

If you are in the US call Apple Customer Support 1-800-767-2775, provide the Serial Number and specifications of the Mac, and for a reasonable fee, they will supply a replacement set of system discs (if available).
The discs will be for the original version of the OS that was pre-installed when the Mac was manufactured.
If you are in another country:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57
Useful article here on the causes of the Spinning Beach Ball and how to troubleshoot it:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177479/Troubleshoot_the_spinning_beach_b all?taxonomyId=89&pageNumber=1
and also this:
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/sbbod.html

Downloaded OSX Mountain Lion on MacBook now stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel HELP?!?!

Downloaded OSX Mountain Lion on MacBook now stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel. What can I do, will I loose everything on my laptop?

ashg23 wrote:
Thank you, I have restarted but it is still stuck at the grey page with the spinning wheel? Any idea?
Have you started up holding down Command + R and attempted to install again?
Pete

Macbook air Lion stuck at grey screen and spinning wheel

HI
I have a Macbook air with Lion installed. I pressed the On button, but it gets stuck at grey screen, apple logo and spining wheel. I then managed to get it to startup in Safe Mode.
How can I find out what the problem was?
Please could you let me know if there are some simple steps to fix this?
Thank you in advance.

Please carefully read Gray screen appears during startup, Apple will tell you how to trouble shoot the issue. I suspect your HD has crashed, not a big deal if you have been backing up. However if you haven't then you're probably about to learn a lesson on why backup is critical.

Mac book air stuck on grey screen with apple logo and spinning wheel

I had a lot of tabs open and several applications as well. things really slowed up when I added El media player to the mix. finally computer froze completely and now can't get it to restart (stuck on grey screen) tried SMR plus PRAM procedures without success.

Hmm... try doing this:
1) Force your Mac to shut down by pressing and holding the power button for about 5 sec.
2) Start in Safe Mode. Press the power button to turn it on, and before you hear the Startup "Dummmmm" chime, hold down the Shift key. For a few sec, you won't see the Apple logo. Keep pressing the Shift key until you see it. If you press it after the Apple logo appears, start from Step 1 again.
3) This time, your Mac should take longer to boot. (Like a minute or 2 longer as it is going thru the necessary files to boot from, and not just everything like in Normal Startup mode; which caused it to hang)
4) Does your Mac boot sucessfully to the Login Screen or Desktop? The login Screen should show SAFE MODE in red at the top. The Desktop should have Sound disabled and seems a lot slower. If you see either of these, backup ALL your files (if you have not already done so) on to an External HDD. Create a new User Account in System Preferences>Accounts with about the same info as your current account (The name will have to be different though, if your previous account was John, this time, add your last name as in John Appleseed.) Make sure it is an Admin account. Then, login into the new account and delete your previous account. Copy all your files over to your new account and restart your Mac correctly by going to Apple Menu>Restart.
5) This time, don't press anything and let it boot normally. Does your Mac boot correctly? I hope that helps you a little. Get back to me if it does not work!

Imac stuck at grey screen ( spinning wheel) i accidentally disconnected my keyboard, any help

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