IMac will only boot in Safemode; Gfx card failure?

My Specs:
iMac (24-inch, Early 2009)
2.93 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
6 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB
OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 (14B25)
The past few weeks I have not been able to startup my iMac regularly. Only way it boots is through Safemode. I cannot find my startup dads which was 10.6 I believe. I have attached links to two videos of what the display has been doing lately. I have reset the PRAM, run disk utility, disconnected all usb devices, etc. and nothing is working. I have managed to backup the entire HD to a time machine.
Video #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGWrJqooJDg&feature=youtu.be
In this video; this is what initially was happening when it was running in normal mode. I noticed the lags, tears, processing slow and animations were very broken so I captured it on video. Few minutes later the computer froze up and tried restarting it many times.
Video #2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnMlRKcbyzw&feature=youtu.be
This is how Safemode operates at this time. The dock/finder animations are like this.
From what I have read I may be dealing with a failing video card (overheated)?

Take your Mac to your local Apple Store or an AASP. Diagnostic testing is FREE!
OR...
You can get replacement System Install & Restore CD/DVDs from Apple's Customer Support - in the US, (800) 767-2775 - for a nominal S&H fee. You'll need to have the model and/or serial number of your Mac available.
If you're not in the US, you may need to go through the regional Apple Store that serves your location to find the contact number. Here's a list of links to all of those - http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/intlstoreroutingpage.html Another resource: International Support Phone #s.

Similar Messages

24" iMac will only boot in safe mode

Here is the short version:
I have a 24" iMac Core 2 2.16 GHZ with Lion installed (has been for a long time). It will only boot successfully in safe mode. The AHT Extended tests do not report any problems. I have reset PRAM and SMC. Nothing helps. Normal boot process will get to the point where it switches from the Apple logo with spinning wheel to where it would normally switch the OSX GUI and login screen. Instead the screen is all white or gray. The exact same problem happens if I try to boot from an OSX Install DVD or USB and also my DiskWarrior DVD. Since safe mode works, my guess is that the problem is with the video card and the normal color depth that the Mac boots to. In Safe Mode it is in reduced colors.
Since safe mode works, I have all of my data backed up to an external drive. If I could boot from an install disk, I would have already wiped the disk and done a new install, but I cannot do this! I am assuming this is a hardware problem and given the age of this iMac I am out of luck. I ordered a new system last night, but if it is possible to get this one working again, I would like to be able to give it to a relative who could use it. So if anyone has any ideas, it would be appreciated.
Just slightly longer version:
Been using this system since 2007. Used to use it for work, now it is the home media hub where we sync our iOS devices. It has had Lion installed for probably a year now and has always worked great. A few weeks ago, it started locking up whenever my son was playing Minecraft. I would have to power off the system to get it back. I assumed it was a Java problem. I tried fixing disk permissions etc. but nothing solved it. Anyway, last week I was downloading App updates in iTunes when the system locked up again. The mouse would move around but I could not Force Quit anything or really do anything. So I had to power off the system. That is when the boot problems started. Since that happened, the system has not come back with a normal boot.
Thanks for any ideas/help. If someone thinks this is fixable, I can bring it to my local Apple service dealer. I do not want to pay them $100 just to have them tell me it cannot be fixed or needs a new logic board or something like that which would not be worth buying.
Mark

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software — potentially for the worse. The following procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed. Don’t be alarmed by the complexity of these instructions — they’re easy to carry out and won’t change anything on your Mac.
These steps are to be taken while booted in safe mode.
Below are instructions to enter some UNIX shell commands. The commands are harmless, but they must be entered exactly as given in order to work. If you have doubts about the safety of the procedure suggested here, search this site for other discussions in which it’s been followed without any report of ill effects.
The commands may line-wrap or scroll in your browser, but each one is really just a single line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then either copy or drag it. The headings “Step 1” and so on are not part of the commands.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
When you launch Terminal, a text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.
Step 1
Triple-click the line of text below to select it. Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C). Then click anywhere in the Terminal window and paste (command-V).
find /Sy*/L*/Ex* -type f -name Info.plist -exec sh -c '/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Print :CFBundleIdentifier" "$1" 2> /dev/null | egrep -qv "apple|Accusys|ArcMSR|ATTO|CalDigit|HighPoint|hp-fax|JMicron|print|SoftRAID|stex" && echo ${1%*.kext/*}.kext' {} {} \;
Post the lines of output (if any) that appear below what you just entered (the text, please, not a screenshot.) You can omit the final line ending in “$”.
Step 2
Repeat with this line:
ls -1A /e*/mach* {,/}L*/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,Keyb,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo,Sta}* L*/Fonts 2> /dev/null
Important: If you formerly synchronized with a MobileMe account, your me.com email address may appear in the output of the above command. If so, anonymize it before posting.
Step 3
osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get name of every login item' 2> /dev/null
Remember, these steps are all copy-and-paste — no typing. Also remember to post the output.
You can then quit Terminal.

How can I transfer files from a 27" iMac which will only boot in safe mode?

My late 2009 27" imac is having issues and will only boot in safe mode. I have tried to transfer files to a new Imac using migration assistant but it wont let me. If I try booting the old Imac normally I just get a grey screen, I believe it is the video card failed and am waiting for a fix, but I would like to transfer files before the fix in case something goes wrong and I lose everything.
Any help would be great

Hello Myles, likely it is a Hardware problem.
One way to test is to Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, Test for problem in Safe Mode...
PS. Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive
Reboot, test again.
If it only does it in Regular Boot, then it could be some hardware problem like Video card, (Quartz is turned off in Safe Mode), or Airport, or 3rd party add-on, Check System Preferences>Accounts>Login Items window to see if it or something relevant is listed.
Check the System Preferences>Other Row, for 3rd party Pref Panes.
Also look in these if they exist, some are invisible...
/private/var/run/StartupItems
/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/LaunchDaemons
/Library/LaunchDaemons

Qosmio X305 will only boot in safe mode or when the graphics card disabled

Hi All
I am having a very concerning issue with my laptop (Toshiba Qosmio X305). It will only boot in safe mode or if I disable the graphics card.
Awhile back I upgraded the drivers for the nVidia 9800M GTX from the nVidia website, it worked fine for awhile, but then it started crashing randomly by giving me a full screen of random color then switching off. I fixed this by rolling back to the previous version of the drivers (the drivers that came with the laptop software).
After that it working perfectly for months but yesterday my machine started crashing and I could not get it to boot correctly.
I have completely deleted (not just a quick format) both the hard drives that came internally in the laptop and I have installed a clean version (the out of the box option) of the x64 Vista that came with the laptop from the recovery disks I created. After I did the install, it boots fine as only the standard VGA device is used, as soon as I installed the driver off the drivers and applications disk it would not boot correctly:
Just after the status bar comes up and it is about to show the windows logo, just before login, I get a black screen. I can hear that it is booting fine and I can even log in to windows and by memory make things run, but I can't see anything. I then got the latest drivers, again from the nVidia website and they are not helping at all.
My system is as follows (nothing has been added, its is just how I got it):
Vista Ultimate x64
4.00 GB RAM
Intel Core 2 Quad
Like I said previously it is a clean install of the operating system, I have not added any programs, except for installing and then updating the display drivers.
Any help would be much appreciated!

Hi buddy,
It seems that this is a typical example, that only pretested display drivers from Toshiba should be used. Why?
The nVidia drivers are not pretested and they dont have an overheat protection. So for me it sounds like that the nVidia driver has destroyed your graphic card. That means no driver will help you and reinstallation of the whole system too.
I think the only option is replacing the graphic card. Therefore you should contact an authorized service provider in your country. Here you can search:
http://www.csd.toshiba.com
Explain the whole story and then you will see, what the technicians say. If your notebook is under warranty, hopefully this will be covered too. Normally other display drivers you have to install on your own risk
Good luck! :)

HT3024 after installing airport extreme card into g4 ibook 1.07ghz 512 ram it will only boot to open firmware, any ideas why? please help!

after installing airport extreme card into g4 ibook 1.07ghz 512 ram it will only boot to open firmware, any ideas why? please help!

Hi David,
Have you done a PRAM reset, CMD+Option+p+r...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
In fact, do 3 in a row, takes a bit of time.
Tried resetting the PMU for PB/iB?
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449

IMac will not boot up when printer is plugged in USB

After buying my new iMac (with Tiger) I successfully transfered everything from my old iMac (with Panther) and all was well.
The problem is that when my printer (Canon Pixma MP130) is plugged in on start up, the iMac will not boot up (no gears turning on the white/grey screen). When I unplug the printer from the USB and start it up, it works fine. Its not a super big deal because I can just plug the printer in when I need it. But why does it do this?
I foound on the internet someone else who had the same issues. It was suggested to him to search the printer manufacturers website for updated drivers. I did this, installed them etc..... still no luck.
I am without any mac guru's here in Yellowknife......help!
Angie

Hello there,
I hope it is OK to recycle this old thread.  I did not want to create a new one since I am experiencing the exact same issue as the original poster *flying girl* as well as other posters in the following threads:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4190807
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3950255
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4201169
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4490899&#4490899
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4470944
I have two Macs, a PowerBook G4 and an Intel iMac 20" (Aluminum)--please refer to my signature or profile for the specs of these machines.  Of course, I got the PowerBook before I got the iMac.  I am running the latest version of the Canon MP130 drivers, printer drivers version 4.8.3 and scanner drivers version 12.11.0, on both machines.
When I turn on my PowerBook with the Canon PIXMA MP130 multifunction turned ON and connected via USB to the PowerBook, the PowerBook boots up just fine.  I have even experimented with both a USB hub and a direct connection to the Canon MP130, and the PowerBook boots fine in both instances.
However, when I turn on my iMac with the Canon MP130 turned ON and connected via USB to the iMac, the startup tone plays, and then the iMac hangs at the blue/gray solid screen--it does not even show the Apple logo or the spokes--that is, until I turn the Canon MP130 OFF.  When I turn it off, the Apple logo appears, the spokes move, and my iMac boots up just fine.  And as long as the MP130 is OFF, I can boot the iMac fine from scratch too.
I tried starting in verbose mode (⌘V) and single-user mode (⌘S), and the gray/blue screen still appears after the startup tone plays; again, if I turn the Canon MP130 OFF, the rest of the boot sequence resumes as normal, and only then do I get to see the descriptive text for those startup modes.  But the text goes by so fast that I miss most of it--I did manage to catch something that said something like "get full config descriptor = NULL," but I am not sure if that was the exact wording.  I would need a good camcorder or even just a digital camera or another device to capture exactly what the screen says in verbose mode.  If I had those options, I would post pictures here.
I was thinking about contacting Canon, but since the issue happens on one Mac only, I figured they would tell me that it is a problem with my Mac.  So hopefully posting the information here is OK.
Another key feature is that the Canon MP130 has a built-in card reader.  I made sure that my Startup Disk preferences were set to boot from the system drive, and they still are.  And I have reset the SMC and PRAM on the iMac.
I would like to mention the following link:
http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/50389-intel-imac-wont-boot-when-canon-printer-p lugged.html
If you go to page 2 on that above thread, it shows one user who allegedly physically disconnected the card reader connection from the inside of the Canon MP130 (I would NOT recommend that myself).  I just wonder if there is a more feasible resolution to this issue.
Does anyone else experience the same issue with other printers or multifunctions?  Also, why does the issue occur only on my Intel iMac 20" (aluminum), and NOT on my PowerBook G4?
Please let us know about your experience as it seems many of us are at a loss for a solution.
Thank you very much for your help; we await!  :)
Cya!
\m/ Mad Metal Mage \m/

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.

IMac will only restart or shutdown from power button.

My iMac will only restart or shutdown from the power button, it also will not logoff users. It starts ok, but only after a hard reboot?? I have repaired permisions and no change. I have a clone I can restore from but any ideas whats up here?
The only things that I know I have altered are deleting files saved during migration from Panther (months ago)and running Unbuntu Live CD.
iMac G4 15 Mac OS X (10.4.7) 728ram

Are you booting into Ubuntu Linux? Most of us here wouldn't now anything to do with it. If the problem is occurring when booted into Mac OS X, it may be a sign of data corruption in the power management and user settings. Some corruption is easy to repair such as fixing the directory (which I'd only do after a clone). Here's how according to my FAQ:
http://www.macmaps.com/directoryfaq.html
And I assume the issue is with your iMac G4.

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

Original iMac will not boot from new disk

I am having considerable difficulty getting a new disk to boot in an original 'Bondi blue' iMac.
I think I have researched this issue reasonably well and found a few references to it but no solution. I have more resources than most and have tried every trick I know. The story at the following link is not dissimilar to my experience:
http://www.applefritter.com/node/20518
Details:
iMac - original 233 MHz revision A with 160 MB RAM
New disk - 120 GB 7200 rpm Western Digital disk type WD1200SB
Format - HFS+ with 7 GB first partition and 107 GB second partition
Jumpers - both CD and disk set to master - normal for this iMac I believe
The iMac will seldom boot from OS X 10.3 on first partition or OS 9.2.2 on second partition with or without the other OS totally removed. I have reformatted several times and played with several disk drivers. I have zapped PRAM a few times. I sometimes get a grey screen but more frequently get a flashing question mark.
I can mount both volumes when booted from a CD and every test shows that they behave as expected. The disk boots properly in a G4.
I am prepared to try anything but I would particularly appreciate advice from somebody who knows what the problem is.

Eureka - it works - thanks very much.
It now boots from OS 9.2.2 on both partitions every time. I have yet to replaced the OS X that I removed earlier but I am not expecting difficulties.
My view is that http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25249 is badly written. I assume that item 4 should read 'OS X' and not "Mac OS". It may have been written on the assumption that users only want OS X and Classic on a single partition. My experience, particularly with early iMacs, is that it pays to have 2 bootable partitions and it is expedient to have OS X on one and OS 9.2.2 on the other with the OS 9.2.2 being used for Classic and for direct booting into OS 9.2.2.
My error was in paying insufficient attention to
http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/stdadp.php?p_faqid=1277&pcreated=1095792241#jumper
which clearly indicates jumper positions for single drives although a few words about it would underline the point. I had already discovered that these iMacs normally have both CD and disk set to master so should have realised that strictly they are 'single drives'. I had initially used the clear, but misleading, drive silk screen printing, ie CS, slave, master to set the jumper but should have changed it when checking the WD site later. Perhaps they could use this thread to update their FAQs - I will mention it to them.
In answer to those, on this thread and elsewhere, who were not happy with my sloppy copying of OS 9.x, I discovered some years ago that as long as you 'blessed' the end result in situ with one of the free OS 9.x updaters it is surprising what you can get away with. - I am not advising anybody to do this unless it is within the terms of their Apple license!
Now I wonder if I should stick with OS X 10.3 or if it is worth trying OS X 10.4 with
http://eshop.macsales.com/OSXCenter/XPostFacto/Framework.cfm?page=XPostFacto.htm l
Does anybody know how satisfactory it is and if it has serious memory or speed implications? My only slightly unusual software is Cisco VPN client.

My iMac will not boot through Snow Leopard but will boot through Windows OS

My 2010 iMac will not boot in Snow Leopard, only Windows. Have tried reinstalling Snow leopard a few times and works only for a couple of minutes before freezing and doesnt reboot. Windows works perfect. Snow leopard just doesnt want to boot up past the Apple Logo. It was working fine one day and the next day it froze up and was able to reboot back into Snow Leopard but kept freezing. Now it doesnt load at all into Mac OS.
Brian

Possible scenarios:
1: The 10.6.3 SL retail disk is bad, it happens.
2: Your not using the 10.6.3 SL retail disk but one from another machine which doesn't have the drivers for that machine.
3: Your optical drive is funky or some other hardware issues.
4: Your trying to install 10.6 onto a PowerPC based Mac, no can do.
5: Your not using a wired keyboard for boot key commands, have some other hardware conflicts.
Possible solutions.
1: Copy the SL 10.6.3 disk using Disk Utility to another DVD, the error checking may resolve the original disk's issue.
http://www.brokenhomeboy.co.uk/pierow/blog/2011/10/make-a-bootable-backup-snow-l eopard-install-disc/
2: Make a SL bootable USB
http://www.maciverse.com/install-os-x-snow-leopard-from-usb-flash-drive.html
3: Call Apple for a new 10.6.3 disk (and make copies for backup before Apple discontinues selling it)
If your upgrading to 10.6 to get to 10.6.8 to upgrade to 10.7, be warned of this:
1: Your 10.5 software will not work in 10.7, no more Rosetta or PPC based code.
2: Your hardware will not qualify if it's a 32 bit Intel Core Duo, also you may experience slowdowns in performance over 10.6 (10.6 is the fastest OS X version for Intel Macs) in older Intel hardware (I suggest Early 2011 Mac's and later only for Lion)
3: Mountain Lion 10.8 is reportingly coming out this summer and will not run on a lot of older Intel based Mac's because of heftier graphics requirements.
4: 10.6 has the widest range of current avaialble software and drivers for third party hardware.
My advice, stick with 10.6.8 and stay there, buy a new Mountain Lion machine after this summer. Skip Lion completely.

My iMacG5 will only boot to white screen, gray apple and spinning gear. Help?

My iMacG5 will only boot to white screen, gray apple and spinning gear. Help?
Also not totally sure if it's an Intel based computer, but that's what I recall. Any way to check, since I can't get to About This Mac window?
It's running on OSX Leopard 10.5.4
First symptom = running slowly - then it kind of froze with color wheel spinning - thought a forced shut down would help - help power button til off, then white screen, gray apple and spinning gear.
Have tried...
1. Turn off the computer by choosing Shut Down from the Apple menu, or by holding the power button until the computer turns off.
2. Unplug all cables from the computer, including the power cord.
3. Wait 10 seconds.
4. Plug in the power cord while simultaneously pressing and holding the power button on the back of the computer.
5. Let go of the power button.
6. Press the power button once more to start up your iMac.
Then try booting from your install disc again.
- No change
And...
Booting From An OS X Installer Disc
1. Insert OS X Installer Disc into the optical drive.
2. Restart the computer.
3. Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "C" key.
4. Release the key when the spinning gear below the dark gray Apple logo
appears.
5. Wait for installer to finish loading.
- The fan just got louder.
Thanks for your help.

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

Imac will only work in safe mode

This follows on from a previos posting where I had to reformat the hard drive because of file conflicts. Since then the pc worked fine for a while then suddenly froze and will only boot now in safe mode again. If we leave it on overnight it sometimes will boot normally the next day and work like this for a couple of days and then goes back to safe mode again. Its really annoying since we cannot print anything when in this mode. Is this normal for Imacs to constantly keep suffering from file conflicts like this? and how do I stop it?
Thanks in advance for any reply
Anne

Apparently Preferential Treatment is not seeing and/or finding something that is corrupting your system.
This is a long shot & very time consuming but you may wish to try the following (some of which you may have already tried).
Except for the keyboard & mouse, disconnect all devices/peripherals from your computer.
Step 1: Restart into Safe Mode by holding down the Shift key during startup. The comp will run a complete & lengthy file systtem check, then start up w/only the required kerenel extensions & w/o running any Startup items tthat you installed.
If you are running OS 10.4 it will also perform some font finagling.
Try starting up normally again. If you are still stalling, restart in Safe Mode & move on to Step 2...........
Mac OS X: Starting up in Safe Mode
Step 2: Open Library>Startup items folder-the root level Library, not the one in your user name folder.
Look for potentially problematic 3rd party items such as virus scanning software components, etc. Remove 1 or more items to a location outside the Library folder, such as the Desktop, then restart normally & see if your Mac stalls. It it does, try removing all the items in the Startup items folder & restart. If all’s now well, place the items back into the Startup items folder 1 by 1, restarting each time you put one back. If and/or when the stall resurfaces, you just identified the faulty component.
If the above does not work, then it’s time to move on to Step 3.................
Step 3: WARNING-This step can be tedious-removing .plist files from the /Library/Preferences folder.
Remove the entire Preferences folder from the Library folder on your startup drive then place the files back 1 by 1 until you see the problem return. *The Mac will automatically create a new Preferences folder in the Library folder*
Alternatively, you can take half of the items out (all non-Apple .plist file, for example), restart to see if your Mac stalls, then move to a smaller set of items, repeatingn the process until the culprit is found.
Hang in there & good luck!!!!

I have a 21" iMac that only boots as far as a folder icon with a question mark in it. Anyone know what this means and how to fix it?

I have a 21" iMac that only boots as far as a folder icon with a question mark in it. Anyone know what this means and how to fix it?

It usually means your OS has corrupted files. You need to reinstall OS X.
If you are using Snow Leopard:
Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
Do the following:
1. Repair 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.
2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
Download and install the Combo Updater for the version you prefer from support.apple.com/downloads/.
If you are using Lion:
Reinstalling Lion Without Erasing the Drive
Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. 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 main menu.
Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion and click on the Continue button.

My macbook pro will only boot in safe mode

Hey,
I have a macbook pro 15-inch, Early 2011 running osx 10.9.4. I have a SSD hard drive that i installed myself a year ago and hasn't shown any defects. Its a 120 gb OCZ-AGILITY3.
My problem:
My macbook will only boot in safe mode nowadays. I have done a complete erasion of my hard drive and installed osx mavericks twice already. After the installation the computer will safely go to the desktop. But if i then do a reboot it won't get further than after the first apple logo, sometime the turning wheel will pop up, before turning off and trying again. i have tried resetting PRAM, I have tried resetting SMC, i have tried avoiding SMC (with big fan rate), but all with no success.
I have done a complete hardware test (the longer one) and it showed "no troubles found".
My guess is that the problem is with the battery. My computer won't run anymore without the adapter, when i pull the adapter out it either stays on for a while before just turning off. Without having it plugged in it won't start. Is it possible that during normal start up there is some kind of communication with the battery that can cause this?
I ran a diagnostic shown in this thread (Will only boot in safe mode) and included it in this post.
Hope someone can help me out.
Thanks,
Bram
Start time: 17:07:42 08/25/14
Model Identifier: MacBookPro8,2
System Version: OS X 10.9.4 (13E28)
Kernel Version: Darwin 13.3.0
Boot Mode: Safe
Time since boot: 10 minutes
Battery
Condition: Replace Now
Diagnostic reports
2014-08-25 UserEventAgent crash
Log
Aug 26 00:41:52 Previous Shutdown Cause: -128
Aug 25 16:23:38 smb1_treeconnect_internal: Malformed tree connect with a bad word count! wc= 2
Aug 25 16:24:05 process rpcsvchost[94] thread 917 caught burning CPU! It used more than 50% CPU (Actual recent usage: 99%) over 180 seconds. thread lifetime cpu usage 100.014147 seconds, (82.533432 user, 17.480715 system) ledger info: balance: 90006319931 credit: 100003230498 debit: 9996910567 limit: 90000000000 (50%) period: 180000000000 time since last refill (ns): 90079246240
Aug 25 16:25:50 smb1_treeconnect_internal: Malformed tree connect with a bad word count! wc= 2
Aug 25 16:58:05 jnl: b(1, 3): replay_journal: from: 9340928 to: 9773056 (joffset 0x37a000)
Aug 25 16:58:05 jnl: b(1, 3): examining extra transactions starting @ 9773056 / 0x952000
Aug 25 16:58:05 jnl: b(1, 3): txn starting at 9773056 (9773056) @ index 80 bnum 2696544 (8192) with disk cksum != blhdr cksum (0x93b69228 0xc647562)
Aug 25 16:58:05 jnl: 0x662b0000 0x451b0000 0x2a0001ff 0x40000000 0xd7330300 0x46001d00 0x6c006f00 0x65006400
Aug 25 16:58:05 jnl: b(1, 3): restarting journal replay (9340928 - 9773056)!
Aug 25 16:58:05 jnl: b(1, 3): replay_journal: from: 9340928 to: 9773056 (joffset 0x37a000)
Aug 25 16:58:05 jnl: b(1, 3): journal replay done.
Aug 25 16:58:06 Previous Shutdown Cause: -128
Aug 25 16:59:26 smb1_treeconnect_internal: Malformed tree connect with a bad word count! wc= 2
Aug 25 16:59:59 smb1_treeconnect_internal: Malformed tree connect with a bad word count! wc= 2
Activity
CPU: user 17%, system 4%
CPU per process: WindowServer (UID 0) is using 30.5 %
launchd
/System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.AirPortBaseStationAgent.plist
- com.apple.AirPortBaseStationAgent
Contents of /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.AirPortBaseStationAgent.plist (XML document text)
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Label</key>
<string>com.apple.AirPortBaseStationAgent</string>
<key>EnableTransactions</key>
<true/>
<key>LowPriorityIO</key>
<true/>
<key>LimitLoadToSessionType</key>
<string>Aqua</string>
<key>POSIXSpawnType</key>
<string>Background</string>
<key>LaunchEvents</key>
<dict>
<key>com.apple.distnoted.matching</key>
<dict>
<key>com.apple.airport.agent.prefschanged</key>
<dict>
<key>Name</key>
<string>com.apple.airport.agent</string>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>com.apple.bonjour.events</key>
...and 21 more line(s)
Spotlight: Indexing and searching disabled
Font issues: 11
Wi-Fi
link auth: wpa-psk
Restricted files: 1
Elapsed time (s): 278

Actually it sometimes gets a little further, the display will dim and the pointer will appear and then whoop it will turn off. if i do a verbose start up, it will finish all the steps, the white screen will appear and dim and then it will turn off.

IMac will only boot in Safemode; Gfx card failure?

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