IMac won't boot 10.6.4 but will Windows 7

Was playing a game on Windows 7 via Bootcamp. I restarted, and my iMac took an age to get to a blue screen on my Mac partition and then hung.
Reset the PRAM, rebooted and then it got to the Snow Leopard screen, but I couldn't select either of the user accounts, as although the mouse moved about it wouldn't select or click.
Tried again with no keyboard (prompted to install Bluetooth keyboard), another mouse, all have same problem.
Then tried to boot the Install DVD to use Disk Utility, but it gets to the Language choice, and again can't highlight options or click.
Single-user mode works but fsck finds no issues.
Safe mode either hangs at blue screen, or gets to login screen but won't click/highlight.
Apple Diagnostics show no problems.
And through all these problems, my Windows 7 installation is working perfectly.
Any ideas?

Seem to have sorted it.
For some reason my OS X partition had become 'unblessed', and selecting it in Startup Disc gave the prompt about not being able to bless the disk.
Finally managed to get my Install Disk to boot, wiped the hard disk, re-partitioned, re-installed 10.6, rebooted holding Command-Option-P-R, and when I heard the second bong, let everything go except Option. Once in the startup manager, I selected my new install, and it chirped up with the intro music for a new install.
It seems that something corrupted the OS X partition and removed it's 'blessed' status, and although I reset the PRAM and NVRAM, every unsuccessful boot re-corrupted the PRAM/NVRAM.

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Slot load iMac won't boot in OS X but will in OS 9

I'm running OS X 10.3.x and OS 9.2.2. Everything works fine in OS 9 but when attempting to boot in OS X it stops at the apple icon. A strange thing happens at that time....the apple icon drops slightly downward. I have booted from an emergency boot disk and was able to repair permissions using Apple's Disk Utility...no help. I have also replaced the OS X system folder from a known operating computer of the same setup.....no difference. (I've never done this so don't know if it will even work but I did not delete the old system)
Ideas?????

Mel,
Try rebooting with peripherals disconnected (if any) as per this Apple Knowledge Base Article along with the tip found in this same article for checking the disk with Disk Utility from your startup disk. Reboot with your install disk #1 while holding the "c" key and then (ignore the installer splash screen) go to the Installer Menu in the top menu bar and select Disk Utility and when this opens select your HD and then click Repair Disk. Note any errors it cannot repair and post them back here. If "OK" appears when run you can quit the Disk Utility and then quit the Installer which will ask to restart the computer. Let us know if that helps.
Post back if still no luck,
littleshoulders [:-)

Imac won't boot; needs repair. But what part to replace?

My iMac G3 tray loading 266mhz will not boot.. i press the power button, the screen makes starting noise and the i can hear the cooling fan.. but the screen is still black and the power light is orange.
Tried a new pram battery
Tried resetting the CUDA button and waiting for all power to be drained
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Now I just need to know what part to replace
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How can I diagnose which part is not working?

Flyback Transformer
The dark screen and a zapping or crackling sound are classic symptoms of a blown transformer.
There is a test you can preform to see if it is the flyback transformer:
1. Unplug the computer and remover the bottom cover of the iMac and disconnect the main video cable. That's the one held in by 2 screws.
2. Try to startup the computer with the video cable disconnected.
3. Listen carefully to the iMac. Does it sound like it is starting up? Do you heard the normal hard drive sounds? If so, then your flyback transformer is dead. If you don't hear the normal startup sounds and it shuts down right away, the the problem is something else. Like a bad power supply or something like that.
Special shout out & thanks to djon for the above valuable information.

Macbook won't boot to Mac OSX but will boot to Win XP after crash

My Macbook froze this afternoon so I held down the power button for 10 seconds and it went off. I turned it on and I get the gray screen of death (power off and restart, etc.). I did many times and nothing happened. I also, did the PRAM reset and NRAM reset, etc. . . I tried to boot from the install cd and I get the same gray screen after 2 mins or so (pressing command-c).
It will boot fine into Win XP via bootcamp so it appears that the hardware is fine?
Help!

Nope - doesn't work. I even can hold the option key down to see all my boot options - MacOS, WinXP, and Install CD. I select the cd and it runs for 2-3 minutes and then crashes with the same error screen.

27" iMac won't boot from anything BUT the main drive

Hi all,
My lovely 27" iMac is in perfect working condition, but I thought I'd try to install a OS on a large SD card to see if I would gain any speed.
In the process of doing that (cause I never got that far) I discover that the iMac won't boot from the original install DVD. It simply spits out the DVD when I try to insert into the drive. I'v managed to make an image of the DVD (in a different mac) onto the SD card in order to try an boot from that. No luck. I've tried to insert a original install DVD from my Mac Pro into the iMac, which it reads fine and well, and when I tap the restart button it restarts, but stop with a white screen doing boot up.
If I try to hold down the option key during startup, the iMac WILL let me choose which OS to boot from, but if I choose anything else than the OS already installed it freezes.
I've even tried to boot my Mac Pro from the iMac install DVD - no problems.
I've even run a hardware test on the iMac - no problems.
I am running out of options fast! Please help a devoted Mac-friend.
Take care.
Peter

I WAS using the DVD that came with the machine, but I fear Apple may have sent me the wrong one?
In trying to solve the issues I'd tried other OS disc's (A Mac Pro install DVD and a OS X Leopard DVD) - but none of them would even boot, nor install of my iMac. I always end up with a white screen during boot up.
As I described, the original iMac install DVD would indeed boot my Mac Pro, do the disc seems ok?

HT3964 my iMac won't boot up. I hear the chime and the Apple symbol appears but there is no whirling indicator that appears and after a while the computer screen goes black and the whole cycle starts again. There have been occasions when it has actually s

my iMac won't boot up. I hear the chime and the Apple symbol appears but there is no whirling indicator that appears and after a while the computer screen goes black and the whole cycle starts again. There have been occasions when it has actually started and I have the dashboard appear but then the screen freezes

Since you have Lion v10.7.4 installed, use Lion Recovery to repair the startup disk if necessary, or reinstall the Mac OS X.

IMac won't boot up. Stuck in "verbose mode" ??

I've had this problem on and off for a few weeks now. I either restart my iMac after installing some new software-or for other reason- and my computer won't boot up. Sometimes it will stay at the white screen with the grey apple for hours if I leave it there. I've tried all the tricks with key commands. I even reinstalled my software, which worked, but now its happening again. Today, I restarted my iMac, and the same thing is happening, except sometimes it will go into what I've heard called- "verbose mode." The screen is black and white command text appears in the upper left hand corner. Here are some examples of what appears...
No Airport driver found.
Exited abnormally. Bad system call.
Repawning too quickly! throttling
10 more failures without living at least 60 seconds will cause job removal.
Will restart in 10 seconds.
(this will continue until it has restarted and failed 10 times. After this is done, it will display one of the following...)
too many failures in succesion
OR
local:/root# (continuously flashes on the screen)
OR
localhost:/ I have no name!# AppleYukon- eno link active, 100-Mbit, full duplex, flow control disabled.
I really don't know what to do. I'm really frustrated with my iMac. I've had to replaced a dead hard drive within the 6 months of my purchase, and now it is acting crappy again.
Can anyone help?
Thanks.

I tried using the disk utility on the grey disks, but
they can't repair the error on my HD. I can't restore
the original software from the disks either... there
is an error when I try.
No, you can't restore while the current OS is in place, due to the fact that your 10.4.8 isn't compatible with the older version (10.4.4) that's on the install DVDs. Once a Mac OS is in place, it can only be upgraded, not downgraded. You'll have to choose either:
to "Archive & Install" which would set aside your current system unerased until the new installation is completed and your current settings are transferred over - at which point you can erase the archived OS.
to entirely erase and reformat the HDD, then install a fresh OS.
Use the install disc's version of Disk Utility to perform either. First, though, you probably need to do a PRAM reset - that often clears things up so that you won't get an error message.
To reset the PRAM:
1. Shut down the computer.
2. Locate the following four keys on the keyboard: Command (Apple logo), option, P, and R. You will need to hold these four keys down simultaneously in step 4.
3. Start up the computer.
4. Press and hold the Command-option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination after the startup chord sounds, but before the gray screen appears.
5. Hold all four keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup chord for the second time.
6. Release the keys.

IMac won't boot to OS 9, boots Panther fine

Bought an iMac G3/500/128MB/CD-RW off Ebay for super cheap (this is the Indigo 500 with 64MB base RAM). Loaded OS 10.3.3 with no probs, tested it out with no probs. (I know the 128MB RAM is less than recommended/required for Panther, the machine was supposed to have 256MB and the seller is sending that to me). Next step was to load OS 9.1 from the CD. The iMac won't boot from the OS 9.1 CD (It boots fine from the Panther CD). Also tried booting from a firewire CD drive, same result. The result is a folder with a question mark, then a folder with a smily face, repeated twice before it aborts the OS 9 boot and goes into Panther.
Repaired permissions, no luck, wiped Panther off the drive and tried booting to OS 9 with blank drive, and still no luck.
As stated above, the machine was supposed to have 256MB RAM, and it also has a 20GB HD when it was supposed to have a 30GB HD. I declined a new HD as the seller offered me $20 as an option (bringing the total shipped down to $69.00), but now I'm wondering if I should replace the HD with the 30GB he offered? I don't think it's an HD issue though and replacing it looks like more trouble than it's worth.
I'm not too bummed if I have to stick to Panther, I just have a few OS 9 apps that I'd like to have access to.
iMac G3/500/128/CD-RW Mac OS X (10.3.3)

Does the CD drive boot from the Panther installation disk? I'm wondering if the CD drive is faulty, and it's not a Mac OS 9 specific issue.
Also, in combination with that problem, the hard drive may have been partitioned without the Mac OS 9 drivers. If you haven't tried already, use Disk Utility to partition the drive. You can keep it at one partition, but be sure that the "Mac OS 9 Drivers Installed" check box is installed. [NOTE: partitioning will wipe the drive clean.]
Other than that, I don't have a clue...
If you can't boot directly from Mac OS 9, most "classic" apps will run fine under Mac OS X in the "Classic" environment. If that works, it's actually a better way to access to Mac OS 9 programs.

My iMac won't boot past grey screen and it didn't come with a os x disk

My iMac won't boot past grey screen with apple. I've tried booting in safemode but that didn't help and my iMac didn't come with a os x disk.

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.”
b. 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.
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
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 either of the techniques in Steps 1b and 1c 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.

My iMac won't boot....Msg says "NO BOOTABLE DEVICE--INSERT BOOT DISK ...

I don't know how to start my iMac up. I don't even know what a boot disk is! Several days ago I tried to run Boot Camp but couldn't continue because I didn't have a Windows program to install si I'm not sure what happened. Can somebody please help me out? Thanks.
Dman- [email protected]

My iMac won't boot....Msg says "NO BOOTABLE DEVICE--INSERT BOOT DISK ...
Posted: Jan 17, 2011 11:44 AM
I'm getting this message again. When I restart using the option key everything is ok. When the computer goes to sleep it has the above message. Is there a setting I need to turn off so this doesn't happen all the time? Thanks.
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IMac won't boot up after latest update. Any suggestions?

I just updated my software (the latest from apple), then my iMac won't boot again.

There you go. Your HDD is failing hence its not booting. You need reformat the HDD
To reformat, same steps: Boot to the install disc > get past the language selection > You will see Welcome to Blah Blah Blah > just hit continue > There should be something there called erase and install
BUT
1. if you are absolutely sure that Time machine has BACKED-UP all of your files then proceed above
2. If not, if you have another mac: connect it via firewire then google Target Disk mode. Basically you want to copy all your files from the damaged machine to the new mac to serve as a backup
3. if yo dont have another mac: get an external HDD, install Mac os X on it, boot to it then back up your files
to do this
a) Plug external HDD
b) Boot to the CD restart and hold C
c) Get past language selection and keep hitting continue
d) when it asks you where you want to install Mac os X > select the external HDD
e) once its installed. Restart the computer and hold "Option" key. You should now see your external HDD as one of the boot drives. Select that and you'll boot into it
f) once inside the external HDD OS, you will see the internal HDD(damaged drive)browse/navigate through it and start getting your important files

My iMac won't boot up past the white screen with a grey apple and spinning icon

My iMac won't boot up past the white screen with a grey apple and spinning icon...please help!

command R did not result in anything different - still the white screen, etc. I do you Time Machine with and external hard drive, but I unplugged that. I have the installation DVD, but it doesn't seem to be reading it either.

My Imac won't boot up. It is stuck on apple logo with spinning gear.

My Imac won't boot up. It is stuck on apple logo with spinning gear. It will not boot in safe mode, my install disc will not read and fsck wont fix it.. I can hear the hard drive spinning. So i know my drive is not bad.. Right before this happened i was low on space so i deleted a bunch of movies but for some reason i had to change my drive permissions to do so..

Is your data backed up? If not, see these means of data recovery: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1689 If it is backed up, then purchase Alsoft Disk Warrior. Boot it using the Option key of a wired Apple keyboard.

IMAC won't boot with USB card reader attached

My quite new 24" iMAC won't boot if I have a USB card reader attached:
I get to the white screen with the apple logo, but it gets stuck there and the little spinning gear below the apple logo never appears (I've waited several minutes). (In all my test cases, there is no card in the card reader.)
I've tried two different card readers with the same results ("iDOTconnect" brand and a brand new Apacer unit, both are USB2.0 multi-format card readers).
The 1st one I tried via a USB hub, the second one I tried via a new hub and also directly connected to the mac (both of those hubs work fine).
Anyone have any ideas?
Regards,
Strathglass
Message was edited by: strathglass

Hello strathglass
The same thing can also happen with other connected devices such as external HD's and iPods, the Startup Manager is lost and searching for a boot volume.
1. You may be able to fix it by going to: *System Preference / Startup Disk* and select the *Mac OS X 10.5.5 on Macintosh HD* then *Click the lock to prevent further changes.*
2. Leave those devices that cause boot issues disconnected until the iMac is up and running!
3. Only sleep the iMac, and be sure to disconnect those devices be for shutting down or updates that require a restart!
As a habit, I have always ejected and disconnected all mounted USB devices (flash driver, iPods, cameras, card reader, etc.) from my hub be for sleeping, restarting or shutting down...
Dennis

IMac won't boot after power outage

I got a power outage a couple of hours ago. And now my iMac won't boot. When I power it up, it gets pass the white screen with the apple logo. The screen than turns blue with a spinning cursor. The cursor spins for about 10-15 minutes and stops but the normal login screen never appear and it won't boot into the desktop either. I just got a blue screen.
I have boot into the install Disc1 and did the disk repair and premission repair but it didn't help.
Any idea?
Sidney

Oh man, what a disaster!
I tried to do an Archive and Install but the installation hanged at the end of disc 2 after running an iWeb script (according to the install log) with about one minute left. I have waited for two hours but it just hanged there with all the drives spin down.
To make the problem worse. There was no way to quit the install at that point because all the menu items were disabled. The only way out was to power off. But when I powered it back on, it booted right into install directly asking for the disc 2. If I put the disc in it will install again and hang at the same spot.
Disc 2 contains iLife. I know Apple wanted to make things simple but why can't they give me an option to skip it? After all, iLife was already installed.
I finally got it working by booting from disc 1 and did a clean install. It took me all night to re-download all the updates and reinstall many applications. Fortunately, I have my address book, calendar, and most of my works backed up to .Mac so it wasn't a total lost.
On the bright side. Now my iMac is working better than before. I used to have problem getting auto sleep to work but now it works perfectly. Safari also had problem accessing charts (but Camino was fine) in a few web sites like schwab.com. Now everything works.
Lenn and David. Thanks for all your helps.
Now I am looking for a better backup solution so that the recovery won't be this painful if disaster strikes again. Any suggestions?
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IMac won't boot 10.6.4 but will Windows 7

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