IMac won't boot into OS X

I came to turn on my mac yesterday, and it would get to the grey screen with the apple logo and the spinning gear and not progress further. I tried starting up in safe mode, single user mode or target disc mode with no success. I then took my RAM out, swapped the SO-DIMMs over and restarted, which allowed me to get to the startup disc selection screen. I still couldn't boot to OS X but I can boot into XP via Boot Camp. The two operating systems are installed to different partitions on the same drive. Target disc mode, safe mode and single-user mode still have no effect. I haven't tried booting from a CD (to run Disc Utility) because my Leopard install discs are in my other house, but I'm having them sent up. Is there anything worth trying before booting from the CD when it arrives

That's correct you can only restore from it using the Install Disk.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/15638.html

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IMac won't boot into OS X after failed software update

I've got a 400MHz G3 iMac here, running 10.4.8. I finally got it connected to our network and ran Software Update, and it downloaded the 10.4.11 update. A few of the other updates installed successfully (iTunes phone driver, Java updates, etc.) but I got an error on the 10.4.11 combined update installation. Rebooted to finish installing the other updates thinking I'd try the 10.4.11 update on its own, and now the iMac refuses to get past the "Welcome to OS X" screen (I get the window with the Apple logo and the progress bar, but the progress bar never moves, even after several minutes). Tried safe boot with no luck.
There are no peripherals connected except the Apple keyboard/mouse (which are connected via a USB extension cable), so I can rule those out. Basically I'm wondering what steps I can take before I have to dig out my Tiger disc and mess around with Disk Utility...
Thanks in advance!

Preexisting corruption is my guess.
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
*Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then try a Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)
If perchance you can't find your install Disc, at least try it from the Safe Boot part onward.
The usual reason why updates fail or mess things up, is if Permissions are not fixed before & after every update, with a reboot... you may get a partial update when the installer finds it doesn't have Permissions to change one obscure little part of the OS, leaving you with a mix of OS versions. (Well, the Installer actually uses superuser Permissions to do it's work, but after reboot it doesn't guarantee communication with other existing needed files Permissions.)
Some people get away without Repairing Permissions for years, some for only days.
If Permissions are wrong before applying an update, you could get mixed OS versions, if Directory is the slightest messed up, who knows!
If many Permission are repaired, or any Directory errors are found, you may need to re-apply some the latest/biggest updates.
May even need to do an Archive and Install if you have room on the HD, but saves all your files and gives a new OS...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120
I only use Software Update to see what is needed, then get them for real via...
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/
That way I can wait a week or so, check the forums for potential problems, and get Permissions & such in order before installing.
If all the above fails, then it appears to be time for a relatively painless Archive & Install, which gives you a new/old OS, but can preserve all your files, pics, music, settings, etc., as long as you have plenty of free disk space and no Disk corruption, and is relatively quick & painless...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120
Just be sure to select Preserve Users & Settings.

IMac won't boot into safe mode

Hello. I hope this is the right forum.
I have an iMac (2010 ish) that recently encountered system slugishness and then eventually would not start. All we got was the white screen, the apple logo, the spinning gear and the progress bar. It is currently stuck on the white screen with the aple logo and the spinning gear after trying to start in safe mode. Do any of you kind folk have some suggestions on what to do next? Thanks in advance.

Thank you for your reply. I have just attempted an AHT where I followed the instructions for OSX 10.7 and above. I chose this, even though I have the 10.6.4 Install disk because we upgraded this computer to 10.7. The machine did not do the test. It just repeated the same behaviour as before, white screen, apple logo, spinning gear and progress bar for several seconds and then the bar dissapears. Should I have tried the AHT by using the install disk as noted?

IMac won't boot into OSX or XP after power surge.

I was using my computer in XP, and out of the sudden, there was a power surge. The computer turned off, and I tried to turn it back on again, and I heard the "chime" noise that you get when you start up, and then a gray screen. Even if I try to press the option key, nothing happens. any help?

Oh, I don't know how old. That might be the problem.
Also, recently, the computer won't turn on normally (gray screen) after a normal shut down, so I have to unplug everything and wait for a little while before it works again.
Additionally, the computer won't turn the display off after the pre-determined time like it used to. What gives?

Won't boot into safe mode

My 2012 iMac 27" was randomly rebooting itself, while in Sleep. I assumed this was due to the cheap 32 GB memory I bought, but before I could change it back to the original memory, to test, the Mac booted into Safe Mode (I assume - a progress bar showing at the bottom of the boot screen, below the Apple logo), and did not get further than a half the way, and then shut down. I swapped the memory to the original 8GB. I tried booting again, no buttons held down, as then it wouldn't get further than a quarter of the way. Further attempts to boot do not work, even when holding down Option to choose the boot disk, pressing Shift for Safe Mode, or Option-S for Single User Mode. I assume it's trying to boot in Safe Mode, but failing?
I also tried using a good Mac with the bad Mac as the Target Disk boot mode - the good Mac does not see the bad Mac...
I have an external DVD drive, but that isn't an option as I can't go into boot drive select mode. What are my options, apart from sending the iMac back?

Booting into the Recovery HD should allow you to effect repairs - that's the point of it, so it's a bit concerning that it won't allow you to. The Recovery HD is a partition on the internal drive that should allow you to effect repairs to the Macintosh HD, albeit part of the same physical disk.
I'm no expert, but I'd be concerned that the hard disk is on the way out. Do you have backup of everything - Time Machine or a bootable clone, perhaps?
Maybe have another try with Command+r. If it fails I'm not sure what would be the best next step - it depends if you have a full and up-to-date backup of your disk so that you can restore.
One of the options of the Recovery HD is to allow you to re-install the OS, which won't delete your data.
The more extreme step would be Internet Recovery which would involve erasing everything and re-installing via the internet.
Worth reading this carefully before proceeding: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718
Disk Warrior from Alsoft (not cheap) is another possibility for recovering damaged disks, although it's not a guaranteed solution.

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.

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?

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. I get a white screen with the apple logo and the spinning spiral--any ideas?

my imac won't boot up. I get a white screen with the apple logo and the spinning spiral--any ideas?
I have started having trouble since i had to upgrade OS the latest in July 12.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570 Follow this article and when it gets to the part where you go into disk utility using your install disc, you'll actually boot up holding down Command and R

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?
Sidney

Yosemite install won't boot into any mode

Really sorry if this has been covered before but I spent a good time searching and couldn't find any existing posts with symptoms to the same extent.
I've got a 2008 iMac 27" and have the latest version of Yosemite installed (10.10.1 I guess). I upgraded to Yosemite probably 2-3 weeks ago and everything has been fine. Then yesterday when I woke it up from sleep it effectively froze - no mouse or keyboard input. So I did a reset by holding down the power button, and when I turned it back on it went to the apple logo boot screen with a progress bar that gets to just below 50% and stuck there. I've restarted quite a few times and left it running up to six hours and still it doesn't boot.
Now this is similar to the issue here - OSX Yosemite won't boot after install on mid 2010 iMac - except I am unable to boot into any mode, and the only startup keys accepted are the P-RAM reset. It won't boot into recovery mode (command+R), safe mode (Shift), startup drive select mode (Option), diagnostics mode (D)... nothing
I've booked into a Genius Bar appointment when the Apple stores reopen after Christmas, but I'm hoping that is a last resort and to be honest I'm unsure what they can do for me except to say it's a lost cause.
Are there any suggestions on what could be happening and why it's ignoring the startup modes? I would have suggested the keyboard not being recognised except the P-RAM command works perfectly, so it's obviously seeing it. I'm a little scared that because it won't let me into a boot device menu (which must operate independent of any HDD) then there's an issue ahead of that in the boot sequence, so possibly the motherboard is shot...
Sorry if I seem a little desperate. I had a HDD crash two years ago to the day (great Christmas present Apple) and it kind of puts a dampener on things.
Happy holidays and I'm grateful for any help that anyone can offer

Hello there, semerton.
Great job on troubleshooting the issue on your own so far. The following Knowledge Base aritcle offers some additional steps to try for resolving your issue:
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup - Apple Support
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro.

How can I retrieve my files when my iMac won't boot?

My iMac won't boot up, which may be related to a recent update to Mavericks. I've tried repairing the disk from the DVD startup - it finds invalid volume file counts and says it's repaired them, but the same thing happens when I try to boot, the screen goes dark, the cursor is still visible and movable, but that's it. Foolishly, I didn't make a back-up so I'm now trying to retrieve some files at least. Using disk utility I've been able to copy everything to an external drive but I still can't get access to the files because it won't boot from there either, same old volume errors turn up when I try to repair it. Will I have to buy another mac just to access the files?

Assuming you are running OS X Mavericks (10.9.4), try booting into your Recovery HD by pressing/holding Command+R at startup. When you see the OS X Utilities Menu, plug in a USB external drive with an empty partition. Select Reinstall OS X from the menu and install Mavericks to you external drive. After the install is completed, your system should boot to your external drive to completed Setup. You might be able to use your internal iMac drive and Setup Assistant to bring over you User accounts and Apps to the external.

My iMac won't boot. I only get a white screen. Won't open in safe mode or recovery mode. Any suggestions?

Hey, any help? My 24" iMac won't boot. I only get a white screen when turning on. It won't open in safe or recovery mode. Any suggestions?

If you can't boot from your installer DVD, then take it in for service.

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.
Dennis

IMac won't boot into OS X

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