IMac Won't Boot Up, Only after Mount-uw/

Turn on my iMac,
The Apple logo appears and tries to boot up...
BAM! my computer turns off.
I turn on my iMac, hit Command+S
type: fsck -yf
... and it basically tells me that "The volume Macintosh HD could not be verified completely."
I type in: mount - uw / followed by exit
..... and my computer boots up and takes me to my desktop.
Everything works fine, all my stuff is there, I can do whatever... EXCEPT - shut down. Why? Because I'll have to Command+S and mount - uw / just to get back to where I wanna be.
So what's going on? Is my hard drive failing? Is this something I can fix on my own? Do I need to take my iMac in?
Thankfully I was able to back up since I can still access my desktop and all of my files as if there is nothing wrong with my computer through the mount -uw / code.
I have Mac OS X Version 10.6.7 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3.... I got this iMac back in October 2010
THANKS!

Start your system with the original install disk and then go to disk utility. Do a Repair disk, if that works do a Repair permissions. Then if all that is good reboot normally and do a Combo update to 10.6.8
Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1

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IMac won't boot OsX Partition after Bootcamp install/uninstall.

Hello,
I have bought 2 late 2012 21.5 iMacs last year and have used both the same way. Here is what happened with one of them recently.
Fisrt af all I've installed bootcamp 1 year ago in both iMacs without issues and was ok so far, and was using exclusively Windows 7 partition. The trouble iMac started with some startup issues during boot/reboot (screen was frozen with green/grey horizontal lines), but worked fine after following manual start up.
Lately I've been trying to boot from OsX partition and it freezes in the apple logo every time.
I have already done the SMC / PRAM procedures, without success.
I have tried to download and do a fresh OsX install (Mountain Lion, Mavericks and Yosemite). Can't boot from Mavericks / Yosemite flash drive install (both freeze at apple logo - horizontal lines), and only had partial success with one Mountain Lion 10.8.5 flash drive install that booted all right and the first part of the installation process was ok, but after the initial reboot, it happened to freeze the same way before.
The iMac failed to boot in safe mode (stops booting at 25% and then freezes on apple logo), and show no issues with AHT tests.
I can boot in single user mode, but it reboots after a few seconds. I noticed some errors messages during this boot.
It fails to boot in verbose mode, showing a few lines of errors (images attached), and then freezes in a green horizontal line screen.
I can still boot from Bootcamp flash drive and Ubuntu Flash drive, and install both OS. The only issue is with OsX itself. I have used Gparted in Ubuntu to Format the hole partition to HFS+, and can't find any errors in hard drive tests.
I thought about buying a thunderbolt cable and try to do a Clone of my other iMac, but don't know if it will work.
Any other tests/suggestions about this issue?
Regards,

Fixed the problem with this setup
Of course this means i just lost 4GB.
Let me tell the full story.
In the beginning, long ago, once upon a time. My iMac had 2x2GB ram sticks which were in the two DIMM1 Banks. I then told myself "I WANT MORE RAM BECAUSE LOLZ". So i bought 2x4GB ram sticks. The two empty slots were Bank 0/DIMM0 and Bank 1/DIMM 0. and I added them in there. having done that, I booted OS X up, worked great, had 12GB, everything was shiny and beautiful. Soon after I wanted to try it out on windows. I restarted my computer and BAM the blinking cursor just sits there, being stubborn and all. I then told myself "holy balls, this new ram i got is bonkers" (them words, I blame the language filter). Then after giving it a little thought, i just asked myself if it was because I had ram from two different manufacturers. I removed my old ram, which has nice Samsung stickers on them, and booted it up on windows. Still had the same problem, I then decided that maybe this is all really mentally challenged so to win I had to think like a retard. I took my new ram and inserted it in the same slots where my old ram sticks were (DIMM1 Banks), booted windows up and IT WORKED.
I still hold all of my WHYs on this subject but I will keep messing around to see if I find a better solution than just leaving both DIMM0 banks empty

IMac won't boot, dark screen after normal grey start up screen

Quite perplexed with this problem, have tried everything I can think of.
Computer: iMac 2.16 gHz 24" mid 2006, 4 gig RAM
OS: 10.6.8
Froze and required hard shutdown. Subsequent to this, has behaved consistently:
Normal grey screen with Apple logo and spinning timer, can hear disk activity. Then the screen goes dark and nothing else happens (although the computer is still on). Have to perform hard shutdown.
Have tried:
1. Booting into single user mode (multiple times) and performed fsck, no errors noted
2. after using 'exit' command in single user mode, computer attempts to reboot but then freezes after noting 'panic'
3. Reset PRAM (no change)
4. Tried safe mode boot, progress bar on grey screen progresses, then spinning timers comes on, then same crash with dark screen
4. Disassembled computer, removed hard drive, mounted normally in external SATA enclosure. I backed up critical data, ran Disk Utility Repair, no errors noted.
5. Reinstalled HD, reassembled computer, rebooted, same issue
6. Attmepted to boot with Snow Leopard Install disc to perform a fresh Achive and Install - after prolonged grey screen with spinning timer and audible DVD drive access, same switch to dark screen and no further progress
7. Same panic message and stalled boot attempt noted when booting into single user mod
I'm stumped. My assumption is that there is a courrpt file that is causing a kernel panic during boot and I assumed that I'd be able to perform an archive and install but when this failed I'm guessing all I can do is replace the hard drive with a new one and then go through the hassle of transferring all the data over manually.
I would welcome hearing any other observations, similar experiences or other ideas. MTIA.

One update ... when I boot the computer and get the 'dark screen', I hear disc activity. So I started hitting the return key and I get the chime with each return as if I'm on the log in screen and hitting the return to log in without entering any text.
That would argue there is a problem with the screen.
However, it does not explain why the computer display works normally during single user mode and hangs (without the screen going dark) when trying to reboot from this mode.

IMac won't boot windows 7 after ram increase to 12gb

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has has a problem trying to load up windows 7 in boot camp after installing 2 4gb sticks of ram in their iMac. I have a iMac intel core 2duo and the ram is working fine in OSX. When I try to boot up in windows it just sits on the black screen with the flashing icon. I took the extra ram out and it booted up just fine. The version of windows 7 is the ultimate edition 64bit.
Any help would be great
Thanks
Mike

Fixed the problem with this setup
Of course this means i just lost 4GB.
Let me tell the full story.
In the beginning, long ago, once upon a time. My iMac had 2x2GB ram sticks which were in the two DIMM1 Banks. I then told myself "I WANT MORE RAM BECAUSE LOLZ". So i bought 2x4GB ram sticks. The two empty slots were Bank 0/DIMM0 and Bank 1/DIMM 0. and I added them in there. having done that, I booted OS X up, worked great, had 12GB, everything was shiny and beautiful. Soon after I wanted to try it out on windows. I restarted my computer and BAM the blinking cursor just sits there, being stubborn and all. I then told myself "holy balls, this new ram i got is bonkers" (them words, I blame the language filter). Then after giving it a little thought, i just asked myself if it was because I had ram from two different manufacturers. I removed my old ram, which has nice Samsung stickers on them, and booted it up on windows. Still had the same problem, I then decided that maybe this is all really mentally challenged so to win I had to think like a retard. I took my new ram and inserted it in the same slots where my old ram sticks were (DIMM1 Banks), booted windows up and IT WORKED.
I still hold all of my WHYs on this subject but I will keep messing around to see if I find a better solution than just leaving both DIMM0 banks empty

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.
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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

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

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

My iMac won't boot up fully. It stays stuck in the gray screen with the pinwheel spinning, then after about 5 minutes just shuts itself off.

My iMac won't boot up fully. It stays stuck in the gray screen with the pinwheel spinning, then after about 5 minutes just shuts itself off.

Try SMC Reset (unplug it from the back of the computer for 10 seconds then plug it back. in)
Try PRAM Reset Cmd + OPtion + P + R on start up.
Try safe boot - hold down shift on start up.
Try booting to install dvd (C on start up) or recovery hd (CMD + R) and using disk utility to run a verify and repair. If you still can't boot after that reinstall the operating system. If you can't find the disc or it wont boot to the disc.
Try single mode which is cmd+S on start up. It will open with a terminal looking window in the terminal. type in /sbin/fsck -TL. If it returns *system has been modified* continue to type that command in until it comes back with macintosh hd seems to be ok. If after 5 tries it still gives you system has been modified. You may have to replace the hard drive.

IMac won't boot after trying to migrate files to macbook?

While trying to migrate info from my IMAC to my Macbookpro all work froze on both puters. Macbook starts and runs alright. But my IMAC won't boot at all. Tried startup disc and it won't get past picking a destination because it doesn't list one. I made a boo boo hear and need help fixing this.

Drive Preparation
1. 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 Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the installer. Install OS X.

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 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

IMac won't boot after power failure during 10.5.6 update

Help!
Tried to update last night and at something like 80% install, we had a power cut. iMac won't boot at all now - get to a grey screen which tells me to restart. Don't have a wired keyboard. If I did - what are the steps to get this working again.
I believe I have a good backup, but don't want to risk as all the family photos are on the iMac.
Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the help, but can't even get to a screen where I could type anything! I know I'm being dumb here.

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.

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 at first attempt

Hi
Recently I've been experiencing that my intel iMac won't boot at first attempt and I have to powerdown manually and then try again. Second time it boots just fine. It's usually in the morning (been shut off for the night), but not always. I've tried disc utility from the install dvd, have repaired permissions and reset the nvram and everything seems just fine. The thing is, this has happened after the 10.4.8 update as far as I can remember. Does anyone else see this or is it a coincidence and some other problem?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Best regards
Rico
intel iMac 20" Mac OS X (10.4.8)
intel iMac 20" Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Oups, sorry about that wrong quote - I've been reading to many discussions lately
I've done all sorts of things today and I'm kind of curious to what is going to happen tomorrow morning when I boot up the mac. To sum up, here's what I've been doing:
Installed 10.4.8 manually, downloaded from: http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosx1048updateintel.html Read somewhere that the stand alone installer might help.
I ran repair permissions right after and got this:
Permissions differ on ./usr/standalone/i386/boot.efi, should be -r-xr-xr-x , they are -r--r--r--
Owner and group corrected on ./usr/standalone/i386/boot.efi
Permissions corrected on ./usr/standalone/i386/boot.efi
The privileges have been verified or repaired on the selected volume
Ran repair permissions again to check - all was good
Enabled automatically login in the accounts menu in user prefs - someone suggested me to do this, but I'm not sure what that might do, but hey, I'll give it all a shot.
Changed resolution and then back again to highest possible. Apple suggests this when the problem occurs on the 17" iMac.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303870
Unplugged power cord for 30 secs and reset smu (G5 article/idea though)
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301733
Used Onyx to delete the content of library > caches which I read somewhere could perhaps help.
I'll post again tomorrow morning, and hopefully with some positive news

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.

IMac Won't Boot Up, Only after Mount-uw/

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