IMac Wont boot, can't unmount, can't reinstall

Hi Community, I'm really hoping you can help me as this one has me stumped.
I have a 2010 (i think, i can't boot it to check) iMac, through a power cut it now won't boot to OS X (Yosemite 10.10)
I have tried to boot it to recovery and can not reinstall, i have 3 partitions
imac
recovery hd
BOOTCAMP
I have tried a disk repair on the iMac partition which is greyed out and it says it can not repair it and i should back up my files and reinstall. Here comes the tricky part no matter how i boot the mac to Disk Utility i can not remove the old partitions, i get the error that the drive can not be unmounted no matter what i do, i have tried from external HD, USB flash and from internet recovery.
If i boot to window the machine starts fine and i can see windows, and i can then see the iMac drive listed in windows. Ive tried PRAM/NVRAM resets, when OS X does try to start the progress bar gets to about half way and then the machine just sits there at that.
Is there anyway i can boot to anything that will stop it from first mounting the drives so i can nuke the partition table and start fresh without having to remove the drive from the drive.
In disk utility if i attempt to mount the iMac partition it reports "Cant Open Drive"
Im not bothered about the bootcamp partition or the existing partitions, i just want to get the iMac running OS X again.

After banging my head against the wall, and Apple suggesting a genius bar appointment to replace the drive (at cost) i have resolved the issue. It was a bit of a hack but might help some one else who has the same problem
1) Boot to Windows (Bootcamp)
2) Go to partition manager in windows.
3) Delete the Apple partitions that are listed in the window.
4) Resize the windows partition, this forces windows to re-write the partition table it would seem
5) Boot to recovery with CMD + R
6) Open disk utility and you will only see the Bootcamp partition and nothing more, you can now unmount it.
7) erase the disk with GUID partition layout, repartioning as required
8) Install OS X from the same recovery instance (i used Internet recovery as i was attempting with USB and Internet)
The above *may work with a USB bootable device.
Hope this helps just 1 person who was stuck and couldn't find a solution in my predicament.

Similar Messages

My imac wont boot and a small square shows up next to the cursor

Hi
my imac wont boot and a small square shows up next to the cursor. I can open in safe mode. I have reinstalled the OSX, but can't boot from back-up.
Any advice?

OK.....I figured it out.....after reading endless threads on the cursor issue, I found out that apple calls the cursor a MOUSE POINTER..! and the square that follows it a 'corruption'...GO FIGURE!
Anyway, this is what I did.
I tried reinstalling Mountain Lion....online install. It didn't resolve the issue. Same problems
Then, I tried reinstalling from the original DVD install disc....this wasn't possible (no access sign over install icon).
So I finally erased my hard drive (after rebooting command - r), BUT NOT BEFORE BACKING UP MY FILES, APPLICATIONS, SETTINGS and any other important data!!!!!!!
Then started up command R
Then reinstalled Mountain Lion online
My iMac started up like it does when you install 'out of the box'...follow the instructions....
my cursor, or mouse pointer is now free of it's 'corruption', and boots up just fine!
Hope this helps anyone out there with the same issue

Imac wont boot - i get a white screen with apple logo, and it loads to about 10%, then screen goes black

imac wont boot - i get a white screen with apple logo, and it loads to about 10%, then screen goes black

Hey there mtriest,
It sounds like you are unable to boot the iMac successfully as it keeps shutting down when you try to boot. I suggest the troubleshooting from the following article named:
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
Disconnect, test peripheral devices and network cables
Note: "Peripheral devices" refers to external devices other than what came with your Mac, such as hard drives, printers, or hubs that you connect via a USB or FireWire cable.
Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
Disconnect all peripheral devices such as external hard drives or printers (leave only the display, a keyboard, and mouse connected).
Disconnect any Ethernet cables.
Start up your Mac.
If you can start up this way, one or more of your peripheral devices (or installed software related to the device) is probably causing the gray screen issue. Connect one device, then restart your Mac to test for the issue. Repeat the process until you locate the device at issue. Make sure the device is powered if it needs to be to operate correctly. Check with the manufacturer of the device for support or possible software driver or firmware updates that may be available for the device. Try a different cable with the device if possible (such as a different USB or FireWire cable).
Note: If you have multiple peripheral devices and the issue only occurs when they are all connected, but not when each device is the only peripheral connected, see the Additional Information section below.
If you are using a desktop Mac with a third-party keyboard and/or mouse device, and the issue still occurs, try starting up with an Apple keyboard and mouse connected instead. Try starting with no keyboard and mouse connected, then connect them after start up. Also, try a different USB port on your Mac.
If the gray screen issue persists with no devices connected, go to the next section (with the peripherals still disconnected).
Perform a Safe BootSimply performing a Safe Boot may resolve this issue.
Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
Start your Mac, then immediately hold the Shift key. This performs a Safe Boot. Advanced tip: If you want to see the status of a Safe Boot as it progresses, you can hold Shift-Command-V during start up (instead of just Shift).
Note: A Safe Boot takes longer than a typical start up because it includes a disk check and other operations.
If your Mac starts up as expected, immediately try restarting.
If the Safe Boot does not work, or the restart after a successful Safe Boot does not work, go to the next section.
There is additional information in the article with further troubleshooting if needed.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Sterling

Imac wont boot, stuck loading, all i see is apple logo and spinning cycle

My 27 inch iMac wont boot, i am runnign snow leopard. I just see the apple sign and the cycle spinning meaning its still loading. I cant use disk utility because leopard install disc wont boot, also i cant run any commands in single user mode, doing /sbin/fsck -fy does nothing, i dont see a # sign or anything, whatever i type it doesnt matter whenever i hit return the cursor just goes to the line below.

dudix wrote:
I cant use disk utility because leopard install disc wont boot
Power down (assume you have already tried the SMC reset) and insert the Applications DVD that came with your new iMac. Boot up while holding the "D" key down (may be best with a wired keyboard) to run the Apple Hardware Test according to these instructions:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509

IMac wont boot up

My IMac wont boot up! I installed the Mac OSX system disk and ran disk utility this is the results:
invalid node structure
The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.
What do I do to get this up and running again, I would appreciate any help.
Thanks,
Joe

I called applecare and they were able to get my iMac up and running. Apparently there is an issue with updating software. I just had to do an update today and ended up with the same problem. So I re did what the applecare rep told me and I got it going again myself. I am hoping this will not continue. So anyway, I am going to provide the steps on how my I got iMac going.
1. unplug the computer for approx 17 seconds.
2. unplug everything from the computer except the mouse and keyboard.
3. plug in the computer
4. turn on the iMac and hold down the option key at the SAME TIME
5. when the iMac comes on, it will make a loud beep noise, CONTINUE to hold the power and option key until a small the Mac HD icon displays.
5. When the Mac HD icon shows on the screen, release the power button and option key. Then click on the arrow below the Mac HD icon.
5. The iMac will boot and take you to the desktop. Then click applications
6. choose the utility folder
7 then choose disk utility
8 a screen will appear that states first aid. At the bottom, there will be an option to repair disk. Click on that then choose Mac HD.
9 When this is finished, you are good to go. These steps will repair what ever the software updates are doing to the hard drive.
Hope this helps.

Imac wont boot

My late 2008 iMac wont boot. I have tried everything that i understand but cannot accesss harddisk.
I cannot boot fron dvd -cd or usb. I would like to run diskutil from terminal to repair and verify. System hangs/ stops running, when i try command+v ,message that (vmcl: Module initialized.)
Command + s puts me in single user mode and i cannot run diskutil.
Safe start is also not working.
I have all my work on imac and depserately need help.
Any ideas ???
Imac 2008 24" 3.06GHZ/2GB/500GB/SD8X/GF8800GS/512.
Downloaded and installed Lion recently, all software is ligitimate.
Running vmware / Vista, occasionally.
Machine just stopped, froze up.

Hei, just to let you know. I gave up and delivered my machine to mac repair. It turned out that a module error was the cause of my problems. They have since replaced the defective part and my machine works like a dream. No reinstalling either, all existing files and software are intact.

I installed snowleopard now my imac wont boot up

Since i installed snowleopard my imac wont boot up it always get stuck at the screen with the apple logo

Sounds like a borked install. Pop in the SL install disc, restart, holding down the C key, and reinstall.

My iMac wont boot up properly. Stops at background pic, no dock, only little apple show up top and cursor sticks on little spinning wheel. Have to shut down manually in back and reboot to get it to work. Any ideas why this sometimes happens?

I'm running OSX 10.9.1 (13B42)
My problem is that occasionally my Mac wont boot properly. It gets to the background picture where the dock should open but it freezes there. The little apple shows up top left but nothing else and the cursor shows as the little spinning wheel that wont do anything. I can't click on the apple to restart, I have to switch off in back and then start up again. It usally boots all the way after that but I'm worried there's something up since this seems to be happeneing more frequently. Also I'm worried that having to manually shut down like that will somehow damage the software in time?
I tried a disk verify but there were no repairs needed. I repaired disk permissions too just in case but it still seems to happen every once in a while.
I've noticed recently that it happens the next reboot after I've been streaming movies online if that helps. Is there any reason for this and anything i can do to stop it in the future?

Thanks Paul, just ran the etrecheck you recommended and got this:
Hardware Information:
          iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)
          iMac - model: iMac12,1
          1 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4 cores
          4 GB RAM
Video Information:
          AMD Radeon HD 6750M - VRAM: 512 MB
System Software:
          OS X 10.9.1 (13B42) - Uptime: 0 days 0:45:16
Disk Information:
          ST3500418AS disk0 : (500.11 GB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /: 499.25 GB (350.35 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
          OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5690H
USB Information:
          Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
          Samsung SCX-4600 Series
          Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
          Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
          Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Kernel Extensions:
          com.sophos.kext.sav          (8.0.14)
Startup Items:
          MobileBrServ: Path: /Library/StartupItems/MobileBrServ
Problem System Launch Daemons:
Problem System Launch Agents:
Launch Daemons:
          [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.anchorfree.ajaxserver.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.sophos.autoupdate.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.sophos.intercheck.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.sophos.notification.plist 3rd-Party support link
Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.sophos.uiserver.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Launch Agents:
          [loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [failed] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.divx.agent.postinstall.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Login Items:
          iTunesHelper
          BitTorrent
Internet Plug-ins:
          Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 2.4.4.2 3rd-Party support link
          FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 12.0.0.38 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          OVSHelper: Version: 1.1 3rd-Party support link
          Flash Player: Version: 12.0.0.38 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
          DivXBrowserPlugin: Version: 2.2 3rd-Party support link
          QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
          SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.0.0 3rd-Party support link
          JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 14.9.0 - SDK 10.7 Outdated! Update
Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
          AirPlay: Version: 1.9 - SDK 10.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0 - SDK 10.9
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          DivX 3rd-Party support link
          Flash Player 3rd-Party support link
          Flip4Mac WMV 3rd-Party support link
          Growl 3rd-Party support link
Bad Fonts:
          None
Old Applications:
          /Library/Sophos Anti-Virus
                    SophosAntiVirus:          Version: 8.0.8.1 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    SophosAutoUpdate:          Version: 8.0.15 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    SophosUIServer:          Version: 8.0.21 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    InterCheck:          Version: 8.0.8.1 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
          VLC:          Version: 2.0.1 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
          Sophos Anti-Virus:          Version: 8.0.21 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
          Spotify:          Version: 0.8.4.93.gd9f49c35 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
          Install Spotify:          Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
                    /Users/[redacted]/Downloads/Programs/Install Spotify.app
Time Machine:
          Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
               2%          WindowServer
               2%          EtreCheck
               0%          Google Chrome
               0%          hidd
               0%          SophosUIServer
Top Processes by Memory:
          438 MB          firefox
          139 MB          InterCheck
          119 MB          com.apple.IconServicesAgent
          106 MB          Google Chrome
          78 MB          mds_stores
Virtual Memory Information:
          370 MB          Free RAM
          1.59 GB          Active RAM
          1.25 GB          Inactive RAM
          813 MB          Wired RAM
          397 MB          Page-ins
          0 B          Page-outs
I have no idea what all the means, lol.

IMac wont boot and has yellow squares at launch!!!

Ok, so Friday as I come home from buying Snow Leopard all excited because I also bought an DVI to HDMI cable to hook my 24 inch 3.06 10.5.8 iMac up to my TV. So as my laptop is upgrading to snow leopard I decide to hook up the TV. I plug the cables in and all is good. I went out and downloaded an app called TV Row.
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/30081
It takes front row and puts it on an external monitor. Perfect, they have a brand new update out for snow leopard (which the iMac doesn't have yet) so i think its all good. But when I restart the computer it wont boot and I get a crazy boot screen with light yellow squares everywhere. It gets to the grey apple logo and the gear spins for about a minute and then locks up. I noticed that it was extremely hot!! I went and got a fan and put on the back of it but if i leave it running for about 15 minutes it will burn my hand. I have network access to it so im completely backed up and and down to start from scratch on it. Any ideas. Ill link a picture of what the yellow squares look like.
http://gallery.me.com/lmbvideography#100387/photo_1
Please Help!!!

If you put the Mac OS X Install DVD in the drive and restart your computer while holding down the Option key, and then click on the DVD when it appears on the screen, are you able to boot into the Installer? If so, can you try reinstalling Mac OS X (using the Archive and Install option) or perhaps restoring from a Time Machine backup?
If you're not even able to boot from the DVD, I'd suggest calling in an appointment and taking it to Apple right away before any significant damage is caused to the hardware.

IMac wont boot from CD

I am selling my iMac so want to reformat the HD and do a fresh install of Leopard.
When I try to boot from the system CD I get the grey screen, I hear the CD Drive reading the disk, then the computer reboots. The same thing happens every time no matter how I try to boot from the CD. When I eject the CD, or boot from HDD, it loads the OS fine. It just wont boot from the CD.
I have tried:
Booting from CD by holding the C key during startup
Booting from CD using Startup Disk in System Preferences
Installing OS from the 'Install Mac OS X' application on the disc
Holding the option key during startup and selecting the CD drive
Resetting the NVRAM
Verifying the HD in disk utility
Verifying the CD in disk utility
Verifying and repairing HD disk permissions in disk utility
Running the install on my MacBook to check the CD (booted to the CD and started install process fine)
I have searched for previous discussions that reference this issue but could find none with this specific problem. The CD drive reads other media fine so I don't think it's a hardware issue.
Any help would be much appreciated.

Clean the disk?
Dirty lense?
The bottom of the disk must be free of scratches and especially human fingerprints which the oils can trasfer insdie the machine.
Use a bit of rubbing alcohol on a very soft clean cloth and polish ot a shine before using the optical drive.
Order a replacement disk from Apple, buy jewel cases that suspend your disk, the plasic/paper sleeves Apple provides aren't good.

IMac Wont Boot Question.I cant find an answer.

Ok Heres the story.
I have an iMac 20" display Intel Core Duo.
I came home yesterday and it was locked up.. I had to turn it off manually.
When it rebooted it started up but was stuck with a folder with a "?" on it.
I know it has to be the HDD.
I booted it from the snow leopard DVD and went into disk utlilty and repaired and verified the disk. The HDD shoes up in disk utility with the Macintosh Partition.After I repaired it it still does not appear as an option to st it as a start up disc.. I dont think the HDD is bad.. But I am not an expert
To be honest I dont care about the iMac I just want the data. I back up but I did not do one in a month or so and there are some things I want. If I removed the HDD and plugged into another mac would I be able to get the data off? I have one of those sata to USB adapters..
Any help would be appreciated let me know if you have any ideas

Do you know why it shows up in Disk Utilty but it wont boot from it?
Because the computer can't find a bootable OS on it. This is much more complicated than just seeing the drive.
(57561)

Imac wont boot it did till i changed inernet protocol all i get is apple and gear spinng

I have an 800mgz imac when I got it it booted up just fine i changed the internet from dial up tp broadband save it turn it off to connect broadband now it wont boot all i get is the apple logo and the spinning gear?

Another thing that you could try it is deleting or copying to desktop the preference files for networking. Mac OS will regenerate these files. You would then need to reconfigure your network settings.
While this discussion provides a solution for a different problem. I believe the files would be the same for all network configuration problems.
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8185915#8185915
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10718694#10718694
You need to get into single use mode for steps one and two that are listed below.
This page will tell you how to get into single user mode.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1492
Basically, you hold down the command-s key then powering on your machine. The command key has a little apple symbol on the lower left. It is between the alt/option key and the space bar. On a PC keyboard, it will be the windows key, I think.
( Do you know Unix. You are in a Unix single user console. ) The setup commands you need should be listed on the screen. For Mac OS 10.4.11, the commands are:
# Type the follow two instructions to access the startup disk in read/write:
/sbin/fsck -fy
/sbin/mount -uw /
The mv command is also the rename command. move within a directory.
basically :
mac $ cd /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration
mac $ ls
NetworkInterfaces.plist com.apple.nat.plist      preferences.plist
mac $ pwd
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration
mac $ mv NetworkInterfaces.plist NetworkInterfaces.plist2
mac $ mv com.apple.nat.plist com.apple.nat.plist2
mac $ mv preferences.plist preferences.plist2
mac $
Here is an overview of the terminal commands. Lets assume that your account has a short user name of mac.
Macintosh-HD -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal
#What is my short user name? Type the whoami command.
mac $ whoami
mac
mac $
#How to list all of your disks.
# The ls command is for list
mac $ ls /Volumes/
Audio CD       Macintosh-HD   Spotless       Tiger-ext
mac $
# Let's say your flash drive is named Spotless
# cd is change directory
mac $ cd /Volumes/Spotless
# pwd is print working directory
mac $ pwd
/Volumes/Spotless
mac $
# The ls command is for list # l is long # F is type of file where / is directory mac $ ls -lF
total 134704
-rw-r--r--     1 mac staff     64560 Mar 3 2009 A-picture-of-Youpi-key.png
drwxr-xr-x    83 mac staff      2822 Nov 7 14:52 Applescript files/
drwxrwxrwx    12 mac staff       408 Dec 13 2008 Christmas Cards/
drwxr-xr-x     9 mac staff       306 Dec 21 17:39 Christmas Cards 2009/
... trimmed ... What does all this mean?
drwxrwxrwx
d = directory
r = read
w = write
x = executeable program
drwxrwxrwx
| | |
| |   all other users not in first two types
| |
| group
|
owner
Every Unix resource: files, folders, etc has an owner, group, other
a file has one owner.
a file has one group. A group contains a list of users.
To gain access to a file. You can be the owner, in the group, or not being the owner or in the group you ended up as other. Each of these categories has read, write, or execute permissions.
# l is long
# a is all to show hidden files & folders
mac $ ls -lFa
total 134736
drwxr-xr-x    41 mac   staff      1496 Dec 22 17:11 .
drwxrwxrwt     8 root admin       272 Dec 24 13:55 ..
-rwxrwxrwx     1 mac   staff     15364 Dec 23 12:52 .DS_Store*
drwx------     4 mac   staff       136 Jan 22 2009 .Spotlight-V100
drwxrwxrwt     5 mac   staff       170 Sep 14 16:36 .TemporaryItems
d-wx-wx-wx     4 mac   staff       136 Dec 31 1969 .Trashes
-rw-r--r--     1 mac staff     64560 Mar 3 2009 A-picture-of-Youpi-key.png
drwxr-xr-x    83 mac   staff      2822 Nov 7 14:52 Applescript files
drwxrwxrwx    12 mac   staff       408 Dec 13 2008 Christmas Cards
drwxr-xr-x     9 mac   staff       306 Dec 21 17:39 Christmas Cards 2009
... trimmed ...
# mv is move or rename
mv -i the-name the-new-name
# You can just rename the file back to what it was with mv command.
mv -i old-name new-name
Here is what these commands mean:
cd is change directory
pwd is a print working directory
ls is list
sudo is Super user do
mv is move or rename
For cryptic comments, you can always uses the manual command which is man. For example:
man mv
# Type the letter q to quit.
In case you have spaces in your filenames or directories, you need to escape them. See examples:
mac $ ls -l ~/"see it"
-rw-r--r-- 1 mac staff 3171 Oct 26 23:38 /Users/mac/see it
mac $
mac $ cd /Users/mac/Desktop/ttt\ html\ copy/
Do you know about tabing? Type in a few letters of a name then press the tab key. The computer will type out the rest of the name if it is unique.
Press the up arrow key to see the previous command(s).
To edit a command, use the left arror key to more left and the right arror key to move right. Use the delete key to delete the key to the left. Type a letter to insert.
history to see many previous commands.
mac $ history
    2 man launchd.conf
    3 history
Lots of links: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2692161&tstart=0
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2692161&tstart=0
Robert

IMac wont boot up - stuck on Apple logo with Spinning wheel.

(Title is the Problem) any fixes?
Ive tried repairing disc using the installed disk/utility and it says that the Macintosh HD cannot be repaired & i really dont want to lose all my files.
However..
I have my iMac Dual booted with W7, Now is it possible to do the following....
Go to:
Windows icon (bottom left) > Computer > Copy Macintosh HD > External HDD > Paste?
(so in effect its a backup)
Will i then be able to reinstall OSX and then load my files from it, or restore from it? (from the Ex. HDD)
Many Thanks in advance.
(1st post by the by)
Tom
EDIT:
Just thought:
If i reinstall the OSX - Will my files already upload onto the new OS install? As i have a feeling that Windows does that when upgrading - whether its the same for Reinstalling is a different matter i s'pose.
Message was edited by: Tom.Rhodes

Boot with your install disc, launch Disk Utility from the Utilities menu after selecting your language, and repair the disk. You can't repair the boot volume. Now some other tips. Reinstalling Snow Leopard only replaces all the OS components and basic Apple apps, such as TextEdit, Mail, and Safari, but leaves everything else in place. There's no chance of losing data unless it's already corrupted and lost anyway. There's no need to muck around with the windoze stuff, which, IIRC, won't work anyway.

24" iMac - Wont boot from HD or disc... Help!

Hi guys,
Just been working on iMac, forget the exact spec but it's a 24" Intel 2.something Core 2 Duo or whatever it is, 4gb DDR2 RAM, gotta be about 2 years old to the day and after my last 2 Macs have lasted forever, never developing a fault, I didn't take out Applecare... Perhaps I had a bit too much faith...
As I say, just working away and all of a sudden, upon putting a video in Quicktime to full screen, the whole image has kinda of condensed itself into the top 20% of the screen and started slightly flickering the image. I've tried quitting some of the programmes, but neither the mouse nor leyboard have been responding so I've just had to turn the computer off.
I've gone to turn it back on, and after about 30 seconds, it's got as far as the grey screen but then the little spinning progress indicator pauses and it does nothing else.
I've reset the PRAM and that made it take longer before it froze but ultimately did nothing.
I've now tried getting it to boot from the Snow Leopard disc but this does the something, until after about 3 - 5 minutes, the screen goes all pshychedlic, like looking at an old school TV really close...
So looking for any suggestions on other things to try before I have to take to my local store... Any hazard a guess at what may be up with it?
I've got a back up the whole computer but I don't think this is a software problem, I'm assuming it's going to be a hardware one?
Any help at all would be much appreciated!

Ok, tried Safe Mode and that wont boot either. Saw a little progress bar on the grey screen though which made a change, but ultimately, it crashed once that had disappeared.
I've just noticed that at the point when the progress wheel stops spinning, a pattern of dead pixels appears across the screen that aren't there when the progress wheel is spinning.
The more I talk to people about this, the more graphics card seems to come back as the likely culprit, based on the fact that:
- it started by me putting a video to full screen
- the fact the display went weird when it first happened and also it plays up after it crashes with the psychedelic colours
- it wont boot from HD, disc or now in safe mode either, however it does run AHT fine.
- I've hoovered out the vents on the iMac and somehow it seems slower than it was before (bit odd)
- the dead pixel thing mentioned above
So now thinking it may be time to get a new graphics card?
Reckon this is likely, even though the AHT hasn't picked up any problems? As mentioned earlier, I'm not too concerned about it would seem it doesn't particularly test the graphics card too much, so all just seems to point towards it.
Anything else that I could do to single this out as the likely culprit?
Guess this is a chance to upgrade!

Imac wont boot after 10.8.5

white screen after update. 2012 imac 27". was originally leopard i think. actually third time the same machine has done this on updates since lion installed. Last two times took full erase and re-install to get started. Boots fine in safe mode. disc utility runs fine although repair permisions shows a ton of itunes issues that wont clear in safe mode. Boot in R mode and they show to clear but show up again after restart. Ready to go Office Space on this thing. nothing connected. add on software is Quickbooks and office only

updates
jan 6 - erased drive, reinstalled 10.6 using disc, update software. gets to 10.8 and white screens on restart. disc utilities agian, repair disc-no errors, repair permission has a few that wont go away
jan 7 - erased drive, reinstalled 10.6 using disc - works great, update software to 10.6.8 - works great, download and install 10.9.1 - white screen, agian with disc utility etc, also tried internet recovery
jan 8 - wiped drive again. downloaded discmaker x and bought new 8gb jump drive. download full version installer 10.9.1. make bootable disc. restart and boot from disc. installs and restarts to finish install. then grey screen
i dont know what else to try here. ive called several local places and left msg's. im currently doing the erase thing again but this time with secure 3x overwrite option.
drive is 1TB ST31000528AS
since 10.9.1 install there are two other drives showing up on disc utility.
disk 2 - OS X Install ESD
disk 3 - OSX X base system

IMac Wont boot, can't unmount, can't reinstall

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