Late 09 iMac 27 will not boot up then shuts down

Second occurrence of this issue in roughly 2 months:
1st time: pre-Mavericks
2nd time: after HD reformat and Mavericks install, both at Genius Bar
I get the tone, logo, gear, progress bar to roughly 10%, then shutdown. I cannot even get into safe mode or try disk utility. The various resets (pram, etc...) do not work either
I took it to the genius bar and they reformatted the HD and all was well for a couple of months. I do not have any 3rd party SW except for iBank, MS Office, and printer drivers. As with the first time this popped up, I had a couple of warning reboots before this. I was able to save my large iPhoto file.
So, is this a HW issue? If not what SW problem would cause the same issue again if the HD was reformatted once already?
Debating pitching the iMac and going Mac Mini, all we use the Mac for is finances,email, and iPhoto.
Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You bet, have a look at > Mac OS X: Starting up in Safe Mode
and/or > Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

Similar Messages

**iMac Will Not Boot Up & Then Some

white 17" iMac G5... was running OX 10.3.? No crazy extensions or additional equipment... just a home computer for the web that's about it. Installed a 1 gig memory stick without problems a month or so ago... other than that everything is the same as i got it... empty.
I got a RESTART error message today (the one in 5 different languages). So i restarted the computer... grey screen... apple... progress wheel.... after spinning for a few seconds either the screen tints to a lighter gray and the wheel stops, or i get the RESTART error message again. I tried everything (that i know of).... and they are as follows:
i took out the 1 gig memory... and put back in the old one... that didnt do anything... i tried rebooting with the OX 10.3 disc the computer came with... the computer keeps ejecting the DVD... tried holding down the "C" key and the option key.. neither would pull up the DVD. I have a 10.4 disc i bought but was too busy to ever install... decided to try that disc... kept rejecting the DVD disc. I found an old Hardware Test disc... held the option key down and presto... it showed up... i ran the test... everything was fine... no problems found. i restarted.... BAM the computer was up and running!
i put in a normal DVD at that point to see if maybe there was a problem with my DVD drive, and there was because it wouldn't take any DVD... great... of course it was then that i remembered that was the reason i never updated to 10.4, because the computer couldn't read the DVD disc.
2 hours later, the computer froze again. Tried restarting but kept getting having the same problems as before.... Re-ran the Hardware Test, and no problems found.... tried re-starting... but this time... no luck. now 10 hours later... and a zillion re-starts... still no luck.
Brought the iMac to work and thought i could firewire it with my G5 Dual... and boot up the Dual with the OS 10.4 DVD and maybe pick the iMac drive as the source for the system... but my G5 at work now will not read ANY of the OS DVD's! I get a kernal error screen when i boot up with one... when i tried with the 10.3 disc i get locked up on the same gray apple screen with the wheel except there is also a weird dotted line around the upper left had corner of the Apple Logo... go figure... Also know that the discs are in perfect condition.. there isn't a scratch on either one.
I then said... screw it... erased the hard drive... there is nothing on there i NEED... so i ran the disc utility and erased everything.... i then tried to boot up again with the DVDs... no luck... i see the iMac drive on my G5 Dual at work through the firewire cable... but i can not do anything to get the iMac to boot up on it's own! Heck, i had an old OS9 disc, and it kept spitting that out!
one thing i thought was interesting... when i had the iMac mounted through the firewire on my G5 Dual... before i erased the drive, i tried repairing it and it said there were no problems, but i noticed the Repair Permissions button wasn't clickable. any reason why i couldn't repair the permissions? is it because it was an external drive? maybe that's an easy one... but my main question is how can i get my iMac to boot up? If the hardware test said everything was fine and i reformatted the drive, why can't i install any OS on it...
i friend said there was something i could if i booted up while holding down "Apple-S"... but when I saw all the Linux stuff come up, i quickly quit
any suggestions would be appreciated!
Jeff

The guys at the Genius Bar actually are Geniuses! They told me that in fact my iMac was one of the first generation and the main board had fried to they way the fan cooled it off. They said the problem was fixed with the second generation iMacs.
They took the computer in, i was 1 month away from the 3 year warranty date, and they are replacing the board and the DVD drive that is not working at no charge!
i'll have it back in 5 days.
Jeff

My 2011 IMac will not boot up past the White apple logo screen with the whirly circle

My 2011 IMac will not boot up past the White apple logo screen with the whirly circle. I have tried various commands but to no avail. does anybody have any advice?

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
d. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
Step 3
Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
Step 7
If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 11. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then restart as usual.
Step 9
If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support.
Step 10
Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 11
Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 12
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 13
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

Imac will not boot past Apple Logo

My imac will not boot after the good chime and apple logo (i don't even get a spinning wheel). I have held the option key down and selected the OS 10.6 disk with the same result. I was able to erase the drive and reinstall OS 10.6 using target mode and another computer. In target mode I can boot the other computer from the IMac HD but not the IMac. Have also tried holding the shift key and booting into safe mode with the same result. Additional note: I reset the PRAM and the SMU. At first on PRAM reset it would take 45 seconds for the machine to chime again, after OS reinstall and SMU reset, PRAM reset chimes within 10 seconds.... any help would be appreciated...

Kind of late but your solution helped me remember what once worked for me, a few years back.
Started iMAC in Target mode Used a firewire cable to a MacBook Pro
Started the Macbook Pro using the option Key and then restarted with the iMac as the Hard drive
Then I updated to 10.6.8 and allof the other updates.
shut down and rebooted and everything was fine.
But first I did quite a few other things before the update such as
It all started with a DiskWarrior finding overlapped files, I have been around the block a time or two so after it found three overlapped files, I shut down diskwarrior started up disk utility did a restore of the messed up drive to another external drive,
of course this copied overlapped files and all to the new external drive It took 24 huors or so, to back up the drive once it was done, I also tried a few times to correct the overlapped files to no avail,
so then I started the iMac up in target mode used the MacBook to format and erase the original drive, used the 10.6.3 DVD installer to install onto the hard drive, using the macBook DVD. After I was finished with the install to the iMAC,,,,,,,,,,this is where I got the three beeps like bad ram So idid the PRAM and SMC to no avail.
The operating system was evidently not new enough so once I did what i said at the begining of this post all went well.
Sometimes It is tough to remember some of the stuff that you learned several years ago.
and tired hard to forget.
I hoped this post does not scare away to many people, I was just about done with this computer until I read your post, one of several dozen, and it all came back to me.
Thanks a Bunch
I hope this can help others
themacprofessor

IMac will not boot up. Need to transfer data iMac (2006) iMac (2009)

I have an iMac (built/sold late 2006 -400 Firewire) and an iMac (built/sold late 2009 - 800 Firewire).
I have connected computers with a 400 to 800 Firewire cable.
The old iMac will not boot to desktop. It was suggested to hold down the "T" key and then power up the iMac. This was done and the old iMac shows a "Y" shaped icon that appears to be a Firewire icon. The old iMac does not show up on the desktop of the new iMac.
I would like to transfer data from the old iMac to the newer one. Suggestions ?
Thanks.
old iMac OS 10.4.xx
new iMac OS 10.9.2

She's holding T down on the old computer.
Which is the way it has to be done. The old computer's hard drive will mount on the new computer.
To use FireWire target disk mode
Make sure that the target computer is turned off.
If you are using an Apple portable computer such as a PowerBook or MacBook as the target computer, plug in its AC power adapter.
Use a FireWire cable to connect the target computer to a host computer. The host computer can be powered on.
Start up the target computer and immediately press and hold down the T key until the FireWire icon appears. The hard disk of the target computer should become available to the host computer and will likely appear on desktop. (If the target computer is running Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger, you can also open System Preferences, choose Startup Disk, and click Target Disk Mode. Restart the computer and it will start up in Target Disk Mode.)
When you are finished copying files, locate the target computer's hard disk icon on the desktop of the host computer and drag it to the Trash or choose Eject (or Put Away) from the File menu.
Press the target computer's power button to turn it off.
Unplug the FireWire cable.
(my emphasis).
Excerpt from: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1661
The terms are Target and Host. The old iMac is the Target, the new one is the Host.

Intel iMac will not boot past gray screen

Intel iMac will not boot past gray screen
my system:
new (month old) 24" intel imac, 2.8 ghz, 4 gb ram.
running: leopard (upgraded from tiger, which was pre-installed at purchase), installed 10.5.1 update right before this huge problem occurred.
install discs on-hand: two-disc tiget set, single leopard upgrade disc.
what led to this:
i wanted to install windows using bootcamp on a 50 gb partition.
at this point i was running leopard 10.5
i followed all bootcamp instructions, printing out the guide, as well. once i got into the windows setup, i was prompted to choose a partition to install windows. unlike the bootcamp guide, which showed three partitions, one clearly labeled "bootcamp", i saw only one partition. not wanting to risk writing over my mac partition, i quit the setup and rebooted the mac os. after some googling around, i looked for firmware updates (didn't need any), and then software updates. i decided to try updating to 10.5.1.
i then ran through boot camp again, deleting my previous windows partition, creating a new one, and moving forward as before. once again, i was only shown one partition to choose from in the windows setup. i exited the setup again to reboot through the mac os, but this time, i was only given a blank gray screen.
here's what i have tried so far:
booting from a CD, holding down the C or D keys: no response (in fact, i have to restart the computer holding down the mouse button to be able to eject the CD)
booting with option key held down: gray screen
booting with option key held down with external bootable firewire drive attached: the firewire drive appears as a boot icon, and i can click on it within a five second window, but then the screen freezes after that time period, and nothing changes
booting into target mode while attached to another mac: gray screen (no firewire icon, and drive never shows up on other mac)
resetting NVRAM: i'm able to hear the boot chimes, but no difference in performance. gray screen every time
Safe boot: nothing but a gray screen
Verbose mode: gray screen
Single user mode: gray screen
Single user mode with firewire drive attached: occasionally (not every time), i am able to get the white on black terminal to show up. from here, i'm able to run fsck, but it appears to only be checking the firewire drive. i have tried several times to boot from here, and once it took me to a blue screen with movable arrow cursor, but it never went beyond this.
is there anything else left to try before taking it to apple?
any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
Casey Burns
Casey Burns Illustration and Design
http://CaseyBurns.com

I'd call Apple support at this point. You'll need
to put this issue on the record.
Call U.S. iPod and Mac technical support: 1-800-APL-CARE (1-800-275-2273)
The wait may be long for an agent to come on the line
so expect that and have some other stuff to do in the meantime.
If you have the applecare protection plan, I'd ask about "onsite"
service.
I like your work ! Good luck !
Slim
Message was edited by: slimpikkunz

IMac will not boot, hard drive file problem? Can't install OS in 2nd part.

The iMac will not boot. The Apple displays on the screen, the cursor spins for awhile, and then it loops into a reboot effort.
Last night, I was doing a lot of custom file sharing settings using the include enclosed folders option at the bottom of the Get Info window.
Question 1: Could that file sharing process have messed things up?
In an effort to get things going........ A few weeks back, I used Disk Utility to create a 2nd partition, with the intent of installing Ubuntu Linux there. I never attempted the install, as far as I can remember, while playing with the Ubuntu Live CD. So, I thought I would install 10.5.6 from the CD in the 2nd partition. But I get an error message that says "The installer could not create the folder "/Volumes/Ubuntu 9.10/BaseSystem.pkg.161nDNDdQ.""
Question 2: I also shared that partition, could that have caused the OS install failure?
Question 3: If I understand the book correctly, I can try to install the OS from the CD on the 1st partition, and not lose my data, correct? Unfortunately, I don't have any backup for the data, as I don't own any drives large enough yet to accommodate the data on the drive.
Question 4: Anyone have any other thoughts as to what ent wrong?

Hi, Grant.
Sometimes, it just pays to think on a problem. I awoke thinking, if it will boot the OS X install CD, it ought to boot my Ubuntu Live CD. And then, maybe I can change permissions on the first partition. As soon as I thought that, it occurred to me, if the problems are with the permissions, what if I used the OS X disk, and erased (formatted) the Ubuntu partition. That should set all the permissions on that partition back to default. Would OS X install then to the Ubuntu partition?
You better believe it did!! I'm typing this from the Mac after updating my 10.5.6 to 10.5.8 in the 2nd partition, and I'm booting from the 2nd partition.
I then did as you suggested, and from the Mac, I repaired the permissions to the first partition. But, the result was the same, there are a few permissions that do not match, and Disk Utility cannot, does not, or will not correct them.
I'm currently downloading the 10.5.8 combo update .dmg file. My thought is to burn that to a disk, and then install it over the version in partition 1. And trust that the current installation on partition 1 does not have any cross linked files that will destroy some data.
I do have some old ATA IDE drives I can hook externally to the Mac, and copy some of the information I have from the Mac to those drives before doing the 10.5.8 install.
Can you think of a better solution?

My Macbook aliminium unibody from late 2008 will not boot. I reach the grey screen with the apple icon and the spinning grey gear. I used disk utility to boot it but it said integrity test failed. I don't know what to do can anyone please help?

My Macbook aliminium unibody from late 2008 will not boot. I reach the grey screen with the apple icon and the spinning grey gear. I used disk utility to boot it but it said integrity test failed. I don't know what to do can anyone please help?

Sounds like you may have a harddrive issue. You are probably going to need to get that changed out and then install the OS X again to get it going.

Sometimes iMac will not boot up

hey guys i have been having this on going problem for about a week now. Ok so here's what's happening, this usually happens at night. It seems that my iMac will not boot up, I have my computer put to sleep when I go to sleep and I can wake it up again in the morning. Now when I go out in the evening today for example, I just got home, woke my computer up and everything seemed fine. After a little bit my computer froze so, I restarted it and it will not boot up it would get stuck on the gray screen, sometimes the apple and the spinning thing under it (not the beach ball one) would show up and sometimes I would have just a grey screen. Over the past week I've tried the following:
Reset the Pram
Booted up from the installation cd.
Removed all the cords waited for a couple min. then tried again
Eventually I can boot up, However I am very concerned to what the problem might be.
O yea I also ran a permission repair
One final thing if knows how to protect macs with an anti virus or something similar, it would really help me out.
Thanks

Hi Karim
The symptoms you describe could be caused by bad RAM.
Follow this link to learn about testing memory.
With your iMac you should have received an Apple Hardware Test CD, if not it's included on the Installation DVD (it would state that written somewhere on the DVD). There's also a RAM test included, but it isn't as dependable as memtest (mentioned in the link above) in my experience.
Follow this link to learn how to start the Apple Hardware Test.
Kind regards
--greg

IMac will not boot up when printer is plugged in USB

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

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

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

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

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

My iMac will not boot up. it brings up a black screen with a cursor

all of a sudden my imac will not boot up. it brings up the grey page with the apple, then instead of going to the login, it goes to a blank black page. The cursor moves with the mouse, but that is it

First carefully read and then methodically follow Apple's troubleshooting steps in Gray screen appears during startup

Imac will not boot up, chimes with apple logo and beach ball spin??

imac will not boot up, chimes with apple logo and beach ball spin?? after installing adobe flash and up graded apple softeware

If your iMac came with or is running Lion, startup holding either the Command-R keys or the Option key and select the recovery partition and then use Disk Utility to repair the Macintosh HD.
see > OS X Lion: About Lion Recovery
If your running Snow Leopard or earlier OS X, pop in your Install DVD and startup holding either the Option or C key, then open and use Disk Utility to repair the Macintosh HD.
see > Mac OS X - Using Disk Utility to Repair a Disk

White iMac will not boot after 10.6.8 upgrade

I downloaded the 10.6.8 upgrade last night. This morning, the white plastic iMac will not boot.
I have tried evey known keyboard option.
I have tried booting from the snow leopard dvd.
I have zapped the pram.
Nothing!
Please, any help would be great.

We bought 2 iMac's 27inch with i7 Quad-core. Did the update a couple of hours ago. My Mac asked to reboot after update, but i didn't accept and worked with iTunes for a while. Then rebooted manually. After reboot it took about 15 minutes to reboot (light-blue screen with nothing on it, not even a mouse). My Wife also did the update of 10.6.8 and rebooted when asked. Her iMac also took 15 minutes to reboot, bus update was unsuccesful! So did update again and then denied reboot and rebooted manually! (Apple-logo and then choose "restart").
When we did that, iMac was very fast and updateproblem was solved! So deny reboot and reboot manually and problems are over. Same deal with 2 brandnew iMac. I'm guessing this is an issue. To much of a coincidence for me!

Installed Yosemite update on MacBook Pro retina late 2013 will not boot flashing folder with ?

I just Installed Yosemite update on MacBook Pro retina late 2013 will not boot flashing folder with ?

dunno, Lynn--maybe Etrecheck. trying running disk utility to verify the status of your hard drive. That may give you a basic idea. Perhaps tech tool pro. As for it running hot, I can't say for sure. try shutting it down and using a vacuum clearner +crevice tool around the back of it. It's been my experience that hard drives usually fail without a lot of warning, luckily you have a backup. Afterwards you can say "Yup, that went bad". I've done a little research and found out that your MacBook Pro doesn't come with a conventional hard drive as such, but an SSD (solid state device) . It's upgradeable (up to 1 TB ) but not cheaply
go here for more info (OWC) :http://eshop.macsales.com. For right now, I'd recommend resetting the SMC/PMU, maybe zapping the pram . to do that, reboot, hold down Apple+Option, P+R keys while rebooting. Hold down for 3 chimes, let go and let it boot. as for the SMC thing....
I'm assuming your battery isn't removeable-shut down computer, plug in MagSafe cable . On built in keyboard, on left side, press Shift-Control-Option and power button at the same time. release all the keys and the power button. press power button again to turn on computer
that is all
John b

Late 09 iMac 27 will not boot up then shuts down

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