Mac displays spinning wheel and progress bar at startup.

Ok, here's the story:
My account password wasn't being recognized. Since I couldn't access my desktop, I tried the resetpassword command in terminal (in OS X Utilities through Command + R) but it didn't work. I restarted my Mac and it displayed a progress bar and spinning wheel. When the progress bar finished, the spinning wheel kept spinning and it wouldn't stop. Each time I boot the Mac, it does it again. I tried doing repair disk using disk utility (through OS X Utilities) but it said that it couldn't be be fixed. I even tried resetting the PRAM.
I want to know if it's possible to recover my files through OS X Utilities... i'm really frustrated because it's the second time i've lost my files.

Try to boot up into safe mode, see if that does anything for you.
- Holden

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    Recently I shut down my Mac only to find when I tried turning it back on it was very slow and unresponsive. I proceeded to shut down a couple more times and this resulted in a gray screen upon startup with a spinning wheel, apple logo, and a progress bar. The progress bar did not fill at all at first, and as I left my laptop for about 40 minutes, it still hadn't moved. I proceeded then to boot in recovery and tried to repair my disk. This resulted in another issue, and would not repair, so I decided to just erase my HD, since there was not anything important on it anyways. I really just wanted my laptop to turn on so I could start my paper. Well it wouldn't erase my hard disk and this led to me becoming very impatient and just quitting the process. On the next attempt to boot in recovery, the hard disk doesn't even show up. Only the recovery disk (previously there were two disks as options, as well as the wifi selection). I'm now using safari through the recovery option. I'd like to simply get my computer back. If i can't get anywhere on here, i'm just going to bring it to the apple store and return it, most likely, as i've had nothing but problems with this thing. I've had it since the middle of September, and I can't hardly believe i've already encountered such an issue. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.

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    That's it! Time for a little help from you guys and gurus before I chuck my iMac out the window.
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    PowerMac8,1
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    - I do this over and over againg to the point of physical illness.
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    - I remove Apple caches, Extension caches, ATS and all that. Boots fine... untill next day?!
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    I have read every post on kernel panics here, at apple website and at The X Lab. Tried - in my opinion - everything without getting to the bottom of it.
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    What havent I tried?
    I want my trusted Mac back!
    Very thankful for any help whatsoever.
    P.s. Since the computer works fine in 10.4.3 I don't see the point of taking it to service. It has to bee software related, no?
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    Thank You for Your quick responce!
    I have 2 1GB DIMMs installed from the shop when I bought my iMac. I read http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86814 about iMac Memory Specs and if I understand it correctly I could remove one of the DIMMs to test if the problem goes away. Although the computer will run better with two DIMMs it will work with one slot empty as well.
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    Yes, in that case the dying has gone too far already.
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    Edward.

    You can't merge Apple IDs.  You also can't cancel (delete) and existing ID, you can only choose to stop using it.
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  • My apple wont turn on.  it gets stuck on the gray screen with the spinning wheel and the apple on the screen

    My macbook air turns on but not completely, it gets stuck on the grays screen.   It shows an apple an a spinning wheel and that is as far as it gets.  sometimes I can get to an screen that shows macintosh hd and i clicked on it and the computer turned off.

    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.
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    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.
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    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
    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.

  • Repeatedly getting stuck on spinning wheel and grey screen, even after multiple re-installs of the OS

    Ok, so running Lion on a MacBook, (2010 i think) and the OS got corrupted(stuck on spinning wheel and grey screen on boot)
    Tried to repair the disk via disk utility using an install CD, no go, couldn't repair, so, did a clean install.
    New install went fine, computer worked for about 3 days and then stuck on the spinning wheel again.
    suspecting physical damage to the harddrive, I installed the OS to an external, and booted from there. Worked for a couple days and then stuck on the spinning wheel.
    I have repeated the process 5 times now, each time it works for a little and then craps out again.
    What's going on?
    as a note, when I say it gets stuck on the spinning wheel, I have left it for 12 hours trying to boot to no avail.

    The Apple Hardware Test doesn't always detect all errors.
    Next time you get the gray screen/spinning wheel, try booting into the Safe Mode to see if it will boot.
    Shut down the computer and then power it back up. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once.
    Safe Mode
    Safe Mode - About
    Startup Gray Screen
    Startup Issues - Resolve
    Startup Issues - Resolve (2)
    Startup Issues - Resolve (3)

  • Late 09 MB Pro 13" now on Mountain Lion keeps crashing (spinning wheel) and getting VERY hot. Even Safe Mode slow to work. Managed a back up last night and wondering should I put the original ios disc back in to take it back to SL. Advice appreciated!

    Hi
    For past year or so my mac book has been getting gradually worse. Spinning wheel, and overheating, last night I had trouble just getting it to start in Safe Mode (been using the on/off button a lot lately!)
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    I'm not an expert although I did figure out how to re install the operating system from the partition with help from this forum a couple of months ago but it didn't fix the problem.
    The iOS is Mountain Lion (via Lion)
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    Got a lot of media on there (replaced the 250gb drive with a  Samsung 1tb a while back which is less than half full.
    Never had to use any of my back-ups before so:
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    A lot of whats there isn't needed but don't want to lose it completely.
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    Back up all data immediately as your boot drive may be failing.
    If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
    Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
    syslog -k Sender kernel -k Message CReq 'GPU|I/O' | tail | open -ef
    Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).
    Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
    Paste into the Terminal window (command-V).
    The command may take a noticeable amount of time to run. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign (“$”) to appear.
    A TextEdit window will open with the output of the command. Normally the window will be empty. If you get output like this:
    kernel[0] <Debug>: disk0s2: I/O error
    the boot drive is failing, or there's some other hardware fault in the storage subsystem.
    If you get output like this:
    kernel[0] <Debug>: ** GPU Debug Info Start **
    kernel[0] <Debug>: ** GPU Debug Info End **
    there's a fault in the graphics processor or logic board. The two kinds of output are not mutually exclusive, but if you get both, a logic-board fault is likely.

  • Cant start up on my Macbook pro. All I get is a grey spinning wheel. Tried all the Startup key combinations and nothing works. I reset the NVRAM and nothing. I booted with start up disk , ran disk repair and all is ok. Tried to re-install OS but when I ge

    Can not start up on my Macbook pro. All I get is a grey spinning wheel. Tried all the Startup key combinations and nothing works. I reset the NVRAM and nothing. I booted with start up disk , ran disk repair and all is ok. Tried to re-install OS but when I get to designating drive its blank. When I go to startup disk there is a "?" mark. When I restart under startup disk search for a drive it still comes up with nothing.  Before I got the grey spinning wheel I had a locked screen. Could not move curser or click on anything. Finally just shut down. Thank you in advance for any help!

    Shouldn't still have a 'beachballing'... if the drive is being found and the system is trying to boot from it but is having problems, I would suggest looking over ds store's user tip - Step by step to fix your Mac.
    It's likely either something corrupt in your system files or a failing hard drive. But follow ds's steps until you find the cause of the problem.
    Good luck,
    Clinton

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