Mac stuck on startup screen after Mountain Lion install

After installing Mountain Lion my Mac restarted and has been on the startup screen (apple logo with loading icon spinning) for the last hour... I'm assuming this means my hard drive crashed during the install? What ***** is this happened when I installed Lion the first time. Wasn't a cheap fix and lost everything.

Similar if not the very same issue with my late 2009 iMac since upgrading to Mountain Lion.
First time I've seen actual script - DOS-like text (well, Linux or UNIX or whatever it is) that only seems to appear from a cold boot.
First time this happened I held down the power button until the system restarted.
Second time around - and from a cold boot - I entered "/exit" at the prompt and the system appears to have continuted the boot process.
Someone in another post added the following:
Open console in Applications>Utilities, check the system log for the date/time of the last problem startup for clues.
...but from this I still coudn't see where the error lies. :/

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Mac stuck at startup screen after snow leopard install went bad

I have an iMac running on 10.4. I have all the requirements to install 10.6.
i bought the $30 cd to install it, put in the cd and chose install. It went to screen with the black/purple space background and a window that had me choose where to install it to. I think I booted from the install CD.
Chose english, it prepared installation, clicked continue on the install mac os x window. Then i had to choose where to install it. There was only one option (the hard disk) but when i clicked on it, it said i couldn't install it. So I clicked back but I couldn't quit the installation.
When I restarted the computer, it just kept going to the installation and I kept ending up in a dead end. So, I browsed for my available options to restart my computer running on my old OS. I clicked utilities > startup disk > then clicked the hard disk. I thought this would just restart the iMac normally.
The computer restarted, but now its stuck on the start up screen. I turn it on, stays on the apple logo, then it shuts itself off within 2-5 minutes.
Am I screwed? Did I lose all my files that were on the computer? I know I'm an idiot for not backing up all my files on an external hard drive.
How do I get out of this and just use my computer?

Which specific model of iMac do you have? If the installer refused to install, then there must be a reason, such as lack of hard disk space, RAM, etc.
Did you eject the DVD, or is it still in the optical drive? If it's still in the drive, you should try booting from it by turning on the iMac and holding down the 'C' key until you see the spinning radian and see if it will boot from the DVD.
Post back with more info and results.

White screen after mountain lion install

Has anybody experienced this I do not know how to fix this ??

Similar if not the very same issue with my late 2009 iMac since upgrading to Mountain Lion.
First time I've seen actual script - DOS-like text (well, Linux or UNIX or whatever it is) that only seems to appear from a cold boot.
First time this happened I held down the power button until the system restarted.
Second time around - and from a cold boot - I entered "/exit" at the prompt and the system appears to have continuted the boot process.
Someone in another post added the following:
Open console in Applications>Utilities, check the system log for the date/time of the last problem startup for clues.
...but from this I still coudn't see where the error lies. :/

Mac stuck at grey screen after rebooting to install windows 7

My mac refuses to start installing Windows 7 from a disc after I finish going through the "Install Windows 7" option of Bootcamp assistant. I have not got any special devices plugged in during the reboot, just a screen. What do I do with the Drivers on the flashdrive? Please someone help me.

Which specific model of iMac do you have? If the installer refused to install, then there must be a reason, such as lack of hard disk space, RAM, etc.
Did you eject the DVD, or is it still in the optical drive? If it's still in the drive, you should try booting from it by turning on the iMac and holding down the 'C' key until you see the spinning radian and see if it will boot from the DVD.
Post back with more info and results.

After mountain lion install mac very slow

After Mountain Lion install, my MacBookPro mid-2009 version is extremely slow. What could be causing it to slow down ?

There are a bunch of threads about this. Use the search function and see what others are finding out.

Problem with mail after mountain lion install

Mail has become sluggish to locking up after Mountain Lion install. I get the color wheel each time I start typing in an address to send an email. I also get the wheel when i am typing an address or name in any web page in Safari. Is this a Mail Problem or an Address Book problem?

It sounds like your computer needs to be cleaned up. Have your repaired permissions or cleared caches since you got the computer. Often times when upgrading operating systems permissions get screwed up and it causes issues. Go to disk utility in your "other" folder in applications. Select disk utility, then on the left hand side choose Mac HD then click REPAIR permissions in the center section. Wait for it to finish, restart your computer, then test.

After Mountain Lion install, my MacBook Pro's fan is running non-stop.

After Mountain Lion install, my MacBook Pro's fan is running non-stop and you can hear the insides working extra hard. Is this normal? It's very loud and annoying?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?viewlocale=en_US

Why can't i access the app store after Mountain Lion install?

Why can't i access the app store after Mountain Lion install?

Hi There,
What happens when you try to access it? You've not given a lot of information for people to help you.

After Mountain Lion install, my iMac powers off instead of just going to sleep. Help? Thanks.

After I installed Mountain Lion on my 2009 iMac, it will power off after I don't use it a while. It used to just go to sleep, I'd shake the mouse, and it would come back up. Now it powers off and I have to power it back up every time.
My Macbook has NOT had this problem since Mountain Lion install. It is fine.

Do these resets to clear errant commands:
SMC RESET
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord and ALL peripherals.
Wait 15 seconds.
Attach the computers power cable.
Wait another 5 seconds and press the power button to turn on the computer.
The 5 second timing is important to a successful reset.
PRAM RESET
Zap the PRAM
Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

Trackpad issues after mountain lion install

Since my Mountain Lion install, the trackpad on my 15" MBP will track, but won't select anything. Hot corners aren't working, the dock won't appear, etc. Anyone have any suggestions?

Got similar issues, no notifications and no switching between full screen apps (4fingerswipe). Some swipe features work, no secondary click in bottsom corners...Trackpad operational under Mountain Lion a total nuisance compared to Snow Leopard...PLease Apple, show some respect again to your faithfull customers and show some response!

Macbook pro wont start up and stuck on a restart screen, after mountain lion installtion failure

I tried installing Mountain Lion on my Macbook Pro and the installation failed because my "hardrive was damage and could not be repaired" it then told me to restart my computer and try again which i did. However i am unable to even get back to my desktop because the Macbook starts up and i get the grey Apple logo and then this screen appears:
Instructing me to restart my computer, it has been stuck on this cycle for a few days now and i have no idea how to fix it.
Any help would be much appreciated
StephBeard

StephBeard,
if you still have your MacBook Pro’s original box, it can be found on one of the stickers on the box. If you don’t still have its box, it can be determined from your MacBook Pro’s serial number. If its serial number has eleven characters, write down the last three characters; if it has twelve characters, write down the last four. If you don’t have its box, please include in your reply those last three or four characters of its serial number.

Mac stuck at grey screen after startup sound. Help

Help

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
To restart an unresponsive computer, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the power shuts off, then release, wait a few more seconds, and press it again briefly.
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 a desktop Mac hangs at a plain gray screen with a movable cursor, the keyboard may not be recognized. Press and hold the button on the side of an Apple wireless keyboard to make it discoverable. If need be, replace or recharge the batteries. If you're using a USB keyboard connected to a hub, connect it to a built-in port.
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 in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is 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.

Brand New MacBook Pro stuck on startup screen after Lion os X update

I literally got it an hour ago and when it was updating it got stuck on the startup screen. I've tried turning it off and on but it still wont load. Help

I'm not going to read that huge rambling post, sorry.
But you can look through my user tips here
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents#/

Mac stuck at startup screen

I have a MacBook pro with lion installed on it. I was doing one of apples software updates which takes you into an install screen and the progress bar froze. This led to me restarting the computer at which time it got stuck in the boot screen with the apple logo and spinning wheel.
I've tried resetting it. I've tried going into disk utility and repairing the Mac hd and permissions and I've tried holding command, option, p and r on startup. None of these seemed to do the trick.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Solution that worked for me: Power down your system. Now press and hold the "option" key and the power key at the same time. Hold both until you get to the hard disk icons. Click on the one on the right that reads: Recovery HD. You will then be taken to Mac OS X Utilities screen. Now click "reinstall Mac Os X".
When I did this, a progress bar showed that it will take about 16 hours. Just leave your moniter in the open position. When I woke up, I clicked the trackpad and my keyboard lights come on but my screen was black. I just hit the F2 button to increase brightness, and there was my desktop!
I powered down to see if it would reboot correctly and it did. Problem Solved.
This is for the late 2011 MacBook Pro. The problem began after I did a software update for Office for Mac 2011.
Hope this helps,
Good Luck!

Mac Stuck at Startup Screen with Grey Apple Logo,Empty Progress Bar and a Spinning wheel

Last night the electricity went out and my power surge protector was not working so my iMac just force shut downed.
So, when the electricity came back i turned on my Mac but it is *Stuck in the Startup/Boot Screen with a Grey Apple Logo,a Empty Progress Bar with stays for 1 or 2 minutes and a small Spinning Wheel which would Spin Forver! I Have tried the SMC and Pram reset but no use, i have also tried to insert my OS X Lion 10.7 Installation disk and it would not load if i hold the C Key in the Startup, I Have Managed to go to Disk Utility Through "Recovery HD" but the Volume "Macintosh HD" is Greyed out and Unmounted and i cannot repair it. There are some files that i'd like to Recover if there is a way to fix it without deleting files.
**PLEASE HELP ME FIX THIS!**
Details about the iMac:
iMac 21.5 Inch i think from Mid 2010,
OS X Lion installed maybe 10.7.2 or 10.7.3 (im not sure)

kernel
Grey screen with Metallic Apple and spinning gear
Sounds to me like your hard drive failed on you as a result of the power going out.
http://www.apple.com/support/imac-harddrive/
If your iMac is a Mid 2010 you qualify for the hard drive replacement program from Apple.
Apple has determined that certain Seagate 1TB hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems may fail. These systems were sold between October 2009 and July 2011.
I hope I helped you with your problem.
- Brandon

Mac stuck on startup screen after Mountain Lion install

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