Mac will not log in...

Keep gettng gray screen with update progress bar, then it goes to log in screen after about 20 minutes.  When I log in, it just goes right back to the log in screen. 
If I restart, it does the exact same thing again . . .
I am a Windows & typical machine expert and have worked IT before, but this Mac is baffling me.  I can't break this cycle . . . 

rktect29 wrote:
Keep gettng gray screen with update progress bar...
What is occuring is the bootup process has found a problem with the drive and is attempting to fix it so you can boot.
then it goes to log in screen after about 20 minutes.  When I log in, it just goes right back to the log in screen. 
If I restart, it does the exact same thing again . . .
You have a seriosu problem with the drive (only hopefully) that is going to require some work to fix, likely a replacement might be in order.
Hopefully you have a recent copy of your data off the machine, if not your going to have to do this
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
Once you do that, then just skip right down and perform #20, your going to Erase the Macintosh HD partition with Disk Utility and use the middle secure erase "zero" option which hopefully will fix your drive problem, then reisntall OS X, programs from original sources and files from backup.
It's quite major, perhaps what occured is you banged the hard drive while it was booting up one time.
If this all too much for you, you can use the local PC/Mac specialist to perform data recovery (if needed) and/or new drive/software reinstall.
Lots of work.

Similar Messages

  • My Mac will not "log out".  what do I need to do

    My Mac will not allow me to "log out". What should I do?

    Greetings,
    What happens when you attempt to go to Apple Menu > Log out?
    Assuming you are running Mac OS X 10.6.7:
    Backup your data: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1553
    SafeBoot your computer: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455
    Login to your normal Admin account while in SafeBoot
    Download and install the 10.6.7 combo while in SafeBoot: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1361
    Restart the computer as normal and then see if you can logout.
    Hope that helps.

  • Mac will not log in after time machine restore. Snow leopard

    I managed to delete 6000 photos by accident on my mac (it can be done), luckily iv kept up to date back ups with time machine, so I bottled off the snow leopard cd, followed utilities and did a system restore. Everything sempt to have worked well till I got to the log in screen, I typed in my password and it just keeps saying 'you are unable to log into the file vault user account "Alex" at this time, Logging in failed because an error occurred'. I know for a 100% fact my password is correct  and I went through the reset options and it still wouldn't work after completing it. Iv googled a few fixes but nothing seems to have worked correctly, I'm not exactly the biggest wiz with macs so I'm not 100% sure if iv done any of them correctly. Please if anyone else has had the same problem and found and fix can you help this is a huge inconvenience
    Thank you
    Alex

    something may be wrong with the backup you used to restore. something can also be wrong with the file system. i suggest you boot from the SL install DVD (make sure it's snow leopard, not leopard one btw). then start disk utility and reformat (not just erase) the whole drive using the partition tab. then quit disk utility and do a restore from an earlier time point. see if it works then.

  • MY I TUNES ON MY MAC WILL NOT LOG ON TO MY WY-FI

    MY I TUNE WONT LOG ON TTHROUGH MY WY-FI NETWORK.
    ALSO HOW CAN I LOAD MY SONGS FROM MY I-POD CLASSIC TO I-TUNES?

    Reset your phone:
    Press the sleep/wake button & home button at the same time, keep pressing until you see the Apple logo, then release.

  • I have an iMac with OS Lion. The Smartart feature for Office for Mac will not work when I am logged on to my personal user account. It works with other user accounts on the same computer, and it works after "safe start". How can I fix the problem?

    The Smartart feature of Office for Mac will not work in my user account. It works for all other user accounts on the same computer, and it works after a "safe start". How can I fix the problem?

    You may also want to search/ask in the forums run by the people who make the product which is causing you problems:
    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011

  • I just created a new profile/user on my MacBook Pro. My pointer/mouse. It works fine in my older user profile, but when I go to the new profile my mac will not respond to clicks. Mouse moves but will not click. Already tried restarting and the pram zap.

    I just created a new profile/user on my MacBook Pro. My pointer/mouse on my trackpad. It works fine in my older user profile, but when I go to the new profile my mac will not respond to clicks. The Mouse moves but will not click. Already tried restarting and the pram zap. The problem starts when I log out of my main profile. I get to the login screen and my laptop stops responding to clicks. When I manage to make my way back to my main profile the mouse works perfectly.  Should I just delete the new profile and try again?

    If the modem is also a router, either use the modem in bridge and run pppoe client on the TC.. that is assuming ADSL or similar eg vdsl. If it is cable service.. and the modem is a router, then bridge the TC.. go to internet page and select connect by ethernet and below that set connection sharing to bridge.
    Please tell us more about the modem if the above gives you issues.

  • My mac will not open this specific website.

    Ok so I enjoy playing this game called rigs of rods. Very entertaining. Anyway all of a sudden my mac will not open this website no matter what I do. Every time it just times out and says can't connect to server. I know it isn't the website because I can access it on my phone over 4g and over the same wifi network that my mac is on. I have reset safari and logged into the guest account and it still wont work. The only way I have gotten the site to work was by using a IP blocker or booting into safe mode and using safari. I have tried to use 3 different browsers and none will work. I'm almost for sure it has to do with my network settings but I cant figure it out. Help would be greatly appreciated as this is getting very frustrating.

    Since you're running Lion, just try a new system install - it won't affect your data or apps, but you should, anyway, have a backup regardless.
    Boot to your Recovery partition by holding down the Command and R keys whilst booting. At the Recovery window, first repair permissions again, then verify and, if necessary, repair your hard drive. Then quite Disk Utility and elect to reinstall the OS anew - it will only overwrite system files and the like, not touching your data, apps, etc. It may take awhile to complete.
    After completion, reboot and see if the problem still exists. If it does, I'm just at a loss...
    Clinton

  • Safari for Windows will not log into IIS sites with Windows Authentication

    Safari for Windows will not log into IIS sites with Windows Authentication enabled. The IIS log has thousands of login attempts from Safari that result in 401 errors.
    I disable Windows Authentication on IIS and it works fine. The problem with that is that my Windows clients stop working properly with seemless logins when I disable this.
    The expected behavior is that Safari will work with basic authentication when NTLM does not work. That would result in a password prompt followed by a successful login instead of Safari stopping at "Loading" while hammering the IIS logs.
    It does this on all machines that I have tried.
    Any ideas or is this a bug?

    I noticed that as well. I have to wonder if it's due to not making note of the the different end of line characters between Mac OS X and Windows in code.

  • New MBP will not log on with Apple ID

    Trying to set up my new MBP Retina for the first time (using WiFi), but it will not log on with my Apple ID due to some server error.
    This is certainly not the first time I've set up a new Mac, but it's certainly the very first time I have encountered a problem while doing so.
    Suggestions greatly appreciated.

    Just skip this step. It is most likely due to an issue on Apple's end, not yours. You can set up iCloud and iTunes later by following these steps:
    https://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/mac.html
    I hope I helped.

  • Since installing snow leopard10.6, MAC will not sleep?

    Since installing snow leopard10.6, MAC will not sleep? Any ideas?

    Try reinstalling it:
    Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
    1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
    2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
    If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed with reinstalling OS X.  Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files.  After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
    Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
    If this does not help, then try creating a new user account using Accounts preferences. Log out of your account and log into the new account. Does the computer now sleep properly?

  • I have an iMac w/Mavericks and Facetime will not log me in

    I have an iMac w/Mavericks and Facetime will not log me in - says check network connection. Firewall is not the issue. Even restarted computer after adding FT to firewall permissions. Didn't work w/previous mac software either. Works fine on iPhone & iPad. Any suggestions or just stick w/Skype!? Thanks.

    Hi cococat50,
    Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.
    I recommend the troubleshooting steps in these articles if you're not able to sign in to FaceTime on your Mac:
    FaceTime for Mac: Troubleshooting FaceTime
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ts4185
    FaceTime, Game Center, Messages: Troubleshooting sign in issues
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ts3970
    Best,
    Jeremy

  • Mac will not boot up, white screen with turning gear for hours on end

    mac will not boot up, white screen with turning gear for hours on end

    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 boot failure is to secure your 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 your last backup, you can skip this step.   
    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
         a. Boot into the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
    b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
    c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
    Step 2
    If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. The easiest way to deal with the problem is to boot from an external drive, or else to use either of the techniques in Steps 1b and 1c to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
    Step 3
    Sometimes a boot 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 boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot 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 booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
    Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
    Safe mode is much slower to boot 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 your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
    When you boot 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, your boot volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 6.
    If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot 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 reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
    If the boot 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 your 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 reboot as usual.
    Step 9
    Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
    Step 10
    Repeat Step 9, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a Time Machine or other backup.
    Step 11
    This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a boot failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
    Step 12
    If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

  • I have an original iPad and when I try to login on Yahoo through Safari it will not log me in. What could be the problem?

    My original iPad will not log me into Yahoo through Safari. It's been this way for one week. I can access Yahoo on my PC with no problem so I think the problem is my iPad or Safari.

    Your description of the behavior  of the ipad1 during a login attempt is more precise than mine, it is the exactly as my ipad1 reacts and supposedly as all other iPad1 will behave. This could be solved either by apple with an update of the safari browser for ipad1. I do not think that apple will do that. Also yahoo could undo the change of the login procedure which they recently made and which is incompatible do the ipad1s safari browser. They hardly will do that either if not be urged by lots of ipad1 users.
    !!!!  SO SEND COMPLAINS TO YAHOO, PHONE THE HOTLINE ETC  !!!!!!
    Otherwise you have to buy a new iPad or to change the email provider.

  • My mac will not show images when on the internet?

    My mac will not show images when on the internet?  I think I have inadvertently changed some settings but nor sure which one.

    I am going to assume you are using Safari here. If so then go to the Apple menu bar and hit Safari-> Preferences.  Under the Apperance tab there is a check box that is called "Display images when the page opens".  Check if that is unticked.

  • Version 5.0 on a MAC will not let me switch between tabs. I can open a new tab, but when I try to go to a different tab, it just shows me the contents of the tab most recently opened. Help!

    Version 5.0 on a MAC will not let me switch between tabs. I can open a new tab, but when I try to go to a different tab, it just shows me the contents of the tab most recently opened. Help!
    Also, pop up blocker works for some time and then just stops working. I have to close and restart Firefox to get it to work again. Help!

    I had the same problem, but with Firefox 4.0. My first thought was to update Firefox (after of course restarting FF), but that didn't help it and I had the same problem.
    Among others, I had an extension installed and enabled called Tile Tabs 4.10 that I thought could feasibly creating this problem. So I went into my add-ons manager and disabled it, restarted Firefox and the tabs worked properly again. Unfortunately, the Tile Tabs extension is my favorite Firefox add-on and I use it almost every day for managing my web work tasks. I went to the add-on page for Tile Tabs and saw that there was a notice that version 4.10 didn't work properly on Mac OS, and to install version 4.9 of the extension. I saw they had a new, not-yet-reviewed version 4.11 that addressed the Mac OS problem, installed it, and everything seems to be working properly.
    I have no idea why all of a sudden I had this problem, as I hadn't updated Firefox or the Tile Tabs extension recently. Also, obviously this might not address your problem, especially if you don't have that add-on installed and enabled. But our problem started at the same time for both of us it appears based on your post time, so its probably not coincidence.
    But its worth a look, and you might want to check out other extensions if you don't have Tile Tabs that could be causing the problem.

Maybe you are looking for