MacBook gets stuck at grey screen at load up

help?
I've tried everything in the manual and even did a hard drive test, but the test couldn't detect anything.

hey glamslamt
welcome to the apple fourms glad to see a fellow canadian here
so your macbook is booting to a grey screen do you see the apple or gear to show its loading or is it a solid grey screen
not sure what your manual said to try for this one but heres some steps i would try
1.safe boot........ hold down the shift key and start the computer up
-if you can get into safe boot try removing all log in items from system prefrences / accounts (login itmes tab)
-remove the machd/library/caches folder to the desktop try restarting
2.try booting the computer to start up manager (hold down the option key and power on the computer)
-if you get here put install disk 1 in and try to boot to the install disk
if you can get to the install disk run a disk utility found under the untiliys menu in the main menu bar do a repair of the machd
not sure if you have tried all of these but let me know if you have and what you might have found out i will keep a eye on this tomorrow from work for you

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Thank you, I have restarted but it is still stuck at the grey page with the spinning wheel? Any idea?
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Lately my mac has been playing up (1 year old), ever now and then it would make a funny buzzing noise, coming from the left side.. and i noticed it was running slower than usual. Im Running Mountain Lion and have 566GB of disk space left... after using it for about 5 minutes the buzzing noise would start and it would become unresposive with the spiral beach ball. So i would have to hard restart it. Now ever time i turn it on it gets to a grey screen and doesnt load further. eventually the sound starts again!! i have tried starting it in safe mode and verifying my disk in utilities where everything "seems to be ok" !! someone please help!!!

Ethan997,
define “an average disk”.
Your question regarding fault is akin to asking “is it my fault or the car maker’s fault that my spark plugs no longer work?” — disks, like spark plugs, don’t last forever, and fault doesn’t come into it. Similarly, the fact that your disk (or spark plugs) worked yesterday and doesn’t work today is not a sudden “breakage” — by their nature, they have a finite, variable amount of time in which they do work. This is why (in the case of disks) making regular backups is important; when the disk stops working, you’ll have an easy way to recover from such a situation.
That being said, if your MacBook Pro is still under warranty, you should be able to get a replacement disk from Apple. And even if it isn’t, you could still try reformatting your current disk, to see if you can squeeze some more use out of it — but if the reformatted volume keeps needing to be repaired (and you have the patience to deal with recovering from the same situation again and again), that’s a sure sign that a new disk would be your best option.

MacBook Pro stuck at grey screen after Yosemite upgrade

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If you can't start up and log in in the usual way, try in safe mode.
During startup, you’ll see a progress bar, and then the login screen, which appears even if you normally 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.
Log in as an administrator to carry out these instructions. If you have only one account, you are the administrator.
☞ If you don't see any reports listed, but you know there was a panic, you may have chosen Diagnostic and Usage Messages from the log list. Choose DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION instead.
Safe mode is slower than normal, and some things won’t work at all.
Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t start in safe mode.
If you're able to log in, launch the Console 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 Console in the icon grid.
In the Console window, select
DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION ▹ System Diagnostic Reports
(not Diagnostic and Usage Messages) from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar.
There is a disclosure triangle to the left of the list item. If the triangle is pointing to the right, click it so that it points down. You'll see a list of reports. A panic report has a name that begins with "Kernel" and ends in ".panic". Select the most recent one. The contents of the report will appear on the right. Use copy and paste to post the entire contents—the text, not a screenshot.
I know the report is long, maybe several hundred lines. Please post all of it anyway.
In the interest of privacy, I suggest that, before posting, you edit out the “Anonymous UUID,” a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes in the header of the report, if it’s present (it may not be.)
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Hi guys. I've already checked many threads in many forums, but I can't succeed in this problem.
I have a Macbook Pro8,2 (2011) that doesn't go beyond the boot screen, regardless of which disc you boot it from (tested with 4 different bootable partitions). Apple logo with spinning wheel, then grey screen with fast spinning fans. I tried everything: safe mode, netboot, single user mode, accessing recovery, resetting SMC and PRAM, Apple Hardware Test (it states it's all ok). I even took off the ram sticks singularly and unplugged the internal hard drive to realise if the SATA cable is faulty. Nothing has worked so far.
Any other suggestions before I call Apple Supoprt and pay hundreds of euros for a new logic board?

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My MacBook Air 2011 will not boot, as it gets stuck on a grey screen. Nothing works, not even any keyboard shortcuts.
What ive tried:
- Recovery Mode (Wont even change the screen, waited about 5 minutes)
- Resetting PVC or whatever its called (Just reboots the computer)
- Safe Boot (trying right now, told that it takes a while)
Taking it back to the apple store is my last resort, and I think im out of my warranty (no applecare).
Any help?

ANSWER
I totally understand this issue!
It's happened to me when I can't even move my mouse around. It's stuck on a grey screen and it's driving me nuts. i know this answer. This problem happened to my last night actually.
What I did was leave it be for as long as it needs. My screen was grey for 24 hours. When I woke up in the morning, the screen was back to normal, on the screen I needed to log on with. BY THE WAY, I prayed for my laptop. LOL! I really hope you don't end up with a "hunk" of $1000 dollars on you're desk. Maybe this will take longer than mine did, OR shorter amount of time.
QUESTION.
JohGoins wrote:
My MacBook Air 2011 will not boot, as it gets stuck on a grey screen. Nothing works, not even any keyboard shortcuts.
What ive tried:
- Recovery Mode (Wont even change the screen, waited about 5 minutes)
- Resetting PVC or whatever its called (Just reboots the computer)
- Safe Boot (trying right now, told that it takes a while)
Taking it back to the apple store is my last resort, and I think im out of my warranty (no applecare).
Any help?

MacBook Air stuck on grey screen! Help! Help!

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Being stuck at the grey screen generally means there's something wrong involving reading something from or writing something to the hard drive. Letting the battery die may be something that is sometimes useful for a phone or iPod, but never for a computer.
Step 1: try restarting in Safe Mode. Reboot and when you hear the chime and/or the LCD backlight comes on press and hold the shift key until you see the Apple icon. The bootup will take longer than normal because the hard drive is being examined and repaired. If this works you'll get to the desktop but Safe Mode only loads a minimal number of drivers so some things won't work. Reboot normally and see if you can get to the desktop now. If Step 1 failed or if after rebooting you returned to the gray screen try step 2.
Step 2: try restarting in Recovery Mode. Reboot and when you hear the chime and/or the LCD backlight comes on press and hold the command and R keys. You should boot into a utility mode where you can a) check the hard drive directory and repair it if need be and b) download and reinstall the operating system and that's what you should try doing.
If step 2 fails reboot holding option, command and R. This is Internet Recovery mode which is similar to Recovery mode except the drive will probably need to be formatted or partitioned before the OS can be reinstalled. This will erase all your data.
And if this fails call AppleCare or make an appointment at the Apple store.

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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 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 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.

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Hi everybody,
I have downloaded and installed Mountain Lion on my MacBook Air (2011). After the installation the computer restarted and stuck in the grey loading screen, showing the apple logo and the turning wheel. I've left it alone for hours but nothing happens. This is still the case and I cannot find a way out.
Here is what I have tried so far:
- Reload and reinstall ML via recovery mode (twice). Recovery mode shows me that 10.8 is installed, by the way
- Restart without peripherals connected
- Reset PRAM and NVRAM
- Disconnect all cables and let the computer rest
- Diagnose and repair hard drive (showed me a message that a Java-related group has a value of 80 but should be 0. Repair was "successful")
- Safe boot (A bar appears in loading screen but disappears after it is about halfway full and I'm back in grey screen)
Unfortunately none of this worked. I have a Time Machine backup but it is located at the other end of the country (long story) and I can't access it easily.
Do you guys have any more ideas what else I could try? I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks!
B4sti

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Mac book air crashed, when restarted it gets stuck on grey screen

I was using my MacBook Air (mountain lion osx) this afternoon as normal when the screen froze on me as if the computer had crashed. After a minute or two I decided to restart it by holding down the power button. The air turned off and back on, and got the the grey screen with the apple symbol as if it was re-booting but has been stuck there ever since?.
Any idea what's happened and how to resolve please.
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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
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.
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.
Step 3
Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, 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 5.
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 4
Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 5
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 6
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 7
Repeat Step 6, 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 8
This step applies only to older Macs (not current models) that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery. Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 9
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested. If you can't get to an Apple Store, go to another authorized service provider.

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I restored my 2008 macbook and reinstalled OS X lion onto it. It downloaded items for lion and automatically restarted. When it restarted it got stuck on a grey screen with the apple logo and a spinning circle. I turned the computer off and attempted to restart again, same outcome. I restarted it again and pressed command option p r (saw it from other posts on here) and it brought me back to the screen where I can reinstall OS X lion, go to utilities, etc. So I clicked reimstall lion and it did its thing and automatically restarted. Then like last time it got stuck on the grey screen with the logo and spinning circle.ugh! What am I doing wrong? Please help.

Restarted it again with the p r command option brought me to the installing screen again and then said "there was an error installing please try agian" please any help is aporeciated, I have my files on an external hard drive but I need to be able to access my computer so I can continue applying to jobs/access my resume on the external hard drive and it is my only way to talk to my deployed husband besides email on my phone.
I also clicked repair disk in utilities and it says "the volume Mac os x base system appears to be OK" It will not bring me to the thing where I have the option to reinstall lion. I restarted and its yet again stuck on the grey screen with apple logo and spinning circle.

My macbook is stuck on grey screen

I cannot get to my desktop. This started 2 days ago, leaving it off doesn't help. Battery is fully charged but does get very hot very quickly - this is new in the last 2-3 weeks.
I do see other questions here but they aren't addressing my concern. I just need to get to my desktop and use iCloud to transfer to my new macbook - or to at least restore from my external hard drive.
There is no way to get out of this grey screen either, other than using "power on / off" and I'm concerned that using this shut down method all the time may do further damage. The overheating that is suddenly occurring is a concern as well. I'm not certain of my OS without being on there to check but the one I've listed is close.
Any help much appreciated.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570

MacBook gets stuck at grey screen at load up

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