Macbook Pro won't boot and getting gray screen, help!

I have a Macbook Pro 15" from mid2011. The warranty just expired one week ago.
I was normally using it without any problem, when suddenly the screen started to freeze and get some horizontal line. I had to force shut down with the power button couple times. The next day, my MBP wasn't booting during the startup.
When I turn on, I can hear the chime, the Apple logo show up and the little wheel turns, but after those things the screen remaing gray without any thing happens.
I have tried some steps that I found on discussion, forums, and websites like:
- PRAM
- cmd-s (to verify and clean the HD)
- hold option and restore using a flash drive with Mountain Lion (after I choose the drive, I get a "blue" screen)
- Remove the RAM and put back
All those things weren't successful.
What do you guys think I should do now?
What are the main causes of gray screen or blue screen?
Should I replace my RAM or HD?
I'm avoiding to take to a technichian or a geek, because I have a lot of confidential work inside. Luckly, I have a backup of everything.
I appreciate every reply made.
Thanks!!

Hi Eric,
Thanks for your fast reply.
Yes, I've tried cmd-R. I get a "blue screen" with vertical lines. Pretty weird.
I'm unable to access the Disk Utility.
Do you think the HD is damaged?

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MacBook Pro won't boot up past gray screen?

Okay, so I was running chrome and iTunes and spotify. Spotify was playing and Avast! Detected an infection and moved it to the chest. I quit chrome and opened up a Steam game called Garry's Mod, but it wouldn't open no matter how many times I tried it. So I tried to open chrome again and it bounced but didn't open. Tried to open system preferences and it opened but didn't show a window and wasn't responding. So I tried to restart but it wouldn't restart, so I force shut it down. Then it wouldn't go past the gray screen.
So I restarted the PRAM. Didn't work. Tried booting into safe mode. Didn't work. When into single user and checked the directories I think. Didn't work. Called apple and repaired permissions and that didn't work. Then I downloaded OS Mavericks and reinstalled it. Didn't work. So I'm redownloading to see if it might work if i do it again. Otherwise, he said I'd have to completely restore and lose my data, which would suck. I don't have a backup unfortunately.
What I'm wondering is if there's anything you think I could do that just might fix this?
Or, is there anyway to save my data if it won't boot up and I don't have a backup? I have lots of writing and music I really would not like to lose.

Your disk may be sick or dying. As you surmised the top priority at this point is to make a copy of your data.
First, check the health of the disk. Boot in Recovery Mode (Boot, Command-R). Run Disk Utility. Click on the upper left disk icon. Does the S.M.A.R.T. status say “Verified”? If not the disk/SSD is unhealthy and needs to be replaced. Click on the icon indented below, usually called “Macintosh HD” and Verify Disk. If it finishes with a green “OK” message then all is well with the disk. If it shows errors in red then you have found a problem to address once the system is backed up. Do not attempt software repairs until you have secured the data. Post back with the results of this test.
If the disk will not show up at all in Disk Utility to run these simple testes then it is probably already dead. A trip to an Apple store to confirm that would be in order.
If you have an external disk drive you can use as a backup drive then do so. If not I’m going to council you to purchase a drive you can use to replace your internal drive if need be. The silver lining is this new drive will be much faster than the old one. Google “Seagate 1 TB SSHD”. You should find a drive for about $100. Google “USB 3.0 enclosure”. That should cost $10 to $20. When they arrive plug the drive into the enclosure.
Assuming it is still breathing you can recover the data without booting from the sick disk.
Reformat the external disk Boot in Recovery Mode. Start Disk Utility. Plug in the new disk. Select it’s disk Icon (the second one down, left justified). Select the Partition tab.
Partition Layout > Single Partition
Name: Emergency Recovery 1 (or whatever name you wish to use)
Format: Mac OS Extended (journaled)
Options… > GUID Partition Table > OK
Apply
Select the Restore tab.
Drag the old system volume (Macintosh HD) to Source.
Drag the new disk volume (Emergency Recovery 1) to Destination.
Click on Restore.
If that will not complete post back for another emergency data recovery method.
If the backup succeeds use the First Aid tab in Disk Utility to select the old volume (Macintosh HD) and Repair Disk. If it repairs with a green OK message, will it boot normally?
Post back for further instructions. How to proceed will depend on what has transpired to that point.

My MacBook Pro won't boot and apparently my HDD is locked

My MacBook Pro won't boot up. And it's says my HDD is locked when i try and reinstall OS. Help me please good people.

you want to check how many threads with same question first, and look in
Mac OS version forum that you have; and the notebook MacBook instead of the workstation forum for Mac Pro (non-laptop)
Not a lot of detail to go by with "won't boot" though.
Mac OS X Help
Isolating Issues in Mac OS
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1388
https://www.apple.com/support/osx/
https://www.apple.com/support/quickassist/
http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/help/
http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/tour/
Troubleshooting: My computer won't turn on
https://support.apple.com/kb/TS1367
Assume you know what your OS, how to use the Recovery Mode, and how to repair or do Safe boot and other tasks.
General purpose Mac troubleshooting guide: Isolating issues in Mac OS X
Creating a temporary user to isolate user-specific problems: Isolating an issue by using another user account
Identifying resource hogs and other tips: Using Activity Monitor to read System Memory and determine how much RAM is being used
Starting the computer in "safe mode": Mac OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?
To identify potential hardware problems: Apple Hardware Test
General Mac maintenance: Tips to keep your Mac in top form
MacBook Pro
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os?view=discussions
http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro

TS2570 My MacBook Pro won't start up.only gray screen

Hi there,
My MacBook Pro won't start it show only gray screen (with apple logo )
And I have tried these solutions none of them worked
1/ Reset PRAM and NVRAM
2/ Restart in safe mode
3/Run Disk Utility in Single User Mode
After I tried third option it shutdown by itself
Please I need data inside the laptop , i have no backup
what should I do ?
I need some kind of solution does not contain formatting or deleting my data
Thank you in advance

..Step by Step to fix your Mac
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
My computer is not working, is my personal data lost?

IBook won't boot, stops at gray screen--HELP

I couldn't find this exact topic at first glance and I am hoping someone can help me. My ibook is about 5 years old and has only really crashed on my once 2 years ago but I was able to reinstall the OS and go on my way. This time, however, nothing works. I tried to boot up yesterday and the gray screen appeared and that was it along with a strange buzzing sound. I tried Disk Warrior, wouldn't even boot off that. Also tried booting off system disk 1 and didn't get past the language screen, just hung up with that buzz again.
Does this sound like a logic board issue? Can it be rescued?
Thanks in advance for any help!

I'm not sure if the computer can be checked out at home in such a way
in its present state, to see if there is a logic board failure behind it, now,
or not. There could be a hard disk drive failure, or ATA controller failure;
and a short list of other possibilities, best checked over by a specialist.
Certain keyboard commands and things could be tried (and I usually
assume they'd been tried before asking here, but that's often not so)
just to see if one or more of them could get a rise out of the dead Mac.
Be sure, if you can get the installer disc to boot the Mac, that you
try and use the Disk Utility to repair disc; maybe more than once;
and do not try to just reinstall an Archive and Install. The HDD may
have corruption issues and it may need low-level zero-data and re-
formatting before a new system could go on there, if it worked at all.
{Even trying to reset PRAM/NVRAM and then seeing if you can get
the bootable OSX installer disc to start up the Mac could be OK.
Maybe that PMU reset, as a last resort? It probably won't hurt...}
A system on an external bootable enclosed hard disk drive could be
used by a tech or a prepared home-tech owner, and a clone of the
machine's system then attempted to be used to boot the ailing Mac.
If the optical drive and other components relying on the logic board
are dysfunctional due to a defect on that main board, most external
devices may also have a hard time trying to use these methods of
outside efforts to troubleshoot be nominally successful.
There may be a way a tech can use an second computer to get
data off the drive in your iBook, should it come to that, by using
the FireWire Target Disk mode and see if your iBook can start
and act like an external hard disk drive. A copy of the drive's
content or parts of it may be made by the second healthy Mac.
A clone (perhaps not bootable if data on it is damaged and not
recoverable) could be made if the second healthy computer has
a clone utility and also an external drive it can copy/clone the
iBook's drive content over to. This may be asking too much;
but the home user who has stuff on hand could do it shortly.
Anyway, there are some ideas online, if you can search google
and choose appropriate words; I looked but you may need to
read through several different source links to see if anything
sounds like it may work. re: iBook won't start past grey screen
Some users have tried resetting the PMU, others tried NVRAM
and PRAM; a few tried SafeBoot to see if the system was OK
enough to load in a reduced startup mode; maybe where the
system's own Disk Utility could be ran to at least fix permissions.
And of these, if it is truly a logic board or a failed hard disk drive,
they won't really do much. Probably no harm; and that is part
of what troubleshooting is all about, working with zeros and ones!
Good luck & happy computing!
edited to add a chapter.

Macbook Pro won't boot up, get apple logo and gear just keeps cranking

I've done quite a bit of searching, but just can't find an answer - it appears this problem may be fairly common as I got a lot of search results about it.
Anyway, here is what is going on, when I boot up normally the hard drive spins very fast and then slows/stops and the crank over the apple logo just cranks and cranks - never getting anywhere (i've waited as long as 20 minutes).
I can boot into single user mode and can type and navigate w/o issue.
When I try to boot into verbose mode, it shuts down after about 5 seconds. Go to http://mjg.org/apple/screenshot.png to see a picture of the console moments before rebooting.
Thanks for any help that you all can provide!
-mjg

Thanks for all the help; however, I still continue to have problems booting off of any other media.
I've tried the Apple CD w/ no success - I made an image of the apple cd and restored it to a USB drive, and it won't boot. I've tested both methods on another mac, and both options boot fine.
I'm going with my last restort here and am going to install OSX on a portable USB HD, and try to boot off of that (no clue if it will work given the outcomes of the other things I have tried). From there I'm going to backup the HD, and try DW as suggested.
Any thoughts as to why the mac refuses to boot off of any other media? It always boots halfway and then tells me I need to shutdown my mac.
Thanks again,

MacBook Pro won't boot and is overheating

My 2008 MacBook Pro started off having weird video problems. Then it won't boot everytime. Now it is not booting and is getting very hot while trying to boot. Thanks in advance for any help.

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion Without Erasing the Drive
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When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. 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 main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Continue button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

MacBook Pro won't boot, and then frozen by SBBOD

My MacBook Pro constantly freezes when I try to perform any task. I frequently encounter the spinning beach ball of death. Even if I don't see it then accomplishing anything is nearly impossible! The computer starts up very slowly and displays the gray screen and spinning gear for a prolonged period of time. Often times the computer won't start up at all and freezes on the gray screen.
My System
15" MacBook Pro - mid 2009
2.8 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
4 GB RAM
Hard drive has 370 GB free out of 500
Fixes attempted
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CPU activity appears ok, frozen processes stopped
Trash emptied
Computer booted in safe mode, still got the SBBOD
This has basically rendered our computer nonfunctional and useless! For example, it took me nearly 30 minutes just to write this message. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Then:
Fixing a Mavericks Installation Problem
How to manage a failed OS X Mavericks installation | MacFixIt - CNET Reviews.
Try these in order:
1. a. Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
    b. Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
2. Restart the computer in Safe Mode, then restart again, normally. If this doesn't help, then:
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     COMMAND and R keys until the Utilities menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and
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     Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
3. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. 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 main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
4. Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion, Mavericks: Reboot from the Recovery HD. Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion, Mavericks from the Utilities menu, and click on the Continue button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

Macbook pro won't boot and when I tried to back up the hard drive I got "disk utility can't repair this disk backup as many of your files as possible"

My macbook pro froze and initially would not even recognize the power chord. Now it charges, but will not load up. I opened in in disk utility to try and back it up so that I could take it to apple to have it fixed but I got the message that said "disk utility can't repair this disk backup as many of your files as possible". How do I back up the files???

Nichelle215,
you can try the method described on this Apple page, in the “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility” section. (You can skip step 6, since you already know that your disk is irreparable.) Note, however, that this method is not guaranteed to work. Once you get your disk straightened out, you might consider purchasing an external hard disk for use as a Time Machine backup destination, so that a similar problem in the future won’t wipe out the only copy of your files.

MacBook Pro won't boot and shut down on its own.

Hi, I am running a Macbook Pro. My problem is that the OS froze during use, and I could not move the cursor. As which point I force shut down by holding the powerswitch. From that point onwards I could not get the machine to boot, it keep getting stuck at the grey screen with Apple icon. After loading at the grey screen for 15-20 mins it shuts down on its own.
I've tried to reset SMC (shift-control-option + power button) and PRAM (Command-Option-P-R) but it dint work. Please help. Thanks.

It appears your problem occured after you upgraded to 10.8.2, but if you did it right after the SSD and RAM switch then it's hard to tell exactly what is causing the issue.
I advise returning back to factory, hold command option r boot and wipe everything and reinstall 10.8
..Step by Step to fix your Mac
If the problem continues, then make a warranty/AppleCare call, hopefully you didn't strip the screw heads or leave any other tell tale damage inside.
If your fine on 10.8.2 for some time, then switch the RAM and do a hardware test extended or Rember or Memtest to make sure the new RAM is not the issue.
If that's fine then Carbon Copy Cloner to the external SSD and hold option key down to boot from it and test that.
Then do the internal SSD switch and test that.
Take your time, Mac's are so finicky and you can't just slap this or that and expect it all to immediatly work like it should.

MacBook Pro won't boot - stays on black screen and beeps every few seconds

Hi,
My MacBook Pro has been having issues - when powered on wont boot past the white screen and more recently will just stay on black screen and beeps every 5 seconds. I had someone look at it and it seems apparently the motherboard is the problem
and either needs fixing or replacing. As I am traveling in Nicaragua the closest apple store is in Managua (capital). Would I be able to get the motherboard looked at and replaced if need be at this apple store? Also, does anyone know the approximate price for the motherboard to be replaced? Up until a few days ago the laptop was still turning on and working every now and then but now stays on black screen and beeps.
Any advice would be very helpful!
Thanks

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
It means that your Mac's memory is damaged > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2538?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
First, replace the memory modules. You can buy more memory at OWC or Crucial. It can also be replace by a reseller.
If it doesn't work, the RAM slots are damaged, so your logic board has to be replaced. It costs more than a half of the price of your MacBook

MacBook Pro Won't Boot Beyond Grey Apple Screen - Mystery Partition Found

My MacBook Pro, which suffers from appalling overheating (94 degrees C in each core last week) won't boot beyond the grey apple splash screen. I booted from a Developer's disk and ran Repair Disk/Disk Permissions. Both verified AND said the repairs failed. The drive (as opposed to the volumes) said it had no valid files and thus couldn't be repaired even though it verified. I target-disked it to one of my G4s and took off a bunch of apps and lightened its load, waited a while and tried again--it's been grey screen gear turning for 20 minutes now. I have Remote Desktop but it won't respond to that. Of course, Windows XP boots up perfectly normally on its Boot Camp-created partition, dumbly unaware of the general chaos on the other side.
While I had the Disk Utility from the boot disk on, I noticed my partition scheme had changed somehow. The big partition with the system was now in position #2, set between #3 (Windows--formerly #2 of 2) and a new one of only 200MB called #1 which is formatted OS X Journaled. I didn't make that partition and it couldn't be erased. I think the cpmputer is looking in the #1 spot for a system and can't find it because some renegade partition with no brain has pushed its way to the front. How do I annihilate that thing and get on with it? How did it get there?
Has anyone tried that alter the Apple Blower/Fan hack said to turn the fans on permanently?
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I called Apple's Tech Support and they had me do perform sevral procedures I had done already, none of which worked. They suggested that the mystery partition (which has since ceased to reappear in the Disk Utility's view of the partition scheme) was an anomaly caused by the still-Beta Boot Camp--nothing was said about Windows XP booting, but I think you're right because whenever installing Windows, it always reserves a small "free space" on the PC's drive for its own purposes. Anyway, I'mre-installing now but very unhappy to hear I have suspected all along--the overheating is killing the computer. I know this from experience because Ihad a Powerbook G4 with a at-that-time-not-yet-recalled battery that overheated to such an extent that it fried the logic board and the harddrive. After a year of arguing with Apple, they replaced the computer with this MacBookPro--and overheating laptop that also had its battery recalled, has already been sent back to Texas for over heating (they replaced the superdrive which of course had no effect on the heat issue) and now has hard drive problems. I have two old PowerMac G4s sitting here plugging along--maybe I'm over laptops. Thanks
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Macbook Pro won't boot! Deep sleep? HELP!

Hi,
Recently I started to experience problems with my Macbook Pro. When I'd boot into OSX, the system's screen would go completely blank after a couple of minutes of use.
I booted from a CD and repaired the disk.
I then booted my XP Pro partition on boot camp and started scan disk. IT stalled at 92%, so I left for a little while...
When I came back, the screen was completely blank again. I rebooted the computer.
This time, the screen stayed blank. The LED light on the front was glowing, the fans were running, but nothing was happening. I couldn't eject a CD in the drive.
I can get the system to display the grey screen and even boot a little ways into OSX by reseting the PMU or removing the RAM and reseating it. However, IT doesn't last very long until screen goes blank and I get the problem of being unable to boot again. I have managed to boot to the hardware test once, and it reported no problems with my hardware.
Any help in figuring out whats up would be much appreciated.
Thanks.

Hi pcmuse,
try this step below stated :
1. Power up your MBPro.
2. Hold down these combinations : OptionCommand+PR.
Hold these keys until you hear 4 "bong" sounds before you let go of the keys.
See if the machine can boot up to OS.
3. If it fails,try to hold down these keys : ControlOption+ShiftPower upon powering up of your machine.
The next best thing to do after step 3,is to do a RESTORE on your machine and see if works.
If all else fails,I suggest that you bring your machine down to a nearest AASP as I suspect that you might have a faulty Hard Drive.

MacBook pro won't boot up with the screen after Yosemite

since updating to Yosemite my Mac book hasn't woken up from sleep
i can hear it turn on when I hit the power button but no screen or keyboard lights up
really need some help please
my Mac book pro is only 2-3 years old

Hi Bizzlewood,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!
I know it can be both frustrating and concerning when your computer doesn’t seem to wake from sleep. There may be a few different troubleshooting steps I would suggest in this situation. Please refer to the attached article for troubleshooting information.
OS X: When your Mac doesn't sleep or wake
Your computer cannot wake from sleep
Make sure your computer isn't powered off by pressing the power key for one second.
If you're using an external display, make sure your display is not powered off or unplugged.
If you are using a Mac notebook:
Make sure the computer's battery is charged. Try connecting the power adapter to the computer, then press the power button for one second to see if the computer powers on.
Make sure the AC power cord is connected securely to the power outlet, and that the outlet it is working correctly. Confirm the power adapter or cable is attached firmly.
If your computer is plugged into a power strip, make sure the power strip is not turned off. Check to make sure other items connected to the power strip are receiving power.
Confirm the right power adapter is connected on Mac notebook computers. If a lower wattage power adapter is used than the one that came with your Mac, it may not provide enough power to charge the battery while the computer is powered on. Make sure there is no debris in the MagSafe port that might prevent charging. When your MagSafe cable is connected properly, you should see a green or orange light on the connector.
If the issue is still not resolved after verifying the above information, please be sure to follow the steps listed at the bottom of the article in the Additional troubleshooting section.
Cheers,
Joe

MacBook Pro won't boot up past grey screen! Help!

Long story short, my Mac was working fine yesterday and then it froze. I held down the power button and didn't think twice about it. Now it won't start up past the grey screen. Actually, I just recently held down the "d" key before it started up and now I'm at Apple Hardware Test but I'm not sure what I'm suppose to do. My hardware is testing for something. Does anybody have any troubleshooting things I could try to help make it come back? I am very depressed it's not working. I tried calling Apple Support but the guy only sent me an e-mail telling me how to fix it.

AHT test can take up to 4 hours...
Intel-based Macs: Using Apple Hardware Test
You can also try Disk Utility (fsck)
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck

Macbook Pro won't boot and getting gray screen, help!

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