MacBook Pro won't log in suddenly

I have a 2012 MacBook Pro that I mostly use for music programs, such as Logic, Ableton Live, and for work (documents, photoshop, etc.)
Last night it was working fine, and did not install any software as far as I know, and then I woke up and I cannot log in anymore. What happens is when I get to the login screen, the screen flickers and does this weird garbled mess, then I am able to type in my password. It pauses, does a garbled mess again, and then I am again at the login screen. I try again, and same thing. It just won't let me log in for some reason. It's not my password, that for sure is right, for some reason it just won't let me log in.
I did everything that people suggested online - reset the PRAM, tried safe mode, and even booted from disk and re-installed the OS. Still, the same problem. It tries to log in, goes garbled, and then puts me back at the login.
Please help, no time capsule, and I have some pretty important documents I need to retrieve.
Thanks!

If remote logins are not enabled, don't know how you can do it now if you can't login.
Do the "other" Macs see the problem Mac in the list of "Devices"?
From a Terminal window on another Mac, try this:
# assume IP address of problem mac is 192.168.99.10 and the username is xxx
ssh [email protected]
If you don't know the IP address, there might be a way to figure it out depending on your network setup.
If you get a prompt for the password then give it and it should log you in. If you get a "refused" message of some kind, then you can't login. Also you will get a prompt the first time you "ssh" in about adding the RSA key to your list of "known hosts".
If that doesn't work I'm at a loss. Have you tried booting safe mode? Have you tried Recovery Mode and verify disk? -- never mind just read where you've already done this. Do you have a bad GPU and it's causing the display to do bizarre things?

Similar Messages

My MacBook Pro won't log me in at the log in screen

My MacBook Pro won't log me in at the lag in screen. It won't restart and it's the right password (won't do the vibrating thing that it does when it's the wrong password). Any suggestions?? I really can't do anything on it.... Command-r doesn't work and neither does shift.

You are supposed to press Command-r as soon as you push the power button to turn the computer on.
I hope I helped.
Austin

MacBook pro, won't Log in, debugger called Panic comes up, and prompts me to restart, when re-started same issue occurs

You need to restart your computer,
My MacBook pro 17inch 8g ram i7 won't log in, it says "unable to find driver for this Platform" Debugger Called Panic
This keeps coming up after re-starting it.

If remote logins are not enabled, don't know how you can do it now if you can't login.
Do the "other" Macs see the problem Mac in the list of "Devices"?
From a Terminal window on another Mac, try this:
# assume IP address of problem mac is 192.168.99.10 and the username is xxx
ssh [email protected]
If you don't know the IP address, there might be a way to figure it out depending on your network setup.
If you get a prompt for the password then give it and it should log you in. If you get a "refused" message of some kind, then you can't login. Also you will get a prompt the first time you "ssh" in about adding the RSA key to your list of "known hosts".
If that doesn't work I'm at a loss. Have you tried booting safe mode? Have you tried Recovery Mode and verify disk? -- never mind just read where you've already done this. Do you have a bad GPU and it's causing the display to do bizarre things?

My macbook pro won't log into iMessage or facetime

I've tried several times to fix this issue, by deleting my keychain, unchecking the SOCKS proxy and by restarting the macbook pro, yet it won't log in to Imessage or Facetime. The box that appears says imessage was unable to log in and to check my network connection. My wifi works fine.
Apple Colombia has been less than helpful with this, they don't seem to even have an idea of what they're doing. I'm getting desperate as these are important business tools I need to use for my work. Help is much appreciated!

Ok. Found something that said to shut down and hold the option, command, p, and r keys on restart. Held them down for a few restarts and everything automatically signed in and works. Woohoo!!!

Macbook Pro won't connect to wireless printer anymore suddenly

Suddenly my Macbook Pro won't connect to my HP Photosmart B210e Printer. I have tried adding it via IP address, it worked but I can't print anything. It says the printer is busy and idle? I updated the software and drivers. All other computers and devices in my home connect just fine. It is connected to our wireless router as is my laptop.
I have searched online and done all the solutions I could find and nothing is working. VERY frustrated as I have to log onto my Dell to print anything.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Kim

"It says the printer is busy and idle?"
System Preferences>print and Scan. What is the staus of the printer? Green light for idle or yellow light for in busy? Have you tried power down the printer and paowering it back up?

My MacBook Pro, won't start up / log in... Help!!

My MacBook Pro, won't start up. Takes ages to turn on, eventually the password screen comes up, I enter my password (which is correct and hasn't changed) press return, and looks like it will load, then goes back to the login screen... Help!!

Run through this massive list of user capable fixes tailored to isolate and identify where your problem(s) are, get your machine working again or call a local PC/Mac software repair and data recovery shop, if it's hardware problem, take it to Apple.
Step by Step to fix your Mac

HT1338 all of a sudden my macbook pro won't back up

My Macbook pro won't back up my files. I was using a portable seagate external hard drive and thought that was the problem. Bought a new on 2 TB seagate drive and I still get the same error :

My Macbook pro won't back up my files. I was using a portable seagate external hard drive and thought that was the problem. Bought a new on 2 TB seagate drive and I still get the same error :

My MacBook Pro won't go beyond a white screen, after I pushed the restart button. How can I get it to a login? I have routinely backed it up, but don't know how to bring that up, nor if I have a boot file on that external disk. Help!

My MacBook Pro won't go beyond a white screen, after I pushed the restart button. How can I get it to a login? I have routinely backed it up, but don't know how to bring that up, nor if I have a boot file on that external disk. 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.

Macbook pro won't boot after installing update 10.9.3

macbook pro won't boot after installing update 10.9.3

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode.
Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually login 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.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

MacBook Pro won't sleep or shutdown (intermittent problem)

Every so often my MacBook Pro won't sleep or shut down. I can't find any rhyme or reason to it.
I notice the problem when I close lid, and it doesn't go to sleep. I then hit apple menu:sleep, and it does nothing. I hit shutdown, and OS shuts down, but gets stuck at blue screen with spinning circle indefinitely. Have to hold power button for 5 seconds to finally shut down. Startup is then slow, but doesn't give me an error message indicating improper shutdown or failure.
Most of the time it sleeps fine and shuts down fine.
Other posts seemed to have the problem more reliably, and the fix had to do with startup items. Mine is intermittent, and the only items in my startup folder are Norton Antivirus and Parallels.

I am also experiencing the exact same problem you are describing. Completely random when the machine will not sleep or shutdown, although it seems to occur more often when I've had the machine running for a few days, moving between home and office locations.
I have VMWare Fusion and Office 2004 installed. No iStatPro. I'm wondering could it be related to the kernel extensions that VMWare and Parallels install? Is anybody experiencing the non-shutting-down problem who doesn't have either VMWare or Parallels installed?
I found the following section in my system.log file that occurred the last time the machine wouldn't shut down. May be of some use to somebody
Aug 31 18:07:10 monza loginwindow[90]: sendQuitEventToApp (Microsoft AU Daemon): AESendMessage returned error -1712
Aug 31 18:07:21 monza shutdown: halt by james:
Aug 31 18:07:22 monza SystemStarter[14860]: authentication service (14870) did not complete successfully
Aug 31 18:07:28 monza SystemStarter[14860]: The following StartupItems failed to properly start:
Aug 31 18:07:28 monza SystemStarter[14860]: /System/Library/StartupItems/AuthServer
Aug 31 18:07:28 monza SystemStarter[14860]: - execution of Startup script failed

After 10.7.4 update macbook pro won't sleep

after 10.7.4 update, macbook pro won't sleep.

Test after each of the following steps that you haven’t already tried:
Step 1
 ▹ System Preferences ▹ Energy Saver ▹ Power Adapter ▹ Wake for network access: uncheck. You may need to unlock the preference pane by clicking the lock icon in the lower left corner and entering your administrator password.
Step 2
 ▹ System Preferences ▹ Energy Saver ▹ Schedule… ▹ Start up or wake: uncheck
Step 3
 ▹ System Preferences ▹ Print & Scan ▹ Open Print Queue...
Check all printers for unfinished jobs. Deal with any you find.
Step 4
Disconnect all wired peripherals except keyboard, mouse or trackball, and monitor, if applicable.
Step 5
Launch the Activity Monitor 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.
☞ If you’re running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Activity Monitor in the page that opens.
Select All Processes from the menu in the toolbar, if not already selected. Enter “powerd” (without the quotes) in the "Filter" text field. Select the powerd process and click the Quit Process button in the toobar (stop-sign icon.) In the sheet that opens, click Force Quit. You’ll be prompted for your administrator password. The process will be relaunched immediately.
Step 6
Boot in safe mode and log in. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Be sure your Mac is shut down.
Press the power button.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone, but not before the tone.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
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.
Note: If FileVault is enabled under Mac OS X 10.7 or later, you can’t boot in safe mode.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal. Don’t launch any applications at first. If sleep still doesn’t work properly, back up all data and reinstall the Mac OS. After that, if you still have the issue, make a “Genius” appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.
If sleep now works as expected, go on to the next step.
Step 7
Still in safe mode, launch the usual set of applications that are running when you have the problem, including your login items, one at a time, testing after each one. Some applications may not work; skip them. You might be able to identify the cause of the problem this way.
Step 8
If sleep is still working after you’ve launched all the usual applications, reboot as usual (not in safe mode) and test again. If sleep still works, you’re done, at least for the moment.
If you still have the sleep issue after booting out of safe mode, post again.

My MacBook Pro won't turn on, what's wrong?

My MacBook Pro won't turn on. What's wrong?

gobetty wrote:
My MacBook Pro won't turn on. What's wrong?
Depends upon what you mean by it not turning on, there are various causes.
Is the power button pressed and nothing happens? Disconnect all other devices, then a SMC and NVRAM reset.
Is there a white screen and nearly nothing? A hosed EFI firmware.
Is there a grey screen and a loading bar that gets stuck? Either a failed firmware update or corrupted drive/OS X.
Is there a grey screen with a spinning wheel? Bad third party or Apple at boot kext file.
Are you loading but not able to log in? Possible corrupt third party software designed to startup upon login.
..Step by Step to fix your Mac

My MacBook Pro won't load any websites on Safari (except this site, Facebook and Google), Opera, or Mozilla Firefox. I already did the "Reset Safari", restarted the computer half a dozen times, and I can't find this alleged "caches.db" file to delete.

My MacBook Pro won't load any websites on Safari (except this site, Facebook and Google). Opera and Mozilla Firefox won't load any sites whatsoever. I already did the "Reset Safari" several times, restarted the computer half a dozen times, and I can't find this alleged "caches.db" file to delete. I virus scanned the computer with Sophos, Avast, and iAntiVirus and it looks clean.

Is iAntiVirus the best virus protection to use for a MacBook?
The best anti-virus protection is your own common sense, and what you already bought and paid for with your Mac. Third party products such as "iAntiVirus" convey no additional benefit, and as you already determined are very capable of causing trouble.
OS X already includes everything it needs to protect itself from viruses and malware. Keep it that way with software updates from Apple.
A much better question is "how should I protect my Mac":
Never install any product that claims to "speed up", "clean up", "optimize", or "accelerate" your Mac. Without exception, they will do the opposite.
Never install pirated or "cracked" software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources. Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
Don’t supply your password in response to a popup window requesting it, unless you know what it is and the reason your credentials are required.
Don’t open email attachments from email addresses that you do not recognize, or click links contained in an email:
Most of these are scams that direct you to fraudulent sites that attempt to convince you to disclose personal information.
Such "phishing" attempts are the 21st century equivalent of a social exploit that has existed since the dawn of civilization. Don’t fall for it.
Apple will never ask you to reveal personal information in an email. If you receive an unexpected email from Apple saying your account will be closed unless you take immediate action, just ignore it. If your iTunes or App Store account becomes disabled for valid reasons, you will know when you try to buy something or log in to this support site, and are unable to.
Don’t install browser extensions unless you understand their purpose. Go to the Safari menu > Preferences > Extensions. If you see any extensions that you do not recognize or understand, simply click the Uninstall button and they will be gone.
Don’t install Java unless you are certain that you need it:
Java, a non-Apple product, is a potential vector for malware. If you are required to use Java, be mindful of that possibility.
Java can be disabled in System Preferences.
Despite its name JavaScript is unrelated to Java. No malware can infect your Mac through JavaScript. It’s OK to leave it enabled.
Block browser popups: Safari menu > Preferences > Security > and check "Block popup windows":
Popup windows are useful and required for some websites, but popups have devolved to become a common means to deliver targeted advertising that you probably do not want.
Popups themselves cannot infect your Mac, but many contain resource-hungry code that will slow down Internet browsing.
If you ever see a popup indicating it detected registry errors, that your Mac is infected with some ick, or that you won some prize, it is 100% fraudulent. Ignore it.
Ignore hyperventilating popular media outlets that thrive by promoting fear and discord with entertainment products arrogantly presented as "news". Learn what real threats actually exist and how to arm yourself against them:
The most serious threat to your data security is phishing. To date, most of these attempts have been pathetic and are easily recognized, but that is likely to change in the future as criminals become more clever.
OS X viruses do not exist, but intentionally malicious or poorly written code, created by either nefarious or inept individuals, is nothing new.
Never install something without first knowing what it is, what it does, how it works, and how to get rid of it when you don’t want it any more.
If you elect to use "anti-virus" software, familiarize yourself with its limitations and potential to cause adverse effects, and apply the principle immediately preceding this one.
Most such utilities will only slow down and destabilize your Mac while they look for viruses that do not exist, conveying no benefit whatsoever - other than to make you "feel good" about security, when you should actually be exercising sound judgment, derived from accurate knowledge, based on verifiable facts.
Do install updates from Apple as they become available. No one knows more about Macs and how to protect them than the company that builds them.
Summary: Use common sense and caution when you use your Mac, just like you would in any social context. There is no product, utility, or magic talisman that can protect you from all the evils of mankind.

Macbook Pro won't eject disk

My Macbook Pro won't boot past the gray screen. I tried to reboot off the disk which did not work and now the machine will not eiect my disk. How do I get it out?

Force eject a stuck cd/dvd
First try the normal methods to remove the disc. Drag its icon to the Trash can in the Dock or select 'Eject' from the File menu.
If you are running a virtual machine, e.g. VMFusion, ensure that the CD is disconnected from the virtual machine. This will sometimes allow the CD to now show up in Mac OS X.
Shut down the computer and start up whilst holding down the mouse button. This may take some time, but keep your finger on the mouse button right up until the disc comes out or the log-in screen has appeared.
If you have Toast Titanium installed on your computer, choose EJECT DISC from the menubar.
Sometimes you can successfully use the eject disc button in iTunes even if the disc is not visible to the Finder
Open Disc utility and choose the disc you wish to eject in the left-hand pane, then click on the Eject button.
Some Macintoshes have a paperclip hole that you can insert a straightened paperclip into, manually triggering the eject mechanism.
Open Terminal and type "drutil tray eject" to eject the disc/tray, and "drutil tray close" to close the tray.
If your computer has an eject button on the keyboard, restart the computer holding down the Option key. When the startup disk selection screen appears, let go of the option key and press the keyboard's eject button.
Source: http://guides.macrumors.com/Force_Eject_a_Stuck_CD_or_DVD

My macbook pro won't start up. I get the white screen and the grey apple icon   the spinning wheel......and it doesn't change !

My macbook pro won't start up. I get the white screen and the grey apple icon   the spinning wheel......and it doesn't change !

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.

MacBook Pro won't log in suddenly

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