Macbook Pro wont start up past the grey screen

The computer is only four months old, fans sound like they are working, and the screen stays on when the power cord is out. I put in the Mac Os X disk today so that I could reset the admin password and as the computer restart for the program it's been stuck on the grey apple screen. If you have anything I can try and do that would be great

I had the same issue. I would start up my MacPro Desktop, and nothing happened but for the startup chime and the screen going blank. No Apple, no Beachball, no Nothing. I even tried booting from my DVD, and that would not work. So... it was dead, dead, dead and I could not do a thing about it. I tried all the rubber chicken procedures such as booting with the shift key, disconnecting everything, even the keyboard in the end, and taking out two of my four hard drives, doing all the things that the Mac Tech Support (on the phone) advised me to do.
Mac Tech support tried their best and booked an appointment for me at the Bondi Genius Bar, and I sat on the stool fully expecting to hear the worst. It turned out that the culprit was a corrupt internal eSATA disk, and when it was removed, the computer started up beautiully and recognised my other system disks.
Funny, I had removed the disk with Snow Leopard on it, thinking that it was a corrupt System disk, but no, it was another disk which I had fortunately up the night before this happened! I noted that the Mac was taking an inordinately lengthy time to shut down after that, which made me rather nervous about the next start up.
The defective disk had no system on it, and therefore, I never even thought of taking it out. It seemed to an illogical thing to do at the time, as I did not believe that a disk with no system could cause any problem.
Now I am sitting at my trusty Mac Pro and it is working Better than Ever, and I replaced the faulty 280GB disk with a Samsung 500GB disk I took out of my slow as a wet week LaCie Big Disk Network Attatched Storage. I re-initiallised this disk and it is now working flawlessly as I have been copying data to the SamSung disk now.
So, the upshot of all this is, is that nowhere is there any reference to a single disk in a bay that can cause the whole Mac not to start up properly! My advice is to those with that problem, remove your disks out of the bays, one at a time to find out if it is a disk causing the problem.

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MacBook Pro wont start up passing the grey screen, MacBook Pro wont start up passing the grey screen, MacBook Pro wont start up passing the grey screen

; my macbook pro is a 15" . i believe its a 2010 model , i left it on by standby last night . and this morning the internet wasnt working , so then i decided to restart my laptop . and so right now , i start it up . and it gets to the white apple screen when it first load , then all of a sudden it shuts down on me . before it shut down by it self it was on the apple screen , loading and loading . couple of people had said it was the battery but im not sure . i hope theres any help , i appreciated . thanks .

I found this link.
http://techtips.salon.com/create-mac-recovery-disc-2797.html
It explains that you must install Snow Leopard to an external drive or LARGE USB Thumb drive, at least 16GBs in size, and then boot the system from that external media and run disk utilities from there on the internal drive.
So if you have a LARGE USB thumb drive or a external hard drive you can continue this to see if the internal hard drive has failed. If not you could buy one tomorrow or take the system into a Apple repair center.
Wishing you the best of luck.

My MacBook pro will not load past the grey screen with the spinning wheel. What do I do?

My MacBook will not load past the grey screen with the spinning wheel of death. Anyone have any solutions?

Invoke Safe Mode by holding down the shift Key as you restart. This will do a Disk Utility "Repair Disk" as it starts up (so it takes a few minutes longer) and then load with minimal extensions loaded, and request your login username and password, even if you normally do not use them to log in.
Safe Mode runs the screen using simple, unaccelerated commands. Most things are available in Safe Mode, but things that rely on extensions will not be.
Acomputer that works in Safe Mode, but fails again after you restart, often implicates your extensions and add-ons.

My MacBook Pro won't go past the grey screen. It only shows that it's loading and doesn't go any further.

Okay well, to start off, I got my MacBook from a distant family member who got a new one so they let me have their old one. They got it from a pawn shop so I don't have the disk that we got the OS from but it hasn't had any issues UNTIL NOW. I need to use my laptop for a homework assignment so please help me quickly. Everytime I turn it on it'll just stay on the loading screen, I left it for 4 hours yesterday and it still wouldn't work. I reset the (insert acronym here) thing already, the thing where you press control, option, P, R keys at start up. I really need help because my assignment is on the laptop and it's due tomorrow. Please help. ={ And I'm not entirely sure which OS it's using because I've never really checked.

Boot from the OS DVD you have for the computer.
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X 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.
You can reinstall OS X, but the procedure depends on the version of OS X that is installed.

TS1367 My MacBook Pro will not go past the grey screen with apple logo in the middle

How do I fix this issue is there anything I can do

Hey there Gonzoeg850,
It sounds like you are unable to boot your computer to your desktop or log in screen. I do not know if you have tried these steps from the article you have up there, but that is exactly where I would start:
Troubleshooting: My computer won't turn on
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1367
Verify you have a good connection from your Mac to the wall outlet by confirming the power cord and adapter if present are securely connected and plugged in. To check if the wall outlet is working, plug in a lamp or other electrical device.
If the wall outlet is working and you continue to have no power try another power cord or adapter if available. If it works you may need a replacement cord or adapter.
Note: See Apple Portables: Troubleshooting MagSafe adapters for further troubleshooting with MagSafe adapters.
Disconnect all accessories that are plugged in to the computer, such as a printer, hub, or other mobile device.
If your Mac supports user-installable memory, solid state drive, or hard drive, and you recently installed any of these, make sure they are installed correctly and are compatible with your computer. If possible, reinstall the original memory or drive into the computer to find out if the behavior persists afterwards.
MacBook Pro: How to remove or install memory
MacBook: How to remove or install memory
Mac Pro: How to remove or install memory
Mac mini: How to remove or install memory
iMac (27-inch, Late 2012): Installing or replacing memory
iMac: How to remove or install memory
Reset the SMC.
If you are still unable to start up your computer after trying each of these steps, visit an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) for further diagnosis. If you plan to visit an Apple Retail Store, make a reservation at the Genius Bar using http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/ (available in some countries only).Note: Diagnostic fees may apply for issues not covered under warranty or the AppleCare Protection Plan (APP).
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
All the very best,
Sterling

My Macbook Pro Wont Make it Past the Boot Screen

I was using Safari and GarageBand today when my computer froze entirely (so that i could not access force quit, restart, etc.). I held down the power button to turn it off and now when i try to turn it on only the white/gray apple screen with a spinning loading wheel appears. then, after about 5 minutes of trying to boot, a black window pops up telling me in 5 languages to hold down the restart button for several seconds to try again, but it just repeats over and over again.....
any ideas on what to do, or is there some safeboot secret i can use? im new to macs

a black window pops up telling me in 5 languages to hold down the restart button
That is a KP.
You are experiencing a *Kernel Panic* as seen and described in Apple doc. HT1392.
Bad or incompatible RAM is, more often then not, the cause of most Kernel Panics. It could also just need to be reset.
Here's the most used site for Resolving Kernel Panics. Please do all the steps in order, even if you don't think you need to do a certain step.
Here is a great MacFixIt article.
 Good Luck! DALE

My macbook pro will not get past the gray screen with the apple logo and a loading bar.

My macbook pro will not get past the grey screen with the apple logo after attempting to load for hours. I have already tried resetting the NVRAM/PRAM and a couple other tricks and no luck. Anyone out there have suggestions for my problem? Help would be much appreciated since i use my computer for everything at school and i am in desperate need to get this baby working again.

You didn't say which OS in your tag, but maybe you might find something here.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4191
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH7213
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4125
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2213

My macbook pro keeps getting stuck on the grey screen

my macbook pro keeps getting stuck on the grey screen eventually im able to get it into safety mode yet i dont have the disc needed to restore or reboot it what should i do

See Grey Screen
https://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16276201#16276201
You didn't mention your MBP model or OS X version. But the link above should help you.

Macbook Pro won't load past a grey screen on startup!

I apologise for what will most likely be an essay ahead.
I have a Macbook Pro (2.16ghz) that is just over three years old. It is running on Leopard with all the up to date patches / updates. Over the past week or so, it has been 'playing up' in the sense that the spinning loading icon would appear at random intervals and stay there for a good 20 to 30 seconds or so, not allowing me to do anything. If I would be listening to music, the music would pause and then come back on.
It would normally appear when something was trying to load. For example, the final straw was when I was using Adobe Bridge and it was taking an extremely long time to load up the photos I had imported and in the end I gave up. Speed has never been an issue before and my MBP has 2GB of RAM.
So I backed up what I needed and proceeded to do an 'Erase and Install(Leopard) format. Once formatted, the MBP booted up and I completed the registration, took my User picture blah blah etc. Once done, the MBP booted into OS X - this is where the problems occurred. The spinning loading icon appeared and after about 30 seconds or so, the Finder window / toolbar at the top disappeared, as did the Macintosh HD icon on the desktop. All I was left with was my wallpaper and Dock with icons in. However, if I clicked on any of the programs, nothing would happen.
Naturally, I tried restarting it and the same thing happened again. I figured that because my MBP was connected to a second Dual monitor, that this might have been the issue so I decided to boot from the OS X Leopard CD and do another 'Erase and Install'. I once again got past the registration screen, but this time, instead of booting into OS X my MBP stuck itself on a grey screen. It would not go any further.
I then decided that the spinning loading icon issue may be a RAM problem. When I first got my MBP, I upgraded the RAM so I knew how to take it out and replace it. So I tried taking out the RAM stick (1GB) I put in orignally and booting it with the original 1GB stick. The same problem occurred. I tried the other way round, putting in my 1GB RAM stick and taking the original out - nothing worked. I tried every possible combination, even swapping the sticks around.
Eventually my brother tells me he has some spare RAM which I also try and once again, this does not solve the issue. So I figure it cannot be a RAM problem.
So next I try booting from the OS X Disc on startup and run Disk Utility. I verify and repair the Mac HD which comes up fine. No errors, no issues, nothing.
I finally scour the internet for info on what could be the cause of the problem and the biggest suggestion seems to be formatting. So I once again try formatting my MBP for a third time - however this time, I get the original problem. It boots up into OS X but then the Finder toolbar and Mac HD icon disappear, leaving me with Dock and Wallpaper.
The final thing I try is resetting the MBPs PRAM on startup. This does not solve the issue.
So here I am. If you could be bothered to read all of that, well done haha I'm not sure if I could have.
If anyone has ANY suggestions or advice, please post!
I do not have Apple Care so if I was to take it to the local Genius bar, would they look at it for free and diagnose it? Or would that cost me? I have never had to take my MBP in before.
Thankyou again

I just skimmed over this because the post is like a small novel! lol Try a Apple Hardware Test. I think it's probably a bad logic board.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509
Don't take it to a Genius Bar until you've done this, saves time and you might have a little more info to give them. Also that way you won't feel pressured into anything. It's out of warranty, so sometimes I've noticed they can be a little pushy especially on a very high dollar replacement such as a new logic board on an out of warranty item. Also the "enhanced diagnostic" is around $100, so you might have to at least fork over a hard earned Benjamin and not get anything fixed. And whatever you do, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT tell them you upgraded the RAM yourself. If they are feeling in a good mood and decide to knock off any money or waive any sort of fees, this will kill it instantly. RAM is considered "user serviceable," but they normally try to plead "the part you installed is not Apple Authorized" or the "installation caused the issue and was not an ACHT." Put back in the original stick and leave it alone. Hope this helps you out!

I book wont start up past the blue screen

here is what happens:
well i tried making the latest software update this am and ever since my i book isnt working right, I was not able to access any programs after my attempeted update- it would give me an error msg.
now i turn it own, get the apple with the swirly thing below the apple on the grey screen, and then it goes to the blue screen adn teh apple os x box comes up and then it sticks and wont go any further-
any suggestions? thank you

I have a similar problem. Not sure you're on here (since the post is really old) but did you manage to work it out? How?
My thread:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/19007548#19007548
My Imac froze earlier today as I was dragging an image from safari into indesig and when it froze the weirdest pattern overlaid the screen. It looked just like the opacity pattern from photoshop with grey and white squares. I turned the computer off using the power button and unplugged everything.
Now when I try to start it these weird lines appear on my start up screen (see link)...
http://meijerladdaruppgrejer.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/oops/
as you can see the apple and the wheel appears as normal...
... then it moves to a normal looking white screen (perhaps a bit greener than usual) and around 30 seconds later freezes at the blue screen.
I've tried the cmd + alt + p + r several times but it won't help.
If i press alt during start up I can see and choose my hard drive but just end up at the blue screen again.
Can I try starting it up in safe mode or something?

My imac won't start up past the grey screen, apple and spinning clock

Hi there. First time posting - usually either apple support website or previous threads solve the problem. Alas, not this time.
I have an intel imac - can't tell you much about the details as I can't get any info out of it. I installed snow leopard about a year ago - no issue since then other than occassionally the screen goes black but nothing major.
Yesterday, I backed up to my usual passport backup and then today, it froze. I couldn't turn it off or restart at all so resorted to the power button. Since then, I can turn it on, it goes to the grey screen (no blue screen) and I get the apple logo and the spinning clock/wheel. For hours and hours....
So, I tried one of the apple support pages and worked through - peripherals, safe boot, NVRAM, PRAM, tried to reboot with mac osx disc (the original not snow leopard) - nothing. Absolutely nothing changes - same old grey screen, apple logo and spinning clock/wheel.
HELP - do I try and reboot with the snow leopard disc? I don't know what to do next - I am no techie so half the threads don't even sound like English to me.
Thanks in advance, hope you geniuses out there can help me out.
abcvic

Thanks for the reply.
I had tried to reboot with the original disc but it never worked. The imac just spits out the disc and eventually, I am back at the grey screen, apple logo and wheel spinning. I tried it one more time following your reply. Same outcome.
My instal disc 1 had the instruction re hardware test which I have also tried with no success. I can't remember if it came with a disc 2 though I seem to have a couple - I also have a macbook and that seems to be still alive even if it is slow.
I tried to reboot with Snow Leopard disc - power on, chime then hold down C key. Same old - grey screen, apple logo and wheel spinning. Disc spat out eventually.
Any other suggestions welcomed or I am off to Apple tomorrow.

My macbook air wont boot up past the loading screen. UPDATE

My 2008 macbook air will turn on, and then go to the apple screen with the loading wheel, but after a few minutes of loading it just shuts down...
Here is an update of the problem after i messed around with it for a bit.
I start up the macbook while holding Command+s
Then it brings up the prompt.
I then type: /sbin/fsck -fy
It then outputs a message saying:
disk0s2: I/0 error.
Invalid sibling link
(4, 42746)
**The volume macintosh HD could not be repaired.
/dev/rdisk0s2 (hfs) EXITED WITH SIGNAL 8
After that, i type in: /sbin/mount -uw /
Then I type: exit
It runs the logout scripts and then immedietly boots up fine, like the computer has no problem.
It works fine like this, but i dont want to have to do those steps every time I want to use my macbook...
Any help on how to fix this?

I have a similar problem. Not sure you're on here (since the post is really old) but did you manage to work it out? How?
My thread:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/19007548#19007548
My Imac froze earlier today as I was dragging an image from safari into indesig and when it froze the weirdest pattern overlaid the screen. It looked just like the opacity pattern from photoshop with grey and white squares. I turned the computer off using the power button and unplugged everything.
Now when I try to start it these weird lines appear on my start up screen (see link)...
http://meijerladdaruppgrejer.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/oops/
as you can see the apple and the wheel appears as normal...
... then it moves to a normal looking white screen (perhaps a bit greener than usual) and around 30 seconds later freezes at the blue screen.
I've tried the cmd + alt + p + r several times but it won't help.
If i press alt during start up I can see and choose my hard drive but just end up at the blue screen again.
Can I try starting it up in safe mode or something?

MacBook Pro won't get past the apple screen on startup

The laptop won't startup. I get to the Apple logo and a spinning gear. I've tried starting it 3 times with the same result.

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 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.”
b. 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.
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. 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 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 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 Fusion Drive or 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 10. 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
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 10
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 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 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 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.

My macbook pro won't load past the opening screen

i was using my macbook pro last night and it just froze, i turned it off and then tried to restart it. while restarting, i noticed that the screen had not changed for a couple of minutes. it was the screen when you first turn your computer on, before you log onto a user. i waited for about an hour and the screen wouldnt change. i've tried restarting it. nothing is working. any ideas?

Well, it would depend if your HDD has died. If you don't have a backup that would be unfortunate.
First, go grab your original install disk, stick it in, and restart & hold the C key.
That will bring up the install screen.
Select your Language.
Then go up the top to Utilities > Disk Utility > Repair Disk + Repair Permissions
Please take note of any errors it repairs / does not repair.

I got the "You need to restart" message, and now my macbook won't start up past the blue screen.

I got the "You need to restart" message, and after I restarted it my macbook is stuck on the blue loading screen.

Please try to boot in safe mode. If successful, launch the Console application and look under "System Diagnostic Reports" for the most recent panic log. Select it and post the contents here.
Mac OS X: Starting up in Safe Mode
If you can't boot in safe mode, follow the other instructions here:
Mac OS X 10.6 Help: If you see a blue screen at startup

Macbook Pro wont start up past the grey screen

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