My imac g5 is stuck on grey screen, please help :(

it started with the **** spinning wheel that wouldn't come unstuck, i had to shut down from the start button at the back. i restarted & now comes to grey screen, then the folder with '?' icon blinks. i put install disk and manage to try repair disk through disk utility, it said it couldn't repair some files(i 4got to take note...idiot). i figured to try archive/re install but it failed. i restarted and it managed to get to the desk top, so i used cocktail to do general house clean. i left and came back in 15min and the imac was shutdown, i powerd back up and now its just grey no folder'?' icon....nothing. i have pram 'd it still no go. has it bricked up?

Your drive is dying, back up now and then get a new one. Daddy Paycheck is absolutely correct.

Similar Messages

  • I brought an iphone 4 factory unlock and it is linked with an icloud id of previous owner, i dont even know id of icloud , 1 week ago i restore my iphone 4 n got stuck in activation screen, please help me out please?

    i brought an iphone 4 factory unlock and it is linked with an icloud id of previous owner, i dont even know id of icloud , 1 week ago i restore my iphone 4 n got stuck in activation screen, please help me out please?

    If you are trying to activate an iPad or iPhone and it is asking for the original owners Apple ID and password, you have encountered the Activation Lock. This is a security feature that prevents thieves from setting up and using a stolen or lost iPad or iPhone. You have no alternative. No must contact the original owner to get permission to use the device. If you cannot contact the original owner return the device to where you bought it and get a refund. You will never be able to activate the device and no one can help you do it.

  • IMac startup gets stuck on grey screen

    This is an intermittent issue and has only been happening for the last week or so. When I start up my iMac (bought early 2008, running Snow Leopard and fully updated) it will get stuck on the grey screen before the apple logo appears.
    I have to hold the power button for a few seconds to shut everything down completely and turn it back on. Second time round it seems to power up fine (so far) so I'm a bit bemused as to what the issue is. I keep my external HD plugged in, so that's always connected when I boot up, but that hasn't been an issue before...
    I've been having the issue since I bought my iMac back to uni. I'm always careful to package it properly (back in its original box) but I guess maybe it got clunked in the car? I don't know whether that would have an impact or not. I'm also careful to keep around 100Gb free on my HD to keep it running smoothly.
    Any ideas would be hugely appreciated, as final year of uni is not a great time for my Mac to break!

    OK, yes 100GB out of 320GB is plenty of space, the rule of thumb on Macs is you should have 10-15% of HD space available.
    Regarding your power, that's a possible cause. If it does prove to be the problem I would recommend investing in a battery backup to ensure your iMac is not only is getting consistent power but is protected in the event of power failures or power spikes.
    There are some things you can check, although they aren't 100% definitive they can give some clues. First is open Disk Utility (Applications-Utilities-Disk Utility) and check the S.M.A.R.T. status of your internal HD. It should say Verified, if it doesn't it's definitely in trouble and either needs repairing or replacing. You can also run Repair Disk Permissions in Disk Utility. Both actions should take less than 10 minutes on your machine.

  • Imac 20" 2006 stuck on grey screen post reinstall

    I have a Imac 20" 2010 2GB RAM that was running on 10.5.8. Local Apple authorized service centre upgraded to 10.8.5 about 2 months ago. IT was working fine. About a week the computer did not wake from a sleep session and had to be forced shut down. Ever since the computer would get to the apple logo, spinning wheel for a while, then flash and remain on an empty grey screen. The hard drive seemed fine as I was able to go into disk utility, do verify (ok) , Repair Disk (ok), repair permissions (some changes) but the system would continue to do the same thing. I noticed the version was showing 10.8.5. Tried to re-install from the web - got a message which basically said, "unavailable, retry later". I have a wep connectiion. Called the apple authorized service centre (same one that installed the upgrade) and they wanted a service charge just to touch the computer again saying what they did the first time as well - the softare was free. Anyway, managed to download a copy of mountain lion from a torrent, i think the basic 10.8 version and made a 8GB USB disk of it. This was recognized and 10.8 was re-installed, took about an hour or so and then when it went to the reboot, back to the same issue - grey screen as before. Help!!!!!

    Read and carefully follow each step in Gray screen appears during startup
    Good luck!

  • MacBook Air stuck on grey screen! Help! Help!

    I was trying to uninstall Firefox so I moved the icon into the trashcan but it wouldn't delete.  So I moved the two files I found in the trash to the desktop and then I restarted.  Now my mac is stuck on the grey apple screen with the little timer.  I did the PRAM restart thing...it chimed and went to the grey screen again.  I am pretty sure the problem is that the Firefox is screwed up and Firefox is supposed to be the first app to load.  What can I do???? Please please please help!  I am totally lost here.  Thanks!

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

  • Desktop will not load, stuck on blue screen -- please help!

    As I can see, many other Mac users have encountered the same problem that I now have: the dreaded ‘blue screen of death’. About a week ago, any internet browser that I tried to open (Safari, Firefox) would freeze after loading its home page, and tell me that the application was not responding. After force quitting and restarting each program a couple of times, with no positive response, I decided to restart my computer to see if that would do the trick. Upon booting up, it then started the same sequence that it is still doing now: first a grey screen will briefly show, then a white screen with the apple logo and a turning dial beneath it, followed by a blue screen which will show a window that says “Starting Mac OS X” with a progress bar beneath it, which will fill to various points (sometimes only 1/8 of the way, while other times it fills completely), but it always leads me to the same screen – solid blue with a black arrow that will occasionally be replaced with a turning dial, only to go back to the arrow again. I am using a PowerBook G4 with the Tiger version of OS X. No applications were running whenever I first decided to restart my computer, and to my knowledge, all software and security patches were up to date and fully installed.
    I’ve researched and tried every possible option that I’ve come across, listed below with the results they yielded (if any):
     Holding the Command/Option/P/R keys upon startup (screen stays blank, and the computer continues to ‘chime’ until I release the keys. I have allowed it to chime a couple of times before I stop holding the keys, but it always leads me back to the same blue screen)
     Holding the Shift key upon startup (leads me to a screen that has an icon of my hard drive and two arrows. Clicking the left arrow does nothing, the hard drive icon does not respond to being clicked, and the right arrow starts the loading process which again ends with the blue screen)
     With the first OS X Installation disc that came with my computer inserted into the disc drive, holding the C key (nothing happens; sequence as normal)
     With the first OS X Installation disc that came with my computer inserted into the disc drive, holding the Option key (same results as holding shift key with no disc)
     With the first OS X Installation disc that came with my computer inserted into the disc drive, holding Option/Command/Shift/Delete (a grey screen appears with the icon of a folder, a question mark briefly flashes before being replaced by the two-toned blue face Mac logo. After continuing to hold the keys with this folder and face on the screen, I get no response, so release the keys and the computer continues to enter the white screen-blue screen sequence)
     Holding the Command/Option/O/F keys upon startup (a white screen appears, and following advice I have seen on other forums a type ‘reset-nvram’, then return, then ‘reset-all’, then return. The computer reboots and the sequence continues as usual. I have also tried holding the Command/Option/P/R to reset the PRAM immediately after leaving the white Open Firmware screen, allow the chime to sound a couple of times as before, but still I get no results)
     While on the blue screen, pressing the Command/Shift/Q keys (alas, I am the only user on the computer, so I cannot try to remedy my problem by signing into another account. From the screen the appears, I can either shut down, restart, or put my computer to sleep, or enter my password which leads me back to the same blue screen again)
    I apologize in advance if I’ve included a lot of extraneous information, but I just wanted to cover the options I’ve already explored so as not to waste your time if you had any of these in mind. I’m going to post this on a few different forums just to make sure I have all my bases covered, but anything you have to offer in the way of suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If you could post your advice in layman’s terms that would be even more helpful; I’ll probably need exact, step-by-step instructions if required to start my computer in ‘safe mode’ or anything else an average user would not be familiar with. I know this is a lot to ask, so I thank you in advance for taking the time to read through this and offer any solutions that you may have.

    Hi amnicolekidman, and a warm welcome to the forums!
    Although you don't specify your Mac, it sounds like you have real HW problems, likely the HD.
    Tough without a Tiger Disk, but try fsck...
    To use fsck, you must run it from the command line. Unlike using your mouse to open an application to do something, you'll need to type a text command at the prompt (#) to tell fsck what to do. The Terminal application (/Applications/Utilities) and single-user mode are two examples of command-line interfaces in which you can type such commands. To use fsck:
    1. Start up your computer in single-user mode to reach the command line. Hold CMD+s keys down at bootup.
Note: If necessary, perform a forced restart as described in the Emergency Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your computer. On desktop computers, you can do this by pressing the reset/interrupt button (if there is one) or holding down the power button for several seconds. On portable computers, simultaneously press the Command-Control-power keys. If your portable computer doesn't restart with this method, you may need to reset the Power Manager.
    2. At the command-line prompt, type /sbin/fsck -fy
    3. Press Return. fsck will go through five "phases" and then return information about your disk's use and fragmentation. Once it finishes, it'll display this message if no issue is found:
** The volume (nameofvolume) appears to be OK 
If fsck found issues and has altered, repaired, or fixed anything, it will display this message:
*** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *** 

Important: If this message appears, repeat the fsck command you typed in step 2 until fsck tells you that your volume appears to be OK (first-pass repairs may uncover additional issues, so this is a normal thing to do).
    4. When fsck reports that your volume is OK, type reboot at the prompt and then press Return.
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
    Then Safe Boot , (holding Shift key down at bootup), off the HD & use Disk Utility from there to Repair Permissions, reboot once more.

  • Itouch stuck on startup screen-please help!

    My itouch has been stuck on the startup screen since last night; first I tried letting it charge, and after 30 minutes with no results I unplugged it, let the battery drain completely and started again. After another hour of charging with no results I tried restarting it, again with no results-upon restarting it returned to being stuck on the startup screen. This morning I tried letting it drain again and it became extremely hot until it turned off again. A while ago I plugged it into my computer, hoping to reset and restore it, but it is now, once again, stuck on the startup screen. It's not even being recognized by iTunes or my computer. My ipod is NOT jailbroken btw. Please help!! I don't think I can go on much longer without my music lol

    What do you mean by startup screen?
    Try here:
    iOS: Not responding or does not turn on
    An appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store is likely in order since the hotness tends to indicate as hardware problem.

  • Can't Install OSX Yosemite on iMac Mid-2009 Stuck - No Recovery Partition PLEASE HELP

    I had an old iMac Mid-2009 2GB on OSX Lion, which had been kept away in the garage for a while. Pulled it out, ran Lion fine. It was going to be set up as a new computer, so I downloaded OSX Yosemite, planning to wipe and re-install after installation. Took a lot longer than I expected. After a while, the apple logo progress bar froze. I googled it and many people said just to wait it out, it could take up to 12 hours. 1 week later, still there. Fairly confident that nothing was going on on the hard drive. I reset the PRAM, didn't help. So I tried another fix I found which involved booting into the recovery partition. Guess what, no recovery partition . So finally I went to the trouble of creating an install usb. Booted fine, so I went into Disk Utility to erase my hard drive and re-install. But guess what, I couldn't! Can somebody please help! Or is this iMac stuffed?

    Finally figured out the solution. My internal HDD appears to be not working after that faulty Yosemite installation. Just got a fast external HDD, plugged it into the iMac. Booted from the USB, went into Disk Utility and formatted it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in GUID. Installed and got up an running fine. Finally fixed this after 3 weeks! Hopefully this will help anyone that has the same problem.

  • Imac g4flat panel  stuck on grey screen

    I was installing a software update on my grandson's imac g4 when there was a power interruption which lasted a few minutes, since then I have been unable to get past the grey apple screen with the spinning cog wheel.
    I tried to reinstall osx but it stuck on looking for the disk. Have tried all keyboard combinations no luck, do not see any point in resetting pmu but have reset pram.
    Any help much appreciated, this has been a great little machine and I cannot believe that between us we cannot fix it.

    Hi Dale
    I did exactly that while I had it in target disc mode and the disk was repaired there were the usual few permissions that were changed but bot a lot. This did not solve the problem, I have now exhausted all my expertise and so I will have to got the service centre. I guess one thing that would help is if I had an install disc and could do a reinstall but when I tried that I got the message that it would not instal over a newer version. It is an old computer but it brings great joy and pleasure to my little grandson and he misses it, I also need to show him that grandpa can fix anything, so far I'm losing a lot of face here.
    Any ideas on how I can download a disc image which I can create a startup disc from?
    Many thanks to all.
    Go AAPL Go Steve

  • TS3824 imac g4 (2002) stuck on grey screen with apple and loading sign

    my apple imac g4 2002 wont load up it stays on the gray screen with apple on the front with loading sign underneath.  ive tried almost every way ive seen online to try to factory reset it but nothing works. i got it as a gift a few years back and really need it now. can someone help? please, thanks. Mark

    churpchurp22,
    You are posting on the wrong forum, this forum is for Intel based iMacs. A 2002 G4 would be a PowerPC machine, please post on the correct forum. My guess though is the HD has packed up and crashed. 

  • Mac Book stuck on loading screen please help.

    hi,
    i was installing the new OS leopard on my macbook and it got half way through and it said there was a problem and i needed to restart the computer, well now everytime i turn on my macbook it gets to the white screen with the apple and the loading circle and nothing else. ive been able to get the DVD out of the drive, but dont know what i can do to get it back working.

    boot with the CD in the drive and then it will send you to the Leopard disk screen.. i believe you will have an option to repair the bombed upgrade.
    Cheers

  • Need Help For iMac G5 Stuck On Grey Screen Or Apple Logo No Spinning Gear!

    Hello everyone i'm new here and i'm new for using iMac for some reason i was trying to clean or to fresh installation the iMac that my brother gave it to me that he bought it into the flea market without the original disk on it! when i erase the Macintosh  HD and some of the partition o iMac then reboot it now the iMac stuck on grey screen or apple logo no spinning wheel shown. and i also try to search and try all the tips of all mac user's like all the command key's and follow the instruction of them but still nothing happen..
    Holding CMD & R just to go disk utilities nothing shown up only apple logo and the noisy fan.
    Holding alt and it go to blue screen and show my mouse Pointer Refresh Logo, Hard drive Icon, Arrow Sign.
    i can click Arrow Sign and it go Apple Logo and within 2-3 seconds and it change to Power Sign Logo,
    i can click Refresh Logo but nothing happen .
    i can't click the Hard Drive icon.
    CMD, Option, P & R to Reset i also try and it's the same nothing change.
    CMD, Option, ESC no action shown.
    Is there anyway to fix this issue or problem please and thank you for help.
    Hoping to get result for all of you guys P.S
    iMac G5
    v10.5.8
    Leopard

    You need to have the install DVD that was issued with the iMac
    You can call Apple at 1-800-275-2273

  • Intel-based iMac stuck in grey screen with spinning wheel. SMC::smcReadKeyAction ERROR THOP kSMBadArgumentError(0x89)

    Hi guys,
    since yesterday my Intel-Based iMac doesn't boot normally, its stuck in grey screen with a spinning wheel.
    Its an Intel-based iMac 21.5'' purchased in 2011, and i recently (2 months ago) upgraded it to Mavericks.
    -2 weeks ago, i installed smcFanControl app
    -Tried start up in Safe Mode by holding Shift but its not working. i think i hear fans are working more than they were before the problem occurs.
    -entered Single User Mode and i get an error
    SMC ::smcReadKeyAction ERROR THOP kSMCBadArgumentError(0x89) fKeyHashTable=0x0xffffff8029fa1000
    -followed some instructions found online, but can execute the correct commands in SingleUserMode
    tried to remove FanControl as explained here: http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/110667/errorr-kernel-smcsmcreadkeyactio n-in-console
    any ideas what may caused this and how can i fix this?
    Thanks in advance

    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.” 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, boot from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
    c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
    d. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
    Step 2
    If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
    Step 3
    Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
    Step 4
    If you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
    Step 5
    If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
    Step 6
    Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
    Step 7
    If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
    Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a 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.

  • Imac 2008 stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel no discs I lost them

    HI, I have a imac 2008 24" someone help please.stuck on grey screen with spinning wheel after 5 minutes mac just restarts again.I have no restore dvds as I borrowed them out and never got them back thanks

    If you are in the US call Apple Customer Support 1-800-767-2775, provide the Serial Number and specifications of the Mac, and for a reasonable fee, they will supply a replacement set of system discs (if available).
    The discs will be for the original version of the OS that was pre-installed when the Mac was manufactured.
    If you are in another country:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57
    Useful article here on the causes of the Spinning Beach Ball and how to troubleshoot it:
    http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177479/Troubleshoot_the_spinning_beach_b all?taxonomyId=89&pageNumber=1
    and also this:
    http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/sbbod.html

  • My iMac won't boot past grey screen and it didn't come with a os x disk

    My iMac won't boot past grey screen with apple. I've tried booting in safemode but that didn't help and my iMac didn't come with a os x disk.

    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.

Maybe you are looking for