My iMac is Grey Screening?

Yesterday morning, I had planned on going on my computer to check social media and such, until I found that I couldn't restart it due to it constantly grey screening whenever i tried. It had worked fine the previous night, so I was very confused, and still am as I've tried many methods of reparation. I've been able to access safari by using and holding control "r" while it's restarting, and eventually going through to the help page provided by apple and accessing it. While its restarting,  I can hear the fan going and the regular noises that usually occur while it's starting up. It's after the apple logo and the loading symbol where it either goes straight to a grey screen or blacks out, becoming grey afterwards.
Please 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 you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
Step 7
If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 11. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then restart as usual.
Step 9
If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support.  
Step 10
Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 11
Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 12
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 13
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

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    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.
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    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.
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    If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
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  • TS2570 On start up of my new iMac it locks on the grey screen with the apple logo and the progress wheel spins. Boot up in safe and this is where it stopped at "BootCacheControl: Unable to open /var/db/bootcache.playlist: 2 no such file or directory. "

    On start up of my new iMac it locks on the grey screen with the apple logo and the progress wheel spins. Boot up in safe and this is where it stopped at "BootCacheControl: Unable to open /var/db/bootcache.playlist: 2 no such file or directory. "

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  • IMac (early 2008): grey screen with Apple logo and spinning wheel

    Hi there,
    I have recently had a problem with my iMac - it started with distorted graphics and I booted into Safe Boot to back up all files with the intention of reinstalling OS X (either from original install CDs or from USB drive with Mountain Lion on).  Safe Boot got rid of the distorted graphics but as I rebooted to reinstall, the iMac hung on the spinning wheel on a grey screen with the Apple logo.
    I have tried (in no particular order) : resetting PRAM and SMC, booting from original install CDs, booting from the self-created Mountain Lion USB stick, booting into Safe Boot again, booting normally, taking out keyboard/mouse and booting normally... the pinwheel either freezes, the iMac reboots itself, or comes up with a screen telling me to reboot due to a problem.  If I hold down command-V at startup it always freezes/fails at the same point and there's usually a previous shutdown cause of 3 or -128?!
    I don't seem to be able to run the hardware test either from DVD or internet, I can boot into single user mode and the iMac will stay up for hours but I don't know what to look at or what to fix!  There are kernel panic logs relating to some of the shutdowns but as I can't view these out of single-user mode I can't attach them to the post but can look & reply on another machine.
    It's an early 2008 iMac, 24" screen, running OS X 10.8.2 - I'd appreciate any help and will try to provide any extra information anyone needs (that I can glean from single user mode, anyway!)
    Kind regards,
    Carly

    I've looked at that, I did try to link the discussion to the article but it failed too   Thank you though.
    I just created an Ubuntu DVD to run - the graphics are distorted on that too so I'm guessing it's a fault with the graphics card.  I don't have the knowledge to confirm/deny it so a trip to an Apple Store is probably in order?

  • Imac G5 will not boot, Grey screen. Please help!

    Please forgive me if this posting is a bit lengthy!
    My Mac had been on sleep mode for 2 days, when I tried to wake it up a message popped up stating that a system failure had occurred (Darwin Kernal version 7.7.2: etc). I shut it down and tried to restart only to get a grey screen and with the spinning gearlike timer and after about a minute the fan started to run at full power upon which I turned it off via the power button on the rear. I tried several times to re-boot but the same thing happened each time.
    I have tried to start up using the ‘safe-boot’ mode (held down shift after chime and released upon seeing Apple logo and spinning gear timer). After a few seconds however, the screen goes blank and the start-up chime repeats only to be followed once again by the grey screen, spinning gear and fan running at full speed. No progress
    The Apple website suggests using the ‘Software Install or Restore’ disc which came with the computer. However, I don’t have this disc, only ‘Apple hardware test’ and ‘Mac OSX Install’ (3 discs) came in the box.
    I checked the system using the ‘Apple Hardware Test’ CD (by holding down the C-key during start-up) using both the quick and advanced check but no problems were reported.
    I then ran Disc Utility from the first installation disc to repair permissions on the HD which was successful. However, after re-starting the machine, once again the same grey screen appeared with no apparent progress.
    I then tried to check for damage using the ‘fsck’, recommended by Apple if ‘safe boot’ mode cannot be run. After starting up in single-user mode I typed the following prompt: /sbin/fsck –fy. It ran through a quick phrase list but then delivered the line ‘Volume Check Failed’. I faired no better when I repeated the process over again.
    I have never updated the software with Apple updates since I bought the machine (don’t laugh), mainly because I don’t have a broadband internet connection at home, could there be a bug in Panther OSX that needed fixing with a later update?
    I have no ‘add-ons’ plugged in other than the keyboard and mouse. I don’t think it can be a firmware problem, I am the only user and have not changed any settings relating to access permissions.
    This is my first Mac and so my experience of problem solving is quite limited. I am not a Mac expert and to be honest am confused by much of the jargon. The computer is now two years old and therefore out of warranty so I don’t want to take it to my local Mac shop if I can solve the problem myself.
    I’m a bit concerned as there are many documents that I have not backed-up (foolish I know).
    I don’t know how I can attempt to rectify anything if the machine will not even boot-up in safe mode!?!
    Could the problem be something to do with the PRAM settings, might the internal battery be dead bearing in mind that the machine is now 2 years old?
    Would it be possible to re-install Panther from the original discs, I have read that this will not loose any files but can somebody confirm this?
    Can anybody offer some advice as to what I might try to get the Mac to start-up and avoid any problems in the future? Any advice will be much appreciated.
    Imac G5   Mac OS X (10.3)   80Gb HD / 768Mb RAM

    Please accept my apologies regarding the time it has taken for me to get back to you. Since we last spoke I have been away on vacation.
    Upon my return I attempted to follow your advice but it would seem that my problems are more significant than I had originally anticipated.
    First, as you recommended I reset the PRAM by holding down the required keys from start-up, until the machine re-started.
    I then attempted to perform the ‘Archive and Install’ process for OS10.3 (Panther) from the original software discs, making sure to select ‘Preserve User Settings and Preferences’.
    My Mac first went through a ‘Checking your Installation Disc’ phase (10 mins) before starting the next phase ‘Checking Target Volume Consistency’. However, after only a few seconds it stopped with the pop-up message ‘There were errors installing the software’. I repeated the process but got the same message.
    I decided to run Disc Utility once again from Disc 1, upon which I realised that I had previously only run Verify & Repair Disc Permissions, not Verify Disc or Repair Disc.
    I decided to try to Verify Disc under First Aid, however, this was where the trouble started. I got the following message on screen:
    "The Volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
    Volume Check Failed
    Error: The Underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972)
    1 Volume checked
    HFS Volumes verified
    1 Volume failed verification."
    Obviously I am assuming this problem is preventing me from performing an ‘Archive and Install’. Now I’m a bit concerned that my problem could be very serious, bearing in mind that so many of my files are not backed up.
    I’d be very grateful for more wise advice as to what to try next.
    Imac G5   Mac OS X (10.3)   80Gb HD / 768Mb RAM
    Imac G5   Mac OS X (10.3)   80Gb HD / 768Mb RAM

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