My imac starts up and goes to a blank blue screen

my imac froze and when i restarted the computer it went to a blank blue screen i can only acsess the system prefences the grey bar at the top is also gone all of my files are there pics,documents, music ect.  but i cant click on anything i tried to boot in safe mode and it wont go into safe mode when i put my snow leopard disk in it wont read it how do i get the computer to boot in safe mode or restore the computer to an ealier day is there a way to manually go into safe mode or restore the computer

Manual instructions >   Mac OS X: Starting up in Safe Mode
If you can't boot in Safe Mode, try Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
When booting from the install disc make sure you are holding down the C key.
Restore...   you need to be able to boot from the install disc and run Disk Utility. It's very possible the startup disk needs repairing.
Instructions here > Using Disk Utility to verify or repair disks

Similar Messages

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    My mac book startup disk is full and when I start it, it give me a blank blue screen. I have tried the shift upon start
    and I started in safe mode, and it gave me the stars screen. How can I delete files to fix the problem

    1. Start up in Safe Mode.
        http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11212
    2. Empty Trash.
        http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10677
    3. Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
        Hold the option key down and click "Go" menu in the Finder menu bar.
        Select "Library" from the dropdown.
        Library > Mail > V2 > Mailboxes
        Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
        Empty Trash. Restart.
    4. Delete old iOS Devices Backup.
        iTunes > Preferences > Devices
        Highlight the old Backups , press “Delete Backup” and then “OK”.
        http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
    5. Re-index Macintosh HD
       System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy
       http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2409

  • OSX Mavericks (new 3.1 Core i7 iMac) crashes on logout and goes to a blank white screen.... arrghhh

    Just started happending after updating to Maverick
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    I had a similar problem, and connected it to a posted software problem related to hard disks from Westeren Digital. I uninstalled alle the software from Western Digital. The disk still works as normal, and the logout problem disappeared. It is a software problem that will probably be fixed by WD and/or Apple soon, but until then you may uinstall it temporarily. Or permanently, I do not need that extra WD software anyway.
    For reference:
    http://www.infoworld.com/t/storage/os-x-mavericks-upgrade-destroys-data-reports- western-digital-230100

  • Well, I was updating my iPod Touch and it went flat while updating. Now every time I go to turn it on it says it's flat, so I charge it and when its turning on it does the apple symbol but then it flashes and goes straight to a blue screen. What can I do?

    Thats what happens to it. How you fix it?
    P.s: don't mind my screen.

    Try:
    - iOS: Not responding or does not turn on
    - Also try DFU mode after try recovery mode
    How to put iPod touch / iPhone into DFU mode « Karthik's scribblings
    - If not successful and you can't fully turn the iOS device fully off, let the battery fully drain. After charging for an least an hour try the above again.
    - If still not successful that usually indicates a hardware problem and an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store is in order.
    Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar       
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  • Updated to 10.6.4 and have blank blue screen - what should I do?

    I updated to 10.6.4 and now have a blank blue screen - what should I do?

    Did you do the combo update?
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  • I have an iMac. , mid 2007.  Frequently, when I take an action, the little color wheel starts spinning and goes on for quite awhile.  Save a file, close a file, open a file, open a window, it's all random.  Somtimes it stalls, sometimes it doesn't.  Why?

    I have an iMac. , mid 2007.  Frequently, when I take an action, the little color wheel starts spinning and goes on for quite awhile.  Save a file, close a file, open a file, open a window, it's all random.  Somtimes it stalls, sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes long, sometims short.  Why is this happening?

    Consider adding more memory. Be sure you have adequate free space on the hard drive - 15 GBs or 10% of the drive's capacity, whichever is greater. Do not run too many applications concurrently. Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on resolving the SBBOD.
    Do some maintenance:
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    Boot from your Leopard 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.
    Kappy's Personal Suggestions for OS X Maintenance
    For disk repairs use Disk Utility.  For situations DU cannot handle the best third-party utilities are: Disk Warrior;  DW only fixes problems with the disk directory, but most disk problems are caused by directory corruption; Disk Warrior 4.x is now Intel Mac compatible. Drive Genius provides additional tools not found in Disk Warrior.  Versions 1.5.1 and later are Intel Mac compatible.
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    OS X automatically defragments files less than 20 MBs in size, so unless you have a disk full of very large files there's little need for defragmenting the hard drive. As for virus protection there are few if any such animals affecting OS X. You can protect the computer easily using the freeware Open Source virus protection software ClamXAV. Personally I would avoid most commercial anti-virus software because of their potential for causing problems. For more about malware see Macintosh Virus Guide.
    I would also recommend downloading a utility such as TinkerTool System, OnyX 2.4.3, or Cocktail 5.1.1 that you can use for periodic maintenance such as removing old log files and archives, clearing caches, etc.
    For emergency repairs install the freeware utility Applejack.  If you cannot start up in OS X, you may be able to start in single-user mode from which you can run Applejack to do a whole set of repair and maintenance routines from the command line.  Note that AppleJack 1.5 is required for Leopard. AppleJack 1.6 is compatible with Snow Leopard. There is no confirmation that this version also works with Lion.
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    Get an external Firewire drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
    Carbon Copy Cloner
    Data Backup
    Deja Vu
    SuperDuper!
    SyncTwoFolders
    Synk Pro
    Synk Standard
    Tri-Backup
    Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore.
    Additional suggestions will be found in Mac Maintenance Quick Assist.
    Referenced software can be found at CNet Downloads or MacUpdate.
    Be sure you have an adequate amount of RAM installed for the number of applications you run concurrently. Be sure you leave a minimum of 10% of the hard drive's capacity as free space.

  • I have an iMac from 2008.  When I start I get gray screen with apple and turning gear. Next blue screen. Then light blue screen with turning gear. Back to blue screen.  Now just back and forth blue to light blur

    I have an iMac from 2008.  When I start I get gray screen with apple and turning gear. Next blue screen. Then light blue screen with turning gear. Back to blue screen.  Now just back and forth blue to light blur

    Reinstall OS X:
    Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
    Do the following:
    1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your Snow Leopard 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.
    2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
    If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed with reinstalling OS X.  Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files.  After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
    Download and install the Combo Updater for the version you prefer from support.apple.com/downloads/.
    Reinstalling Lion Without Erasing the Drive
    Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
    Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
    When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
    Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion and click on the Continue button.
    Note: You can also re-download the Lion installer by opening the App Store application. Hold down the OPTION key and click on the Purchases icon in the toolbar. You should now see an active Install button to the right of your Lion purchase entry. There are situations in which this will not work. For example, if you are already booted into the Lion you originally purchased with your Apple ID or if an instance of the Lion installer is located anywhere on your computer.

  • My iMac starts up and then shuts itself down during the boot up process. it shuys down half way through the Apple logo appearing. any ideas how to fix?

    My iMac starts up and then shuts itself down during the boot up process. it shuys down half way through the Apple logo appearing. any ideas how to fix?

    Hi daveormond,
    I'm sorry to hear you are having these issues with your iMac. If you continue to have issues with your Mac shutting down part way through the boot up process, you may find the troubleshooting steps outlined in the following articles helpful (given your description, it sounds like it could be either issue, or a combination of both):
    Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup - Apple Support
    OS X: When your computer spontaneously restarts or displays "Your computer restarted because of a problem." - Apple Support
    Regards,
    - Brenden

  • I tried to install yosemite yesterday and my computer goes through the whole installation process and then to a blank white screen.  I've rebooted, I've reinstalled several times and get the same result.  Two days wasted!

    I tried to install yosemite yesterday and my computer goes through the whole installation process and then to a blank white screen.  I've rebooted, I've reinstalled several times and get the same result.  Two days wasted and I can't use my computer!!

    I don't know if you've already resolved your problem, but I had the same thing, it took me 6 hours to fix it. I had the exact same as you, installed the update and then it went to a white screen. After trying start up holding down cmmd r or holding down the alt key to try to install it again, nothing worked, same result every time. Then an angel came to me here somewhere but I can't find it now to thank him. Start in safe mode, press shift once you hear the start up chime and hold it down until you hear it again. Installation completion box came up and it was working. turn off computer and start up again normally and all is well. Except my final cut pro x doesn't work with it, have to update that now too. same as when I updated to mavericks.
    Hope this helps.

  • When I open email it shuts down immediately and goes back to my main screen.  Any suggestions?.

    When I open email it shuts down immediately and goes back to my main screen.  Any suggestions?.

    Double tap your home button to bring up the most recently used apps (task bar).  With your finger hold it on any of the those apps until they all start to jiggle.  Each app will now show a in the upper left corner.  Touch the minus on the Mail App to fully close it.  Touch your home button once again to stop the apps from Jiggling, then again to get back to your home screen.
    I would then Reboot your iPad:  Press and hold BOTH the power and home buttons at the SAME time for at least 10 seconds (ignore the red slider to shut down) until the Apple Logo appears, then let go of both buttons and your iPad will restart. 
    Try the mail app and see if you can navigate again.
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  • When using my ipad air it keeps coming off the page I'm on or app and going back to the home screen. Also when using my ipad the screen will go white with a black apple icon in the middle for about 20 seconds then it makes a ping

    When using my ipad air it keeps coming off the page I'm on or app I am using and going back to the home screen. Also when using my ipad the screen will go white with a black apple icon in the middle for about 20 seconds then it makes a ping sound and goes to the home screen. Could anyone help please. Thank you :-)

    Read here:
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  • My iphone 3g stays on the apple logo for about 4 minutes then flashes white and goes back to the apple screen, it repeats untill battery is flat,  every now and then im lucky enough to get it to turn on but not very often and then it freezes and repeats??

    hello my name is kirstie, i updated to firmware 4.2.1 .....my iphone 3g stays on the apple logo for about 4 minutes then flashes white and goes back to the apple screen, it repeats untill battery is flat,  every now and then im lucky enough to get it to turn on but not very often and then it freezes and repeats the same problem?? (if i turn the phone off my pressing the two buttons it wont keep rebooting, its only when i leave it after turning it on)
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    Anyone have any suggestions? or is everyone else just as clueless as me !

  • My safari keeps crashing and going back to the home screen

    My safari keeps crashing, shutting down and going back to the home screen. Any help would be appreciated.
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    My safari keeps crashing, shutting down and going back to the home screen. Any help would be appreciated.
    Many thanks.

  • Blue screen of death, and continous reboot.  Phone never actually boots up, just keeps going from reboot to blue screen and back again.  Any suggestion?

    Blue screen of death, and continous reboot.  Phone never actually boots up, just keeps going from reboot to blue screen and back again.  Any suggestion?

    Hello jared1915
    If you are stuck in that loop, the next step would be to restore your iPhone. Check out the article below to get your iPhone into recovery-mode and restore it in iTunes.
    If you can't update or restore your iOS device
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1808
    Regards,
    -Norm G.

  • TS1368 when i try to access the itunes store to buy music, it loads at the top and says connecting to itunes store..then it loads all the way and goes to a blank page. it loads and seems like it is will work, but then goes to a blank page. Why is it doing

    when i try to access the itunes store to buy music, it loads at the top and says connecting to itunes store..then it loads all the way and goes to a blank page. it loads and seems like it is will work, but then goes to a blank page. Why is it doing this?

    Hello katyhale,
    I found a couple of articles that might help with the issue you are experiencing with the iTunes Store.
    If you are getting a white screen when accessing the iTunes Store and using a Windows computer, I recommend reviewing this article:
    Apple software on Windows: May see performance issues and blank iTunes Store
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4123
    If you are still not able to access the store, I recommend the following article:
    iTunes: Advanced iTunes Store troubleshooting
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3297
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
    Best,
    Sheila M.

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