My imac will not boot up, any answers?

My imac will not boot up.
It froze so I turned it off. Now it won't boot up at all.
Any ideas

Thanks for your help.
i don't know how to do a hardware Test when it won't boot up.
I tried to boot it from the original disc but it wouldn't recognise the hard drive at all
Ditto from backup Hard drive.
Any ideas??

Similar Messages

IMac will not boot from any mode except Target Disk

I have an Early 2008 Penryn iMac 24" MB398LL/A running OS X 10.7.4 (see specs below) that will not boot from ANY mode, It also has several strange vertical bars from top to bottom on the screen. They are about 10 px wide, with some pixels empty and looks a bit like a barcode if you squint at it.
I have tried Safe Boot, Force Boot, DVD Boot, FireWire/USB Boot, and it always gets to the same point. It gets to the apple screen with the spinning gear and then after about 8 seconds it freezes. The only way it works at all is in Target Disk Mode. It pops right up on my Macbook Pro and I was able to grab all my info!
I have run Disc Utilities and Tech Tool on it many times from my MBP and it passes every test.
I reformatted the HD and installed 10.7 again, it still freezes up at the same point.
I have tried using Single User mode and every time have had to run /sbin/fsck -fy twice because it always says the disk is ok but it was modified on the first pass.
I thought maybe it had a bad video card or logic board but and I ran the Apple Hardware Test on many occasions and it always passes. Recently I was told about Loop Mode and just completed running the AHT for just over 30 hours without any errors at all.
UPDATE...
Strange Part… I tried installing Mountain Lion in Target Disk Mode and everything went smoothly. When it restarted on its own the lines on the screen were gone for the moment, but the Mac still freezes up on the spinning gear and immediately restarts on its own. I have run every thing listed above on it and still nothing. Sometimes the lines reappear then in two more starts they are gone.
I did manage to have it start one time got a copy of the the error report (its at the bottom too) The Mac ran for at least 30 minutes with no problems, then the screen went crazy a few seconds and it became unresponsive. The mouse moved but that was all it could do. Now my iMac continually restarts itself, I don't have any more ideas, HELP!
Specs...
The iMac "Core 2 Duo" 3.06 24-Inch Aluminum (Early 2008/Penryn) features a 3.06 GHz Intel "Core 2 Duo" processor (E8435), with two independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip, a 6 MB shared level 2 cache, a 1066 MHz system bus, 2 GB of RAM (800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, PC2-6400), a 500 GB (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard drive, a vertically-mounted slot-loading DVD±R DL "SuperDrive", NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics acceleration with 512 MB of GDDR3 memory, a built-in iSight video camera, and built-in stereo speakers underneath the 24" glossy TFT Active Matrix LCD (1920x1200 native) display.
Error Report…
Sat Sep 1 17:13:12 2012
panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff801a4b7b95): Kernel trap at 0xffffff7f9bab8654, type 14=page fault, registers:
CR0: 0x000000008001003b, CR2: 0x0000000000000010, CR3: 0x0000000011803000, CR4: 0x0000000000000660
RAX: 0x0000000000000001, RBX: 0xffffff8050e00000, RCX: 0xffffff801aa8eb00, RDX: 0xffffff80602dba38
RSP: 0xffffff80602dbb60, RBP: 0xffffff80602dbb60, RSI: 0x0000000000000000, RDI: 0x0000000000000000
R8: 0x0000000000000000, R9: 0x00000000000000ff, R10: 0xffffffffffffffff, R11: 0x00000000ffffffff
R12: 0xffffff8050e00000, R13: 0x0000000000000000, R14: 0x0000000000000002, R15: 0x0000000000000000
RFL: 0x0000000000010246, RIP: 0xffffff7f9bab8654, CS: 0x0000000000000008, SS: 0x0000000000000010
Fault CR2: 0x0000000000000010, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Fault CPU: 0x0

Here is the complete error log...
Sat Sep 1 17:13:12 2012
panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff801a4b7b95): Kernel trap at 0xffffff7f9bab8654, type 14=page fault, registers:
CR0: 0x000000008001003b, CR2: 0x0000000000000010, CR3: 0x0000000011803000, CR4: 0x0000000000000660
RAX: 0x0000000000000001, RBX: 0xffffff8050e00000, RCX: 0xffffff801aa8eb00, RDX: 0xffffff80602dba38
RSP: 0xffffff80602dbb60, RBP: 0xffffff80602dbb60, RSI: 0x0000000000000000, RDI: 0x0000000000000000
R8: 0x0000000000000000, R9: 0x00000000000000ff, R10: 0xffffffffffffffff, R11: 0x00000000ffffffff
R12: 0xffffff8050e00000, R13: 0x0000000000000000, R14: 0x0000000000000002, R15: 0x0000000000000000
RFL: 0x0000000000010246, RIP: 0xffffff7f9bab8654, CS: 0x0000000000000008, SS: 0x0000000000000010
Fault CR2: 0x0000000000000010, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Fault CPU: 0x0
Backtrace (CPU 0), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff80602db800 : 0xffffff801a41d5f6
0xffffff80602db870 : 0xffffff801a4b7b95
0xffffff80602dba40 : 0xffffff801a4ce4ad
0xffffff80602dba60 : 0xffffff7f9bab8654
0xffffff80602dbb60 : 0xffffff7f9baa218c
0xffffff80602dbbb0 : 0xffffff7f9baa20e2
0xffffff80602dbbd0 : 0xffffff7f9ba73554
0xffffff80602dbc00 : 0xffffff7f9aa8d470
0xffffff80602dbc40 : 0xffffff7f9aa8d3df
0xffffff80602dbc60 : 0xffffff7f9aa926ec
0xffffff80602dbcf0 : 0xffffff7f9aa8af20
0xffffff80602dbd20 : 0xffffff7f9aadacc7
0xffffff80602dbd70 : 0xffffff801a833b9b
0xffffff80602dbdc0 : 0xffffff801a862d57
0xffffff80602dbe30 : 0xffffff801a497cef
0xffffff80602dbe80 : 0xffffff801a420abd
0xffffff80602dbeb0 : 0xffffff801a410448
0xffffff80602dbf00 : 0xffffff801a4195fb
0xffffff80602dbf70 : 0xffffff801a4a5ad6
0xffffff80602dbfb0 : 0xffffff801a4ced13
      Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
         com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3.4)[2600903C-EEDE-321B-A023-169DC9B26EA6]@0 xffffff7f9aa81000->0xffffff7f9aab8fff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7)[8C9E06A4-13D0-33F5-A377-9E36F0ECC229]@0xffffff 7f9aa4d000
         com.apple.NVDAResman(8.0)[6A699209-FB98-316B-A3C0-DCA82AA8C86B]@0xffffff7f9aad8 000->0xffffff7f9addafff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7)[8C9E06A4-13D0-33F5-A377-9E36F0ECC229]@0xffffff 7f9aa4d000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.3.4)[99CA4184-8D92-31B2-8726-46139E8E3DFF]@0xff ffff7f9aac4000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3.4)[2600903C-EEDE-321B-A023-169DC9B26EA6]@0 xffffff7f9aa81000
         com.apple.GeForce(8.0)[4B9BE287-5251-398E-96B0-BB16C9BFB2D9]@0xffffff7f9ba72000 ->0xffffff7f9bb34fff
            dependency: com.apple.NVDAResman(8.0.0)[6A699209-FB98-316B-A3C0-DCA82AA8C86B]@0xffffff7f9aa d8000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.3.4)[99CA4184-8D92-31B2-8726-46139E8E3DFF]@0xff ffff7f9aac4000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7)[8C9E06A4-13D0-33F5-A377-9E36F0ECC229]@0xffffff 7f9aa4d000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3.4)[2600903C-EEDE-321B-A023-169DC9B26EA6]@0 xffffff7f9aa81000
BSD process name corresponding to current thread: WindowServer
Mac OS version:
12B19
Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 12.1.0: Tue Aug 14 13:29:55 PDT 2012; root:xnu-2050.9.2~1/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: 3005059E-270B-3B9F-940D-7A66C05DDC9D
Kernel slide:     0x000000001a200000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff801a400000
System model name: iMac8,1 (Mac-F227BEC8)
System uptime in nanoseconds: 26349024446
last loaded kext at 22534854703: com.apple.driver.AppleHDAHardwareConfigDriver          2.3.0f2 (addr 0xffffff7f9c489000, size 12288)
loaded kexts:
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAHardwareConfigDriver          2.3.0f2
com.apple.driver.AppleHDA          2.3.0f2
com.apple.driver.AppleTyMCEDriver          1.0.2d2
com.apple.filesystems.autofs          3.0
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothSerialManager          4.0.9f8
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothUSBDFU          4.0.9f8
com.apple.driver.AppleLPC          1.6.0
com.apple.driver.AppleMuxControl          3.2.6
com.apple.driver.AppleBacklight          170.2.3
com.apple.driver.AppleUpstreamUserClient          3.5.10
com.apple.driver.AppleMCCSControl          1.0.33
com.apple.GeForce          8.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleSMCPDRC          1.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOUserEthernet          1.0.0d1
com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X          7.0.0
com.apple.driver.ApplePolicyControl          3.2.6
com.apple.driver.ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin          1.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleIRController          320.15
com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient          3.5.1
com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver          3.0.1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless          1.0.0d1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib          1.0.0d1
com.apple.BootCache          34
com.apple.driver.XsanFilter          404
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage          2.2.1
com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI          4.9.5
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub          5.1.6
com.apple.driver.AirPortBrcm43224          600.36.17
com.apple.iokit.AppleYukon2          3.2.3b1
com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort          2.4.0
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelPIIXATA          2.5.1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI          5.1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI          5.1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM          1.6.1
com.apple.driver.AppleRTC          1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleHPET          1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons          1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS          1.9
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC          1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC          1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient          196.0.0
com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall          4.0.39
com.apple.security.quarantine          2
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement          196.0.0
com.apple.driver.DspFuncLib          2.3.0f2
com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily          1.8.9fc9
com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib          1.6
com.apple.kext.triggers          1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily          10.0.6
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusPCI          1.0.10d0
com.apple.driver.AppleBacklightExpert          1.0.4
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusController          1.0.10d0
com.apple.nvidia.nv50hal          8.0.0
com.apple.NVDAResman          8.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireIP          2.2.5
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAController          2.3.0f2
com.apple.iokit.IOHDAFamily          2.3.0f2
com.apple.iokit.IOSurface          86.0.2
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily          4.0.9f8
com.apple.driver.AppleGraphicsControl          3.2.6
com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport          2.3.4
com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily          2.3.4
com.apple.driver.AppleSMC          3.1.3d11
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginLegacy          1.0.0
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginFamily          5.2.0d16
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver          5.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub          5.1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite          5.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice          3.5.1
com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily          1.7
com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily          1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily          1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOATAPIProtocolTransport          3.5.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily          3.5.1
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily          4.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient          5.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family          500.15
com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily          3.0
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily          2.2.0
com.apple.iokit.IOATAFamily          2.5.1
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily          5.1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime          1.6.1
com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily          1.8.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily          1.1
com.apple.security.sandbox          220
com.apple.kext.AppleMatch          1.0.0d1
com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet          7
com.apple.driver.DiskImages          344
com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily          1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore          28.18
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform          1.6
com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily          2.7
com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily          1.4
com.apple.kec.corecrypto          1.0
Model: iMac8,1, BootROM IM81.00C1.B00, 2 processors, Intel Core 2 Duo, 3.06 GHz, 2 GB, SMC 1.30f1
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS, PCIe, 512 MB
Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 1 GB, DDR2 SDRAM, 800 MHz, 0x2C00000000000000, 0x38485446313238363448445A2D3830304531
Memory Module: BANK 1/DIMM1, 1 GB, DDR2 SDRAM, 800 MHz, 0x2C00000000000000, 0x38485446313238363448445A2D3830304531
AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0x8C), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.10.131.36.16)
Bluetooth: Version 4.0.9f8 10405, 2 service, 18 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Serial ATA Device: WDC WD5000AAKS-40YGA1, 500.11 GB
Parallel ATA Device: MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-875
USB Device: Built-in iSight, apple_vendor_id, 0x8502, 0xfd400000 / 2
USB Device: BRCM2046 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0x1a100000 / 2
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, apple_vendor_id, 0x820f, 0x1a110000 / 5
USB Device: IR Receiver, apple_vendor_id, 0x8242, 0x5d100000 / 2
USB Device: Hub in Apple Extended USB Keyboard, apple_vendor_id, 0x1002, 0x1d100000 / 2
USB Device: Trackball, 0x046d (Logitech Inc.), 0xc404, 0x1d120000 / 4
USB Device: Apple Extended USB Keyboard, apple_vendor_id, 0x0204, 0x1d110000 / 3

Intel iMac will not boot past gray screen

Intel iMac will not boot past gray screen
my system:
new (month old) 24" intel imac, 2.8 ghz, 4 gb ram.
running: leopard (upgraded from tiger, which was pre-installed at purchase), installed 10.5.1 update right before this huge problem occurred.
install discs on-hand: two-disc tiget set, single leopard upgrade disc.
what led to this:
i wanted to install windows using bootcamp on a 50 gb partition.
at this point i was running leopard 10.5
i followed all bootcamp instructions, printing out the guide, as well. once i got into the windows setup, i was prompted to choose a partition to install windows. unlike the bootcamp guide, which showed three partitions, one clearly labeled "bootcamp", i saw only one partition. not wanting to risk writing over my mac partition, i quit the setup and rebooted the mac os. after some googling around, i looked for firmware updates (didn't need any), and then software updates. i decided to try updating to 10.5.1.
i then ran through boot camp again, deleting my previous windows partition, creating a new one, and moving forward as before. once again, i was only shown one partition to choose from in the windows setup. i exited the setup again to reboot through the mac os, but this time, i was only given a blank gray screen.
here's what i have tried so far:
booting from a CD, holding down the C or D keys: no response (in fact, i have to restart the computer holding down the mouse button to be able to eject the CD)
booting with option key held down: gray screen
booting with option key held down with external bootable firewire drive attached: the firewire drive appears as a boot icon, and i can click on it within a five second window, but then the screen freezes after that time period, and nothing changes
booting into target mode while attached to another mac: gray screen (no firewire icon, and drive never shows up on other mac)
resetting NVRAM: i'm able to hear the boot chimes, but no difference in performance. gray screen every time
Safe boot: nothing but a gray screen
Verbose mode: gray screen
Single user mode: gray screen
Single user mode with firewire drive attached: occasionally (not every time), i am able to get the white on black terminal to show up. from here, i'm able to run fsck, but it appears to only be checking the firewire drive. i have tried several times to boot from here, and once it took me to a blue screen with movable arrow cursor, but it never went beyond this.
is there anything else left to try before taking it to apple?
any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
Casey Burns
Casey Burns Illustration and Design
http://CaseyBurns.com

I'd call Apple support at this point. You'll need
to put this issue on the record.
Call U.S. iPod and Mac technical support: 1-800-APL-CARE (1-800-275-2273)
The wait may be long for an agent to come on the line
so expect that and have some other stuff to do in the meantime.
If you have the applecare protection plan, I'd ask about "onsite"
service.
I like your work ! Good luck !
Slim
Message was edited by: slimpikkunz

IMac will not boot, hard drive file problem? Can't install OS in 2nd part.

The iMac will not boot. The Apple displays on the screen, the cursor spins for awhile, and then it loops into a reboot effort.
Last night, I was doing a lot of custom file sharing settings using the include enclosed folders option at the bottom of the Get Info window.
Question 1: Could that file sharing process have messed things up?
In an effort to get things going........ A few weeks back, I used Disk Utility to create a 2nd partition, with the intent of installing Ubuntu Linux there. I never attempted the install, as far as I can remember, while playing with the Ubuntu Live CD. So, I thought I would install 10.5.6 from the CD in the 2nd partition. But I get an error message that says "The installer could not create the folder "/Volumes/Ubuntu 9.10/BaseSystem.pkg.161nDNDdQ.""
Question 2: I also shared that partition, could that have caused the OS install failure?
Question 3: If I understand the book correctly, I can try to install the OS from the CD on the 1st partition, and not lose my data, correct? Unfortunately, I don't have any backup for the data, as I don't own any drives large enough yet to accommodate the data on the drive.
Question 4: Anyone have any other thoughts as to what ent wrong?

Hi, Grant.
Sometimes, it just pays to think on a problem. I awoke thinking, if it will boot the OS X install CD, it ought to boot my Ubuntu Live CD. And then, maybe I can change permissions on the first partition. As soon as I thought that, it occurred to me, if the problems are with the permissions, what if I used the OS X disk, and erased (formatted) the Ubuntu partition. That should set all the permissions on that partition back to default. Would OS X install then to the Ubuntu partition?
You better believe it did!! I'm typing this from the Mac after updating my 10.5.6 to 10.5.8 in the 2nd partition, and I'm booting from the 2nd partition.
I then did as you suggested, and from the Mac, I repaired the permissions to the first partition. But, the result was the same, there are a few permissions that do not match, and Disk Utility cannot, does not, or will not correct them.
I'm currently downloading the 10.5.8 combo update .dmg file. My thought is to burn that to a disk, and then install it over the version in partition 1. And trust that the current installation on partition 1 does not have any cross linked files that will destroy some data.
I do have some old ATA IDE drives I can hook externally to the Mac, and copy some of the information I have from the Mac to those drives before doing the 10.5.8 install.
Can you think of a better solution?

IMac will not boot up when printer is plugged in USB

After buying my new iMac (with Tiger) I successfully transfered everything from my old iMac (with Panther) and all was well.
The problem is that when my printer (Canon Pixma MP130) is plugged in on start up, the iMac will not boot up (no gears turning on the white/grey screen). When I unplug the printer from the USB and start it up, it works fine. Its not a super big deal because I can just plug the printer in when I need it. But why does it do this?
I foound on the internet someone else who had the same issues. It was suggested to him to search the printer manufacturers website for updated drivers. I did this, installed them etc..... still no luck.
I am without any mac guru's here in Yellowknife......help!
Angie

Hello there,
I hope it is OK to recycle this old thread.  I did not want to create a new one since I am experiencing the exact same issue as the original poster *flying girl* as well as other posters in the following threads:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4190807
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3950255
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4201169
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4490899&#4490899
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4470944
I have two Macs, a PowerBook G4 and an Intel iMac 20" (Aluminum)--please refer to my signature or profile for the specs of these machines.  Of course, I got the PowerBook before I got the iMac.  I am running the latest version of the Canon MP130 drivers, printer drivers version 4.8.3 and scanner drivers version 12.11.0, on both machines.
When I turn on my PowerBook with the Canon PIXMA MP130 multifunction turned ON and connected via USB to the PowerBook, the PowerBook boots up just fine.  I have even experimented with both a USB hub and a direct connection to the Canon MP130, and the PowerBook boots fine in both instances.
However, when I turn on my iMac with the Canon MP130 turned ON and connected via USB to the iMac, the startup tone plays, and then the iMac hangs at the blue/gray solid screen--it does not even show the Apple logo or the spokes--that is, until I turn the Canon MP130 OFF.  When I turn it off, the Apple logo appears, the spokes move, and my iMac boots up just fine.  And as long as the MP130 is OFF, I can boot the iMac fine from scratch too.
I tried starting in verbose mode (⌘V) and single-user mode (⌘S), and the gray/blue screen still appears after the startup tone plays; again, if I turn the Canon MP130 OFF, the rest of the boot sequence resumes as normal, and only then do I get to see the descriptive text for those startup modes.  But the text goes by so fast that I miss most of it--I did manage to catch something that said something like "get full config descriptor = NULL," but I am not sure if that was the exact wording.  I would need a good camcorder or even just a digital camera or another device to capture exactly what the screen says in verbose mode.  If I had those options, I would post pictures here.
I was thinking about contacting Canon, but since the issue happens on one Mac only, I figured they would tell me that it is a problem with my Mac.  So hopefully posting the information here is OK.
Another key feature is that the Canon MP130 has a built-in card reader.  I made sure that my Startup Disk preferences were set to boot from the system drive, and they still are.  And I have reset the SMC and PRAM on the iMac.
I would like to mention the following link:
http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/50389-intel-imac-wont-boot-when-canon-printer-p lugged.html
If you go to page 2 on that above thread, it shows one user who allegedly physically disconnected the card reader connection from the inside of the Canon MP130 (I would NOT recommend that myself).  I just wonder if there is a more feasible resolution to this issue.
Does anyone else experience the same issue with other printers or multifunctions?  Also, why does the issue occur only on my Intel iMac 20" (aluminum), and NOT on my PowerBook G4?
Please let us know about your experience as it seems many of us are at a loss for a solution.
Thank you very much for your help; we await!  :)
Cya!
\m/ Mad Metal Mage \m/

My 2011 IMac will not boot up past the White apple logo screen with the whirly circle

My 2011 IMac will not boot up past the White apple logo screen with the whirly circle. I have tried various commands but to no avail. does anybody have any advice?

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, 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 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 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.

White iMac will not boot after 10.6.8 upgrade

I downloaded the 10.6.8 upgrade last night. This morning, the white plastic iMac will not boot.
I have tried evey known keyboard option.
I have tried booting from the snow leopard dvd.
I have zapped the pram.
Nothing!
Please, any help would be great.

We bought 2 iMac's 27inch with i7 Quad-core. Did the update a couple of hours ago. My Mac asked to reboot after update, but i didn't accept and worked with iTunes for a while. Then rebooted manually. After reboot it took about 15 minutes to reboot (light-blue screen with nothing on it, not even a mouse). My Wife also did the update of 10.6.8 and rebooted when asked. Her iMac also took 15 minutes to reboot, bus update was unsuccesful! So did update again and then denied reboot and rebooted manually! (Apple-logo and then choose "restart").
When we did that, iMac was very fast and updateproblem was solved! So deny reboot and reboot manually and problems are over. Same deal with 2 brandnew iMac. I'm guessing this is an issue. To much of a coincidence for me!

Imac will not boot past Apple Logo

My imac will not boot after the good chime and apple logo (i don't even get a spinning wheel). I have held the option key down and selected the OS 10.6 disk with the same result. I was able to erase the drive and reinstall OS 10.6 using target mode and another computer. In target mode I can boot the other computer from the IMac HD but not the IMac. Have also tried holding the shift key and booting into safe mode with the same result. Additional note: I reset the PRAM and the SMU. At first on PRAM reset it would take 45 seconds for the machine to chime again, after OS reinstall and SMU reset, PRAM reset chimes within 10 seconds.... any help would be appreciated...

Kind of late but your solution helped me remember what once worked for me, a few years back.
Started iMAC in Target mode Used a firewire cable to a MacBook Pro
Started the Macbook Pro using the option Key and then restarted with the iMac as the Hard drive
Then I updated to 10.6.8 and allof the other updates.
shut down and rebooted and everything was fine.
But first I did quite a few other things before the update such as
It all started with a DiskWarrior finding overlapped files, I have been around the block a time or two so after it found three overlapped files, I shut down diskwarrior started up disk utility did a restore of the messed up drive to another external drive,
of course this copied overlapped files and all to the new external drive It took 24 huors or so, to back up the drive once it was done, I also tried a few times to correct the overlapped files to no avail,
so then I started the iMac up in target mode used the MacBook to format and erase the original drive, used the 10.6.3 DVD installer to install onto the hard drive, using the macBook DVD. After I was finished with the install to the iMAC,,,,,,,,,,this is where I got the three beeps like bad ram So idid the PRAM and SMC to no avail.
The operating system was evidently not new enough so once I did what i said at the begining of this post all went well.
Sometimes It is tough to remember some of the stuff that you learned several years ago.
and tired hard to forget.
I hoped this post does not scare away to many people, I was just about done with this computer until I read your post, one of several dozen, and it all came back to me.
Thanks a Bunch
I hope this can help others
themacprofessor

G4 that will not boot from any disc EXCEPT the Apple Hardware Test CD

We have a DP 1ghz Quicksilver PowerMac G4 that will not boot from any disc EXCEPT the Apple Hardware Test CD that came with the machine.
We were in the process of installing 10.4 Tiger before placing it for sale.
The Mac was originally OSX Server 10.1 that we later converted to a worksation running 10.3 Panther.
It has 1 GB of memory, 80GB hardrive, 250MB Zip Drive and a Radeon 7500 video card.
Since this machine only has a CD-R drive and not a DVD-R, we installed Tiger using another Mac via Target Disk Mode. The installation process went well, but when I tried to reboot I got a Kernel Panic right after startup screen with the grey Apple logo.
On some reboots we get to the blue startup screen, others it stops at the grey Apple logo, others a black box like the a Kernel Panic - but with no text. Twice it went directly into Open Firmware.
We have done the following during our troubleshooting:
- Reseat RAM, Video Card, Hard Drive, Zip & CD-R connections
- Remove RAM 1 stick at a time and reboot
- Replace RAM with RAM from another working Quicksilver
- Replace Video Card with one from another working Quicksilver
- Zap PRAM
- Reset CUDA switch
- Unplug the MAC and remove everything (RAM, Battery, etc) for 30 minutes and try to reboot
- Tried booting from the Macintosh Server G4 Software Restore CD
- Tried booting from Mac OS X Server CD
- Tried booting from AppleCare Protection Plan CD with TechTool
- Tried booting from Diskwarrior CD
- Tried booting from an external FireWire drive with a disk image of Tiger OS Install
- Tried booting with the hard drive disconnected
The Mac WILL boot from the Apple Hardware Test CD and will pass ALL of the extended tests.

Conventional wisdom says that any Mac that will not boot up from a System/Install CD OS 9 or an Install CD Mac OS X, has a Hardware problem.
The diagnostic CD is a red herring because it uses a very primitive method of reading the CD, and so does not properly represent the machines general ability to read CDs.
I would look at the CD drive cables, etc, and see if another drive gives different results.
You have not mentioned using the Startup Manager (option key at Startup) to do any checking:
HT1310- Startup Manager: How to select a startup volume

Sometimes iMac will not boot up

hey guys i have been having this on going problem for about a week now. Ok so here's what's happening, this usually happens at night. It seems that my iMac will not boot up, I have my computer put to sleep when I go to sleep and I can wake it up again in the morning. Now when I go out in the evening today for example, I just got home, woke my computer up and everything seemed fine. After a little bit my computer froze so, I restarted it and it will not boot up it would get stuck on the gray screen, sometimes the apple and the spinning thing under it (not the beach ball one) would show up and sometimes I would have just a grey screen. Over the past week I've tried the following:
Reset the Pram
Booted up from the installation cd.
Removed all the cords waited for a couple min. then tried again
Eventually I can boot up, However I am very concerned to what the problem might be.
O yea I also ran a permission repair
One final thing if knows how to protect macs with an anti virus or something similar, it would really help me out.
Thanks

Hi Karim
The symptoms you describe could be caused by bad RAM.
Follow this link to learn about testing memory.
With your iMac you should have received an Apple Hardware Test CD, if not it's included on the Installation DVD (it would state that written somewhere on the DVD). There's also a RAM test included, but it isn't as dependable as memtest (mentioned in the link above) in my experience.
Follow this link to learn how to start the Apple Hardware Test.
Kind regards
--greg

My iMac will not boot through Snow Leopard but will boot through Windows OS

My 2010 iMac will not boot in Snow Leopard, only Windows. Have tried reinstalling Snow leopard a few times and works only for a couple of minutes before freezing and doesnt reboot. Windows works perfect. Snow leopard just doesnt want to boot up past the Apple Logo. It was working fine one day and the next day it froze up and was able to reboot back into Snow Leopard but kept freezing. Now it doesnt load at all into Mac OS.
Brian

Possible scenarios:
1: The 10.6.3 SL retail disk is bad, it happens.
2: Your not using the 10.6.3 SL retail disk but one from another machine which doesn't have the drivers for that machine.
3: Your optical drive is funky or some other hardware issues.
4: Your trying to install 10.6 onto a PowerPC based Mac, no can do.
5: Your not using a wired keyboard for boot key commands, have some other hardware conflicts.
Possible solutions.
1: Copy the SL 10.6.3 disk using Disk Utility to another DVD, the error checking may resolve the original disk's issue.
http://www.brokenhomeboy.co.uk/pierow/blog/2011/10/make-a-bootable-backup-snow-l eopard-install-disc/
2: Make a SL bootable USB
http://www.maciverse.com/install-os-x-snow-leopard-from-usb-flash-drive.html
3: Call Apple for a new 10.6.3 disk (and make copies for backup before Apple discontinues selling it)
If your upgrading to 10.6 to get to 10.6.8 to upgrade to 10.7, be warned of this:
1: Your 10.5 software will not work in 10.7, no more Rosetta or PPC based code.
2: Your hardware will not qualify if it's a 32 bit Intel Core Duo, also you may experience slowdowns in performance over 10.6 (10.6 is the fastest OS X version for Intel Macs) in older Intel hardware (I suggest Early 2011 Mac's and later only for Lion)
3: Mountain Lion 10.8 is reportingly coming out this summer and will not run on a lot of older Intel based Mac's because of heftier graphics requirements.
4: 10.6 has the widest range of current avaialble software and drivers for third party hardware.
My advice, stick with 10.6.8 and stay there, buy a new Mountain Lion machine after this summer. Skip Lion completely.

My iMac will not boot past the logo and spinning gear

My iMac will not boot past the logo and spinning gear (After a Rogue Amoeba update). I can't access the recovery disk I made on a flash drive. (Am I doing it correctly? - Hold down option while switching on? It just stays on the logo). What (if anything) can I do please?

If you installed Lion onto your machine, it should have created a Recovery HD (hidden from view, but visible in Disk Utility with its Debug menu enabled, under Show all Partitions).
That article states:
Note: In order to create an external Lion Recovery using the Lion Recovery Assistant, the Mac must have an existing Recovery HD.
Would I see the recovery menu (by holding down option on power up)
Yes.
if there was no recovery disc connected do you think?
Shouldn't matter, since your int HD is always connected.

My iMac will not boot up. it brings up a black screen with a cursor

all of a sudden my imac will not boot up. it brings up the grey page with the apple, then instead of going to the login, it goes to a blank black page. The cursor moves with the mouse, but that is it

First carefully read and then methodically follow Apple's troubleshooting steps in Gray screen appears during startup

IMac will not boot up. Need to transfer data iMac (2006) iMac (2009)

I have an iMac (built/sold late 2006 -400 Firewire) and an iMac (built/sold late 2009 - 800 Firewire).
I have connected computers with a 400 to 800 Firewire cable.
The old iMac will not boot to desktop. It was suggested to hold down the "T" key and then power up the iMac. This was done and the old iMac shows a "Y" shaped icon that appears to be a Firewire icon. The old iMac does not show up on the desktop of the new iMac.
I would like to transfer data from the old iMac to the newer one. Suggestions ?
Thanks.
old iMac OS 10.4.xx
new iMac OS 10.9.2

She's holding T down on the old computer.
Which is the way it has to be done. The old computer's hard drive will mount on the new computer.
To use FireWire target disk mode
Make sure that the target computer is turned off.
If you are using an Apple portable computer such as a PowerBook or MacBook as the target computer, plug in its AC power adapter.
Use a FireWire cable to connect the target computer to a host computer. The host computer can be powered on.
Start up the target computer and immediately press and hold down the T key until the FireWire icon appears. The hard disk of the target computer should become available to the host computer and will likely appear on desktop. (If the target computer is running Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger, you can also open System Preferences, choose Startup Disk, and click Target Disk Mode. Restart the computer and it will start up in Target Disk Mode.)
When you are finished copying files, locate the target computer's hard disk icon on the desktop of the host computer and drag it to the Trash or choose Eject (or Put Away) from the File menu.
Press the target computer's power button to turn it off.
Unplug the FireWire cable.
(my emphasis).
Excerpt from: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1661
The terms are Target and Host. The old iMac is the Target, the new one is the Host.

My IMac will not boot up help?

My IMac will not boot up. What should I do?

Have you tried Lion recovery mode? See http://www.apple.com/macosx/recovery/ and http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

My imac will not boot up, any answers?

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