My iMac won't boot up please help

Please help me. My iMac just won't start up. Thank you

Does it try at al, or no sign of anything at all?
Can you boot from your Install Disc holding c key?
Does holding Option or alt key at bootup show any choices?
Does it boot to Single User Mode, CMD+s keys at bootup, if so try...
/sbin/fsck -fy
Repeat until it shows no errors fixed.
(Space between fsck AND -fy important).
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214

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Intel iMac won't boot up, please help.

Yesterday I downloaded the iPhone 2.1 Software Update, I then lost two thirds of my contacts, I managed to get them back using the Sync System, I then downloaded the Security Update, which failed "Due to an error" and was "put in the Trash". My computer then crashed, I restarted it and now it won't boot up, it gets as far as the White Screen with the Apple Logo on it with the Spinning Bars "loading" icon underneath, it was like that for over an hour last night and I've tried again this morning and it's the same. has my hard drive gone or is there some less (I hope) final reason for this? Is there an equivalent to Windoze safe mode or similar?
Please help urgently.
Thank You

Try this qst... Safe Boot , (holding Shift key down at bootup), off the HD & use Disk Utility from there to Repair Permissions, reboot once more.
If that doesn't help, Could be many things, we should start with this...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it finishes.
The usual reason why updates fail or mess things up, or things don't load/run, is if Permissions are not fixed before & after every update, with a reboot... you may get a partial update when the installer finds it doesn't have Permissions to change one obscure little part of the OS, leaving you with a mix of OS versions.
Some people get away without Repairing Permissions for years, some for only days.
If Permissions are wrong before applying an update, you could get mixed OS versions, if Directory is the slightest messed up, who knows!
If many Permission are repaired, or any Directory errors are found, you may need to re-apply some the latest/biggest updates again, or even do an A&I if you have enough free disk space.
If we still don't have it, try 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.

IMac G5 HD Won't Boot. Please Help.

I have an iMac G5 (Power PC) which has been running OS 10.5.8 without any issues until today.
When starting, I have a grey screen with the Apple logo, but the wheel beneath keeps turning and the computer will not boot up. I've tried to start it many times, and I just get the grey screen, etc. P.S. I do have a Time Capsule connected via Ethernet and Time Machine was active until this problem today. The TC is disconnected at this point, as I was afraid I'd lose that back up.
Here is what I tried:
I disconnected everything except the keyboard and mouse (not internet/modem/Time Capsule)
I booted from the Leopard Disk, and ran Disk Utility. Message said the the HD appears to be OK
I booted from Drive Genius and ran the following:
1. Repair-Verify: Message was that HD appears OK
2. Repair-Repair: Message was that HD appears OK
3. Repair-Rebuild: Had a few invalid volumes. Message was that the Volume Header and HD repaired successfully
4. Repair-Preferences; SAID THERE IS A CORRUPT PREFERENCE: /bin/sh:xargs:command not found (There was no way that I saw to fix this!)
5. Scan for Bad Blocks: None found
I tried to start the computer again, but I still get the grey screen, Apple Logo, and constant spinning of the wheel WITHOUT a start. It appears that the HD is not 'Dead' but has some issue, perhaps the corrupt preference listed.
So, I need help with my next step. Would any of the following work and if more than one, what order would be best?
1. Use the Leopard Install Disk to 'Restore from Time Machine Backup'? (Never have done this, so I'm clueless)
2. Use the Leopard Install Disk and 'Archive and Install' the OS? Can I do this since the HD has the updates to OS 10.5.8?
3. Use the Leopard Install Disk to Erase and Reinstall the OS and then migrate from the Time Capsule (Never have done this either)
4. AND, if none of this works, I'm assuming I could go get a new iMac and restore everything from the Time Capsule/Time Machine, even though there the OS in a new machine would be upgraded and also Intel Processor. Yes?
In any case....PLEASE HELP if you can.....and THANKS

Thanks for trying to help with this :-). I started as you suggested and here are the last few lines:
Airport: Link down on en1
Sept 19 17:49:16 jack-cohens-imac-g5 ReportCrash [52}: saved crashreport to /Library/logs/CrashReporter/securityd_2011-09-19-174913_jack-cohens-imac-g5.cra sh using uid: 0gid: 0, euid: 0 egid: 0
Sept 19 17:49:18 jack-cohens-imac-g5 ntpdate [63]: can't find host time.apple.com
Sept 19 17:49:18 jack-cohens-imac-g5 ntpdate [63]: no servers can be used, existing
Sept 19 17:49:18 jack-cohens-imac-g5 mds [32]: (error) server: mdsync Launch failed: (ipc/rcv) timed out
Let me know what this means, please. Also, I have the screen 'up', so I can give you more lines if that'll help.
Much appreciated.
Sandie

Satellite m300 won't boot! please help!

Hi,
I've got a bit of an issue here.. I have a Satellite m300.. a white one..
and it won't boot... I've had this very issue before but it turned out to be an external USB HDD that stopped it from booting up but now even with everything removed it still won't boot.
And it was fine until yesterday, it just gave up.. I am away from home for work so I have all the work stuff and unfortunately without my recovery cd, but my guess is that it won't even read it..
So this is what happens..
turn on..
all light come on.. including power and all the white lights around the keypad..
and then maybe 5 sedconds later caplock and numlock(?) green lights flash..
then it's a dead still.. no HDD activities or sound.. just dead quite..
the screen remains black blank through out..
it seems to get stuck here before reaching the post screen.
i thought the power button usually took more than just a push to turn off? it instantly swithces off with a single push of the power button..
I think this laptop is like on sleep or something and can't seem to wak up.. maybe?
And it has vista.
Please help.. I have some important work files I need to recover at least before formatting..
and that has to wait till I get home which won't be for a month or so..
which also lets me take it back for warranty as well..
any help appreciated!!!
cheers,
Min

Quote
Originally posted by syar2003
If running a LCD display with DVI connection , try to hook it up with
an analog VGA cable.
Can also be that the motherboard fails to initialize the vga AGP card.
Turn off all power incl. AC .
Disconnect all devices from motherboard : AGP/memory/drives/floppy/USB/PCI cards etc. take out the 20pin & 4pin PSU connectors and reset the motherboards
cmos .
Assemble PSU connectors ,only one DIMM module and graphics card and turn it on and se if you get a post .
Just removed all components. I reset the CMOS. I then reconnected the 20pin and 4pin, 1 stick ram, and the video card (no ide devices, no mouse, keyboard cd drives) and the monitor doesn't show up. I also tried another monitor so it isn't the monitor.
Could it have a bad AGP port?
Any other suggestions? I am thouroughly stumped. Also the power and reset buttons don't work no matter what configuaration I put the front panel connectors in. The Power LED is lit up and it doesn't work and the reset light is off and it doesn't work.
Also noticed one of my fans connected to one of the two other fan pins on the motherboard isn't working.
What a nightmare.

8800, battery symbol with red line through it. Won't boot. Please help!!!

I recently bought a 8800 and when I inserted a battery, all I got was a battery symbol with a red line through it on a dim screen. I changed batteries, tried to charge it via USB and from a wall outlet to no avail. I tried cleaning the contacts and tried uploading t a new OS, but it wont recognize the phone being connected when it actually is.    I am at the end of my rope with this phone and can't figure out what else to do. Is it just gone? Please help me
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Leave the device to charge 2-3 hours, and then, still connected to the USB cable, remove the the battery from the device a few seconds and reinsert it. If it boots--leave it to charge to 100% (check Options > Status for the percentage).
If it doesn't boot--try using a wall outlet charger if you are not. If you are connected via USB to the PC, make certain that you have Desktop Manager (or the USB device drivers) installed, which you can download below.
1. If any post helps you please click the below the post(s) that helped you.
2. Please resolve your thread by marking the post "Solution?" which solved it for you!
3. Install free BlackBerry Protect today for backups of contacts and data.
4. Guide to Unlocking your BlackBerry & Unlock Codes
Join our BBM Channels (Beta)
BlackBerry Support Forums Channel
PIN: C0001B7B4   Display/Scan Bar Code
Knowledge Base Updates
PIN: C0005A9AA   Display/Scan Bar Code

My macbook 2011 won't boot up please help!!!

Hi there
I hope someone can help me. I have a macbook 2011 and the other week it wouldn't boot up. It went into t a screen with the apple logo and a progress bar appeared. I waited ages but got stuck. I did some research and thought I would buy a new hard drive which I then replaced, all seemed well as it was back to its old self but now the issue has come back. I cant access the hardware test and was wondering if anyone had any ideas of what I can do or how I can access this some other way. I am not sure what could be causing the problem. i am running the macbook on the latest OSX. Any help would be amazing!

It could be the drive cable, and it might have been the drive cable all along. The following article has a list of symptoms describing drive and drive related problems:
Hard Drive Problems
If you could get an external drive with an OS installed on it you could boot from that and try and figure out what's going on. Be advised that Snow Leopard and earlier OSes may not recognize the internal drive's volume if it's Yosemite and they won't make sense of Core Storage because it didn't exist when they were released. Another option might be to boot off the install media if you have it and see what's up with the drive or if it's even visible.
The following articles about resets may help, but don't hold your breath:
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) - Apple Support
How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support
How to reset your Mac's NVRAM, PRAM, and SMC | Macworld
I rather doubt that will do it. If you have the install media I'd use it and see what's up before proceeding.

Windows 7 64 Bit install on Imac 2010 Using Boot Camp PLease Help

OK so I am trying to install my 64 bit windows 7 using bootcamp on my imac 2010 i just bought it today. I have created the partition and the computer restarted and went to windows 7 setup however it then told me it could not find any drivers for the cd/dvd. I think the drivers on the OS X cd but i cant eject the windows 7 cd to put the OS X cd in because I am in windows 7 setup and the eject button wont work. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed? I would Really appreciate it thank you.

It sounds that the Microsoft Installer does not like the optical drive inside of your Mac.
Do you have access to an external DVD drive?
If yes, try the Windows 7 install with an external DVD drive.
If no, try to install Windows 7 from a USB drive.
Source 1:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd535816.aspx
Source 2:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/how-to-deploy-windows -7-from-a-usb-drive.aspx
If you don't have an external DVD drive or a USB drive that is 8GB or larger, you might want to consider borrowing or buying one.

15" PB G4 won't boot up - please help!

Not sure if these issues are related, so I'll give you the whole story.
A few weeks ago, the display suddenly went strange - it looked like a checkerboard of hundreds of vertical and horizontal lines all over the entire display, but you could still see the distorted desktop underneath. I restarted and the problem went away.
One week ago, the same thing happened, but this time I couldn't make the problem go away no matter how many times I rebooted. I shut the computer down, restarted 24 hrs. later and the problem was gone.
Three days later, I couldn't startup the computer. It gets stuck at the grey screen with the apple and the flashing circle of dashes. Some people have described this type of issue and mentioned that the computer boots up very slowly (after 10 minutes) or that they finally get a message that says "you must restart your computer". I let it try to boot up for 35 minutes, but nothing changed. I then tried to backup my data using target disk mode, but the host computer didn't recognize the hard drive on my target computer.
I ran the Apple Hardware Test, it said that the HD appeared OK.
I ran disk utility, no repiars were needed. Ran repair disk permissions, it seemed to change LOTS of things. Reran disk repair. Says everything is okay, but underneath says that it repaired HFS volume. Reran repair disk permissions, says everything is fine, and one thing is using special permissions and lists the new permission used.
After this I was able to recognize the hard drive in target disk mode and transfer my files to another computer via firewire.
Still not able to boot up. I tried the trick of putting the computer in the freezer for 20 minutes. No difference.
I can boot up holding down option-command-O-F. The black and white screen indicates the correct time and correctly perceives that the batttery is 99% charged. I could enter a command like "eject CD" and that worked, but the command "mac-boot" did not (still gets stuck at apple screen). I also tried resetting the PRAM before I repaired the disk permissions and that didn't do anything. Not sure if it's worth doing again.
Does any one have any ideas?

Sarah:
I am not sure why your computer will not boot in Safe Mode, but it does no make me feel secure. Hold off on reformatting for a bit and let's try it again, only this time try it this way:
• Shut down the computer.
• Locate the following keys: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously later.
• Turn on the computer.
• Press and hold the Command + Option + P + R keys immediately after the startup chime.
• Hold keys down until you hear the startup chime for the third time.
• Release the keys and immediately hold down Shift key to start up in Safe Mode.
• Log in and empty Trash.
• Restart normally and log in.
It will take a while, especially if there are issues. So long as the progress wheel is turning something is going on. If there are issues that can't be resolved it will just shut down after a while. Give it fifteen or twenty minutes, anyway.
Cheers
cornelius

My ibook G4 won't boot up - Please Help :(

I have a refurbished ibook G4 that I've had since December. Recently I've had issues where it would give me the blinking question mark over the apple folder on startup. I would just restart it a few times and it would bootup eventually. I restarted my computer today and i get to the grey apple screen and the turning wheel, but after about 20 seconds it goes black and shuts off completely. I held the option button on startup and it does show my harddrive to select, but it still dies when it begins booting up. Does anyone have an idea of what is wrong with my mac, and if so, how I could fix it?

Hi Neekonico and welcome to Apple Discussions.
The flashing question mark means that your iBook cannot find a valid start-up system.
For starters refer to:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417
and follow the instructions from: "Try a Safe Boot", including "Try Disk Utility". If you do need to use Disk Utility as instructed, repeat the process if DU reports that repairs were made until you get the message in green that "The volume appears to be OK" or similar.
Note the prerequisites for fsck, if any of these apply you'll need to follow those instructions in place of "Try Disk Utility".
Post back with how things go or if DU reports that it was unable to repair.
Good luck,
Adrian

When I boot into Win7 I see the windows boot up logo, the. I see my mouse and the screen goes black! It goes black in the login screen, I type my password and I hear the login sound but when I press F2 the brightness won't change! Please help!!!

When I boot into Win7 I see the windows boot up logo, the. I see my mouse and the screen goes black! It goes black in the login screen, I type my password and I hear the login sound but when I press F2 the brightness won't change! Please help!!!

Hi Emma,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
I understand that your Thunderbolt display is just showing a black screen when you boot your computer. The following article should be of help in troubleshooting your display.
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays - Apple Support
Cheers,
Jeff D.

27" iMac won't boot from anything BUT the main drive

Hi all,
My lovely 27" iMac is in perfect working condition, but I thought I'd try to install a OS on a large SD card to see if I would gain any speed.
In the process of doing that (cause I never got that far) I discover that the iMac won't boot from the original install DVD. It simply spits out the DVD when I try to insert into the drive. I'v managed to make an image of the DVD (in a different mac) onto the SD card in order to try an boot from that. No luck. I've tried to insert a original install DVD from my Mac Pro into the iMac, which it reads fine and well, and when I tap the restart button it restarts, but stop with a white screen doing boot up.
If I try to hold down the option key during startup, the iMac WILL let me choose which OS to boot from, but if I choose anything else than the OS already installed it freezes.
I've even tried to boot my Mac Pro from the iMac install DVD - no problems.
I've even run a hardware test on the iMac - no problems.
I am running out of options fast! Please help a devoted Mac-friend.
Take care.
Peter

I WAS using the DVD that came with the machine, but I fear Apple may have sent me the wrong one?
In trying to solve the issues I'd tried other OS disc's (A Mac Pro install DVD and a OS X Leopard DVD) - but none of them would even boot, nor install of my iMac. I always end up with a white screen during boot up.
As I described, the original iMac install DVD would indeed boot my Mac Pro, do the disc seems ok?

My iMac won't boot....Msg says "NO BOOTABLE DEVICE--INSERT BOOT DISK ...

I don't know how to start my iMac up. I don't even know what a boot disk is! Several days ago I tried to run Boot Camp but couldn't continue because I didn't have a Windows program to install si I'm not sure what happened. Can somebody please help me out? Thanks.
Dman- [email protected]

My iMac won't boot....Msg says "NO BOOTABLE DEVICE--INSERT BOOT DISK ...
Posted: Jan 17, 2011 11:44 AM
I'm getting this message again. When I restart using the option key everything is ok. When the computer goes to sleep it has the above message. Is there a setting I need to turn off so this doesn't happen all the time? Thanks.
Dennis

My iMac won't boot up past the white screen with a grey apple and spinning icon

My iMac won't boot up past the white screen with a grey apple and spinning icon...please help!

command R did not result in anything different - still the white screen, etc. I do you Time Machine with and external hard drive, but I unplugged that. I have the installation DVD, but it doesn't seem to be reading it either.

My iMac won't boot. I only get a white screen. Won't open in safe mode or recovery mode. Any suggestions?

Hey, any help? My 24" iMac won't boot. I only get a white screen when turning on. It won't open in safe or recovery mode. Any suggestions?

If you can't boot from your installer DVD, then take it in for service.

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.

My iMac won't boot up please help

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