My mac stays on the loading screen and when I boot into safe mode it loads the background but no icons

My mac was working fine the other day and I started it up today and it loaded to a blue screen so I restarted it and went to safe mode and it loaded up with the background and mouse but no icons. Could I please have any help thanks.

Just to confirm, your iMac is a "G5" (not Intel), and THIS is the procedure you used to reset the SMU
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1767
and not the procedure for Intel iMacs.
If you have the iMac connected to an old (or overcrowded) power strip, try connecting it directly to a wall outlet by itself. Make sure no other cables (other than the power cord) are connected.

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Login screen comes up repeatedly, booting into safe mode by default

Good Morning,
I have an iMac (Lion 10.8) that is having a lot of trouble. I manage an Elementary School's IT fleet. At the end of last year, the computer was booting into Safe Mode by default. Once the system came up, the teacher could use it - but it took so long to boot that she chose not to. The teacher left the school, and I was planning to just format it and reimage. Here is what I have happening.
Boots into safe mode on it's own
Once it's done booting, the login screen shows up - but entering any credentials just gets a grey screen, and the login screen comes right back. Even root. Which means I can't get logged into the computer at all.
Recovery mode will not allow me to erase the drive, says failed and not able to access the drive.
Target mode will also not allow me to erase the drive, nor will it allow me to push over an image. Scanning the drive failed, busy.
Disk repair says unable to repair disk - please format.
These are the things I have tried.
Reset PRAM (three times over the course of troubleshooting)
Replaced the RAM completely
Unplugged 15 seconds trick
Accessing via Target mode - Drive is greyed out, but shows up
Ran FSCK manually, and it completed
Tried to do a netinstall, but the disk does not show up in netboot as an option.
I thought maybe the drive was bad, but considering that it will boot into safe mode eventually (although you can't login), and FSCK completed successfully - I'm just not sure! I just thought I'd pick your brains. I'm usually a Windows \ Linux Administrator, so this Apple business is new to me I'm learning! Although I find them frustrating. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you

I thought maybe the drive was bad, but considering that it will boot into safe mode eventually (although you can't login),
Some part of the disk may be bad while others are good. i/o could be trying multiple times and eventually succeeding.
Ran FSCK manually, and it completed
You run FSCK in single user mode? This is very surprising. FSCK verifies the filesystem is in order. Actual data blocks could be bad. Would be a surprise if no file system blocks were not also bad.
Except for this fact, it seems like a hd problem. Intermediate problem. Heat problem, etc.
Time to try a different hd. See if that works. Could be some other hardware problem. Try external drive/flash drive, etc.
Mac OS X is BSD Unix.

OS hangs at grey startup screen, won't boot into safe mode

I rebooted my G5 this morning and when it came back up, it hung on the grey screen with the Apple logo and the spinning 'gear' progress bar. I tried rebooting several times, but that didn't help. I tried booting from the install DVD (which it did) and ran disk utility (both verify & repair on the start up drive and on permissions. It claims to have found permission errors and fixed them.) I hunted for answers online and tried to boot into safe mode, which did not work.
Someone mentioned booting into verbose mode and I saw that the load sequence was choaking on the login.
What could the problem be and how can I fix it?

Hi Yosarian,
Minor permissions repairs are no concern: The good news is that your data is probably OK.
Three things can be happening: Some of the machines boot settings are corrupted, or the OS files or settings are damaged, or there's a hardware problem.
Resetting the machines power management chip, called a PMU or SMU, depending on your computer, and the PRAM will resolve machine boot settings problems. Run a google search for your model of Mac plus reset pmu OR smu for instructions. After that, reboot your computer and hold Option-Apple-P-R down as you power on. Hold all 4 keys until you hear the startup chime a second time.
You can test your hardware with the grey disk that came with it that ays AHT in little letters. Boot from the CD and run the extended test. Be patient: AHT can take a long time to boot and run.
If you reset your PMU and PRAM and pass a hardware diagnostic but still can't boot normally, in safe mode, or in single-user mode, the problem is system software. Reinstall from your latest installer, checking off Archive and Install and Preserve Users and Settings from the Options screen available at the screen where you choose which disk to install to.
Good luck,
John

I have upgraded to Mac OS X v10.7 Lion and when I log into mail I can't find my mailboxes other than inbox, draft and sent how do I get my other mailboxes back?

I have upgraded to Mac OS X v10.7 Lion and when I log into mail I can't find my mailboxes other than inbox, draft and sent how do I get my other mailboxes back?

Lion is a bit of a memory hog - kernel_task will use quite a bit and Safari is known to use more; you can't do anything about the system, but changing to Firefox may help a little. The best way to deal with it is to increase your RAM; the required minimum is just that: the minimum. My Macbook would keep crashing and beachballing until I upped the RAM to 4 GB. RAM is inexpensive right now - check out OWC (macsales.com) or Crucial.com; both reputable RAM vendors with lifetime warranties. You won't regret it.
As for iDVD - I purchased the retail iLife 11 disk because of iDVD (because I use that a lot) - it's available at online resellers, the Apple Store, and ebay.

Intel Mini will only boot into safe mode - hangs on ANY Mac OS volume

I have an Intel Mac Mini... the core2duo 1.83GHz or whatever.
I acquired it from it's previous owner, as it was "broken".
He could not get it to run an install disc.
It will not boot any of the Mac OS install media (DVD or CD - 10.4, 10.5, 10.6).
It will not boot/install a Linux disc (I haven't tried, but that's what I was told).
It WILL boot/install Windows !?!?
So... anyway, I removed the HDD, and installed OS 10.6 Leopard on it (FW Target mode installs kept failing at the end - regular retail DVD). I then reinstalled the HDD back into the machine.
The system keeps hanging at the same point it would when trying to boot an install DVD - after the screen turns blue, it goes back to the gray screen, then immediately freezes.
However, I eventually discovered that it WILL boot into safe mode !
Everyone kept saying it's the logic board failure, but if it boots into safe mode, can that be true ? It doesn't seem to me that it would be hardware based in that case - unless it's just a specific component, like the Airport module or something.
The last line displayed in Verbose mode when it hangs is:
"athset_txchainmask[5124] sc->sc.config.txchainmask 5 mask 5"
It also says something about the Airport just before that.
I tried removing the Airport module and it still hangs.
I also tried different RAM, with the same results.
I ran the 10.6.2 combo update in Safe Mode. It still hangs. Haven't tried 10.6.3 yet, though I do have it downloaded and ready to install.
This thing is driving me crazy. Please tell me there's a fix, OTHER than replacing the logic board ?!?! It just doesn't seem like it should be so complicated considering that it runs in safe mode.
It's rare I can't figure out a Mac problem - please help !
Message was edited by: maxtechsystems

Very strange, and getting stranger !
Ok... so, from safe boot mode, I installed Windows XP Pro using the boot camp assistant.
Everything installed perfectly. I started up from Windows, and put in the Mac Mini recovery disc, in order to load the drivers. The Boot Camp software started with Auto Run, and I clicked through to install everything. The drivers start loading...Windows reacts positively, with the system tray announcing "new hardware installed" every 30 seconds or so. Airport/WiFi IS working (in Windows), as it detected my router/network...this is where it gets F'ed up - when the installer gets through with the drivers, and installs the boot camp software for Windows - the system reboots, goes through the usual Windows startup...the desktop background appears, but no icons or start menu - then it reboots again...same thing, again, over and over in a loop.
Went back into OS X (safe boot mode). Installed reEFIt (a bootloader utility), to see if maybe I can bypass the Mac OS/Boot Camp bootloader. No luck. Install worked, but still had the same issues.
For the heck of it, I try installing Linux Mint 8. The live CD starts up OK, but only as far as the boot menu. I tried the installer first - after the splash screen, it hangs on a plain gray screen (w/o the normal linux installer language selection menu - just solid grey).
I tried running the live CD w/o the installer - the actual OS. Same thing - after the splash screen, it hangs, only it's a black screen this time. If I use verbose mode, it still seems to hang on the WiFi card.
Here's the strangest thing yet - Ok, remember, it wouldn't boot normally into ANY Mac OS volume - including the installer DVDs - only in safe boot mode...
So, I try the "hackintosh" IPC osX86 10.5.6 DVD - it boots into the installer with NO problem, WITHOUT safe boot mode ! I tried installing it unsuccessfully. I forget now which options I choose, if any, though I may try it again later and pretend it's just a non-apple PC with the same specs as the Mini (or try just the "base system", and the bootloader - then run the official Apple updates)
This last thing really makes me think it has something to do with the EFI/bios - however, I've only been able to find info on how to update it, not replace or restore it - and it's only from a working install, not forced from a flash drive or CD (plus when I do try the installer from safe boot mode, it says it's current and unneeded).
I still haven't changed the hard drive. After almost successfully installing Windows, I made the assumption the -hardware- was OK, and reassembled everything.
Currently, I'm trying a direct installation of Windows XP Pro SP2 with which I'll try installing the drivers WITHOUT the boot camp software, to see if the WiFi (Airport card) and everything else is indeed working OK (remember too that the system passed ALL the ASD 3S116 tests).
So anyway, that's the current status. Any new ideas anyone ?
Thanks.
Message was edited by: maxtechsystems

Can I ssh to a Mac that's booted into Safe Mode?

I'm needing to ssh to a Mac that's been booted into Safe Mode (I'm already able to ssh to it in normal boot mode, and I know how to boot it into Safe Mode from the command line, i.e. sudo nvram boot-args="-x", then sudo reboot).
I can't just test this for myself, as it has to work first time, otherwise I'll be locked out of the remote Mac. If ssh would still work in Safe Mode, the plan is to then ssh to it and issue the command to set it back to normal boot mode (with sudo nvram boot-args="") and then reboot... job done.
Ideally, but not too important, I could VNC to it in Safe Mode instead, but ssh would do fine.
Does anyone know (for sure!) please?
In case anyone wondered, I'm wanting to do the Safe Boot because I'm told it can cure an issue with Adobe CS apps freaking out and locking up, crashing etc. I want to try this over the w/e, and have no physical access to the Mac. I've already set it to power on later (via pmset) - something I do routinely.
I thought an answer to this would be easy to find, but after Googling I've drawn a blank. Can't find it in any Apple docs either.
Thanks in advance!

If this was already covered somewhere else, I
apologize. I did some browsing for this topic but had
no luck finding anything...
Anyhoo, I'm trying to log in to my wife's B&W G3
(running Jaguar) from my G4 (running 10.4.2) using
secure shell but she doesn't have a password set up
on her computer. When I enter the ssh command in
Terminal, it asks for a password — I don't enter
anything and just hit the Return key. It returns with
a massage saying "Permission denied, please try
again." What can I do to log in w/o setting up her
machine with a password first?
If you want to use SSH securily I would suggest you disable password authenticaiton altogher. If you setup public key authentication it is more secure and better than using passwords anyway.
see how to setup ssh with public keys

Hello to you all, my Macbook Air won's boot up and upon diagnosis, i realized my startup disk is full to 99% even with 2GB Hard Disk space. It wont also enable me boot into safe mode too. Please help as all my work documents and project files are on HD

Hello to you all,
My Macbook Air won's boot up and upon diagnosis, i realized my startup disk is full to 99% even with 2GB Hard Disk space. It wont also enable me boot into safe mode too.
when i power up, i get this prolong gray screen which wont change screen but remain so. Infact i am handicapped.
Please help as all my work documents and project files are on this machine and i can't afford to loose them all...
Please, should you have any solution please send me the details to [email protected]
Thanks you a millionh times.
Al.

The MBA seems to cause several problems to several users on boot ups
On start up my MBA would not boot up the apple logo came on but only a blank screen appeared no fan i followed several start up recommendations but to no avail so I took the MBA to the nearest Apple repair centre again the same symptoms on start up ......very sorry sir you need a new mother board that will be $500 not feeling confidant in the product declined and was going to put it on ebay for spares.
On return home I pressed the start up button and it started normally everything was working fine i decided to reinstall all the software what has caused the problem I have no idea but it is after several attempted reboots it finally started on its own so don't give up if you have this problem it may come to life

Mac Pro won't boot into safe mode

I tried to boot into safe mode by using the keyboard key and the progress bar got a little bit of the way across but then it got stuck and sat there for 2 days with no change. Any idea why no safe mode? Here's a photo of the screen how it sat for 2 days:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/23232804/no%20safe%20mode.JPG

Here's the few lines right around the boot attempt: at 1pm on 12/31 I tried to boot into Safe mode, then seeing that it was taking forever, I left, and came back on 1/2. It was in exactly the same spot so I rebooted normally. Does this give any clues?
12/31/12 1:03:48 PM
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/HelpData.framework/Versions/A/Resources/helpd[ 15597]
MDS Error: unable to create user DBs in /var/folders/kv/kvWwTJ6jGyu2tiPpClXO8++++TI/-Caches-//mds
12/31/12 1:03:48 PM
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/HelpData.framework/Versions/A/Resources/helpd[ 15597]
MDS Error: unable to create user DBs in /var/folders/kv/kvWwTJ6jGyu2tiPpClXO8++++TI/-Caches-//mds
12/31/12 1:03:48 PM
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/HelpData.framework/Versions/A/Resources/helpd[ 15597]
MDS Error: unable to create user DBs in /var/folders/kv/kvWwTJ6jGyu2tiPpClXO8++++TI/-Caches-//mds
12/31/12 1:04:05 PM
authexec[15601]
executing /System/Library/ScriptingAdditions/StandardAdditions.osax/Contents/MacOS/uid
12/31/12 1:04:05 PM
authexec[15603]
executing /System/Library/ScriptingAdditions/StandardAdditions.osax/Contents/MacOS/uid
12/31/12 1:04:05 PM
authexec[15606]
executing /System/Library/ScriptingAdditions/StandardAdditions.osax/Contents/MacOS/uid
12/31/12 1:04:07 PM
authexec[15608]
executing /System/Library/ScriptingAdditions/StandardAdditions.osax/Contents/MacOS/uid
12/31/12 1:04:23 PM
com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[395]
([0x0-0x5535530].com.titanium.OnyX[15559]) Exited: Terminated
12/31/12 1:04:26 PM
com.apple.kextd[18]
/Volumes/Clone internal disk: kextcache has had enough tries; not launching any more
1/2/13 8:33:27 AM
kernel
npvhash=4095
12/31/12 1:08:48 PM
/System/Library/CoreServices/Dock.app/Contents/MacOS/Dock[7534]
spawn_via_launchd() failed, errno=12 label=com.apple.Finder flags=2
1/2/13 8:33:27 AM
kernel
PAE enabled
1/2/13 8:33:27 AM
kernel
64 bit mode enabled
1/2/13 8:33:27 AM
kernel
Darwin Kernel Version 10.8.0: Tue Jun 7 16:33:36 PDT 2011; root:xnu-1504.15.3~1/RELEASE_I386
1/2/13 8:33:27 AM
DirectoryService[21]
Improper shutdown detected

Cannot log on to firefox home and can't get into safe mode

after installing an add on, I can not open the firefox window, or get into safe mode.......so I have no way of applying any troubleshooting actions.......the add on was an extension to stop ads and banners, the name was 3 letters A-- ...should I reinstall firefox?.........thanks for your time and expertise.......Larry

Thanks for the effort but it doesn't help me.
I have the same problem that the progress bar stops at 1/4 the it reboots in the normal way..but the big difference between me and the other user is that i am stucked at the apple boot logo and i can't access to my computer and right now i really need it.
I use this mac for work and i am on a business trip.
I don't really know how to do and it seems that this problem haven't been solved yet by other people.
This remembers me windows world.
Miss steve J.
Anyway, if anyone has some ideas please tell me.

Boot into safe mode and touschscreen doesn't work.

Hey, so, I ran a program that would reboot my Toshiba Encore into Safe Mode and in Safe Mode the touchscreen is non-functional. Whenever I try to shut down the Encore and turn it back on, it always goes back into Safe Mode and I can't do anything.
Please help!
Thanks,
M260.

MASTER260 wrote:
All I have is a the Microsoft Wedge Keyboard, and my laptop's touchpad/keyboard via Synergy.
Ooh. That is a bluetooth device is it ? I suspect the tablet does not have a bluetooth driver in safemode.
If not, you should follow Padgett's suggestion.
If you do not have one, pop in to a phone shop and get an OTG cable. Then visit your neighbours and ask if you can borrow a USB keyboard and / or mouse for 15 minutes. Even if you can only find a USB mouse, you can open a file explorer, find your way to C:\Windows\System32, click on msconfig and you will be back in business in minutes.

HT201263 My phone is stuck on the connect to itunes screen and i cant go into DFU mode, what do i do now?

What do i do now? i tried everything, when i plug my iphone cable into my com, it shows me the connect to itunes screen, when i unplug it it turns off and when i turn it back on it stays the same. help pls

You should not need DFU mode - you phone is already in recovery mode - you just need to restore it in itunes. If you unable to restore you need to try another computer - preferably other network as well. If it is still not restored - it is a hardware problem.

Mac Pro Stuck at Grey Screen, then will only boot into OS X Utilities.

My Mac Pro is stuck at Gray Screen. When I reset PRAM, it loads the OSX Utilities screen, prompting me Restore from Time Machine, Reinstall OS X, Get Help, or Disk Utility. I ran Disk Repair and Repair Premissions, same thing.... stuck at grey screen.
What will happen to the data on my HD if I choose to Reinstall the OS X? IS that the best choice? Thanks.

Off hand I think your drive may be bad. But to find out you need to erase the drive, so you will need to have a recent, bootable backup.
Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard 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.
Erase the hard drive:
1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the
      left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on
        the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass. Click on
      the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
            because it is three times faster than wireless.
If this does not work, then you need to replace your hard drive.

6th gen ipod nano has white screen and won't go into disc mode

My ipod nano has a white screen - it will play music, and it is recognized by itunes. It won't enter disc mode. I can't seem to find any other helpful steps to follow online other than put it into disc mode and restore it via itunes. When I attempt to put it into disc mode holding power/Vol down together the screen will turn back, but when I then hold down Vol down/Vol up together while the screen is dark it just goes back to white screen. I did plug it into the computer and restore it via itunes, and the screen is still white. Any ideas? Thanks!

Hi LizS5,
It sounds as if you have already done much of the troubleshooting suggested in this article, but I would suggest you work through it in order to get your iPod nano back up and running -
iPod nano (6th generation): Hardware troubleshooting
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3474
Specifically -
Try putting the iPod into disk mode:
Reset the device (press the Sleep and Volume Down buttons simultaneously until the display turns black—about eight seconds).
When the display turns black, hold down the Volume Down and Volume Up buttons simultaneously until the device enters Disk mode.
While the device is in disk mode, sync it to iTunes and try to restore.
And if the issue is not resolved -
My issue is still not resolved. What do I do next?
For information on servicing your iPod, go to the iPod Service FAQ
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

Apple logo remains on IPOD screen and will not go into Disk Mode or Reset

My IPOD Mini is just showing the apple logo. I tried performing the procedures in the help section of the website. The IPOD will not go into Disk Mode! Is there another way to solve the problem without having to pay for expensive repairs?
Ipod Mini Windows XP

Oh my gosh!!! I'm having the same issue with my 60Gig iPod Photo. I had t leave for dinner so, I put the iPod in the cradle in case it ran out of juice. After I came back three hours later, the same screen--silver apple/black background screen is showing. Please help!!!!

My MBP crashes with diagonal video issues, and will only boot in Safe Mode. Now what?

My 17" MBP (2007, 2.33 mHz) crashed the other night as I was trying to copy some music off a friend's iPod. Now, on boot, it will show the gray Apple logo, then clear the screen, but never go farther (and the fan starts up a terriific rumble after a few minutes). It is also showing distorted diagonal lines across the display.
Things I've found:
* It won't boot to the OSX Leopard DVD, just spins, and spits out the Snow Leopard DVD
* If I put it in FW Target mode it will mount on my iMac, but the FW 800 port is so skitchy/loose it loses connection eventually
* If I boot it in safe mode, everything works--no video distortion, can connect to a USB drive, which I did to back up the entire contents, and I can mount the Leopard DVD
* During that backup (using Chronosync), no disk errors except for an Aperture library failure.
I'm not sure what to do next. Boot to the Leopard DVD via safe mode to renistall the system, hoping that it'll work after it restarts? If I were in OS9 I'd be using extension manager to turn features on and off to see what's crashing, but it doesn't look like I have that capability with Safe Boot.
Any thoughts would be welcome, let me know of any other info you need.
Thanks!
Oh, two other things: I ran disk utility and repaired permissions, didn't fix the problem. And I don't have one of the video cards from that era that was covered by Apple even after warranty, one of the first things I checked
Message was edited by: Paulza

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

My mac stays on the loading screen and when I boot into safe mode it loads the background but no icons

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