My MacBook freezes at startup, before getting to the Apple logo and progress bar. Help!

I have a black backlit screen with nothing on it. It happens after turning it on, it chimes and then nothing.... I have tried restarting it by holding down the power button, nothing, same issue.
It is an aluminum MacBook with OSX Lion.

Sounds like something is badly wrong with your system. First step would be to start up from your Mac OS X install disk, by inserting the disk and holding down 'c' at startup. Select your language, then choose Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. In Disk Utility, choose your hard drive and click the Repair Disk button.
If problems are repaired, try restarting and see if the problems are gone.
If problems couldn't be repaired, you can try DiskWarrior, which can sometimes repair problems that Disk Utility cannot. However, if nothing works, you probably are going to have to erase the hard drive and reinstall the system from scratch. Hopefully you have backups!
If there were no errors, or they were repaired successfully but that didn't fix the problem, then you should try booting into safe mode by holding down the shift key at startup. If that works, you may have some bad third-party software. What that might be is hard to say, though.
If nothing works, try rebooting from the Mac OS X install disk again and install Snow Leopard right on top of your current system. That shouldn't disturb your apps or data, but of course, if you don't have backups, you're in trouble if something goes wrong.

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Hi, I downloaded Yosemite this evening. I downloaded o.k., it installed o.k. and then it restarted the Macbook and now it seems frozen. There is nothing but a grey screen, the apple logo and a bar that is half black

Hi, I downloaded Yosemite this evening. It downloaded fine, it installed fine and then it restarted the Macbook. Now it seems to be frozen. I have nothing but a grey screen with the apple logo and a bar that is half black and half grey. It's been like this for over an hour. Should I worry or is it still working at something? How do I fix this if it's not still working at installing something. Thank goodness for this poor old pc as backup.

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
To restart an unresponsive computer, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the power shuts off, then release, wait a few more seconds, and press it again briefly.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
d. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
Step 3
Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If a desktop Mac hangs at a plain gray screen with a movable cursor, the keyboard may not be recognized. Press and hold the button on the side of an Apple wireless keyboard to make it discoverable. If need be, replace or recharge the batteries. If you're using a USB keyboard connected to a hub, connect it to a built-in port.
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 in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 11. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then restart as usual.
Step 9
If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support.
Step 10
Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 11
Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 12
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 13
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

I switch on my mac book pro and all i get is the apple logo and below a loading wheel , but its stuck there for like an hour !!! help??

i switch on my mac book pro and all i get is the apple logo and below a loading wheel , but its stuck there for like an hour !!! help??

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 boot failure is to secure your 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 your last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Boot into 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, boot 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. The easiest way to deal with the problem is to boot from an external drive, or else to 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 boot 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 boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot 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 booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot 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 your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you boot 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, your boot volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 6.
If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot 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 reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the boot 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 your 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 reboot as usual.
Step 9
Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 10
Repeat Step 9, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your 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 boot 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.

I have a mac book pro still running mountain lion.I haven't powered it on in a few months. now when i try to turn it on all i get is the apple logo and the progress bar after a few mins. of trying to load my laptop just turns off.can anyone help me

I have a mac book pro with retina,I haven't turned it on in a couple of months.no problems then, now when I try to turn it on i only get apple logo and progress bar. After a few mins the laptop just turns off and nothing eles.any help would be appreciated thanks

I linked to it above, but here is another link.
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

I get a white screen with apple logo and progress bar on my imac mavericks

I get a white screen with apple logo and progress bar ,then computer shuts down
when I turn my imac back on same thing happens,every time same thing
pprogress bar only goes half way then computer shut down
is there a solution ?
if not is there a way to at least salvage some files and docs?
i Have the latest imac 27

Thanks I tried it but after I repaired my disk via disk utility at start up, it told me that
my disk can't be repaired and to try to back up my files so I can format it
but is there to back up my files?
also what I get is white screen with the progress bar not grey

My ipad shut-off and now all i get is the apple logo and a spinning circle. Any suggestions on why and what I can do about it?

my ipad 2 shut off and now all I get is the apple logo and a spinning circle

Try holding down the home button and the sleep / wake button at the same time to restart the iPad .

My Mac book won't turn on. All I get is the apple logo and a loading icon and bar, then it just shuts down. What do I do?

My Mac book won't turn on. All I get is the apple logo and a loading icon and bar, then it just shuts down. What do I do?

What OS are your running?
Mavericks 10.9.4 boot into recovery and run the DiskUtility >Repair Disk
Recovery http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

MacBook won't start up it shows the apple logo and just keeps the "wheel" spinning

MacBook won't start up it shows the apple logo and just keeps the "wheel" spinning

Usually means that critical system files are corrupted. Start by:
Boot into Safe Mode if possible. If it boots into safe mode, then restart the computer to see if it will boot normally. Otherwise, reinstall OS X. Unfortunately, you've not provided any information in your profile about what version of OS X you have installed.

TS1411 my desktop Mac OS X is not starting, I get the gray screen with the apple logo and a bar below and then shot off by itself.

My Imac is not starting , I get a gray screen with the logo and a bar below and about one minute the bar desapier and shot off by itself. I try evething that I can think of and not luck. I did disconect all accesories and still the same, I use the start up disc and same.. now I can not get the disc out.
Please advise what I need to do to solve the problem. Recently this computer was upgraded from 10.4 to Mountain lion and add more memory.

Thanks for your help.
Same thing happen when I hold the button, it idle for a while and then turn off by itself. Any more suggestions?
I got the disc..

Help my ipod is not turning on it gets to the apple logo and then turns off

its got battery i have done the reset thing cant plug it into laptop for itunes because my itunes doesnt work and it wont let me download it again it started when i changed my facebook password on my laptop then i went on facebook on my ipod and it sed signing out but it just sed that and i left it for like 1 hour and it was still logging out so i deleated it and re-downloaded it then as it was downloading it vanished so i downloaded it again it stayed on my app page and was saying loading... but the blue bar wasnt filling so i put it in the lock mode then when i whent back to it it doesnt turn on plz plz help ( have not droped it or anything and plz dont say itunes because it really doesnt work or re-download i have deleated it then when i downloaded it again it gets far in and then sayes like cant download itunes something about bonjar service)

Without a computer, the reset is all you can do.
You might want to post in the iTunes forum for your problem of not being able to reinstall iTunes on your computer..

My Ipod touch screen will not come up unless I conect it to the computer. It never gets past the apple logo and never fully retores? My screen is crackd a little at the bottom. Is this a screen or software problem?

My ipod touch 4will not respond unless I hook it up to the computer. It never goes pasthe logo apple screen.It never restores fully. Cant tell if this is a screen or software problem.

Try:
- iOS: Not responding or does not turn on
- Also try DFU mode after try recovery mode
How to put iPod touch / iPhone into DFU mode « Karthik's scribblings
- If not successful and you can't fully turn the iOS device fully off, let the battery fully drain. After charging for an least an hour try the above again.
- Try on another computer
- If still not successful that usually indicates a hardware problem and an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store is in order.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar
Apple will exchange your iPod for a refurbished one for $199 if a 64 GB one and $99 for the other 4G iPods. They do not fix yours.
Apple - iPod Repair price

Girlfriend ipad has died, can only get to the apple logo and it has writing at the bottom of the screen

This is an Ipad 2, it kept on resetitng itself, have tried restoring etc but will not play ball. It comes up with the apple logo and some writing at the bottom of the screen, hope someone can help

Try recovery mode now.
iPad: Unable to update or restore

HT4623 I deleted all contents from my iphone 3gs so that i could give it to my nephew....now all i get is the apple logo and nothing will come on. have i deleted the programme completely if so how can i get it back???

I think theoperating system from my iphone 3GS has gone

Restore the device with iTunes > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414
You may need to put it into Recovery Mode first > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1808

MacBook Pro won't boot up past the Apple logo! Help! :(

I had to force the computer to shut down as it refused to force quit.
I Have tried everything I can (Disk Utility - Repairing the disk.. even though the results came up as OK.. Ive re-installed Mountain Lion..) and had no luck!! The grey screen with the Apple logo and spinning wheel just stay there!
Also, it refuses to go into Safe Mode, after holding shift the loading bar only loads up to almost half-way and then it disappears.
Please help!!

I'm having the same problem with my macbook. Apple logo and spinning wheel. I saw a video on youtube that said to reset prm and also to remove both sticks of ram and trying to boot one stick at a time (due to problem possibly being caused by faulty ram) I also tryed booting from disk and booting from safe mode, but everything has failed. All I get is the Apple logo and spinning wheel. Does this mean the hard drive has failed? Or is there another fix that I might try? If it is the hard drive it would suck, but I could go buy another one and replace it, but what would really suck is if it wasn't the hard drive to begin with. Can anyone please help?
Thanks....

HT1414 I had my ipod touch off and when I tried to turn it off the best I could get was the apple logo than that went out. I can't get it come on at all. It was working fine earlier and nothing has happen to it.

I tried to turn on my ipod touch and the best I could get was the apple logo and even that went out. I tried charging it with no luck. It had charge yesterday when I turned it off but now I can't get anything at all. Any suggestions???

If the reset does not work try the remaining items:
- iOS: Not responding or does not turn on
- Also try DFU mode after try recovery mode
How to put iPod touch / iPhone into DFU mode « Karthik's scribblings
- If not successful and you can't fully turn the iPod fully off, let the battery fully drain. After charging for an least an hour try the above again.
- If still not successful that indicates a hardware problem and an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store is in order.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar

My MacBook freezes at startup, before getting to the Apple logo and progress bar. Help!

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