OSX will not boot up

I updated Safari from a prompt and clicked 'restart', as usual after updates. My iMac now only shows the blue screen with 'Starting Mac OS X', and this goes on forever - like an endless loop.
I switched to a Windows computer to try the Internet for solutions, and my modem appeared to be damaged somehow. No Internet. I had to swap out the modem. Some kind of data glitch. Any ideas on how to get my iMac to boot up properly?

Hi tranz, and a warm welcome to the forums!
Could be many things, we should start with this...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Tiger 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. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then Safe Boot , (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.
The combo update for PowerPC-based Macs...
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosx10411comboupdateppc.html
The combo update for Intel-based Macs...
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosx10411comboupdateintel.html
Repair Permissions before & after re-install, then reboot again each time.
If all the above fails, then it appears to be time for a relatively painless Archive & Install, which gives you a new/old OS, but can preserve all your files, pics, music, settings, etc., as long as you have plenty of free disk space and no Disk corruption, and is relatively quick & painless...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120
Just be sure to select Preserve Users & Settings.
I only use Software Update to see what is needed, then get them for real via...
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/
That way I can wait a week or so, check the forums for potential problems, and get Permissions & such in order before installing.

Similar Messages

Mac OSX will not boot, when I log in, it shuts down after grey screen and grey loading bar show up: PLEASE HELP (:

So here is a lowdown on my problem.
I start my mac OSX, I hold down the alt/option key and load my MAC osx drive (which is the only drive available; however, when i do not hold down the alt/option key it will go to a black screen that says "no bootable device, press a key when device inserted"). Continuing, it then goes to my login screen where I have my username, and I can enter my password like usual. I enter my password, hit the enter button (like I always do), and this is where my problem begins.
After I enter my login and hit enter, the screen goes grey, with a little apple symbol in the middle and a different shade of grey loading bar underneath. This grey loading bar shows up for about 10 seconds, fills up about 10-20 percent, and then shuts my computer down.
No matter what I do, this process repeats over and over, and heres where the problem gets worse, and this part is VERY IMPORTANT and is the most depressing, stressful part of the process.
NONE of the startup/boot commands work except holding the alt/option key. I can't hold: Command plus r; command pr to reset PRAM; shift to enter safe mode.
I really dont know what to do here :/. I have files that I want on the hard drive, that are pretty important but not critical. I gave up on wanting the files back but now I want to simply WIPE my computer and re-install a clean version of OSX onto the computer, but I CANNOT GET TO THE REINSTALLER :(.
More information that may be helpful:
          I do have a partition on the HDD that I was going to use for Bootcamp, but it does not have anything installed on it (thus causing the "no bootable device" screen to load, and probably causing the boot commands not to work).
          My version of Mac OSX is 10.8.4. "MBP 15.4/2.8/16GB/768 flash"
          The last time I restarted my computer, my mac OSX RAM was down to 1.75 GB, with nothing open. Usually when nothing is open the free RAM is around 10-13 GB (I know this because I have the activity monitor always open, and I use my computer a lot).
          Again, boot commands will not work, except for holding the alt/option key.
So if anyone can help me fix my problem(s), which are:
1: using boot commands; 2: reinstalling mac OSX; or 3: getting my files,
I would love you forever. I would really prefer 1 or 2. Thanks for reading this.

Oh and one more thing, I do not have a disc drive in the mac osx. The version I have comes without one.
I am very puzzled about what to do right now.

OSX will not boot

Okay here is a good one: After installing a new video card in my G4 the boot procedure ends with the blue screen. I have tried everyting I can think of to deal with this with no change. It does boot up and run well in safe mode (start with shift key down).
Summary:
Reinstall old card.
Try different monitor.
Zap P-ram and V-ram.
Run Disk Utility - no problems.
Reinstall OS
Backup data and reinstall OS with disk erase.
So now I have a fresh OS on a clean drive, but still get the blue screen with a regular boot. The gray screen with the gray Apple logo comes up, the timer icon runs for a bit, the screen goes black, then light blue, then dark blue and stays there forever.
What else can I do????
Setup is:
G4 533 MHz with 1.5 SDRAM
32 MB VRAM
OS 10.3.9
Thanks,
Jerry

The fact that you successfully start up with a Safe Boot looks like a good clue. As described here, a Safe Boot disables a number of items. These are primarily 3rd party extensions; login items are also disabled.
So, given that a Safe Boot works, it seems likely that you are running into problems with a normal boot because some 3rd party item is not compatible with the operating system. You should try to find out where the problem is. One way to proceed is to follow the instructions in steps 2 and 3 of Your Mac won't start up in Mac OS X.

Computer will not boot up. I have tried running disk utility and re-installing OSX. It says disk locked

I am new to Macs and have bought a 13" Macbook Pro and a IMac 21.5" 14 months ago. I have only used the Macbook pro about 15-20 times and after upgrading to Maverick it will not boot up. I get the white screen and a spinning circle. I have tried Disk utility repair and even re-installing the OSX, but it says disk locked. I do not recall setting any password protections or passwords. I now have a brick with a lit up Apple logo. If anyone knows how I can bypass the disk lock error or reset the laptop, please let me know. This has not been a pleasant conversion from PC's. Even my IMac blacks out from time to time and both happened right after my factory warranty expired.

The internal drive is malfunctioning. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.
Back up all data on the internal drive(s) before you hand over your computer to anyone. There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional — ask if you need guidance.
If privacy is a concern, erase the data partition(s) with the option to write zeros* (do this only if you have at least two complete, independent backups, and you know how to restore to an empty drive from any of them.) Don’t erase the recovery partition, if present.
Keeping your confidential data secure during hardware repair
*An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.

IMac 27 inch i7 OSX Lion will not boot up from Hard Disc

iMac 27 inch i7 OSX Lion will not boot up from Hard Disc on cold start, and cannot find wifi hardware in the machine. Restart and everything is fine. I have two machine and they behave the same. Software or hardware problem?

First of all, try a hard restart; making sure no disks are in the slot, unplug everything from your computer (keyboards, mice, etc.) and then unplug the computer itself. Leave it unplugged for a minute or two, then plug it back in and boot it up.
If that fails, reboot it while holding down the option-key on your keyboard. The screen should show a choice of which disk drive to boot from. Choose your usual drive.
If that fails, reboot it while holding down the shift-key on your keyboard. It should take a while for it to boot up, as it is destroying all connections to sources that may contain a virus.
If that fails, reboot it while holding down keys "option-command-P-R" until you hear the startup tone a second time.
If that fails, reboot it while holding down the C-key. Make sure you have inserted the installation disk before doing this step.
If that fails, reboot it while holding down the command-key and the R-key.
If that fails, please reply to this and let me know.

G5 will not boot into OSX - stays at a command-line prompt

My G5 will not boot into OS X. I would appreciate and and all advice. Thanks.
What happened:
I had the G5 running one morning, with the Isight camera on, plugged into the front-console firewire port. I was running EvoCam software.
At about 2 hours into running, the cam stopped broadcasting – I got home to check it out three hours later, and the screen was black, and the fan was louder than I had ever, ever heard it on this box.
I did a hard shut-down with the powerbutton on the Cinema Display monitor.
At reboot, I see a grey screen for approx 5 seconds, with a dark grey apple logo, and then the screen goes to black, with a command-line prompt.
It’s been like that ever since.
I ran the Apple Hardware test, from the internal CD drive, and it shows no errors.
I cannot boot from an OSX installer DVD. It won’t recognize it. It goes straight to the black screen and Command line prompt.
I have re-seated the RAM, as well as the Airport Card. The only other card – which I have not re-seated, it the video card.
I am able to use the machine in Target Mode, so I can extract data from the drives, which is great. Oddly enough, I’m able to use the front-console firewire port to connect to my other Mac in Target mode – with no problems. Also – in Target mode, the fan never goes above the usual quiet self.
I would appreciate any advice one can provide. Thanks!
The machine:
Mac G5 dual 2.0 – First Generation (purchased December 2003)
It’s on it’s 3rd Motherboard – and now it’s fully out of Applecare warrantee.
OSX 10.4.9
4GB Ram
2 internal drives: 160GB + 300GB
Airport Extreme
20” Cinema Display (first generation)
Mac G5 dual 2.0 – First Generation Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Well, Apple Support does have articles on:
Isolating Issues in Mac OS X
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25392
won't boot or login
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106464#symp1
And if those don't work, call.
With G4 there is/was
"Fix for a Mac that won't power up
Mirrored Doors G4. When you pressed the power button, the button would light up, but the computer would not turn on. The fans on the power supply wouldn't turn on.
FIX: unplug the machine, pull the clock battery, hit the power button to discharge. Then plug it in without the clock battery. The machine should boot perfectly. Shut down, reinstall the clock battery, and now the system is fully functional. Macosxhints
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300552
Reseat video? try another video card?
My Step #1 is to always boot into Open Firmware (and do reset-nvram, reset-all, if you can't do that, you are sunk).
Oh, and What do you see in verbose mode on startup?
Mac Pro 2GHz 4GB 10K Raptor 23" Cinema Mac OS X (10.4.9) WD RE RAID Aaxeon FW800 PCIe MDD-G4 APC RS1500 Vista

IMac will not boot into OSX after startup disk switch in control panel.!

I am having trouble with my son's iMac DV SE (graphite) running Classic and OSX (10.3.9). Typically, the computer runs in OS9 as the startup system because most of the kids' software we run is old and uses Classic. Over the weekend, I changed the startup disk to OSX in the control panels and restarted the computer so I could install some new software. The computer will not boot past the gray apple and progress indicator. I have tried resetting the PRAM, booting from the CD and restarting with the options key depressed to no avail. (Can't do a Safeboot either.) I was able to put the iMac into target mode and access the control panels via my laptop and restart in OS9. I thought I had resolved the issue causing the startup problem, but I was wrong. Now I can't get past the gray apple or access the hard disk through target mode (the iMac hard disk does not appear on the laptop's desktop). Is there a way to force the computer back into OS9 other than holding down the option key at startup? When I try this, I get the hard disk icon, but I can't move it off of OSX. Thanks in advance for any help.

Is there a way to force the computer back into OS9 other than holding down the option key at startup?
Holding down the OPTION key will only work if OS 9 is on a different partition than the OS X installation. If they are on the same partition, it won't work.
One way to get it back to OS 9 is to boot from the OS 9 or OS X installation disc. Then set the control panel, or preference pane, to boot from the OS 9 installed on the hard drive.
Another way is to boot from the OS 9 install disc and perform a clean install of OS 9. This will create a new OS 9 System folder and it will NOT touch any other files on the drive. KB 58176, Mac OS 8.5, Mac OS 9: Performing a Clean Installation

I have a macbook 2011 and its booting to the apple with a loading bar. it gets halfway and changes to a screen with the apple and a spinning circle. It spins untill it dies. will not boot to safe mode. Do not have orriginal osx disk either.... HELP :(

i have a macbook 2011 and its booting to the apple with a loading bar. it gets halfway and changes to a screen with the apple and a spinning circle. It spins untill it dies. will not boot to safe mode. Do not have orriginal osx disk either.... HELP

It happened after an update

OSX 10.6.8 server will Not Boot

Hi my 10.6.8 server will not boot. System is a 2009 Mac pro. I have run disk utility from the original server software install disk, ran repair disk, and repair disk permissions. Get some acl found errors have read that they most often are erroneous, Still got the same errors after permission repairs. While booting in verbose mode get the following messages before it stops:
kern.maxprocoeruip: 266 -> 2400
launchctl: Couldn't stat("/library/LaunchDaemons/org.macports.asterisk.plist"): Nosuch File or directory (note: removed asterisk from this system months ago)
launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /ect/mach_init.d/chum.plist
launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /ect/mac_ini/dashboardadvisoryd.plist
launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /ect/mach_init.d/pilotfish.plist
Unexpected error triggering kextd volume watching.
/: Couldn't get description from Disk Arbitration..
I did read on another post here to try to reinstall the os, however when I try to install over the operating system it says I am trying to install an older os and it will not let me install in the same volume.... Although I am confident I have all the data on backups as well have timemachine backups, I would rather not have to erase and install this machine.
Any insight to this problem would be greatly appreciated.

I found that I had a bad harddrive, or at least that is what I think happened.. I did have a time machine backup as well, although in hindsight, I should have made some manual backups of my open directory and the databases hosted on the server. In any case I ended up purchasing "server grade" harddrives and reinstalling the OS on to the new blank hard drives, I was then able to recover from my time machine backup, however, I did have the issue of the restore going over 100%, I tried this several times and the same result with no end after hours and hours. After reading through various forums I found that clicking the mouse button for about 10 minutes straight once it hit 100% finally worked, I was lucky that the Time machine backup had good data on it since I have read several posts saying that Time machine doesn;t backup directoies or any "open files" very well, however I had no problems after recovering from the backup. I do however now backup or archive my directory everyday, and I rely on Filemaker to backup its own databases, however I still use time machine as well...

Intel IMac will not boot OSX Tiger

Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know that I am reading and trying to do my home work on why my Intel I-Mac will not boot. It all started after running Windows Vista using Apple Boot Camp. I just wanted to list a few things I have tried after getting replies from posting in some other forums. I will try here since a few people are having similar issues. Any tips would be appreciated. Please no flames
1. If I hold the C button while booting to boot from CD-ROM I get a panic alert.(panic alert meaning lockup, I have to restart or press and hold power button)
2. Holding down D button upon startup will run Apple Hardware test just fine, but no errors found.
3. I can press Option-Command-P-R to reset NVRAM successfully.
4. I can press Option during startup to start the Startup Manager. I can see my Macintosh Hard Drive and CD-ROM, but get a panic alert if I click on either icon. I’m not sure what happened with the Windows Vista hard drive Icon.
5. I can press N during startup to start up from a compatible network server. I see a flashing globe and then a panic alert. Not sure what this function is for.
6. If I press T during startup for Start up in FireWire Target Disk mode, I get a weird symbol that looks like a Y floating around the screen. I have no idea what target disk mode means.
7. If I press Shift during startup to boot in Safe Boot mode, I get a panic alert.
8. If I press Command V during startup for Verbose mode, it appears that I am at a Unix style Command Prompt that hangs.
9. If I press Command S during startup for Single-User mode, I am at the Unix Command prompt which works, but I do not know any commands except fsck –fy which I guess is like a DOS CHKDSK command that tells me my Volume appears OK.
10. Pressing Option-N during startup to start from a NetBoot server using the default boot image gives me the flashing globe icon again, and then hangs.
11. I tried resetting the System Management Unit thanks to the Unix forum guys, but still have the same problems.
12. My next step is to find a Mac friend to burn the Firmware Restoration CD file I downloaded thanks to Michael from the Unix forum. If that does not work I will try whatever you ask.
13. I can boot my I-Mac using a Linux Live CD called Slax and surf the net and play with the software. It runs just great; I just don’t think this 200MB version has the capabilities to format the hard drive or Install to hard disk like Fedora Live does. By the way, the Fedora Live version of Linux hangs after booting from the CD. It boots just fine on my PC.

Greetings,
Somehow or other you will need to be able to boot to the Installation Disk #1 that came with your computer - as you know they are specific to each machine model. After a successful boot to that disk, you can use Disk Utility to remove all of the partitions, wipe that puppy clean, then repartition and make sure you use the GUID partition scheme - you really only need the Bootcamp Assistant if you have multiple drives, internally, and since you have an iMac, your good to go.
When you booted to your Linux disk, could you see the internal hard disk? If so you should be able to open one or two of the folders just to be sure that the disk is OK.
A worst case scenario would be to have to install a fresh hard drive. Do you have any way of borrowing another install DVD for that model to try to get it to boot? That's the key to this whole project.
Try this - Go back into single user mode and issue these two commands in this order:
/sbin/fsck -fy
/sbin/mount -uw /
Watch the spaces and then issue a "reboot" at the prompt.
During this, the fans will likely come on at a high speed and may stay on for a while and maybe until you do a shutdown and reboot.
I hope this helps a little, and once you get the machine booting to the Installation Disk #1, again, you'll be all set.
You don't say, but is this unit under warranty - I know it may be a stupid question on my part, but if it is, give them (Apple) a call and get some advice on the waranty actions.
Good Luck my friend.
Cheers,
M.

Macbook Pro will not boot up normally ***Not Normal Problems***

Ok. I have an older 17" Macbook pro 2.33 (10.6 fully updated) that will not boot up in normal mode. When I boot it shows "blocks" of different colors and will not get past the blue screen sometimes. When it does get passed the the blue or grey screen it is a split screen of white back ground with large black blocks seperating the sides. I have tried swapping out harddrives with a known working one with an OSX image on it-no good. I have tried swapping out ram-same thing. I reset the SMC and PRAM-only colors changed in the blocks. I have ran disk utilites disk and permisions with no problems. I can't boot into a restore disk using the c key during boot, It locks up at the same screen. Nothing works except safe mode. I can boot into safe mode and everything works just fine with normal screen and all. Now I tried runing the Lion installer thinking it is and driver issue but I can't get Lion to boot to the hard drive and Snow leopard just reboots back to the same screen. So how can I get Lion to install or Snow Leopard?
What can I do? I noticed this last weekend when I tried to reboot my MB Pro and it started this. Well Apple pushed and update last friday - I needed to restart it again and this happends. I thought it was a logic board at fist until it booted fine in safe mode.

Sorry. What I mean is I selected the SL boot up in the start up panel and it would not boot into the cd. The CD rom sounds like it just keeps reading with it slowly loading from grey screen to blue screen to the Block screen. Almost like it is booting into normal mode from the hard drive.
What I can't understand is why it runs fine is Safe mode?
Also why do I get a " this disk cannot be used to start up your computer" message on my hard drive when trying to install Lion in safe mode? Well why not it's the only hard drive in the computer?
The first screen shot is the Tech tool showing everything passed the hardware test is safe mode.

I am in mavericks disk utility recovery mode as my mac book will not boot up & stays only on the grey apple screen. When I verify the disk I get open error5 :input /output error on Syst stuck on 1 minute pouring out over 50 error messages & still counting

I am in Mavericks disk utility recovery mode as my mac book pro will not boot up & stays on the Apple grey screen . When I verify disk permissions I get
Open error 5:"input/ output error" on syst with over 50 of this messages & still counting . Disk Utility says 1 minute
But this has been going on for over 10 mins .
I can not verify disk or repair disk .
I have tried to reinstall mavericks operating system but it says my hard drive is locked which is very strange .
Does anyone know what is going on here ?
My system looks like it has been totally corrupted . Thanks Andrew

Could be. The "lock" isn't actually looking for a password.
WARNING: This will completely erase the ENTIRE hard drive.
What you would need to do is boot to recovery > disk utility > select the MAIN drive on the left side > partition > change partition layout from CURRENT to 1 PARTITION > ensure on the right side it says Format : Mac OSX Extended (Journaled) then push APPLY.
Then if it will allow us, close the windows until you see the 4 options popup again and select "Reinstall Mac OS X" select the Mac HD and you should be good to go!

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

TS1367 my laptop will not boot up from the storage hard drive but if i remove it from the laptop and connect it as portable hard drive my laptop boot up normal?

my laptop will not boot up from the storage hard drive but if i remove it from the laptop and connect it as portable hard drive my laptop boot up normal?

Do you have a compatible OSX installed on this 'storage' HDD? If not, it will not boot your MBP.
Ciao.

Mac-mini will not boot up.

After downloading the latest OSX version for my mac-mini model A1283, it attempted to automatically re-start and stopped with a graphic on the screen and no control of the cursor. It will not boot up. No screen at all. Keyboard SHIFT key light does not go on. The power button will start and stop, but no tones or screen. Has worked fine for 2 years after upgrading hard drive running both OSX and Windows 8. Is this a memory or logic board problem?

Troubleshooting: My computer won't turn on

OSX will not boot up

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