Stuck at desktop screen after startup

My mini gets stuck after the startup screen. It finishes after the grey apple appears but will get stuck once the desktop shows up. None of the finder menu items appear. None of the desktop icons appear. I just get the beach ball with a desktop picture.

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Mac stuck at grey screen after startup sound. Help

Help

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.

27" iMac stuck in Grey screen after startup

Hi everyone, I've read nearly all the posts on this subject. According to all the tips and suggestions I've done a SCM restart, I've run applejack and done an sbin/fsck -y rebuild, I've attached it to my Macbook pro via firewire in T mode and run disk utilities, I've also tried to startup from an install disc and got nowhere and I've done a PRAM rebuild. Still nothing. Someone thought it might be a Kernal panic?? Oddly enough I think it's a video card problem. as I have a second 27" Monitor and when I plug it in I normally get both screens go blue and then a second or two later I get both screens showing their respective images. This time I got nothing. not even the blue screen. I'm going nuts here. Does anyone have any ideas what the problems is???? Please help. oh and contrary to my listing, I'm running 10.8.1, not 10.6.8 ( I must fix that)

Hi everyone, I've read nearly all the posts on this subject. According to all the tips and suggestions I've done a SCM restart, I've run applejack and done an sbin/fsck -y rebuild, I've attached it to my Macbook pro via firewire in T mode and run disk utilities, I've also tried to startup from an install disc and got nowhere and I've done a PRAM rebuild. Still nothing. Someone thought it might be a Kernal panic?? Oddly enough I think it's a video card problem. as I have a second 27" Monitor and when I plug it in I normally get both screens go blue and then a second or two later I get both screens showing their respective images. This time I got nothing. not even the blue screen. I'm going nuts here. Does anyone have any ideas what the problems is???? Please help. oh and contrary to my listing, I'm running 10.8.1, not 10.6.8 ( I must fix that)

27" 2009 iMac is stuck on white screen after OS X Maverick update

27" 2009 iMac is stuck on white screen after OS X Maverick update. How do I get past this White Screen? I have tried to use the PRAM reset, holding down Shift,Command, R, and P after turning off computer then when I turn it on, having those pressed until I see the apple symbol. I only hear one chime. Never get to a second chime. Thank you.

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HT201263 iPod touch 4th gen stuck on apple screen after trying to update ios 6

iPod 4th gen stuck on apple screen after I tried updating to IOS 6. It won't turn off or reset even after updating iTunes to latest version. My iPod doesn't show up when I connect to iTunes. HELP PLEASE!

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 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.

My MacBook pro is stuck on white screen after shut down. Now, neither this is turn on nor turn off. I had to do

My MacBook pro is stuck on white screen after shut down. Now, neither this is turn on nor turn off.

You should be able to turn off your MBP by pressing the power button down continously for about 5-10 sec. When you reboot it you are going to want to enter into a terminal screen. Hopefully the following YouTube video helps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKOX72xNmbo

IMAC intel A1208 is stuck on blue screen after start-up. What is the fix?

IMAC intel A1208 is stuck on blue screen after start-up. How can this condition be resolved?

Please carefully read Apple's Gray screen appears during startup

Stuck at preloading screen after failed reboot with cd

I am stuck at the preloading screen after i got the "something was wrong during reboot from cd message", but now i can't seem to reboot from the cd by pressing "c" after startup, nor go into safemode by pressing "shift" or hardware by "d", i just go onto the preloading screen for 20+ mins and nothing happens...

Hi d,
You can try an SMCReset: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
If that doesn't help, it might be time for a "genius" bar appointment. Was the optical drive working ok? Does the DVD look ok? Is it the proper one for your MBP? What issues were you having prior to this that made you decide to boot from the disc?

Stuck at preloading screen after failed reboot from cd

I am stuck at the preloading screen after i got the "something was wrong during reboot from cd message", but now i can't seem to reboot from the cd by pressing "c" after startup, nor go into safemode by pressing "shift" or hardware by "d", i just go onto the preloading screen for 20+ mins and nothing happens...

Interesting new terminology.
What is on this preloading screen ??

Stuck at login screen after update froze

Hi everyone, I have a Macbook that is a couple years old and have Leopard on it. Last night, I was prompted to install several updates and then restart my Macbook. I did so and then the updates began to install, but then appeared to stall. I hit the power off button and then turned my Macbook back on again. This brought me to the login screen, but I don't have my Macbook set to require me to login each time I use it. I entered my password and then it went to the blue screen like it was about to bring me to the desktop. But that didn't happen. It brought me back to the login screen, which is where I am still stuck as of this writing. Is there anything I can do? Thanks for your help.

No guarantee this will solve your problem, but you can give it a try:
You will need to type some Unix commands. If you are not comfortable with this, I don't know of anything other than a re-install. But if you are careful, you should be OK. I recommend you print this out in a largish mono-spaced font so you don't miss any spaces (or add extra ones). Note that case is important.
Be careful. Some of these commands are dangerous, since you are going to be root.
Start up in Single-User mode by holding down the command (Apple) key and the 's' key while you press the power switch. You can let go the keys when you see white text on a black background. When this has finished you will see a prompt ending in '#', although there may be other messages. Type
/sbin/fsck -fy
followed by a return, at the prompt and wait a few seconds for 8-10 lines of output. If the last line says repairs were carried out, repeat this command until you get a message 'The volume <yourdiskname> appears to be OK'. Then continue with
/sbin/mount -uw /
cd /Library/Preferences
rm com.apple.loginwindow.plist
rm com.apple.windowserver.plist
cd /Library/Caches
rm -r *
cd /System/Library
rm Extensions.kextcache
cd /System/Library/Caches
rm -r *
reboot
This should now take you to a proper login screen after the normal boot sequence. You should then Repair Permissions by using Disk Utility (in your /Applications/Utilities folder).
If you get error messages saying files do not exist, just ignore them and type reboot.
If the above is unsuccessful then you may be able to reinstall OS X using an Archive and Install which does not erase the hard drive:
How to Perform an Archive and Install
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

My new MacBook pro is stuck on grey screen after loading kies, My new MacBook pro is stuck on grey screen after loading kies

My new MacBook pro is stuck on a Grey screen after I downloaded Samsung kies on it. How do I solve this problem?

Hi there,
You may find the troubleshooting steps in the article below helpful.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
-Griff W.

IMac stuck on blue screen on startup

I recently purchased an iMac 21.5". It is running Mac OSX 10.6.2 (Snow leopard). When I turn it on it passes the screen with the gear and the apple logo, but gets stuck on the blue screen, with only the cursor showing.
I have already tried:
1. Booting into safe mode and deleting all startup items.
2. Resetting PRAM and NVRAM
3. Running Disk Utility and repairing the disk.
Anyone have any suggestions on hwo to fix it?

Try this:
You will need to type some Unix commands. If you are not comfortable with this, I don't know of anything other than a re-install. But if you are careful, you should be OK. I recommend you print this out in a largish mono-spaced font so you don't miss any spaces (or add extra ones). Note that case is important.
Be careful. Some of these commands are dangerous, since you are going to be root.
Start up in Single-User mode by restarting the computer. After the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-S keys until you see white text on a black background. When this has finished you will see a prompt ending in '#', although there may be other messages. Enter the following commands after the prompt:
/sbin/fsck -fy
Press RETURN. Wait a few seconds for 8-10 lines of output. If the last line says repairs were carried out, repeat this command until you get a message 'The volume <yourdiskname> appears to be OK'. Then continue with:
/sbin/mount -uw /
cd /Library/Preferences
rm com.apple.loginwindow.plist
rm com.apple.windowserver.plist
cd /Library/Caches
rm -r *
cd /System/Library
cd /System/Library/Caches
rm -r *
reboot
Press RETURN after each command.
This should now take you to a proper login screen after the normal boot sequence. You should then Repair Permissions by using Disk Utility (in your /Applications/Utilities folder).

HP Pavilion P7-1225 Desktop Freezes After Startup. Frustrated!

Hi,
My family's HP Pavilion P7-1225 desktop computer freezes a few moments after startup, most times. However, it will occasionally work just fine for hours and then suddenly lock up. Over the weekend a sort of clicking sound was heard followed immediately by the freeze. Restarted a few times, heard noise, got lock up. We're not hearing the noise now but it's still freezing up.
We have yet to talk to HP Support about it, but no other professional has been able to solve it (and we have had many try). Please help!
Thanks in advance,
Leo

Hi Leo,
Many things could be causing your issue. Intermittent freezes can be very difficult to solve. Since so many professionals have already tried to solve your issue then it's probably time to contact HP Support. As such, I am not going to suggest what has probably already been suggested and/or tested.
I don't know if you are using an UPS but transient changes in line voltage (too low or even too high) will often times cause a failover and clicking noises (relay closing and opening) with some UPSs will be heard. I hear clicks from my UPS at times even though the lights don't flicker. A poor or faulty UPS could cause issues like you are experiencing. You might also having an electrican check the circuits in your house. You might want to isolate your PC equipment off circuits that might have high current start up devices that might cause local voltage surges.
HP DV9700, t9300, Nvidia 8600, 4GB, Crucial C300 128GB SSD
HP Photosmart Premium C309G, HP Photosmart 6520
HP Touchpad, HP Chromebook 11
Custom i7-4770k,Z-87, 8GB, Vertex 3 SSD, Samsung EVO SSD, Corsair HX650,GTX 760
Custom i7-4790k,Z-97, 16GB, Vertex 3 SSD, Plextor M.2 SSD, Samsung EVO SSD, Corsair HX650, GTX 660TI
Windows 7/8 UEFI/Legacy mode, MBR/GPT

Please Help: iMac black screens after startup logo + spinning wheel no cursor).

Hi, guys.
I'm in a fair bit of a desperate situation; my iMac's screen seems to shut down every time after the white startup screen. The Apple logo appears, & the progress wheel begins spinning, then after a while - when it would usually then go to the gray login screen - it would, instead, go black. I can tell that the machine is still on (I can still hear it clicking as it does during processing) but I'm unable to determine anything else. Nothing is visible on the screen - not even the cursor - it's as if the display had turned off completely. I'm not sure if the login screen sits beneath that black screen (I have tried to log on by typing my login details in blindly, but even if it does log in, it's hard to determine what state the computer is in without seeing the screen.
I have tried the PRAM reset (holding CMD+OPT+P+R) during both the white startup screen, & the black screen to no avail. It seems unresponsive because I don't hear any additional chimes that I've been told should be heard during a PRAM reset attempt. I can't even be sure that the command is being inputted correctly because the light on my wireless keyboard remains off during the process.
I've tried rebooting over & over again; the results are the same.
The steps that led to the problem occurred thusly:
1 - I was trying to clear some memory from my current session, so I scanned through my active processes, quitting anything which seemed to be eating up considerable amounts of memory.
2 - One particular process I quit was 'launchd' which was functioning under my profile username.
3 - After quitting launchd, all opened apps seemed to close, & it looked like I was forcibly logged off the machine. The screen froze during this point, & I decided to do a hard reboot to log back in.
4 - The problem began after this hard reboot; startup seemed to occur as per usual; white screen > apple logo > progress wheel > and then suddenly, a black screen where the login screen should be.
I've shown a flashlight into the screen while it's black & it seems well & truly like the display has shut down while the iMac continues in the background. I have had issues relating to my screen going black before, but they were random & intermittent; they didn't occur without fail during the exact same time immediately after startup, & could be remedied by using the CTRL+OPT+EJT keys.
I am on an iMac 2010, 27", using I believe Lion OSX. I am unable to recall additional specifications while the problem persists.
Could anybody please help me? I'm quite desperate; I was in the middle of some urgent work that I need to get back to as soon as possible.
Thank you I'm advance to anyone with advice on how I can go about fixing this.
,c.

Gray screen appears during startup

HD icon moving to the very right top corner of the screen after startup...

Hi everybody,
this is apparently an old problem in Mac OSX (I have found only very old posts) that should have been resolved already. It happened to me sometimes that, after startup, the HDD icon, which is normally on my right top corner, moves by itself to the very top right corner almost behind the upper bar (almost at behind the magnifying glass of spotlight). In the finder preferences I have forced the snap to the grid option a long time ago and it seemed to have solved the issue but not! it is not the case.
I have the feeling that this happens at some starts (not the very first one) after making ONYX maintenance but I am not sure of that.
May you please tell me if other people have already encountered a similar problem?
It is not a virus or malware, is it?
Cheers

It is not a virus or malware, is it?
oh, please don't even mention viruses. there aren't any OS X viruses and what's happening to you is decidedly not a virus or a malware. you have a minor corruption of finder preferences or of the desktop DS_Store file.
reset your finder preferences. delete the file home directory/library/preferences/com.apple.finder.plist. then control-option-click on finder in the dock and choose "relaunch". next close all finder windows, and delete ALL .DS_Store files on your hard drive using ONYX http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/systemdiskutilities/onyx.html
start ONYX, go to maintenance->rebuild and delete .DS_Store files. then restart and set up your desktop as you want. it should stay put from now on.
Cheers

Stuck at desktop screen after startup

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