System start is not possible. Grey screen and demand for restart

After power-on I got a grey screen first, after approx. 15 secondes occurs a message "Restart the system". Unfortunately not more happens if I start the system from the HD. I have installed Mac OS X already new, but altrough the installation was sucessful I got the same result. Additinal I am not able to reject the DVD out of the DVD-drive.

Hi, tojapa - Welcome to Apple Discussions.
You are experiencing kernel panics.
In addition to the troubleshooting possibilities contained in the linked document, I wonder if you have you installed any after-market RAM? (If yes, then take it out and see if that helps.)
Do you have any peripherals beyond keyboard and mouse attached to this machine?
Are you able to boot into safe mode, holding down the Shift key immediately after the startup chime? (If you are able to boot into safe mode, you'll be able to eject the DVD.)
Also, how do you know the reinstallation of the system software was successful? Were you able to start up into the newly installed system?
Tuttle
1611/8319

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My problem started when system preferences was unresponsive and would not force quit. I tryed to restart and got the grey screen, but it never restarted. I closed the lid and now the screen is blank. Has anyone had a similar problem after Lion?

My problem started when system preferences was unresponsive and would not force quit. I tryed to restart and got the grey screen, but it never restarted. I closed the lid and now the screen is blank. Has anyone had a similar problem after Lion installation?

No, as I have yet to be convinced on Lion.
Did a permissions repair help from the install DVD?

Grey screen and clicking sound at start up

Lately when I start up my mac it takes about 6 tries to get it to start. The first few times before it works there is just a plain grey screen and there is a clicking noise being made. Any ideas on what is going on and how to fix this?

Hello and Welcome to Apple Discussions.
I hope I am not being overly alarmist but I believe your hard disk is set to fail at any moment. Use the computer as little as possible. Get hold of an external firewire hard disk. Connect to the iMac and then boot the iMac from your OS X install disc. Install a fresh copy of Leopard onto the external drive. You can now use the iMac from the external drive only by setting the External drive as the boot volume in System Preferences > Startup Disk.
Now in order of personal value transfer your documents and files across to the external drive. Once you have good backups you should then take a look at Disk Utility (Utilities folder) and see what SMART status the drive is being reported as.
mrtotes
Message was edited by: mrtotes

20" imac won't start up-flashes between blank grey screen and black screen

20" imac
2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Was running system 10.5.8 just fine. Worked great.
But then I wanted to give the imac to a relative. And so, I tried to boot from the original grey mac install dvd to wipe the hardrive and set the imac back to factory specs.
But it wouldn't boot off the dvd. All It would do at restart was to flash slowly back and forth between blank grey screen and black screen. So, I tried the Leopard update dvd. Same results. So I zapped the pram and tried again. Same results.
If I just pushed the start button tho.. the imac would start right up and run fine. However, I didn't want to give it to someone else with all our information on it.
I finally restarted it and held the "T" key to turn it into a giant firewire drive, hooked it up to our other 20" imac, and used the disk utility from the second imac to erase the drive of the first imac. Then I inserted the grey install dvd into the second imac and selected the drive of the first imac and ran the install process.
Now, the first imac won't start up at all. Just a continual grey screen for a bit, than a couple of buzz sounds in the machine and then the black screen... than back again.
It ran great before I erased the drive and re-installed OS 10.5
What's wrong? How do I get the machine to either boot off the install cd?

So, I've figured out a little more on the first machine. It's a 20" 2.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo running 10.5.8.
It ran great. But, I wanted to erase the hard drive and reinstall the OS system before giving it to a relative.
I found that although the optical drive would read and write to normal cds and dvds, the machine would NOT boot from the grey start-up disks I had on hand. ( I have two imacs, and I tried both sets of dvds without success.)
I zapped the PRAM, and used disk utilities via firewire connection from my other 20" imac to check the hardrive and make repairs. Disk Utilities couldn't find any problems. So, using disk utilities from the other imac, I erased the first imac's harddrive and then used the install dvds on the second imac to install the original OS to the hard drive of the first imac.
(looking on the hard drive of the first imac, I can see all the contents)
However, the first machine will not start up. It just switches from grey....to black..... then grey..... and then black again.... over and over
Why won't it boot from the newly installed OS on it's own hard drive?
And Why won't it boot from the original install dvds?
How can I get it to start up again?

Ibookg4 will not go past the grey screen and will not accept a disc

my ibook will not go past the grey screen and will not accept a disc

Have you tried starting up in Safe Mode? If not, I suggest that you give it a try. This will take quite awhile longer than a normal startup because it does a file check and repair of the hard disk.
If this works you will see your normal desktop. Once completely started up in Safe Mode, try to restart normally, and go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Click on the top hard drive icon in the left sidebar and note the S.M.A.R.T. status at the bottom right of the pane. What does it say?
Select the named boot volume in the left sidebar, ("Macintosh HD" unless you've renamed it). What is the hard drive capacity and how much space remains available on it? Repair permissions on it.
See if you are able to do a little hard drive maintenance to help things out.

Start up problem-can't get past Apple grey screen and spinning gear

Upon trying to start up my laptop, got nothing but the apple logo, grey screen and spinning gear. I tried several things to resolve the problem on my own (hardware test said it could not verify the disk/could not start up from the OS X install disk/reset the power mgmt. unit/disconnected all peripherals)and finally went to the Apple store. Genius bar said they were able to start up from their hard drive and suggested that I buy an external hard drive, go home, start up again and back up all files. I bought a My Book. Got home and same thing happened: Apple logo and spinning gear. I am an Apple user of 18 years, but have not had to do much in the way of diagnostics. Have tried fsck routine today that I found on another posting here today. If the Genius guy got it going, I assumed that I could too. I was wrong. Any advice would be appreciated. It looks like this is the end of the road for my Powerbook, but I'd like a shot at recovering data.
Message was edited by: Debbie Wach

Hi Debbie/Gregg -
I may have missed something but can't you just put a new hard drive in your laptops? You may not be able to recover your data but it doesn't mean the end for your computer. The same thing happened to my TiBook and I put a new 120Gig hard drive in and it's had a new lease of life.
I bought a new internal hard drive along with an external enclosure and connected it up to my computer and from there cloned it. Then I transferred the external into the TiBook and put the old drive into the external and I use that as an external now. I realise your hard drives are dead but you could use another computer to so the same thing and just install the OS on it.
I bought this -
http://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/productinfo.php?productsid=452
Then followed the instructions here -
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/PowerBook-G4-Ti-DVI/HD-Replacement/33/6/
Once your new hard drive is installed you may be able to try and repair the old one in the external enclosure?

TS2570 I tried a safe reboot and my computer still shows a grey screen and the spinning gear when turned on. The last message on the reboot said "Launch_msg(): socket is not connected" have no idea what that means.

I tried a safe reboot my computer had a grey screen and a spinning gear. Safe boot did not fix the problem.
The last writing on the safe boot said " Launch_msg(): Socket is not connected.
Tried re starting and same grey screen and spinning gear

Can you boot to the Snow Leopard DVD?

HT1199 my computer displays grey screen and apple logo for 10 minutes or more during start up and shut down. sometimes it refuses to shut down . this issues started after installing OS lion. what do i do?

my computer displays grey screen and apple logo for 10 minutes or more during start up and shut down. sometimes it refuses to shut down . this issues started after installing OS lion. what do i do?

I don't think it's exactly an incomplete installation brody, but most likely in-correct permissions somewhere along the line that either happened, or became magnified during the upgrade. Also, it could be corruption as well.
First thing to do, is boot up holding down Shift key to do a safe-boot so we an clean up any corrupted OS caches, after that do another reboot, but go to the Lion recovery, and scan the HD for errors, repair any if you find them, and then try to do a Repair Permissions job.
That should fix the issue, if not, we can start doing a PRAM reset and SMC for good measure.

When starting the computer, I get a grey screen and following status: your startup disk is full. How can I still enter (in order to free-up some space)?

When starting the computer, I get a grey screen and following status: your startup disk is full. How can I still enter (in order to free-up some space)?

Simple way to make HDD free space is delete files you don't need anymore.
Or get bigger drive and external HDD case, then:
1) install bigger HDD in external drive case.
2) connect external drive and format and mount it with Disk Utility.
3) make clone with Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!(source drive is internal HDD, target drive is external one).
4) install external bigger drive into your Macbook Pro.
In the cace if your're using Mac Pro:
1) get bigger HDD and install it in drive bay of Mac Pro.
2) format and mount it with Disk Utility.
3) make clone with Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!(source drive is old HDD, target drive is new one).
4) Select boot drive to new bigger one.

I have a new macbook pro, just downloaded some updates and when I clicked to restart it went to a grey screen and is not restarting.

I have a new macbook pro 17". Just downloaded some updates (10.7.1, itunes etc.) and when I clicked to restart, went to grey screen and unit is not responding. It has been about 30 min.

Hi j,
Gray Screen at Startup (try Safe Boot)
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570

Hi my iMAc 27 inch starts up to the grey screen with apple logo and loading bar underneath it loads halfway then freezes up and shut down after a while please help

Hi my iMAc 27 inch starts up to the grey screen with apple logo and loading bar underneath it loads halfway then freezes up and shut down after a while please help

Try the tips listed here Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup - Apple Support

HT4904 I need to repair my start up disc so I have to start up from installation disc. In doing so, my computer restarts, I hear the mac sound, then a grey screen and then turns off and goes on in this cycle endlessly. Why can't I restart from disc?

I need to repair my start up disc so I have to start up from installation disc. In doing so, my computer restarts, I hear the mac sound, then a grey screen and then turns off and goes on in this cycle endlessly. Why can't I restart from disc?

Booting From An OS X Installer Disc
1. Insert OS X Installer Disc into the optical drive.
2. Restart the computer.
3. Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "C" key.
4. Release the key when the spinning gear below the dark gray Apple
logo appears.
5. Wait for installer to finish loading.

Imac G5 will not boot, Grey screen. Please help!

Please forgive me if this posting is a bit lengthy!
My Mac had been on sleep mode for 2 days, when I tried to wake it up a message popped up stating that a system failure had occurred (Darwin Kernal version 7.7.2: etc). I shut it down and tried to restart only to get a grey screen and with the spinning gearlike timer and after about a minute the fan started to run at full power upon which I turned it off via the power button on the rear. I tried several times to re-boot but the same thing happened each time.
I have tried to start up using the ‘safe-boot’ mode (held down shift after chime and released upon seeing Apple logo and spinning gear timer). After a few seconds however, the screen goes blank and the start-up chime repeats only to be followed once again by the grey screen, spinning gear and fan running at full speed. No progress
The Apple website suggests using the ‘Software Install or Restore’ disc which came with the computer. However, I don’t have this disc, only ‘Apple hardware test’ and ‘Mac OSX Install’ (3 discs) came in the box.
I checked the system using the ‘Apple Hardware Test’ CD (by holding down the C-key during start-up) using both the quick and advanced check but no problems were reported.
I then ran Disc Utility from the first installation disc to repair permissions on the HD which was successful. However, after re-starting the machine, once again the same grey screen appeared with no apparent progress.
I then tried to check for damage using the ‘fsck’, recommended by Apple if ‘safe boot’ mode cannot be run. After starting up in single-user mode I typed the following prompt: /sbin/fsck –fy. It ran through a quick phrase list but then delivered the line ‘Volume Check Failed’. I faired no better when I repeated the process over again.
I have never updated the software with Apple updates since I bought the machine (don’t laugh), mainly because I don’t have a broadband internet connection at home, could there be a bug in Panther OSX that needed fixing with a later update?
I have no ‘add-ons’ plugged in other than the keyboard and mouse. I don’t think it can be a firmware problem, I am the only user and have not changed any settings relating to access permissions.
This is my first Mac and so my experience of problem solving is quite limited. I am not a Mac expert and to be honest am confused by much of the jargon. The computer is now two years old and therefore out of warranty so I don’t want to take it to my local Mac shop if I can solve the problem myself.
I’m a bit concerned as there are many documents that I have not backed-up (foolish I know).
I don’t know how I can attempt to rectify anything if the machine will not even boot-up in safe mode!?!
Could the problem be something to do with the PRAM settings, might the internal battery be dead bearing in mind that the machine is now 2 years old?
Would it be possible to re-install Panther from the original discs, I have read that this will not loose any files but can somebody confirm this?
Can anybody offer some advice as to what I might try to get the Mac to start-up and avoid any problems in the future? Any advice will be much appreciated.
Imac G5 Mac OS X (10.3) 80Gb HD / 768Mb RAM

Please accept my apologies regarding the time it has taken for me to get back to you. Since we last spoke I have been away on vacation.
Upon my return I attempted to follow your advice but it would seem that my problems are more significant than I had originally anticipated.
First, as you recommended I reset the PRAM by holding down the required keys from start-up, until the machine re-started.
I then attempted to perform the ‘Archive and Install’ process for OS10.3 (Panther) from the original software discs, making sure to select ‘Preserve User Settings and Preferences’.
My Mac first went through a ‘Checking your Installation Disc’ phase (10 mins) before starting the next phase ‘Checking Target Volume Consistency’. However, after only a few seconds it stopped with the pop-up message ‘There were errors installing the software’. I repeated the process but got the same message.
I decided to run Disc Utility once again from Disc 1, upon which I realised that I had previously only run Verify & Repair Disc Permissions, not Verify Disc or Repair Disc.
I decided to try to Verify Disc under First Aid, however, this was where the trouble started. I got the following message on screen:
"The Volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
Volume Check Failed
Error: The Underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972)
1 Volume checked
HFS Volumes verified
1 Volume failed verification."
Obviously I am assuming this problem is preventing me from performing an ‘Archive and Install’. Now I’m a bit concerned that my problem could be very serious, bearing in mind that so many of my files are not backed up.
I’d be very grateful for more wise advice as to what to try next.
Imac G5 Mac OS X (10.3) 80Gb HD / 768Mb RAM
Imac G5 Mac OS X (10.3) 80Gb HD / 768Mb RAM

On start up I get grey screen with wheel turning but it goes no further

On start up I get grey screen with wheel turning but it goes no further

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
     a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” 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, boot 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 you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
Step 7
If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 10. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then restart as usual.
Step 9
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.

My mac shows a grey screen and spinning gear and nothing else. please help! i want my mac to work again :/

My mac needed new updates and after clickign update it soon told me there was an error and it froze. I then let it sit fo about 15 minutes adn nothign changed so I restarted it and ever since then all my computer will show is the grey screen and a spinning gear :/ can anyone help me with this problem?

I had the same issue, and I had recently backed-up my files (mostly because the mac was acting wonky before this even happened), so I did an erase and install. Then I ran through all the software upgrades and installed all of them. When I did a required restart (for the Mac OS X 10.4.11 update) it went BACK to grey screen with spinning ball. Talk about frustrating!
I think there is something weird going on with the iTunes update and the Mac OS X 10.4.11 update. But one can't be used without the other. So I'm not sure how to update everything safely and get an up to date system, without having all the problems I had before. So now I'm using Mac OS X 10.4.7 so I can have a stable system to do my work, but I can't run iTunes 7.0. I'm too scared to update OS b/c I can't waste another day re-installing everything (for like the third time).
I'm a pretty new Mac user (year and half) so this may sound really dumb, but any suggestions would be very welcomed. I may start a new thread instead of hijacking this one...

System start is not possible. Grey screen and demand for restart

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