Troubleshooting iMac Startup Problem

I've been trying to troubleshoot a problem with my mid-2007 iMac 24" where it sometimes will not startup. I can hear it turn on when I press the power button but it doesn't chime. I can also hear the fan. I don't boot from the internal drive as my main drive and instead boot from a larger firewire external drive attached directly to the iMac. When the iMac won't start up, I usually let it sit for about ten minutes and it will startup again. Yesterday though, this procedure wasn't working but it did eventually startup after I left it alone for several hours to run some errands.
After using it for about an hour, the internal drive unmounted and disappeared from my desktop -- I got the usual "disk was not properly ejected" warning when it happened. I ran Disk Utility but the drive did not show up on the list. I also ran System Profiler and it did not locate the drive either. Instead it said "There was an error scanning for Serial-ATA Devices".
My question is this, could it be that the internal hard drive has been slowly failing and has been the cause of the startup problem? Does the internal HD have to be in working order to be able to startup properly and boot up from my external? I've been told by others that it does appear to be a logic board or video card problem and I've inspected and reseated the RAM and it has not been the issue.
My iMac is out of warranty and I'm gonna have to bring it in for repair. If it is the internal drive that is the problem, I don't want to shut it down for any reason until I'm ready to have it repaired. Thankfully, I have full backups.

This sounds very similar to my situation. When I restart the computer it usually gives me the grey screen with ?-folder. Using the Install Disc to boot, I ran Disk Utility but the drive did not show up on the list. I also ran System Profiler and it did not locate the drive either. Instead it said "There was an error scanning for Serial-ATA Devices". Wait a while or repeated restarts eventually boots the system. When I can get the iMac to boot up I used the Install disc and ran Disc Utility Repair but no errors were detected. I have ran the extended AHT a couple of times and no errors were returned.
Did you resolve your problem? Bad HD?

Similar Messages

10.7.5 imac startup problems

imac; 10.7.5 takes a long time to startup (BOOT)?

Hi Sergio,
10.7.5 introduces more problems than the previous one ... This is the TITEL of your topic.
I never and I'm sure about this that many when not millions of using Lion 10.7.4 never ever hat a problem with the system.
When you got problems already before updating to 10.7.5 than you are NOT solving problems with it.
When you got a stable system than there is nothing wrong wit a update.
I have to admit and report that the last update 10.7.5 didn't came with same bugs, like Spotlight indexing that is related to TimeMachine. There is temporally a workaround for it, but NOT a solution to it yet.
Some posters reporting that downloading AGAIN the update everything is fine ... you could also considering to download the Combo Update 10.7.5 from the Apple support website.
Good luck ...
Dimaxum

IMac startup problems

I have an iMac G4. It's an early flat panel model without the iSight built in. I just upgraded from 10.4.8 to .11 using the combo installer.
Now It won't startup completely, it gets to the desktop and then hangs before displaying the dock or menus. In safe mode it start up completely but 1 mouse click on anything brings up the rainbow cursor. starting in single user mode is fine and I can run fsck no problem. At this point I'd startup from the Apple Installer CD and reinstall the OS but it goes into kernel panic when I try! I tried target disk mode and ran Disk Utility from another Mac, the hard drive needed some volume header repairs but it didn't help. I'm running out of options here. Anyone? Please!

Hi, Just want to add that you are not the only one with that problem.
I've also tried everything that is recommended on the Apple support sites.
My iMac G4 (got it from a friend) ran well on Panther, but now it has the same startup issue after upgrading to Tiger. It will only run in safe mode. Without - no chance.
If one advice is to formate your HD, I did it at least four times with the same results.
Another advice given on the support site is to check the Classic part on your HD - I don't have one so that can be excluded as well.
My local Apple store spoke vaguely about some RAM problems ormotherboard issues that might occur.
I will have the machine tested next week and say what the outcome is, if not by chance someone knows the problem.
Good Luck
Jürgen

24" iMac Startup Problem

On several occasions (2-3) in the last few weeks with my new 24" iMac, I have attempted to boot the computer and gotten stuck on the grey screen. No progress wheel, just grey boot screen indefinitely.
On each occasion, I manually rebooted by holding the power button, and on the second attempt the computer booted without issue. Is this a potential hardware or software issue?
Has anyone else experience something similar?

I've experienced something similar... You can see another thread where I explained my situation and "solution" here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=683196&tstart=0
In short, in my case, the boot problem seems to be caused by the logic board... I don't know if that could be yours, too... I hope not for you...

Imac startup problem

Came back after lunch and wanted to startup my Mac from the 10.6 instal disk and I get these 3 beeps repeating unti l held down the power button. It was operating fine before so could use some words of wisdom.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1547
1 beep = no RAM installed
2 beeps = incompatible RAM types
3 beeps = no good banks
4 beeps = no good boot images in the boot ROM (and/or bad sys config block)
5 beeps = processor is not usable

Startup Problems with my iMac

I am trying to troubleshoot a startup problem on my iMac and can't seem to get it to boot at all. The problem began last night when I tried to the whole HD to a previous time point in Time Machine. I only went back to earlier the same day to correct another issue that I inadvertently created. In an attempt to keep this short, I will stick to the facts.
Last night I started the restore process by booting from the OSX dvd and then restoring the machine from a TM backup from earlier in the day. (external firewire drive) Everything seemed to be moving along fine with the estimated completion time several hours away, so I went to bed. This morning I woke up to find my machine will not start up. I get the normal chime and the white screen but then it is as if a gray curtain falls down the screen and soon after a dark gray square appears in the middle with the instructions to turn off the machine and re-start it, in several languages. This happens whether or not the OSX DVD is inserted and regardless of any keys (shift,c I've tried so far) that are held during startup. I am trying to startup from the original disc that came with the machine (OSX 10.5.6), but I get the same result if the disc is ejected and I try to startup from the HD. All peripherals have been removed.
What am I missing? What is the trick to getting the machine to boot from the DVD?

Success! Not sure what happened, but this time I started up from the 10.6 dvd (SL) (instead of the 10.5 that the machine shipped with) and did the restore from Time Machine (same as previous attempts). This time it seemed to work and when I restarted the iMac, it came up like normal.
Thanks for the link Carolyn. I did do disk utility a couple of times and it consistently came back OK. It's now going through a very long TM backup, I guess it must be a new one even though all the previous ones are still there in the TM viewer.

TM drive doesn't always mount on iMac startup

Hi,
TM seems to work well most of the time. Once in a great while though, TM drive doesn't mount on iMac startup, and if I don't notice the missing icon on the desktop, backups don't happen.
TM drive is a Seagate Free Agent USB 500G. It's connected directly, not through a hub. The drive has no power switch, so I leave it alone -- out of sight, out of mind.
Two questions:
1. Is is something that I am doing or the way I'm set up that causes this infrequent failure?
2. When I notice the missing connection, what's the best way to get the TM drive reconnected? What I do now to reconnect is: shut down the computer, pull the power plug on the TM drive, restart the computer, plug the drive back in.
Your thoughts appreciated.
Jerry

My understanding is that the disk doesn't mount, ie not visible to the system. In that event I can't see that changing Time Machine's disk allocation will achieve anything. It's a hardware initialisation issue.
If the disk isn't mounted (personally I'd check System Profiler to be absolutely sure) then there can't be any transfers going on so you should be safe to just unplug, pause to let the electronics settle and then plug back in. If that works, and the problem is rare, that might be the best way to go, although it might be that there is some problem with the drive which is not good if you are relying on it for back up. I don't know enough about hard drives to comment on that aspect (maybe it's just a driver issue?).

Startup problems--time for a new machine?

I have an imac G5 that I bought last February. In the last few weeks I've been experiencing serious startup problems. When turned on, the screen goes gray and the lines and pixels fragment and shimmer. It takes a long time to go to the main screen and often the screen isn't stable and freezes. It takes me eight to ten startups to get the system stable.
I've repaired disk permissions, repaired h-drive, reset Pram. Still a mess. My husband wants me to just get a new one and get something that is not an Apple this time. I'm resisting that.
I don't want to lose all my data and I've backed up what I can but I'm worried the data is corrupted and if I load it on to a new machine, I will experience the same problems.
Any advice? I'm not even sure if this is a hardware or software problem. I'm out of warranty so I am on my own, but I'm frustrated to be having these problems with such a new machine.
Thanks for any advice,
Cassandra
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Cassandra, in addition to Barbara's excellent suggestion: looking to see if you qualify for the program, please make sure that you have an external FireWire drive and clone your drive, (SuperDuper is an excellent choice for backing up, cloning and making scehduled backups).
Let us know how you made out,
Miriam
Rev A 20" iMac G5, 15"iMac G4, 15"iMac G3 DVD Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Why does my OS X 10.6.8 have various applications hang for several minutes, then resume. This is not a startup problem.

I upgraded to Mac OS X 10.6.8 a few weeks ago. It seemed to be running OK, so we upgraded another system also. Now both machine are, from time to time, stalling whatever application is running. Everything stops or runs veeeeeeerrrrrry slowly for several minutes even including bringing other windows to the front. The disk runs almost like it is swapping a lot. Then the system frees up and runs normally for a while. This is not a startup problem. I occurrs on systems that have been running for a day or two or more. It happens on an iMac and on a MacBookPro. Neither of them had this behavior before the 10.6.8 upgrade.

Jocke27 wrote:
What do you mean with corrupt?
Why did you suggest that I created a new profile?
There are cache files and other system files that are created every time a user account is created. Sometimes these are corrupted in the OS and it really has no bearing on the specific application but it can lead to erratic behavior. Creating a new user recreates all these system files and thus it's almost like starting fresh. It's one step shy of re-installation of an OS. So because changing the user fixed the issue, then we have eliminated the fact that the application is causing the error and we know the OS is causing the error.
I can't just go in to that profile when I want to use?
I wouldn't recommend it. This can lead to more problems with the OS down the road with other applications and depending on where the corruption lies it can lead to issues with OS upgrades or even installing new software. The files that are typically most critical to users are stored in the Applications folder or the Documents/Sites/Pictures folders. You can easily drag them over to a new user account. If you have email being backed up for a product like Thunderbird you can also bring over many of the Library items as well.

Startup Problems After Upgrade to 10.4.8

Six weeks ago I upgraded my RAM by adding a 1Gb chip, and after checking to see that the added memory was recognized, I installed OS X 10.4.6 from my purchased DVD. I was then prompted to update to 10.4.8. For the first three weeks I used my iMac G5 with no problems. Then, with no apparent changes having been made, I began having Startup problems with my iMac. Every Statup go like this after pushing the Power button:
1) I get alternatively a black screen or the gray Apple screen frozen
2) I use the Power button to Shut Down, then Start with the Power button and get the gray Apple screen with cascading text error messages
3) I Shut Down and Start as in 2 while holding the Option-Command-P-R and get Desktop, but my applications repeatedly Quit Unexpectedly (Safari, Explorer, iTunes,etc.)
4) I Restart from the Apple Menu and get the Desktop and my applications usually work without Quitting.
I tried re-installing from my OS X 10.4.6 DVD (Archive and Install), but I get errors when the Installer gets to Prepare the Disk. Can anyone tell me what else I can do, or do I need to contact Apple Support?? Thanks,
ktanzoak

Only if you are able to boot into the desktop. If you are, follow the instructions on my FAQ:
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
for backing up your data.
If you aren't able to boot to the desktop, get Prosoft Data Rescue, and an external hard drive to attempt a recovery using the
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html#RECOVER
directions on my FAQ.
Please let me know which procedure you are able to do and if you have any questions before you proceed.
In the future, always backup your data prior to installing any new software.

G5 Dual 2.3 PPC Startup problems

Hi
About every other time I start up the computer, nothing comes on the display, and within 1-2 minutes the fans start to accelerate out of control. I then push and hold the start button to abort the startup.
After 10 seconds I startup again, and then it starts up right.
What could be the problem? I am afraid that someday it won't start up at all, which is a big problem since I am running a recording studio, and need to have stable gear.
Thanks
-Sorkin

I wish there was a "User Reference Library" of tips and links to most helpful threads and "stickies" for how to troubleshoot these types of problems.
A recent thread on startup problems (which should make good reading and have most of the ideas and tips)
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2113312
4 yrs old and battery, internal condition, dust
how well the system is backed up and maintained
preventative maintenance routine - regular use of Disk Warrior and CCC/SuperDuper
A list of links often recommended to deal with battery, SMU Reset, AHT, Safe Mode, Repair Permissions, etc.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1436 SMU Reset
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1573 No Video
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/CR2032/ pram battery
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2580 PDFs DIY
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/aht.html AHT
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455 Safe Mode
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564
Of course having SuperDuper and Disk Warrior can be considered essentials to health of Mac OS X systems and an emergency boot drive to handle all the maintenance and repairs, goes without saying.
Can you test the battery and see if it is weak charge?

TS3148 iMac Startup Apple Logo Progress Bar Hangs.....

I Lost my Installation Disk what can i do.. please help in this.... iMac Startup Apple Logo Progress Bar Hangs.....

You likely have a problem with the drive as the progres bar is trying to fix the drive and it can't.
You need to backup your user info off the machine as soon as possible.
hold the shift key on booting, that may get you in.
see this
 Mac won't boot or "You need to restart"
 Step by Step to fix your Mac
order a new 10.6 machine specific disk from Apple, your going to need it.

New IMac is crashing randomly because of "Panic Kernel Error." Now IMac startup disk is not visible and will not mount. What the story with this machine. Running 10.6.7

New IMac is crashing randomly because of "Panic Kernel Error." Now IMac startup disk is not visible and will not mount. What the story with this machine. Running 10.6.7

Almost certainly, some sort of hardware problem on your logic board.
Make an appointment and take it to your local Apple Store: http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/

DV6-7135NR startup problem

Spilled a bit of water on my laptop yesterday, since then have unscrewed service panel, opened and let the laptop dry. It doesn't start up now. I went through the usual support notes and troubleshooting on HP site - and here's where I am now:
If the LEDs do not glow, and there are no other indicators of power being available to the computer, contact HP for technical assistance in troubleshooting a potential problem with the AC power connection or the system board. (can't be the AC adapter as its hardly old, and was working fine till the spill; also laptop does not show any signs of startup with battery).
Laptop was purchased almost 2 years ago and is out of warranty.
So...HP - Please provide my options and their exected cost.
Also, is there a way to test thr HDD so I know if I will be able to get the data off eventually.
Thanks in advance.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

The Vantec device says it supports 2.5 inch drives so make sure you clear off any connector piece to expose the SATA connectors on the laptop drive. It should work. I actually have one of those Vantec devices and use it for laptop drives all the time.

I am having an MacBok Pro 13inch,having an Startup Problem, the time i press the power button after few seconds the apple symbol appears w/a loading sign below it

i am having an MacBook Pro 13inch , having an Startup Problem , the time i press the power button after few seconds the apple symbol appears with a loading sign below it and wont go further ahead of it . My data is all in the hard drive .. . I even tried the Internet recovery but no use !!!! but still no respons and the recovery and macintosh hd is now lock! but earlier only the recovery is lock and after both of them is lock. i can reinstall,... and i didnt try to back up any data bec i dont know how? so please help me to resolve my prroblem.?

luoie wrote:
This thing happend,, it say Disk utility stopped repairing "Macintosh HD" disk utility can't repair this disk
Sorry, possibly you need a new hard drive or try reformating. First
you can try something like http://www.alsoft.com/diskwarrior/ it has been known to repair disk that DiskUtility could not. YMMV and they don't give it away.
If Disk Warrior can not repair then you need to Reformate the drive. Make sure you have a back-up in place no matter what.
http://www.apple.com/support/backup/
Disk Utility will tell you something about it's SMART status:

Troubleshooting iMac Startup Problem

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for