White screen upon start up

Hey sorry if this has been answered but im not in the mood to go scrolling through dozens of pages to find what im looking for.
So here goes. Today i decided it was time to set boot camp, however before i could do this i had to defrag as my imac is around 20mouths old and the drive looked a bit messy. (note : it worked absolutely fine) Defrag finished and my computer was back to normal use, i postponed setting up bootcamp for a day and shut the imac down. When i rebooted later the typical white screen appeared with the happy spinning wheel. HOWEVER underneath this was a loading bar that i have never seen before, this loaded to about 10% then went back to the start and got to about 30/40% before the computer shuts itself down.
WHAT IS GOING ON? please help im a university student a i desperately need tis to do my study.
PS i have tried the trick of unplugging (that is mentioned all over google) it didn't do anything.

Did you (or your defrag utility) verify the integrity of the drive before defragging? If not, sounds like your drive was probably damaged in the process. Try [repairing the hard drive with Disk Utility|http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417]. Most likely this will not be adequate to get your computer back up and running - you may need to go so far as reinstalling the system - but it's a start.

Similar Messages

HOW DO I CORRECT A WHITE SCREEN UPON START-UP?

HOW DO I CORRECT A WHITE SCREEN UPON START-UP?

Festus,
I'm getting you have a MacBook rather than an iMac, if so you may want to request to have your post moved to the correct forum. However please read Gray screen appears during startup to begin troubleshooting your problem.
Also when posting please do not type in all caps, it is considered shouting. We can "hear" you fine.

Does anyone know about a white screen upon start up?

My daughter has an older MacBook and we have upgraded software. She tells me that she has a white screen upon start up each time she turns on (boots up) the laptop. I tried to boot the machine up to see what IOS version she has but can't get past the white screen. I trried moving the mouse and pressing arbitrary buttons to no avail.

Try booting from an installer DVD. If that works OK, then reinstall OS X.

Flashing ? folder on white screen upon start up

i have a 2008 macbook unibody and when started up i get a white screen with a flashing ? folder. I have tried some suggestions i found here, like holding the c button as well as holding the option button. when i hold the option button i get a flashing spinning globe on a hard drive. nothing else happens, i cant choose a drive or only thing, but i get the cursor. someone please help. oh and i dont have the install/reboot discs either.

The flashing ? mark can mean several things.
One the starutp disk is failing or has failed.
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
You mentioned holding down the Option key. Theoretically, that would prompt the Startup Manager window where you can select the startup disk but if that didn't work, then you may be out of luck.
If the startup disk has failed, you wouldn't be able to repair the startup disk using your install disc anyway.

I can't get past white screen when starting up, any ideas?

I Can't get past white screen when starting up, any ideas

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570 Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
===============
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CLICKY CLICK---> https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3602
CLICKY CLICK-----> Help us to help you on these forums

TS2376 i have multicolored vertical lines on white screen after start up

i have multicolored vertical lines on white screen after start up on macbook. how do i fix this?

i have the same problem with my iphone 4s, im just waiting for it to die from battery but try rebooting,restarting or charging it

My computer has a white screen at start up and sits for hours. How can I fix my computer?

My computer has a white screen at start up and sits for hours. How can I fix my computer?

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, 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 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.

White screen wont start It sounds like a clock

white screen wont start It sounds like a clock

The hard drive has crashed and has to be replaced.

White screen upon booting

Hi I need some help my macbook pro 15" (os lion dont know what version) went to sleep and ran out of battery, when i charged it and tried to start up it wouldn't so i did a force shutdown (press power for 10 secs), now when i reload it loads the bar on the bottom for about 1cm then the bar disappears and the white screen with the apple logo stays with the loading sign spinning again and again.. doesn't do anything after an hour or so i've given up.
I have read through numerous previous posts, from what i have gathered,
I have run the "command s" and $fsck -y and tried to fix the disc but it shows:
** /dev/rdisk0s2
** Root file system
Executing fsck_hfs (version diskdev_cmds-540,1~25)
** Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume
The volume name is Macintosh HD
** Checking extents overflow file.
Invalid leaf record count
(It should be 577 instead of 579)
** Checking catalog file
Incorrect block count for file bounds
(it should be 1 instead of 0)
Keys out of order
(4, 12661)
** Rebuilding catalog B-tree
** The volume Macintosh HD could not be repaired.
**** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED ****
So what do I do now I know B-tree is a corrupt file. I dont have time machine and haven't backed up my files in 6 months. its actually due for backup this weekend!
I went into Disk Utility to run repair disk but it says "Disk utility cannot repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk and restore your backed-up files.
My question is, how do I recover my files. Once I get my files I can reformat
Any suggestions please. Thank you so much! PS. I'm a comp illerate so please simple slow steps in explaining

After 4 nights and numerous research hours later I have finally fixed my corrupted Mac HDD. (Macbook Pro early 2011, OSX Lion 10.7.2)
I don't want all this effort going to waste so I'm going to give some step by step instructions on how I managed to fix my MacBook Pro. Idiot's guide because I am not that great with computers..
Presenting Issue:
When powering up Mac, unable to load the OSX. It goes into a white screen with the apple logo with the loading sign spinning below. A grey bar below that shows up and starts to load but disappears not long after. The loading sign continues to spin but nothing happens.
Diagnosis:
- Shutdown computer. Press power button, then press "command S" straight away and hold, you will hear the chime and wait till the terminal screen loads (this is a bunch of white text). Then release buttons and wait till it stops. Type "FSCK -Y" (without the ""). Wait for it to run. If the disc is broken it will try to repair itself. If that works then you are good. You can type "shutdown -r now" and restart computer it should load normally.
- If you have my problem it should say something along the last few lines of:
** Rebuilding catalog B-tree
** The volume Macintosh HD could not be repaired.
**** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED ****
This means the computer was unable to repair the HDD for you.
If you have backed up your computer then you can skip this next part. If you haven't (like me) then you will need to retrieve your files from your corrupted HDD.
Note: If you have a B-tree error you will not be able to use firewire (below) to access and erase your disk, nor will you be able to unmount your disk. When you try it will tell you it cannot be done. Also you will not be able to reinstall OSX onto the corrupted HDD - if you go into "command R" restore (below below), the disk will be greyed out and say it is in use and cannot be booted.
Resolution (Retrieve Data from a unbootable Mac):
- You will need to buy a IEEE 1394 800/800 9pin to 9pin firewire cable. If you live in Australia, I found one from Dick Smith for $10, where other electronic stores sell between $20-$60.
- You will also need your friend's MBP (or any other Mac that has a 9pin firewire port).
- Plug both MBP on their power supply. Turn the normal MBP on. Plug the firewire cable into both computers. Then press the power button once on the unbootable MBP and press T straight away and hold until the normal computer detects the broken MBP as a external HDD (it shows up as a yellow rectangle shape icon). The broken computer will also display a screensaver with an icon moving around.
- The normal MBP will detect your Mac HDD but it will display an error message informing you the disk is corrupted and unmodifiable. Press ok to ignore.
- You can now access your unbootable MBP as an external HDD. It is the icon on the desktop "Macintosh HD". Copy the files you require. Then press the power button once on the broken MBP to turn off firewire transfer. Unplug firewire cable. Done !
Resolution (Installing OSX Lion)
- You will need a previously partitioned disk on your broken MBP which is not corrupted which you can erase and use to format OSX Lion or a 3.5" external HDD. If you are lucky enough like me who likes to keep a random spare partition you are in luck. If not plug the ext HDD into the USB port with the MBP off.
- Turn on the MBP and press and hold "command R" until you hear the chime and until the grey recovery screen loads (I think this works if you have osx lion or mountain lion. If you have snow leopard you will need to insert installation disk instead).
- Select language and select reinstall a new copy of OSX Lion. This will take you to the installation screen. You will need internet access so either use airport or plug a direct ethernet cable (quicker d/l speed, faster installation).
- Select installation site as the spare partitioned disk or the external HDD. It will then download OSX Lion onto that disk (took me 2.5 hours), and install OSX Lion (took me 30 mins).
- Bazinga! OSX Lion installed.
Resolution (Erasing Unmountable Macintosh HD)
- Once your OSX Lion is installed and your computer is up and running again, you can now go into disk utility and select your Macintosh HD. Press "Unmount", it will go grey, and then select OS X Extended (Journaled) format, press "Erase" to do a 1-pass erasure of the HD. This should take a few minutes max and then check if your Macintosh HD is empty. TADA!!! New HDD.
- If you are crazy like me you can spend a good 7 hours and perform a complete 7-pass erasure. To do so go to advanced settings and change the erasure type.
Resolution (Copying OSX Lion to Macintosh HD)
- Now you can reverse the action by restoring the OSX Lion into your original Macintosh HD disk, and then erasing your partitioned disc.
- I'm sure you can just copy the disc and then erase but I'm not risking any more issues so I'm doing it the hard long way.
Fixed. If I took it into Geniuses they will tell me my HDD is dead and needs replacing. No way when I trust my gut instinct that it's a corrupt HDD.
Good luck guys. I'm now off to get my much deserved and deprived SLEEP! Hope this helps!!

White Screen at Start Up

Apple installed a new hard drive roughly four months ago and everything has been fine except now when I try to start my computer I have a white screen that contains a box and a question mark. Any ideas? I can't use my mouse at all.
Thanks!

Use the discs that came with your computer from apple you should have two one for the os and a second for the applications. insert the dvd and hold the c key down the installer should come up.
Before installing open up disk utility [drop down menu top left] and check the drive to see if you can fix it by chance. if not I would do a erase and install from the dvd.

White screen at start, eMac

I have an older eMac (probably about 7-9 years old, I bought it used). It was working fine this morning, but when I shut it down to take a nap and restartd it this afternoon I got a plain white screen and no action. I got the usual welcome sound, but the white screen never made its way to the usual desktop art. Is there any way I can get the computer restarted? I do have some of my startup disks, but I'd upgraded to OS 10.5 and added memory chips to the machine several years ago. I do have a newer MacBook Pro, but I like using the eMac at home since it has a bigger screen (I added an external screen when the monitor in my eMac unit died) and a better keyboard. I'd also like to reclaim the data on the hard drive, if possible. I live in a remote part of Alaska, so I can't walk down to a Mac store to get this fixed. Luckily, I have been backing up most of my stuff on an external hard drive. Does anybody have any suggestions (by the way, I haven't been able to get the disc drive slot to open since the white screen appeared).

Hello,
To open the tray try holding Mouse button down while starting, also, you can open the door at the top, look for a tiny hole to stick a straightened out paper clip in to open the tray manually.
If 10.5 be sure not to use a 10.4 or less Install Disc to repair the drive.
Could be many things, we should start with this...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, 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 at top of the screen. (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, (not Repair Permissions). Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then try a 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 completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)
If perchance you can't find your install Disc, at least try it from the Safe Boot part onward.
Tough without the Install disc, but some things to try...
Does it boot to Single User Mode, CMD+s keys at bootup, if so try...
/sbin/fsck -fy
Repeat until it shows no errors fixed.
(Space between fsck AND -fy important).
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Does holding alt key at bootup show any boot options?

White screen upon booting. Already took it to the "Genius Bar" and they wouldn't even look at the computer.

I have an older model MacBook that all of a sudden just stopped working. I originally got the apple logo but it would load no further than that. After reading other posts I tried the Command-Alt-P-R reboot option. It worked a few times and I was able to reboot the computer but now it just loads to an all white screen. I took the computer into the Genius Bar at my local Apple store and the "genius" did not even try to turn on the computer or look at anything. He just suggested I try to sell it on ebay for the parts and purchase a new computer. He said it was pointless to do anything else. I was pretty disappointed by this response especially since he didn't even look at the computer at all. Just hoping someone has a suggestion as to where to go from here!
Thanks for the help.

Put your install DVD into the optical drive (CD/DVD drive) and reboot. Be sure to either use the disc that came with your Mac, or, if you installed a later Mac OS X version from disc, use the newer disc. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option Key until the Install Disk shows up) until the apple shows up. That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
Or if you are running 10.7 Lion, boot from the recovery partition (Command +R on boot) and use Disk Utility to repair your OS 10.7 partition.
When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Choose your language and press the Return key on your keyboard once. It will then present you with an Installation window. Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it. When it comes up is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
If it is, then click on the Mac OS partition of your hard drive in the left hand list. Then select the First Aid Tab and run Repair Disk. The Repair Disk button won't be available until you've clicked on the Mac OS partition on your hard drive. If that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions. After repairing use Startup Disk from the same menu to choose your hard drive for restarting from your hard drive.
If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

Can't get past the white screen at start up

I can not get past the white screen when it starts up. It will chime and then stay at the white screen. I have replaced the hard drive, memory, battery. I have reset the PRAM and the SMC.

Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
Do the following:
1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard 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 Utilities menu. 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 click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro 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. Reinstall Snow Leopard
If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
Download and install the Combo Updater for the version you prefer from support.apple.com/downloads/.

White screen no start up

2007 imac turns on, white screen,grey apple , spinning but no start up.screwed?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
Press Shift key in boot and see if it starts

MacBook white screen at start up

MacBook pro13" stuck at boot up white screen and boot up cd is stuck inside and can't eject

Use these instructions to try to start up your MBP:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Try these steps to eject your CD:
Credit Kappy,
Ciao.

White screen upon start up

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