Will not start only spinning wheel

My two-year old iMac 21.5 will not start. All I get is a gray Apple Screen and the spinner.   Before this restart, I changed the permissions for the hard drive to allow the administrator to have access to the whole hard drive.  I got a start series of interminable warning saying that certain plug-ins or such had to be replaced.
Can anyone help?

paulfromnyon wrote:
Before this restart, I changed the permissions for the hard drive to allow the administrator to have access to the whole hard drive.
You just hosed the installation. Most OS components require the system to be the owner, not the administrator. All I can suggest is to boot into your bootable backup/clone, wipe the HD, and restore it. It might be possible to boot with your SL install disk and restore a TM backup, but I don't use it. Details in Pondini's Tips.

Similar Messages

  • Urgent HELP needed: Address Book will not start, just spinning wheel.

    When I want to start the Address Book I just get the spinning wheel without end.
    If I press: Command-Option-Esc to force-quit the application I am informed that the Address Book is not responding; I can only force-quit the application.
    Since my AB data is also on MobileMe and another computer, I could, if necessary, delete whatever data files (and repopulate later). But how do I get Address Book working again?
    Your help is highly appreciated. Thanks, Veit

    Thanks, Roam, for the referral to Pacifist; sounds useful in the future.
    I could solve my problem by:
    - deleting the com.apple.AddressBook.plist file
    - resetting the synchronization files as described in http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10868689&#10868689
    - and finally syncing with MobileMe, i.e. overwriting the computer with data from MobileMe.
    All seems to work again, also the resizing. Thanks again for your help. Cheers, Veit

  • Lotto.nl will not starts, only with MS explorer

    lotto.nl will not start, only with microsoft explorer on my laptop asus x 51 series

    Dear Smith_123:
    Thank you for your reply. However, Office had never been previously on the OS as it was never purchased.  I do have Office for Mac 2011 but that is 32 bit and is not on the VMWare / Windows side of the machine.  But even if I had, I would not know
    how to clean up the residual file or registry keys without assistance.
    After 1 hours and 20 min on the phone last evening and being handed from person to person through literally 9 different people, I finally reached someone that seemed knowledgeable in MS Support.  But all they would give me was a circular answer: 
    We can't help you because it is a Trial Version for which there is no support offered. When I explained I wanted to be sure Visio worked on my machine prior to spending between $300 and $600 on a copy, Support could only say that I would have to purchase it
    first before they would give me any help to see if it works. When I offered to purchase it right then since I had finally gotten to someone who appeared as though they could help, he told me that he was Support and not Sales so I would have to go elsewhere
    to purchase the product.  Very frustrating.

  • Iphoto will not open only color wheel shows how can i open it.

    My iphoto will not open only the color wheel pops up, how can I open my iphoto?

    Before anyone can help, they need information to work with. Basic stuff:
    - What version of iPhoto.
    - What version of the Operating System.
    - Details. What were you doing when the problem arose?
    - Did it ever work properly?
    - Are there error messages?
    - What steps have you tried already to solve the issue.
    Anything else you can think of that might allow someone else to understand your issue.
    With this kind of information somebody can develop a starting point for troubleshooting the issue.
    Posts that consist of "iPhoto doesn't work. Help" or "iPhoto won't print" or "Suddenly I have no photos!!!!!!!!!!" mean that any helper is simply guessing. With information, s/he may be able to get your issue resolved sooner.

  • MBP will not start, only has 99Mb free

    Hello, I am trying to fix a friends Macbook Pro, which will not start. The logo appears with the spinning cog, but nothing else - it can stay on this screen for hours. I tried to reinstall Tiger, and then discovered that it only has 99Mb free, and Tiger needs more space.
    I can access Terminal, but I am not familiar with UNIX to be able to do anything there. Is there a way of accessing the hard disk via my own iMac or wife's MBP through Firewire so we can delete something. I guess Target mode will not work, as there is not enough space to start the OS. Any help appreciated.
    Our friends MBP is one of the original, 1.8Ghz Core Duo with 512Mb RAM.

    The computer will probably still boot up in TD mode, Simon, even though it can't boot the Mac.
    When used as the boot disk the computer needs plenty of free space to set up virtual memory areas and the like. That is one of the reasons why you should always make sure that there are always quite a few Gigabytes free for safe operation (Never let it get below 10% free space and try to maintain around 20% or more if, for example, you ever burn video, or other very large files).
    TD mode essentially turns the computer into just another external HD, and the process occurs before it really needs to make use of the internal drive in the boot cycle.
    So give it a go (just hold down "t" while starting the MBP). Your iMac should then see it as a second, external, HD.
    Don't try and install any OS until you have cleared LOTS of space - 50 Gig or more in a situation like this where many of the files themselves will have become badly fragmented (because the normal OSX processes for defragging can't operate when a drive gets this full) . In fact I'd STRONGLY suggest that you back up or clone the entire drive to an external, or to another computer, wipe the internal, and only then start putting things back on. Otherwise you will have horrendous levels of free space fragmentation.
    Cheers
    Rod

  • IPhoto not launching . only spinning wheel

    I have a macbook pro; OSX 10.8.4 and have a problem with iPhoto not opening. only spinning wheel

    what version of iphoto? What has recently changed?
    try Back up your iPhoto library, Depress and hold the option (alt) and command keys and launch iPhoto - from the resulting first aid window repair permissions and if necessary rebuild your database
    LN

  • Mac book pro will not open past spinning wheel

    Mc book pro will not open past spinning wheel

    Which model MacBook Pro do you have and which version of OS X are you running?
    Please see -> Help us to help you on these forums.
    Call back...
    Clinton

  • Trying to install firefox crashed my system and windows will not start, (only BSOD) what should I do?

    I went to www.firefox.com
    I downloaded the software
    I went to my downloads file and double clicked to install firefox
    The file disappeared from the downloads folder and I got the blue screen of death. and my machine crashed
    Windows will not start anymore and keeps reverting to BSOD but I cannot read the failure code because the screen changes too quickly
    I'm sending this from another machine

    Download the Windows Installer CleanUp utility from the following page (use one of the links under the "DOWNLOAD LOCATIONS" thingy on the Major Geeks page):
    http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4459
    To install the utility, doubleclick the msicuu2.exe file you downloaded.
    Now run the utility ("Start > All Programs > Windows Install Clean Up"). In the list of programs that appears in CleanUp, select any Bonjour entries and click "Remove", as per the following screenshot:
    Quit out of CleanUp, restart the PC and try another install. Does it go through this time?

  • Will not start,,constantly spinning beach ball

    This is my second brand new Mac mini..both would not start ..held down the c key on first disk ran repair no problems were found..disconnected power line held the start button for ten seconds ..it is an intel..plugged back in pushed the start button did not start...I have bought macs since the seventies never had problems with one till these two

    Try a verbose start-up. This will cause the console to appear on the screen during the start-up process. You should be able to see the point where it is hanging. Typically these things are network related.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1492

  • My computer will not start. Just the wheel spinning

    My computer will not start. I get the apple with a spinning wheel.
    What is happening?

    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 boot failure is to secure your 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 your last backup, you can skip this step.   
    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
         a. Boot into 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.”
    b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot 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.
    c. 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
    Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot 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.
    If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
    Step 3
    Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
    Safe mode is much slower to boot 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 your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
    When you boot 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, your boot volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 5.
    If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot 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 reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
    If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
    Step 4
    Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
    Step 5
    Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select your 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 reboot as usual.
    Step 6
    Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
    Step 7
    Repeat Step 6, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a Time Machine or other backup.
    Step 8
    This step applies only to older Macs (not current models) that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery. Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
    Step 9
    If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested. If you can't get to an Apple Store, go to another authorized service provider.

  • My imac has a gray screen and spinning wheel and will not start up

    my imac has a gray screen with a spinning wheel but will not start what does this mean?

    Probably a damaged or failed HD. Please read Gray screen appears during startup on how to troubleshoot and what to do.

  • Laptop will not  start just see spinning wheel

    I was installing latest update of OSX and lost internet connection now laptop will not  start just see Apple logo and spinning wheel.  What to do?

    Took it to the Apple store and they hit command r to restore from an restore disk and then ran disk utility to repair permissions and then installed the OS.  I did not loose any apps or files thank goodness.

  • HT3964 Start my iMac 27 os lion - apple appears then spinning wheel then circle with diagonals  but will not start

    My iMac does not fully start up
    Spinning wheel with circle with line thru on forever

    This screen appears when OS X is damaged and your computer can't start it. As you are using OS X Lion, first check that your hard drive is OK.
    Hold Command and R keys while your computer is starting, and open Disk Utility. Then, select "Macintosh HD" in the sidebar and verify the disk. If it's OK, close Disk Utility and reinstall OS X. If it's damaged, repair the disk

  • TS2570 Mac will not start up after software up date, just screen with Apple logo and spinning icon?

    Mac will not start up after software up date, just screen with Apple logo and spinning icon? I have tried safe start up, unplugged all other cables, no luck?

    How to Perform an Archive and Install
    An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
    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, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) 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. Now restart normally.
    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. 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 notebook will not start up----I see only a question mark in a small folder.  What to do?

    My notebook will not start up----I see only a question mark in a small folder.  What to do?

    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.
    How to Perform an Archive and Install
    An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
    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, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) 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. Now restart normally.
    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. 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.

Maybe you are looking for