neoflyer
Level 1 (7 points)
Mac OS X

Q: iMac hangs up on start

I left my iMac turned on when I left for a short trip.  Returning home it had gone to a light grey screen, as I recall.  No keyboard key pressing would make it go to the desktop.  I finally gave up and used the power button to turn it off then back on.  It goes to the logon screen with the Apple logo and progress bar below it.  But the progress beer hangs up midway.  Nothing ever happens after that, even after hours.  What do I need to do to start it?

VIN,iMac (27-inch Late 2009), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Sep 25, 2016 2:06 PM

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neoflyer

Q: iMac hangs up on start

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Kappy,Helpful

    Kappy Kappy Sep 25, 2016 3:16 PM in response to neoflyer
    Level 10 (271,377 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 25, 2016 3:16 PM in response to neoflyer

    Reinstall OS X Without Erasing the Drive

     

           Be sure to backup before proceeding.

     

    1. Restart the computer and after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Utility Menu appears.
    2. Choose Disk Utility from the Utility Menu and click on the Continue button.
    3. After Disk Utility loads select the indented (usually, Macintosh HD) entry from the side list.  Click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If Disk Utility 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.
    4. When the process finishes, quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu.
    5. Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Continue button.

  • by neoflyer,

    neoflyer neoflyer Sep 25, 2016 3:19 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 25, 2016 3:19 PM in response to Kappy

    I Did as suggested but holding down the Command and R keys didn't take me to the Utility menu.  It just did the same as before with the Apple logo and progress bar that hangs up midway.

  • by neoflyer,

    neoflyer neoflyer Sep 25, 2016 3:23 PM in response to neoflyer
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 25, 2016 3:23 PM in response to neoflyer

    OK, after several minutes and typing the previous reply on my iPad that said the steps didn't work I turned back to my iMac and it was now on the Utilities menu.  I proceed from here.  Disregard the previous post.

     

    Thanks

  • by neoflyer,

    neoflyer neoflyer Sep 25, 2016 4:07 PM in response to neoflyer
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 25, 2016 4:07 PM in response to neoflyer

    OK, that didn't go as well as hoped. I got two error messages, "The volume Macintosh HD could not be verified completely" then, later "Error: Disk Utility can't repair this disk....e disk, and restore your back-up files."  Since the sentence is truncated I don't know what it says but assume that means reformat and reinstall OS X.  How do I do that?

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Sep 25, 2016 4:26 PM in response to neoflyer
    Level 10 (271,377 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 25, 2016 4:26 PM in response to neoflyer

    Reformat the drive. However, be prepared to find the drive has failed and will need to be replaced. If it formats OK then do another First Aid disk check. If that comes back OK then select the out-dented disk entry. Look in the lower status area of Disk Utility to see what the SMART status is. If it is not "verified" then you do need to replace the drive.

  • by neoflyer,

    neoflyer neoflyer Sep 26, 2016 6:35 AM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 26, 2016 6:35 AM in response to Kappy

    Now that I'll be reinstalling my OS I believe my restore disk is several generations back.  Would it be better to go straight to Yosemite or Sierra?  How would I get the OS since my Mac isn't working?

  • by Eric Root,Helpful

    Eric Root Eric Root Sep 26, 2016 2:48 PM in response to neoflyer
    Level 9 (72,532 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 26, 2016 2:48 PM in response to neoflyer

    If the OS is reinstalling, let it continue, and try to get the computer running. Then you can decide on upgrading.

     

    To answer your question, you would have to go to another Mac computer, sign into the App Store using your Apple ID and download the desired OS. If you previously downloaded Yosemite, it should be in the Purchases tab. Sierra can be downloaded from the Featured tab. You can make a bootable USB stick to install using this free program which will do all the work for you.

     

    Bootable USB Flash Drive – Diskmaker X      or use Apple’s method       Create a bootable installer for OS

  • by neoflyer,

    neoflyer neoflyer Sep 26, 2016 2:50 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 26, 2016 2:50 PM in response to Eric Root

    Thanks Eric.  Fortunately I have a MacBook to do this.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Sep 26, 2016 4:15 PM in response to neoflyer
    Level 9 (72,532 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 26, 2016 4:15 PM in response to neoflyer

    You are welcome.