white screen
My imac wont start, stays on a white screen
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My imac wont start, stays on a white screen
1. Start up from macOS Recovery
To start up from macOS Recovery, turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold one of the following combinations on your keyboard. Command-R is generally recommended, especially if you never installed macOS Sierra 10.12.4 or later… How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
Command (⌘)-R
Install the latest macOS that was installed on your Mac.
Option-⌘-R
Upgrade to the latest macOS compatible with your Mac.
Shift-Option-⌘-R
Install the macOS that came with your Mac, or the closest version still available.
2. Decide whether to erase (format) your disk
If you need to erase your disk before installing macOS, select Disk Utility from the Utilities window, then click Continue. You probably don't need to erase, unless you're selling or giving away your Mac or have an issue that requires you to erase. Learn more about when and how to erase.
3. Install macOS
After starting up from macOS Recovery, follow these steps to install macOS:
If your Mac restarts to a setup assistant, but you're selling or giving it away, press Command-Q to quit the assistant without completing setup. Then click Shut Down. When the new owner starts up the Mac, they can use their own information to complete setup.
If you never installed macOS Sierra 10.12.4
If macOS Sierra 10.12.4 or later was never installed on your Mac, macOS Recovery works differently:
How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
1. Start up from macOS Recovery
To start up from macOS Recovery, turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold one of the following combinations on your keyboard. Command-R is generally recommended, especially if you never installed macOS Sierra 10.12.4 or later… How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
Command (⌘)-R
Install the latest macOS that was installed on your Mac.
Option-⌘-R
Upgrade to the latest macOS compatible with your Mac.
Shift-Option-⌘-R
Install the macOS that came with your Mac, or the closest version still available.
2. Decide whether to erase (format) your disk
If you need to erase your disk before installing macOS, select Disk Utility from the Utilities window, then click Continue. You probably don't need to erase, unless you're selling or giving away your Mac or have an issue that requires you to erase. Learn more about when and how to erase.
3. Install macOS
After starting up from macOS Recovery, follow these steps to install macOS:
If your Mac restarts to a setup assistant, but you're selling or giving it away, press Command-Q to quit the assistant without completing setup. Then click Shut Down. When the new owner starts up the Mac, they can use their own information to complete setup.
If you never installed macOS Sierra 10.12.4
If macOS Sierra 10.12.4 or later was never installed on your Mac, macOS Recovery works differently:
How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
If your Mac has a white screen, then it sounds like you have a 2012 or earlier Mac which means your Mac likely uses a hard drive. A hard drive on such an old computer is most likely failing. It would really help to know the exact model of your Mac and version of macOS. You can get the exact model by entering the system serial number here:
Check Your Service and Support Coverage - Apple Support
Also, you can try running the Apple Diagnostics to see if any hardware issues are detected. Unfortunately the diagnostics don't detect most drive failures, although there are other ways to check the health of the drive.
white screen