Hello jamieths,
It sounds like your Mac is booting into recovery mode. Based on that, we'd recommend running first aid on your Mac to see if this is related to your hard drive. Here's how to do that per How to repair a Mac disk with Disk Utility - Apple Support
In general, you can just open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. However, if your Mac doesn't start up all the way, or you want to repair the disk your Mac starts up from, open Disk Utility from macOS Recovery:
- Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:
- Apple silicon: Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window. Click the gear icon labeled Options, then click Continue.
- Intel processor: Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these two keys until you see an Apple logo or other image: Command (⌘) and R.
2. You may be asked to select a user you know the password for. Select the user, then click Next and enter their administrator password.
3. From the utilities window in macOS Recovery, select Disk Utility and click Continue.
4. Choose View > Show All Devices (if available) from the menu bar or toolbar in Disk Utility.
5. For each disk that you're repairing, start by selecting the last volume on that disk, then click the First Aid button or tab.
6. Click Run to begin checking the selected volume for errors.
- If there is no Run button, click the Repair Disk button instead.
- If the button is dimmed and you can't click it, skip this step for the disk, container, or volume you selected.
- If you're asked for a password to unlock the disk, enter your administrator password.
7. After Disk Utility is done checking the volume, select the next item above it in the sidebar, then run First Aid again. Keep moving up the list, running First Aid for each volume on the disk, then each container on the disk, then finally the disk itself.
If any errors are found, it will let you know and attempt to repair them. If you have further questions, let us know.
Thanks!
