I haven't had any issues with my iMac. It's a late 2010 27" model. I was in bootcamp last night and turned it off like normal to go to sleep. When I woke up this morning to turn it on, It boots, you hear the sound, but it just stays on the white screen. I've tried booting into the install disc, safe mode and holding down option to get the boot menu. It doesn't do anything past the white screen.
Any ideas? Should I just take it in?
iMac, Mac OS X (10.7)
I've tried everything. I can't boot in safe mode, can't boot into 'install mode' with disc utilities...I've just installed a new SSD-drive and reinstalled osx...same problem. I mean there must be a hardware problem? RAM? GPU? Any suggestions. I've just spent $800 on this 'repair'.
The iMac is from mid 2011. Has it been GPU problems with these machines?
I experienced the same problem.
Tried PRAM reset, tried SMC reset with no affect.
I was trying another boot that wasn't working, when I unplugged my USB hub.
Suddenly it started to boot. It was one of my external hard drives on my USB hub.
So when they say, unplug everything, it means unplug the power for the computer
but also unplug all the USB devices too.
I've spent the last 3 weeks trying to fix my problem after getting sold a 27 inch imac wit (a faulty hdd only) HA, it's a huge story and I've learnt alot I'll post tomorrow just wasn't sure if anyone followed this post still. Cheers IMAC_BOY
Do you have Extended AppleCare?
If you do, call AppleCare and tell them the symptoms. You can get free on-site service, if they suspect hardware,
No I don't =(
Make a genius bar appointment and bring it in.
Well we can try a few things.
SMC reset
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
PRAM reset
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
You can try everything on this "Grey Screen" page too just in case it's something else hardware related. (another drive or monitor)
https://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Sort of a Hail Mary try and might solve your issue.
A white screen appears before the grey screen I think, which the grey screen comes from the hardware firmware according to what I read about the Intel Mac boot process.
The keyboard commands won't work as those actions come later after the firmware has handed things over to EFI etc.
So the only low level is SMC reset, perhaps the PRAM reset will also assist. Not that knowledgeable exactly how things boot on a Mac, perhaps one day I'll read those books I've bought from Apple. đ
Very nice list, thanks macjack.
Also, I've done the PRAM reset and that works but doesn't do anything haha.
macjack wrote:
Yea that's it, but no white screen though, so I'm guessing the hardware firmware isn't loading the initial gray screen, thus it's white. (aka blank)
http://refit.sourceforge.net/info/boot_process.html
When I downgraded my 15" from 10.7 to 10.6, zeroing the drive beforehand, the first 10.6 boot actually had the thatched gray screen from 10.7, then it changed later to the 10.6 gray one, so the hardware firmware has something going on far as storing that splash screen on a EPROM, and perhaps other data.
OS X can be deemed as really two operating systems, one OS X and the other is EFI (the second firmware) which programs can be loaded in there at run at boot time. (scary) and a hardware firmware that splash screen and hands off to EFI firmware.
So I'm guessing no gray screen at all means a failing hardware firmware or else it would at least display the splash screen.
Question is how can something mess that up? Malware from Windows?
I guess the OP can try reinstalling their own firmware and see how that goes.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1557
I have seen this on iMacs in my company.
In our case, what's worked in almost every instance is to press the power button once, without holding to reset. The white screen appears to be a state where some of the hardware is powered on, but the system has not been signaled to boot; the power button seems to accomplish that task.
I found this discussion when I experienced the same issue. All I ended up doing was unplugging everything from the back of my iMac and it started right up.
try unplugging your ipod, especially if its in disk mode......worked for me!
Thanks, nlb2008! I unplugged a cheap USB hub and she booted right up!
One way to fix white screen on your Imac:
1 Turn off your computer.
2 Unplug everything.
3 Leave power, mouse, keyboard and monitor plugged.
4 Turn on your mac.
Good Luck
27" iMac won't boot past white screen.
