My Macbook is stuck on Apple logo when booting up!

OS X- About kernel panics

OS X- How to log a kernel panic

Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on diagnosing kernel panics.

Note that panics at startup usually signal a hardware failure.

Question (?) Mark, Blinking Folder, or Gray Screen at Startup

These are related but not identical issues. Their causes are outlined in Intel-based Mac- Startup sequence and error codes, symbols. Solutions may be found in:

A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac

Mac OS X- Gray screen appears during startup

In most cases the problems may be caused by:

Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.

Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.

Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.

The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.

Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions

Boot from your Snow Leopard 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 Utilities menu. 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.

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.

The main difference if you are using Lion or Mountain Lion is that you must first boot from the Recovery HD:

Boot From The Recovery HD:

Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.

Reinstall Snow Leopard Without Erasing The drive

1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions

Boot from your Snow Leopard 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 Utilities menu. 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.

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. Reinstall Snow Leopard

If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.

Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion Without Erasing The Drive

Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.

Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.

When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. 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 main menu.

Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Continue button.

Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

I've posted this for hundreds of other users. You're the first one who couldn't understand them. Maybe you should try reading them - slowly.

I could answer your question if only I knew the exact Mac model you have.

Not specific enough. I need to know if it's a Late 2006 or some other model version. There are half a dozen A1181 models, each different.

Do you have the original discs that came with the computer? Start with those.

These would be the original discs/DVDs that came with the computer. That means you could use any retail Leopard or Snow Leopard DVD. You cannot use gray labeled discs because they are machine-specific and will likely not work.

If you have at least 1 GB or RAM installed I would purchase a Snow Leopard DVD from the Apple Store. It will likely be less expensive than purchasing Leopard from a third-party source.

Well, Leopard is no longer sold by Apple, so you would have to find a third-party vendor on eBay or Amazon. Snow Leopard on the other hand can be purchased in the Apple Store Online for $20.00. You don't need Snow Leopard, but it may be cheaper than buying Leopard.

If you have your original Tiger DVDs then use those to install OS X.

Leopard disks haven't been produced for over 4 years so they are getting rare. The retail disk runs about $200.

Retail 10.5 Leopard disk.

The 10.6 Snow Leopard DVD is in the Apple online store. You can get it for $19.99. You will need to be running 10.6.8 to access the App Store to order Lion or Mountain Lion. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

System Requirements for 10.6:

• Mac computer with an Intel processor
• 1GB of memory
• 5GB of available disk space
• DVD drive for installation
• Some features require a compatible internet service provider: fees may apply.