Q: Hello, I need urgent help with MacBook Air and OS Mavericks on it

Can you shut down the computer using the power button (hold for about 10 seconds)? Then try a restart by powering the computer back on. Is the installer still in the Applications folder?

Help!!! I have the same problem.

I've just downloaded and installed Mavericks on my fairly new (1 year) MscBook Air. Install downloaded fine, seemed to have installed fine - then i got the screen asking me to login. I put in my password, and it didn't recognise it. After repeated attempts I assumed I must have forgotten it so clicked the 'forgot' button. And now - I'm stuck. What I am seeing is this:

1. I have a grey screen with a white box and a circle going round and round in the middle showing me the computer is apparently doing something. But nothing has happened for the last two hours. I have two buttons at the bottom, one for 'back' (grey) and one for 'continue' (blue). If I click either of those i get an error sound.

2. I have tried to power off by pressing and holding the power button. I get the usual 'Are you sure you want to shut down your computer now?' box. If I then press' shut down'  I get a dialogue box saying 'The application Setup Assistant canceled shut down'. There are two buttons,'Cance'l and 'try again'.

3. Pressing 'try again' gives me the error sound. The only way out of the dialogue box is to press 'cancel', which takes me back to the grey screen and 'busy' cursor, as no. 1 above.

Any ideas? Help!!!

Startup - Gray, Blue or White screen at boot, w/spinner/progress bar

Startup - Gray Screen

Startup Issues - Resolve

Startup Issues - Resolve (2)

Hello there

I don't know which one of us (or both) your reply is intended for. If it's for me - thanks very much for your help, but could you explain a bit more?  I'm new to Mac and these forums and don't really understand what you're getting at here. My laptop froze on the 'forgot password' login after attempting a new OS  install - is this a start up issue or something else? And can it start in 'safe mode' if the install hasn't actually finished? Doesn't it have to complete properly first?

I'd be grateful if you could talk me through your suggestion - imagine you're talking to a really dim 4 year old and you'll get the right sort of level of my mac literacy.

Thanks so much again.

I have a grey screen with a white box and a circle going round and round in the middle showing me the computer is apparently doing something

It was mostly for you because of what you posted in 1. in your last post.

Try the Safe Mode. It may not work, but no harm will be done.

I installed Mavericks last November and don't remember if I had to enter a password. When I did the 10.9.2 upgrade it asked for my Apple ID and password, not my admin name and password. There was also a skip button. Do you have that option? Try your Apple ID/password. Again it can't hurt anything.

Thank you again Eric - that's so kind of you. As it happens, I found a very easy way through it this morning. There was an option underneath the white box which I hadn't registered to login as guest. I clicked it and it let me into the desktop. It also let me shut down the computer and start it up again, and this time the whole process worked properly. There's clearly a loop in the software that I got stuck in, and which the guest login let me by pass. So all is now fine (and I can login with my password properly too).

Thank you again for your help. Kitanov - I don't know if you've tried this, but it worked for me...

I don't know which one of us (or both) your reply is intended for.

Which is why you should always start your own post instead of hijacking someone else's post.

Susie --

Glad Eric provided you with your solution.  Seeing as how you've just recently registered, it is pretty normal behavior to look around for posts already here about your same situation  However, we really do recommend that you start your own thread in most cases. 

But not to worry.  I hope you'll stick around and pick up even more tips.  I see that you're already sharing what you've learned.  Great!

Welcome.

Lanny -

Thank you for taking the time to help with this problem. Can I just say however that as someone who has posted a first comment here and quite clearly never used a forum like this before, your comment unfortunately comes across as very excluding. It makes me feel there are a set of unwritten rules that I should know, and that I don't know them shows that the forum is not for me. In short, it's exactly the kind of response that stops people like me using forums like this.

I'm sure it's not intended to be received like this and I am sure that the way you have responded is quite normal in the rules of a forum like this. However, it is not normal for those of us who aren't familiar with forums and who only encounter them when they have a genuine problem. This is why I hope it is helpful to respond in full.

The reason I posted here is as follows. I was directed here by the apple support website. The original comment seemed to be the only one I could find which referred to my issue. As there is no obvious guidance on how to post on a forum like this it seemed perfectly reasonable to try and join in a conversation which might solve more than one problem at once.

Bee's reply however is both helpful and warm. This could in fact be a template for how new members should be welcomed and inducted into the rules of the forum in a friendly and inclusive way. Thank you very much indeed Bee!

You are most welcome, Susie.

Always a pleasure to welcome new people here.