HT204156: About the screens you see when your Mac starts up

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bvoky
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Q: after upgrading to El Capitan it was working fine and then froze up.  I attemted to power down and reboot but after typing in my password it acts likt it is starting but comes back to the log in screen and asks for my password again.

I installed El Capitan and things seemed to be working fine.  Then I was unable to close out screens that I was not using.  I was unable to close out anythign so I powered down and tried to reboot.  When prompted to provide my password I did and it acted like it was restarting but would then go back to the same screen asking for my password.  My computer was purchased in 2014 and has a SS hard drive.  It just seems to be stuck in this loop.

MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.53 GHz), OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Oct 5, 2015 5:58 AM

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bvoky

Q: after upgrading to El Capitan it was working fine and then froze up.  I attemted to power down and reboot but after typing in ... more

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  • by jeremy_v,

    jeremy_v jeremy_v Oct 5, 2015 1:53 PM in response to bvoky
    Community Specialists
    Oct 5, 2015 1:53 PM in response to bvoky

    Greetings bvoky, 
     

    Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities. 
     

    If I understand right, El Capitan became unresponsive and after restarting your Mac it doesn't get past the login screen. 
     

    If so, try these steps from OS X El Capitan: Open items automatically when you log in: 
     

    Temporarily prevent items from opening automatically when you log in

    If you see the login window, press the Shift key while you click the Log In button, then release the Shift key when you see the Dock.


    If you can start up to your desktop by using this method, you may have incompatible login items. Next, follow the advice in OS X Yosemite: If you think you have incompatible login items (it applies to El Capitan as well).


    If you can't get past the login screen even after trying the steps above, see if your Mac starts up in safe mode:


    Try safe mode if your Mac doesn't finish starting up
     

    Follow these steps to start up into safe mode.

    1. Start or restart your Mac. 
    2. Immediately after you hear the startup sound, press and hold the Shift key.
    3. Release the Shift key when you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.

    After the Apple logo appears, it might take longer than usual to reach the login screen or your desktop. This is because your Mac performs a directory check of your startup disk as part of safe mode.

    To leave safe mode, restart your computer without pressing any keys during startup.

    If you don't hear a startup chime after pressing the power key, see what to do if your Mac won't turn on.


    All the best.