Start Up Problem

Hi,

Probably a bad install.

Start Mac using Command + R , install OS X on the same Hard Drive. It should fix it.

Regards

See if you can start your Mac in safe mode:

Shut down your Mac and wait 10 seconds.

1. Press the power button.
2. Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold down the Shift key. You should press the Shift key as soon as possible after you hear the startup tone, but not before.
3. Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple logo and progress indicator (spinning gear).

To leave safe mode, restart your Mac normally without holding down any keys during startup.

If you can boot in safe mode, you have something on board your computer that's interfering with startup. If you've recently installed software, system extensions or 3rd party preference panels (Adobe and Microsoft stuff is notorious), try to disable or de-install it. If you can't get booted in safe mode, you may have a hardware or memory problem that might require technical repair. Repost your progress.

Try and start your Mac in safe mode.

To do this, as soon as you power on your Mac hold the shift key until the screen turns black and text starts scrolling down the screen.
The Mac will check itself and then boot up (wait for it, it will take a few minutes.)

Go from here...

Have you booted in safe mode? At start up, hold the shift key.

Hold the shift key down and start in safe mode.
Once the Macbook Air has restarted use the original install disk to repair the startup disk

Is this a trick question? There is no "DOS mode" on a MacBook Pro.
Do you have WIndows installed as part of Boot Camp, and your machine is booting into Windows? To boot back into the Mac, either use the Boot Camp control panel in Windows, or hold down the Option key after you hear the startup chime and select the OS X partition to boot from.

Have you tried booting from an install disc? Or in safe mode?

It appears there may be a possible startup item or issue with your firmware, which may be causing this issue, so I am going to provide some procedures in order to help you resolve this gray screen issue. But first, let me help you remove that disc first:

font.f1 {font: 13.0px Myriad Pro} font.f2 {font: 14.0px Myriad Pro} Procedure #1 - Ejecting CD from drive
Here are some steps I recommend you try to resolve the issue with the disc not ejecting properly

• Reboot your Mac
• Hold down your Mouse button(s) prior to the Apple Chime
• Keep holding the mouse button down while your Mac boots up
• The disc should eject before you reach your Desktop
• When it does, simply release your mouse buttons.
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If this does not help resolve ejecting the disc in your Macbook's drive, you are going to have to take more of a command-line approach:

font.f1 {font: 12.0px Helvetica} -EJECTING DISC USING TERMINAL-

From your Desktop:
•Click anywhere on a blank space on your desktop. Now you should see Finder listed near the Apple menu icon.

• From the Finder menu, click on Go, then Utilities from the
drop-down menu. This will take you to your Utilities folder.

• Locate and open the Terminal utility
• At prompt, type: drutil eject

• Now press the Return key on your keyboard

(NOTE: If you have a CD/DVD drive with a tray, type: drutil tray open press the Return key on your keyboard )en
• This command line should eject the disc from the drive, unless there are mechanical issues with the drive within your Macbook.
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At this point the disc should be ejected from your Macbook. If this is the case, then I will now need to direct you back to Safe Boot mode, but with a little twist, from what you may have tried when you last when to Safe Mode:
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I am going to have you take your Mac into Safe Mode to see if we can't remove a possible folder(s) that may be affecting your Mac's start up function.

Try these steps:
-SAFE BOOT MODE-
• Reboot your Mac
• Upon restarting your Mac, press the Shift key.
• Hold the Shift key until you see a White Screen with Gray Apple icon and eventually a spinning gear.
• When you see the Spinning gear, release the Shift key.
• Allow the Mac to continue booting up. Also this may take a little while.
(NOTE: this may take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to load to the Safe mode screen depending on the performance of your Mac, but if it exceeds this time, shutdown your Mac and try just once more. It may have just frozen up the first time around for you.)
• You are going to enter the Safe Mode (which looks like your main desktop environment the only difference is certain start up items are disabled.)

• Once within the Desktop in Safe Mode
• From the Finder Menu, click Go> Go to Folder
• Type in this line: /System/Library/StartupItems
• This path, is going to take you to the System Library folder which has all of your Mac OS X Startupitems.
• Remove all of those folders to the Trash.

*Reboot your Mac normally and see if you can access your normal User desktop environment.

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Post back to me, if these particular Safeboot procedure does not help. Thanks!

Regards,

-Mactechtrainer

It's usually the inverter and not the backlight. You can replace it yourself, it's not that hard.

Fixya.com is a good place to get started. They've got really user friendly guides that will help you from start to finish. Check it out so you know what you're up against.

Otherwise a local Apple tech via craigslist is probably the cheapest route. Or Applecare if that's still a possibility.

The most likely cause is a bad hard drive or a corrupted file. Start up the computer in safe mode. (Hold down the shift key while starting) that will force the macbook to run extended tests on the startup drive. If it finds any errors it may be able to correct them. If that fails use the startup disk that came with your laptop and start from it (hold down the C key during start up) that will allow you to use disc utility to try repairing your hard drive.
If the macbook fails to boot to the DVD or into safe mode. Try reseating the RAM chips. Hope some of that helps.