How to fix a mac that stalls on the gray screen at startup. If you see a message that your security settings do not allow this mac to use an external startup disk, check the external boot setting in startup security utility. Mar 16, 2010 my macbook pro has a admin lock on it, i dont remember the password. Plus, sometimes when you remove an application or a service, it leaves a login item with a broken link. A mess of startup and login items might be to blame. Air recovery start with commandr and i get a lock screen. If your mac or macbook pro keeps restarting over and over, you first need to know where the. There are times when your mac may misbehave and refuse to boot into os x. From there i was able to erase the macs hard drive with journaled selected. How to use macos recovery to restore the operating system on.
Such items can increase your mac s startup time and decrease its performance. To pick a disk to start your mac from while its booting, follow these simple steps for using macos builtin feature called startup manager, which can be invoked via a simple keystroke. Tried booting with commandr to recover but it gives me the lock screen with a password entry box. Press and hold the option key immediately after you see the apple logo. How to use macos recovery to restore the operating system. The display looks like an oldfashioned terminal from the days of mainframes and timeshare computing systems, but its more akin to the startup sequence in many unix and linux operating systems. So, if following this procedure works, zapping the pram is not necessary.
Once the startup manager screen appears, release the option key. Using the the apple id approach on boot is typically the easiest for modern macs. Remove unwanted startup apps and browser plugins in easy way. Macs have a reputation for reliability, but theyre not perfect. Macbook will not start up after macos update, howto fix. Recently, i used find my mac to password lock my computer this was to test the functionality, not out of. If you cant make changes, unlock your disk by pressing the padlock. Nov 23, 2015 the boot manager when you hold option is handled by open firmware its their on sawtooths and up no mater what os you have installed mac os mac os x linux or morph os you can still get to the boot manager.
Generally, a message will pop up on your mac screen showing you your computer restarted because of a problem. My macbook pro has a admin lock on it, i dont remember. If your mac still isnt starting up, unplug it for 510 minutes, then plug it in again and start up in safe mode holding down the shift key. Osx startup manager boot drive selection screen slowun responsive in macbook pro early 2015 ask question. Doesnt work for icloudlocked macbook pro running 10. Mac up in startup manager, and choose which startup disk to boot from.
Hello i recently got a second hand late 2008 macbook for dirt cheap. Hold these keys until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for a. For the macbook air late 2010 and later, macbook pro early 2011 and later. Some screens, such as the prohibitory symbol or question mark, mean that you need to resolve an issue before your mac can finish starting up. If your mac is using a firmware password, it ignores this key combination or starts up from macos recovery. After you push the power button, you see a gray screen or a black screen, depending on the mac you are using while your mac searches for the startup drive, and then a blue screen as your mac loads the files it needs from the startup drive. Delay start is a free mac app available in the mac app store that allows you to choose a delay time for startup apps to launch. My macbook pro has a admin lock on it, i dont remember the. Plus, it is a computer, and prone to failures or lockups. When the utilities window appears, click utilities in the menu bar, then choose firmware password utility or startup security utility. Otherwise known as automatic login, this option makes it so your mac goes straight to the desktop after booting up.
Im running a macbook air mid2012 with the latest os x. Need to get around the boot level mac firmware password. To boot your intelbased mac into any of the macos builtin startup modes, you must press and hold one or more keys detailed below after turning on the computer. Press the power button to turn on your mac or restart your mac if its already on. Press the keys immediately after hearing the startup sound, unless otherwise specified. Print these boot option keys, because theyre particularly helpful to have. Computer software is extremely complex, and problems happen even with macs. Turn on your mac by pressing the power button, or restart it if its already on by choosing restart in the apple. Unable to access startup manager screen macrumors forums. If you still see a fourdigit passcode lock after these steps at startup, reset the. Dec 08, 2019 how to erase your startup disk in macos recovery mode.
May 17, 2019 such items can increase your macs startup time and decrease its performance. If the mac starts up normally, go on with your day. Too many items cause slow mac and low battery life. Ive tried every password i can think of but it does nothing. Any way to bypass this or is theres universal password. This means that if the chosen startup volume has been disconnected from the mac, on the next reboot a blinking question mark may appear, because the set startup disk is no longer visible. Also during normal startup, instead of the normal apple logo, its a flashing square icon with a globe of the earth, then it goes to the regular folder icon and mac logo the one that indicates there is no. Startup manager identifies your time machine backup as efi boot. Apr 30, 2020 startup screens can vary by mac model, operating system macos, and more. Best startup manager apps for mac systweak software. If you need to start completely fresh, then youll want to erase your startup disk using disk utility.
If your mac doesnt start up all the way apple support. You can also encrypt your startup disk using filevault, so that only users. How to boot a macbook air from a usb external drive. How to pick a startup disk for your mac at boot time. How to add or remove startup programs in mac stugon. Not only this, using this professional mac startup manager you can disable unwanted programs that run at startup, clean junk files, scan for malware and do a lot more. Mar 25, 2019 plug your mac back in and leave it for about 5 seconds.
Unfortunatly the key board was in english at thisi level and some characters was not corresponding to the french keyboard. Try to reset or disable with firmware password utility. Last weekend my housemate copied a mac os disk in my machine and suddenly the lock screen appeared an will not go away. If the mac does start up, restart it from the apple menu once the desktop finishes loading completely. Side note, i tried the target disk mode with another mac and what popped up was 10. I sold my mac, after erasing some of my personal files and maybe something else i shouldnt have apparently, wont boot up. How to buy a used mac without being locked out macworld. I also had an issue with a locked disc when i was in recovery mode. If your mac is using a firmware password, youre prompted to enter the password. Whether youre dusting off an old macbook to give your kids for online. Start the computer as normal and hold down the option key as the computer starts. Jul 08, 2019 hold the keys for 20 full secondsyour mac might appear to restart if you macbook air plays a startup chime, release the keys after you hear a second startup sound. Available only on mac computers that have the apple t2 security chip, startup security utility offers three features to help secure your mac against unauthorized access.
Its still possible to have other user accounts on the mac, but youll need to switch users from the menu pane at the top of the screen to access them. On startup my mc shows a padlock asking for a password which i dont think i ever set up. If you see this screen at startup, you need a firmware password from the. I ended up installing high serria on a thumb drive, rebooting the mac holding down command, and selected the thumb drive to boot from. Use the following steps, you can easily set mac boot from an external drive in startup manager, so itll only boot from usb that one time. Choose apple menu system preferences, then click startup disk. Start up to startup manager, which allows you to choose other available startup disks or volumes. Keep holding these four keys until your mac has chimed 3 times. Rather than me having to remember to hold down alt if i want a different os. After turn on the mac, various apps, addons and many invisible background apps open by themselves.
Sep 14, 2015 how to start up your mac from an external usb storage device. You can also change what your mac does by holding down the following keys or key combinations during startup. Holding that key gives you access to os xs startup manager. Click the lock and enter your administrator password. For instance, here i am removing the utilities from the startup list. Though it looks counterintuitive you may try this solution when your mac screen goes black. Dec 20, 2017 generally, a message will pop up on your mac screen showing you your computer restarted because of a problem. How to boot a mac from an external drive or alternate.
Air recovery start with commandr and i g apple community. How to select a different startup disk apple support. I tested this out by enabling the password and restarting the mac while holding down the option key. Hi all, i purchased a mac mini online and once i booted it up it loads straight into a browser and has no desktopappsettings, nothing. When you use startup manager to select a startup disk, your mac starts up from that disk once, then returns to using the disk.
Update ok my external doesnt show up when i boot the macbook with alt key, just the recovery drive. Jan 28, 2015 if the password youre having trouble remembering is a general mac login or administrator password, you can reset it with these instructions instead. Still with your macs black screen on startup, enter the password as if you would do normally. This issue usually affects computers with more than one hard drive. Firmware password protection, secure boot, and external boot to open startup security utility. When i hold down option on boot up, it loads to a grey screen with a dark grey padlock. If you try to zap the pram, you get the firmware password screen. Get rid off slow mac startup it is a tool to remove unwanted apps from running at login. When you hear the startup chime, press and hold the option key. Intel mac grey lock when i hold option on startup apr 7, 2012. Stuck on apple logo at start up mac fix macbook pro, imac, mac mini, macbook retina display duration.
This gets the startup manager screen to appear which allows you to select a startup volume from any connected bootable drive or disc. See lock icon when option button is pressed at system start up. Learn how to bend these computing curiosities to your will. The firmware password appears immediately upon boot and is a gray locked icon, looking like this. When the startup manager displays, use the left or right arrow keys to cycle between hard drive options. When option button is pressed during the startup, a blue screen comes up with a lock icon, a progress bar, and a right arrow button. Hold the option key during os xs boot to run the startup manager, a graphical tool from which you can select the volume you want to boot. May 23, 2016 quick overview of mac startup key combinations. Just the app, add all the apps you want to delay the launch of in the apps to be started. A frozen mac is a rare occurrence, but macs like all computers run in cycles, and sometimes the software gets stuck in a loop. Your mac and os x have a variety of startup keys and key combinations you can use to affect how the device starts up. Ive also used the magic keyboard that came with the imac, so its definitely not the keyboards fault. Chances are your selected startup drive is having issues, possibly disk errors that may be preventing the necessary startup data from properly loading. If you want the content on your mac to stay intact, skip to the next section.
Under that is a password entry field then a darkgrey circle with a right pointing arrow. How to erase your startup disk in macos recovery mode. How to use os x boot options to troubleshoot your mac. Tick the box by the application name to enable or disable it from the automatic login items. How to disable the login password on mac appletoolbox. The reasons behind the problem of a usb device not showing up are various, including the usb port is not working, usb drive corruption, virus infection, macos faulty, etc. How to fix my macbook pro booting to a black screen macpaw. The utility will look for any available drives that include. I have a macbook pro retina, inch, early 2015 on the latest version of macos sierra 10.
Whether youre dusting off an old macbook to give your kids for online classes or you just set up a new work laptop to. So, to figure out the effective solutions for your own case, you need to take time to have some basic check, exclude the irrelevant issues, identify the potential risk, and finally. Holding down the option key isnt allowing me to select windowsos. Whenever i hold the option key after turning on my mac, it takes a long time around 30 seconds for startup manager to appear. Oct 19, 2009 zapping the pram is not possible with a firmware locked macbook pro. For all mac models, startup is complete when you see the finder menu bar, desktop, and dock. This special startup mode boots the mac to a screen that displays information about the startup process. Turn on your mac or restart your mac if its already on. These broken login items are completely useless, cause unwanted messages, and waste your mac s resources because they look for nonexistent applications. How do i reset the firmware password on my macbook pro. Is there any way to force the startup manager menu to appear on every boot. All the keyboard shortcuts you can use when starting up your mac. I go back to the original hdd as the sdd was stuffed. When this happens you may find an app like word, or the whole of.
Macbook late 2008 not loading startup manager macrumors. If disconnecting peripherals didnt do the job, you need to get a little technical with your mac. The older question is about boot camp and this one could be all mac os or. If your usb thumb drive, usbbased external disk or flash storage contains a usable operating system or an os x installer, you can select it at boot time using os xs builtin feature called startup manager, which can be invoked via a simple keystroke. Hold down the option key until you see the startup manager. Click on your startup disk in the disk utility sidebar. How to start up your mac from a bootable cddvd, usb thumb. How to set a firmware password on your mac apple support. Imac disk locked, macos cannot be reinstalled, disk erase not functioning and the only solution is for you to say take the device to an apple store to unlock, oh my god, that means apple does not a solution to what it has built, if a person will encounter such a problem then it has to be taken to apple store.
Macbook pro shows a padlock on startup apple community. Thats all there is to do and it is that simple to add or remove startup programs in mac os x. R immediately after turning on your mac, and release the keys when you see the lock icon and password field enter the firmware password. I have my hard drive partitioned to run windows 7 in bootcamp, which i access on occasion by holding the option key when booting up, allowing me to choose the startup volume.
Solvedmacmacbook pro keeps restarting over and over. These broken login items are completely useless, cause unwanted messages, and waste your macs resources because they look for nonexistent applications. But if i shut down or restart in mac os sierra and hold the optionwindows key, it does not bring me to the startup manager no matter what keyboard i use. Recently, i used find my mac to password lock my computer this was. If youre a boot camp user, you can choose windows from. Mac startup key combinations learn about the mac features and tools that you can access by holding down one or more keys during startup. One thing to consider about this approach is that the setting choice stays in place until it has been changed again through the startup disk manager. The main issue is startup manager isnt loading up when i hold the option key. Macintosh hd not showing at startup or disk utility. Stop programs from running at mac startup nektony blog. Take control of startup and login items is your mac starting up slowly.
Is your mac or macbook stuck on the apple logo and wont startup or boot. If your app has an icon in the dock panel, simply make a rightclick on it and from the popup window select options. Do comment below sharing your thoughts and experiences about using the above method to manage your startup programs in mac. How to disable the login password on mac when booting up. Change the default startup option within windows by clicking on the boot camp icon in. After resetting the nvram, you may need to select the startup disk. To use any of these key combinations, press and hold the keys immediately after pressing the power button to turn on your mac, or after your mac.
Cant get startup managerboot screen to load macrumors. Plug the usb drive into one of the macbook airs usb ports. Nov 28, 20 diy repair liquid damage a1466 macbook air logic board no power efi chip duration. This is the easiest program of all and it helps optimize mac to free up space. My mac to remotely lock your mac with a passcode for onetime use.
Shift key, for instance, starts your mac in safe mode, and c or c starts up. You may get a sad mac face, an audible beep, or another ailment keeping your mac from properly booting. Once the mac has booted i would shut it down and power it back on again while holding the option key in order to see if the lock has been cleared. According to apple, the efi partition is not used to boot os x. As it turns out, a couple weeks earlier, while editing and testing an article on. You should see the lock symbol for a moment, and then the computer should restart to the startup manager. And then when i go to time machine backups, saying its none to show for. Getting your mac to load from a usb drive is fairly straightforward. When your mac slows down, gets stuck, locks up, or other problems arise, every mac user should first follow these basic troubleshooting remedies. Forgot firmware password on macbook pro mac support. Shut the mac down and perform a cold bootstart it up and see if you can. The apple support app has updated, smarter features and a bold new look. After the third chime i would release all four of the keys and let the mac boot all the way. Startup screens can vary by mac model, operating system macos, and more.