1) The document provides steps to troubleshoot issues with a Mac such as a gray screen on startup or kernel panics. 2) It recommends starting with safe boot, resetting NVRAM, and using Disk Utility to repair disks as potential solutions. 3) If the issues persist, it suggests checking cables, removing third-party hardware, and performing a reinstall of the Mac OS as further troubleshooting options.

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3. Gray screen appears during start up
Step 1
Perform a Safe Boot
 Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power
button for several seconds to force it to power down.
 Start your Mac, then immediately hold the Shift key. This
performs a Safe Boot. Advanced tip: If you want to see the
status of a Safe Boot as it progresses, you can hold Shift-
Command-V during start up (instead of just Shift).
 If your Mac starts up as expected, immediately try restarting.
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4. If the Safe Boot does not
work, or the restart after a
successful Safe Boot does not
work, go to the next section.
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5. Reset the NVRAM / PRAM
Step 2
 Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power
button for several seconds to force it to power down.
 Reset the NVRAM / PRAM Using P+ R+ Option+ Command
Key
 And then restart the Mac
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6. If the gray screen
issue persists, go to
the next section
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7. Start from your Mac OS X Install
disc; use Disk Utility
Step 3
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Insert your Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5 installation disc (if you have
discs with both versions, use whichever is closest to the Mac OS X
version installed on your Mac; do not use a startup disc which came
with a different Mac or which contains an earlier version of Mac OS
X).
Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button
for several seconds to force it to power down.
Start up your Mac while holding the C key to start from the disc.
Once started from the disc, choose Disk Utility from
the Utility menu.

8. Start from your Mac OS X Install
disc; use Disk Utility
 In Disk Utility, perform a disk repair of your Mac OS X
volume; if no issues are found, perform a permissions
repair as well. If issues are found during the disk
repair, try repairing again.
 After the Disk Utility operations are complete, restart
without holding any keys.
 If the gray screen issue persists and you can't start
from the disc, go to the "Disconnect peripheral
devices" section.
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9. If the gray screen issue
persists, go to the next
section.
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10. Check your cables and power source
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Make sure your power cables are secure
(especially if you use a desktop Mac). Try a
different cable or outlet if possible. If you use a
surge protector, try connecting directly to an
outlet as a test.
If you have power-related issues (such as your
desktop Mac shutting down or restarting, or room
lights dimming when an appliance comes
on, consider contacting a certified electrician to
check your outlets and electrical wiring)
STEP 4

11. If the gray screen issue
persists, go to the next
section.
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12. Remove third-party RAM and
internal hardware
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STEP 5
Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button
for several seconds to force it to power down.
Remove any third-party RAM that has been installed.
Reinstall the Apple RAM that came with the computer if
available.
 Note that Mac OS X 10.5 requires 512 MB or more of RAM; Mac
OS X 10.4 requires 256 MB or more of RAM.
If your Mac starts up with only Apple RAM installed, contact the
vendor of your third-party RAM.

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If the gray screen
issue persists, go to
the next section.

14. Perform an Archive and Install
installation of Mac OS X
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STEP 6
oInsert your Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5 installation disc (if you
have discs with both versions, use whichever is closest to
the Mac OS X version installed on your Mac; do not use a
startup disc which came with a different Mac or which
contains an earlier version of Mac OS X).
oShut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power
button for several seconds to force it to power down.
oStart up your Mac while holding the C key to start from
the disc.
oPerform an Archive and Install installation (preserving
users and network settings).

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If the gray screen
issue persists, go to
the next section.

16. Perform an Erase and Install
installation of Mac OS X
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LAST RESORT
oInsert your Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5 installation disc.
oShut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button
for several seconds to force it to power down.
oStartup your Mac while holding the C key to start from the disc.
oPerform an Erase and Install installation of Mac OS X.
oAfter installing, starting from your Mac OS X volume, and
verifying the issue is resolved, you should use Software
oUpdate to update to the latest available version of Mac OS X.

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20. Restart your computer by choosing
Apple menu
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Restart your computer by choosing Apple menu > Restart.
Most of the time the kernel panic is an isolated event that
requires no further action.
Restart the computer in safe mode. If the computer
successfully starts up in safe mode, choose Apple menu >
Software Update, and then download and install any updates
available for your computer.
Start up in safe mode
Step 1

21. MAC OS X IN SAFE MODE
 Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's
power button for several seconds to force it to power
down.
 Start your Mac, then immediately hold the Shift key.
This performs a Safe Boot. Advanced tip: If you want to
see the status of a Safe Boot as it progresses, you can hold
Shift-Command-V during start up (instead of just Shift).
 If your Mac starts up as expected, immediately try
restarting.
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Step 2

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If the Start Up issue
persists, go to the
next section.

23. Uninstall any plug-ins or other
enhancement software
 Uninstall any plug-ins or other
enhancement software from
manufacturers other than Apple. If you
recently updated OS X or an app, plug-ins
and other software that worked in the past
may no longer be compatible.
 Check that the software is compatible with
your version of OS X.
 Reset parameter random-access memory
(PRAM). Prepared By LAKSHAY KAPOOR
Step 3

24. If the Start Up issue
persists, go to the
next section
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25. Reset the NVRAM / PRAM
 Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power
button for several seconds to force it to power down.
 Reset the NVRAM / PRAM Using P+ R+ Option+ Command
Key
 And then restart the Mac
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STEP 4

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If the Start Up issue
persists, go to the
next section.

27. Repair your start up disk or your
disk permissions
Disconnect all USB and FireWire
devices, except for the Apple keyboard
and mouse. Remove hardware upgrades
from other manufacturers, such as
random–access memory (RAM) and
Peripheral Component Interconnect
cards. Then try restarting your computer
If this resolves the issue, reconnect one
device at a time, restarting your
computer after reconnecting each
one, until you’ve determined which
device is causing the problem.
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STEP 5

28. If the Start Up issue
persists, go to the next
section.
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29. Perform an Archive and Install
installation of Mac OS X
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STEP 6
oInsert your Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5 installation disc (if you
have discs with both versions, use whichever is closest to
the Mac OS X version installed on your Mac; do not use a
startup disc which came with a different Mac or which
contains an earlier version of Mac OS X).
oShut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power
button for several seconds to force it to power down.
oStart up your Mac while holding the C key to start from
the disc.
oPerform an Archive and Install installation (preserving
users and network settings).

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33. For OS X Lion and Earlier :
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Press and hold the Power button for several seconds to turn off
your Mac.
Turn on your Mac.
As soon as your Mac starts up, hold down the Shift key to start
up with a Safe Boot into Safe Mode. Note: If you are using a
third-party external keyboard and cannot start with a Safe
Boot, try using an Apple keyboard instead.
If your Mac has another kernel panic starting up, or while in
Safe Mode, go to the "Troubleshooting a recurring kernel panic"
section below.
If your Mac starts up without a kernel panic after a Safe
Boot, restart by choosing Apple menu () > Restart…, then let it
start up normally.
Step 1

34. If the Kernel Panic
issue persists, go to
the next section
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35. Isolate hardware or software as the
cause of the kernel panic
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To help diagnose recurring kernel panics, record the date and time it occurs, and
any information that appears with the kernel panic message.
Was the computer starting up, shutting down, or performing a particular task when the
recurring kernel panic happened?
Is the kernel panic intermittent, or does it happen every time you do a certain thing?
Does it occur only when a certain external device is connected, or a device is connected to
a certain port?
Start the Mac from Recovery or its install media.
Open Disk Utility and use "Repair Disk" on Mac's internal
hard drive (named Macintosh HD by default).
Step 2

36. If the Kernel Panic issue
persists, go to the next
section.
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37. Isolate hardware or software as the
cause of the kernel panic
 Connect an external drive with at least 10 GB of free space.
 Make sure the external drive does not cause kernel panics and is the
only device on its USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt port. Connecting the
external drive and its cables to another Mac can help make sure the drive
does not cause kernel panics.
 Install OS X on the external drive.
 Start up from the external drive.
 Install all software updates until Software Update reports your software
is up to date.
 Use the Apple applications on the external drive to surf the web, view
QuickTime movies, email, print, scan, and/or other activities. Continue
using the Mac for the amount of time it would usually take for the kernel
panic to occur.
 If a panic occurs, go to the "Hardware troubleshooting"
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Step 3

38. If the Kernel Panic issue
persists, go to the next
section.
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39. Hardware troubleshooting
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Turn off your Mac.
Disconnect all peripheral devices. If you have a desktop
Mac, make sure all you have connected is a display and Apple
keyboard with Apple mouse or trackpad.
Turn on your Mac.
Use your Mac for the amount of time it would usually take for a
kernel panic to occur.
If a kernel panic does occur: Proceed the next section to check
the internal RAM and third-party hardware.

If a kernel panic does not occur: Power down the Mac and connect
one peripheral device at a time and test until a kernel panic occurs.
STEP 4

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If the Kernel Panic
issue persists, go to
the next section.

41. Check internal RAM and third-party
hardware
Turn off your Mac.
Reseat the Apple RAM, and remove third-
party RAM and third-party internal
hardware. If you do not have the Apple
RAM that came with the system, reseat
the third-party RAM.
Turn on your Mac.
Use your Mac for the amount of time it
would usually take for a kernel panic to
occur.
If the kernel panic does not occur: The
third-party RAM or internal third-party
hardware may need to be replaced.
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STEP 5

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If the Kernel Panic
issue persists, go to
the next section.

43. Software troubleshooting
 Start the Mac from Recovery or its install media that came with your
Mac and reinstall OS X on your Mac.
 Start from the internal drive.
 Run Software Update and install all updates until Software Update
reports "Your software is up to date."
 Download and install any third-party software updates before
reinstalling third-party software, especially drivers and kernel
extensions.
Examples include:
 Virtualization software
 Drivers for add-on third party display cards
 Anti-virus software
 Networking software (especially software which enables third party
network devices)
 Add-on file system support software; for example, software that lets your
write to NTFS formatted media.
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STEP 6

44. Software troubleshooting
 If the kernel panic issue continues, you will need to perform a clean
install of OS X by follow these steps:
 Start the Mac from Recovery or its install media that came with your
Mac.
 Complete a disk image backup via Disk Utility of the internal drive to
an external drive with enough free space.
 Erase the internal drive using Disk Utility.
 Install OS X.
 Start from the internal drive.
 Run Software Update and install all updates until Software Update
reports "Your software is up to date."
 Re-install your third-party apps and copy your user data from the disk
image backup you created in step 2.
Note: Avoid copying data from the /Library and /System directories on
your backup disk image.
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45. OOH…It’s a Miracle..God Bless You
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