Computer stuck on gray screen with apple

[snbgreen]

Macbook Pro 2012 13inch (upgraded ram and a new Hard Drive ribbon 3 months ago to fix the slow running mac...)

The computer was running slow and the main thing was that Mail wasn’t very stable any more. (10 of thousands of emails and 4 email accounts)

While trying to fix the symptoms of a slow running mac.... the computer kept freezing on a gray screen with the Apple and a spinning disk, during start up.

1. I Rest PRAM (option-command- p-r) and I get a do not enter symbol 0 with and line through it.

2. I started the computer in recovery mode (command -r) and I ran Disk Utility. The DU said that “the disk could not be repaired so back up the disk.”

3. So I followed direction from 3 online sources on how to do a clean install with a new hard drive using internet recovery and Time Machine. No luck

4. I tried doing an install from time machine.. but the computer would not recognize the brand new Hard Drive formatted in the correct manner.

5. At some point in time.. the DU wouldn’t even format the brand new disk... so I had to use my other computer for this.

6. I did a few other suggestion listed online, but no luck.

My final and last attempt before writing this was to take the brand new hard drive out of computer B and to do a Time Machine install using my other computer “computer A” to install computer B’s Time Machine (backed up OS & data) onto computer B’s new internal hard drive (mounted via a USB external housing). The process completed successfully and I verified it by booting off of computer B’s new hard drive mounted via a USB housing using computer A’s Hardware.

After I installed computer B’s new hard drive into computer B’s computer. I started it up and the screen was gray with an Apple and a circling disk... for 1 hr plus. I tried one more (option-command-p-r) and no luck...

So does anyone think that there’s a hardware issue? If so what could it be and how could I check?


To add to this....
After an unsuccessful start up on Computer B I then tried to boot from computer B's hard drive (mounted externally) to computer A... and the disk was not recognized as a bootable disk anymore...

so computer B seams to be screwing up the HD on start up...

Thanks in advance!

Jeff

 

[OLDCODGER]

If your mac never ran properly after upgrading the ram, I would suggest checking that the new ram is fully seated. If that is not the problem, then try with the original ram reinstalled, before going further.

 

[garirry]

Looks like either a hard drive issue or a hard drive cable issue (considering you changed it, seems likely). Do you have an external enclosure or something and an external drive just to see if you can put something on it and boot your computer off it properly? I wouldn't just put a hard drive internally since it could be the cable, and there's no way to verify it unless you get another one.

1. I Rest PRAM (option-command- p-r) and I get a do not enter symbol 0 with and line through it.

What do you mean? The PRAM reset should make you hear the startup bong twice while booting, if that's the case, then it was successfully reset. Also, try a SMC reset: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201295

 

[snbgreen]

So I tried the recommendation I swapped back to my old RAM and I put the Brand New hard drive in an external USB case and tried booting from it, but computer B wouldn't reconnize the hard drive when I started up from (option - power button). Though I was able to boot from the external hard drive on a different computer...

 

[OLDCODGER]

So I tried the recommendation I swapped back to my old RAM and I put the Brand New hard drive in an external USB case and tried booting from it, but computer B wouldn't reconnize the hard drive when I started up from (option - power button). Though I was able to boot from the external hard drive on a different computer...

Sorry about the ram trick not working.

Have you tried garirry's suggestion of resetting SMC?

 

[snbgreen]

Sorry about the ram trick not working.

Have you tried garirry's suggestion of resetting SMC?

yes I tried resetting the SMC.

 

[OLDCODGER]

yes I tried resetting the SMC.

Ok. Another method to test hardware/firmware is to boot from a live Ubuntu CD/DVD - NOT USB pen drive (as this can be corrupted during installation). If this boots normally, it limits possible problems to internal HD controller/interface.