Imac 27 inch 2011 grey screen after boot

[Juicy Box]

If you have another Mac to use, I would do the Target Disk Mode solution.

If you HDD is failing, trying to force it to boot could cause it to fail faster, so what you really need to do is to get the photos off the internal drive before the situation gets worse.

There are other ways to get those photos, but the quickest is Target Disk Mode.

 

[UK2011mac]

So i need to find a lead to connect the two macs together?
Is there a way i can get all my saved passwords from my browser to?

 

[Juicy Box]

So i need to find a lead to connect the two macs together?

I need to know the Mac you plan on using to determine what cable to use.

Is there a way i can get all my saved passwords from my browser to?

Maybe, but I would say lets worry about the photos first, that is more important, correct?

Lets get the photos, then try to recover other stuff.

 

[UK2011mac]

I need to know the Mac you plan on using to determine what cable to use.


Maybe, but I would say lets worry about the photos first, that is more important, correct?

Lets get the photos, then try to recover other stuff.

I did post the mac specs earlier for the mac i want to use see attached image
All my passwords are important to

 

[Juicy Box]

I did post the mac specs earlier for the mac

Sorry, I missed it somehow.

You need to use a Firewire 800 cable to connect the two Mac.

On the 2011, boot into Target Disk Mode. One the 2009, you just need to plug it in.

If the 2011 HDD should mount to the 2009 desktop and look like an external drive.

Is there a way i can get all my saved passwords from my browser to?

Do you have iCloud Keychain? If so, your passwords should be in iCloud.

If not, I would try one of a few things.

1. Clone the 2011 HDD to an external drive connected to the 2009. From there, you can boot into the external clone, and turn on iCloud Keychain.

2. Boot into the 2011 HDD using the 2009, turn on iCloud Keychain.

3. Use the Migration Assistant on the 2009 and copy your profile from the 2011 to the 2009. I think save PW will follow, but not 100% sure.

4. Lots of other options that I don't have time to type up. If the above options do not seen doable for you, I can give you other solutions, or maybe someone else can as well. All the options depend on your HDD working enough to get data from it. If at all possible, I would try other solutions before trying to boot from it, as booting puts a lot of stress on a failing HDD.

If you plan on keeping that 2011 around, consider putting a SSD in it. It will run so much better. You could actually get a internal SSD, and use a USB/SATA adapter and clone the 2011 HDD to it. Then put the SSD into your 2011.

I am unsure how things are in the UK, but here in the states, you can get a 1TB SSD and a USB3/SATA3 adapter for less than $90. It would be a hell of an upgrade for your old 2011 Mac. Your 2009 would also benefit from a SSD as well.

Honestly, just replacing the HDD with a SSD will feel like getting a (relatively) new computer.
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I am about to go to bed soon, so I can assist when I wake up, or maybe someone else might be able to.

 

[herrdude]

I did post the mac specs earlier for the mac i want to use see attached image
All my passwords are important to

You should put your computer specs into your signature. It makes for others who join in.

PS Your problem is 99.999% defective GPU and 0.01% nothing else. This thread (https://forums.macrumors.com/thread....1596614/page-371?post=28857168#post-28857168), which is almost 400 pages, explains how to replace the GPU with a better model that will give you Catalina. Of course, this all depends on your comfort level of taking the iMac apart, your budget, etc.

If you do take your iMac apart, you can pull out the hard-drive and clone it as previously suggested.

 

[USB3foriMac]

Agree with Herrdude here, this is GPU problem. I had same issue once: about 75% progress bar when booting. It hangs when switching into a certain graphics mode. As a no-cost attempt, bake the card in the oven (my preference is 6min at 200degC, many say 8min) and see whether that fixes it. Did it for me. If so, ebnjoy until problem comes back. Or follow herrdude's suggestion to replace GPU card.

 

[Juicy Box]

PS Your problem is 99.999% defective GPU and 0.01% nothing else.

Agree with Herrdude here, this is GPU problem.

I personally think the GPU might be the issue, but twice on two different Macs I have seen the exact same issue with the 75% progress bar which ended up being do to a corrupt and failing HDD. One was a Mid 2011 iMac, the other was a Late 2011 17" MBP.

So, we cannot rule that out. If the OP has important files that are not backed up, and the drive could be failing, I say lets get the info from the drive, then consider other stuff like replacing the drive and/or replacing/baking the GPU.

If you follow the thread, I was leaning towards GPU until this:

I also know the drive has been grinding for a few weeks

So, I say play it safe and get those photos the OP needs firsts.



I suggested using Target Disk Mode to attempt to get the file the OP needs, but for other reasons too. TDM is a great way to test if the GPU is failing. Once the OP gets all the photos off of the problematic iMac, then the next thing is to try to boot the problematic iMac from the good iMac's boot drive using TDM.

If it boots, then the GPU is most likely not the problem on the 2011 iMac.. If it doesn't boot and hangs at 75%, then I would suspect the GPU.

my preference is 6min at 200degC, many say 8min)

I actually use 10 minutes, so I guess we all have out own ways of doing things.

 

[herrdude]

I personally think the GPU might be the issue, but twice on two different Macs I have seen the exact same issue with the 75% progress bar which ended up being do to a corrupt and failing HDD. One was a Mid 2011 iMac, the other was a Late 2011 17" MBP.

So, we cannot rule that out. If the OP has important files that are not backed up, and the drive could be failing, I say lets get the info from the drive, then consider other stuff like replacing the drive and/or replacing/baking the GPU.

If you follow the thread, I was leaning towards GPU until this:


So, I say play it safe and get those photos the OP needs firsts.



I suggested using Target Disk Mode to attempt to get the file the OP needs, but for other reasons too. TDM is a great way to test if the GPU is failing. Once the OP gets all the photos off of the problematic iMac, then the next thing is to try to boot the problematic iMac from the good iMac's boot drive using TDM.

If it boots, then the GPU is most likely not the problem on the 2011 iMac.. If it doesn't boot and hangs at 75%, then I would suspect the GPU.



I actually use 10 minutes, so I guess we all have out own ways of doing things.

TDM might work. The best way is to pull the hard-drive and put it into an enclosure. Then he isn't dependent on anything else (GPU or otherwise) to get his data.

 

[Juicy Box]

The best way is to

The "best" way is very subjective and dependent on many things like skill, tools, equipment, cables, etc.

The truth is that there are many different ways to go about problems like the OP has.

I would open Macs for troubling, and have many times in the past, but what I would do personally isn't what I always recommend for others, especially when it comes to opening a Mac since it does require non-common tools and a greater than novice skill level.

TDM can accomplish a lot of troubleshooting for both the HDD and GPU, and can quickly eliminate things, unlike opening an iMac. Plus, it only requires a FW800 cable that the OP may already have around.

isn't dependent on anything else (GPU or otherwise)

I don't think TDM is dependent on the GPU at all, but even if the GPU or another HW component failure would prevent the transfer of data, this can be determined and ruled out pretty quickly, all without having to open the Mac.

BTW, I am not saying your way is not a good way, and it would be similar to what I would do and have done in similar situations, but like I said before, there are a bunch of ways to accomplish the same task.

 

[UK2011mac]

Cheers for the replies everyone.Much appreciated.
So am i right in reading that you "bake the GPU" ?

I do not have a Firewire 800 cable so will look to get one.

Also i do not have the installation disk for reinstalling the operating system.Will i have to buy one or can i install from the internet?
I think i am going to buy a new hard drive and make it an SSD one i do know from reading that i will need a new cable for that to.
Is it possible to take the HDD out and connect it to my other mac to get the files/passwords off?

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Cheers for the replies everyone.Much appreciated.
So am i right in reading that you "bake the GPU" ?

I do not have a Firewire 800 cable so will look to get one.

Also i do not have the installation disk for reinstalling the operating system.Will i have to buy one or can i install from the internet?
I think i am going to buy a new hard drive and make it an SSD one i do know from reading that i will need a new cable for that to.
Is it possible to take the HDD out and connect it to my other mac to get the files/passwords off?

It depends on what tools/skill you already have.
Considering that you are willing to open your iMac and change the HDD to SSD anyway,

Option 1: USB 3.0 enclosure + 1 SSD.

1. Put the SSD to the enclosure, connect it to the working iMac 2009.
2. Format and clone the OS to the SSD. Boot from the SSD to see if it work on iMac 2009.
3. Now turn off the iMac 2009 and detach the USB enclosure. Plug it in the 2011 iMac.
4. Power on the 2011 iMac while pressing the Option key.
5. On the boot picker screen, choose the SSD.
6. a) If it can get you to Desktop, then only the HDD is bad, save your data to the SSD or cloud drive.
b) If it cannot get you to the Desktop, the GPU is bad, too. Go to the next step to save your data
7. Remove the SSD and put it into the USB 3.0 enclosure, recover your data from the 2009 iMac.
8. Now you can install the SSD to 2011 iMac, but you will have

Option 2.
Buy a Firewire cable and follow @vertical smile's instruction to boot the iMac 2011 to TDM.

 

[UK2011mac]

It depends on what tools/skill you already have.
Considering that you are willing to open your iMac and change the HDD to SSD anyway,

Option 1: USB 3.0 enclosure + 1 SSD.

1. Put the SSD to the enclosure, connect it to the working iMac 2009.
2. Format and clone the OS to the SSD. Boot from the SSD to see if it work on iMac 2009.
3. Now turn off the iMac 2009 and detach the USB enclosure. Plug it in the 2011 iMac.
4. Power on the 2011 iMac while pressing the Option key.
5. On the boot picker screen, choose the SSD.
6. a) If it can get you to Desktop, then only the HDD is bad, save your data to the SSD or cloud drive.
b) If it cannot get you to the Desktop, the GPU is bad, too. Go to the next step to save your data
7. Remove the HDD and put it into the USB 3.0 enclosure, recover your data from the 2009 iMac.
8. Now you can install the SSD to 2011 iMac, but you will have

Option 2.
Buy a Firewire cable and follow @vertical smile's instruction to boot the iMac 2011 to TDM.

Hi Hieu
Thanks for your reply,sorry it took so long to reply,work has been chaos.I have ordered an enclosure and a firewire 800 cable,hopefully to arrive by Sunday and i am going to try what you suggested.
I need to find an ssd though,not to expensive.

 

[USB3foriMac]

I need to find an ssd though,not to expensive.

Use a thumb drive, boot internet revocery, and install on thumb drive. That way you can test both HDD and GPU.
Cheapest to confirm without any disassembly.

Edit: And to add: If you intend to use any external SSD solution in the long run, be realistic about the speed. While FW800 is faster than USB2, it is still slow (max. 80MB/s). My suggestion: since it is an old machine: confirm first that the GPU is ok (as instructed above: internet revocery, then install on USB stick, and boot from there), then take the risk to open it. You can even use your fingernails (or an old credit card) to remove the glass (starting with a corner) and then you only need Torx screwdrivers.
If the GPU is faulty, take all out and bake it. Replace the HDD with SSD, use macsfancontrol, (easiest, nothing else required).

 

[UK2011mac]

Update
The firewire turned up today.So what will i be able to do if i connect both macs together?

Use a thumb drive, boot internet revocery, and install on thumb drive. That way you can test both HDD and GPU.
Cheapest to confirm without any disassembly.

Edit: And to add: If you intend to use any external SSD solution in the long run, be realistic about the speed. While FW800 is faster than USB2, it is still slow (max. 80MB/s). My suggestion: since it is an old machine: confirm first that the GPU is ok (as instructed above: internet revocery, then install on USB stick, and boot from there), then take the risk to open it. You can even use your fingernails (or an old credit card) to remove the glass (starting with a corner) and then you only need Torx screwdrivers.
If the GPU is faulty, take all out and bake it. Replace the HDD with SSD, use macsfancontrol, (easiest, nothing else required).

I will need to put operating system on the thumb drive?

 

[USB3foriMac]

I will need to put operating system on the thumb drive?

Yes, that way you are independent from your HDD and can check whether GPU and HDD are working.

 

[UK2011mac]

Yes, that way you are independent from your HDD and can check whether GPU and HDD are working.

How big of a thumb drive will i need? and can i clone the operating system from my working mac?
Just need to know where to get the operating system from

 

[USB3foriMac]

How big of a thumb drive will i need? and can i clone the operating system from my working mac?
Just need to know where to get the operating system from

I use 32gb sticks, but I think 16gb will do already.
I wouldn't clone HDD if I suspect the HDD to be faulty. You want to ensure the system is working, so I would boot into internet recovery and install onto the stick.
Internet recovery will install a clean latest (high sierra) MacOS directly from Apple servers.

 

[UK2011mac]

I use 32gb sticks, but I think 16gb will do already.
I wouldn't clone HDD if I suspect the HDD to be faulty. You want to ensure the system is working, so I would boot into internet recovery and install onto the stick.
Internet recovery will install a clean latest (high sierra) MacOS directly from Apple servers.

I found a bootable usb stick with high sierra for sale on ebay so bought that,should be here in a day or so.Hoping that should do the trick

 

[USB3foriMac]

I found a bootable usb stick with high sierra

What you want is to install on the stick, not an installer. I would think this is the wrong part. And why not just use "internet recovery"? It's free, unless you don't have internet?

 

[UK2011mac]

What you want is to install on the stick, not an installer. I would think this is the wrong part. And why not just use "internet recovery"? It's free, unless you don't have internet?

Usb stick arrived today,just tried it and it went to grey screen
I have tried internet recovery before and it just stays on 24.00 for ages,never seems to move from that.i have googled and it says it has to be a 2012 onwards

 

[USB3foriMac]

Usb stick arrived today,just tried it and it went to grey screen
I have tried internet recovery before and it just stays on 24.00 for ages,never seems to move from that.i have googled and it says it has to be a 2012 onwards

Well, i have provided instructions before. These are for 2011 iMac. Use internet recovery to install to USB stick. It definitely works, if you have any source saying otherwise, please provide source, but your source would be wrong. If you need help with that, post pics and more info. If you want to try other options, fine with me, post pics and more info, too.

 

[UK2011mac]

Well, i have provided instructions before. These are for 2011 iMac. Use internet recovery to install to USB stick. It definitely works, if you have any source saying otherwise, please provide source, but your source would be wrong. If you need help with that, post pics and more info. If you want to try other options, fine with me, post pics and more info, too.

I appreciate you trying to help.I just googled mac stuck on 24.00 during internet recovery and that is what i found,will try and find it again.
I tried booting from the usb stick on my mac 2009 (the one i am on now) and it came to a screen telling me my mouse wasn't connected but it did go to a picture,When i tried that on the broken mac (27 inch one) it just went to the grey screen again.Eeverything i try to do on that mac seems to go to a grey screen so maybe it is gpu

 

[USB3foriMac]

So that means you were able to start internet recovery but it gets stuck after a while... Seems you can't get beyond this step somehow, you installer stick also not working.
Two choices, 1: remove screen (follow instructions, tilt little only to unplug the cables) and then disconnect the HDD. Put screen back and retry. Don't mind the fans blowing, just check whether Internet recovery or your stick is working.
2: if not, disassemble the whole lot, remove GPU and bake it. The reassemble with HDD, try booting from HDD or stick or internet recovery. You HDD probably ok.
While doing all this, you could also replace the HDD with SSD. Chances are high that your GPU will work again. Make sure you assemble everything correctly.
The fans will spin up as no more HDD temp sensor is present (internal to HDD). So use Macsfancontrol after you have reinstalled MacOS.

 

[UK2011mac]

So that means you were able to start internet recovery but it gets stuck after a while... Seems you can't get beyond this step somehow, you installer stick also not working.
Two choices, 1: remove screen (follow instructions, tilt little only to unplug the cables) and then disconnect the HDD. Put screen back and retry. Don't mind the fans blowing, just check whether Internet recovery or your stick is working.
2: if not, disassemble the whole lot, remove GPU and bake it. The reassemble with HDD, try booting from HDD or stick or internet recovery. You HDD probably ok.
While doing all this, you could also replace the HDD with SSD. Chances are high that your GPU will work again. Make sure you assemble everything correctly.
The fans will spin up as no more HDD temp sensor is present (internal to HDD). So use Macsfancontrol after you have reinstalled MacOS.

Referring to point 1....disconnect HDD put back together then retry? you mean try with stick or internet recovery when HDD is disconnected?
Point 2....bake GPU,what temp,how long and this may sound daft what position in the oven? top shelf,middle etc or does this not make a difference.
Point 3....that would take money which is in short supply unless i can find an SSD pretty cheap.
Thanks for the help,much appreciated