iMac will not startup!

[EM87]

Hello all,

I have a very very serious problem with my iMac, it will not boot OS X at all, it won't even make the startup noise! I was just starting to install Windows XP (I was up to the part where you need to agree to the license agreement) on it when it just shut off for no reason. When I turned the iMac back on it did nothing, just stayed on the grey screen, I didn't even get the startup noise. So I got the Windows XP install disc out of it and have tried everything I can think from trying to do a hardware test (would not work) to trying to reinstall OS X (obversely did not work) of to start OS X up but nothing will work. Does anyone know what else I could do or will I have to send it away to Apple to get this problem fixed?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[EM87]

Ok I got the chime sound to work by pressing the command+option+P+R buttons but it will still not boot!

 

[EricNau]

What happens if you hold 'option' during boot?

Do you have the system install disks? Have you tried using them?

 

[EM87]

I have not tried option yet but I have tried using install disc one and holding C, nothing happened. When I hold X it goes to a black screen with a small white bar (around 5 pixels long and two high) in the upper left middle of the screen. Command+option+P+R does not help, nothing is helping! I can not ring Apple support as it is after hours as well.

 

[EricNau]

If Option doesn't get you anywhere...

You can also try resetting the SMC.

If that doesn't work...

Can you boot into Open Firmware? To do this, hold down Cmd+Opt+O+F during the boot process.

From there, try to tell the mac to boot my typing the command: mac-boot

 

[EM87]

OK, when I hold in option I get a box in the middle with a picture of a DVD and it says "Mac OS X install disc 1" and under that is a little up arrow in a circle...what do I do from here??

 

[EM87]

OK I have got to reinstall OS X, no other option. But I still can not select the HDD when I need to select where to install it, the HDD is not even there

 

[muppetman2000]

I had the exact same problem, for me the fix was to unplug everything including power for about 1 minute, this resets something (i forget what) but it works.

 

[EM87]

I've tried that but still nothing. I will be ringing apple tomorrow.

 

[EM87]

Ohh I fixed it!!

I needed to erase the HDD but atleast now I can see the HDD when trying to install OS X. It is now installing, fingers crossed.

 

[EM87]

Ok, everything is working fine (just finished updating to 10.4.8) and I would even say it is working better now, everything seems to be so quick.

I am a little pissed that I lost all my data but luckly I had only has the computer 2 months so I did not loose anything too important. Hopefully that will be my first and last bad experiance with this Mac.

 

[sodden]

re

Ihave the same : grey screen and nothing else. I tried to open the Open firmware /option+command+o+f/ but it not works. You have at last a CD icon whe You push the alt button - When I push the alt button at start I have only a mouse cursor - nothing else.No icons.....I can't reinstall system I can't start it....