Windows On Mac :: Boot Camp Installation - Gray Screen - Cd Spinning
Dec 26, 2010
I have a 1st generation macbook pro running snow leopard 10.6. I've been trying to install windows xp, vista, or 7 using bootcamp but for some odd reason i cannot boot into the cd. I put the cd in and made sure the macbook is reading it (which it is because the icon shows up on the desktop) before i hit "start installation". the laptop would restart but it doesnt boot into the cd, it just goes right into the gray screen and stays there while i hear the cd spinning. I've installed windows xp using this method but that was about 4 years ago, for some reason the hard drive died on me so i have to do this whole process over again. I dont recall having this problem either.
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Nov 23, 2007
I started this topic on the Garage Band forum because I was having trouble with Garage Band '08 when my computer crashed and will not restart afterwards. Garage Band was crashing 2 out of every 3 attempts at recording, and I would have to use Force Quit to escape and start over. Then, while I was in the middle of a very complex project involving Garage Band, iTunes, Finale (music notation program), and Microsoft Word, the computer froze up and I hit restart, thinking that would solve the problem. Big mistake - the computer has not been able to restart since then. I have a late 2005 G5 power mac with 1 GB of memory, 230 GB hard drive (or something like that) and no additional gizmos installed, running OS X 10.4.4. I had upgraded to iLife '08 a month or so ago and have had problems since with unusual crashes and freezes, especially involving Garage Band '08.
When I boot, I get to the gray opening screen with the gray apple logo and the spinning gear (is it really called an "intergalactic frisbee?"), and no further. The fans come on (and begin to ramp up to a huge noise after two minutes or so), the white LED light comes on steadily. I've disconnected all peripherals except my keyboard and mouse (Kensington USB keyboard and Logitech Mouse, both of which seem to work OK still). I can use the keyboard to open the CD/DVD player, and I can start the computer with both the Apple Installer disk and with Disk Warrior 4.0. I've repaired everything I can find with both programs, verified everything available, used Disk Warrior to examine corrupted files, and removed all the .plist files that it said were broken and could not be fixed. The only thing I can't find is that it says I am missing a "tmp" folder in my HD/private/ folder, which I can't seem to locate on the directory on Disk Warrior. Both programs say that all my hardware is fine, and that everything else is OK too. Puzzling. I removed the battery and tested it (it was OK), replaced it, and reset the PMU button on the motherboard even though I know all you have to do is unplug the back for a few minutes or so.............
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Mar 30, 2009
Everything was fine until this morning when i came into work, started up my Macbook as usual from sleep mode. was able to use OS X for a little while, had to leave to go onsite so i locked my screen (i use sizzle keys and made Command + L to lock my screen to the log on prompt). as soon as the cube spins to the logon screen, BOOM, all i see is the solid light blue screen just sit there. i walk away and 5 minutes later, it's still on there, can't recover or go back to my desktop, so i force shut down (hit the power button, and attempt to reboot the OS X. then thats when it all gets bad. Everytime i boot into OS X it just sits there with the blue screen and flickers back and forth with the gray gear wheel spinning and so forth.
Ok, so next check, i go to boot into my Boot Camp partition into Vista. no problems, was able to boot in my boot camp partition without any problems (im typing this in boot camp at this moment.)
So far i've been able to boot into my Boot Camp and the OS X Restore Disc without any problems.
I booted into the OS X boot disc, and ran Disk Utility, ran the perrmissions check and the disk check and both fixed problems aparently on my OS X partition. went to boot back into OS X, blue screen.
So now i do the PRAM and NVRAM reset doing Command+Option+P+R and again booted into OS X. blue screen.
Booted into Safe Mode (Safe Boot) took awhile, but again. stuck at blue screen and if i press any keys or move the mouse, the grey gear spins for like 10 seconds and just goes back to the blue screen. and the process goes over and over again.
(later on this afternoon) I even ran FSCK to check the volume for problems. "it appears to be OK"
The good thing atleast in this situation is that i can access my OS X partition in Vista (via MacDrive) without any problems, so if having to reload my previous Time Machine backup (which stupid me forgot to back up my system over 60 days ago ) or having to just Archive my OS X and reinstall it, that will have to be my final choice. But i don't REALLY want to have to do this all over again if at all possiable.
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Jul 23, 2010
I apologize for the long message but I want to be as detailed as possible. My MacBook (purchased early 2006, white 13", upgraded to Leopard about a year ago with no problems until now) will not boot past the grey screen and spinning wheel. Here' are the list of 6 steps I've followed so far and still is not working. Oh, and I do not have any peripherals attached to my MacBook:
1. Reboot in Safe Mode: tried pressing down the Shift key before the powering up sound AND after the sound. Could not get into Safe Mode. Did this several times, holding the Shift key for as much as a minute or two. Nothing but grey screen and spinning wheel.
2. Reset NVRAM/PRAM: CMD+R+P+Option: Computer restarted but still goes into Grey Screen, spinning wheel and stays there forever.
3. CMD +S: I read this online. Gave me a black screen with a lot of information, but I don't know how to read the computer jargon, let alone know what to do with said info. 4. Disk Utility Repair Disk : Inserted my Leopard install disk. Went to Utility Disk. Performed a Repair Disk and I did get two error messages, something related to id 70000452 should be id 70000450 ( I'm sorry to say I cannot remember the exact error messages). But it showed as repaired. When I did a 2nd Repair Disk, I got the message that the volume appears to be OK. Turned off and on again, nothing but grey screen and wheel.......
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Jun 18, 2009
I've googled this and looked here, and while there are many similar stories none are exactly the same as mine so I thought I'd post here. So, I was going to install the Windows 7 RC on a 2006 iMac intel Core Duo, which has a dead optical drive, so I was planning on using an external like I do for everything on this machine. After the restart to install Windows, I got a folder with a question mark, and figured that the iMac couldn't do the installation from an external drive but since it was looking for a disk got confused. I then hit the power button thinking that I'd just boot back into OS X until I found a solution, but when I hit the power again I got not even an inquisitive folder. Just a grey screen. I tried key combinations but nothing even seemed to get recognized. For example, the PRAM re-set combination did not get to a second chime, just the one chime and the grey screen. Command C did make the external drive spin (with an OS X disk in it) but nothing other then that. And Command D with the original install disk in did spin as well, but I got no further then that chime and grey screen I got every time. I don't expect miracles of course, and I want to know how to fix this. This machine is out of warrantee, and if it needs an actual hardware repair I'd rather find out what it needs and do it myself then have someone else do it. I know I can, and it is cheaper that way. And of course if there is a simple software fix I'd much prefer that.
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Dec 28, 2008
like a number of ppl, I only had a legit XP Pro SP1 and not an SP2 version as required for a seamless Boot Camp install. (Actually I do have a legit SP2 CD but the activation key has been mislaid!... damn). I was looking at going down the somewhat convoluted "slipstream" path to generate a working SP2 build utilising the SP1 key I had but what I have found is that the BootDir registry hack that had been used in the past for SP3 compatibility, also works for SP1 installs. Basically the problem is that the Apple supplied Windows drivers requires the Installer from an SP2 build and the SP2 update fails on a Boot Camp partition without the BootDir hack. So my suggested install method is as follows... ymmv. (Note this has been done with two identical MacBook Pro's with the latest Leopard build). Create the BootCamp partition as per the standard instructions and using your XP Pro SP1 CD going through the usual Windows install dialogs to the point where it want's to restart. I have found that when the Windows tries to shutdown to perform a restart that it hangs. Just hold down the power button on the Mac to force a shutdown leaving a minute or so just in case Windows is being slow. Boot back to Windows (via standard Boot Camp Option button) and perform the registry hack as published elsewhere for SP3 updates. Basically it is adding a key 'BootDir' with a value of 'C:' to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionSetup
Note that you need to be able to right click on the mouse in regedit to create this key and at this point without the Apple drivers installed I don't think trackpad supports this so I have used a generic two button USB mouse. Once this registry entry is added you can install the SP2 update (as downloaded from Microsoft - WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe). Once again I have found that Windows still hangs after the SP2 install restart until the Apple updates are applied... so nail the power button again after a pause or two. Once you are back to Windows again you can now install the Apple drivers found on the Disk 1 of you Leopard CD although I would recommend downloading the latest v2.1 from Apple if not. (Note there is a minor update to v2.1.1 available through the Apple Software Installation program). I am not sure if you could go direct to SP3 using this method but I have tended to stick with SP2 as SP3 tends to slow bootup/shutdown. Most Mac users would use FireFox/Safari in preference to IE so you have already improved the security of XP
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Jul 6, 2010
I am currently on a macbook that I bought in the summer of 2008, and I just decided I wanted to be able to run Windows on my laptop. I found my WindowsXP installation disk, a factory disk, and opened up boot camp to install Windows. I was following instructions from another thread on another computer I have at home. I got through partitioning my disk and got the windowsXP installation ready to begin when I realized I couldn't find my MacOSX disk, and thus wouldn't be able to install the Windows drivers after installing Windows (I was running Mac OS X 10.5.8), so I stopped the installation there and un-partitioned my harddrive. I then ordered Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.3, and I just received the CD today. I installed Snow Leopard, then did the same thing that I did before with boot camp and partitioned my drive. However, this time when I got to the part where I put in my Windows disk, the computer reboots and starts, but the Windows installation won't begin. It just sits at a black screen with a blinking cursor in the top left corner. I've tried giving it over 30 minutes to start but it just won't go. Logically I would assume there's a problem with the disk, but I used this same disk less than a week ago and got halfway through the installation without any problems. Why won't my WindowsXP installer disk boot up?
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Mar 7, 2009
I just updated my (2006 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz 15") MacBookPro to Leopard 10.5.6 I installed Windows XP SP3 through bootcamp, and everything was fine, but after i was done installing the BootCamp drivers from the Leopard disk and I restarted the computer,and booted back into windows, it would load to windows show my desktop for about 5 seconds then reboot itself (no error messages). So I mounted the windows partition again, same thing, over and over, I must have done it 20 times.I even tried doing the bootcamp 2.1 update and it didn't work. So i restored windows to the previous working settings and the bootcamp drivers were gone. So Windows works now but i am not abled to use the wifi or any multi touch or anything. I have also deleted the Windows partition and reinstalled it from the beginning and the same thing happened after installing the bootcamp drivers.
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Sep 6, 2008
I'm having problems with a Boot Camp partition and XP Professional SP2.
I setup a 20GB partition on my drive (I'm using a MacBook Pro, 3GB, 120GB hard drive). It's the only partition other than the one I use for OS X.
I didn't have full-install SP2 discs, only an upgrade. So I went to Fry's and bought a legal, new OEM disc and license for XP Professional SP2, full-install. I ran the installer and all went well...until I rebooted. At that point, Windows wouldn't load giving me a non-system disc error.
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Jul 11, 2009
I made my bootcamp partition small at 16 gb (apparently far too small) since I was just going to use it for a couple of programs. I went to install a game and it looks like windows 7 on it's own is taking up 14 gigs. Is this normal?
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Oct 26, 2009
Followed this guide [URL] and everything went smoothely, except when I came to step 24 I dont see the icon in the system tray. Also tried to run the program in the boot camp folder, but nothing happens. No big deal I think, but would be nice to have everything work properly.
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Jan 26, 2010
I just recently purchased a 13" MBP Unibody and I'm thinking about installing Windows 7 (64-Bit) on it. If I install Windows with Boot Camp, and then install Parallels, do I need to make another Windows partition, or will it use the partition created in Boot Camp? Should I install Windows using Boot Camp first and then Parallels, or the other way around?
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Aug 18, 2010
I'm trying to install windows xp professional sp3 from an iso I torrented. I burned it to a disc, but my computer can't find the disc during the start of installation ("No bootable device, press any key").
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Apr 7, 2009
I did a problem free install of Win-doze xp pro sp.2 via Boot Camp and all was well, everything went off without a hitch... However I only partitioned 35 GB for Win-doze which after some thought I realized that having installed windoze for the sole purpose of playing games (which require alot of space) Anyway, I played a few games like "Crysis" and "The Last Remnant" both worked fantastically but I didn't want to get too far in them just to have to re-do the boot camp later and lose the data, so I went ahead and uninstalled the windoze partition and proceeded to go through the motions again, However this time around I set aside a 200GB partition. For some reason everything seemed to take MUCH longer, or instance it sat on the "restarting computer..." screen for 5-10 minutes, finally restarted then windoze loaded and went to the collecting information;Dynamic update;preparing installation;installing windoze
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Aug 24, 2009
I am trying to install Win 7 through Boot Camp, everytime it gets to installing at 1% I get an error message. Windows cannot installed required files. Files missing or Corrupt 0x80070570. What I've tried:
- Using 32 Bit instead of 64 Bit Windows
- Burning both at low speeds (Disk Utilities and IMGBurn)
- Tried installing XP then doing an upgrade to Win 7, but only have XP Upgrade and eject key doesn't work during installation when prompted for older version verification.
Anyone experinced or heard of this before?
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Jul 2, 2007
I've encountered an interesting, if not incredibly frustrating, problem on my Macbook Pro and I was hoping someone might be able to help me diagnose and rectify it. I had installed XP via Boot Camp 1.1 in August successfully and used my XP partition for a few months. Then, one day, when I went to boot into XP, after selecting my XP partition at the startup screen, my computer went to a black screen with no cursor or error message. I had no idea what to do, so I decided to simply delete my partition and create a new one and reinstall Windows. After deleting it and firing up Boot Camp, I encountered the very same black screen when Boot Camp restarted my computer. It would go to the grey startup screen first, but then to a black screen. The XP install disc would seemingly spin up properly, but nothing ever showed on screen. I then tried any number of possible fixes, including zeroing my entire hard disc and reinstalling OS X and Boot Camp (now 1.3), but have had the same result each time. I have begun to suspect that the problem is related to the EFI, but I don't know very much about that sort of things and don't really know how to adjust its settings or reinstall it. I've downloaded the most recent EFI firmware, but when I try to open the file OS X insists that my firmware is already up to date. I've been scouring the internet for the last couple weeks and am yet to come up with a solution.
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May 10, 2008
I have just finished installing Vista Ultimate (64 bit) on my new Mac Pro, and the screen is really dark, and I can't seem to get it any brighter.
My graphics card is the Nvidia 8800gt, I am using an old 23" ACD through the ADC/DVI adaptor.
The screen was nice and bright all throughout the installation, but after I installed the boot camp drivers from the Apple install disc, the screen became really dim. If I open the Nvidia control panel and try and change the brightness from there, the screen stays dim, but just gets really washed out.
The weird thing is, it translates back onto the OS X side. When I restart after being in Vista, the display is still very dim - I have to go in the Displays system preferences and manually change the brightness back up from minimum. Conversely, when I boot into Vista having been in OS X, the screen is initially bright through all the login screens, but then switches back to being dark as soon as I have logged in.
There is probably a really simple solution to this, but as I am completely unfamiliar with Vista, I'm stuffed if I can work it out. Any advice is gratefully received.
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Feb 2, 2009
I have an older MacBook and when I bought it, from a friend, it already had windows running on it. Just the other day I went to restart my computer and all I got want the black screen saying that the computer was turned off wrong and to choose the start up mode. I tried the last known option and nothing happened besides restarting to the same screen. Then I tried the normal mode and that didn't work and safe mode did the same thing, starting back up to the black screen. Is there something that I can do/fix, or does this require some professional.
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Jan 18, 2010
The lowest brightness setting in XP (Boot Camp) is much higher than the lowest setting in Leopard. Is there anyway to further reduce the screen's brightness in XP?
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Jun 13, 2009
I bought this c2d macbook pro 15'' in early 2007. Today I installed windows 7 on it (bootcamp 2.1). Everything worked perfect except the screen brightness control. The strongest level is very bright (same as the one in Mac), but the second level is very dim. I remember having this problem back in 2007 when I installed winxp on my mac. Looks like the problem still exists. Anyone here knows how to fix it?
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Nov 21, 2010
In retrospect, I should have ignored it when Apple Software Update told me about the Boot Camp 3.2 upgrade for my 2006 Mac Pro running x64 Win 7 ultimate. When I ran it, it overwrote my blue tooth driver and my keyboard stopped working. Thanks for the folks at Mac Rumors forums, I was able to go through the procedure to get it working again, and I also had to update the video driver (again) from ATI for my 3800.
So then I decide to reboot into MacOS and discover that my icon for selecting the boot disk was gone, not to mention any directory or programs in the start menu. This happen to anyone else? Do I have to downgrade to 3.1 or does anyone have a recommendation to get 3.2 working?
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May 8, 2007
Unfortunately I bumped the switch on the power strip that my Mac Mini (1.42ghz G4, OS X 10.3) is plugged into while it was running. Now it won't boot up. All I get is the gray screen with the gray apple logo and the spinning wheel but no OSX.
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Oct 14, 2010
I've got a 2010 i7 15.4 MBP, after installing boot camp drivers from MAC OS DVD, I could not find any option about how long to dim screen brightness. However, my friend's 13.3 MBP does have. What about yours, guys?
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Aug 13, 2009
Won't boot up past this screen, this is the first time this has happened. I am fairly certain it is related to an attempt to install SP3 (I had removed it in favor if SP2 to hopefully fix some wireless issues). I noticed when I shut it down last time that it was installing updates, which most certainly included SP3, and then I left the computer. Maybe the install failed? If so, how can I fix this? Any way around other than reverting to a backup? (I think the clone I have of it has SP3 on it)
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Aug 22, 2009
Trying to install Windows XP via Boot Camp, I get this error:
I have an external hard drive with enough space to back up my computer, but I don't know what to do after that. Can someone tell me what to back it up with so I can restore it after I format my computer, and how to restore it?
I assume to format the drive I use Disk Utility from my install CD?
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Jun 11, 2012
Gray screen spinning wheel. How do I get it to start?
Info:iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8), Ernestine123
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Jul 15, 2008
how to make a boot camp installation with three partitions?
I mean one for mac, one for windows and one for data to be shared between the OS's? When I try to create 3 partitions on leopard installation, when I start the boot camp assistant, it doesn't work. Or when I create an extra partition inside windows, mac is not able to see it.
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Mar 20, 2009
I have one program that I will have to run in boot camp. The rest of the time, I would like to run in Parallels. Will I have to install XP twice to do this and thus take up more hard drive?
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Jan 25, 2010
I think my hd went out. I have a G4 dual 1ghz (pretty sure, can't see it right now) mdd, os 10.411, and it froze up so I did a hard restart: hold the power button for 10 seconds till it shuts off. When I turned it on the next time it would not boot up. Gray screen withe the spinning wheel of bars like it is thinking, searching, and longing to start up. Booted from the install cd to access the hd, but it acts like it wants to install the os fresh.
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May 15, 2012
I have an iMac G5 stuck on the gray screen with spinning gear. I woke up to it being stuck on a blue screen, then force quit and now it's stuck on gray with spinning gear.
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