2011 MBA 10.9.1 - Login to Grey Screen

[fraile]

I tried searching to see if this appeared anywhere but was unable to!

Basically, I can boot my MacBook and login but as soon as it takes me to my user profile the screen turns grey. I can't do anything except a force shut down. I can boot in safe mode, but that's not helpful for using my computer long term. Does anyone know why this grey screen is appearing? Unsure if this is a device or OS issue.

This may be a related issue - my startup disk is full. If this is the issue, how do I get rid of 50GB of "other" without downloading a program?

I just paid for a 256 GB 7+ so dropping another $1,500 CAD on a new MacBook isn't really ideal to me.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[chrfr]

This may be a related issue - my startup disk is full. If this is the issue, how do I get rid of 50GB of "other" without downloading a program?

The fact that your disk is full is definitely problematic, but it may not be the root of this problem. In any case, you do need to free up space on your computer. When you start in safe mode, make sure that the trash is empty, and look in your downloads folder to see if you have any extra files there that you don't need. Music and movies are likely other places where you'll have a lot of space used.
Finally, once you get the computer running you really need to run Software Update and at least update to 10.9.5 and perhaps consider going to Sierra.