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Boot camp help - can't get into Max OS X or Windows

B

bosox*ron

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 14, 2009
4
0
I desperately need some help.

My iMac was running just fine until today when I restarted my machine and tried to get into Windows by holding the option key. Usually it works just fine, but today I got a blank gray screen. I tried it a few more times to no avail and then I let it boot up in Max OS and used the boot camp utility to see if it would work. I think I might have set the default start up disk to Windows. Now when I restart, I get the blank gray screen and holding option does nothing.

1) How do I get into Max OS?
2) How do I fix the problem and get into Windows again?

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help!
 
I appreciate the attempt, but it doesn't help much. I definitely didn't delete the partition and I am definitely holding option.

Forgive the typo on Mac OS x - how it happens 3 times I have no idea. It's been a long week:(
 
You can hold X at the gong to force OSX booting.

Sounds like your XP startup is messed up somehow, you can press F8 right before the graphical XP boot screen appears to get a choice of boot options, including 'last known good' and 'safe mode'
 
bosox*ron said:
I appreciate the attempt, but it doesn't help much. I definitely didn't delete the partition and I am definitely holding option.
Click to expand...

How do you know that you didn't delete it if you can't get there? :p:confused:

As Beerfloat said, try holding X. If that fails, put in Install Disk 1, boot from it, and run Disk Utility instead of the Installer to see what partitions exist.
 
Thanks for trying guys - I really do appreciate people that know what is going on and help rookies like me out.

When I power on, the screen goes grey immediately and the computer doesn't respond to anything. Pressing X didn't work, neither does pressing F8. It's not even getting to that point in the boot process. Also, I have a disc in the drive right now and the computer won't eject it. Any other ideas? Or am I totally screwed?
 
To boot your Mac with the OSX DVD in your drive, hold down the C key when turn it on, so you boot with it, then use Disk Utility to check what is going on with your HDD.
 
Well I'm sitting here trying to get the disk out of my drive - the apple web site says to hold Control-Option-O-F keys at the start up sound. Problem is... I'm not getting a start up sound. Just gray blankness.
 
bosox*ron said:
Well I'm sitting here trying to get the disk out of my drive - the apple web site says to hold Control-Option-O-F keys at the start up sound. Problem is... I'm not getting a start up sound. Just gray blankness.
Click to expand...

Er you didn't mute the computer before you shut it down last did ya? If you mute the computer it doesn't make the start-up chime. Also to eject a disc don't you hold the (left)mouse button on start-up anymore?:confused: Try that to eject the CD.
 
Install Windows 7 Pre-RC. :)


No, but the boot manager on your Mac must've went corrupt thus not allowing to boot either into OS X or Windows. If you have a backup Hard Drive use it. Or... Take out the hard drive, hook it up into another Mac and try to see if you can fix it from there.
 
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