Mac won't startup

[oxcug]

Alright so I was tyring to re-format my macbook pro that is on 10.6.8 and It rebooted and now it wont start up. It goes to the apple logo and the pin wheel doesn't show, it just stays at the grey apple. Anyone have any tips on how to fix this?

 

[Quad5Ny]

These are more or less the correct steps on how to re-format and clean install OS X. Check that your not missing any.

How to Clean Install OS X

Part One: Erasing the hard drive

1. Insert the Mac OS X Install DVD into the optical drive, or insert the Software Reinstall Drive.
   • Note that for Lion you don't have to insert any install media.
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2. Turn on or restart the computer.
   
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3. Press and hold the Option key at startup to select the volume containing the installer.
   
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4. If your are using a wireless mouse, a mouse icon should appear asking you to turn the mouse on.
   
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5. Select a language, then press the right arrow key.
   
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6. Click the Utilities menu, the choose Disk Utility.
   
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7. In the box to the left Select a volume to erase (usually called Macintosh HD).
   
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8. Click the Erase tab.
   
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9. Click Erase. (Warning! This will re-format the selected partition and erase any files on it)
   
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10. After the partition is formatted, choose Quit Disk Utility from the Disk Utility menu.

Part Two: Installing the operating system

1. When the Mac OS X Installer screen appears, click Continue.
   
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2. When the license agreement appears, click Agree.
   
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3. Select the volume you formatted (erased). It should now be highlighted with a green arrow.
   
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4. Click Install. A status bar appears on the bottom of the screen while Mac OS X installs.
   • Note that for Lion you will be asked for your Apple ID and Wireless password.
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5. An Additional Information screen appears. Click Continue.
   
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6. An Install Succeeded screen appears. Click Restart.

Original Steps Edited from: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3910

 

[oxcug]

Thanks but...

The EXACT same thing happens. It's just stuck at the apple logo with no spinwheel.

 

[eljanitor]

Hold down the (command)  key+ P+R immediately at start up all together at once and hold them down until your Mac restarts and chimes 3 times counting the start up.

DON'T LET IT CHIME / RESTART MORE THEN 3 TIMES!!!!!!!!

That clears the PRAM and that may help. Otherwise do all the steps Quad5Ny mentioned again and see if that does anything. If all of this fails something else is wrong could be RAM, could be one of many parts of the hard drive, logic board. So hard to tell. Hope this helps, otherwise I'd be happy to help you further if you wanna drop it by for service.

 

[oxcug]

Hold down the (command)  key+ P+R immediately at start up all together at once and hold them down until your Mac restarts and chimes 3 times counting the start up.

DON'T LET IT CHIME / RESTART MORE THEN 3 TIMES!!!!!!!!

That clears the PRAM and that may help. Otherwise do all the steps Quad5Ny mentioned again and see if that does anything. If all of this fails something else is wrong could be RAM, could be one of many parts of the hard drive, logic board. So hard to tell. Hope this helps, otherwise I'd be happy to help you further if you wanna drop it by for service.

Arlight so my computers chime is turned off.....
so what do i do now? Also what do you mean by DON'T LET IT CHIME / RESTART MORE THEN 3 TIMES!!!!!!!! And I tried holding command+p+r down and nothing happend...

 

[eljanitor]

Arlight so my computers chime is turned off.....
so what do i do now? Also what do you mean by DON'T LET IT CHIME / RESTART MORE THEN 3 TIMES!!!!!!!!

Don't zap the PRAM more then 3 times consecutively it has been known to fry logic boards past 3. I don't know why, but I've seen it happen before ( and was warned by Apple that 3 times is the max, 4 may kill the board). So then if you have no sound on, don't let it reboot more then 3 times.

If you didn't mute the computer, sometimes no sound/ startup chime can also be a bad indication that your mac may need to go in for service.

 

[oxcug]

nothing still is working....

Alright so I've tried all the suggestions, and nothing is working still. I've tried booting from the OS X snow leopard disk again too.

EDIT: Alrigth guys so I was resetting the pram wrong. you have to hold command+option+p+r
That did the trick!

 

[eljanitor]

Alright so I've tried all the suggestions, and nothing is working still. I've tried booting from the OS X snow leopard disk again too.

EDIT: Alrigth guys so I was resetting the pram wrong. you have to hold command+option+p+r
That did the trick!

(command)+option+p+r : Sorry about that, Yep thems the keys been dong it so long I forget which keys they are just hold em down.

Glad that worked.