No log in screen after Lion install

[Mr.Scarface]

Installed Lion. Everything seemed fine. After reboot. I Just get the Grey screen of the login page, but not login prompt. I can boot into safe mode, I get the same Gray background, but with a log in screen. I did a reinstall, same result. I cleared the PRAM and NVRAM, not luck.

Any thoughts?

Macbook Pro 15'' late 2008..running Snow Leopard before.

 

[veniculum]

I'm having the same/similar problem with my 2009 MB Pro 15". I did the upgrade this afternoon...upon completion, I'd get a login screen. I'd enter my password, and it looked like it took...but then the login screen would come right back. So I did some research...did the whole option-r/recovery console thing. Did the 'passwordreset' from the terminal, added the root account...etc etc...no luck.

so I called apple...he had me login safe mode...which worked...we did a disk repair...no luck...disk permissions repair...no luck. Finally, he just said...I think you should re-install Lion. So that's what I did. It literally took 3 hours...moment of truth...reboot...nothing. I should mention that before I did the re-install, I set my account to auto-login...which, of course, didn't give me a login screen, and just hung at a blank grey screen with a cursor.

So the re-install completed...no luck. Went back into the recovery console, and reset the ACLs on my account. This looked like it was going to work...I got back to a login screen, entered my password, and it didn't go into the loop that it was doing originally...but now I'm just sitting at a blank grey screen and a cursor.

Now I'm a patient guy....I'm a systems admin, and I look at all this as kinda educational. My other MB Pro 15" upgraded without issue. Unfortunately, I did a very un-sysadmin type thing...I didn't back up my stuff via carbon copy....so I'm not really worried about data...I can get that. But I'm kinda screwed right now because I'm going to have to rebuild this machine from scratch...or at least from a pretty old CC Cloner backup....and there's a bootcamp partition on here...which will have to be reloaded.

This whole thing kinda sucks...but wattayagonnado? If anyone has figured this out, I'd sure love some suggestions. I do have a case number...and I'm debating calling Apple back. Maybe they can tell me something that I haven't tried...but I'm not very hopeful...I've done just about everything you could do at this point...I think

Thanks
Todd

Update: I figured it out....after all this it turned out to be pretty stupid. I uninstalled two applications (while in safe mode)...I removed logmein (and the logmein plugin)....and I also have this Diamond dual display adapter. I'm pretty sure I downloaded the drivers that were said to support Lion...either way, I uninstalled this as well. Whaddayaknow...restarted, logged in...and boom...right in. So it's either logmein or the diamond driver. I'll post my findings.
Thanks

 

[RexLeo]

I had the same problem....no login screen. I overcame it by enabling auto login for my user (enabled it in safe mode).
To resolve the problem I removed the following items from the LaunchAgents, LaunchDaemons, StartupItems folders:
PC Keyboard Hack
Wacom tablet driver
parallels
Adobe Updater
1Password
Sophos Antivirus

I don't know which one did the trick but now the login window appears.

 

[spiffmedic]

and I also have this Diamond dual display adapter.

It's definitely the Diamond dual display. I have it too, and had the same problem- but uninstalling the DisplayLink software made the problem go away. They have a "beta" out for Lion which doesn't solve the login screen problem but does work otherwise.

Interestingly, although the login screen is blank, it still appears to "work": If I click in the approximate area of where I'd expect my account icon, and then type my password, I get in!

 

[Mr.Scarface]

i dont have either of those programs. The apple tech even remotely tunnel into my computer. They are still trying to find an answer. They had me run a program in safe mode to get them more info. So it seems like its a particular program they make be causing it. Which one...lol.

 

[Mr.Scarface]

I had the same problem....no login screen. I overcame it by enabling auto login for my user (enabled it in safe mode).
To resolve the problem I removed the following items from the LaunchAgents, LaunchDaemons, StartupItems folders:
PC Keyboard Hack
Wacom tablet driver
parallels
Adobe Updater
1Password
Sophos Antivirus

I don't know which one did the trick but now the login window appears.

i do have the Antivirus and Adobe updater......let me try those....

 

[Mr.Scarface]

on that blank login, everything is still there......just not visible. I was able to click on the user account and enter a password, even though nothing was visible. I figured out where the login box was supposed to be.


Weird

 

[Cainight]

Interestingly, although the login screen is blank, it still appears to "work": If I click in the approximate area of where I'd expect my account icon, and then type my password, I get in!

on that blank login, everything is still there......just not visible. I was able to click on the user account and enter a password, even though nothing was visible. I figured out where the login box was supposed to be.


Weird

I have that same problem. I installed Lion on a fresh updated install of SL and after the second reboot the gray screen with a cursor started happening. Since I knew that if you have the "login window" option selected under "login options" the window appears with the username box active, I simply typed in my username and password and I was in. After that I enabled Auto-Login, but I do not like that option.

I remembered that the one thing I installed was DisplayLink drivers which did not work so I uninstalled them right away, but it did not help. I may try reinstalling the thing and installing apps one by one to see if they don't break Lion (which is just funny when I listen to myself saying that). For now I'm gonna run Lion on a separate partition in "Test-Mode". I'll keep doing my work on SL. I can't rely on an OS that needs time for devs to fix bugs and update their software to be compatible with Lion.



Btw what is the deal with blocking all the other screens when you run a Full-Screen app... I'd like to have a few fullscreen apps running on one space/desktop but on different screens. I guess I'll have to stick to the "old-school" full screening.

 

[IvanLasston]

I've run into the same problem. I have a 2009 Macbook Pro with the discrete/integrated graphics card - that needs a log out to switch (unless you use gfxcardstatus) Anyway - I did a smc reset followed by pram and nvram reset - and ran into the same issue. The login screen looked blank. As stated above - I could click in the general area and the cursor would change to the "dialog box line cursor" - I found where I could type in my user name and password using the cursor as a guide.

I was able to log in but many programs were not showing any data, i.e. firefox looked blank even though it had data loaded. I was able to do the same thing in firefox - that is click about where the address bar and type in something - and I'd see the autofill drop down box. Very bizarre.

Anyway - the way I fixed everything was to go to System Preferences -> Energy Saver -> changed from better battery life to higher performance. It made me log out - and once I did my login prompt came back. Fireofox is also behaving now.

TL ; DR - if you have a Macbook Pro that has the requirement of logging out to change graphics cards and reset pram/nvram and you run into a blank linen login screen -> try to guess where the login is, login and switch the graphics card in system preferences which forces a logout. Everything should come back afterwards. Trying to use GFXCardstatus did NOT fix the problem.

 

[madjoyce2000]

Same!!!

Hi all,

Just joined you guys to see if this could be solved!

I have been looking on the net for ages to see if I'm the only one! I'm glad to of found you all.

The exact same thing has happened to me! The screen is there but not...

Has there been any development on the solution at all??

I have no idea how to re-install as there is no icons or screen nav?

Any suggestions?
Thanks so much!

 

[madjoyce2000]

on that blank login, everything is still there......just not visible. I was able to click on the user account and enter a password, even though nothing was visible. I figured out where the login box was supposed to be.


Weird

I have this exact problem! How do you do anything when you can't see anything? Its all a bit of a guess? Plus everything seems to be inverted?
This is a such a mess!!!!

 

[macfoxpro]

Maybe this will help

i dont have either of those programs. The apple tech even remotely tunnel into my computer. They are still trying to find an answer. They had me run a program in safe mode to get them more info. So it seems like its a particular program they make be causing it. Which one...lol.

I ran into the same problem and switched graphics from better battery life to better performance and everything is fine.
Go to System Pref. and then to Energy Saver to switch from one to the other. I would still like to know why all this has happened.

 

[piksel]

Possible solution

**POSSIBLE SOLUTION**

I had the same issue as described where no login fields were present but none of the above worked for me. I resolved the issue by activating automatic login and then turning automatic login off again. Here are the full steps:

1) Boot into safe mode (hold down shift while powering on)
2) Log in
3) Open "System Preferences" and go to "Users & Groups -> Login Options"
4) Change "Automatic login" to one of the users of the machine (you'll be prompted to enter your password)
5) Restart and allow it to automatically log you in
6) Here the critical step (I think) - log out and check you can see the login Name and Password fields (if you can't then this won't help sorry - at this point I could see them again)
7) Login again at that point and then turn off automatic login
8) Restart and you "should" have the login fields again

This worked for 2 machines at work that displayed this behaviour.

 

[dogbait]

**POSSIBLE SOLUTION**

Thanks that worked!

 

[Greyscreen]

My login was alreay set to automatic, but i turned this off and restarted which brought up the login box, at last!!!!!!