The endless grey screen of doom...

I'm sure this has been brought to this forum countless times.

I restarted my Macbook yesterday and now I'm only getting the grey screen eventually resulting in the file with this question mark in it blinking at me. I went through and tried all the keystrokes while starting it up: 'Option' to look at the drives, 'Shift' to go into safe mode, so on. None of these work.

Today I got my latest OSX disc and insert it, it finally acted like it was going to do something as I noticed it was no longer the grey screen with the questionable file logo. This time it was the Apple logo sitting there stationary. However, it would go no further. I thought this may be a good time to go and check out the 'Option' key start up. It brought up a logo for the OSX disc and I clicked it, but it just went right back to the grey screen with the Apple logo and is going no further.

Any solutions? I need this issue resolved ASAP as this is my business and teaching computer. Nearest Apple store is about an hour away. Wondering if anyone here has the answers.

Thank you all in advance!

-BS.

Braunzo said:

I'm sure this has been brought to this forum countless times.

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Yup, it has. That's why we have a search tool.
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os...9-flashing-folder-question-mark-start-up.html

lifeisabeach said:

Yup, it has. That's why we have a search tool.
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os...9-flashing-folder-question-mark-start-up.html

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Yeah, that's cool. But there's still no resolve to those posts. I'm thinking it's just hard drive failure.

Braunzo said:

Yeah, that's cool. But there's still no resolve to those posts. I'm thinking it's just hard drive failure.

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It may well be hard drive failure. But there was a resolve in the link I posted… resetting the PRAM worked for one member who replied. Did you not try that?

its either a failed hard drive(hopefully not) or the better of the 2 a bad operating system, which simply requires a reinstall. If failed hard drive, and your comfortable with working inside your mac like I am, replace the hard drive with a new one.

powerbook_guru said:

its either a failed hard drive(hopefully not) or the better of the 2 a bad operating system, which simply requires a reinstall. If failed hard drive, and your comfortable with working inside your mac like I am, replace the hard drive with a new one.

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Start up from OS X Disc, launch Disk Utility from Tools menu - if drive isn't listed in left hand column it's most likely HD failure....

kieran_r said:

Start up from OS X Disc, launch Disk Utility from Tools menu - if drive isn't listed in left hand column it's most likely HD failure....

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My friend's does this, and I looked at it, and it needs a harddrive, the idiots at best buy told him he needs a mobo...