When a computer system throws fatal start up errors, it is an indication that there are grave problems associated with the system's hardware or software. Users have nicknamed such error messages as 'screen of deaths'. If you are a Mac OS X user and experience issues like computer not responding or appearance of gray screen instead of seeing the Finder or the login window, you are in for a deep trouble. In such situations, the data stored in the hard drive of your Mac machine becomes totally inaccessible. You might resolve the issue by implementing the troubleshooting steps (discussed later in the article) suggested by Apple, but one or two steps could also raise data loss alarm. If you end up losing data from your Mac machine by employing certain necessary remedial steps, do not worry. You can perform Mac data recovery by using a trusted professional application.
This article gives you details about the basic workarounds in case you come across 'GSOD' (Gray Screen Of Death) along with suggestions to recover lost or deleted data, if need arises. To explain the 'Gray Screen' issue better, let's consider a practical scenario, wherein, you have an iMac with Mac OS X 10.6 installed. You start the Mac machine and receive a Gray Screen of Death.
Here is a list of troubleshooting steps which should be employed to resolve the above-described problem:
Disconnect external devices: External devices, like hard drives, which you connect through a USB or FireWire cable should be disconnected. Try booting the system, if it starts without any problems then try attaching devices one-by-one to locate the problematic device.
Safe Boot: At times, you can eliminate the startup problems by simply booting your system in the Safe Mode.
Reset the NVRAM/PRAM: If you are unable to resolve the gray screen issue, then try resetting the NVRAM (Non-volatile Random Access Memory)and PRAM (Parallel Random Access Memory).
Use Mac OS Installation Disc: Boot your system with the installation disc, go to 'Disk Utility' and perform a repair of your Mac OS X volume to fix issues. As soon as the Disk Utility ends its operations, restart without holding any keys.
Opt for Erase and Install Installation of Mac OS X: If you are unable to get rid off gray screen problem and have exhausted all the possible corrective methods, you must take a backup (use Time Machine)of the data. After taking backup, erase your Mac OS X volume and reinstall Mac OS X.
If the backup doesn't fulfill your Mac file recovery needs, it is better that you switch to a third-party software which would help you in bringing your erased data back.
Among the various Mac data recovery software available today, you must consider using Stellar Phoenix Macintosh Data Recovery. This do-it-yourself application recovers lost or deleted data from HFS, HFS+, HFS Wrapper, and FAT file system volumes. The Mac file recovery utility supports Macintosh OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, 10.5 Leopard, 10.4 Tiger, and 10.3.9 Panther.
This article gives you details about the basic workarounds in case you come across 'GSOD' (Gray Screen Of Death) along with suggestions to recover lost or deleted data, if need arises. To explain the 'Gray Screen' issue better, let's consider a practical scenario, wherein, you have an iMac with Mac OS X 10.6 installed. You start the Mac machine and receive a Gray Screen of Death.
Here is a list of troubleshooting steps which should be employed to resolve the above-described problem:
Disconnect external devices: External devices, like hard drives, which you connect through a USB or FireWire cable should be disconnected. Try booting the system, if it starts without any problems then try attaching devices one-by-one to locate the problematic device.
Safe Boot: At times, you can eliminate the startup problems by simply booting your system in the Safe Mode.
Reset the NVRAM/PRAM: If you are unable to resolve the gray screen issue, then try resetting the NVRAM (Non-volatile Random Access Memory)and PRAM (Parallel Random Access Memory).
Use Mac OS Installation Disc: Boot your system with the installation disc, go to 'Disk Utility' and perform a repair of your Mac OS X volume to fix issues. As soon as the Disk Utility ends its operations, restart without holding any keys.
Opt for Erase and Install Installation of Mac OS X: If you are unable to get rid off gray screen problem and have exhausted all the possible corrective methods, you must take a backup (use Time Machine)of the data. After taking backup, erase your Mac OS X volume and reinstall Mac OS X.
If the backup doesn't fulfill your Mac file recovery needs, it is better that you switch to a third-party software which would help you in bringing your erased data back.
Among the various Mac data recovery software available today, you must consider using Stellar Phoenix Macintosh Data Recovery. This do-it-yourself application recovers lost or deleted data from HFS, HFS+, HFS Wrapper, and FAT file system volumes. The Mac file recovery utility supports Macintosh OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, 10.5 Leopard, 10.4 Tiger, and 10.3.9 Panther.
