My Mac takes several minutes to start up.
If your computer pauses when the gray Apple appears with a spinning gear beneath, it is trying to repair the hard drive’s directory. This usually occurs when the computer wasn’t shut down properly. If slow start-up occurs regularly, read the question “Why does directory damage occur?“
Make sure your Ethernet cable has a good connection, or try unplugging it entirely. Mac OS X doesn’t need a network, but if one is present it needs to be working properly.
Unless you are on a corporate or educational network, you can safely delete the Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/DirectoryService folder to see if that helps. (If you are on a large network, check with your network administrator to see if they advise against this procedure, as it will reset your connections to any master directory servers on your network.)
You may also have a problem with the disks, internal or external, connected to your Mac. Disconnect external drives, eject discs, and try again. If the problem persists, it’s a great time to back up your data. Then you can try repairing your hard drive in Disk Utility (covered in the bottom half of “I turn on my Mac and see a blinking prohibitory symbol or blinking folder“). It’s even possible that you have a hardware problem at this point.
Published March 24, 2009 12:00 PM
Last modified on June 15, 2009 3:25 PM
Related Links
How do I repair my hard drive's directory (repair disk)?I get errors in iPhoto.
I can’t move applications in the Applications folder
My trackpad is jumping around.
My applications run really slowly.
The clock on my Mac keeps going back to the wrong year.
I can’t play stuff I purchased on iTunes.
I can’t mount any disk images.
What does Repair Disk Permissions do?
A CD or DVD is stuck in my Mac.
< Return to Mac FAQ Home