Macbook air switches on but only displays grey screen and a ? where the apple should be

SOURCE: macbook Startup Never ending Apple Logo and Circle

try holding down the alt(option) key when starting up it should give you a list of startup options, it sounds like you dont have a astartup disk (an operating system) installed.

SOURCE: Switch on - screen is grey with flashing folder with questionmark

Hard drive is dead or the signal from the hard drive is not being read by the ide controller. I'm working on a MacBook 13 inch right now with the same issue. I had a spare hard drive and a windows Vista disc, so I installed the hard drive and inserted the vista install disc and the laptop loaded and installed Vista on the Mac with no issues. I took the hard drive from the Mac and attached an adapter to it and ran it through a usb on another laptop and the laptop could not read the files on the drive....so, the drive was bad.

SOURCE: My apple aluminum keyboard not working with Macbook Air

try to connect your keyboard to the mac air while mac book is connected to internet (by wifi) then update your programs (apple menu - update).

SOURCE: Grey Screen Apple Start up issue

It appears there may be a possible startup item or issue with your firmware, which may be causing this issue, so I am going to provide some procedures in order to help you resolve this gray screen issue. But first, let me help you remove that disc first:

font.f1 {font: 13.0px Myriad Pro} font.f2 {font: 14.0px Myriad Pro} Procedure #1 - Ejecting CD from drive
Here are some steps I recommend you try to resolve the issue with the disc not ejecting properly

• Reboot your Mac
• Hold down your Mouse button(s) prior to the Apple Chime
• Keep holding the mouse button down while your Mac boots up
• The disc should eject before you reach your Desktop
• When it does, simply release your mouse buttons.
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If this does not help resolve ejecting the disc in your Macbook's drive, you are going to have to take more of a command-line approach:

font.f1 {font: 12.0px Helvetica} -EJECTING DISC USING TERMINAL-

From your Desktop:
•Click anywhere on a blank space on your desktop. Now you should see Finder listed near the Apple menu icon.

• From the Finder menu, click on Go, then Utilities from the
drop-down menu. This will take you to your Utilities folder.

• Locate and open the Terminal utility
• At prompt, type: drutil eject

• Now press the Return key on your keyboard

(NOTE: If you have a CD/DVD drive with a tray, type: drutil tray open press the Return key on your keyboard )en
• This command line should eject the disc from the drive, unless there are mechanical issues with the drive within your Macbook.
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At this point the disc should be ejected from your Macbook. If this is the case, then I will now need to direct you back to Safe Boot mode, but with a little twist, from what you may have tried when you last when to Safe Mode:
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I am going to have you take your Mac into Safe Mode to see if we can't remove a possible folder(s) that may be affecting your Mac's start up function.

Try these steps:
-SAFE BOOT MODE-
• Reboot your Mac
• Upon restarting your Mac, press the Shift key.
• Hold the Shift key until you see a White Screen with Gray Apple icon and eventually a spinning gear.
• When you see the Spinning gear, release the Shift key.
• Allow the Mac to continue booting up. Also this may take a little while.
(NOTE: this may take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to load to the Safe mode screen depending on the performance of your Mac, but if it exceeds this time, shutdown your Mac and try just once more. It may have just frozen up the first time around for you.)
• You are going to enter the Safe Mode (which looks like your main desktop environment the only difference is certain start up items are disabled.)

• Once within the Desktop in Safe Mode
• From the Finder Menu, click Go> Go to Folder
• Type in this line: /System/Library/StartupItems
• This path, is going to take you to the System Library folder which has all of your Mac OS X Startupitems.
• Remove all of those folders to the Trash.

*Reboot your Mac normally and see if you can access your normal User desktop environment.

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Post back to me, if these particular Safeboot procedure does not help. Thanks!

Regards,

-Mactechtrainer

SOURCE: when i turn on my

did you install anything new or damage your comp?