After doing a software update for Office 2011, my mac got stuck on the start up with the logo and spinning wheel.Above has all the startup key combinations you can use to try and fix any problems you’re having, make sure to read through them all, as you have to hit the keys at a certain time (after hearing the chime) for it to work correctly. In this case, your Macbook won't turn on. 4, when the laptop is turning on, it goes to a screen with a gray apple and spinning wheel. Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold both Command (⌘) and R to start up from macOS Recovery.
Step 2: Now, you have to tap on the option ‘ Disk Utility. I left it to see if it will start anyway but the computer just does not proceed with the startup, the wheel is still spinning on and on. Today upon startup, it hanged on the Apple logo and spinning wheel for over 5 minutes.
No more spinning wheel now, thanks for the tip! i have upgraded to mavericks (not a clean install). However, if the FileVault encryption is turned on, the Boot Loader draws the login window on the screen asking for the FileVault password first before it loads any.