How to Troubleshoot Hardware Issues on a Mac

Your Apple computer, like any other, may encounter some potentially serious issues over the course of its life. A wide range of problems can occur, ranging from a complete failure to start up to unexpected kernel panic screens. We’ll go over how to troubleshoot what’s wrong with your Mac in this guide.

What is the nature of your problem?

At startup, I only see a blue or grey screen.
Incompatible or problematic hardware connected to the machine can be one of the main causes of a grey or blue screen on startup. This could be anything from a printer to an external hard drive to a USB hub. To try to get rid of these, follow these steps.

2. Unplug Peripherals
   Remove all of your Mac’s peripherals.
   If you have an iMac, your ports will be located on the back of the machine.
   If you’re using a Macbook, your ports will be located on either side of the machine.

I‘m constantly staring at the spinning wait cursor.
On Mac computers, the spinning wait cursor indicates that an application is in use. The most basic reason for this cursor’s appearance is that your Mac’s hardware is incapable of handling the software task at hand. When your Mac is performing complex computing tasks, the spinning wheel cursor is not uncommon. Even routine tasks, such as syncing with iTunes, can temporarily tax the CPU. However, if your Mac is constantly displaying this cursor, this could be a problem.

2. Examine Activity Monitor
   On rare occasions, a piece of software on your Mac may crash, become unresponsive, or consume an excessive amount of CPU or memory. The best option is to use the Activity Monitor to determine what is causing the congestion
   Select the Spotlight icon.
   Spotlight
   In the search bar, type Activity Monitor.
   In the list, select Activity Monitor.
   By clicking each heading at the top of the column, you can arrange the items in the list alphabetically or numerically (Process Name, percent CPU, CPU Time, and so on).

Click the title bar at the top labelled % CPU. A small arrow will appear, pointing downwards. The items with the highest percentage of CPU usage will be displayed at the top. If a process is running at a high rate, it may be malfunctioning and causing a problem.

To end a process that is causing a problem, highlight it with your mouse and then click the X button in the upper-left corner of the Activity Monitor window.

You will be asked if you are certain you want to end the process. Click the Force Quit button.

I get a message that says I need to restart my computer (Kernel Panic)

If you’ve ever seen a black and grey kernel panic screen, you know how abrupt and frustrating it can be. When one application fails, you may only see a spinning wheel cursor, but when multiple programmes fail – or the operating system fails – you may encounter a kernel panic. These steps will assist you in attempting to resolve an unexpected kernel panic error.

2 Restart Using Force
Hold down the Power button on the Mac until it completely shuts down, which may take 5-10 seconds.
Wait a few seconds, then press the Power button once more to restart the Mac.