Failing to Restart
It’s the day of Macworld and 5 software updates come down automatically, two of which require a restart. After the restart all I get is a blue screen and a little circling gizmo. I wait and wait and finally figure that something isn’t working.
It’s a little scary the first time that happens with a new system. The minimal manual that comes with the iMac had nothing useful. Apple Care was closed for the day. So I tried what would work on a Windows PC:
First I tried pushing the power button. Nothing.
Then I held the power button for several seconds and that caused the machine to shut down.
I waited for a few seconds and then powered it back up and this time it successfully booted.
I don’t know if that is what you are supposed to do, but it seems to have worked for me.