Computer won't turn on... just shows a flashing file with a question mark

Hi, I hope someone may be able to help me with my laptop. I had downloaded some TV shows off of iTunes and was watching one of them. My computer froze. I forced it to turn off, and tried to restart it. However, it won't turn on! I just get a grey screen with a flashing file that has a question mark in it. It then turns itself off a few minutes later.
I have tried taking out the battery, restarting etc.... Does anyone have any ideas? Any help would be much appreciated. We live in the Caribbean so I can't take it to an Apple store.

Hi. I have the same issue as the guy you previously helped. I listened to your advice about putting the Install DVD in and now all i get on the screen is the apple with the loading circle under it instead of the flashing folder. It's been loading for 2 hours now so i figure it's not going to work. I have the DVD in there too and i don't know how to get it out either.

Similar Messages

  • 27 inch Imac Intel won't boot up. Screen ligthts up, then shows a flashing file folder w question mark. What can I do to find the problem?

    27 inch iMac Intel won't boot up. Screen lights up, then shows a flashing file folder w question mark. What can I do to find the problem?

    Please readd Apple's trouble shooting steps in Flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac

  • Hi I installed a new hard drive in my Mac mini osx lion an when I turn it on I get a flashing file with a question mark. I tried holding command and R keys when turning it on but the recovery fails to work. Does any one know how I can get it to recover?

    Hi I installed a new hard drive in my Mac mini osx lion an when I turn it on I get a flashing file with a question mark. I tried holding command and R keys when turning it on but the recovery fails to work. I can hold the option key at start up and choose my network, then Internet recovery shows up with an arrow pointing up. When I click on the arrow Internet recovery fails and all I get is a globe with a triangle on it with an exclamation mark on it, and under that it says
    apple.com/support
          -6002F
    Does any one know how I can fix this without a recovery disc? Thanks

    I just want to add to this, in case someone else searches for this error on Apple Support (google doesnt cover apple support.. how clever is that?)
    I had the same error. And i had a Computer that had worked, with a SSD drive and 16GB upgrade done by the owner himself.
    I tried swapping with a Mechinal Harddrive, no luck.
    Kept the Mechanical drive in, and tried with some other Ram, it worked..
    So for me this error and after reading the other responses can be boiled down to a Harddrive problem or Ram issue.
    It was Ram for me..

  • I've got a 15" white macbook which I bought about 2 years ago. It froze the other day and wouldn't respond so I shut it down. When I turn it on now it comes up with a flashing file with a question mark on it. How can I fix it?

    I've got a 15" white macbook which I bought about 2 years ago. It froze the other day and wouldn't respond so I shut it down. When I turn it on now it comes up with a flashing file with a question mark on it. How can I fix it? I've tried a few things i've seen online but the futhest ive got is to put the start up disk in when you makes it go to a grey screen with an apple logo and the spinning wheel which then stops spinning. Can anybody help?

    That folder with the question mark icon means that the MacBook can't find the boot directory. That can either mean it can't find the hard drive or the Operating System data on the hard drive is somehow corrupted.
    Put your install DVD into the optical drive and reboot. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option key until the Install Disk shows up). That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
    When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Just press the Return key on your keyboard once.It will then present you with an Installation window. Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it. When it comes up is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
    If it is then click on the Mac OS partition of your hard drive in the left handlist. Then select the First Aid Tab and run Repair Disk. The Repair Disk button won't be available until you've clicked on the Mac OS partition on your hard drive. If that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions.
    If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

  • After installing brand new Macbook hard drive, boot to disk shows a flashing folder with a question mark

    I had to install a new hard drive for my macbook after my last one had obviously crashed and was making clicking noises. The problem is I can't install OSX on my new one and I'm getting extremely frustrated. What could be going wrong? I've reset PRAM and done everything I could find suggested online.

    Have you tried inserting the Snow Leopard Install disc and using Startup Manager to select the Snow Leopard disc as the startup disk? Once you get started up from the Snow Leopard Install disc, the rest of the instructions can be found in the manual for your MacBook Pro. Here are the ones for mine:
    Installing Mac OS X and Applications — New Hard Drive
    from http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/MacBook_13inch_HardDrive_DIY.pdf
    To install Mac OS X and the applications that came with your computer, follow these steps:
    1.          Start up from the Mac OS X Install Disc 1 that came with your computer, and choose your language.
    2.          From the menu bar, choose Utilities > Disk Utility.
    3.          Open Disk Utility and select the new drive in the list to the left. Note: If you are formatting the primary drive, use the Disk Utility program on the Install disc.
    4.          Click the Partition tab.
    5.          Click on Options, and verify GUID is selected if this is the startup drive.
    6.          Name the volume “Macintosh HD.”
    7.          Apply the change by clicking the Partition button.
    8.          At this point, either
    •          Quit the Disk Utility application, and proceed with the Mac OS X installation. Follow the
    onscreen instructions. After selecting the destination disk for installation, continue following the onscreen instructions. Your computer may restart and ask you to insert the next Mac OS X Install Disc 2.
    or
    •          Leave the Disk Utility application open, and restore the backed up files from the image
    you created before removing the hard drive.
    Installing Applications
    To install just the applications that came with your computer, follow the steps below. Your computer must have Mac OS X already installed.
    1.          Back up your essential files, if possible.
    2.          Insert the Mac OS X Install Disc 1 that came with your computer.
    3.          Double-click “Install Bundled Software Only.”
    4.          Follow the onscreen instructions.
    5.          After selecting the destination disk for installation, continue following the onscreen instructions. Your computer may restart and ask you to insert the next Mac OS X Install Disc 2
    6.          Restore the data by reinstalling the backed up files from your backup to the new drive.

  • My MacBook just has a white screen and a flashing file with a question mark. Please help:(

    I don't really understand what's happening, but I tried to update the software. Then all these codes appeared on the screen so I help down alt, command and R and it then reset and now it's just a white screen with a flashing file and questionmark. Please help.

    That is a sign that the MBA cannot locate the OSX.  The storage drive may be damaged.
    LaurenDavie123 wrote:
    I help down alt, command and R and it then reset a
    What exactly did your reset? 
    Ciao.

  • Have a flashing folder with a question mark on start-up but cannot hold option as wireless keyboard won't connect, how do I get it to connect if I cannot turn on the machine?

    Hello all, I've registered here because I can't work out how to get my keyboard and mouse to connect.
    The issue is that when I turn my mid-2010 iMac on it doesn't load up, but instead shows a flashing folder with a question mark. I've Googled this and have some idea how to fix it, the first step in all guides to fixing the problem states that you should hold the option key upon start-up. The problem I'm having is that I've just had to change the batteries on my keyboard and mouse and they are now not connecting. I can't see how to get the keyboard and mouse connected with the Mac stuck on the flashing folder screen, and I can't get the Mac past said screen without using the keyboard. Does anyone know how I can connect the two devices?
    Thanks.

    The flashing folder with the ? mark indicates that a bootable system can't be found. You'll need to borrow a wired keyboard so you can boot into the Recovery volume (boot with the Command + R keys held down). From there you can reinstall the system and try a normal reboot.

  • HT3964 I just opened up my MacBook Pro after a few days of not using it and it was frozen. I turned it off and back on and all I see is a white screen, there was a file with a question mark flashing for a bit but I can't do anything, please help me!!

    I just opened up my MacBook Pro after a few days of not using it and it was frozen. I turned it off and back on and all I see is a white screen, there was a file with a question mark flashing for a bit but I can't do anything, please help me!!

    Jerricayoung,
    you have a 13-inch Mid 2012 MacBook Pro. It’s modern enough that it supports booting into Recovery mode. To do so, hold down a Command key and the R key as you start up. It should eventually show a Mac OS X Utilities menu. Select Disk Utility from that menu; when the Disk Utility window appears, select the bootable volume from the left-hand side of the window. (It’s typically called “Macintosh HD”.) When the volume is selected, some buttons will appear on the right-hand side. If it’s not greyed out, press the Verify Disk button; if it is greyed out, or if it reports on errors that it found, press the Repair Disk button. Once the verification/repair is completed, exit Disk Utility and select Restart from the Apple menu; that will restart your MacBook Pro in its normal mode. With luck, that will be enough to get you to your normal login screen, rather than the white screen.

  • I have just deleted Macintosh HD. Now I have reset my computer and there is just a flashing glider with a question mark. I don't know what to do, I'm really worried about this so please May you get back to me as soon as possible?

    I have just deleted Macintosh HD. Now I have reset my computer and there is just a flashing folder with a question mark. I don't know what to do, I'm really worried about this so please May you get back to me as soon as possible?

    Why did you delete the hard drive?   If you delete the contents of the Macintosh HD you have no system to boot into.  That's what the flashing folder/? means.  What system were you using before deleting everyting.
    You're going to have to install a system on the HD before you can boot.
    OT

  • HT1721 My computer turns on and displays a folder icon with a question mark in it

    What should i do if my computer's screen is grey and displays a folder icon with a question mark in it?

    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440
    Not covered in the article is a possible hard drive failure.

  • Hi can anyone help with a mac that had magnet put on it. I turned it on and then off but a white screen appears with a file with a question mark on it?

    Hi can anyone help with a mac that had magnet put on it. I turned it on and then off but a white screen appears with a file with a question mark on it?

    File icon with ? mark on it means it can't read from the hard drive. The hard drive is now wiped or bad. If just wiped then you will need to reinstall your operating system, OS X. If bad you will need to replace the drive.
    Start with booting the computer from the OS X install DVD that came with your system. If the Mac came with Lion Pre-Installed then you use the Lion internet recovery system to reinstall (Hold down Command+r keys or Command+Option+r keys to boot the computer from over the internet to the Lion recovery HD system).
    Good Luck.

  • I just powered on my mac book pro and have a blue screen with a flashing folder with a question mark in the middle, how do I get out of this?

    I just booted my mac book pro and it is at a blue screen with a flashing folder with a question mark in the middle of it.  How do I get out of it?

    Click here and follow the instructions. If the computer was running Mac OS X 10.6.8 or earlier and you reach the third set of steps, insert a Mac OS X install disk.
    (126818)

  • I have a white intel i mac and when i boot up a file with a question mark shows up

    i installed wnow leopard and then attempted to use boot camp to install windows (thats a whole other story though) after i got windows on it and then got it back to the mac side i found i could not get back to the windows side so i attemted to delete the windows partition and recreate my full mac partition (thats not as easy as i thought it would be, anyway i ended up with a partition that said it was the alloted mac partition space and another one, that apperead smaller in disk utility, that said it was 160 gb (my total disk size) while i was trying to fix that i hit the power strip switch with my foot and the whole thing shut down when it booted back up the only thing on the screen was a file with a question mark on it, i think it is just booting from the misconfigured parition but im not sure ive tried inserting my snow leopard and xp system disks but it doesnt seem to be booting from them.

    At startup hold down the Option/Alt key t bring up the One time Boot Selection, Startup Manager, screen and then select the OS X install DVD. Give it about 30+ second for the DVD drive to read and display the OS X install DVD.
    Then use Disk Utility to Repartition the drive as one partition and then try installing OS X.
    Could be you simply killed that drive with all the new installs of OS X and then Windows and then using Disk Utility to erase the Windows partition. If that is the case you'll need to replace the drive before you'll be able to reinstall any OS on it.
    In any event Never use Disk Utility to erase a Windows install. Use the Boot Camp Assistant a second tim to Remove Windows and the partition it is installed on.

  • What does it means when you turn on the macbook and a file with a "?" mark flashes?

    What does it means when you turn on the macbook and a file with a "?" mark flashes?

    It usually means some system files are missing or corrupted. Reinstalling OS X is the fix:
    Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
    Do the following:
    1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
    2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
    If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed with reinstalling OS X.  Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files.  After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
    Download and install the Combo Updater for the version you prefer from support.apple.com/downloads/.

  • Trying to take computer back to factory specs and now I get this message a flashing folder with a question mark

    Trying to take computer back to factory specs and now I am gettin a flashing folder with a question mark on it

    The flashing folder means the computer is unable to find a valid boot disk. If you booted into the Recovery Drive using Command R and formatted the drive you must also download and install the operating system. Have you done that? If not, reboot using Command R and do so.

Maybe you are looking for