Grey screen, question mark folder flashing.

I have G4 powerbook with a grey screen and question mark folder flashing. I also have the Leopard dvd stuck in the slot. I tried the eject, and holding down mouse unsuccessfuly ejecting dvd. Any suggestions.

The flashing question mark means the system can't find anything to boot from. See this on the gray screen.

Similar Messages

White screen, question mark folder flashing

Okay, yes I know there are tons of forms on this, but I haven't been able to get much from them.
My boyfriend has an iMac, one of the original ones. It hasn't been used for a while, so we aren't sure which OS X it is running.
The mac boots up, but comes up to the wonderful white screen with the flashing question mark folder.
We don't have the install disk, and cannot purchase one.
I've removed, cleaned and reinstalled the RAM. I've tried unplugging, holding power for 5 - 10 seconds & restarting, also restarting using CMD/OPT/P/R. All of which haven't gotten me anywhere.
I've read up a bit, being the possibilty the hard drive and screen aren't connected, I've considered taking it apart, but I'd like to save that bit of work for last resort.
I'm currently reading the option of downloading the OS X version it needs and using a USB or external hard drive. Now don't get me wrong, I'm pretty good with computers, but Mac's are out of my realm, so I need some help with this.
I had a standard "LaCie" external hard drive, and my windows 8 PC.
I'm not sure if the Mac runs PPC or Intel (is there any way to tell, not being able to use the computer?)
What OS X version would I download, doesn't have to be the newest, but the newest version that would be compatiable with both Intel and PPC?
What commands would I use to access and begin the install from the external hard drive?
If anyone can assist with those questions, would be very greatful.
Or if you have any other ideas that might work, I'm open for trying just about anything.
** We do not have an apple store, or authorized seller within a minimum 6 hour drive, so that's out of the question.
** I'm only looking for options of things that I can try. If I run out of options we will be sending it away. I want to try what I can before we get into the costly expenses.

It is hard to make any suggestions without knowing what model the iMac is..?
Look on the bottom of the stand for the EMC and/or serial #.........
see > Where can I locate the EMC Number on my Mac @ EveryMac.com
I'm not sure if this helps, but all Early 2006 thru 2009 Intel iMac models can use the $20 retail Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Upgrade DVD for the purpose of upgrading, testing, repairing, and installing OS X if your original install disc's are missing.
No, your windows formatted LaCie external Hard Drivel will not help you in any way at this point.
Another thing that you might try is the > Apple Hardware Test, because the test resides on the internal hard drive of the early models.

Start Up Issue - Question mark folder flashes, then computer boots.

This is more of an annoyance than anything as the issue has not stopped my computer from booting. I haven't been able to find anything about this in support forums or online.
When I boot my macbook, the question mark folder thing flashes once, and then the apple logo comes up and the computer boots OK. However, it does take a few extra seconds to boot with this whole folder issue, anyone know what would cause that? I was thinking wrong start up volume but since it boots and thats the only volume (I checked and it's correct) I'm stumped. Any ideas would help.
Ben
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Hello Ben.
Try deselecting and reselecting the startup volume and then restart.

I've got nothing(gray screen, question mark folder) Please Help!

This problem is on my girlfriend’s computer, about the same as mine, PB G4 800mhz 768mb RAM, 10.4.x
I am a competent user and this one has me worried…
Problem
Last night she goes to the computer sends an IM checks her e mail, watch some tv, goes back to the computer to look something up on line and its frozen, I do not recall if the mouse was visible but I don’t think there was a beach ball. She asks me what to do I said just give it a few minutes maybe it will process through what ever it is and be back to normal. We both forget to take a look at it before bed.
This morning computer is still frozen/non-responsive and the fans are running... Shut down by holding down the power key. I try to re-start by pressing power key, screen lights up with gray background wait wait then the folder icon comes up with the question mark in it. This gets me worried.
What I have tried
I have tried to get it into target disc mode with my powerbook(computer B), I start up computer A holding down the T key and the screen goes to that moving firewire icon but the hard drive does not show up on my computer B.
I tried unplugging it, removing the battery and re setting the pram
I tried to run the hard ware test CD, but when I hold C to boot to the CD it spins up the disc and the little hardware test folder is in the middle of the screen but then it does not load any further. I had to shut down holding the power button. Computer would not eject CD so I had to start up and use unix eject cd command, this worked.
I tried target disc mode again.
I tried just a plain start up again.
I do not have the 10.4 CD at my house so I have not tried to start from that yet, but I can borrow one from grandparents this evening after work, but I am worried since it will not start from the hardware test CD that it will not start from the system CD.
I believe I have computer A backed up from either last week or the week before( I thought about doing it this weekend but did not get to it  ), she is not backed up daily as I am. Though she said there is quite a bit of important work from this past week.
I have no idea what to do next or what the source of the problem could be(software or hardware). I fear the worst, but hope that you can share an idea that will turn out for the best!
Please help me fix this computer, I can play with it some when I go home for lunch and then I need to get it fixed if possible this evening because she needs some important class work and grad school applications from it!
Jerome

So is the next step to try and re-format the drive and then use super duper to copy the back up over to that drive and then run disc utility and disc warrior on it? Which specs should I select for the re format, do they have to be the same as what is on my back up drive?
Yes, reformatting the drive is the next step. Use your Panther installer discs, choose Mac OS Extended format, and check the box to install OS 9 drivers, just in case. The "Verified" SMART status is somewhat less reliable than a "Failing" status would have been: "Failing" definitely means trouble was detected, but "Verified" could just mean nothing seemed to be wrong right at the moment when you happened to ask. So if there's any trouble reformatting the drive, replace it: you shouldn't entrust anything important to it. If all goes smoothly with the reformat, the drive probably really is OK.
What you can do with your backup depends on how you created it. If the backup is a bootable clone made with Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper, you can clone it back to the reformatted drive the same way you created it in the first place, then add the extra files that were created or modified after you made the backup. If you just Finder-copied the drive to another drive, the backup isn't bootable, and copying it back onto the reformatted drive won't make that one bootable either: OS X isn't Finder-copyable. In that case, I really shouldn't advise you on reconstructing the former contents of the drive from your backup — my only experience of backing up OS X disks is by cloning, which eliminates all the hassles of making sure user accounts, passwords, permissions, etc. are transferred correctly to the backup, and then transferred correctly back to the original disk in a restore. Nearly four years after my adoption of OS X, I confess I'm still far more mystified by many aspects of it than I ever was by the old-time Mac OS.
Message was edited by: eww

Start up problems/grey screen/question mark

Reset the NVRAM and remove all power for 5-10min.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449

What to do if you get a flashing question mark when you start your Mac.

Flashing world icon, sad mac & question mark folder

Hi. Since installing 10.4.3 my system won't boot. I downloaded and installed the update then restarted the machine, the screen go's dull grey and then a square icon with the world inside it start to flash, a few seconds after that a sad mac/question mark folder flashes then the system appears to start. The disk spins up, the Apple logo appears then after a few more seconds the disk graudually grinds to a halt and the system shuts itself down. Why would this be happening, someone told me that it sounds like it's trying to netboot (whatever that may be) How can I resolve this issue and get my system back? Thanks.

Try holding down option (alt) at boot to get the open firmware boot selection screen then select your internal drive as the book disk. After start up completes (if it does) go to System Prefs/Startup Disk and reselect the internal disk, restart and it should be fine.

Recently securely erased imac, boots up to question mark folder.

So i securely wiped my partitions lastnight, and when it was done it created a new partition called "untitled" so i thought that was ok and i could change it later. guess not. because i stupidly shut off my computer and turned it back on, it went to the question mark folder flashing. so i turned it off again and tried CMD SHIFT R. didnt work. i dont know what to do and i dont have a recovery DVD for Mavericks

First of all, hold the Option (Alt) key while your computer is starting, and if you see Recovery HD, choose it. Then, reinstall OS X Mavericks.
If it doesn't work, hold Command, Option (Alt) and R keys while your Mac is starting up and reinstall OS X. If you installed Lion or Mountain Lion in the past, the oldest OS X version will be installed instead of Mavericks, so you may have to upgrade Mac OS X

Question mark folder on startup, Question mark folder on startup?

Have startup problem with question mark folder flashing on startup. How do I fix it?

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/.

Question mark folder on restart but boots fine on cold startup.

I'm having an issue with restarting my macbook. Every time I *restart* from the OS, I get a question mark folder flashing. When I start from a cold boot, however, I boot into my drive just fine.
I have a MacBook Pro 13" late 2012 and I've replaced the HDD with an SSD. The SSD is a Kingston 240 gb. I can provide more information if necessary.
Please help! It's an avoidable issue but it bothers me and I'd like to have it fixed.

jchung1029 wrote:
After much research, I've found the solution.
My SSD is a Kingston V300 240gb SSD. For some reason, it has trouble with restarts but a firmware update fixed the issue. Do NOT reset the NVRAM/PRAM as it will keep your Mac from successfully booting into your drive. I had to wipe the drive and start over as the Disc Repair utility did not work either.
Thank you all that responded!
urgh that sounds a little icky. Are PRAM resets still broken?
Do you know if this is an issue with specific Mac models or generally with this disk model & Macs. I'd be contacting the vendors to see if it can be exchanged or refunded, I'd be concerned it could alter how other startup actions behave too, like target disk mode (hold T), the boot picker (hold alt), single user mode (cmd + s)… Without these troubleshooting becomes much harder.

At startup I get grey screen and a folder with a flashing question mark. How do I reset my MacBook Pro to the manufacture defaults?

At startup I get grey screen and a folder with a flashing question mark. How do I reset my MacBook Pro to the manufacture defaults?

Click here and follow the instructions. If the computer originally shipped with Mac OS X 10.6.8 or earlier, when you reach step 5, insert its original disk, restart with the C key held down, use the Disk Utility to erase the internal drive, and install a fresh OS.
(113954)

When I turn on my MacBook Pro I get a grey screen with a folder icon and a question mark. I can't the computer to boot up.

What do I do when I power up the computer and get a grey screen with a folder icon and a question mark?

vickyfromosseo wrote:
What do I do when I power up the computer and get a grey screen with a folder icon and a question mark?
Read this: A flashing question mark or globe appears when you start your Mac

Booting problem - first question mark folder and now grey screen

Hi all,
I'm having problems with my Macbook booting.
Yesterday it worked fine until I tried to open an old Excel file, then all became extremely slow, but anyway I was able to shut it down properly, or at least this was what I thought.
The next time I tried to turn it on, a flashing question mark forder appeared instead of the apple. Then I tried various solutions I've found in forums, like turning on while holding down shift button like in http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455 (nothing happens), the option botton (the cursor appears, but bootcamp does not start), and command+V for verbose mode (nothing).
Anyway now if I turn it on nothing appears, neither the question mark folder, just the grey screen.
I know that everything suggests that my HD is dead, but I don't really see the reason why it should have done so...
Thank you for your help.
Giulia

Hello,
"*a flashing question mark forder appeared instead of the apple."*
A flashing question mark can mean several things. One, the hard disk disk is failing. Two, it means that when you boot your MacBook, it can't find a System Folder to boot from.
Try booting while holding down the Option key. That should prompt the Startup Manager window so you can select your startup disc.
If that doesn't work... grab your install disk and check the hard drive for errors.
Insert the installer disk and Restart, holding down the "C" key until grey Apple appears.
Go to Installer menu (Panther and earlier) or Utilities menu (Tiger and later) and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in the left panel.
Select First Aid in the Main panel.
(Check S.M.A.R.T Status of HDD at the bottom of right panel. It should say: Verified)
Click Repair Disk on the bottom right.
If DU reports disk does not need repairs quit DU and restart.
If DU reports errors Repair again and again until DU reports disk is repaired.
When you are finished with DU, from the Menu Bar, select Utilities/Startup Manager.
Select your start up disk and click Restart
The fact that you can't boot in Safe Mode (shift key) is not a good sign...
*"but I don't really see the reason why it should have done so..."*
How long have you had your MacBook? Do you have AppleCare?
Carolyn

TS2570 i have an intel imac and im getting a grey sceen. I get the flashing question mark folder. iv changed the H.D 2x and tired to install a new os into it but no luck. The mac isnt going into safe mode or anything. help?

Intel imac 2009. Grey screen with question mark folder. Changed harddrives 3 times now. Tired 5 keyboards on all Usb ports and a hub and keyboard wont boot to startup or safemode of anything but hub gets power. disc drive wont eject or accept a disc cuz keyboard commands not being sent to computer. Help?

Keyboards must be connected directly to the USB port, not through a hub.
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/.

How do I fix the GRAY boot-up screen with FLASHING QUESTION-mark FOLDER?

When I turn on the MacBook Pro laptop, I opened up the Safari Browser and its when the problem started. It was stuck on an loading infinite loop. I decided to force quit the application and/or turn off the mac by the Menu options, It did not work. So I did a "Hard" Shut-down and restarted the Mac, the Boot up screen stood gray for like a minute until the Flashing ? Folder icon showed up!.
My sister's laptop's warranty is expired so I wonder how can I fix it without having to spend too much money on a simple troubleshooting tip.
How can I download/create a boot-up Disk/Flash Drive so I can reset it to factory settings?
I cannot access the laptop because It's kind-of software bricked if you ask me. Also, I do not know how to check the Mac OS version outside of the "About Mac" menu. I do have another Mac which is a desktop computer with a CD drive.
I would appreciate some expertise on this issue a.s.a.p. Thank you!

Ok, now I am stuck:
Why does my Mac boot its OS from the Flash Drive instead of the INTERNAL HARD DRIVE???a
If I start up my MacBook Pro, It will have the flashing question mark folder UNLESS i plug in the OS-Boot flash drive. When I at the desktop screen and work on a program, When I unplug the Flash drive, THE OS WILL CRASH AS IF I TOOK it's soul (OS x Lion) out of the body (MacBook Pro Laptop)
this is frustrating because when I did the INTERNET RECOVERY, When I install OS x Lion, the Flash Drive only show up as an option as opposed to the HDD.
I cannot format the hard-drive in DISK UTILITY because it's grayed out. This is just frustating. I never had problems with PC Windows OS recovery but this (Mac OS).

Apple Macbook 13.3" Laptop-Black 2008 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo will not boot up and instead I get a grey screen with a folder and a question mark over it.

My Apple Macbook 13.3" Laptop-Black 2008 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo will not boot up and instead I get a grey screen with a folder and a question mark over it. I've tried Option key, and Control S keys and it still will not boop up. Can anyone help?

If you are running Snow Leopard:
Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
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 Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
If you are running Lion or later:
Reinstall Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks without erasing drive
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. 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 then click on the Repair Permissions button. When the process is completed, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Mountain Lion or Mavericks
OS X Mavericks- Reinstall OS X
OS X Mountain Lion- Reinstall OS X
OS X Lion- Reinstall Mac OS X
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet
if possible because it isthree times faster than wireless.

Grey screen, question mark folder flashing.

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for