HT1752 My MacBook on startup shows file with question mark ,, what now?

My Mac shows file with question mark, what now.

Press the power button down to force a emergency use only hardware shutdown.
Press and hold the Option/alt key on the built in keyboard, boot the machine.
If MacintoshHD appears, select it and click the arrow, then in System Preferences > Startup Disk reset that. Done.
Sometimes a NVRAM reset is required then the above done again.
Folder with question mark issue
..Step by Step to fix your Mac
If MacintoshHD doesn't appear, or if it boots to gray screen or other issues, then it's more complicated of a fix, but once inside OS X then reset the Startup Disk.
Gray, Blue or White screen at boot, w/spinner/progress bar
..Step by Step to fix your Mac
You might need this if you don't have a recent backup and your problem is software related, Disk Utiltiy can't fix the drive and recommends you backup, erase and install.
.Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
If Disk Utility + Hardware Test shows no boot drive, then you have a dead drive or cable, or Mac issue.
My computer is not working, is my personal data lost?

Similar Messages

My macbook won't strat and show file with question mark on it?

Hi
is there anyone can help me please my macbook can't boot and show file with "?"mark on it.

Restart and hold command + R (both keys) down. The screen will show four options. Select Disk Utility. Next click on the name of your drive, and run Repair Disk.
After that is done, restart in the usual way.

I got new hard driver for my MacBook I don't have the cd but I do have flash drive that has the software I need help because when I turn on my laptop it shows me a file with question mark how can I install the software from the flash driver?

I got new hard driver for my MacBook I don't have the cd but I do have flash drive that has the software I need help because when I turn on my laptop it shows me a file with question mark how can I install the software from the flash driver?

Hold down the Option key while you boot your Mac. Then, it should show you a selection of devices. Click your flash drive and it will boot from that.

I have macbook mid 2009, with os leopard and I updated it till yosemite now while deleting partition I erased the main hitachi drive , now I have no backups and while switching on it shows folder with question mark,inserting the grey dvd it keep spin

Have macbook mid 2009, with leopard, updated to yosemite, while erasing partition erased hd, dot have backups, powerup shows folder with question mark, inserting grey dvd shows apple and spinning wheel, please help

Clean Install of Snow Leopard
     1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came
         with your computer. Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.
         After the chime press and hold down the "C" key. Release the key when you see
         a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
     2. 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 the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
         size.) Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the number of
         partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button
         and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended
         (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.
     3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed
         with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
     4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
         Assistant. Be sure you configure your initial admin account with the exact same
         username and password that you used on your old drive. After you finish Setup
         Assistant will complete the installation after which you will be running a fresh
         install of OS X. You can now begin the update process by opening Software
         Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your installation current.
Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1. From here you can upgrade to Yosemite by re-downloading it from the Purchases page in the App Store.

Mac Shows Folder With Question Mark On Startup?

Hey Guys!
I currently own a Macbook Air First Genereation (2008) running on Lion 10.7.5 (upgraded from Snow Leopard)
Recently, when I was just using the Macbook Air, the Hard disk started spinning and was creating a lot of noise well I just ignored it and gave it a hard reboot
So the next day wehn I booted my mac it was showing a folder with question mark on startup. I tried going to recovery (holding option on startup) but neither Macintosh HD or Recovery HD was being shown. I tried a internet recovery but it was not even entering Internet Recovery. I tried Single User mode, that didn't work.
I really don't know what to do now, I am panicking cause I don't have a backup and all my schoolwork is inside there.
Please reply soon and thanks in advance if you can help me
A youtube tutorial or online step by step tutorial would be great!

My tutorial is simple: pack up the MBA and charger and head for the nearest Apple store or Apple reseller. The error you see can mean three things: (1) your drive's system files are damaged, (2) your drive's directory or partition are damaged, or (3) your drive is dead. The fact that you can't boot into the recovery mode pretty much eliminates #1. It is possible that your drive's partition table was damaged but were that the case I'd expect that Internet recovery would work. So I strongly suspect #3.

My MacBook pro stop working and it shows folder with question mark after this update, it's not my fault, Apple should solve the problem with out ask me to make payment

After updating my MacBook pro it shows only a folder with question mark on it
It is not my fault, Apple updates problem
They should solve it fir me without make any payment
Thanks

Try starting your computer holding down the option key as soon as you hear the startup sound, and continue holding it. Hopefully, you will see the icon for your startup disk come up on your screen within a minute. Click on that icon and press return. If your machine starts up normally from there, go to System Preferences > Startup Disk and reselect your startup volume

Ipod Nano shows file with exclaimation mark!

Bought this for my daughter for Christmas! Can anyone help me before she gets up in the morning to find it not working!
The screen shows the file with exclaimation mark. I have followed all the 5R advice on the apple site. All my software is bang up to date on my G4 powerbook - even loaded the software disc onto my imac and installed the software successfully. Neither computer will mount the ipod - itunes won't open automatically. If I open it manually it doesn't see the nano! I have tried restore using the ipod software updater on both computers. Each time it freezes!
Can anyone help - emergency!

iPod shows a folder icon with exclamation point when you turn it on
Seasons Greetings,
Colin R.

Boot up shows folder with question mark...

So my imac from 2006 (i think...20 inch plastic intel) booted up today to the blinking folder with a question mark on it. I rebooted into the osx disc to set the hdd as the startup disk, but it didn't show up in the list. Then I tried to see if I needed to repair the hdd using disk utility but the hdd wasn't showing up. So, do I have to replace the hdd? Not looking forward to it if I do.
Message was edited by: gescamil

Hi,
I have had similar issues, you will have to restart it and press and hold the eject disk on the keyboard right away and it will force it out.
Also to answer you question on way you are not seeing the Hard Drive and way you have the folder with question mark on the start up: is because your Hard Drive is dead.
You will need to buy another Hard Drive install it and then fresh install the OS X.
I have seen this issue too many times and every time is resulting with bad Hard Disk Drive...
Look at the bright side, Hard Drives are cheep now and you have iFix it to assist you on step by step installation. (this is unless you have Apple Care).

TS3423 17" macbook pro won't start blue file with question mark is all that appears on the screen

My old macbook pro will not start up. Worked fine yesterday, today all I gat is the startup sound and a blank blue screen. After a while the screen shows a file folder icon with a question mark in it. Any ideas

Question (?) Mark, Blinking Folder, or Gray Screen at Startup
These are related but not identical issues. Their causes are outlined in Intel-based Mac- Startup sequence and error codes, symbols. Solutions may be found in:
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
Mac OS X- Gray screen appears during startup
In most cases the problems may be caused by:
Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.
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.
The main difference if you are using Lion or Mountain Lion is that you must first boot from the Recovery HD:
Boot From 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.
Reinstall Snow Leopard 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.
Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion Without Erasing The 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 the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
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 click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Continue button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

MacBook won't start, shows folder with question mark. Hard drive fried?

Last night, my MacBook was loading the contents of a message board in Firefox. Someone had apparently uploaded 20 mb photos, or something, because my Mac practically froze trying to render the webpage. I left my Mac running for perhaps 45 minutes. When I came back, I noticed the fans were whirring very loudly, and that the bottom of the MacBook (I'm guessing where the hard drive is located) was very hot. When Force Quit didn't work, I decided to manually shut down the computer by pushing the power button. When I turned it back on the computer made high pitch screching sounds (perhaps from the hard drive) and the computer wouldn't start up, only showing a folder with a question mark?
Is my MacBook fried? I have five years' worth of very important pictures, not to mention all of my other files, stored there and nowhere else. Do you think I can get the files back?

If you see a flashing question mark when you start your Mac, it's probably because it can't find the system software it needs to start up. Usually, all you have to do to get your Mac back up and running is remind it where its software is.
See if this helps: http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440
Also, please backup your data regardless so if you can't retrieve it from the internal hard drive, you don't lose years of info

MacBook pro shows folder with question Mark

MacBook pro (pre-unibody) is just showing a White screen with folder and question Mark in it. Is it a hard drive failure? What should I do?

Hi Bobby,
It does sound like the HD. Try booting from the install disc, then see if your HD even shows up in Disk Utility. If it does, check S.M.A.R.T. status and try running Repair Disk.
First check the S.M.A.R.T. status on your HD: Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility>in the panel at left, select the first item in the list/your HD mechanism>look at the bottom of the main window next to S.M.A.R.T. status and see if it says “Verified” or something more ominous like “Failing.”
If S.M.A.R.T. status is "Verified," run Repair Disk: Boot from install disc (insert disc>restart>immediately hold down c key and keep holding it until you see “Preparing Installation”)>at first screen select the language and click Continue> click on the Utilities Menu in the menu bar>open Disk Utility>select your HD in the panel on the left side>click Repair Disk at bottom of main window. Run this at least twice, and keep running it until it says “appears ok” twice in a row. If that doesn’t happen, you may need a stronger utility such as DiskWarrior or if the directory is damaged beyond repair, you may need to reinstall the OS, or you may have a damaged HD (repair utilities can only repair the directory structure, not the HD itself). When this is finished, quit Disk Utility, quit the installer, and restart. Once booted normally, go to Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility and run Repair Permissions.
Message was edited by: tjk

Macbook freezes at boot up ~ just shows folder with question mark :(

Hi all ~
We purchased a second hand Macbook. Unfortunately, that means no install disks. I'm hoping someone can help me with the following issue.
The laptop freezes during boot up and won't turn on. A white screen comes up. It has a grey folder with a question mark. Tried rebooting several times with no luck. I found the reset instructions (Press the control key, the command key, and the power button simultaneously and hold for three seconds to try to restart the computer). When we tried that, the computer makes a loud beep, then freezes again on the white screen.
Any ideas? I don't know what to do at this point! Would buying upgrade disks help at all?
Thanks!
XO ~
Kandye

Hi Kandye,
the seller should have provided the OSX installation disc together with the MacBook.
Since these are machine-specific discs there isn't much he can do with them without the MacBook.
Can you ask him if yhe simply forgot to send them ?
Anyway, the question mark indicates that the MacBook can not find an OSX on the internal harddisk to boot from.
Whether the harddisk is just completely empty or this is a hardware problem is difficult to diagnose without the OSX discs.
It is possible to go out and buy yourself some OSX installation discs for either Leopard or Snow Leopard, but if not upgraded the standard size of RAM memory (512KB) is too small for either off them.
OSX Tiger discs for an Intel-based MAc are nowhere to be found except Apple themselves (if they still have some...).
regards
Stefan

MacBook fails to start, shows folder with question mark or crossed-circle

My MacBook is only a few months old. It has recently refused to start. The battery is charged, and the power cord is attached. When turned on, it displays the gray screen as well as the apple logo, but not the loading circle. After a minute or two, it switches to either a crossed-circle (such as a no-smoking sign) or a folder with a question mark over it. It seems to cycle through those screens randomly. Has anyone come across this problem before? Any ideas?

It's not recognizing the hard drive. Boot from your system install DVD, run Disk First Aid from your Disk Utility and repair your permissions.
-Bmer
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On boot-Receiving flashing file with question mark

Please help. Last night while on my mac it froze. I turned it off, turned it on and now I get a blank screen with no noise from the hard drive except for a small clicking noise. Then the blank screen shows me a flashing picture of a file with a question mark. No apple logo or anything else. I reset the PRAM and SMC settings, but no joy. And don't advise to try putting in the startup disk, as the ability of my mac to read cd's and DVD's stopped last month. It just spits out discs after failing to even spin them. This with my built in iSight camera dying after 1 month of purchase made me think that I was on downhill slope to it dying. Ive only had it a year and a half, after buying because of my old iBook dying. I really hope I do not have to buy another apple mac laptop, which would make it 3 in 5-6 years. Im hoping there is another method of fixing it myself rather than getting it repaired because I know I will be charged €500+ with all the problems I have and seems logical to just buy another one. Hoping someone will answer my problem!

Thats great. Thanks for the guide on replacing the drive. Looks easy enough. Ive just bought that Torx 8 screw driver for a few dollars online and im looking up 2.5" SATA drives now.
Could you or anyone advise me on drives? I really havnt got a clue as to if im looking at pc only drives or they are all mac compatable. (The links i am using will service me in Ireland) I have a few good sites but i want to make sure that I have the right drive for my mac. I have the 13" Macbook 1st generation. Im looking at a few drives from these sites, with these particular drives:
http://www.jigsaw24.com/default.aspx?ITEM=JIGSX632ANA&AD=Y
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=343402
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=341973
http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/719219/art/samsung/hm16hji-hybrid-hard-drive.html.
I am hoping that someone could look these over and advise me if any, or all would work on my macbook. If so, i will buy one asap.
ALSO, as mentioned. I was thinking of getting an optical drive. My now broken one, was a standard cd-rom drive which played dvds(Combo Drive). I want to now buy an optical drive that can burn dvds(As advertised on apple.com: "Superdrive"). Is there technical limitations by fitting one of these into my macbook?
Thanks again for your advice everyone.

Error code 1007F after file with question mark?!

I have a 13 inch MacBook pro which is just over a year old. For the past week or so it hasnt been connecting to my university wifi network, eduroam. Then this morning, when it started up, I received a blank screen with a question mark flashing, which I know is an error with startup. I followed advice on here and got to the Internet recovery stage. I got past that and had to wipe my hard drive, and was in the process of reinstalling OS X Mavericks when I lost connection (it was tethered to my phone as eduroam wasn't working). I have since rebooted but when I get to the internet recovery stage I am receiving error code -1007F. None of the advice so far on here has worked. Please help?! (And please note that I am a 19 year old who has very little technical knowledge)

First, you need to get a reliable Internet connection, preferably Ethernet.
Install OS X Using Internet Recovery
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.
Partition and Format the hard drive:
Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
After DU loads select your newly installed hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall OS X: Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.
This should restore the version of OS X originally pre-installed on the computer.

HT1752 My MacBook on startup shows file with question mark ,, what now?

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