Ipod showed folder with question mark inside

Hello,
my ipod has lately shown a folder with a question mark inside of it when it was started (immediately after the apple symbol).
Now it shows me, after the apple symbol disappears, a line (from one end of the screen to the other).
I have an ipod which was introduced in 2003. It has 4 buttons below the screen and below that a wheel. It´s a 20GB.
I would really appreciate it, if some could help me out and give me some advice.

Hi Mariondsummer,
Have you checked the suggestions in these Knowledge Base articles?:
iPod displays a folder icon with an exclamation point
iPod displays a sad iPod icon
Also, this post by Mitch, another user here on Apple Discussions, might be worth checking out. It contains a lot of things to try if you get an exclamation point and folder (or a sad iPod icon) on your iPod's screen:
Mitch 751: Exclamation point and folder and nothing else
Any success?
-Kylene

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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
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         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.

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).

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

When I start my iMac 2008, appear something like folder with question mark inside

When I start my iMac 2008, appear something like folder with question mark inside

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 is three times faster than wireless.

File folder with question mark inside of it

I have an older MacBook and a couple of days ago upon turning on the Mac a file folder appeared with a question mark inside of it. What does it mean and how do I fix the problem. Thanks

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. Choose your language and 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 hand list. 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.

Folder with question mark inside it flashing at startup

I have my friends MacBook Pro here. When I turn it on I see a flashing folder with a question mark inside of it along with a strange ticking noise. I have tried pretty much everything I could find about it on the net so I have come here to see if anyone of you could help me
Ok... I have already tried:
- going into bios and changing the boot settings.
- pulled out the hard drive and RAM sticks and put them back in.
Any other suggestions?

One thing that isn't clear from your post is whether the computer simply flashed up the folder with a ? momentarily and then proceeded to boot, or whther it never moved beyond that point. The following presumes that the problem was of the latter kind.
If so, it sounds to me as if you probably have a dead hard drive, or corrupted boot blocks, etc, and there is probably very little you can do without the necessary OS discs, forndog.
Was the drive very full when the problem occurred? Any other symptoms prior to the failure to boot?
When you say you have "gone into the bios and changed the boot settings" what do you mean? Do you mean that you have played around successfully booting in single user mode or that you have attempted to manually alter something like the boot.efi file? (It is possible to do more harm than good if you don't know what you are doing with such things. Macs don't have the same sort of "bios" as PCs.)
One thing you might try is booting in "SAFE" mode, by simply holding down the Shift key while starting up. This will perform a directory repair and disable various possible problem areas at start-up, but it will only work if the drive is still accessible at an underlying level.
You might also try a PRAM reset (hold down the command option p r keys while starting up. keep the keys depressed until the chimes sound three times) and perhaps an "SMC reset (see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964 )
But without the OS DVD, or another Mac that you could try to use to access the drive in Target Disk mode, or an external hard drive with a copy of the OS installed on it, it is really going to be very hard for you to work out whether the drive has actually failed, or whether it is simply a corruption problem.
If this is a recent model MBP then you could try booting with the "d" key down to run the Apple Hardware test, but this, too will only run if the HD is accessible, unless you have access to the original discs that came with the computer.
Good luck
Rod

Blinking Folder with Question Mark Inside On Startup

Hi -- I turned on my computer this morning and the screen was white for some time before a blinking folder appeared with a question mark inside. I tried several suggestions (hold command, shift, optioncommand+RP at startup) and they didn't work. It does now make the "ding" sound when it starts up, but goes right to the blinking folder again. I tried inserting both OS disks (mine has 2), but it just hangs at the white screen for about a minute and then spits the disk out, and then goes back to the folder.
Google searches seem to confirm that either my hard drive is dead, or the computer somehow can't find the startup folder.
Any suggestions are welcome. I have scheduled an appointment with Apple tech support later tonight. FYI: I have a MacBook, if that helps.

Thanks for the link. I got to step 3. I don't understand the rest:
4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk.
To the left, I have a HD icon that says 5.1 GB MATSHITADVD-... and offset under it is a CD icon that says Mac OS X Install Disc 1. I see the First Aid, Erase, Partition and Restore tabs, and the First Aid tab is selected. The window says *To repair a disk or volume, select its icon in the list on the left and click Repair Disk (that button never lights up though). *To repair disk permission problems on a disk or volume that has Mac OS X installed, select its icon and click Repair Disk Permissions (also not lit up -- althouh I don't think I want that one). *Click the Verify buttons to test the disk or permissions without changing anything (I could click this button). *To repair your startup disk, start up from your Mac OS X Install disc (CD or DVD), then choose Utilities>Disk Utility.
Then there is a blank field with the button underneath.
How do I make the Repair button available? Thanks so much for helping me.

Blinking Grey Folder with Question Mark Inside at Startup

I have an intel iMAC here that will no longer start. All i get are some clicking noises from the hard drive and blinking folder with a question mark inside. I've tried the slew of commands at startup to boot from the system disk, and I've tried to bypass the hard drive (command-option-shift-delete), nothing works. I've also reset the pram.
My system disk is now stuck inside the machine and it will not boot.
Any suggestions? The problem started after waking from sleep mode.

Hi I have the same problem. However trying the solution above doesn't work and restarting using the command, option ,P,R keys also doesn't help. the startup disk is fine and tries to restart but when it comes to reloading does not se my hard drive. Without stating the obvious i assume my hard drive is poked? is there any way to rescue the situation?
i was uploading photos to picasa using iphoto, the imac froze solid and when i eventualy rebooted i got the clicking noise and eventually the white screen with the question mark in the folder.
needless to say the mac is just over a year old (June 06) so not covered by warranty

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 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 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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Cannot get into mac. I get a white screen and flashing file folder with question mark inside. What can I do?

2012/13 MacBook Pro froze up, so I did a hard shut down. Now, when I try to start up, it makes 3 unusual beeps, then I get a white screen. After a couple minutes, a flashing file folder with a question mark appears and remains. What is wrong and what can I do to fix it.

Three beeps usually means a RAM or RAM slots problem. The Question Mark means there is no bootable system found.
A flashing question mark or globe appears when you start your Mac
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 or globe appears when you start your Mac
Mac OS X- Gray screen appears during startup
In most cases the problems may be caused by one or more of these:
a. Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
b. Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
c. Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
d. The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.
Note that the information I have provided is what Apple recommends, If other users suggest different solutions than found here, then be sure what they recommend does not impact on your warranty, if any, or ability to get continuing Apple service.
Please don't start removing drives or changing cables unless you know what you are doing and have exhausted other non-invasive alternatives outlined here. If you perform any work yourself that is unapproved by Apple, then you will void any warranty you may have and lose all further Apple Support.
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. Simply boot from the Recovery HD to perform the above.
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 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

Ipod showed folder with question mark inside

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