White screen with file folder with question mark flashing?

My iMac wont start. I get a white screen with a file folder. In the file folder is a ?, flashing.

What operating system do you use? If you use Lion, boot in recovery mode (Command and R buttons) and open Disk Utility to see if your hard drive is detected, and if it's detected, click "Verify Disk". If you use Snow Leopard or early, boot from your install DVD, click "Utilities" and open Disk Utility to do the same as for Lion. It sounds like your Mac doesn't have a bootable device, so it could be a lot of things (hard drive broken or formatted, hardware error, etc.). If this doesn't work, reinstall your operating system

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White Screen with Question Mark Flashing

Hi
All the sudden I have the white screen with the flashing question mark. I have a macbook pro 2010. I unscrewed the bottom of my Mac and wiggled a couple of wires around and it actually booted up and ran for a while. Then it started to freeze on me. I put in the Mac disk, and I went to the disk Utitlity and it says disk 2 Mac OS X Base System. So it looks like it is reading the Hard Drive, but I don't know because I do not know that much about computers. The thing is it will not let me erase or repair that drive. Does anybody have any idea on what this is? I used my computer around 1:30 in the afternoon and then came home to do homework around 5 and in a matter of 4 hours my computer does not work. I am guessing that it is probably something serious and I will not be buying mac again.
Any Help??
Thanks,
Matt

Hi
All the sudden I have the white screen with the flashing question mark. I have a macbook pro 2010. I unscrewed the bottom of my Mac and wiggled a couple of wires around and it actually booted up and ran for a while. Then it started to freeze on me. I put in the Mac disk, and I went to the disk Utitlity and it says disk 2 Mac OS X Base System. So it looks like it is reading the Hard Drive, but I don't know because I do not know that much about computers. The thing is it will not let me erase or repair that drive. Does anybody have any idea on what this is? I used my computer around 1:30 in the afternoon and then came home to do homework around 5 and in a matter of 4 hours my computer does not work. I am guessing that it is probably something serious and I will not be buying mac again.
Any Help??
Thanks,
Matt

I need to reinstall my operating system for 10.5 after seeing a file folder and question mark flashing on my start up screen. Can anyone help me with this?

I need to reinstall my operating system for 10.5 after seeing a file folder and question mark flashing on my start up screen. Can anyone help me with this?

Hello,
That means it can find the Hard Drive, or can't find the things needed for booting.
See if DU even sees it.
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu at top of the screen. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
*Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair Disk, (not Repair Permissions). Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then try a Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)

White screen with question mark on iMac

I have a white screen with a file folder icon and a question mark. Anyone know what's wrong? The iMac will not load.

Besides checking out the possible solutions over in the "More Like This" thread over here----------------------->
Check out KB Article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11046 OS X Mountain Lion: If a flashing question mark appears

White screen with question mark

I tried to update my mac book air, to the new operating system, in the middle of the operation, I got the white screen, with blinking question mark in a middle of a file

Go step by step and test.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440
Startup Manager to select Startup disk.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1310
Repair Disk
Steps 2 through 8
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836
Reset PRAM.
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4405
Reinstall OS X
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10763?viewlocale=en_US

My macbook fell and since then a white screen with question mark appears

hey guys!
i really need to know what to do, my macbook fell while it was on. it froze so i restarted it, but the white screen comes in with the apple begining sound and everything but the screen stays blank for about two minutes and then a folde with a question mark appears. i tried putting in the cd that came with it, samething happened but after a while the appe sign appears and the computer started off my installation disc, so i try re installing everything, but when i get to the screen that asks to select a destination, there is nothing available.
i realize that the best thing to do is to go to an apple store and then sort everything out, but i am in haiti where the nearest apple store is in miami, i really need your help and i'm desparate cuz i cannot do anything without my laptop... please send me your help as soon as possible.
thanks in advance

Your hard disk has been damaged. At this point, it will need to be replaced with a new one. You'll need to call AppleCare and they'll have you mail it in for repairs. I'm not sure what the usual turnaround time for that is internationally, but in the United States it's about a week. I'd tack on a few extra days to get the laptop to and from Haiti.
Either way, your computer will need to be repaired and the data that was on your hard disk will be lost. (Unless you take the machine to a 3rd party repair shop that specializes in recovering data from damaged hard disks.)

What does a white screen with a file folder and question mark indicate?

what does a white screen with a file folder and question mark indicate upon start up?

That the computer can't find a useable boot volume.
Boot from your grey installer DVD disc 1 (hold down the C key on startup or hold down Alt/option on start and choose the installer disc).
OK the language page (if present). From the installer screen, go to the menu bar and choose Disk Utility; depending on the OS version it may be in the Utilities menu or Tools menu.
In DU, select your internal drive in the sidebar (the top item with the makers name and serial no.). Run Repair Disk (not Disk permissions). If problems are reported as repaired, run it again until you get a message in green "the volume seems to be OK".
If it says it can't repair the disc, you may need heavier guns such as DiskWarrior or TechTool to attempt a rescue.
Hope you have backups; retrieving data from adead drive can be expensive and tricky.

I installed the window 7 os in to my mac book pro. after that the partition is not supported and then the folder with question mark flashing on my screen. plaese helf me what to do next to resume the mac os x?

i installed the window 7 ultimate OS in to my mac book pro. after that the partition is not supported and then the folder with question mark flashing on my screen. plaese helf me what to do next to resume mac mac os x?

Assuming that you tried to install Win 7 in bootcamp.
Power on the machine and press and hold the "option" key when you hear the bong sound.
Select the Macintosh HD icon and press "return" or just click on the icon.
Once booted into OS X go to System Preferences and select the Startup Disk icon and configure startup to use the Macintosh HD.

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

Startup with question mark flashing..how to do

Hi;
mac book air startup with question mark flashing..how to do

Check the advice in this knowledge base article.

Getting white screen with file folder and question mark on it...help

My MacBook Pro starts up and only shows a white screen with a file folder with question mark on it. I have not had problems prior to this. Help!,

That means that no valid system could be found to boot from. What might have caused that is hard to say, but try referring to this document:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440
Note that if you are using Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), you don't start up from your install disk. Hold down command-R at startup instead.

I get a white screen with a grey flashing folder icon with a question mark in it when i try to start up my i mac, what's happening?

A few days ago my i mac when into grey screen; there were a few options for starting up, restoring etc i tried all of them to the extent possible but didn't work. Then i decided to unplug my external backup drive in case it may be erased or info lost in this process and now all i get when i turn it on is a white screen with a flashing folder and question mark. Any ideas?

That indicates the computer is having difficulty finding the startup volume. Your internal HD may have failed or the system may have "forgotten" where it is. If you are using Lion or later (10.7.x or later) then restart in the Recovery Partition and choose the startup disk. Before doing anything carefully read and follow Apple's instructions in:
A flashing question mark or globe appears when you start your Mac

Gray screen on Macbook Air with folder and question mark flashing

when I am trying to boot up the brey screen and a flashing forlder with question mark appears
I did a bootable flash drive usd but I cant get to the flash drive! I tried with option key with C key but nothing works.
When i press Option key its getting the wifi connection , which i establish but that is all nothing else happens.
With C key you see that reads the flash drive but that is all what it does, after a minute will go to that traffic sign on interdiction.
Anybody could help.

My macbook OSX10.5 has done this twice. First time I tried all the "fixes" suggested by the gurus. Waste of time but I did not reformat the HD and instead put it aside for a few weeks. I tried it agan and hooray, it booted normally and continued for some months until two days ago with the return of the gray folder of death. The clicking noise sounded like the HD hunting or maybe stuck. In desperation I gave it a thump on my knee and my old macbook booted normally and continues to work normally. I know that eventually I'll have to invest in a new computer but in the mean time I will try to keep "old faithful" going as long as possible. Sometimes Ockhams Razor is the best solution.

Switched on my imac 24inch intel based and all I get on screen is a folder with question mark flashing,I had backup on external hard drive but when I try to reinstall it can not find my mac hard drive

Hi when I started my intel based imac this morning all I am getting is a folder with question mark in the middle flashing,I have external hard drive with backup,but when run disc utilities it does not show my mac hard drive.hope someone can help.(it's running mountain lion, well it was)

Try starting up your Mac while holding down the Option key. That should prompt the Startup Manager window where you can select the startup disk then click Restart.
The question mark folder indicates your Mac cannot find a system folder to boot from.
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac

White screen buzzing noise and no question mark folder just white screen

So i noticed my macbook pro was slowing down and a ran disk warrior and disk utilities - repaired permissions , repaired drive then i noticed it was freezing up after 5 minutes of running.
so i removed all files i wanted to keep to an external drive and backed up with time machine.
I wanted to re install mac os X from the supplied DVD and it was going fine til about 2/3rds the way and it froze
now i turn the computer on and i get buzzing sound and white screen NOT even a question mark flashing folder.
I have tried :
PRAM reset = nothing
eject disk on start= nothing
im under a year in purchase
but im wondering if there is anything i can do before i take it in on monday??
it is a Macbook pro (13 inch mid 2009) intel duo 2 core

circle23,
Welcome to Apple Discussions!
It sounds like the HD failed. Try inserting the OS X install Disc in the DVD drive this time re-starting holding down the Option Key. When it starts choose the OS X install Disc and allow it to get to the point where it asks what language. Then choose the Utilities menu and click the internal drive then check the S.M.A.R.T status of the drive, it should say Verified if it's OK. If it doesn't try repairing the disk several times and see if the S.M.A.R.T status changes. If it doesn't make an appointment here and take it in.
Regards,
Roger

White screen with file folder with question mark flashing?

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