Why won't my MacBook Pro start up? White screen and flashing question mark.

Hi,
I've had my MacBook Pro for almost 2 years now and I installed OS X 10.8 about 4 months ago.
Today I turned the MacBook Pro on and a white screen with a flashing question mark appeared. I tried then getting the startup manager up: turning on the laptop and immediately holding in alt (option). But nothing appeared for about 25 seconds until a rotating Earth labelled 'Internet recovery' appeared that gave me options to join wireless connections. However, my internet wasn't in the options and when I tried typing in the information required to join my internet the laptop would just load and never find it.
I then tried putting in my Mac OS X install DVD (10.6.7) and help in C until the apple logo appeared on the screen and the little rotating loading circle appeared. That then disappeared and a cicle with a cross through it appeared (similar to a no entry sign). Then after about 30 seconds a blue screen followed by a grey screen appeared until eventually the disc ran properly. I then went into Disk Utility but there was no option called Macintosh HD, only the discs content. It wouldn't let me first aid, erase or repair anything.
I'm totally stumped and have 4 exams at university within the next 2 weeks. I'd really appreciate it if anyone could help me out here?
Thanks,
Best wishes,
Connor

The support article linked below is somewhat outdated. Where it refers to starting up from an installation disc, you should instead start up in Recovery by holding down the key combination command-R at the chime. Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial.
If you don't have a current backup of all the data on the startup volume, and you want to preserve that data, then you must try to back up before you do anything else. Ask for instructions if you need them.
Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to reinstall OS X from Recovery, if necessary. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with proxy servers, or with networks that require a certificate for authentication.
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac

Similar Messages

Imac G5 won't start white screen and flashing question mark

tried every key combo recomended - erased HD using target mode/firewire with laptop - but won't boot up from install disc...

The white screen with flashing question mark means that it cannot find a bootable volume.
The iMac G5 will not boot from just any install disk. Ideally, use the grey restore disks which came with the computer. If you've lost these, you can order them direct from Apple. Alternatively, a Mac OS X 10.5 retail install DVD will work provided the iMac G5 has also 1GB RAM (minimum requirement for 10.5).
Sometimes, if the internal drive is faulty, it can take a long time for the computer to recognise other disks. I would suggest holding down the option key on the keyboard (labled alt on some keyboards) and turning the computer on, keep holding alt until you get to the early boot menu, insert your DVD/CD, and click the circle arrow to refresh, wait a bit and the DVD/CD will show up and you can click on it to select it and boot from it by pressing the straight arrow.
After a little while it will get to the install menu, select your language, then on the next screen go through the menus to find "Disk Utility" (it's in different places on different versions of Mac OS X).
You will want to check that the internal hard drive is detected, and that it doesn't have a SMART error (it might be red, or say that the disk is failing). If you get that far, then (assuming you have erased the disk previously, as this will step really will erase the drive and take all your data with it) partition the drive, making sure that under 'Options' you select Apple Partition Map (this will be the default on earlier versions of Mac OS X, but might not be if you've erase the disk from an intel Mac like a MacBook).
Once, you done all that, and there haven't been any issues, you should be able to quit Disk Utility, and carry on with the sytem install as usual, and a 30mins to 2 hours and reboot later you should be booting from the internal drive again.

Macbook pro boots to white screen and a ?

macbook pro boots to white screen and a ?

Gus@MaggiesFarm,
try this: boot your MacBook Pro into Recovery mode by holding down a Command key and the R key as it starts up. Once the Mac OS X Utilities menu appears, select Disk Utility. On the left-hand side of the Disk Utility window, select your internal disk’s boot partition (typically called “Macintosh HD”). On the right-hand side, press the Verify Disk button if it’s not greyed out; if it is greyed out, or if it reports that errors were found, press the Repair Disk button. Once the verification/repair is completed, exit Disk Utility and select Restart from the Apple menu to restart in normal mode. Does it get past the white screen now?

2011 Macbook Pro Stuck on White Screen and Won't Shut Down

Greetings,
I just received a 15 inch Macbook Pro with a 2.2 i7 processor earlier today. On my previous computer, a 2009 MB P with a Core2Duo, I've had a shutdown issue on it for the past week or so: when I click the power button, and confirm the shutdown, the computer would start shutting down as normal, however once it reached the white screen with the spinning loading symbol at the bottom, it just got stuck on that. As I've transfered my old data to my brand new computer, I'm still having the same issue with it. I was wondering if this was due to a worm, or some software incompliancy? If anyone could shed any light, I'd be greatful.
Thanks.

thecloakedone wrote:
I'm running the old Final Cut Studio (2) (still have to enter my serial), and am also running these apps which could be considered out of the ordinary: *VLC
                                                  *Audacity
                                                  *CleanMyMac
                                                  *Mirage
                                                  *Handbrake
                                                  *MiroVideoConverter
                                                  *RecBoot
                                                  *SuperDocker
                                                  *PlistEditPro
That's all. Everything else is either from Apple, Adobe, or is downloaded from the app store.
Were you using any of them when the issue occurred (or just prior to it)?
Have you looked for updates on all of them?
If you want to do some digging, open Console and look at the logs at, and just prior to, the time of the issue.

Macbook pro has a white screen and is basically not allowing me to do anything.

My sisters macbook pro has a blank white/grey screen for some reason. We have been at school all day, we come home to find a small dent on the right of the trackpad, but the laptop had been closed all day. I have already looked at other peoples discussions talking about restarting and putting the Mac OS disc to reinstall and things like that... But the laptop is not allowing me to eject, or put anything in it. I have clicked on all different combination of buttons but still the white/grey screen. There is a disturbing whurring sound when the laptop starts up, almost like a small scratching noise and something has definetley been broken. I put the charger in and the small light goes orange teling us its not completley done for.
Has this happened to anyone else before?!
And we really need some HELP !!

Rebeccaogun wrote:
...find a small dent on the right of the trackpad, but the laptop had been closed all day.
The lid was opened and something was dropped on it is my guess.
You'll have to take it in, user damage is not covered by AppleCare/warranty.

HT5616 Why won't my MacBook Pro 10.9.2 take my Apple ID to sign into iCloud?

Why won't my MacBook Pro 10.9.2 take my Apple ID to sign into iCloud?
I've verified my Apple ID and iCloud is working on my iPad with this same Apple ID.
THANKS.

I have the same problem. After updating to 10.9.2
My ipad and iphone works perfect. It's a certificate problem. Try to reset the keychain http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5813
Didn't work for me, so I'm calling apple support or maybe reinstall maverick if they can't solved it
Maybe it works for you :-)

Why won't my MACBOOK PRO charge anymore

Why won't my MACBOOK PRO charge anymore, I am living in China and my 8 month old MACBOOK PRO won't take a charge!! It has now gone flat and I am out of a computer. I bought a new charger but that didn't work. This is ridiculous!!

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
To check that the battery is damaged, open System Information or System Profiler (in /Applications/Utilities), choose Power in the sidebar, and copy here "Charge Information" and "Health Information". You can also check your battery status in the battery menu, on the menu bar. If its status is Replace Now or Service Battery, take your MacBook Pro to an Apple Store or reseller to have the battery replaced for free.
If you don't see any of those messages, do a SMC reset > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964

Macbook pro show only white screen.

Hello,
Just one month ago, i got macbook pro,
Recently i installed windows 8 on macbook and i made three partition by Disk Utility. Whatever it was working perfetly.
After that i start windows 8 and tried to deleted number three partition by administration tool from windows. After that all partition shown yellow colour, then i resart the macbook pro. But now macbook pro only show white screen.
I holded option key, their only show window partition, no Recovery HD. On my macbook pro i have many important which i do not want to lose data.
Macbook Pro Model No: A1286, OS X: 10.6 (May be), 2.6GHz processor
I am new user of mac. Please give me easy solution for me.
I am live in Bangladesh. Is there any service center of MacBook? if there has, it gives free service for my problem.
Shomon

Follow these documents.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509
If you get a external USB or Firewire drive, you can hold c and boot off the installer disk #1 that comes with your computer, the second screen in is a Utilities Menu and Disk Utility.
Select the EXTERNAL DRIVE and Erase, format HFS+ Journaled GUID partition.
When that's completed quit Disk Utility and your back in the OS X installer, install OS X on the EXTERNAL DRIVE.
When that's complete quit and reboot hold down the OPTION KEY and select the External drive to boot from.
Now GRAB THOSE FILES!!!
After that you can do what you want to the boot drive, if you can't fix it, you can always install OS X again (without formatting) and it should leave your programs and files alone. But if something goes wrong you have a copy on the external drive.
If for some reason you can't access your internal drive, either booted from the install disk in Disk Utility or via the external drive, it's possible your hard drive died.

My MacBook Pro 13 won't start has white screen and beeps

I used my MacBook pro lastnight and worked fine. Tried to turn it on this morning and it won't start. Does sound like it is going to then before login screen shows ur goes to a solid white screen and beeps every 7 seconds. Need help school is about to start again.

Check this out.
I think you have bad RAM, so either you've recently put in new RAM, knocked some RAM loose from the socket (really hard to do), or the RAM went bad (maybe).
You might need to see a real tech.
Upon further review, I think your MBP has a serious problem. You need to take it to an Apple Store for repair. If you bought it within the last 12 months, you will be able to get warranty service, as long as you're not at fault.

HT3275 Why won"t my MacBook Pro successfully backup anymore?

My MacBook Pro will no longer backup and I get the error message " Volume/Data/my computer name/sparsebundle is already in use." There are no other computers backing up. Seems I started having this problem after upgrading to Mountain Lion. I've tried the on/off fix but that didn't work.
Thanks for any help.

http://pondini.org/TM/C12.html
You may need to "reboot" your entire network. Power down your modem, the TC, all network clients. Allow a moment or two for everything to reset then power them back up again.

My mac book pro has a white screen and won't start up

My Mac book pro has been running slow, so I thought I would shut down and reboot. It wouldn't reboot past a white screen and an apple logo. I have rebooted several times and after an hour or so it still won't go any further. Any suggestions?

Howdy Lowana42,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
It sounds like your MacBook Pro has a startup issue that is causing it to only display an Apple logo. Try the suggestions in the article below, they will resolve most issues like this one.
How to Troubleshoot iSight
I hope this helps,
-Jason

My MacBook Pro has a white screen when I turn it on

When I start up my MacBook Pro. It just ha a plain white screen and I can also hear a faint beeping (like if you were on a desktop computer holding down a lot of keys on the keyboard) please can someone help me!!??

I can tell you what I did the last time this happened to me:
I made a careful note of my Display settings when my computer started up correctly and everything looked fine
... and, I ensured that the same settings were there the next time I restarted (and it happened that my screen didn't appear to display correctly) I checked these settings. If they had changed, I chose the one that 'worked' for me and it 'set' thereafter. In my case, it was 1280 x 800.
If I were you, I wouldn't shut down my computer too often (just telling you what I do.) I shut down mine only after a week or 10 days so that it can 'clean itself up.'
Hope this helps.
RS

Macbook pro stuck at white screen.

My macbook pro is stuck at a white screen and doesnt boot. I tried resetting, tried to safe boot by pressing shift, nothing works,. It is stuck in white screen. Pls help.

If you cannot select Recovery HD at startup, problem is serious enough to take the MBP
to the nearest Apple store. They will help to resolve the issue.
Have you tried pressing option key down while starting the MBP?
Probably that has been tried already.
Best.

HI my Macbook pro Has a white screen What do i do It Sounds like its overheating

My macbookPro 2012 has a white screen And Sounds like its over Heating And What Do I do when Im swiching computers and I can't start WORD mac 2012 Without entering Product code which I did Not Have When I bought my mac For the first time

I sense that you may have three problems. Would you describe each one individually in detail and wha,t if any thing, you have tried to address them.
Ciao.

On start up my mac is showing a folder and flashing question mark sign?

On start up my mac shows a folder sign & flashing question mark?? Help and Why??

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.

Why won't my MacBook Pro start up? White screen and flashing question mark.

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for