Blank screen with a black square and question mark went start up

Hi,
When I try to start up my Macbook pro it will only go to a grey screen with a black square with a question mark inside. Please please help!!!!

Using the disk utility (on first aid tab, which it defaults to) will not erase anything.
Of course if the issue is as I suspect, it's a moot point.
I suspect your Hard Drive is not being recognized. If it is not, then neither disk utility nor the installer will be able to even read the hard drive to let you do anything to it.
Have your backups? You're looking at a replacement hard drive most likely.
Some things to try:
Reset the SMC
--disconnect the power adapter and remove the battery
--hold in the power button for 10 seconds
--reseat the battery and reconnect the power adapter
Reset the PRAM
--press and release the power button
--immediately after releasing the power button, hold down appleoption+PR and keep them held down until you hear the start up chime twice (I like to do it until it dings a third time.)
--release the keys after the chimes
If these steps do not resolve the issue, it is time to back up your data if you have not already done so.
If you have another mac, you may be able to retrieve the data yourself using firewire target disk mode:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58583
Now if the host computer does not recognize the target computer, you may be looking at paying an authorized service provider or apple store to retrieve the data for you.
Of course you can send in the computer without doing any data retrieval or backups, but keep in mind the repair center it gets shipped do does not do ANY backup or data transfer. They will replace the hard drive and make sure the new one works, but the new one will be empty.

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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.

My MacBook is 5 years old. Until recently, I had no problems. I had a CD that got stuck in the drive and I was able to remove it. But now there is a grey screen with a file folder and question mark in the middle. How do I fix this?

I have tried rebooting the MacBook several times as well as resetting it. If I turn it off and then turn it back on while holding "option" a mouse appears on the screen but nothing else. This started earlier today when the screen froze and I had to restart the computer (with the CD still in it). I have not been able to get back to the computer since.

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 files on the hard drive are somehow corrupted or damaged.
If you don't have your install disks you can get the 10.4 gray disks by calling AppleCare. 1-800-APL-CARE (1-800-275-2273) They can send them to you for about $16 per disk plus S & H. Just give them your serial number and they'll know which ones you need. With the original disks you also get the iLife that was current when your MacBook was bought included on the #2 disk.
Or if you don't have any files you want to recover from your hard drive you can get Snow Leopard for $29 if you have at least 1gb of RAM and a working DVD drive. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY You would then erase and reformat your hard drive and install Snow Leopard. You won't need the box set unless you want the latest iLife and iWork. If you only want iPhoto or other single apps you can get them from the App Store in 10.6.6. iPhoto, iMovie and Garage Band for $15 each and Pages, Keynote and Numbers for $20 each.
If you have files you want to recover you can get a larger hard drive and put your old hard drive in an external case. After you install the Mac OS on the new hard drive you can plug in the old hard drive in the external case by the USB connection and try to access it that way.
To buy a hard drive try Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives or OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Here's instructions on replacing the hard drive http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=45088
Here's a cheap SATA external hard drive case on eBay http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-2-5-SATA-HDD-HARD-DRIVE-EXTERNAL-ENCLOSURE-CASE-BOX-/120 636286623?pt=PCC_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item1c167ba69f

My Macbookpro will not start up. At first it was showing a gray screen with a flashing folder and question mark. I went through the steps to repair with disc utility and this did not work. How do I back up my data, without time machine activated?

I need to back up my files and date before erasing my drive, but my time machine backup is not coming up. How do I access my hard drive to back up my files?

A erase of the drive or boot partition is not always necessary.
Flashing question mark at boot could be a easy fix, sometimes it's the firmware that simply forgot what bootable volume to boot from.
Try holding the Option key down while booting the machine, a choice of bootable options appears, select your OS X and boot up.
When you get in, head to System Preferences > Startup disk and set it again new. This will tell the firmware what to boot from. Test it to see.
Now if you don't have a selection of bootable options, it could be that the drive is dead, or OS X is erased or corrupted so it can't boot.
You'll have to run through this list of fixes to see what's going on, if you need a hardware fix or what, I've also included links if you can't fix it and need to recover your data etc.
(If it's not remmebering your boot selection then also run through the list to reset things.)
Step by Step to fix your Mac

How do I fix a initializing problem with my macbook pro? I only get to the blank screen with the apple logo and the "processing something"sign... it just doesn't start the system....

How do I fix a initializing problem with my macbook pro? I only get to the blank screen with the apple logo and the "processing something" sign... it just doesn't start the system....
Please help
Marcelo

If there is no loading bar, it's usually a problem with a third party kext file in OS X itself.
You can press the power button down to force a hardware shutdown, then reboot holding the shift key down on a wired or built in keyboard, this will disable them and you go around and update your third party software.
Gray, Blue or White screen at boot, w/spinner/progress bar
Also take this time to backup your users files off the machine if possible.
Most commonly used backup methods
Sometime that won't work and you need to do more
..Step by Step to fix your Mac

I tried to reset my Iphone 5 from the phone and not a computer. I have had a blank screen with the apple logo and a full progress bar for over an hour. I cant turn my phone off because the button on top is not working.

I tried to reset my iphone 5 from the phone and not a computer. I have had a blank screen with the apple logo and a full progress bar. I can not get my phone to restart. What can I do?

Sorry i meant iOs5 to ios 5.0.1

HT1386 I just got an iphone 4 and when I go to sync it, it appears in the left hand column but when I click on it there is just a blank screen with the apply logo and a tiny lock.

I just got an iphone 4 and when I go to sync it, it appears in the left hand column but when I click on it there is just a blank screen with the apply logo and a tiny lock.

OK, I think I fixed it.
After trying to restore with an old backup from the phone (it estimated it would take 4 hours) I cancelled and went through the setup menus again, but set it up as a new phone. It then appeared in iTunes and I restored it from the computer, not the phone. It appears to be working, it's syncing my old apps right now.
Summary:
1. Reset settings on phone (hopefully you backed up fairly recently)
2. Set up as NEW iPhone in setup menu on phone
3. Restore from iTunes on computer when it recognizes the phone
4. Cross fingers

I think you guys in apple have an issue on iTunes movies coz I only get the full screen with small black squares...

Lost a purchased movie and when checking iTunes movies I get the full screen with small little squares and weird signs.

We are all irunes users just like you. You are not addressing Apple here at all.

White screen with flashing folder containing a question mark

I attempted to boot my MacBook and it is now only showing a white screen with a folder containing a question mark. I have only had the MacBook for less than 3 months. Help!!!!

There are four general causes of this issue:
1. The computer's PRAM no longer contains a valid startup disk setting when there aren't any problems with the disk itself. This can be checked for by pressing the Option key and seeing if the drive appears.
2. The internal drive's directory structure has become damaged. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to perform the repair.
3. Critical system files have been deleted. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to reinstall them.
4. The internal drive has died or become unplugged. This is the most likely case if the computer took a sharp impact or there are unusual sounds coming from its location.
(102241)

Image shares screen with a black square

Recently, whenever I start to edit a screenshot, the following happens -
1. I take a screen shot. I am using a PC with Windows 7 operating system. I am using Photoshop Elements v. 12.1.
2. I go to "New" in file and "Image from Clipboard"
3. The image is now displayed with a black square at the right. Please note - this is a recent problem. I strongly suspect I selected a button that caused this, but I have no idea what button. I would love to know if other people have encountered this problem and, if so, how did you fix it?

Hi,
Do you have two monitors with the screen extended on to the second monitor?
How are you capturing the screen?
If you only want to capture the active window, then try using Alt + PrtScn
Since you are using Windows 7, you could use the Snipping Tool. That enables you to select part of the screen and copy it to the clipboard.
Brian

When I click the View option to view a document on my insurance website, I only get a blank screen with words Mozilla Firefox, and below it, "Search Bookmarks and History" in the upper left corner of the screen.

This also happened at a bookseller's website, when I clicked on the photo of a book to enlarge it. Instead of showing me an enlargement, it took me to the same blank screen with the title bar, "Mozilla Firefox", and below it another bar with the words "Search Bookmarks and History," both at the top left of the screen. This has happened repeatedly at the two websites I have mentioned. When I went to the same sites using Internet Explorer, the error didn't occur. I did a Microsoft system restore for a previous restore point, but it still did not eliminate this glitch.

Press F10 or press and hold the Alt key down to bring up the "Menu Bar" temporarily.
* New Old Menu: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/new-old-menu/
* Personal Menu (Personal Firefox Button): https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/personal-menu/

Blank Screen with cursor after login Windows 7, Unable to start new tasks

My problem is similar to the well know Windows 7 Black Screen as referenced by Prevx, though different. When I boot my Windows 7 computer, the login screen appears as always. Following entering the password for default user,
the screen will give the impression of login, but the final result is a plain black screen with the cursor only. The black screen appears indefinitely and the Windows GUI never appears. The only available option from booting in normal mode with this is Ctrl-Alt-Del
(Task Manager). From analyzing another computer with Windows 7 Professional, my Task Manager is missing the following user processes: dwm.exe, explorer.exe, and taskhost.exe. Additionally, it is missing the following system processes (possibly irrelevant):
spoolsv.exe and wmiprvse.exe.
When I attempt to start a new process using Windows Task Manager, an error message will appear saying “Windows Task Manager has stopped working” and forces you to close Windows Task Manager. This includes starting
any process such as cmd or explorer.
I attempted to boot into safe mode.
The result was the same as above. Then I attempted booting into safe mode with command prompt. This showed some hope. Following authentification from the login screen, the command prompt appears with the same blank screen with a cursor behind it. Initially
I attempted to run msconfig.msc to run a clean startup. System Configuration Utilities opens briefly then displays the error same as above. “System Configuration Utility has stopped working” and again forces the program to close. Then I tried to
open regedit. This works with no error messages! So I have access to the registry, but have no idea what I should modify to get my computer running normally.
Things I have tried:
1)
Restoring to last know good configuration. (No result)
2)
Repairing Windows configuration. (No result)
3)
Scanning the drive 3 separate times for viruses with both Avast and Symantec. (No viruses detected)
4)
Repairing the REG_SZ value HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell as proposed in
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itprogeneral/thread/5b94b775-992e-4f48-b3ff-c89b3cf45e82
5)
Executing Prevx’s fix file as proposed in
http://www.prevx.com/blog/140/Black-Screen-woes-could-affect-millions-on-Windows--Vista-and-XP.html
Any ideas are much appreciated.
Thanks,
John

Same problem I've found a solution.
#1 Hit fastly 5 time the left shitf button on your keyboard.
A windows will appaers to know if you want to caps lock. Keep it open
#2 Alt-CTRL-Del
You have know your desktop
#3 Go on add-remove programme
3a) Go on windows add-remove
3b) Remove internet explorer
ok-ok-ok - untill it's remove and ask to restart
#4 No more problem. You have to go on the net with chrome or firefox.

On certain web sites the page opens then over runs to a blank screen with the same address and stopped showing on the status line

When trying to access certain web pages the browser finds and loads the page then 'over rides' to a blank screen. The page address doesn't seem to change but the tab shows continued 'loading' The status bar at the bottom shows either 'stopped' or 'done'. return re-loads the page then over runs again. Reload does nothing. Usually its a hyperlink from one page to another. It seems random.
Recently it has started to over run into a 'search' type page ie. local yellow pages, local cable company, heavy equipment sales, and things like that.

It's possible that you are having a problem with some Firefox add-on that is hindering your Firefox's normal behavior. Have you tried disabling all add-ons (just to check), to see if Firefox goes back to normal?
Whenever you have a problem with Firefox, whatever it is, you should make sure it's not caused by one (or more than one) of your installed add-ons, be it an extension, a theme or a plugin. To do that easily and cleanly, run Firefox in [http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Safe+Mode safe mode] (don't forget to select ''Disable all add-ons'' when you start safe mode). If the problem disappears, you know it's from an add-on. Disable them all in normal mode, and enable them one at a time until you find the source of the problem. See [http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes this article] for information about troubleshooting extensions and themes and [https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Troubleshooting+plugins this one] for plugins.
If you need support for one of your add-ons, you'll have to contact its author.
If the problem does not disappear when all add-ons are disabled, please tell me, so we can work from there. Please have no fear of following my instructions to the line, as all can be easily undone.

TS1702 I downloaded the update to ios6 on my I-pad 3. Now it won't do anything. Just a blank screen with the apple icon and a horisontal bar. Won't turn off either

I connected my i-pad 3 to my i-mac computer to sync music. Once connected it said I had an update to ios6 for my i-pad. I did as instructed. at the end it said it could not install because of error 1603. Now the i-pad will not shut now. It just has a black screen with the apple icon on it. Help

This is the ipod touch forum.
Try posting in the ipad forum

File and question mark when starting

Flashing file and question marl when i start my computer

There are four general causes of this issue:
1. The computer's PRAM no longer contains a valid startup disk setting when there aren't any problems with the disk itself. This can be checked for by pressing the Option key and seeing if the drive appears.
2. The internal drive's directory structure has become damaged. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to perform the repair.
3. Critical system files have been deleted. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to reinstall them.
4. The internal drive has died or become unplugged. This is the most likely case if the computer took a sharp impact or there are unusual sounds coming from its location.
(103563)

Blank screen with a black square and question mark went start up

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