Blinking question mark instead of starting up???

My iMac seems to have stalled!  It won't shut down, and after I forced it down it won't start up.  I get a white screen with a single gray icon in the center where the Apple logo should go.  It's a blinking folder with a question mark inside.  What is this??

It can't find a startup disk. Press the Command and R keys and use the Disk Utility to repair or erase the Mac OS X partition; if needed, install a fresh OS onto it.
(101976)

Similar Messages

  • Intermittent Blinking Question Mark at Start-Up

    I've read a number of postings about the blinking question mark problem during start-up, but this one is different -- its intermittent. By that I mean that sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. Here is the chronology:
    - Student comes home for Spring Break and requests me to connect her to our wireless network.
    - I enter network name and PW. It gets connected, but the spinning rainbow wheel won't stop spinning. So eventually I re-start --> first time I've ever seen the blinking question mark. System won't start on multiple tries. Student says 'yeah, that's been happening for a while. Just wait a while and it will be OK.' I've never seen an intermittent problem like this.
    - Took iBook to the Genius Bar at local Apple Store
    - Genius gets it to start up on first try, amazing me. He didn't do any trick, just pushed the power button. But he did plug the AC adapter in as he was trying to boot it. (more on this later) How can this be??
    - Genius does some kind of test on the Hard Drive and pronounces it OK. Says problem must be software-related.
    - I mention that Student didn't bring home her 10.3.X Disk Utilities/Restore disk.
    - I mention I've got 10.4 Family Pack, but haven't had time to load it on any of our Macs. Genius recommends doing Archive Install, then use 10.4 disk to run Disk Utilities to check Permissions etc.
    - I load 10.4 and then run Disk Utilities. The start-up disk is already properly identified, no need to re-select the internal HD Sys X. But sure enough, some of the Permissions needed repair and were fixed. Problem seems solved, system runs fine for 3 days.
    - Student goes back to college. Today she reports that the blinking question mark is back, but now she can't run Disk Utilities because I still have the 10.4 disk at home, and her 10.3 disk won't work anymore.
    I should also mention: Student has been having short battery re-charge life. Checked the Apple Website and realized that her battery S/N is covered under the free replacement program. Today she received the new battery and installed it, and then when she re-started, that's when the blinking question mark showed up again. Could there be a connection between the power supply and the blinking question mark?
    What to do? Any ideas welcomed. Student wants new computer, I say not so fast.....
    iBook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.5)  

    Assuming that you get the flashing question mark for extended periods of time (i.e. not just one or two flashes and then it boots), and repeatedly (i.e. it takes several power cycles to boot the system), I'd recommend a couple of steps:
    1) Run the Disk Utility -> Repair Disk option while booted off CD. This will check and repair common disk problems that can cause this kind of issue
    2) Reset the parameter RAM (PRAM) to reset the system settings (Command-Option-P-R as you power on)
    3) When this happens, hold down the option key as you power up the system. this will offer a list of available boot drives. Check that your boot drive is available.
    4) If all else fails, backup - soon, and be prepared to replace the hard drive. This might sound drastic but I'd had a number of laptops die through failed drives. This option is especially true if you're experiencing other unexplained problems such as hangs and crashes while running the machine.

  • Blinking question mark

    how do i remove the blinking question mark icon when starting up the mac

    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 the hard drive's location.
    (89849)

  • Blinking question mark folder upon startup on a 2 month old Pro?

    Hi I had the grey screen on my macbook pro. I tried reinstalling maverick os x, but my wifi connection got interrupted and so did the download. I now have the blinking question mark folder upon start up. What can I do since I know it's probably not a hard-drive problem?

    Startup Issues - Resolve
    Startup Issues - Resolve (2)

  • Gray screen (sometimes blinking question mark) at start up

    My  husband was using my beloved Macbook last night & said that while surfing Facebook, all of Firefox locked up & the spinning wheel thing (like it was thinking) made it imposbbile for him to do anything.  Rather than doing ctrl + option + esc (or w/e it is....I can do it with my hands quickly but can't think right now) to quit Firefox, he just held down the power button to shut the whole thing down.  He said that when he turned it back on, it was doing the blinking question mark thing.
    This morning (not having known what happened last night), I started it up & was confused by the blinking question mark.  I asked him about it & then got the whole story.  I turned it off & let it chill all day while I was at work.  And now every time I start it up it's alternating between just being a gray screen or sometimes if I leave it long enough, it turns to the flashing question mark again.
    I have done the restart & press option thing & nothing happened.  Did a restart & pressed shift & nothing happened. 
    The only thing I've done & seen anything from resetting my PRAM & NVRAM (http://http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379) & even then, after the 2nd restart when it says to let go, nothing different happened.  Still the gray screen!!!
    Help!!  I am a computer junkie & have loved my MacBook for 4 years.  I put in a new harddrive (I wanted a bigger, better one) a couple years ago, but could that be it?  I need to know more tests I can do.
    PS - I don't have the right startup disc because I upgraded using my brother-in-law's & he lives 7 hours away.  So I can't just pop in my start up disc.  Any other suggestions???

    In addition to above advice, here is an Apple article with some troubleshooting suggestions:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
    Note that you will need your install disk. If you do not have it, you can call Apple; if you give them your serial number, they should be able to send you copies for a nominal charge.
    PS - I don't have the right startup disc because I upgraded using my brother-in-law's & he lives 7 hours away.  So I can't just pop in my start up disc.  Any other suggestions???
    If your Macbook meets the system requirements for Snow Leopard, you might want to consider buying that (available for $29 or less) rather than using someone else's disks which violates Apple's SLA.

  • Mbpro won't start up- get blinking question mark folder

    help!!! think my macbook pro (1st gen, 17") has died- i get a blinking question mark folder when i boot up.
    it's been having problems for a long while, so use it generally to record movies- which a bunch are still on there to export.
    is there a resolve for this? would a new harddrive get it up and working again?
    hoping i can recover the harddrive  to get data, but ok without it. just want it working again if possible.
    thanks for the help!

    The symptom you describe is usually a HDD problem or it could be an internal cable/connection problem.  If you have an external bootable HDD, employ it and see if you can access the internal HDD via Disk Utility and run First Aid.
    Ciao.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440
    The above article may be useful.
    Message was edited by: OGELTHORPE

  • Blinking question mark folder, new hard drive

    Okay so I've been having this problem for a couple weeks now. My computer was running a bit slowly when I was watching videos online, and it froze so I forced a shut down. It turned back on and it worked for a couple minutes, but then it froze again and when I attempted to reset it I got the scary blinking question mark. I went through all the options to fix it, but the computer could not find my hard drive. When I tried to repair disk no hard drive came up, and when I tried to re-install ios x it also could not find a hard drive. I confirmed that the hard drive had died so I purchased a new one, but now that a new one is installed I cannot re-install ios x because the computer won't read the disc. Under the utilities menu it shows that the disc is there, but it just won't re-install.
    I checked on another computer and confirmed that the disc still works. I put it in my computer upon start up and got no response from the machine. Instead of getting the blinking question mark, the screen just stays gray.
    My computer is a 2012 macbook pro. The disc I had to buy online because it did not come with my computer, and has OS version 10.5.2 on it.
    Thanks

    Hello,
    A mid 2012 MBP should still be covered under AppleCare!?
    Anyway, that MBP won't boot/use/run 10.5.anything, it came with...
    Pre-Installed MacOS: X 10.7.3 (11D2515)
    If you have an Apple Store nearby they can reinstall 10.7 or newer on it, 10.7 & up is only availble from a Download, not on Disc.

  • Blinking question mark on startup - tried lots of things - advice?

    Hi,
    A friend called me yesterday about a two year old iMac. Got the blinking question mark on startup. So I went over, tried disc utility, but disc utility (off the iMac's install disc) could not even see the hard drive. So I tried TechTool Pro. Same result. TechTool from AppleCare disc, same result, DriveGenius, same result, start up in single user mode, same result, targeted disc mode connected to my MBP, same result, Data Recovery II, same result, connected a Mac via FireWire and started up from that and ran those same diagnostics, same result. None of those could even find - much less repair - the hard drive. It still shows a blinking question mark. It seems like all the hardware is working fine (motherboard, display, etc), except the hard drive. Any advice?
    Thanks!
    Russ Conte

    The machine must be a G5, or it would be older than 2 years. And no AppleCare or it would be in the shop before this. The most likely cause is hard drive failure, as already stated. A fact of life is that all hard drives will fail or have failed.
    You can deal with this, providing you can handle a screwdriver. Go to the support area of the Apple Website and click "Manuals" instead of discussions where you are reading this. In the block "search manuals" type "Imac Hard Drive". The next step is to select the instructions for correct machine, and download.
    Cost of replacement drives depends upon capacity. One source is macsales.com.
    A new drive will have to be formatted. Easy to do prior to installation by connecting to any Mac with a Universal Drive Adapter via a USB connection. That adapter is also available at macsales and other places.
    Final step after installation is to install the OS hopefully from the original disks.
    Good luck to you.

  • The Dreaded Blinking Question Mark

    About a month ago I started having a recurring problem of the computer freezing upon waking from sleep.
    Each time I restarted it by holding the power button, and each time I would get the blinking question mark over the folder.
    I replaced the PRAM battery and it didn't fix the problem.
    I bought the latest version of Disc Warrior, ran it and it said that everything was fine. Still the problem persisted.
    Finally, I popped in the Apple utility disc and it said that there were problems with the disc, but didn't fix them.
    Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

    Welcome to Apple Discussions!
    Wake from sleep problems are on the MDD are common when USB PCI cards are installed. If you've installed such a card, try disconnecting everything from it and see if things get better.
    If your PRAM battery is more than three years old, or your computer has been unplugged from the wall for extended periods, you should replace the battery.

  • White Question Mark instead of White Apple comes up when booting up. Why?

    White Question Mark instead of White Apple comes up when booting up.
    Hi guys,
    It happens regularly on booting up and then booting up stops, and I have to turn the iMac off and turn it back on again, sometimes several times, before getting a regular boot up.
    What is that about, and how to avoid it?
    Thanks,
    Raphael

    Thanks.
    I just found an Apple article dedicated to that called "Gray screen on startup."
    Symptoms
    Instead of seeing the Finder or the login window after startup, your computer may stop responding and the display may only show a persistent gray screen (you may also see an Apple logo, spinning gear, spinning globe, prohibitory sign, or a folder with a flashing question mark on it). Note: The below steps may not apply if a blue screen appears during start up.
    Products Affected
    Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.6, Mac OS X 10.5
    Resolution
    Note: Some steps below may reset preference settings or registration settings.
    Disconnect, test peripheral devices and network cables
    Note: "Peripheral devices" refers to external devices other than what came with your Mac, such as hard drives, printers, or hubs that you connect via a USB or FireWire cable.
    Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
    Disconnect all peripheral devices such as external hard drives or printers (leave only the display, a keyboard, and mouse connected).
    Disconnect any Ethernet cables.
    Start up your Mac.
    If you can start up this way, one or more of your peripheral devices (or installed software related to the device) is probably causing the gray screen issue. Connect one device, then restart your Mac to test for the issue. Repeat the process until you locate the device at issue. Make sure the device is powered if it needs to be to operate correctly. Check with the manufacturer of the device for support or possible software driver or firmware updates that may be available for the device. Try a different cable with the device if possible (such as a different USB or FireWire cable).
    Note: If you have multiple peripheral devices and the issue only occurs when they are all connected, but not when each device is the only peripheral connected, see the Additional Information section below.
    If you are using a desktop Mac with a third-party keyboard and/or mouse device, and the issue still occurs, try starting up with an Apple keyboard and mouse connected instead. Try starting with no keyboard and mouse connected, then connect them after start up. Also, try a different USB port on your Mac.
    If the gray screen issue persists with no devices connected, go to the next section (with the peripherals still disconnected).
    Perform a Safe Boot
    Simply performing the Safe Boot may resolve this issue.
    Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
    Start your Mac, then immediately hold the Shift key. This performs a Safe Boot. Advanced tip: If you want to see the status of a Safe Boot as it progresses, you can hold Shift-Command-V during start up (instead of just Shift).
    Note: A Safe Boot takes longer than a typical start up because it includes a disk check and other operations.
    If your Mac starts up as expected, immediately try restarting.
    If the Safe Boot does not work, or the restart after a successful Safe Boot does not work, go to the next section.
    Reset the NVRAM / PRAM
    Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
    Reset the NVRAM / PRAM.
    If the gray screen issue persists, go to the next section.
    Start from your Mac OS X Install disc; use Disk Utility
    Insert your Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5 installation disc (if you have discs with both versions, use whichever is closest to the Mac OS X version installed on your Mac; do not use a startup disc which came with a different Mac or which contains an earlier version of Mac OS X).
    Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
    Start up your Mac while holding the C key to start from the disc.
    Once started from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Utility menu.
    Note: If the gray screen issue persists and you can't start from the disc, go to the "Disconnect peripheral devices" section.
    In Disk Utility, perform a disk repair of your Mac OS X volume; if no issues are found, perform a permissions repair as well. If issues are found during the disk repair, try repairing again.
    After the Disk Utility operations are complete, restart without holding any keys.
    If the gray screen issue persists, go to the next section.
    Check your cables and power source
    Make sure your power cables are secure (especially if you use a desktop Mac). Try a different cable or outlet if possible. If you use a surge protecter, try connecting directly to an outlet as a test.
    If you have power-related issues (such as your desktop Mac shutting down or restarting, or room lights dimming when an appliance comes on, consider contacting a certified electrician to check your outlets and electrical wiring).
    If the gray screen issue persists, go to the next section.
    Remove third-party RAM and internal hardware
    Note: Skip this section if only Apple-brand RAM is installed in your Mac.
    Remove any non-Apple RAM or other third-party hardware upgrades (such as expansion cards or third-party optical drives or hard drives, if present) to help isolate the issue. This is necessary to get as close as possible to the original factory hardware configuration of your Mac.
    If you are not sure which RAM modules or other hardware is Apple or third-party, or if you are not comfortable performing these steps, or if you have a Mac mini, consider contacting an Apple Authorized Service Provider for assistance. Otherwise, perform these steps before going to the next section.
    Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
    Open your Mac to access the memory slots. Refer to the User Guide that came with your Mac, or search Apple Support Manuals for a PDF copy of your Mac's User Guide.
    Remove any third-party RAM that has been installed.
    Reinstall the Apple RAM that came with the computer if available. Note that Mac OS X 10.5 requires 512 MB or more of RAM; Mac OS X 10.4 requires 256 MB or more of RAM.
    If your Mac starts up with only Apple RAM installed, contact the vendor of your third-party RAM.
    If the gray screen issue persists, go to the next section.
    Perform an Archive and Install installation of Mac OS X
    If the above steps do not resolve the issue, and you can successfully start from your Mac OS X Install disc as noted above:
    Insert your Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5 installation disc (if you have discs with both versions, use whichever is closest to the Mac OS X version installed on your Mac; do not use a startup disc which came with a different Mac or which contains an earlier version of Mac OS X).
    Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
    Start up your Mac while holding the C key to start from the disc.
    Perform an Archive and Install installation (preserving users and network settings).
    After installation, if the gray screen issue persists, go to the next section.
    Perform an Erase and Install installation of Mac OS X as a last resort
    Important: You should only perform this step after trying all of the above steps. This process will erase all files from your Mac OS X volume. If possible, back up important files first, or use Time Machine. You may be able to connect your Mac to another Mac with a FireWire cable and FireWire target disk mode, in order to try to manually back up files. Alternatively, you may wish to make an appointment with a Mac Genius at an Apple store, or contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider for assistance.
    To erase your Mac OS X volume and reinstall Mac OS X:
    Insert your Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5 installation disc.
    Shut down your Mac. If necessary, hold your Mac's power button for several seconds to force it to power down.
    Startup your Mac while holding the C key to start from the disc.
    Perform an Erase and Install installation of Mac OS X.
    After installing, starting from your Mac OS X volume, and verifying the issue is resolved, you should use Software Update to update to the latest available version of Mac OS X.
    Additional Information
    If the issue persists after you follow the above steps, you may wish to make an appointment with a Mac Genius at an Apple store, contact AppleCare via phone, or contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider for assistance.
    If the issue only occurs when multiple peripheral devices are connected
    If a gray screen appears during start up only when several peripheral devices (that is, USB and/or FireWire devices) are connected, and you don't want to have only one device connected at a time, the issue may be caused by a combination of the peripheral devices.
    To illustrate this hypothetically, you may have three USB devices, which we'll call "A", "B", and "C". The issue may be that peripherals A and C have a conflict of some sort, and a gray screen only appears if they both are connected, but not if each one is connected separately. In the above "Disconnect, test peripheral devices and network cables" section you may have inferred that you have an issue only with device C because it was added after A. To avoid an inaccurate analysis, connect device C to your computer with no other devices. If your Mac has the startup issue with only device C connected, then you know it is the source of the issue. However if your Mac starts up, you have a conflict of devices to work out. To do this add the other devices one at a time with device C connected until your startup issue occurs (restart after adding one device). Repeat this process until you have just the minimum set of devices to produce your startup issue.
    What can you do?
    You should make sure each device has the latest firmware installed if applicable--check with the manufacturer for more information. You should also check for the latest driver versions, and if necessary install them while started in Safe Mode per above.
    If any of the devices requires a separate power source, be sure that power is connected to the device (for example, even if a device appears to be powered when connected via USB without the power cable, connect its power cable).
    Try different USB or FireWire cables with each device, as applicable.
    If you have a device similar to one of the conflicting devices, try replacing it with another one.
    Contact each device manufacturer or the materials that came with the device. for more support information or, if needed, service options.

  • Blue question marks instead of pictures in most of the screens.

    My IMac, 1 month old, start to show blue question marks instead of pictures in most of the screens. Please give me a solution. Thanks

    If you mean web pages in Safari, try this:
    Safari 5.0.1 or later: Slow or partial webpage loading, or webpage cannot be found

  • Can not get past blinking question mark after restarting in os 9

    I have a ibook g3 clamshell 576mb ram 366mhz 30gb hd. I added the hard drive and upgraded the memory and then forgot to update the firmware before I installed os x tiger. So I keep getting kernal panics because the firmware is not upgraded. Like a fool when I upgraded to tiger I erased os 9 to free up more space thinking I would never use os 9 ever again anyway. Well the only way you can upgrade the firmware is to have os 9 installed so I copied os 9 system folder and applications from another ibook and transformed them to my ibook hd. I then clicked on the os 9 on the start up disk and tried to boot into os 9 so I could do the firmware update. Well now it will not boot past the blinking question mark. I guess there must of been some missing files? How do i get past the blinking question mark? Do I have to go and buy a copy of os 9 to reinstall it back on the ibook? Please help I am stuck here.

    Don't think anyone will like the answer but this is how I did it. You have to put a os x cd in restart holding c and then follow through with the install. I used os x 10.0.3 then you have to do the same with a os 9 install disc and initialize disk image and then do the os 9 install download your firmware update and then reinstall the mac os x you are going to use. And for anybody out there a ibook g3 with an old airport card can connect to wep all you have to do is add a $ before your password works everytime. Hope this helps somebody. My only problem is after a downloaded the firmware update thats a .smi file evrytime I try to open it it says no application could open it. I thought .smi were self mounting image files. I never have used os 9 much and have no idea how to open this file. Can anybody give me a walk through on how to select a application to open this file so I can mount and install this firmware update.

  • TS1440 Flashing question mark when I start the MacBook

    Hello!, I have a MacBook Pro  but there was a flashing question mark when I start the MacBook, it does not go away, I have read the tips on you all site, but I can't find anything, it is for the Mac, not for a MacBook. Can anyone help me please?? Thanks!

    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 one or more of these:
    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.
    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.

  • I switched to the classic 'landscape' and when i reboot, it just stays at the greay screen, with the macintosh logo, and a blinking question mark. ive tried several methods of key combinations with rebooting etc.. i just bought this. please help.

    i switched to the classic 'landscape' and when i reboot, it just stays at the greay screen, with the macintosh logo, and a blinking question mark. ive tried several methods of key combinations with rebooting etc.. i just bought this. please help.
    I bought this off of craigslist with my christmas money, TODAY. i really need help, i have OS X experience from school, just not OS 9x. I need to reboot back to OS X asap. anything that may help is very appreciated. Thank You.
    Chris.

    Are you able to start up in Safe Mode?
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455?viewlocale=en_US
    If this works you will see the normal desktop Once completely started up in Safe Mode, try to restart normally and go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Click on the top hard drive icon in the left sidebar and note the S.M.A.R.T. status at the bottom right of the pane. What does it say?
    Select the named boot volume in the left sidebar, ("Macintosh HD" unless it has been renamed). What is the hard drive capacity and how much space remains available on it? Repair permissions on it.
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  • My old iMac (screen sits on a white dome) opens with a tiny folder that flashes a question mark, instead of a login to user's desktop

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