Blinking Question Mark on Blue Screen

I came home from a 5 day weekend away from home and lifted the lid of my macbook. Attempted to choose a user to login as and the spinning wheel wouldn't stop, so I decided to shut down manually. When I turned it back on I got this blue screen with the blinking Question Mark on an image of a file folder accompanied by a clicking sound. Restarting repeatedly gave the same results. So, I got online and looked at the Apple website, followed the instructions to restart holding down various keys. After one restart it gave me a blue screen with only the mouse, however, now I am back to the blinking "?" after another restart.
I do not have my OSX Leopard cd's that came with the computer, so I can't do a restart with them in the computer.... please tell me that this is something simple and that I can get back to all of my files....?
Thank you.
Melissa

Hi Melissa;
No Time Machine backups hourly to an external disk.
I don't know for absolutely sure that it is your hard drive. What they symptoms you gave me are suggesting is that it is the most likely cause for the problem. Your MacBook is not able to find a place from which to boot. That indicate a high likelihood of a failed disk.
If the disk is only corrupt so that your MacBook is no longer able to find the system then a tool like FileSalvage might be able to recover some of your data. If it is truly dead there are recovery services that can recovery the data for big bucks.
Did you purchase AppleCare? That would extend the warranty to three years.
Allan

Similar Messages

Question mark on blue screen?

how do i fix this it just turns on to a blue screen and a "?"

i Have the same problem. i Can't say the model number but it is ibook bought in 2002 G3 and the serial no is UV 206. The oS is 9.2 and 10.1. I wanted to install 10.3 so i put the CD mac os 10 x and erased hard disk. After when i tried to reinstall i cant and moreover when i start my computer it gives blank screen with folder and question mark which blinks.

HT1553 I did the back up as instructed... Installed a larger hard drive and followed the restore instructions... Now I get a white screen with a folder icon and blinking question mark. When trying to set startup with new drive I get a bless tool error...

I did the back up as instructed... Installed a larger hard drive and followed the restore instructions... Now I get a white screen with a folder icon and blinking question mark. When trying to set startup with new drive I get a bless tool error... Help!!

If you have installed a new hard drive , you will need to have formatted it in Disk Utility correctly. This may explain your problem.
Boot into your 10.6 Install disk again at the top menubar > Utilities > select Disk utility and in there select your new hard drive, and select the tab Erase and choose to make the format as Mac OS Extended Journaled. When that is finished look in the main window to make sure that the partition map scheme says GUID Partition Table.
Now go to the Restore tab and reinstall from your backup.

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.

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.
See if you are able to do a little hard drive maintenance to help things out.

IMac wont boot Past Grey Screen, finder folder with blinking question mark

iMac G5 won't boot Past Grey Screen. The G5 froze and i restarted, It will not go past the grey screen and it has the finder folder with blinking question mark, also the fans kick on wide open. As it atempts to boot a sound plays "beepda beepda beepda beep" that starts quiet and gets louder and repeats a couple of times. I ran a hardware check on the startup disk and all hardware passed. I thought it might be the RAM any suggestions?
I have restarted using the troubleshooting methods in the guide.

Sorry for the late reply. The drive shows up when booting to disk, but it will not allow you to verify disk or repair. Also it will not allow you to select the hard drive to reinstall the software. Under disk utility Maxtor sabre shows up with total capacity:0 bytes.
I've taking the Mac to the Apple store to get looked at, and its probly the hard drive. Now Im trying to see if theres a way to recover the data myself. I've used software like "Data Rescue" the hard drive shows up "Maxtor Sabre" totally capacity: 0 bytes, and it will not recover anything.
Did this test just to see if it was power problem.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2173
Thats when noticed the beeps are coming from the hard drive. So its getting power.
Now just wondering how to recover data.
Any suggestions?

Blue and white G3 blinking Question mark

System 9.2.2 6 Gb 350gzh It was acting up so I ran Norton system Works. It said it "fixed" it. But couldn't restart with anything but the Norton Disk. Kept running and never finished. Finally checked the start up disk and only things listed was Norton CD and a "Network Disk".( I do have it networked with my G5) Finally ejected the Norton Disk and when starting up the blinking question mark was there. I assume I need to reinstall the system folder. So far I am unable to find original disks. I assume I cannot just install 9.2.2 even if I could find or download one.
Since I only use this for the internet, could I install OSX. I did post a question about ugrading to OSX before all this happened. Replies were skeptical as to whether I had enough memory to do this. I have 3GB free space.
Is it time to get another computer? This is my husbands. I have the iMac G5. I would probably get me a new one and let him have mine. Any suggestions?

At the outset, I'll let you know that I never had Norton SystemWorks damage any of the hard drives in my pre-OS X Macs running OS 8.6 -> 9.2.2. It's very possible that the original 6 GB hard drive in that B&W G3 has a hardware and/or electronic problem that caused NDD to hang while checking it. I had a few failing hard drives do that, while NDD was doing the media check. It's also possible that the hard drive has a very corrupted directory, which is best corrected by Alsoft's "DiskWarrior." A less expensive alternative is to reinstall OS 9.2.2, by booting from the installer disk and using Drive Setup to initialize the hard drive and write zeros to it. Following completion of that, you can select the newly-formatted drive as the destination for the OS installation. Typically, OS 9.2.2 isn't installed directly from a disk. Usually, one has the disk to install OS 9, 9.0.4, or 9.1. OS 9 and 9.0.4 must be updated to 9.1 (using the downloadable "Mac OS 9.1 Update"), prior to running the downloadable OS 9.2.1 and 9.2.2 Updates. These downloads are just updates to OS 9.x and aren't standalone, full-OS installers. As for using an OS 9.2.2 Mac for the internet, there is a lack of modern browsers to download/use. You'd be much better off installing OS 10.3.x (Panther) or 10.4.x (Tiger), but as you're aware, optimal performance of OS X on your B&W G3-350 depends on adequate hard drive capacity, total installed memory, and the graphics card. Your B&W G3-350 MHz may have the first revision logic board, which has an IDE controller that can't handle moderate-sized drives (approx. 40 GBs->). Given the expense involved in purchasing the OS X installer disks (Tiger is typically on a DVD, requiring a DVD-ROM or DVD±RW drive), upgrading the hard drive, and adding memory, you're at the crossroads for deciding whether to part with the B&W and buy something newer. Investing the $$ to modernize a 9 year-old G3 may not be the best course of action, because its 350 MHz processor and 100 MHz system bus speed are bottlenecks. Spending more $$ on a faster G4 processor upgrade would make a difference, but all of the money spent on the software and hardware upgrades could be applied toward the cost of a Mac Mini with warranty. Unless a sentimental attachment is a motivating factor for keeping/upgrading the B&W, your best bet would be to replace it.

Blinking question mark and smiley face

when mac is powered on a small folder is displayed in the middle of the screen that has on it a blinking question mark that changes to a blue and white face over and over.can anyone offer any suggestions to eliminate this.
thank you

i've had this problem before, and at the time the hard drive was on its way out. you might want to consider replacing your hard drive.

Blinking Question mark after loading Leopard on replacement hard drive

I have a Mac mini powerpc and the seagate hard drive failed. I replaced it with a samsung, formated it as mac OS from the disk utility (from the cd), and loaded leopard from my store bought copy. The load takes about 2 hours and then when I turn on the mini without the cd in the drive, it gives the question mark blinking sign on a blue screen. I also tried to set the drive to be what needs to boot, but it only will show the Leopard CD so I can't select the drive as my boot drive. I've exhausted my searches and am stuck at this point.

ZigTig wrote:
I have verified it shows apple partition map. Also the drive was formatted as mac os extended (journaled)
It sounds like you made all the right choices. The only other suggestions I have for you fall in the category of grasping at straws:
- Try it all over again (probably futile).
- Hold down the "D" key while booting from the system discs that originally came with the computer (if you have them). If that puts you into the computer's diagnostics routines, run them on the disk.
- Install from the original system discs (once again, if you have them).
- Let a computer shop have a look at it.

My iMac has a blinking question mark folder on it and won't let me boot.

I have a late 2009 27 inch iMac whos hardrive failed a while back. A couple days ago i decided to pop in a new hard drive in it, the same brand, just different capacity. I wanted to put windows on it, and tried to boot it with pressing c on the keyboard at startup but encountered a few problems.
When i power on my imac the screen is just a blank white screen for about 20-30 seconds. During this time, any devices plugged into the USB ports do not work. My mouse is not lit up, and my keyboard will not react to pressing caps lock, num lock etc. After that 20-30 second period the folder with the blinking question mark on it pops up. I tried holding C, as well as windows key and C but nothing seems to make the mac recognize i want it to boot from other devices.
The hard drive i installed is empty (obviously) So i'm not sure if its an issue with the way I installed the hard drive (pretty sure i did it right) or another issue that may involve trying to put windows on it. Also worth noting is im using a normal USB mouse, and a normal USB keyboard, not mac devices. I'm willing to put OSX on this computer if its necessary to make it work, but right now all i can get on it is that white screen and then the blinking folder. Does anybody have any idea how to fix this?

Drive Partition and Format
1. Boot from your OS X 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.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
When formatting has completed quit Disk Utility and install OS X.

I see that i have a problem after installing my new hard drive on my macbook pro mid 2009 version. I put a new hard drive, with all of my information from my old drive installed on it, into the computer. but now have the blinking question mark folder

i see that i have a problem after installing my new hard drive on my macbook pro mid 2009 version. I put a new hard drive, with all of my information from my old drive installed on it, into the computer. but now have the blinking question mark folder. I see that it means that it isn't reading the new hard drive.
did i miss a step between transferring all of my information from my old hard drive to the new hard drive and installing the new hard drive into the computer. I believe that i installed properly. it was quite easy.
thanks for your help

It means there is no bootable system on the drive. If you still have access to the old drive, then I suggest you boot from it then clone it to the new internal drive. Use OPTION boot to boot from the Recovery HD on the old drive:
Boot to the Recovery HD:
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.
     1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu then press the Continue
         button.
     2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
     3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
     4. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it
         to the Destination entry field.
     5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
         the Source entry field.
     6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Source means the external old drive. Destination means the new internal drive.

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.

Use a G5 startup DVD on iBook G4? (Blinking question mark)

I recently tried installing Leopard on my iBook G4 (which currently runs Tiger 10.4.11); it was my brother's software disk and he already had it installed on his computer, so it wouldn't let me - I learned the hard way.
I attempted multiple times to boot and install from the install DVD, but it would usually freeze or crash, so I gave up the effort.
Now whenever I turn on my iBook, i briefly get the screen of a folder with a blinking question mark in it. Then after a few seconds, the Apple logo shows up and the computer boots normally. Everything seems fine, but that blinking question mark screen bothers me. I'd like to restore the system software, but I don't have the install discs.
I DO have the software restore discs for my iMac G5, which also runs Tiger (10.4.11). Can I use this to restore the software? Is it a "universal" version of OSX 10.4 suitable to run on a G4, or is specially tailored for the G5?
I bought the iBook used, so there were no install discs, which worries me. But if I can use the discs that came with my G5 to at least perform restore duties, that'd be good.

Check the setting in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
(53439)

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)

Blinking question mark folder with only OS X base system left

Yesterday I turned my laptop on to see a blinking question mark folder. I searched through a lot of people questions with the same problem however mine is not the same because I only have the OS X base system left. I can't redownload the OS X lion because there is nothing to download it after I chose the option to redownload it. I see that most people have the Macintosh HD but I don't have anything like that.
disk1
Mac OS X Base System
that's all I see when I try the repair option?

Have you tried booting to your Recovery HD (if you are running Lion or Mountain Lion?) If not and if you were running Lion or Mountain Lion, then:
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.

Blinking Question Mark on Blue Screen

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for