Blue et white face and question mark flashing when i open my mac

BLUE ET WHITE FACE AND QUESTION MARK FLASHING WHEN I OPEN MY MAC POWER G5 HELP

That means that it can't find an OS to boot. You might try booting off the CD that came with the system and running Disk Utility on the Hard Drive.

Similar Messages

HT2173 i get a flashing face and question mark when switching on, but computer stays on this screen?

help please I have two other Imacs and when I switch them on I get a flasing face and question mark come up in the middle of the screen, and they continue to flash with nothing else happening apart from a loud fan noice after a while?

On what Mac running what version of OS X?

Alternating mac face and question mark after i tried to install OS X 10.3

I have a Powerbook G4 and I tried to update my operating sytem from 10.2.8 to 10.3 but it froze. After I restarted it I got an alternating mac face and question mark. It just ejects the CDs I try to put into it except for the installation disk for OS X 10.1.3. When I put that one in a smiling mac computer come up then all this type comes across the screen, something about kernels and panic.
Please help me, I've got a project due soon.

Could someone please help me,
when i open my power book g4, an alternating Mac face and question mark appears, and no matter what I do it is still there.
it only changes when I insert the installtion CD of MAC OS X 10.3, but after the Apple logo appears, the screen went white and sometimes just blue, and it just won't work. Then after restarting, the alternating Mac face and question mark still appear.
i also tried the hardware test, after doing both of the tests, the result is consistently "passed". But after restarting, the same problem happens.
what should i do?
please help me
thanx in advanced

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

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

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

Most of the time when I turn computer on I get the white screen and question mark. Sometimes it will turn on and work but often the spinning disk starts and especially when opening Iphoto and it generally freezes

Most of the time when I turn on the Mac I get the white screen and question mark appear. Sometimes it will turn on and work. But often the coloured spinning wheel starts up especially after trying to use iphoto it freezes and a couple of times the screen has then gone black. The computer seemed pretty warm yesterday when this happened.
Any suggestions of what I should do to fix it would be greatly appreciated.
Kate

See this on the question mark when you start up: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440?viewlocale=en_US
See this on the spinning beach ball: http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/sbbod.html

Blinking mac face and question mark at startup

i've been having problems w/ my powerbook lately, it's been freezing and the mouse has been whirring. I installed more ram and repaired discs through the installation software (disk utilities).
everything was working fine for about a day, except that the laptop kept making this whirring sound.
suddenly, my mouse pointer disappeared and wouldn't turn back on. i forced the computer to quit by holding down on the power button, but once i restarted it, an icon of a small grey folder w/ alternating between a blinking mac face and question mark came on.
i tried restarting the computer, holding down command, alt/options, "P" and "R" but the blinking face won't go away. now, the computer turns on for about half a minute, and then shuts off by itself.
can someone please help me??

Look at:http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302672
You may need to run fsck to try and repair the volume.
Please update your profile so we know which version of Mac OS you're running.
Joe

HT1379 I have lost everything on my mac, a gray screen with a folder and question mark is blinking. i hav another mac that is running slowly, how can I boot and reinstall os x Lion, i do not have the start up disc with me.

I have lost everything on my mac, a gray screen with a folder and question mark is blinking. i hav another mac that is running slowly, how can I boot and reinstall os x Lion, i do not have the start up disc with me.

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
Lion uses Recovery to reinstall OS X. Press Command and R keys when your Mac starts, open Disk Utility, erase the drive and reinstall Lion. The other Mac has probably got its hard disk damaged, so take the Mac to an Apple Store

White Screen with Question Mark Flashing

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

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

Gray screen on Macbook Air with folder and question mark flashing

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

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

Mac has question mark flashing when i turn on

when i try to restore to factory settings my hdd doesn't show up, any ideas on how to fix ?

Can you describe the error?
Attempt to force OS X Internet Recovery: using three fingers hold the ⌘ option and r keys while starting your MacBook Air. Make sure you are within range of a wireless network.
If you cannot start OS X Recovery at all, your ability to fix your MacBook Air will be challenging...

Just turned my macbook air on and the screen is white except for what looks like a camera with a question mark flashing. any ideas what to do?

turned by macbook air on and the screen is white with a question mark flashing and nothing else on the screen. will not boot up.

Click here and follow the instructions. If the computer was running Mac OS X 10.6.8 or earlier and you reach the third set of steps, insert a Mac OS X install disk or connect the computer's original thumbdrive.
(124635)

Can't log in white screen with flashing file and Question mark

I've been have trouble with getting on line and screen freezing up. Now I have a solid white screen with a icon of a file and question mark on it flashing. Iv tried unplugging and resetting with no luck.

Have a look at > A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
Dennis

After restart i see flashing between old classic symbol and question mark

hi,
i just shut down my g4 ibook by holding down the power button as it had frozen. when i done that i wiped the keyboard with a cloth. when it restarted i get a small symbol (a square 2-tone blue face, not sure if it's the classic 9 symbol) and a question mark flashing in the middle of my screen.
how can i restart my machine normally please?

Hi John,
Flashing question mark when starting up can mean several things. One, your iBook can't locate a System Folder to boot from or the hard disk is failing.
Try starting up while holding down the Option key. That normally would prompt the Startup Manager window where you can select your startup disk.
If that doesn't help, ditto for Niel's suggestion.
More help when you see a A flashing question mark appear when you start your Mac
Carolyn

Mac book is starting up funny. I have a flashing folder and question mark or just a grey screen. IT at university is backed up all week and said it's the hard drive! Ugh need help in class now will be calling ASAP! Help please.

I get either a grey screen or a flashing folder question mark. IT at my university said it wouldn't be till after the weekend and than still a few days to get it fixed so she told me to try to back it up myself because that's the only sure fire way to ensure I get all my Info. So any hints or help? They did a hardware test and they think it's my hard drive. I did a r+command restart
And it won't let me verify the disk.... Or download mountain lion.. Okay I know I sound clueless but can anyone help me?

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.

Image ofFFolder withslternating face profile and question mark on screen

Can't use my Powerbook because of alternating face and question mark on screen.
What's wrong and how doI fix this?

That means that your system can't find anything to boot from. Do you have the original OS X discs that came with your system? Find the one that says in small print on the label 'AHT Version x.x'. Insert it and reboot holding the option key down. Choose the Apple hardware test, click the arrow to the right, and follow directions. Choose the extended test. What does it tell you?
If it gives you an indication your hard drive isn't present, you can insert the first OS X disc, and reboot holding the C key down, which will cause the system to boot from the OS X disc. Choose utilities from the menu bar, and disk utility. If it sees the hard drive, try a repair disk.
Please post back what you find.

Blue et white face and question mark flashing when i open my mac

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for