Boot up shows folder with question mark...

So my imac from 2006 (i think...20 inch plastic intel) booted up today to the blinking folder with a question mark on it. I rebooted into the osx disc to set the hdd as the startup disk, but it didn't show up in the list. Then I tried to see if I needed to repair the hdd using disk utility but the hdd wasn't showing up. So, do I have to replace the hdd? Not looking forward to it if I do.
Message was edited by: gescamil

Hi,
I have had similar issues, you will have to restart it and press and hold the eject disk on the keyboard right away and it will force it out.
Also to answer you question on way you are not seeing the Hard Drive and way you have the folder with question mark on the start up: is because your Hard Drive is dead.
You will need to buy another Hard Drive install it and then fresh install the OS X.
I have seen this issue too many times and every time is resulting with bad Hard Disk Drive...
Look at the bright side, Hard Drives are cheep now and you have iFix it to assist you on step by step installation. (this is unless you have Apple Care).

Similar Messages

  • I have macbook mid 2009, with os leopard and I updated it till yosemite now while deleting partition I erased the main hitachi drive , now I have no backups and while switching on it shows folder with question mark,inserting the grey dvd it keep spin

    Have macbook mid 2009, with leopard,  updated to yosemite,  while erasing partition erased hd, dot have backups, powerup shows folder with question mark, inserting grey dvd shows apple and spinning wheel, please help

    Clean Install of Snow Leopard
         1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came
             with your computer.  Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.
             After the chime press and hold down the  "C" key.  Release the key when you see
             a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
         2. 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 the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
             size.)  Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.  Set the number of
             partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button
             and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended
             (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.
         3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed
             with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
         4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
             Assistant. Be sure you configure your initial admin account with the exact same
             username and password that you used on your old drive. After you finish Setup
             Assistant will complete the installation after which you will be running a fresh
             install of OS X.  You can now begin the update process by opening Software
             Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your installation current.
    Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1. From here you can upgrade to Yosemite by re-downloading it from the Purchases page in the App Store.

  • Ssd can't boot from mainbay folder with question mark

    Hello I've searched for my problem but can't find anything same so I'm gona ask.
    first of  all I'm sorry for my English.
    I'm using MacBook pro mid 2012 with samsung 840 evo ssd 500gb.
    today it was working perfect it felt asleep and after wake up it  restarted and flashing folder with question mark appeared on screen.
    I Know it's some kind of hdd problem. So I've took it out and put in external box to connect to my friends  MacBook to see if it's working and does all information is still in it. It was working perfectly. after that I connected it via usb and boot it by holding opt key and it startups normal. To check that it isint sata cable I have puted empty hdd in main bay and booted from ssd connected by usb and both drives show up in disk utility.
    So hdd working perfect. Sata cable is good and can read drive.
    Macbook boots from ssd connected by usb without any problems.
    The only problem is that I can't boot my MacBook from ssd in mainbay it shows flashing folder with question mark.
    Maybe anyone had  had that issue before.?
    How can I solve this problem.?
    again sorry for my English. And thank you for all your answers.

    Do not apologize for your English.  I assure you your English is better than what my facility with your language may be. 
    I have seen a couple of posts similar to yours where the SSD will not boot internally but a conventional HDD will.  The resolution in one case was a new SATA cable even though the tests suggested otherwise.
    I would take the MBP to an apple store and have them check it thoroughly and see if they can pinpoint to the cable as the problem.  Obviously this just a guess on my part.
    A call to Samsung technical support may also be a good idea.
    Ciao.

  • Mac Shows Folder With Question Mark On Startup?

    Hey Guys!
    I currently own a Macbook Air First Genereation (2008) running on Lion 10.7.5 (upgraded from Snow Leopard)
    Recently, when I was just using the Macbook Air, the Hard disk started spinning and was creating a lot of noise well I just ignored it and gave it a hard reboot
    So the next day wehn I booted my mac it was showing a folder with question mark on startup. I tried going to recovery (holding option on startup) but neither Macintosh HD or Recovery HD was being shown. I tried a internet recovery but it was not even entering Internet Recovery. I tried Single User mode, that didn't work.
    I really don't know what to do now, I am panicking cause I don't have a backup and all my schoolwork is inside there.
    Please reply soon and thanks in advance if you can help me
    A youtube tutorial or online step by step tutorial would be great!

    My tutorial is simple: pack up the MBA and charger and head for the nearest Apple store or Apple reseller. The error you see can mean three things: (1) your drive's system files are damaged, (2) your drive's directory or partition are damaged, or (3) your drive is dead. The fact that you can't boot into the recovery mode pretty much eliminates #1. It is possible that your drive's partition table was damaged but were that the case I'd expect that Internet recovery would work. So I strongly suspect #3.

  • My MacBook pro stop working and it shows folder with question mark after this update,  it's not my fault,  Apple should solve the problem with out ask me to make payment

    After updating my MacBook pro it shows only a folder with question mark on it
    It is not my fault, Apple updates problem
    They should solve it fir me without make any payment
    Thanks

    Try starting your computer holding down the option key as soon as you hear the startup sound, and continue holding it. Hopefully, you will see the icon for your startup disk come up on your screen within a minute. Click on that icon and press return. If your machine starts up normally from there, go to System Preferences > Startup Disk and reselect your startup volume

  • MacBook pro shows folder with question Mark

    MacBook pro (pre-unibody) is just showing a White screen with folder and question Mark in it. Is it a hard drive failure? What should I do?

    Hi Bobby,
    It does sound like the HD. Try booting from the install disc, then see if your HD even shows up in Disk Utility. If it does, check S.M.A.R.T. status and try running Repair Disk.
    First check the S.M.A.R.T. status on your HD: Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility>in the panel at left, select the first item in the list/your HD mechanism>look at the bottom of the main window next to S.M.A.R.T. status and see if it says “Verified” or something more ominous like “Failing.”
    If S.M.A.R.T. status is "Verified," run Repair Disk: Boot from install disc (insert disc>restart>immediately hold down c key and keep holding it until you see “Preparing Installation”)>at first screen select the language and click Continue> click on the Utilities Menu in the menu bar>open Disk Utility>select your HD in the panel on the left side>click Repair Disk at bottom of main window. Run this at least twice, and keep running it until it says “appears ok” twice in a row. If that doesn’t happen, you may need a stronger utility such as DiskWarrior or if the directory is damaged beyond repair, you may need to reinstall the OS, or you may have a damaged HD (repair utilities can only repair the directory structure, not the HD itself). When this is finished, quit Disk Utility, quit the installer, and restart. Once booted normally, go to Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility and run Repair Permissions.
    Message was edited by: tjk

  • Macbook freezes at boot up ~ just shows folder with question mark :(

    Hi all ~
    We purchased a second hand Macbook. Unfortunately, that means no install disks. I'm hoping someone can help me with the following issue.
    The laptop freezes during boot up and won't turn on. A white screen comes up. It has a grey folder with a question mark. Tried rebooting several times with no luck. I found the reset instructions (Press the control key, the command key, and the power button simultaneously and hold for three seconds to try to restart the computer). When we tried that, the computer makes a loud beep, then freezes again on the white screen.
    Any ideas? I don't know what to do at this point! Would buying upgrade disks help at all?
    Thanks!
    XO ~
    Kandye

    Hi Kandye,
    the seller should have provided the OSX installation disc together with the MacBook.
    Since these are machine-specific discs there isn't much he can do with them without the MacBook.
    Can you ask him if yhe simply forgot to send them ?
    Anyway, the question mark indicates that the MacBook can not find an OSX on the internal harddisk to boot from.
    Whether the harddisk is just completely empty or this is a hardware problem is difficult to diagnose without the OSX discs.
    It is possible to go out and buy yourself some OSX installation discs for either Leopard or Snow Leopard, but if not upgraded the standard size of RAM memory (512KB) is too small for either off them.
    OSX Tiger discs for an Intel-based MAc are nowhere to be found except Apple themselves (if they still have some...).
    regards
    Stefan

  • My MacBook si not booting displaying a folder with question mark

    The very latest development in My Macbook that is not booting, it now displays a gray screen with blinking folder and a question mark inside then it turns off after few minutes.
    It is not responding to any option+C,S,V, shift and I cannot boot from the install CD or diskwarrior.
    Any thoughts??
    Thanks,
    AT

    If DW can't see the hard drive then it does not bode well for the drive. Try booting from the CD and run Disk Utilities from the CD to see if the drive shows up there. I am not optimistic though since usually DW stands a better chance at this than DU.
    If neither DU nor DW work, try using an application such as [Data Rescue II|http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php] or [FileSalvage|http://subrosasoft.com/OSXSoftware/index.php?mainpage=product_info&productsid=1]. Both have free trial versions that let you see if the software will help before you decide to buy. In this regard you can use them as an analytical tool to see if they can see the drive.
    There is also this free tool which supposedly runs on OSX and does recovery of popular media and Office files. [http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download] I have only done a bit of reading about this tool so I really know almost nothing about it - maybe it only works on Intel processor computers.

  • Ipod showed folder with question mark inside

    Hello,
    my ipod has lately shown a folder with a question mark inside of it when it was started (immediately after the apple symbol).
    Now it shows me, after the apple symbol disappears, a line (from one end of the screen to the other).
    I have an ipod which was introduced in 2003. It has 4 buttons below the screen and below that a wheel. It´s a 20GB.
    I would really appreciate it, if some could help me out and give me some advice.

    Hi Mariondsummer,
    Have you checked the suggestions in these Knowledge Base articles?:
    iPod displays a folder icon with an exclamation point
    iPod displays a sad iPod icon
    Also, this post by Mitch, another user here on Apple Discussions, might be worth checking out. It contains a lot of things to try if you get an exclamation point and folder (or a sad iPod icon) on your iPod's screen:
    Mitch 751: Exclamation point and folder and nothing else
    Any success?
    -Kylene

  • MacBook won't start, shows folder with question mark. Hard drive fried?

    Last night, my MacBook was loading the contents of a message board in Firefox. Someone had apparently uploaded 20 mb photos, or something, because my Mac practically froze trying to render the webpage. I left my Mac running for perhaps 45 minutes. When I came back, I noticed the fans were whirring very loudly, and that the bottom of the MacBook (I'm guessing where the hard drive is located) was very hot. When Force Quit didn't work, I decided to manually shut down the computer by pushing the power button. When I turned it back on the computer made high pitch screching sounds (perhaps from the hard drive) and the computer wouldn't start up, only showing a folder with a question mark?
    Is my MacBook fried? I have five years' worth of very important pictures, not to mention all of my other files, stored there and nowhere else. Do you think I can get the files back?

    If you see a flashing question mark when you start your Mac, it's probably because it can't find the system software it needs to start up. Usually, all you have to do to get your Mac back up and running is remind it where its software is.
    See if this helps: http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440
    Also, please backup your data regardless so if you can't retrieve it from the internal hard drive, you don't lose years of info

  • MacBook fails to start, shows folder with question mark or crossed-circle

    My MacBook is only a few months old. It has recently refused to start. The battery is charged, and the power cord is attached. When turned on, it displays the gray screen as well as the apple logo, but not the loading circle. After a minute or two, it switches to either a crossed-circle (such as a no-smoking sign) or a folder with a question mark over it. It seems to cycle through those screens randomly. Has anyone come across this problem before? Any ideas?

    It's not recognizing the hard drive. Boot from your system install DVD, run Disk First Aid from your Disk Utility and repair your permissions.
    -Bmer
    Mac Owners Support Group - Join us @ MacOSG.com
      Mac611 Mobile Mac Support - about.Mac611.com
       iTunes:MacOSG Podcast | YouTube.MacOSG.com
                       An Apple User Group 
    Have an iPhone or iPod touch? Enter Mac611.com in Safari on it for 'mobile Mac support.'

  • Folder with question mark keeps showing on boot screen

    folder with question mark keeps showing on boot screen

    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.
    (120871)

  • Folder with question mark + wont boot from disk

    Hi
    I am trying to reinstall a powermac g5 from the disk, using a old hard drive that works.. (formatted in NTFS) (hoping that when selected to boot from disk, mac will then erase and reformat it)this image is presented when i hold down the option key and the disk ejects this other image is presented when i hold down C (folder with question mark blinking) and the disk ejects... also presented if i boot normally.... Could some help be offered please??????
    Powermac G5
    Thank you in advance

    Yes, you must Format it HFS+ first...
    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.*
    How to format your disks...
    http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html
    (To Install OSX on an IntelMac the Drive it needs the GUID Partitioning scheme mentioned at the bottom.)
    Thanks to Pondini, Formatting,  Partitioning, Verifying,  and  Repairing  Disks...
    http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/DU.html

  • Folder with Question Mark on Boot

    I can't get my mac to boot. Instead I get the gray screen and a folder with question mark icon. I'm guessing the HD is dead? Any chance for recovery? If not how much does a new one cost? The one year warranty just expired!
    Please help!
    Thanks,
    Brian

    So, what is it? The thing froze today and wont reboot - just a gray screen with NOTHING. Then after about 10 min. the flashing question mark folder appears.
    So, I popped in the install DVD that came with the computer, get the little gray Apple logo and it boots from the DVD.
    Launch Disc Utility. The HD appears on the left. Click on it - all of the "Verify" and "Repair" buttons remain grayed out. So what the hxll do I do?
    I cant boot into single-user mode or any other mode for that matter.
    This is a Macbook pro, dual-core Intel, less than a year old.

  • Help please! My macbook air (2015) startup showed a folder with question mark so i tried "Command   R" for internet recovery but after few minutes it stopped and showed error.. Please hepl me!

    Help please! My macbook air (2015) startup showed a folder with question mark so i tried "Command   R" for internet recovery but after few minutes it stopped and showed error.. Please hepl me!

    Startup – Question Mark
    Startup Issues - Resolve
    Startup Issues - Resolve (2)
    Startup Issues - Resolve (3)

Maybe you are looking for