Bootup after rain storm gets flashing folder icon?!

We had a light rainstorm, so I shut my studio down and disconnected the studio system from the mains. 2 hours later I reconnect the system and boot up the mac... a whirr of the fan and then... grey screen and blinking folder with question mark.. so I try again... same thing again... so I reboot with the alt key and select my HD and it boots up fine... anyone know what the **** could cause that to happen?
Ben C

The following may help: Flashing Question Mark at Startup.
This usually means that critical system files have become corrupted. Most likely you will need to reinstall OS X. You could try the following:
How to Perform an Archive and Install
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
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 Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger.) 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, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) 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. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

Similar Messages

Installed hard drive in bay 2 now get flashing folder icon with ? mark

Mac Pro 1.1, OS x 10.7 - installed storage hard drive in bay 2 now get flashing folder icon with ? mark

found the answer - hold down opt/alt key, reboot, choose drive with os installed. it worked.

Cannot install Leopard! after getting flashing folder icon @ boot-up

Hi, I have a retail version of leopard but not having any luck installing it.
While installing I choose to erase and install option, when it started to install it comes up with a error "The source media you are installing from is damaged. Try istalling from a different copy of the source media or contact the manufacturer for a replacment".
Now when I boot up to try it again, it comes up with a flashing folder error, with ? mark in it.
I have resetted the pram and restored drive but no luck. Any help?

How long into the install process (after you clicked install and it started installing) until you received the error?
* If it had already formatted the hard drive, then the reason you're not able to boot is because all of your previous operating system and data were erased already and you're s@#t up a creek and will have to contact Apple, tell them the steps you took, and request a new Leopard disk.
* If it simply checked the Leopard DVD and it hadn't formatted the drive or started installing, then booting off your original OSX disk (or the disk of the previous operating system you had on there) and going to "Disk Utility > First Aid > verify Disk" will tell you what the issue is. If it has errors, then try using "Repair Disk". If it fails, you're s@#t up a creek and will have to contact Apple, tell them the steps you took, and request a new Leopard disk.
Good Luck!

Flashing folder icon ? mark after upgrade or boot loop.

Hi folks. I upgraded my 2011 Mac Mini 2.3Ghz to Mountain Lion last week and it has been a big disaster. First reboot after install it gave me the flashing folder icon with ? mark. I power cycled and it seemed fine. Next reboot, same thing with the folder blinking. Hard reboots put me into a boot loop eventually. I did a clean install after having problems with that as well and now i'm in the same boat. It has booted normally once or twice but mostly just boot loops. I do have an SSD installed but this was done at an Apple Certified Micro Center and I had absolutely no problems with Lion with multiple installs done. Can I get back to Lion or is this a fix? I have no access to the Lion installer DMG as suggested in many walkthroughs that I have found to build Lion Recovery media and I'm not sure what to do at this point. I DO have the same exact mac mini at work which is thankfully still on Lion if that helps at all and access to the original mac mini but I don't think that helps at this point. I'm really ****** I can tell you that. Help? Thanks.

Can I get back to Lion or is this a fix?
The startup disk may need repairing. Instead of reverting to Lion, use Lion Recovery

Flashing folder icon after Mac mini has been sitting for a few hours

I leave my Mac mini running at time when I leave the office to let it install an update or just cause I forget to close it all down. When I come in the next morning, I have a flashing folder icon waiting for me.
Every single post on the forums talk about this issue at startup. This isn't the case for me; It didn't get shut down. A simple reboot solves it but still an annoying occurrence.
*** Panic Report ***
panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff8021fc1cde): "launchd died\nState at Last Exception:\n\n"@/SourceCache/xnu/xnu-2782.20.48/bsd/kern/kern_exit.c:363
uuid info:
0x7fff668ed000 uuid = <65dccb06-339c-3e25-9702-600a28291d0e>
0x10e9c3000 uuid = <7f885d63-b284-3471-b6e3-172489232c37>
0x10ea13000 uuid = <4396b358-725e-3ec0-bcbb-e4bf75fe1fb0>
RAX: 0x0000000002000001, RBX: 0x0000000000000006, RCX: 0x000000010eb630e8, RDX: 0x0000000000000000
RSP: 0x000000010eb630e8, RBP: 0x000000010eb63190, RSI: 0x000000010eb62f40, RDI: 0x0000000000000001
R8: 0x0000000000000000, R9: 0x000000010ea029f0, R10: 0x00007fff89e77b02, R11: 0x0000000000000206
R12: 0x0000000000000000, R13: 0x00007fff8f4f17e0, R14: 0x000000010eb635d0, R15: 0x000000010eb63790
RFL: 0x0000000000000206, RIP: 0x00007fff89e7595a, CS: 0x0000000000000007, SS: 0x0000000000000023
Thread 0xffffff8030c8e2e0
0x00007fff948d7f4b
0x00007fff948d8068
0x00007fff948d1554
0x00007fff8c009a6c
0x000000010e9f18f7
0x00007fff87a8bc13
0x00007fff87a8e88f
0x00007fff87a9cfe4
0x00007fff8e815637
0x00007fff8e81340d
0x0000000000000000
Thread 0xffffff8030caec50
0x00007fff87a8ea6a
0x0000000000000000
Thread 0xffffff8030cad970
0x000000010e9dac81
0x00007fff87a8bc13
0x00007fff87a8f365
0x00007fff87a90ecc
0x00007fff87a8e6b7
0x00007fff87a9cfe4
0x00007fff8e815637
0x00007fff8e81340d
0x0000000000000000
Thread 0xffffff8030c8de28
0x00007fff87a9c3ad
0x0000000000000000
Thread 0xffffff803289ea78
0x00007fff895ebf1a
0x0000000000000000
0x00007fff668f9455
0x00007fff8b4677b5
0x00007fff948a67e8
0x00007fff8f4f17e0
0x00007fff8f4f3ddf
0x00007fff87a8bc13
0x00007fff87a8ce5e
0x00007fff8f4f20a7
0x000000010e9ee383
0x00007fff87a8bc13
0x00007fff87a8f365
0x00007fff87a90ecc
0x00007fff87a8f154
0x00007fff87a90ecc
0x00007fff87a8e6b7
0x00007fff87a9cfe4
0x00007fff8e815637
0x00007fff8e81340d
0x0000000000000000
Thread 0xffffff80317b82e0
0x00007fff8e81340d
0x0000000000000000
Mac OS version: 14D136
Kernel version: Darwin Kernel Version 14.3.0: Mon Mar 23 11:59:05 PDT 2015; root:xnu-2782.20.48~5/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: 4B3A11F4-77AA-3D27-A22D-81A1BC5B504D
System model name: Macmini6,1 (Mac-031AEE4D24BFF0B1)

Have you tried a PRAM reset?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
Ciao.

Flashing Folder Icon on Screen after updates

So...My MBP is about two months old now. Last night, I downloaded the most recent set of updates, which included a firmware update to regulate fan usage, an Ipod update, a quicktime update, and some other update which I don't remember now. It told me I had to restart my computer, but as I was in the middle of rendering a video file, I figured I would just let that finish before hitting restart. Later that evening, I plugged my Ipod in and the screen suddenly dimmed and a large message popped up saying I needed to restart the computer NOW. My system froze, preventing me from either ejecting my Ipod or quitting the program I was rendering the video file with. But faced with no other choice, I went ahead and powered down the computer and removed my Ipod. I restarted it, and everything seemed to be going normally. I saw the startup screen with the little circular icon "circling" for lack of a better word. It stayed like that for about twenty minutes, which I thought was still perhaps within the bounds of the processing time of a massive firmware and software update. I left the house to get dinner and a movie, and when I returned (about six hours later) it was still stuck on that screen (with the circle still "circling"). This seemed a little extreme to me, so I figured I'd power it down and restart it. This time however, when the computer came back on, it merely displays a flashing folder icon with a question mark. I understand that things have gotten massively tweaked now, so I figure I'll just take my laptop to work and use it as an external hard drive so i can transfer all my files over to my workstation and then just reinstall the OS. However, my computer at work will not recognize it as an external hard drive. Now I'm really concerned because all of my photos from the last six years of my life are on my hard drive (I know, I know, I should have had a backup somewhere else) and I don't want to reformat anything until I get my files off. I have the Apple Care Protection Plan, but I would really like to fix this problem myself without having to send it in to anyone. If I reboot from the install discs, this will erase everything I have on there right now, right? Any suggestions?

Actually...it sounds like your system files have either become corrupt, damaged, or otherwise unusable following a kernel panic. If your office machine isn't an Intel-based Mac, it likely will not see the MBP's hard drive due to the way it is formatted, but another Intel-based Mac should. If you are near an Apple store, take it in and ask the Genius to check for you... If so, you can back up your files before taking the next step (which should fix your machine and NOT hurt your files, but you can never be to careful).
Once that is done (or if you can't) just boot from the Mac OS install DVD that came with your machine and try using the "Repair Disk" option from the main screen... This may fix your problem. If not, you can do an 'archive and install' to install a new version of the OS; this will leave your old OS (and all your files) intact... It is VERY hard to accidentally erase your machine with these tools...
If you still need help, see a Mac Genius at an Apple Store or call Apple Care and ask the technician how to walk you through it.

Mac Mini - Flashing Folder Icon / No boot / Loud fans

I recently got my Mac Mini back after 8 months of it being 'elsewhere' (someone had it, tried to gain access, failed because I have filevault).
When I first got it back yesterday I turned it on, booted and then logged in, noticed no sound, and system was saying there was no sound card. The computer wasn't lagging or freezing whatsoever, so I reset it and still no sound.
I open it up and what do you know, someones opened it (I assume to get to the HDD) and had unclipped the sound card ribbon. Reseated that and put it back together, turn it on and finally a chime, but then nothing, White screen, and fans turn on full blast. I reset it, same thing. Reset it about 10 times, only thing I noticed was half the time my mouse cursor would show and let me move the cursor around.
So I take it apart again, check all connections, restart, same symptoms.
Pull it apart again and try installing 1 RAM chip at a time, same symptoms.
I tried booting it with resetting PRAM, NVRAM, I tried starting holding option, pressing c, everything, and nothing happens! Same symptoms. I tried holding down power for 10 seconds, hear a long beep, then chime, same symptoms!
So I take it apart again, take out hard drive, check connections (all ok), put it back in, same symptoms.
Anyway I got angry so i turned it on and left it doing it's White screen business. Come back 45 minutes later, flashing folder icon with '?'
I reboot, wait 15 again, same folder icon, loud fan, nothing else.
This doesn't make sense, HDD was fine 5 minutes before, no noises at all, no lag, no errors. I didn't touch the hard drive previously to the problem, and now nothing is helping. I've had the hard drive replaced 2 years ago due to near failure, but saved all data by cloning the disk, the HDD isn't old!
I just bought an external HDD enclosure, should arrive soon, and a new HDD, issue is this disk is filevaulted, I'm scared my data is going to be lost for good.
What can I do? I've lost my OS X disc, but judging by the computer being unresponsive to other commands at boot I doubt it would boot a CD anyway.
Please help.
Thanks

Whew, what a bad ride.
Does it also have Firmware password protection in Mac OS X ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352
It would block usage of all the startup keys, like C, N, T, D, CMD+s, CMD+Option+p+r, CMD +v, Option, and Shift, as well as booting from anything but the Hard Drive.
Force Removing Password Protection
1) Add or remove DIMMs to change the total amount of RAM in the computer.
2) Then, the PRAM must be reset 3 times. (Command + Option + P + R).
http://www.securemac.com/openfirmwarepasswordprotection.php
Does it boot to Single User Mode, CMD+s keys at bootup, if so try...
/sbin/fsck -fy
Repeat until it shows no errors fixed.
(Space between fsck AND -fy important).
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214

Help ! Flashing folder icon with question mark when starting up

Hi, I have tried to restore my macbook pro 15 (2012 model with Yosemite OS X) to factory settings and wipe out the hard drive but on restarting it I now just get a blank screen with a flashing folder icon with a question mark on it. Any help/advice anyone I would be very grateful for ! Thanks, Mark

Something didn't install properly.
Try these in order testing your system after each to see if it's back to normal:
1. a. Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
    b. Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
2. Restart the computer in Safe Mode, then restart again, normally. If this doesn't help, then:
     Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the
     COMMAND and R keys until the Utilities 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.
3. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the Utilities 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. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
4. Reinstall Yosemite: Reboot from the Recovery HD. Select Reinstall OS X from the Utilities menu, 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.
5. Reinstall Yosemite from Scratch:
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
How to Clean Install OS X Yosemite
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
            because it is three times faster than wireless.

What does a flashing folder icon with a "?" inside mean?

What does a flashing folder icon with a "?" inside mean?

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 or globe 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:
a. Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
b. Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
c. Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
d. 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.

Startup problem flashing folder icon with a question mark

Hello All,
My macbook (Intel Core Duo) suddenly stopped working. Ater I push the powerbutton, I hear a clicking noise(about 1/second) coming it seems, from the cd-rom drive. Then after about 20 seconds, the clicking noise goes away and I get a flashing folder icon with a question mark (?) in it. And it just sits there for ever. I tried all the troubleshooting tricks mentioned in the user's guide, like taking out the battery and pressing the power key for 5 seconds, pressing command and control keys while pushing the power button e.t.c. I also ran the Apple Hardware Test program and it mentioned there was no problem with hardware. When I try to install the operating system with Mac OS X CD1, I go through the steps and there is no destination volume (my Macintosh HD is not seen) to install on. I appreciate any help on this matter. Thanks a bunch.

Chances are if you do not see your MacBook's HD then your HD has crashed and you will need to contact Apple (or take to an Apple Store or reseller) to have it replaced.
I hope it's still under warranty and I hope you have been backing up to another device.
This happened to me about a month ago and Apple replaced my HD and I had back ups (although I wasn't backing up religiously) so I didn't loose everything. When I picked up my MacBook with it's new HD, I also bought a new firewire external drive and back up nightly.
Good Luck - Call Apple.

IMac G5 won't boot, flashing folder icon, disk not found

Hi fellow Mac users,
My mother's G5 iMac suddenly stopped booting after no significant event. Here is some information :
- When the Mac boots up, I get a flashing folder icon.
- When running the extended Apple Hardware Test (from the original Tiger DVD), I get no error, even the hard drive (Mass Storage) seems to be fine.
- When I boot on the Leopard DVD, the hard drive doesn't show up in disk utility.
I think the hard drive is broken, do you agree or is there something else that I am missing ? I am confused because the test says nothing about the hard drive.
Thank you for your help

@ Klaus1 :
Thanks. I tried but everything is fine on this side, the first three LEDs are On and the last is Off as expected.
But the article is about iMacs that display nothing.
@ mrbear235 :
Pressing cmd+R does nothing. I get a grey screen and the computer eventually reboots after a while.
The computer seems fine appart from the fact that there is no hard drive detected. But shouldn't the Apple Hardware Test say something about it ?

Flashing folder icon on startup. Please help

My laptop won't start properly anymore after i pressed the shut down button when my laptop was running slow. When I started it up I got a flashing folder icon with a question mark.
As of now I can only get into recovery mode by selecting the recover over the internet option.
Inside the recovery mode I ran disk utility and it could not repair the errors
I got errors such as invalid node and missing links
I cannot mount the drive at all
Is there a solution to this, maybe apart from disk warrior?
Many thanks,
David
P.s I have gone in to terminal to run fsck_hsf rf /dev/disk0s2, but that could not repair either

If you are backed up, then you can run Disk Warrior to see if you make it the internal drive readable.
If you aren't backed up, get Prosoft Data Rescue, an external hard drive big enough to handle both your internal drive, and your installed operating system from http://www.macsales.com/
Then boot off the 10.6 installer disc and use the Disk Utility in the installer menus to format the external hard drive to have two partitions, one large enough to have the entirety of the internal drive, and one with at least 20 GB to install 10.6, and install Data Rescue. Once that is done, you can boot off the Data Rescue partition with the Option key at startup, and run Data Rescue to recover the internal drive to the second partition of the external drive.
If neither Disk Warrior works, nor Data Rescue works, it is time to consider how valuable the data is. If it is several thousand dollars worth, it may be worth trying http://www.drivesavers.com/ which will cost that much to try to recover from a "dead" hard drive.
Apple might offer an intermediate cost, though I would check with them how much it is before choosing between one and the other.

Getting flashing folder with ? When starting up

Getting flashing folder with ? When booting up

The flashing folder with a question mark means that your computer can't recognize the hard drive. This could either mean that your hard drive is dead or it just isn't connected to the actual computer.
You can first try pressing the option key immediately after pressing the power button to go into startup manager. There you can choose your startup disk. If it still doesn't work (like it didn't for me) you can check to see if the problem is in the hard drive or the cable by inserting the installation dvd and re-install. Go into disk utlility and If it's unmounted, than the hdd most likely dead. If there's no hard drive icon at all, there's a good chance it's the cable.
Alternatively, you can open up the back, connect the hard drive to a different computer, and test to see if it's working. If it is, than all you only need is a hard drive connector cable ($20-60), but if it isn't then you need to get a new hard drive (about $90~$300)
Honestly, your best bet is to go to the Apple website and schedule an appointment for the genius bar where they'll do all the testing and replacing. It's actually cheaper (and faster) than doing it yourself because they usually don't charge you for a labour fee, and you don't have to wait or pay for shipping if you're ordering the parts online. I got mine replaced for about $20 and it was done in 10 min. If you're replacing the hard drive though, you may want to take the oppurtunity to upgrade to a better hard drive. Here's a guide on how to replace it yourself: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing-MacBook-Pro-13-Inch-Unibody-Late-2011-Har d-Drive/7656/1

MacBook won't start - shows flashing folder icon with question mark

When I attempted a Spotlight search, my MacBook froze. I shut it down, and when I start again I get the sound, the blue screen, and then a flashing folder icon with a question mark. I tried starting with Option pressed down; didn't work, and now I don't even get the flashing folder icon, just the blue screen. Any suggestions?

The flashing folder with question mark means the computer can't find a working OS on the computer. This may mean your hard drive has failed.
Try holding the Shift key while starting up the machine. This puts the machine into Safe Mode.
If you have your install discs, insert Install Disc 1 and start up the computer while holding down the C key. When the Installer has loaded, choose a language. From the Utilities menu, choose *Disk Utility*. Does your hard drive show up here? If so, click on its icon (the one with manufacturer name & capacity, NOT "Macintosh HD"), and then click on the *Repair Disk* button.
If booting in Safe mode doesn't help or you don't have your install discs, you need to bring the computer to an Apple store and have the folks there look. If Disk Utility doesn't list your hard drive, it has very likely failed and will need to be replaced. If your machine is out of warranty, you're better off replacing it yourself, as it's very easy to do.
~Lyssa

What does a white screen with a flashing folder icon with a question mark in it mean?, what does a white screen with a flashing folder icon with a question mark in it mean?

My computer seemed locked up, nothing would open. I had to force quiy everthing. I tried to normally shut it down and it wouldnt shut down. I held the on off power switch. When I tried to turn it back on It stays tuck on the white screen with a flashing folder icon with a question mark in it . Has my hard drive gone bad?

Reboot the computer holding the option key down, you will get a selection of your OS X internal boot drive or the perhaps the disk you stuck in.
You can choose what you can boot into.
If it's the hard drive and it's there, then select that and head to System Preferences and change the startup disk to the hard drive, you shoudl be fine.
If only to disk, then select that and run Disk Utility > Repair, If your drive doesn't appear on the left, it's likely dead.
Repair the drive and reboot holding the Shift key down, see if that fixes things some more and reboot again normally.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents

Bootup after rain storm gets flashing folder icon?!

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