Computer frooze - now flashing question mark folder on start up

Help...what is my next step. Tried to look through threads for quick answer. All my manuals are in another place! J

DavidOC suggested to start from the original DVD. What might be a thought is for you to repair permissions / disk from there. You need to go past "Use English as install language". The, from the simplified finder bar, choose "utilities/disk utility".
If it comes back with a descriptor for your harddrive disk (HDD) rather than the name you gave it when OSX was running ok, then you may have a corrupted disk in need of repair. If disk utility "cannot mount" the damaged drive, and you haven't got techtool or diskwarrior, then you might have to reinstall your OS from scratch, I am afraid. If, e.g. the +volume header+ is bad, then the HDD in its existing format cannot be read. Hopefully, you can repair it with disk utility / repair disk permissions.

Similar Messages

  • Flashing Question Mark Folder on Start-up

    I recently starting having administration issues with my Mac Mini.
    I went to update to OS 10.5.7 and when the administrator box came up asking for my password, my name was missing. After putting in the correct information, was unable to update, but received the message what my clue to password was.
    Anyway, I performed a safe startup, changed the password and tried again. Same issue as before. So I started up from the Start Up Disk, and ran Disk Utilities and verified the disk and repaired any permission issues. When I started up my Mac Mini from the hard drive, I still did not have my administrator password working.
    At this point, the start-up ping is gone.
    I reset the Pram and had the same issue. So, I saved all important files to an external hard drive and tried to do a clean install. I was unable to do the clean install.
    I removed the hard drive from my Mac Mini and installed it into a friends Mac Mini. I had complete control of my computer with no administrator password issues, the ping was there, and I could reload all saved items and still not have any issue no matter how I started up the computer. I then performed a complete erase and reinstall and still had no problems.
    I reinstalled the hard drive into my Mac Mini, and I now have the Flashing Question Mark Folder with gray screen on start-up and no ping. Can't fire wire to start up, can't clone, can't start-up from disk, safe mode, etc..
    Any ideas would be helpful. Most likely I will be going to the Apple Store and seeing what they can do.

    generally, the flashing folder mark means it can not find the startup drive.
    if you hear those kind of noises your hard drive is most likely dead. while this is almost certainly true you can try booting from the install DVD and see if the drive is visible in disk utility. if you can't insert the DVD try this. reboot and hold option at the chime. this should boot you into startup drive manager. there you should be able to insert the DVd and choose it as the startup drive. boot from the DVd and once past the language screen start disk utility from the Utilities menu at the top. see if it detects the internal drive. if it does, try repairing it. if it doesn't the drive is dead.

  • Flashing question mark folder at start, broken CD drive, warranty Q's.

    Hello! Thanks for reading.
    Okay, so here's the background: I was just chilling around the house yesterday with my macbook, and it freezes, with no response from the touchpad or keyboard. I figure no problem, and just turn it off and on again. And then thats when I got the flashing question mark folder.
    So I hopped on my family's PC to do some research, hoping to be able to fix it myself. Turns out the best way to fix it is to pop in the disk that came with the computer during start up... which I can't do because my disk drive is broken. I also tried other things, like pressing various keys (ctrl + option + p + r, or something like that)... and that didn't work.
    The disk drive broke when I was at school, and as it was finals week, I had no time to get my computer to a genius bar. Then I moved quite a distance (see below), a process which has taken up most of my summer and made me quite busy to the point it has taken my macbook pretty much dying on me to get it to a genius bar. Gah.
    So I guess I have a lot of questions now.
    My computer is JUST a year old, by give or take a week or two.
    I bought my computer from an authorized U.S. reseller in Japan while I was living there (I live in the US now, which I definitely wasn't expecting a year ago)... and no contact from apple came to buy apple care. Is it possible that because of the circumstance under which I bought my computer, that apple may still cover any repair or replacement fees under the warranty?
    Also, I made an appointment at the local genius bar. Will that be free?
    Also, does anybody have any other suggestions about how to get my computer up and running away from the **** that is the question mark folder?
    Much thanks! I appreciate your time.

    You made 2 big mistakes. 1) Apple may or may not contact you about AppleCare (sometimes I've gotten a postcard or email and other times I've not) but it is up to you to buy it before the 1 year mark. 2) whether it was convenient to get the computer repaired at the time or not, you should have contacted Apple to get the issue in the computer. If you didn't, Apple has no reason to believe it happened after the warranty ended.
    You are going to foot the bill for the repairs

  • Flashing question mark folder when start iMac after Time Capsule performed a new back up

    I switched my iMac on after a few days away and I was asked to start a new back up for Time Capsule to enhance the performance of the device (or something along those lines). Clicked the back up now and carried on, having read the process could take a few hours (not surprising because of the amount of data on my computer).
    Left it running overnight and when I came back this morning the computer was off.  Switched it on, saw the apple logo and the progress bar but it didn't move past 25% before I had a message in several languages to turn the computer off (and some script in the top left corner.  From memory I think I saw <panic> in that script but not 100% sure).
    When I switched it back on I had the dreadful flashing question mark so performed steps described in support.apple.com/kb/ts1440 several times and performed a safe Boot.  No results.
    I haven't reinstalled Mac OS X (step 11 in ts1440) as I don't want to erase the hard drive.
    I have plugged the Time Capsule in a MacBook and it seems empty bar 2 very small files so I'm now very worried.  I have some questions:
    1- I'm not a technical person so is this now a case of bringing the iMac and Time Capsule to an Apple shop or call Apple support when they reopen tomorrow Monday?
    2 - Is my data wiped out in the iMac and Time Capsule? If yes is it recoverable - obviously not by me but by an expert?
    3 - what created the problem?  My Lightroom 3 catalog was corrupted 3-4 times over the last few weeks and was surprised that Time Capsule wanted to perform a new back up but everything otherwise was working fine.
    I'm very much looking forward to your help and suggestions.

    You have a couple of options and I also have a suggestion for the future. First is you can try Data Rescue software. You can find it at:
    http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php
    The other is sending the HD out to a professional data recovery service.
    My suggestion though is using a redundant backup system. Many on this forum do just that because a backup (as you have found out) can fail too. What I use is TM and on a separate EHD I created a bootable clone using SuperDuper. You can use SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner for this. I'd recommend reading the following MacWorld articles for backup strategies. I think you'll see a recurring them in them and that is redundancy is wise.
    Backup Plan
    Backup Plan II
    Backup Plan III
    Also it wasn't a virus, you are correct there are none for OS X.
    Good luck on the recovery.

  • Flashing question mark folder on start up, macbook pro. plz help

    Hey folks,
    I know there are threads on this but since I am using my blackberry to write this message I am unable to search the forum.
    Ok. So that's what my macbook pro is doing and its also not letting insert a cd or dvd in the superdrive, seems like it just jammed up. However when I press T on the start up it brings me into a firewire mode? How can I fix my start up issue?
    Secondly I hear the left side of my macbook pro (I think that's where the hard drive is) while the computer starts up I hear it sipping and the noise it makes is like a scratching noise.
    And finaly no idea as to why its over heating?
    Plz help.
    -Joey

    generally, the flashing folder mark means it can not find the startup drive.
    if you hear those kind of noises your hard drive is most likely dead. while this is almost certainly true you can try booting from the install DVD and see if the drive is visible in disk utility. if you can't insert the DVD try this. reboot and hold option at the chime. this should boot you into startup drive manager. there you should be able to insert the DVd and choose it as the startup drive. boot from the DVd and once past the language screen start disk utility from the Utilities menu at the top. see if it detects the internal drive. if it does, try repairing it. if it doesn't the drive is dead.

  • Flashing question mark folder at start up

    My boyfriends Imac has not been running for months now and his birthday is coming up so I want to get it fixed. Before it quit turning on there was a weird clicking noise coming from the fan like a click click click vrrrroooommm.. and it would happen over and over and make all of the applications run slow. Then it turned into starting the computer to a blank screen and a flashing folder with an envelope. We think it is a failed hard drive from reading the message boards and the warranty has expired. Do I still have to get a diagnostic from the store or can I say the hard drive has failed and buy a new one and get the apple store to replace it? Do you think it will be expensive?

    Welcome to Discussions - getting a diagnosis from a Genius at the Apple store is free, and I would suggest doing that before investing in a hard drive. Once you know what the problem is (and it could well be a failed power supply), you can decide whether it is economic to fix it, or perhaps invest in a new machine. Apple will be happy to replace the drive for you, however, you can get good drives much more cheaply at a place like [macsales.com] and then ask a local Apple reseller to install it for you.

  • Flashing question mark folder at start up. Standard solutions do nothing!

    I know this is a common problem, and I have attempted most (if not all) of the usual solutions. Restarting holding various keys, etc. None of them do anything. I either continue to get the flashing folder, or (when rebooting while holding Option) a blank grey screen with just my mouse pointer. Am I out of luck here?

    How to Perform an Archive and Install
    An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
    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, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) 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. Now restart normally.
    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. 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.

  • Hard disk in mums macbook failed, bought a new one, formatted it first. Have tried starting it with every possible key and I either get flashing question mark folder or a cursor.

    Hard disk in mums macbook failed, bought a new one, used sata adapter cable to format it for mac first. Connected it and have tried starting it with every possible key combination and I either get flashing question mark folder or a cursor. A disk is stuck in it so I can't boot from OSX, and yes I have tried every option of starting to try and eject disk but none work. HELP ME!

    Five ways to eject a stuck CD or DVD from the optical drive
    Ejecting the stuck disc can usually be done in one of the following ways:
      1. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the
          left mouse button until the disc ejects.
      2. Press the Eject button on your keyboard.
      3. Click on the Eject button in the menubar.
      4. Press COMMAND-E.
      5. If none of the above work try this: Open the Terminal application in
          your Utilities folder. At the prompt enter or paste the following:
            /usr/bin/drutil eject
    If this fails then try this:
    Boot the computer into Single-user Mode. At the prompt enter the same command as used above. To restart the computer enter "reboot" at the prompt without quotes.
    If you have a 2010 MBP or later, then you can use Internet Recovery. Start by rebooting the computer. At the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION-R keys until a Globe appears in the upper part of the screen. This process can take upwards of 15 minutes to get connected to the Apple network servers. You should eventually see the utility screen of the Recovery HD. You may now go about the process to install Mountain Lion:
    Install Lion/Mountain Lion on a New HDD/SDD
    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.
    Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:
    Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.
    Partition and Format the hard drive:
    1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
    2. After DU loads select your external hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. 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 Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
    Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.
    Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

  • Persistent Flashing Question Mark Folder Icon, after Repair & Rebuild-THX!

    Hello All,
    Thank you in advance for any insights.
    For the past week, one/two days after a force re-boot, my Quicksilver Mac (OSX 10.4.11 and OS 9 Classic) starts up with the dreaded flashing question mark folder.
    The start up disk has always been on "Mac OS X, 10.4.11 on main stuff" ("main stuff" is the name of the hard drive.)
    The first time, I ran DiskWarrior and rebuilt the hard drive, which is kind of new as it was replaced in April 2009. Then I ran OnyX and got a clean bill of health. The Mac was shut down at the end of the day as is my habit via turning off the power strip.
    If it helps, here's part of the DiskWarrior report:
    • 13 files had a directory entry with an incorrect text encoding value that was repaired.
    • 340 files had a damaged extended attribute that was repaired.
    • 3 folders had a directory entry with an incorrect custom icon flag that was repaired.
    • Incorrect values in the Volume Information were repaired.
    Disk Information:
    Files: 370,719
    Folders: 85,161
    Free Space: 92.55 GB
    Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
    Block Size: 4 K
    Disk Sectors: 268,171,472
    Media: WDC WD5000AAKB-00H8A0
    The next day, the flashing question mark folder reappeared. This time I used the original system installer CD (labeled Power Mac G4 OS X Install). Disk Utility made its repairs. And this time, the computer was put to sleep instead.
    In the morning, it woke up, the wireless optical mouse worked for a few seconds, the hard drive is humming along then all of a sudden the arrow (mouse) froze and none of the keys on the keyboard functioned.
    After some research, I deleted the energy saver preference (powermanager.list?) and ran Disk Utility again. And again, I shut down b/c I wasn't going to use the Mac for a day or two.
    This afternoon, the pesky icon reappeared at start up. At first Disk Utility didn't see the hard drive then I restarted and the hard drive was selectable though not mounted. It was repaired and verified yet once again. Btw, when I did hard drive test, the message says something to the effect that it appears to be working properly.
    My question is, might anyone know what's wrong? I've been backing up after every use and I have a laptop. But I love working on the desktop and if this issue can be fixed, that would be perfect.
    As an aside, I've read that I should do a clean install. Would doing a clean install mean I need to re-install OS 9 as well as all other all other software programs-Adobe Creative Suite, Quickbooks, Verizon DSL, printer drivers etc.?
    One final question, can I continue to boot up from the CD, repair then restart or will I damage the computer? Once it restart, everything seems to work normally and well.
    Many, many thanks for reading and any help would be greatly appreciated!
    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Sam

    Disk damage can also affect the startup sequence, but I think what you have already done should have repaired any disk damage, or given you more information.
    Once you have ruled out Disk damage, you get the flashing question mark when your Mac cannot find:
    • the preferred operating System
    • of the preferred version
    • on the preferred startup drive.
    All these items are stored in the parameter RAM, backed up by a 3.6 volt, non-recharging 1/2-AA size battery that lasts three years or so, unless you turn off all power at night.
    If you cannot remember when you last changed that battery, now is a good time. Be sure to reset the PMU/PRAM after installing the new battery.
    Message was edited by: Grant Bennet-Alder

  • How do I fix the GRAY boot-up screen with FLASHING QUESTION-mark FOLDER?

    When I turn on the MacBook Pro laptop, I opened up the Safari Browser and its when the problem started. It was stuck on an loading infinite loop. I decided to force quit the application and/or turn off the mac by the Menu options, It did not work. So I did a "Hard" Shut-down and restarted the Mac, the Boot up screen stood gray for like a minute until the Flashing ? Folder icon showed up!.
    My sister's laptop's warranty is expired so I wonder how can I fix it without having to spend too much money on a simple troubleshooting tip.
    How can I download/create a boot-up Disk/Flash Drive so I can reset it to factory settings?
    I cannot access the laptop because It's kind-of software bricked if you ask me. Also, I do not know how to check the Mac OS version outside of the "About Mac" menu. I do have another Mac which is a desktop computer with a CD drive.
    I would appreciate some expertise on this issue a.s.a.p. Thank you!

    Ok, now I am stuck:
    Why does my Mac boot its OS from the Flash Drive instead of the INTERNAL HARD DRIVE???a
       If I start up my MacBook Pro, It will have the flashing question mark folder UNLESS i plug in the OS-Boot flash drive. When I at the desktop screen and work on a program, When I unplug the Flash drive, THE OS WILL CRASH AS IF I TOOK it's soul (OS x Lion) out of the body (MacBook Pro Laptop)
    this is frustrating because when I did the INTERNET RECOVERY, When I install OS x Lion, the Flash Drive only show up as an option as opposed to the HDD.
    I cannot format the hard-drive in DISK UTILITY because it's grayed out. This is just frustating. I never had problems with PC Windows OS recovery but this (Mac OS).

  • Flashing Question Mark Folder... with a twist

    Hi all, I hope you can help me out.
    A month ago I had some trouble with my MacBook. It would continually freeze, then when I restarted it would show the flashing question mark folder icon. When I booted from the OSX CD it couldn't see any drives to install to. Restting the PRAM eventually fixed the issue, but only temporarily: it kept doing it and eventually it seemed that the hard drive was well and truly dead.
    I took it to my Mac shop and they replaced the hard drive for me as it was still under my Applecare warranty. Things seemed fine for a couple of weeks.
    Then it happened again. Now it seems to have skipped the stage where resetting the PRAM would fix things and has gone straight to the signs of a dead hard drive. I find it hard to believe the replacement drive has died after a couple of weeks. Is there some other issue, such as a faulty motherboard, which could be killing hard drives?
    My MacBook is a Core 2 Duo 2.0, with 2GB of RAM and 200GB hard drive, running the latest version of OSX.

    I had this happen to my MB a few weeks after purchasing it last November. I took it to the Genius Bar at my Apple Store, and the Genius took my HD out to test it, and said that it had completely locked up, and he wasn't able to get it to load on at all, and that it was dead. They sent it away for me, I got it back a couple days later with a brand new HD, and I haven't had a problem since.
    My lesson learned: Backup, Backup, Backup!!! I use Apple's Backup App because it came w/ my .Mac account, but there's plenty of other great Backup Apps out there. Have one or more External HDs set up as backups in case anything happens to your internal, and remember a computer is a computer and sometimes they have problems. However, it does sound like Apple invested in a bad lot of HDs. If it's happening to a lot of people, report it to Apple. There may need to be a recall.

  • G4 17' won't boot, flashing question mark folder with complications

    I'm editing a final cut pro project, due to air on friday at noon and during conversion in compressor to dvd format, final cut quits then the computer freezes up. On a hard restart I get the flashing question mark folder.... i know what that means
    I was able to boot up after a couple of tries from the os 10.4 (tiger) cd and the hard drive shows up but disk utility can't make the repair. This is the error i get:
    booted with the tiger os cd and got to the disk utility. the hard drive does show up with some generic-y looking name. I try to repair the disk and get this error (in red):
    Invalid node structure
    Volume check failed.
    Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
    then it says:
    1 volume could not be repaired because of an error
    g4 powerbook 17" Mac OS X (10.4.9)
    so then i get the bright idea that i will change the startup disk to network drive and try to start from another drive on the network. it tries to find it then goes back to the flashing question mark. I've restarted holding the c key down with the tiger cd back in there and it is spinning but it never reads it.
    any ideas? I REALLY need to salvage this film if possible.
    thanks!!!!!
    donna
    Has anyone seen this before? What is my next step--short of erasing the drive. i really need to get this project off.
    thanks in advance for any and all help!!!!!
    g4 powerbook 17"   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

    i'd try disk warrior except that i cant get it to boot from ANY cd right now EXCEPT apple hardware test. and i have NO idea what to do with that.
    I've tried booting in option mode and all i get is the little restart button and the forward arrow button but NO drive options
    it won't pick up my other laptop in target mode
    i've even put in Norton Utilites 8.x and it won't boot up from that either.
    i've zapped the pram--nothing
    know of any other boot tricks or shortcuts?
    donna

  • Flashing Question Mark Folder--after repair of "Office Database damage"

    I received a dialogue box message reporting "Office Database Damage--would you like to repair?"
    I said "yes" --BIG MISTAKE.
    The machine froze and now on boot-up will only give the dreaded Flashing Question Mark Folder".
    Booting from the Installation CD is possible, however, when running the Disk Utility, no Mac HD appears in the window of drives you may check. Also, if I proceed to try to do a Clean Installation, there is nothing in the window offering any possible Destinations for Installation ...NOTHING.
    When holding the "D" key down and booting from the Install Disk, I am able to run the Hardware Test which shows NO PROBLEM.
    Also, if I try to access the computer as a FireWire harddrive from another MacPB connected via firewire, the only thing that shows up is the Install Disk. No HD shows up.
    So, it seems I have a software problem, but no way to access the HD to do clean install or run any repair of disk permissions, etc.
    ANY IDEAS?????
    MacBook Pro 17, 2GB RAM    

    A friend of mine is having the same problem. This is why I am searching the boards now.
    Anyone have an answer?

  • Flashing Question Mark Folder -  Cannot Eject Disc - Problem Startup

    My Macbook will not start up. I get a flashing question mark folder and will not startup.
    Also, I have a dvd inside that will not eject.
    Any suggestions?

    You will need to reinstall OS X. Try this:
    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.
    If your drive cannot be repaired then you will have to reformat the drive and install OS X from scratch.
    To eject the DVD press CTRL-E while booted from the installer disc or hold the mouse button down while the computer is booting from the installer disc.

  • OS X Insall crashed halfway. Now getting question mark folder on startup

    I was in the process of wiping my wife's old MacBook so that I could give it to my daughter. I inserted my Tiger install disc and proceeded to erase and install (didn't need wife's old data and I wanted the system to be fresh). Unfortunately, the process froze-up halfway and now I cannot start the MacBook. I get the flashing question mark folder.
    I tried repeating the process again, but when the install process begins, it scans the CD for file integrity. When it does this, it says that there's a problem and that the disc needs to be cleaned. I've cleaned it to the point of being able to eat off it, but it's still not working.
    The CD drive in the machine has always been flaky so I'm wondering if it's the drive rather than the disc. Is there a way to install OS X from a firewire drive or another mac tethered to the MacBook? I have a Powerbook, an iMac and a LaCie firewire drive that I could use.
    Thanks for any help!
    .g

    Sure, use either Mac... but it all depends if your old MacBook will boot into Firewire target disk mode.
    If it does just pop in the DVD (in the good DVD drive) and install. I'd suggest a reformat also, under the circumstances.
    To use FireWire target disk mode
    1. Make sure that the target computer is turned off. If you are using a PowerBook or iBook as the target computer, you should also plug in its AC power adapter.
    2. Use a FireWire cable to connect the target computer to a host computer. The host computer does not need to be turned off.
    3. Start up the target computer and immediately press and hold down the T key until the FireWire icon appears. The hard disk of the target computer should become available to the host computer and will likely appear on desktop. (If the target computer is running Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you can also open System Preferences, choose Startup Disk, and click Target Disk Mode. Then restart the computer and it will start up in Target Disk Mode.)
    4. When you are finished copying files, drag the target computer's hard disk icon to the Trash or select Put Away from the File menu (Mac OS 9) or Eject from the File menu (Mac OS X).
    5. Press the target computer's power button to turn it off.
    6. Unplug the FireWire cable.
    If the target computer's hard disk does not become available to the host computer, check the cable connections and restart the host computer.
    -mj
    Message was edited by: macjack

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