File folder with question mark inside of it

I have an older MacBook and a couple of days ago upon turning on the Mac a file folder appeared with a question mark inside of it. What does it mean and how do I fix the problem. Thanks

That folder with the question mark icon means that the MacBook can't find the boot directory. That can either mean it can't find the hard drive or the Operating System data on the hard drive is somehow corrupted.
Put your install DVD into the optical drive and reboot. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option key until the Install Disk shows up). That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Choose your language and press the Return key on your keyboard once. It will then present you with an Installation window. Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it. When it comes up is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
If it is then click on the Mac OS partition of your hard drive in the left hand list. Then select the First Aid Tab and run Repair Disk. The Repair Disk button won't be available until you've clicked on the Mac OS partition on your hard drive. If that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions.
If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

Similar Messages

  • Cannot get into mac. I get a white screen and flashing file folder with question mark inside. What can I do?

    2012/13 MacBook Pro froze up, so I did a hard shut down. Now, when I try to start up, it makes 3 unusual beeps, then I get a white screen. After a couple minutes, a flashing file folder with a question mark appears and remains. What is wrong and what can I do to fix it.

    Three beeps usually means a RAM or RAM slots problem. The Question Mark means there is no bootable system found.
    A flashing question mark or globe appears when you start your Mac
    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.
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    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.
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  • MacBook Pro flashes file folder with question mark and startup manager will not run

    My son's MacBook Pro won't boot (gets the flashing file folder with question mark).  When I try to open startup manager (holding "option" key during boot does not do it).  Other posts suggest inserting the install disk, but I am pretty sure that for Lion, there was no disk, it was just off the website through the App Store.  Any further suggestions?

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    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.
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  • I powered up my macbook and there is a file folder with question mark on the screen flashing.  What does that mean?

    Powered up Mac book and screen showing file folder with question mark flashing? 

    A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
    Hope that solves your issue.

  • Restarted and received a blinking file folder with question mark image.

    I left my computer sitting while I was working on homework long enough for the screen saver to come on (I'm not sure exactly how long it was). Earlier in the day, I had to force quit safari and then later it unexpectedly quit several times. While my computer was sitting, it looked like it does when it restarts. I waited until it started to come back up, and instead of coming up to the desktop, it came up with a blinking file folder and question mark. I had not done anything unusual with it, and had not tried to restore it. My dad was working on trying to fix it, and inserted the OS X disk. When the options came up, in the repair feature, the disk could not locate my harddrive. I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this problem, and if so how it was resolved. If anyone had any tips or ideas of things I could try that would be great. I can't really get it to an apple store soon, and I'm a student so my computer is very important to me. Thanks.

    Mornin' John,
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    Possibly, with the MaBook in FW Target Mode
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    http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php
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  • When I start my iMac 2008, appear something like folder with question mark inside

    When I start my iMac 2008, appear something like folder with question mark inside

    Reinstall OS X 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.
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    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.
    If you are running Lion or later:
    Reinstall Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks without erasing 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.
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    OS X Mavericks- Reinstall OS X
    OS X Mountain Lion- Reinstall OS X
    OS X Lion- Reinstall Mac OS X
         Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet
                     if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

  • HELP! Gray Screen & File Folder with Question Mark!

    Hello!
    If anyone can offer suggestions or if you've dealt with this before I would love feedback so that we can fix this problem!
    I recently converted my husband from a PC user to a Mac user (it was a happy day). A little over 1 month ago we bought a brand new 20" iMac and since then everything has gone quite smoothly, he's even said how happy he is with the switch!
    Then yesterday morning as I lay sleeping in the other room a noise similar to dial up internet woke me. I went into the office to find the internet up on the screen of our iMac, Firefox wouldn't shut down so I tried force quitting, but that too did not work. Finally I pushed the power button, and went back to bed.
    A few hours later as I went to check my email I powered on the iMac and got a gray screen. Nervous, I turned if off, and then back on in safe mode. I still got a gray screen but now with a file folder with a question mark inside flashing at me. Thankfully we're within the 1yr. warrenty so we took it back and they're diagnosing the problem....but I'm worried about the outcome.
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    Welcome to Discussions - you have an intel iMac, and this is the PPC G5 forum, but even so, I would first advise you to buy Apple Care before then first year of ownership is up.
    Then, I would remind you that all electronics will fail at some point, but the exact point is unknown and sometimes is much sooner than it should be. It would be interesting to hear from you what the exact failure was, there do not seem to be many reports of intel power supply failures, that seems to have been fixed since the era of the G5s.
    The flashing question mark is usually a sign that the hard drive has failed and drives can fail at any point, yours may simply have some bad sectors; it could also be the logic board and again, they fail, but usually not within the first three years. Your machine may have been defective to begin with, it certainly doesn't sound as if you have been abusing it, so do please let us know what the ultimate diagnosis was.

  • Folder with question mark inside it flashing at startup

    I have my friends MacBook Pro here. When I turn it on I see a flashing folder with a question mark inside of it along with a strange ticking noise. I have tried pretty much everything I could find about it on the net so I have come here to see if anyone of you could help me
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    - pulled out the hard drive and RAM sticks and put them back in.
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    One thing that isn't clear from your post is whether the computer simply flashed up the folder with a ? momentarily and then proceeded to boot, or whther it never moved beyond that point. The following presumes that the problem was of the latter kind.
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    When you say you have "gone into the bios and changed the boot settings" what do you mean? Do you mean that you have played around successfully booting in single user mode or that you have attempted to manually alter something like the boot.efi file? (It is possible to do more harm than good if you don't know what you are doing with such things. Macs don't have the same sort of "bios" as PCs.)
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  • File folder with question mark, file folder with question mark

    Battery died went to turn on computer with adapter plug...
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    That folder with the question mark icon means that the MacBook can't find the boot directory. That can either mean it can't find the hard drive or the Operating System data on the hard drive is somehow corrupted.
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  • File folder with question mark.....

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    OS X version?
    Read here:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440

  • File Folder with Question Mark: Hard Drive Failure?

    I did a search on this topic in these forums, so I think I know what's going on but want to confirm:
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    The flashing question mark is usually a sign that the hard drive has failed and drives can fail at any point, yours may simply have some bad sectors; it could also be the logic board. It should boot from the DiskWarrior disk though. Try again.

  • How do I get rid of file folder with question mark at startup?

    Following a force quit, at startup I get, first the startup audio followed by a profile of a file folder with a question mark on it.

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  • Large file folder with question mark is flashing on screen.

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  • Ipod showed folder with question mark inside

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  • Blinking Folder with Question Mark Inside On Startup

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    Thanks for the link. I got to step 3. I don't understand the rest:
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