Flashing question mark and file

My mac book is showing a question mark with a file and it is flashing when I turn the computer on, what has happened and what should I do?

There are four general causes of this issue:
1. The computer's PRAM no longer contains a valid startup disk setting when there aren't any problems with the disk itself. This can be checked for by pressing the Option key and seeing if the drive appears.
2. The internal drive's directory structure has become damaged. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to perform the repair.
3. Critical system files have been deleted. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to reinstall them.
4. The internal drive has died or become unplugged. This is the most likely case if the computer took a sharp impact or there are unusual sounds coming from its location.
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G4 displays flashing question mark and blue face at start-up

like the title says, my powerbook refuses to go to the desktop and instead gives me a dark screen and in the center you can just make out a folder icon and on the folder icon flashes a question mark and then that picasso-esque blue smiley face. these two images flash sequentially, one after another.
this started happening about three days ago. the day it started, i got up, checked my email, and then shut the computer down. but then i saw the soft light flashing on the closed laptop that tells me that it is still on. so i figured that i hadn't completed the shut down process all the way. i opened the laptop and almost knocked it off the perch it was on. i grabbed it in time to prevent it from falling, but in the process i mashed some buttons with my thumb. when i turned on the computer, it briefly flashed the desktop and then went dark and started flashing the icons as i described above.
i am in japan right now, so getting ahold of apple in the states is somewhat difficult. any amount of help is very much appreciated. i've already tried a full shutdown by taking the battery out and holding down the power button for 5 seconds, as described on the apple website. this didn't work. i'm not sure which version of OS i have, but i'm pretty sure it is at least 10.0. i got the computer last year right as tiger was coming out.

also, the power icon on the power button is not showing any light, and it wasn't showing any light for a day or so before this event happened.

Flash question mark, and no disk

Hello!
I've got a problem with my Power Mac G5. After a freeze-up, I did a hard reboot, and when it restarted, all that displayed was the 'flashing question mark'.
I read through the support tips. I booted from my install CD, and ran Disk Utility. It couldn't find any partitions on the hard drive, so I reset the PRAM and tried again. Still no luck.
In PC parlance, I would say that my machine has lost its Master Boot Record. I know how to fix this, there. What's the equivalent terminology in Macland? And, what's the tool to fix this?
I'd really like to be able to fix this myself (I'm in IT at a Canadian university, and it would be useful to know this for the machines that are charged to my care), and while I'd prefer a solution that uses free software, I'd be willing to purchase if necessary.
Thanks for your help!
Power Mac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

When doing a hard reboot, my choice is to
boot into Single User Mode, run
/sbin/fsck -fy
run Applejack
Or, use the OPTION key and boot to an alternate (emergency system) drive (FireWire or partition on another drive).
You want to use the latest version of Disk Utility, which would be the fsck command, or 10.4.6 on another drive.
And to have handy a copy of Disk Warrior (and/or TechTool Pro 4.x).
You don't want to use a version of Disk utility from 10.4.2 or older to fix 10.4.3 or later.
Along with resetting PMU, sometimes you need or want to reset nvram from the Open Firmware screen - nvram can be corrupted, or the device tree needs to be rebuilt (adding or changing memory, disk drive, PCI cards).
MacGurus FAQ

Help. iMac flashing question mark, and now power loss at startup.

Hey. I've had some really weird issues with my iMac. It's a 2.8 core 2 extreme aluminium 2007 iMac. It was bought for me at the end of august 2007.
What happened was, I was watching a movie and it started freezing. Everything was so slow. So I turned it off by the mains since it wouldn't shut down. When I tried booting it back up it had the flashing question mark. So I read up on it and tried doing what the apple support website recommended, which was to put the install disc back in and use the disk utility to repair the disk. Except this wouldn't work and it said the hard disk could not be unmounted. So I read up again and apple recommended resetting the PRAM, which I did and then it wouldn't recognise the hard drive AT ALL. But after a few tries of booting up it found it again, I got on disk utility and still said the same thing when I tried to repair. So I repaired the permissions instead and restarted and the computer booted as normal. But then was still very slow and freezing. So I opened disk utility one more time and tried repairing permission, restarted the computer and now when it gets to the apple logo and the loading icon it looses power and goes blank. I've already tried resetting the SMU. it didn't work. Has anybody got ANY clue to what I can do? Is my waranty up? I don't have AppleCare. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

If you have an Intel iMac, it has an SMC not an SMU, so if you used the procedure that says "SMU" on it, you used the one for an iMac G5, which is not an Intel iMac.
Since you did many different things in a somewhat random order, you may want to do the following, even if you did some of it already.
Reset PRAM
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
If that does not help, reset SMC
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1543
which is basically disconnecting ALL cables and power, then reconnecting using a precise procedure. If you have been connecting the power cord to a crowded or old power strip (surge suppressor), try connecting it directly to the wall outlet, at least initially. First, power it up with nothing connected, except for power cord. If that works, add just your keyboard/mouse and use it that way for a while to evaluate how the iMac is working. If all is well, connect your other peripheral (USB/FireWire) devices one by one. If the problem does recur at some point, identify the device added last; it may be faulty or causing some kind of interference.
If the problem remain, even when trying to start up the iMac with nothing but power cord connected, connect just your keyboard/mouse. Insert your Mac OS X installation disc (for the currently installed system) and restart with the C key held down. Sounds like you did this already. You should note if the iMac is running normally when booted off the installation disc. If so, the problem may be your internal drive; it may be faulty. Run Disk Utility from Installer's menu bar, and try to do a +Repair Disk+ again. See if it works any better this time.
You can also try using the Apple Hardware Test, including on your original disc(s)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509

Just got a new mac pro - flashing question mark and more...

I wonder if anyone can help me solve this problem. i just bought a mac pro, turned it on and a flashing question mark blinked on the screen. i got on my mac book to search apple.com for the problem and it said to boot with the install disk and hold the c key. i did all that and now i cannot take out the disk. i'm still unable to select a startup disk either. i currently have a mac g5 and loved it but it is old am really surprised with having this problem. can anyone help?

If it's new and it does that, it's very likely a loose component. If you feel comfortable doing so, open the case, and make sure that the RAM is firmly seated in its sockets and the drive cables firmly connected to the drives and the circuit board. Also check the power cables to the drives.
Depending on how the computer was handled in transit, these things can get jostled loose, and loose RAM or cabling will give you what you observe.
The other possibility is an outright hardware fault. Though rare, there's always hardware that resides in the tail of the service-life bell-curve due to some manufacturing / material defect. Apple is historically excellent about replacing same. You need to contact AppleCare or bring the unit to an Apple store or authorized repair center.

Imac displays flashing question mark and nothing works

Hey everyone, my just the other day i turned off my imac (when it still was working normally) and the day after i turned it back on but all it does is showing me a flashing question mark!
This is what i've tried so far to fix this:
- Hold down option at startup with a snow leopard retail disk in it, nothing appears except the mouse cursor.
- hold down c at startup, nothing happens
- Reset NVRAM
- Hold t at startup, nothing happens
- Hold shift at startup, nothing happens
- Hold command-v at startup, nothing happens
- Hold command-s at startup, nothing happens
How can i fix this?? please help me because i'm going crazy!
Greetz, rutger

Hi, a few days ago I had the same flashing question mark. I had just emptied my trash in iPhoto for the first time, (a few thousand pics), and was browsing in the main photo library when suddenly everything just froze. I left it for awhile, came back and nothing had changed. I switched off using the power button, and when switching on again, the flashing question mark appeared. None of my attempts to reboot worked as it appeared there was no drive to be found.
I have to add that iPhoto would often just quit for apparently no reason, and unexpectedly, having 'encountered a problem'.
I have now been told that my HD is dead, (my iMac only 8 months old), and that i wont be able to retrieve any data (20000 photos that stupidly I hadnt backed up!)
I had too much faith in this product, having only recently converted from Windows, (which was always backed up!), and now feel very disapointed and let down....... this has been a very costly lesson,and one I wont repeat!!
good luck, and I hope you are backed up!
rubeyc

Flashing question mark and folder icon

Hi
I got the dreaded flashing folder/question mark icon a couple of days ago I used a friends computer to read the information in these forums and eventually managed to get my iMac to start up again. I have a very recent Time Machine back up, so am not worried about losing anything. During the numerous re-start attempts I decided to **** with it and do a re-install of the software, but the HD icon wasn't showing up as an option. If thats what I have to do then so be it.
A lot of the posts talked about a Apple Hardware test, which involves a re-start. If I do that I am afraid that I wont be able to start again
Any suggestions about what my best move would be?
Thanks in advance
By the way, what causes this to happens? Is it a hard or soft ware issue?
Message was edited by: Tony Hague

It sounds like you may have an intermittent issue with that hard drive. I would get it replaced--especially if it's under warranty.
Dave M.
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Flashing question mark and finder upon start up of power mac G4

Hi
I recently bought a powermac g4 which had a new un formatted hard drive in, upon turning the computer on it had the flashing finder and question mark.
i tried formatting the drive using my macbook which resulted in, upon turning the computer on a grey screen appeared with the apple logo then white texts behind, stating "panic (CPU O caller) and then alot of other text which ends at the bottom of the screen with panic:we are hanging here
I posted this problem in another question a few days ago and was told i needed disks to boot the computer, due to a intel mac not being able to boot a PPC mac so i bought a copy of snow leopard
so i erased the drive using disk utility, making it un formatted again
But when trying to use the disks i inserted them holding down the C key upon start up
but the computer just has the finder and question mark symbol again
Thank you for your time

If it's the G4 Mirrored Drive Doors (MDD) in your signature, you've done well to get one. If you can live with the noise, they're a real workhorse - they were a real beast 10 years ago. I still have mine, bought from new the day they came out.
So you're going to need either:
the original discs (2 install DVDs and 4 restore CDs, and iMovie2 and AHT, or
Mac OS X 10.3 retail
Mac OS X 10.4 retail
Mac OS X 10.5 retail
If you want OS9 on it you're going to need the original discs. You could head over to the Macintosh Garden forums (use google) and ask there, a lot of MDD owners over there, always looking out for more MDDs to buy and preserve and original discs for them too. There may be someone in your state / region there who may be able to assist with the original discs.
If you want OSX 10.3, 10.4 or 10.5 eBay or similar may be your best bet. A little tip I used for getting the original OS discs when I missed them - individually the discs can be expensive, particularly OSX 10.4 and 10.5 - I buy mine bundled with a Mac when it's sold locally, seems to keep the price down if it's bundled with an old Mac that would have $50 shipping. So I pick up the Mac, keep it and seel the OS if I don't want it, for more than I paid for both. Just perserverence on eBay/ etc.

Not booting from DVD drive | Flashing Question mark and face folder SOS!

Hey there! I am hoping one of you folks can help.
I noticed my iMac running really slow.
I could not find my OS disks, so I bought OS X Leopard
When I tried to boot from DVD it would flash the question/face folder for about 30 seconds then reboot normal. (I was able to install the OS. Just can't boot from the disk in order to run disk utility)
Time got away from me and now my system is REALLY slow...
I went and bought Disk Warrior
Same issue, only my drive spits out that disk. (I can run and burn other disks)
I won't discuss my failed attempts at getting help from the Apple store and by having the geniuses (not) call me. I would rather not pay an arm and a leg to have an approved repair center run the disk utility for me. I've already spent $169 on the OS and $100 on Disk Warrior... PLEASE HELP

I think you are going in a totally wrong direction. Your profile indicates you have Leopard (10.5.X) however I don't believe that what you recently purchased. I think you purchased Snow Leopard (10.6.X), these are two totally different OS's! Unless you got extremely lucky and found someone selling 10.5.x then naturally you would have the problem you did trying to boot from it. My advice is:
1. Look to see what version of OS X you are running (click the Apple in the upper left of this screen and then choose About this Mac) then cross check what version of the OS you recently purchased.
2. If you are running 10.5.x then you will need to call Apple and purchase replacement discs for a nominal charge. Once received you should be able to boot from that disc and run Disk Utility from it.
3. If you are running 10.6.x then re post (with an updated profile) so we can determine what the next step is.
It seems like you don't know what you are doing and in an effort to save money you are probably going to spend more than taking your machine to an Apple Authorized Service Provider.
Regards,
Roger

Not booting from DVD drive | Flashing Question mark and face folder S

Hey there! I am hoping one of you folks can help.
I noticed my iMac running really slow.
I could not find my OS disks, so I bought OS X Leopard
When I tried to boot from DVD it would flash the question/face folder for about 30 seconds then reboot normal. (I was able to install the OS. Just can't boot from the disk in order to run disk utility)
Time got away from me and now my system is REALLY slow...
I went and bought Disk Warrior
Same issue, only my drive spits out that disk. (I can run and burn other disks)
I won't discuss my failed attempts at getting help from the Apple store and by having the geniuses (not) call me. I would rather not pay an arm and a leg to have an approved repair center run the disk utility for me. I've already spent $169 on the OS and $100 on Disk Warrior... PLEASE HELP

Hey,
No, I'm not running Snow Leopard. Running Leopard. 10.5.8
I'm guessing the problem is either with my computer itself, or perhaps the DVD drive. Hard to tell. Maybe even something corrupt in my software?
My problem is:
I desperately need to run a disk utility of some sort, however am not able to make my computer use my OS disk or Disk warrior as a startup disk (either by holding down C, or by assigning it in System Utilities.)
I was hoping someone might have a tip, or trick to get my machine to use one of these disks as the startup disk.
Thanks!

Got the flashing question mark and mac folder on startup.

I've seen other questions on here about it. It happened after the last Safari update. Safari and Quicktime were the last updates I did. I have gone through all of the steps that I've read on here to no avail. (Safe Mode, Holding "x", Reset the PRAM, Checked the PRAM Battery) I tried starting up holding the option key...and no startup disks show up. It wont boot up in single use mode, so I cant try fsck... I ran Disk Utilities from the startup disk and it says my hard drive is not mounted. Is there a way i can mount it? Am i screwed?

It sounds like you have already tried to run Disk Utility so you're now at the stage of trying to rescue your data using the various utilities aBrody mentioned, or trying to repair your directory with Diskwarrior. Some prefer to rescue their files before trying other utilities in case using the repair utilities makes things worse. Rescuing has the downside that you have to have an empty drive to which to rescue items. Some rescue software packages have versions you can try for free which will look at your drive and say if they think they can do anything with it before you buy. The advantage to repair is if it works it will restore your old drive and you don't have to reassemble the whole thing from bits and pieces of rescued files, and repairing doesn't require a second hard drive. You will have to decide on how to approach this. Typically people will try Diskwarrior and if that doesn't work they will go with a rescue package. The big downside is that each software package will set you back $80-$100. (Item for consideration, you can get a backup drive for just over $100 and save yourself a lot of hassle in the future.)
Personally I'd download one of the trial versions and let it have a look. If it can't see things then (and maybe I'm wrong and others will chime in) your chances of getting anything to see the drive are remote.
Oh, there's also a package called Techtool Pro. DW is generally considered premier in repairing directories, but TTP can do some things DW can't. Ideally a person would have TTP, DW and a recue package, but as you're seeing that can add up fast.

Flashing Question mark and Finder Folder at Start UP!

Hi there,
I just installed a new processor with upgraded firmware with mac os 9.1 as my OS. Well I have a start up tone but thats it. I have used a cd to choose which disk I want my computer to start up from but now I only get a start up tone and a gray screen during boot up. I have tried to reset my PRAM more than 4 times and it hasn't done anything. I have also reset the processor but that hasn't done anything either. I don't wish to do a clean installation because I don't want to reinstall my old 450 mhz processor. It would be great if I could have some help. thanks

Hi, DC502. If I understand you correctly, you have been able to boot to a CD with the new processor installed — is that correct? If so, what OS version is on the CD, and is the same version on your hard drive? Does the new processor (what make and speed is it, by the way?) have any minimum OS or hardware requirements, and have you checked to make sure you are meeting them? What firmware update did you apply?
If you aren't able to boot even to a CD, check the processor upgrade to make sure it is solidly seated, not crooked or uneven in its slot. Reset the CUDA after every internal hardware change. Perform all testing with all external devices except monitor, keyboard and mouse disconnected from the computer.
Please post back with further details if these ideas don't help.

G4 Won't Boot Up and Shows The Flashing Question Mark Folder Thing

Ok so I bought a Quicksilver G4 from this guy and he said that he took is info off it and now it won't boot up. So I have a Tiger Disk and I tried the to boot from the disk by pushing C down while it was booting and it still goes to that Flashing Question Mark and Folder thing. What should I do? Should I take it in or is there something I can do without taking it in?

Hi! It should boot from the install disc by holding down the "c" key at startup with the disc already inserted as long as it's a retail disc and not one for another model of computer. If it won't boot from a retail install disc then you have hardware problems. Tom

Flashing question mark at start up (details in post)

Problem: Flashing question mark at startup.
System: iBook G4 running OS X version 10.3.something.
Details: The machine froze on waking up when I opened it last night. I held down the power key to turn it off, then powered it up again and got a flashing question mark superimposed on a small blue folder icon.
Further details:
(1) I tried to start the iBook up in Firewire target mode to copy my data to another machine. Holding down the T key at startup brings up the Firewire screensaver, but the iBook drive does not appear on the host machine's desktop.
(2) I can start the iBook from CD: I cannot find the CDs that came with the machine at the moment, but I can boot from a OS X 10.3 install CD that I have laying around.
(3) The hard drive is not visible to Disk Utility: When I boot from the OS X 10.3 install CD and then start Disk Utility, my hard drive is not visible to Disk Utility.
(4) Zapping PRAM does not help: I held down option-apple-P-R and restarted, letting the iBook chime four times for good measure. I still get the flashing question mark and the hard drive is still not visible to Disk Utility.
(5) The hard drive is visible in single-user mode: I powered down again and held down apple-S while powering up. I am now in single-user mode. My hard drive is visible and all of the files I have inspected seem to be just fine. I have not done anything except cd into various directories, use ls to list the files in the directories, and use cat and more to display the contents of various text files.
Questions: Obviously what I would like is to be up and running as quickly as possible. But more importantly, I don't want to do anything that would muck up the data on my hard drive.
(1) Is there any way to manually back up the data to a removable device while in single-user mode?
(2) I have not done anything with fsck yet. Should I? What are the risks/benefits of using fsck?
(3) Just for curiosity's sake: Why is the hard disk visible in single-user mode but not to Disk Utility?
(4) What are your suggestions for what to do next? I am still in single-user mode and am happy to stay there while I wait for advice.
Thanks,
RJH
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3) OS version 10.3.(something) -- don't remember and can't start up to find out

Here are some troubleshooting guides:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58042
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106464
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=50959
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
The following link is about backup:
http://homepage.mac.com/lee_cullens/Bx3.html
(1) Is there any way to manually back up the data to a removable device while in single-user mode?
Yes. If you have an external backup drive you can copy your files while in single-user mode. There are several available tools you can use: cp, rcp, rsync, and diskutil. These utilities may require knowing the Unix device names and paths. You can use the df command to obtain that information. Use the commandline "man cmd" to obtain the Unix help on the particular "cmd", e.g., man rcp.
(2) I have not done anything with fsck yet. Should I? What are the risks/benefits of using fsck?
Fsck is simply a form of Disk Utility that can repair a startup volume when in single-user mode. One of the above references explains how to use fsck to repair the disk. Note that if fsck returns anything other than "** The volume (nameofvolume) appears to be OK", you should re-run fsck until the preceding message is received. If you re-run fsck more than 5 or 6 times without getting the OK message, then fsck is not able to fully repair the drive.
If you have other disk repair tools like Disk Warrior or TechTool Pro, you should try to repair the drive with them. Both tools can perform repairs that neither Disk Utility nor fsck can.
Of course all the above is contingent on the drive actually being functional. If the drive has failed you may not have any success.

Blank screen flashing question mark/finder, weird sounds

I read some other discussions about the flashing question mark, and restarting the system with the restore disc, which intend to try when I get home, but it is also making clicking sounds. When the power is turned on, it sounds like the disk starts up, but then clicks about 4 times at a slow even meter, then turns off.Then the screen goes black, it swipes blue top to bottom, then the flashing ?/finder over a file folder appears. Is this indicative of anything worse? Also, I tried holding down the option key during start-up, but all I got was an icon with a circle arrow and another with an arrow pointing right. All I got when I clicked on these was an hour glass for a minute then nothing.
Thanks!

Update on the problem: Took the computer to the Apple store and the Mac Genius was very helpful. I got mad for a second when he told me that it is policy for warranty items to be UPS delivered for service, all expenses paid by Apple, if you are 50 miles outside the radius of an Apple store. I specifically asked the Apple care customer service person about this before going to the store, and I was told that they only allowed laptops to be shipped in. They probably prefer to sell me something else to allow that. Back to mac genius: luckily, I brought my external hardrive, something I probably would have been told to do if I had paid for Apple care and was able to talk to someone, which the tech people will install Tiger on, run a disk repair program to try to salvage the data on the harddrive, and then drop to the external. If not, data is lost. Either way the harddrive is indeed kaput and will be replaced under warranty.
I called Apple care again and walked through the whole scenario with a rep (not disclosing the info from the mac genius) and she agreed that if I had bought Apple Care, I would have had to go through the exact same excercise. So, phone support is a rip off - the forum is way better. I will be buying the extended warranty, though, due to obvious fears for future problems. Dollars to donuts the red carpet will get rolled out for the next problem considering I paid up.

Flashing question mark and file

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