Flashing Question Mark Folder/Apple Logo/Circle w/ line through it

I was restarting my Macbook and got the flashing sequence of a Folder w/ Question Mark in it, the Apple Logo, and the Circle w/ diagonal line though it.
I have disconnected all my peripherals
I have tried starting up holding shift = does the same thing
I have tried starting holding Alt = it shows my Mac HD and an arrow under it to allow you to select it. I select it and it does the same thing.
I have my wife's Macbook here also with Snow Leopard on it. We have just moved, and I do not have my household goods yet, which is where my original startup disks are located.
Is there a way I can put the startup files I need onto an external from my wife's and try to start up from there?
Any help would be appreciated. All my important files I have backed up, so data loss isn't a huge concern, but there is plenty of software and personal settings on everything I would like to retain.

a quick google search for "create bootable OS X CD"
yielded these:
http://lowendmac.com/misc/05/0126.html
https://sourceforge.net/projects/portableosx/
No experience with the products, so cannot say how well they work...

Similar Messages

Flashing Question Mark & Sad Apple Logo

I had my Mac for quite some time and everything seem to be going well until yesterday, when I pressed the power key all it showed was a white screen and the apple logo, I had called Tech and they said i was out of warrenty, but informed me that it would best to load the Mac OS X cd when I loaded and reached the select a destination part I saw my hard drive with an explanation point. she stated this was bad and that i would need to compeltely whipe the hard drive which didnt bother me. I went to Disk Utilities and chose my hards drive clicked options and choose to zero all data, also clicked download OS 9 drives. After waiting for about an hr it was completed, and i gave it a volume and went on with the installation i choose the volume and all seemed well. yet, after the computer rebooted and all i saw was a Flashing Question Mark & Sad Apple Logo. not quite sure what this means but checked other threads and followed some of the advised given to repair this, yet for me it doesn't work, as of now i tried erasing all data again but now it seems i can't set a volume. Not 100% percent sure which OS cd i have i will double check and reply later, I have a powerbook G4. any help would be great.
Mac OS X (10.4.2)

Hi Richard,
I was hoping you'd respond Thanks to the link to S.M.A.R.T reporter, but things have deteriorated since my last post and now it won't boot up at all.
I hit the power button, hear the start-up chime, then nothing but eerie silence and a gray screen.
The lack of noise usually created by a HD spinning up should be obvious that this is indeed a hard drive issue, but I want to make sure I can sound intelligent when throw myself at the guy who replaced the drive.
I tried booting from a 10.3 install cd (holding down 'c' at startup) to run Disc Utility but it won't even do that. I can hear the cd-rom spinning, reading the disc, but after a while it just gives up. In fact, I think if I listen hard enough, I can hear the faintest sound of mocking laughter....
Is this painfully, obviously, a hard drive gone bad?
It's not the end of the world, just very aggravating.

Flashing question mark folder- Mac Help instructions arent working

My computer froze yesterday and when I re-started it, it had the flashing question mark folder.
I tried all of these steps http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440
and these steps http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
I can't get anything to pop up upon start up other than the folder (ie when I hold down the C key with the Instal DVD in it thinks for a minute, spits out the DVD and the folder comes back).
If anyone has any ideas I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm even fine with erasing my hard drive if need be, I just want to get the computer back up and running.

You can go no further unless you're able to boot from your installation DVD. If your machine came with Snow Leopard installed, that would be the gray disc that was in the box. If you upgraded to Snow Leopard, then it would be the retail disc you used to upgrade. No other disc will work.
With the machine powered on, insert the disc. Hold down the power button until it shuts off. Press the power button again to turn it back on, then immediately hold down the C key. Keep holding until you see the Apple logo on the display.
If this procedure doesn't work for you, and you've done everything you say you've done, then you have either a hardware fault or a damaged disc.

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.

Macbook pro flashing question mark folder, won't recognize hard drive

My 2010 macbook pro froze and after restarting I was greeted with a flashing question mark folder. I then restarted again and held down "option" key and went into Mac OS X utilities then into disk utilities. In disk utilities, my only drive options are "superdrive" "disk0" and a subfolder of "disk0" labeled "Mac OS x Base system". My hard drive is no where to be seen. I also tried to install a new hard drive but the same thing happened, the computer could not recognize that there was a hard drive present. What can I do to fix this??

Hi bigdubee,
The exact same thing happened to my 2010 MacBook Pro today. Restarting with the "option" key held down, I get only 2 of the 3 options you listed in disk utilities ("disk0" and a subfolder of "disk0" labeled "Mac OS x Base system".
Did you take your Macbook Pro to the Apple store? And were they able to fix it?

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.

HT201250 Flashing question mark folder

When I turn on my mac book a grey screen appears with a flashing question mark folder.
If I hold down the option key when I turn it on I get place my wifi password in and click on an arrow for Internet recovery.
Once the Internet recovery completes which took about 3 minutes I am then given the option to select my language the taken to the Mac OS X Utilities. There are 4 options:
1. Restore from time machine back up
2.reinstall Mac OS X
3.get help online
4.disk utility
Mac book pro information
Intel core i5
Mac OS X 10.7.5
Hoping someone can help and lead me in the right direction to fixing this!!!
Thank you

First of all, do you have backup of all your data? If not you may want to stop any troubleshooting until you have got that covered for fear of making the situation worse.
Assuming you do have backup, from your first post, where you started in Recovery mode, did you run Disk Utility (option 4) to see if it could discover/fix any problems? If not, open Disk Utility, select Macintosh HD on the left and click on 'repair disk'. If anything gets changed/fixed/altered, click on repair disk again until you get a 'clean pass' and then restart as normal from the Apple menu.

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 on macbook pro startup. PLEASE HELP

I have a MacBook Pro which I think is a 2011 version. When I startup the computer it comes up with the flashing question mark folder. I can't start it up via disc as I do not have the disc that came with the mac :( .

Di you try restarting and booting whilst holding down the command and R keys? Or even the command, option and R keys (assuming that you've a 2011 model)?
Some 2011 models came with discs as they shipped with Snow Leopard. Those that shipped with Lion had no discs. If your machine originally shipped with Snow Leopard, you can call Apple, with the serial number of your MBP handy, and order a set of model-specific discs (cost is, I believe, around $25 with taxes and shipping).
Please 'call back' and let us know if you've tried booting either to your Recovery partition or to Internet Recovery.
Clinton

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.

Intermittent Flashing Question Mark Folder

I've got a iBook g4 that seems to be having an intermittent problem booting. A few months back on boot it came up with a flashing question mark folder. After trying a few things it finally booted OK. For months all was good; until yesterday. The same thing happened again. I tried to boot from an install CD to run disk utility, but the drive didn't show up. After a few attempts I was able to successfully boot in target disk mode. After that it booted OK again. I noted in the log a number of I/O errors which makes me think the hard drive is starting to fail. Anyone have any other thoughts or suggestions?

It looks like things are getting worse. I ran diagnostics and everything passed. Is there a reasonable way to make sure the hard disk is the problem? It now will boot only rarely; sometimes hanging on a gray apple screen, sometimes showing disk I/O error messages in the upper left corner of the display, sometimes showing the question mark folder, and occasionally booting. Replacing the hard drive is reasonable, but I'd like to have a measure of confidence that will fix the problem.

GSoD, flashing question mark folder

Okay, after reading here a bit the suggestions aren't fixing my particular issue. We have a black MacBook running 10.3.
On boot, the GSoD comes up, and then the flashing question mark folder.
Tried putting in the Install CD and pressing at various times S, C, Apple, Shift, and Option. The Option gives a cursor but nothing else.
Pulled the DIMMS, cleaned off a white dust, and then installed them one at a time. No luck.
Wife had reported slowness during the evenings but she attributed that to me being on my computer.
Thoughts?
Leam

Hi Leam,
Are you sure it's running OS X 10.3? Reason I ask, is because the MacBook was released with 10.4.6 (May 2006). So if it's running Panther then the unit was downgraded. Matter of fact, I don't even think you can put 10.3 on an Intel Mac. Not to mention, OS X 10.3 doesn't offer Rosetta support so you wouldn't be able to install Intel applications on the machine.
Regarding the flashing question mark/folder icon, that's indicative of a missing, bootable OS. Which can translate into some of the following scenarios:
1.) The OS is corrupted and needs to be repaired or reinstalled
2.) The OS cannot be located because the HD is failing or has failed
3.) The HD's connection to the logic board has been lost or damaged and thus a proper boot sequence cannot be performed.
I'm unsure where you read about the "S" key on startup, the "C" key makes sense to try and boot off the disc drive. I take it that didn't actually occur, though?
I've seen scenarios where a HD can lock up the system bus and cause boot issues, like you're experiencing. Basically it prevents the optical drive from being accessed, despite valid startup keyboard commands. If you can't boot normally or off the installation disc, the next scenario would be the following:
1.) Remove the HD from the unit, mount it into an external enclosure and attempt to boot from a CD and repair the external HD.
2.) Bring the unit into a service provider / retail store for further diagnostics.

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 update!!!

Yesterday i did an update on my macbook. After the update the system normally starts again, but mine didn't i waited for 20 min and came to the conclusion that i have to hold down the power button. after that i started again and i got a flashing question mark folder. So i took my SSD out ( vertex limited edition) and put my old HDD with snow leopard in to see if i connect the SSD externally if it would show up but it doesn't i took another HDD case but this also didn't work. So i also tried putting my ssd in the macbook of my sister but this also didn't work. I am clueless, i don't know what to do. I still have warranty but i have new data since my last back up and i really would like it back.

I've not seen any other posts about it causing problems, worked fine here. You've tried resetting the PRAM the only other thing you could try is:
Boot holding down Apple/S and don't let go until you see scrolling text.
When that stops and you see a root#: prompt enter
fsck -fy
Let it run through all the checks and repairs.
If it fails first time, at any time, or finds and fixes a fault - run the command again and keep doing so (some fixes can take several passes) until it says "Appears to be OK" then enter
reboot

IMac with flashing Question-Mark Folder

I've read all of the help on the flashing Question-Mark Folder. Nothing has helped. In fact, Disk Utility only finds 'Disk 0' with the base OS X operating system. All of the disk utility buttons are grayed out and at the top on the left of is 'Media' (not disk drive - not formatted?). When I try to recover from the internet and re-install OSX Maverick, it can't find a disk to install on. Does anyone know what happened and can this be fixed?

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

Flashing Question Mark Folder/Apple Logo/Circle w/ line through it

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