Flashing Question Mark on Boot-Up

Any help would be greatly appreciated with a problem I am having.
I have a Mid 2009 2009 MacBook Pro that is showing a flashing question mark against a grey background when I try and start it up.
If i remove the HDD and place it in a USB caddy the system boots and runs just fine but the same drive does not appear in the list of bootable drives (in fact no drives appear)
I have tried with several known good HDDs from other Macs.
I have tried resetting the NVRAM with Command-Option-P-R but each time the same grey screen and flashing question mark remains - no options appear.
I have tried to resting PRAM via Terminal - refuses to recognise command.
I have removed hardware password using System disk.
I have pulled my hair out.
None of the above have worked.
Does anyone have any clues as to anything else I can try?
Many thanks.

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:
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.
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:
Boot From 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.
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.

Similar Messages

Flashing question mark at boot

so it seems my hard drive won't mount... flashing question mark instead of booting.
I've read the discussions, which seem to lead to either a bad HD or logic board...
I've run both disk warrior and tech tool -- both show that the hard drive is okay -- disk warrior re-built the directory, which showed all the data where it was supposed to be... nevertheless, after running both, still the dreaded Q mark
(incidentally, or perhaps not so, all the tech tool tests were passed except the "surface scan"...?)
But the symptoms for a logic board issue that are outlined in these discussions (i.e., bad video or other display issues) were not problems prior to the failure. The only issue that presaged the crash was a recurring error box (over about two days) which i'd never seen before (and the content of which was somewhat cryptic and the text of which, I regret, I can't really recall)... the box was the full width of the screen, and in alarming all caps offered three buttons, side by side, which were in essence a quit option, a re-try, and a third ... sorry, I know that sounds lame, but it's the best I remember on that matter.
wrt that error box, the other salient (or perhaps not) point was that the box remained through a force quit of all apps, and even a relaunch of the finder...
thanks for any insight... for me, a $600 repair bill is simply not in the cards.

The "flashing question mark" at startup is not all that uncommon a topic;
and it usually has some cures depending on exactly what caused it.
Apple Support documents about it are in the online archive and there also
may be some reference to this in a Mac's Help viewer.
"A Flashing Question Mark appears when..."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58042
"...The possible causes and solutions for this symptom appear in the order
that you should try them. If any step resolves the issue, you don't need to
continue to the next one..."
Since you mentioned another screen with dialog box on it, that
may have been related to a "kernel panic" and that is covered
here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106227
With some more general -and lengthy- information about ways of
"kernel panic" resolution does continues over at a different site, here:
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/kernelpanics.html
Sometimes, if you don't see a different dialog box (like you said
you saw, prompting restart, etc) you could go into the System
Preference panel in the OS and be sure your Startup Disk is
selected in the so named panel. Occasionally that can cause
a minor error in which the computer later can't see the boot
volume on the hard drive. - Routine system maintenance helps
to keep on top of system health (and familiarity) ahead of time.

Flashing question mark - wont boot from CD

Hi
I am getting the 'flashing question' mark folder at start up. I am trying to start up from the OS9 CD by holding the c key at start up, but having no success.
Prior to this, I was having a problem mounting CD's (the this disc is unreadable by this computer dialogue box would show), could that be the problem? I was working around that by using my Zip CD Writer to mount CDs to the desktop.
If there is any way to force a computer to recognise the CD other than holding down the c key, or some other solution, I would be grateful if some kind person could get back to me.
cheers.

HI, Prince Busta. Since you can neither start up from a CD using the standard method, nor read CDs in your internal CD-ROM drive after starting up from another source, it seems likely that your internal drive is malfunctioning. The simplest possible explanation for this is that the drive is dirty and needs cleaning. A drive cleaning kit, available for a few dollars wherever audio CDs are sold, might put you back in business quickly and cheaply.
Another key combination to try at Startup is Command-Shift-Option-Delete, but I wouldn't expect that to work if the "c" key doesn't, and if the drive in question is the original one that came in the iMac.
Failing that, check to make sure your CDs themselves are clean and unscratched. Though it may seem unlikely that all of them are so dirty or damaged as to be unreadable in a properly-functioning optical drive, it isn't impossible: my teenage son came very close to demolishing all of an alarmingly large CD collection a few years ago just by never putting any of them away, and padding around his room on a layer of loose CDs (mingled with lots of common trash) for a couple of years. On the upside, when his indoor landfill was finally excavated, his carpet was in better condition than we'd expected: it had been protected from wear and tear by the thick overlying strata of debris. And in the corners of his room where traffic was lightest, he found a few CDs in usable condition that he'd forgotten he owned, which were a pleasure for him (though not for me) to hear again. Fortunately, the iTunes music store has lately enabled him to spend his money on music without acquiring any cumbersome CDs that need to be taken care of. As long as his iPod doesn't get dropped into the sea of laundry on his floor and put through the wash, he probably won't destroy all his music again.
If your CDs are in good shape and cleaning the drive doesn't help, a new drive is probably in order — though replacing one in an original iMac is probably not a sensible investment nowadays. You could replace the iMac for less than a new drive would cost. Perhaps you can find a used one that works and install it yourself without spending much.

Mac Mini Flashing Question Mark

I'm trying to help a friend troubleshoot his Mac Mini. Based on the model number (A1103) it appears to be a late-2005. I've tried the following:
Unplug keyboard and mouse & boot: still boots to flashing question mark
Option boot to try to get to startup manager to select startup manager: boots to restart arrow and right facing arrow; there is no response from clicking on right facing arrow.
Boot to install disk holding C key during startup to get to Disk Utility to repair disk: will not boot to startup disk, instead boots to flashing question mark.
Reset PRAM: no difference.
Anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

There is no valid system for the Mac to boot into. Reinstall Mac OS X.

10.4.3 upgrade & archive install = flashing question mark

I upgraded to 10.4.3 reboot, flashing question mark appears.
Tried everything, PRAM zap, NVRAM reset, pull battery for a day and unplug. Reset PMU.
Tried combo update. Same flashing question mark. Boot from 10.4 DVD repair permissions all the time, repair disk, all is ok. Startup Disk selection to hard drive, see os x, reboot, flashing question mark again.
Reboot + Option, pulls up view, no startup disk shows, except for 10.4 dvd.
Target disk mode startup from another mac, boots up, run startup disk, shows the hard drive, select as startup, reboot, still flashing question mark.
Re-install os 10.4 - install 10.4.2 upgrade, still flashing question mark.
Have a Dual 1.2 G4 gig ethernet, 2gb ram, pulled out all but one ram chip tested booting with every different kind of ram configuration. Still flashing question mark.
QUESTION: Has anyone been able to fix this issue? I see it all over and nothing that really solves it?

i dont have a solution... but what you might want to do is reinstall 10.4.. upgrade to 10.4.2, reinstall everything you need and run yasu or cocktail..
then with carbon copy cloner.. make a backup of your system to another hard drive..
that way when 10.4.4 comes out... you can upgrade with out worrying if something bad happens.. hopefully by then theyll have everything worked out.

I have a PowerMac G4 running ProTools that no longer boots up. All I get is a file folder on the screen with a flashing question mark in it. Ran the Utility disk and all systems passed. Any ideas?

I have a PowerMac G4 running ProTools that no longer boots up. All I get is a file folder on the screen with a flashing question mark in it. Ran the Utility disk and all systems passed. Any ideas?

You need to use the computer's install disks to repair the hard drive or install a new OS.
(58033)

MacBook Pro 13 2010 running Mountain Lion: will not boot and shows a folder with a flashing question mark. Will not start in 'safe mode' i.e holding shift on start up - nor can I call up any utilities with the OSX shortcuts. Any thoughts?

Following an automatic update, the machine wouldn't boot. Screen came on (shows white) - then either showed a 'No-Entry' Sign and a spinning cog, or a folder with a qusetion mark. I tried to start the machine in different modes ( eg. holding shift after the tone ) but nothing worked. after leaving the machine alone for 1 hour. It worked perfectly again. I did a 'verify disk' check which found no problems. 2 hours later it then froze ( In - Photoshop). Could not force quit, so shut down, and have not been able to boot again since (white lit screen - flashing folder with question mark) . I have also taken the hard drive out and checked the connections which seem fine. Any suggestions? - Is the Hard Drive dead. : other info : It was also running parallels 8, with Windows 7. at the time of the update....

This article may help: A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac.

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).

Mac mini (late 2012) when booting shows flashing question mark folder

Hello, so after installing software update to my mac mini *late 2012* it froze for few mins so then I rebooted it and now it wont boot it shows flashing question mark folder, I can't use the boot buttons because it asks me for a frimware password and I dont remember setting one up so how can I fix it .

If you need to reset the firmware PW see:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57542601-263/efi-firmware-protection-locks- down-newer-macs/

Hey, I just installed ML on my OCZ Octane SSD, everything went ok, However, it got stuck while rebooting and now I can only see flashing question mark icon and ML won't boot at all. Only in safe mode...

Hey, I just installed ML on my OCZ Octane SSD, everything went ok, However, it got stuck while rebooting and now I can only see flashing question mark icon and ML won't boot at all. Only in safe mode...

It looks like ocz is aware of the issue and trying to address it via firmware:
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?103700-Mountain-Lion-and- OCZ-Octane-Petrol-and-Octane-S2-SSD-s
It's a shame because apple is clearly the party that changed something.

IBook G3 flashing question mark/won't boot from disc

I recently bought a used iBook, and I knew that the hard drive was bad. No big deal, just replace the HD and reinstall OS X, right? Not quite. I'm still getting the flashing question mark, and the CD won't boot. I reset the PRAM, etc. Still nothing. Held down alt/option at start up. It recognizes that the OS X disc is there, but still won't boot it. It just shows me a smiling computer with a spinning rainbow CD looking thing in the upper left corner. At this point I'm thinking it might be a failed optical drive, or the ribbon might not be seated properly (Entirely possible, since the retard that owned this before obviously took it apart at least once. Half of the screws are missing). Am I correct in this assumption, or is there something else I should be looking for?
Edit: I have 256MB of RAM, a combo drive, and am using a 10.1.3 disc.
Message was edited by: InVenereVeritas

Well, that iMac has a G3 processor and I see it's running OS X, so if you can get the iBook working, that is about what you can expect from it.
There was a later G4 processor (in iBooks and iMacs), and the end of the PowerPC iMacs had a G5 processor in them, but that processor ran too hot for a portable — a main consideration in Apple's decision to switch to Intel processors.
Surfing the web may be a trifle difficult with it, depending somewhat on the speed of your internet connection.
The MacBooks are a phenomenal improvement over the iBooks (even the iBook G4). There's no way around it — the Intel processors are just so much faster. I wince a bit when I hear someone say they're basing a future purchase decision on the performance of such an old model as this. It's simply not an accurate representation of what modern Macs are like.
Comparing Mac OS X 10.2.4 to Mac OS X 10.6.7 is a bit like comparing Windows 98 to Windows 7.

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

Won't boot, flashing question mark on screen

My Power book G4 won't boot up, all it does is give me a small folder icon with as flashing question mark on top of it. any ideas.
It was working fine, doing a capture with FCP 4.5 then it locked up with the spinning ball, I did a force quite, but the whole system needed a reboot, It never rebooted. I need help.

See the link in posting #3 on this thread. I got a "solved" point for it, and have given it as advice before:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5261554

Booting Error: Flashing Question Mark

I was working with iWeb today and then it beachballed like crazy... So I force quit but then that beachballed too. So I just forced a shut down. Let it rest. Turned it back on and then it came up in gray screen. Then with the OS 9 smiley logo and the folder with a flashing question mark. I followed all those steps, did the disk utility, it said it found an error with the Tree Nodes so it repaired them fine. Then I tried to restart, still nothing. I tried the Startup Manager, all it found was the CD, no hard drive... I tried PRAM. I tried it all. I am very annoyed and now frustrated that all my work on iWeb and all my files are going to have to go bye bye if I have to do an Erase and Complete REinstall. Does anyone think that my computer can be "Target Mode" mounted on my other comp. and I can drag the important files over? Help!
PS. even tried, lifting the keyboard latches and pressed the reset button.
Nada...

To save myself time, I'm going to try to answer both your recent posts in this single post:
1. You wrote: "There are two hard drives on the left column of the Disk Utility... "If we're talking about your PowerBook herre, then I think you are confusing hard drives with volumes on hard drives. Let's clarify that first:
In case you do not understand the difference between hard drives and volumes on hard drives, here's an example illustrating the difference (note that a similar example is shown as a screen shot in my previously cited "Resolving Disk, Permission, and Cache Corruption" FAQ):
In the column on the left in Disk Utility, you might see something like this:<pre>38.2 GB IBM-DTLA-307045
Macintosh HD</pre>The first line ("38.2 GB..." whatever) is the disk, the actual hard drive itself, aka the device.
The second, indented line (Macintosh HD) would be your Mac OS X startup disk, aka your boot volume.
Volumes — partitions on a disk — appear indented below the disk on which they reside in Disk Utility.
In Disk Utility, you can select either a volume or a hard drive for verification or repair of either the disk or permissions. However, Repair Permissions can only be used on volumes on which Mac OS X is installed. If you select a drive (vs. a volume) and use Repair Disk on such, it will attempt to repair all volumes (partitions) on that drive.
If your LaCie FireWire drive is not connected and what you are seeing is akin to<pre>xx.xx GB FUJITSU...
No Name item you described</pre>Where the "No Name" item is indented and directly below the Fujitsu line, I suspect that No Name line should read "Macintosh HD" and, as a result of either directory corruption or disk damage, not even the name of the volume can be read.
2. Now, as to the specific errors you are citing: the "Invalid B Tree error" will require "stronger medicine" than Disk Utility. See the "Disk Utility cannot repair the disk" section of my — again — previously cited "Resolving Disk, Permission, and Cache Corruption" FAQ.
3. You wrote: "Will the Archive and Install erase my iWeb files, my iCal files, my TextEdit documents? I need those the most. "If you read my previously-cited "General advice on performing an Archive and Install" FAQ, then you would know that — assuming you follow the steps in the FAQ — that none of your personal data would be lost by performing an Archive and Install. I post links to my FAQs presuming you will read them thoroughly.
However, if the Fujitsu hard drive is the only drive in the affected Mac — and if this problem is with your PowerBook you should only have one drive installed inside the computer — then you cannot perform an Archive and Instal at this time as the directory on the drive is corrupted. The "Invalid B Tree" errors must to be fixed before you attempt to perform an Archive and Install on that drive. Furthermore, it is possible that the directory corruption could have damaged some of your personal files, but you won't know that until you repair the directory, if possible.
4. Later you wrote: "I went to the Apple store at the local mall. The "genius" took a look at my Powerbook and told me that my Logic board has malfunctioned and that it would cost me $400 to fix it."That's entirely possible given the errors you described and the fact that the drive could not be seen even in Target Disk mode. You may have a combination of problems, i.e. bad logic board which also lead to the corrupted drive directory. If the logic board problem is intermittent, one pass of the Apple Hardware Test might not catch it. Running the hardware test in Loop Mode overnight, again as stated in my previously-cited "Apple Hardware Test" FAQ is a good way to check for intermittent problems.
I don't regard the price you were quoted as unreasonable for a new logic board, and certainly cheaper than a new Mac. You may be able to shop around for a lower price, but then there's the time vs. money tradeoff in doing so.
I can neither confirm nor deny as to if the advice given at the "Genius Bar" was correct: they were able to examine your computer, whereas I can only provide advise based on what you report.
5. Then you wrote: "is there a way for me to take out my hard drive and put it in a G5 or another computer or ext. HD that way I can transfer all my data? Any suggestions?"Yes. You will probably find instructions for removing the hard drive on the Apple Do-It-Yourself Parts & Service page. You will need to know the specific model of your PB G4 15-Inch Titanium. The AppleCare Knowledge Base document "PowerBook G4 Computers: How to Identify Different Models" can help you identify the specific model of PowerBook G4 you have. Knowing the processor type in your PowerBook would also help.
You'd also need a FireWire enclosure for the type of drive in your PowerBook, again assuming that's the computer in question here (you mentioned a G5). AFAIK, most laptops have 2.5" hard drives vs. the 3.5" drives normally found in desktops: those are the dimensions of the platters within the drive, not the drive itself. Based on what I read here, which I believe would apply to your Mac, you'd probably need a FireWire enclosure for a 2.5" drive such as shown here. You should confirm that before purchasing an enclosure: I don't have a PowerBook.
I've bought both FireWire drives and enclosures from OWC and have always been pleased with their products. Assuming a 2.5-inch enclosure is correct, I'd recommend one of their "On The Go" products.
However, you're still going to be faced with the issue of attempting to repair the directory on the drive, as discussed in point 2 above. If the directory cannot be repaired, then you are going to have to resort to data recovery options, as discussed in my "Data Recovery" FAQ.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

No Boot: Flashing Question Mark Folder

So I have had this problem before and took it to the apple store, where they fixed it, but now the problem is back again.
When I try to start up the machine, all I get is a folder with a flashing question mark in the middle, as though it does not detect my hard drive.
When I book into the OSX Install DVD, and go to Disk Utility, it does not see the hard drive.
The problem happens when my osx freezes, and I do a hard-shutdown.
I took it to the apple store once, and they fixed it, without losing any data, but I do not want to go back to them, as that takes time out of my day.
Is there anything I can do to fix the issue myself?

Hi nxd,
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
It definitely sounds a bit more serious this time. I'd imagine that last time they just reinstalled the OS and had you on your way. The folder with the question mark indicates that the startup sequence can't find an appropriate boot volume (your HD). From my experience this means one of two things and more often the latter:
1.) Somehow the OS was corrupted and an archive & install is necessary to restore order
2.) The HD has failed and requires either a repartition (followed by an install) or the drive itself has failed and requires a replacement.
The fact that you can't see your HD in Disk Utility off the restore disc is not a good indication. If the OS needed to be reinstalled you'd see the HD here, at the very minimum. The good news, I suppose, is that you can at least boot off the restore disk. I've seen many a failed/failing HDs prevent the system bus from evening reading the optical drive.
With all this being said, I'd really recommend getting the machine to an Authorized Service Center (or Apple Store) and have them take a look at things. The HD may require replacement, which would also result in the very high potential for data loss.

Flashing Question Mark on Boot-Up

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