Flashing Question Mark ? on small folder icon at start up... nothing else

I have tried following...
Start up while holding shift key
Inserting install CD while holding C key
Unplugging power cord.
Pressing reset button while holding Option, R and P keys
Im still getting flashing ? mark at start up. I tried running Disk Aid Repair and found this..
Mount Check found serious problems
Volume Bit Map needs minor repair, 4, 547
Volume Header needs minor repair 1, 0
Also when I inserted the Software CD and tried to re-install in kept asking me if I wanted to Initialize disc, but this action would erase the disc, so I choose to cancel. So I don't know how to re-install the software from the CD ??
There is also a Software Restore CD and a Hardware Test CD, which I have both tried to use, but the Software Restore CD did not actually allow me to click on the " restore" button after choosing from the 3 options.
When I tried to copy or duplicate or make an alias of the System Folder from the Software Install CD, it said I could not because the Disc Is Locked ? I was hoping the System Folder is the problem and that if I dragged a copy onto the desk top it would be there when I re-started the computer, but I can't et that to happen... So where do I go from here ?
So far... not a good Christmas. Thanks Eric OS 9.1
G3 500MHz 20GB CDRW Slot Loading Inidgo, early 2001 with 576 extra ram

Hi, Eric -
When I tried to copy or duplicate or make an alias of the System Folder from the Software Install CD, it said I could not because the Disc Is Locked ? I was hoping the System Folder is the problem and that if I dragged a copy onto the desk top it would be there when I re-started the computer, but I can't et that to happen...
The 'disk is locked' message is referring to the CD itself - since an OS Install (or Restore) CD can not be altered in any way short of destroying it, it is treated by the OS as if it were a locked disk.
In addition, it would do no good to copy the System Folder from anOS Install or Restore CD to the hard drive - the System Folders on those CDs are specialized, and will work only when on the original media (the CD they are on); they will not be able to boot a Mac when copied to a hard drive.
More importantly, apparently your hard drive has suffered some kind of damage, as Tom has suggested. This damage has made it unreadable in its present state - hence the offer by the OS or installer on the CD to re-initialize the drive. When the OS recognizes the presence of a drive but can not read it sufficiently to mount it, it assumes it is an un-initialized volume and so offers to do that.
With luck, it will be a matter of nothing more than directory damage, which Alsoft's DiskWarrior should be able to repair. You should be able to find DiskWarrior at most any outlet which handles Mac software. If you're in or near a large city, there should be several such, perhaps including an Apple Store. If you're in a remote small town (like I am), there may be no outlet close by which carries it.
You would not be able to use a downloaded version of DiskWarrior - since the machine would need to be booted to a drive other than the one being repaired (usually this means booting to a CD), where would you put DiskWarrior?
There is also another possible problem with DiskWarrior - the current versions of DiskWarrior, v. 4.x, come on CDs which boot only to OSX. If the firmware on your iMac G3 has not been updated to the current version, then you should not boot your machine to that disk (or to any disk which boots to OSX).
The solution is to locate an older version of DiskWarrior - ideally v. 2.1 or v. 2.1.1. Those versions noot to OS 9.2.x, and are safe for use on an iMac which has not had its firmware updated.
Alternatively, if you have a Zip drive available, you can get a copy of DiskWarrior v. 3.x. The 3.x versions of DiskWarrior include a copy of DiskWarrior v. 2.1.1, which can be copied to a Zip disk. You can then boot the iMac to an OS Install CD and run DiskWarrior from the Zip disk. Of course, you would need to use another Mac to copy DiskWarrior to the Zip disk.
A clarification -
Does your iMac boot at all to the hard drive? That is, if you wait long enough, does the flashing questionmark eventually disapper and the machine boot to an OS on the hard drive?

Similar Messages

How to fix the " flashing question mark after the finder icon when starting up" withou an apple keyboard?

Hi
I am wondering How to fix the " flashing question mark after the finder icon when starting up" without an apple keyboard. I have 2 of those .7Ghz emacs so just wanna fix them
Thx

Hi,
>I am using a wireless standard keyboard so maybe the emac doesn't regognise it
Installation of driver software may be required. Do not expect any wireless device to automatically work with a Mac unless guaranteed to do so. In a case like this, use a wired USB keyboard (a PC keyboard should be OK) and a wired mouse to begin with.
>I have installed Ubuntu 13.00 on the HDD from another computer.
Is it a version for PowerPC?
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCFAQ
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCDownloads
>a list of eMac hotkey's that can be used before OS boot from a standard Windows keyboard?
Could the following article be of interest?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970299
If/when starting from a bootable CD, press and hold the C key.
Jan

Gray screen with flashing question mark inside a folder icon

Screen was unresponsive, cursor would move, but nothing else. Turned power off, turned power back on, now has a gray screen with a folder icon and flashing question mark in it. any ideas to correct or should i take it to Best Buy for service ( Geek squad) ?

Before taking it in for service, I'd folllow this article. Although it's possible it's a drive issue, it's equally likely to be something else. That article walks you through steps to fix it if it's not the drive.
Note: For the archive & install, if you're on 10.6, follow the disk instructions, if you're on 10.7 or later, you'll want to boot into the recovery partition. To do that, just boot the computer while holding down the Command+R button. No need for disks.
Regards,
Gnomish8

Flashing Question Mark in a Folder

Hello All:
I have an iMac 24" (Model A1225; Mid 2007) running 10.7.3. The CPU will rarely boot up and will boot up with the Flashing Question Mark in a folder most of the time. I can start up from a OS DVD (Snow Leopard) or Lion on a Flashdrive, but the HDD will not appear when I attempt a reinstall. I was able to boot up once from my Lion Flashdrive and reinstall 10.7.3 with a normal restart. The HDD checkout fine using disk utility and I repaired my disk permissions. The CPU seemed fine and this morning the Flashing Question Mark is back.
I can start up the Target disk mode and I will see the FireWire icon, but the HDD will not appear on the desktop of the host CPU. I have a new iMac on order, but do you think it is wise to pull my data from the HDD via the Target disk mode or my Time Capsule? I guess I am not sure if it is the logic board or a bad HD.
Thanks in advance,
Irv

It sounds more like a failing drive or a drive in need of repair. Have you tried repairing it?
Repair the Hard Drive - Lion
Boot from your Lion Recovery HD. 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, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
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.
If the drive is repairable then you will need to reinstall Lion:
Reinstalling 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. Alterhatively, 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 Lion: Select Reinstall Lion and click on the Continue button.
Note: You can also re-download the Lion installer by opening the App Store application. Hold down the OPTION key and click on the Purchases icon in the toolbar. You should now see an active Install button to the right of your Lion purchase entry. There are situations in which this will not work. For example, if you are already booted into the Lion you originally purchased with your Apple ID or if an instance of the Lion installer is located anywhere on your computer.
If none of this works then I would definitely backup your data, but not with Time Machine. I would make a backup to a separate drive, not the Time Capsule, using Carbon Copy Cloner.

HT1752 I have a Power PC G4 tower and start up is not going to OS, I'm getting a question mark in a folder icon. What do I do?

I have a Power PC G4 tower and start up is not going to OS, I'm getting a question mark in a folder icon. What do I do?

Is OS X installed?
Try a Startup Manager boot. Hold Option while starting.
Try a Safe Mode boot. Hold Shift while starting.
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
If the PRAM battery is old, the system can lose it's mind.
Reset the PRAM.
resetting the PRAM - Support - Apple

I,m getting a flashing question mark in a folder on startup

When i started up earlier i verified disk and it said i should restart and hold command and r and then repair disk using disk utility which i did and then restarted using the usual startup disk. Since then every time i turn my imac mid 2011 on 10.9.4 mavs on i get a flashing question mark in a folder. I have over 800 gb of movies id like to transfer to ext hard drive before i try anything else preferably...ive read online reinstalling the osx may wipe everything so i thought id ask the experts before trying anything else.

OK, this is a little different then we started out trying to solve...the erasing of swap and other files has damaged the Mac OS X pretty seriously since we don't know all of what was removed.
If you have the Seagate external drive and it has not been formatted, and you want it to be a Mac OS X drive, attach the Seagate, restart holding the Command and R keys, go to Utilities and open Disk Utility. When that opens, select the Seagate from the drives shown in the left sidebar of the DU window. In the main window, choose Partition from the buttons across the top, center of the window pane. If you want more than one partition, select how many you want, or just keep the default of one. Name the drive (partition), keep the default format as Mac OS X Extended (Journaled), and the default partition table as GUID. Apply that to erase and format the Seagate drive.
When that is finished, still using Disk Utility, select Restore as the function you want to do. Now drag the internal drive (Macintosh HD, typically) to the Source box in the main window of DU, and drag the name you have given the Seagate external to the Destination box in the main window of DU. Look things over to be sure you have done this correctly, the internal drive contents is the source material and the external drive is where you want to put it...what you are about to do is clone the internal drive to the external drive. If all is correct, Restore.
That will take some time since you have a lot of material to copy. When it is done, you should have an exact copy of your internal drive and its contents, i.e., your movies.
Now that you have an exact copy of your contents, you can do what you need to do with the internal drive, such as erase the drive and reinstall Lion or whatever you want to install. After doing so you can copy your movies back if you want, but DO NOT do a restore as that will mess up the operating system.

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.

Flashing question mark / folder on PM G5. Bad Drive?

Good Thursday;
I ran into a free powerMac G5 2.3 DC a few days ago. The unit would power on but no boot / video output. I found out (via the local mac store) that the original RAM was bad and so they took it out...leaving 6 GB instead of 6.5. They told it it was booting fine and all was good so I picked it up excited....after paying 50 bucks.
I get home and boot it up only to get past the chime to a flashing question mark and a folder icon. After doing some reaserch, I am sure the HD skipped and failed on the way home. This was givin to me remember.... I dont know the original owner from Adam. I called the store and they informed me that the OS cannot find the system to boot the machine....hence the folder in question. I thought I had the original OS recovery DVD but it turns out that the recovery DVD that came with this is OS 9!!. I have a DVD that says OS 9. HA! Its the totally wrong DVD. I tried to boot from the recovery DVD only to find an arrow and a refresh icon...no recovery system icon. I took it out and examined it and sure enough, it says Mac os 9. What a trip.
So now I know why I couldnt get it to boot from the recovery DVD either.
So, MY question is, what would be my next move here? I feel I should just find a retail copy of Leopard somewear and a spare SATA drive. After speaking with the Mac Store specialist, it seems the HD is infact dead and they quoted my a price of another $90 to install a 500 GB HD with Tiger on it IF infact that is the problem...which they even told me they are sure it is.
Whould it work to boot into the retail Leopard DVD and then proceed to install onto the new HD? Is my train of thought correct? I have a fair amount of expertise with newer Mac Pro's running Leopard and Snow Leopard but never had an older unit like this.
Any help would be very appriciated.

The "?" on startup and not able to find a boot volume can also happen with weak battery, or after "zap pram" or the directory is corrupt.
Too bad it won't run 10.6 which would be $29.
A new hard drive like WD Caviar 640GB is a good start.
G5s came with 10.2.7 or later, usually 10.3 for Late 2003 PCI-X.
There should be an Apple Hardware CD 2.x as well as OS X Install CD. DVDs started being used with Tiger 10.4 and above. Restore DVD? never seen one.
Loose cables to hard drive and motherboard do happen.
Booting into Open Firmware would be great, no OS needed, no hard drive or system. And best way to clear nvram/pram.

Flashing question mark on folder at start up...help,please

I powered down after quiting Photoshop CS3 and getting the rainbow beachball. When I powered back on I got a grey screen with a flashing question mark in a folder icon...something I've never seen. Powering off and powering back on doesn't resolve the problem. The opening chime plays, but the flashing folder icon with the question mark reappears. I have a macbook, 2GHz Intel Core Duo, 80 GB HD bought 6/06. Any suggestions or advice. Thanks.

Hello,
I too have this exact problem. This morning i went to jiggle the mouse to bring the screen back from sleep but it wouldnt. I did a hard reset, but kept giving me the flashing question mark folder. I inserted x.5 disc into the drive to do a disk repair, but couldn't find the disk. I've assumed that the HDD is dead so have ordered a new one.
I'm really kicking myself today, as I foolishly turned off Time Machine a couple of days ago as i am shuffling media around. I have learnt my lesson.
However i'll put the Macbook's HDD into an enclosure and see if i can bring it back to life/restore my data.
I'll post my results next week
This is a bit suspicious for a couple people in the same month to have the same problem.
FYI, i am running X.5.1, 80gb, 2gb RAM.

What can I do about a flashing Question Mark?

Yesterday I started up my iMac and the keyboard was not working, so I could not log in. I restarted the computer several times with and without the keyboard and mouse attached, but the mouse was working but not the keyboard. When I finally got in, I ran the Disk Utility and checked the disk Etc. When I restarted the computer I got a flashing Question Mark inside a folder icon.
Since then I have restarted the computer many times and I keep getting the Flashing Question Mark icon.
I tried to start up using the OS X startup disk, but the CD player is not internal, and is plugged into the USB port. The keyboard will not allow me to reset the PRAM, as I can't tell if it is even connected. I have tried several times to restart with and without the keyboard, mouse and external CD/DVD player plugged in.

A flashing question mark 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 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 & Won't Boot

My Mac Mini (Core Duo 1.67) will not boot, which is annoying considering it is under two weeks old.
I get a flashing question mark on a folder icon on startup and it progresses no further.
It does however start from CD unaided (without having to C-poweron).
Apple Hardware Tools (D-poweron) says everything is OK.
The reinstall CD starts and I can get to the part that asks me to install OS X, and/or use the disk checker. Both the installer and disk checker tell me the machine has no hard drive - it just doesn't see a hard drive as present.
Zapping the cmos (alt-command-p-r) didn't help.
I then gave up and handed it to the office IT people. They took the drive out (it appears to be a standard 2.5" 60GB fujitsu SATA hard drive, also used by PC laptops) and shoved it in a PC. The PC detects the drive and can view the contents (via low level disk diagnostic software; Windows XP itself just says "I don't do Mac filesystems, want me to format this for you so I can use it?")
IT guys think it's a drive controller failure, or a loose connection (though they can't see one) or some weird firmware corruption. We can't upgrade the firmware as the mac wont boot and we couldn't find a bootable firmware upgrade CD.
So, is this a "Back to apple" job or is there something we have not done? Also if it does go back to Apple, should I remove the hard drive. As far as we can tell the drive itself is fine and there's confidental data on it.
Thanks,
Sandy
mac mini intel Mac OS X (10.4.7)

... Both the installer and disk checker tell me
the machine has no hard drive - it just doesn't see a
hard drive as present.
All the indications are that the logic board has failed, and after discovering the drive wasn't recognised, your first action should have been to contact Apple since the system is new. Unless your work IT people are Apple authorised, having them open your system and work on it will certainly have endangered your warranty should Apple have any indication that such work was done on it.
I think your best course of action to have this resolved is to contact Apple and explain the symptoms that you see - the flashing question mark at startup, that you are able to boot to a valid CD, but reinstall of MacOS results in an error indicating no hard drive is present. They will likely lead you through a couple of basic troubleshooting steps to confirm that you have a hardware failure that can't be resolved, then advise you on your options which will to some extent depend on where the mini was bought and whether there is an authorised service provider or Apple store in reasonable reach.

PLEASE HELP- flashing question mark in folder

Hi everyone,
last night I was just on my macbook as usual and suddenly it froze, so I turned it off. When i went to turn it back on, all that appeared was a flashing question mark in a folder.
I have tried all the suggestions on this page http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58042 , but none of them worked because it didn't even recognise/find the harddrive in the disk utility section. I don't have apple care ($419 is a lot of money for a student!) but I only bought the macbook about 6 months ago, so it is still within warranty. What should I do now?
Any help is much much appreciated!
Melissa

Melissa,
I just had the same exact problem last night too. I called the apple technical service number and nothing they did helped because the hard drive wasn't found. I even got a fire wire cable and tried to hook my MacBook up to another Mac and tried the target disk mode hoping I could pull off data that I needed, but the other mac couldn't find the disk either. I'm kind of worried about losing some of my data. If you could let me know if you find any solution that would be awesome! I plan on going to the apple store this weekend to get it looked at.
-Michelle

Flashing Question Mark ? on small folder icon at start up... nothing else

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for