Freeze white screen with folder with question mark after updates?

I have updated always my macbook when i have time.Im presently on board the ship trading worlwide.My problem is that i havent back up my files coz i was so confident that it wont happen on Macbook.I sell my Vaio for it.
After reading all the discussions which are similar to my problem.I'm in doubt of what to do either I re-install the whole OS-X or I will have to wait for a Apple specialist to solve this problem?I'm really just a plain user.
After i've done whats stated in the manual this are the messages that pops up:
- need to be repaired ( my hard disk )
- error: the underlying task reported failure on exit.
- 1 HFS volume checked , volume needs repair.
have tried to repair but no success to it.
please help me to save my files.what isa the best thing to do.
I'm in the middle of the ocean.
thanks

Hi albertspeed_66, and a warm welcome to the forums!
You have your install disks with you and used that I guess?
Without a Tiger Disk, try fsck...
To use fsck, you must run it from the command line. Unlike using your mouse to open an application to do something, you'll need to type a text command at the prompt (#) to tell fsck what to do. The Terminal application (/Applications/Utilities) and single-user mode are two examples of command-line interfaces in which you can type such commands. To use fsck:
1. Start up your computer in single-user mode to reach the command line. Hold CMD+s keys down at bootup. Note: If necessary, perform a forced restart as described in the Emergency Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your computer. On desktop computers, you can do this by pressing the reset/interrupt button (if there is one) or holding down the power button for several seconds. On portable computers, simultaneously press the Command-Control-power keys. If your portable computer doesn't restart with this method, you may need to reset the Power Manager.
2. At the command-line prompt, type /sbin/fsck -fy
3. Press Return. fsck will go through five "phases" and then return information about your disk's use and fragmentation. Once it finishes, it'll display this message if no issue is found: ** The volume (nameofvolume) appears to be OK  If fsck found issues and has altered, repaired, or fixed anything, it will display this message: *** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED ***   Important: If this message appears, repeat the fsck command you typed in step 2 until fsck tells you that your volume appears to be OK (first-pass repairs may uncover additional issues, so this is a normal thing to do).
4. When fsck reports that your volume is OK, type reboot at the prompt and then press Return.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then Safe Boot , (holding Shift key down at bootup), off the HD & use Disk Utility from there to Repair Permissions, reboot once more.

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TS1440 iMac freezes, no choice but to hard shutdown, turn back on, white screen with folder and question mark appears

Hi,
so my iMac (it's not the most recent iMac if it makes any difference, and I'm running mountain lion 10.8.3) often freezes and I do a hard shutdown as I cannot force quit the applications or click on the apple in the top left to shut it down. When I come to turn it back on, I'm greeted with a white screen, in the middle of which is the dreaded folder with the flashing question mark in it. I've noticed that just before a freeze occurs, it starts running slowly and if I try going onto Facebook for example, it says that it cannot connect to facebook.com despite the internet connection being fine as I can browse things on Google. I have also noticed that before a freeze, in Finder, in All My Files, no files show. I went through this http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440 and the problem still persists. Sometimes it does load fine if I shut it down again but when I eventually open up safari, if I had been on youtube for example, it will reload the page from a few videos before and not the one I was on when it actually froze.
Any help would be hugely appreciated,
Thanks
Side note: When it says I must choose a community in order to post this, it only gives me a choice of 3 which are Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger, v10.5 Leopard, v10.6 Snow leopard, so apologies if this is posted in the wrong place - is there any way to get it moved to the correct place?

Yes,easy fix but difficult to buy,think you can get them from the states (off the top of my head about £15).When you go to the apple store,tell yhem what you suspect and they will test if it is the cable or if its the hard drive,dosn't take that long and it's free.If you know what to do you can take the back off and with strong magnifying glass you might be able to see the fray look at the bend of the cable.

I have a grey screen with folder and question mark-why?

When I turn my computer on I see a grey screen with a folder and question mark over it. The folder and question mark are blinking then a couple minutes later the screen turns black. Help please!

Kfrost5792,
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Imac boots with folder and question mark

I have been getting messages about a corrupt index on Mail. Although I followed the instructions to rebuild nothing seems to have changed.
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I have been getting messages about a corrupt index on Mail. Although I followed the instructions to rebuild nothing seems to have changed.
I now have a situation whereby on reboot I get a folder with a flashing question mark or just a white screen.
I have tried to reboot from a snow lion disc I have; it spins up but I just get a white screen.
Is the HD faulty?
Is there any way I can boot to check status. I read about holding down the option key or CMD+R but this does not appear to have any impact.

White Screen, Grey Folder with Question Mark and no USB

Hello
I have a iMac, that is in a classroom of similar machines, they are running os v 10.4.6 (ish).
The mac in question had been reported with a fault so i went along to check it and this was a new fault for me.
When the mac boots, it bongs the hdd starts up and then a black white screen appears after a few minutes this changes to a white screen with a flashing grey folder with a question mark.
now reading on the forums, internet etc. i have found that maybe i should boot to disk. tried this but not disk activity.
next i read to boot into verbose mode at which point i find that the USB ports dont seem to be running so i can use a keyboard.
Anyone any ideas how i can troubleshoot this problem or why the problem occurred in the first place?
Thanks for any help offered.

This error indicates either that the internal HD has physical problems, or there is corruption on the drive (a failing directory or corrupt system files). You should boot from the Mac's original installation disk, run Disk Utility from the Utilities menu and do Repair Disk on the internal drive. If this fails to recover the drive, you may have to reinstall the system.
Matt

HT1199 my MAC has white screen with folder and question mark anyone have the same issue?

My mac has a white screen and a file folder with a question mark...anyone else have this issue before?

There are four general causes of this issue:
1. The computer's PRAM no longer contains a valid startup disk setting when there aren't any problems with the disk itself. This can be checked for by pressing the Option key and seeing if the drive appears.
2. The internal drive's directory structure has become damaged. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to perform the repair.
3. Critical system files have been deleted. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to reinstall them.
4. The internal drive has died or become unplugged. This is the most likely case if the computer took a sharp impact or there are unusual sounds coming from the hard drive's location.
(79884)

Macbook stuck on white screen with folder and question mark

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Grey screen on startup with folder and question mark

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Have you tried running repair disk from the install dvd. Follow the article below and see if that helps
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440

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Dreaded Gray screen with Folder and Question Mark (EFI Boot poofs away)

Hey--
I've had trouble with my Imac that I purchasd in 2005 for a year and a half or so. I had a gray screen about a year and a half ago, went on vacation for a week, came back and it booted just fine. Another time it went down, I did a safe boot and it came back. I've tried Command-Option P+R before with some success. I had a boot camp partitioned windows xp drive on there also (I don't know if this matters, but wanted to mention that). I've also tried putting the installation disk in there with no luck (thinking it would find the software on it)
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How to Perform an Archive and Install
An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X 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 Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) 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. Now restart normally.
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. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.
If yours is an Intel model, then I recommend getting Snow Leopard to upgrade OS X, but I would recommend first erasing the drive before installing Snow Leopard.
Upgrade Paths to Snow Leopard, Lion, and/or Mountain Lion
You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99. To access the App Store you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later installed.
Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.
     Snow Leopard General Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
       2. 1GB of memory
       3. 5GB of available disk space
       4. DVD drive for installation
       5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
           fees may apply.
       6. Some features require Apple’s iCloud services; fees and
           terms apply.
Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
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       1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
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       5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Upgrading to Mountain Lion
To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
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         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
     Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
     For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion.

Macbook won't start up, white/grey screen appears folder and question mark.

My macbook was freezing up, so i pressed the power button to shut it down and it won't restart. It just goes to the blank white/grey screen and a picture of a folder with a question mark on it shows up. What should I do?

I am going to try and explain this.
When you purchase a Mac, that machine comes with a license to run the current Mac OS at the time of purchase. The license resides with the computer, not with the installation media. Therefore, if I purchased 3 iMacs, at the exact same time, and they were the same model, I could use the install media from one on any of the other machines (and don't tell me it won't work, because I have done it before). This does not violate the EULA. Do you really think that a company that purchases hundreds or even thousands of computers would keep the install media for each one? The media is not tied to the computer; it's the license for OS X that is bound to the computer. Consider when you purchase a family pack of Mac OS X, you don't get 5 discs, you get 5 licenses, and one disc.
What the EULA is stating, is that you cannot have one license running or installed on two computers. It does not say that you cannot use the same install media on different computers (assuming you have the proper number of licenses). You are also wrong in saying that you can uninstall Mac OS X from one Mac, and then use its restore discs on another computer legally. That is only legal for "Retail" copies of OS X. I believe the restore discs are the equivalent to an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer in the PC world of computing) version of OS X. I am almost positive they are non transferable.

White screen of death w/ question mark folder & cd in drive

Ok, so i left my MacBook running overnight downloading off of Limewire and I woke up to it not responding to anything. A restart left me with the white screen of death and then eventually showed the folder with a question mark. Now i know i can put my installation disk in but there is already a disk in the computer and it will not eject. What do I do?

ok, i finally reset some pmv...thing. i forget the name. anyways, the disk came out, and i have the question mark folder to deal with now. only catch, the install disk is at home & i'm at school. anyway to deal with this without a disk?
p.s. thank you for getting back to me so soon.
Message was edited by: joshalo3

TS3742 Imac running snow leopard starts up with folder and question mark

My Imac on start up shows an icon with a questionmark inside a folder. What can I try to fix it myself?

Thank you for your assistance. Very much appreciated. I was able to install the snow leopard Install dvd holding down C but the repair facility was not available. I have time capsule and a WD my passport external drive and was able to copy to the external hard drive.
It took around five hours to download but my imac is now firing up okay, but I don't actually know if it is now only working from the external HD. Sound gobblygook, but I am not expereienced in this field of repairs.
Can I now disconnect the extra external HD or not ? Thank you

What does a white screen with a file folder and question mark indicate?

what does a white screen with a file folder and question mark indicate upon start up?

That the computer can't find a useable boot volume.
Boot from your grey installer DVD disc 1 (hold down the C key on startup or hold down Alt/option on start and choose the installer disc).
OK the language page (if present). From the installer screen, go to the menu bar and choose Disk Utility; depending on the OS version it may be in the Utilities menu or Tools menu.
In DU, select your internal drive in the sidebar (the top item with the makers name and serial no.). Run Repair Disk (not Disk permissions). If problems are reported as repaired, run it again until you get a message in green "the volume seems to be OK".
If it says it can't repair the disc, you may need heavier guns such as DiskWarrior or TechTool to attempt a rescue.
Hope you have backups; retrieving data from adead drive can be expensive and tricky.

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.
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Freeze white screen with folder with question mark after updates?

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