Getting a folder icon with a question mark in it when I start up...

Hi Guys
I know this isn't a Logic or music-related question, but I trust you guys so I'm asking it here rather than in one of the other Apple forums...!
Sometimes when I start my 2 month old Mac Pro, I get a folder icon in the middle of the screen, with a question mark in it...
This happens approximately one in ten startups...
Does this mean there's something wrong with my boot hard drive? Or some other kind of problem?
If I switch off and start again, it always starts up fine, but I'd be worried if this might indicate my system hard drive is on the way out!
Any advice?
Cheers and thanks!
Mike

You cannot delete (just try it) the Network Startup icon, and I don't think it is the problem. That question mark folder on startup actually tells you that the Mac cannot find a valid system, so if I were you I'ld run a couple of utilities, repair permissions, perform a surface scan of your boot disk etc.
And post the question on the OS X and the Mac Pro forums too.
The question mark in the network startup icon in the Startup Disk Prefpanel simply means that there is no network startup system. I have the same icon. It is not the problem. However, if for some reason your Mac decides on its own to try and start up from it, it would explain your "where's the system" startup ?-folder.
It could mean a lot of things: something almost broken in your system, or maybe a firmware problem or maybe a disk, or even that your keyboard is defective, and that (for example) the letter C hangs 1 in 10 times, making your Mac look for a Boot CD/DVD that isn't there...
Regards, Erik

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