Getting prohibitory icon at startup on G3 iBook...

Hi all,
Just picked up a 500mhz iBook for very short money knowing it was troubled. I get the circle/slash on startup. I've tried:
Safe Mode
Verbose Mode
Single-User Mode
Boot from CD
Reset PRAM/NVRAM
Reset PMU
Nothing has worked. Could a bad hard drive cause all this? Bad RAM?? I'm hoping a logic board issue won't cause this, but I'm prepared for anything. I get the startup chime, it takes a LONG time to get to the gray apple and spinning gear screen, then after a couple minutes I get the circle/slash. Any other ideas to try??
Thanks,
Tom

Hi, Tom.
See if anything in this Apple Knowledge Base article helps:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106805
How much RAM is installed?
Do you know which version of the OS is installed? Are you using the correct CD to attempt a boot from it?
A bad hard drive should not keep it from starting up from the CD. Have you tried using _Startup Manager_? Sometimes it will allow you to select the CD for startup when holding down the c key doesn't work.
Good luck.

Similar Messages

  • Getting prohibitory icon on startup. And it won't boot from CD

    I have the late 2010 model 11" Macbook Air.
    OSX crashed last night so I forced the shut down and after restarting it wouldnt boot and i got the prohibitory "Broken Folder" icon. After several attempts to get it to boot from the Snow Leopard Install Disc DVD (I can't find my Macbook Air Restore DVD), it still would not boot into the setup. So I used my iMac's restore DVD to at least get it to boot from disc. After which I used disk utility to format the hard-drive.
    I then restarted trying to boot from my Snow Leopard Install DVD again, but still no luck and I still get the prohibitory "broken folder" icon.
    Am I not able to do fresh installs from my snow leopard install dvd?

    If you have a late 2010 MBA you don't have a DVD you have as USB Flash drive with OS X on it. That is the only current way of booting. If you misplaced the USB Flash drive then you will have to call Apple and they will send you a new one for a nominal cost.  You only need the serial number and a credit card. You cannot use a DVD from another system or an upgrade SL DVD, the ONLY tool that will work is the USB Flash drive.
    In the event you haven't had the chance to read this here is the explanation on what is happening on your system:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1892?viewlocale=en_US
    Roger

  • Getting prohibitory sign at startup. Have tried everything!!!

    Using early 2008 MacBook with 10.6.3. Getting prohibitory sign at startup.  Repaired HD through startup disc.  Still getting sign.  Any last ditch suggestions?

    Do you still have your Snow Leopard install CD?
    If yes, you could try booting from the CD and running Disk Utility > Repair drive, but most likely you will have to install Snow Leopard over your install. While this should not harm your data it's highly advised that you backup first.
    Because you can't boot into your drive, in order to do this you would need a bootable drive. You would need to install OS X on the external drive and boot from that drive. Download SuperDuper and make a clone backup.
    SuperDuper! http://www.shirt-pocket.com/
    You can select to use Disk Utility to erase the internal drive and install OS X. You can use migration to bring over your data from the clone backup.
    If you meet the requirements and your software will run under Mavericks, you might choose this time to make the move.
    Check out your software here:
    App Compatibility Table
    http://roaringapps.com/apps:table
    The two most common app that require updates are Microsoft Office 2004 and Older versions of Adobe CS. No app that requires Rosetta like Apple Works will run under Mavericks.
    OS X Mavericks: System Requirements
    To install Mavericks, you need one of these Macs:
              ▪          iMac (Mid-2007 or later)
              ▪          MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, Late 2008), (13-inch, Early 2009 or later)
              ▪          MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later),
              ▪          MacBook Pro (15-inch or 17-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or later)
              ▪          MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)
              ▪          Mac mini (Early 2009 or later)
              ▪          Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)
              ▪          Xserve (Early 2009)
    Your Mac also needs:
              ▪          OS X Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard v10.6.8 already installed
              ▪          2 GB or more of memory
              ▪          8 GB or more of available space
    Hope this helps!

  • Can't get rid of prohibitory icon no matter what I try

    Every time I try to start up, no matter what technique I use -- 10.3 System disk startup, Command S, x, the darned thing keeps giving me the prohibitory icon. All peripherals are removed.
    It was working fine a few hours ago. What appeared to preceed it was having a problem with Word 2004, which kept freezing on me. I uninstalled and re-installed several times without getting it to work.
    What the heck can I try now?

    Hi marigold
    Have you seen these Apple articles on prohibitory sign/ Start Up difficulties?
    Mac OS X: "Broken folder" icon, prohibitory sign, or kernel panic when computer starts
    Your Mac won't start up
    regards roam

  • Prohibitory icon after upgrading to snow leopoard from leopard

    I have done an upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard on several iMacs a Mac Book and  a Mac Book Pro to prepare for an upgrade to Lion.  The install disk installed 10.6.3.  I then did software update to upgrade the system to 10.6.8.  This went fine on most Macs but on an iMac and the Mac Book Pro I now get the prohibitory icon when I start them up.  I can however start them up in Safe Boot mode by holding the Shift key after the start up chime.  Some times If I start-up in safe boot then shut down and then do a regular startup the Mac will start up.  Then just to be sure things are working I will do a couple of restarts then eventually the prohibitory icon is back.   The problem with trying to troubleshoot this is the inconsistent nature of the problem,  some iMacs upgraded fine, one did not and the MacBook Pro did not.  Sometimes the Macs with the problem will restart, sometimes not.
    I have tried several things.
    Zapping the PRAM,
    Repairing permissions with Disk Utility.
    Removing a login item (a LaCie power button utility)
    Reinstalling Snow Leopard starting up from the Install disk.
    I am now trying to figure out if there is a third party startup item such as a  daemon that is causing the problem.  I am planning to remove some third party daemons from the folder /System/LaunchDaemons.   
    Are there any suggestions as to a process to trouble shoot this?  Is there a way to see at which daemon triggered the problem?  Is there a log file I could look for?
    Is there a reason why the problem is not consistent?  Could this give me a clue as to where to look?
    Any help would be appreciated,  Thanks.
    Martin

    martinJK wrote:
     There are several user accounts on the Macs.  One is an admin account.  Should I name the account set up in the fresh install process after the Admin account and then migrate the other accounts to the Mac with the fresh install?
    Yes, the admin is the first account set up on a fresh install
    Make a folder for each user on the data drive
    Admin
    User 1
    User 2
    User 3
    and drag and drop a copy of each of their
    Documents, Movies, Music, Pictures, (Public and Sites if used)
    into it if they have files.
    When your ready to set up Snow keep this in mind.
    Within the iTunesLibrary file there are pathnames to where the music is located.
    For example
    file://localhost/Users/hummermacjr/Music/iTunes/iTunes%20Music/Music/Enya/A%20day%20without%20rain/03%20only%20time.mp3
    When the iTunes music is returned to each users Music folder after you upgrade to Snow you need to match the pathnames so the playlists are preserved.
    So you need the same user names and same hard drive name (different passwords if you want) or else there could be location issues, not only in iTunes, but perhaps other files that locate other files and import them.
    So in other words you don't want to disturb the order of things as little as possbile.

  • Were can I get a PDF of the manual of iBook Author ?

    were can I get a PDF of the manual of iBook Author ?

    Open the online iBooks Author Help http://help.apple.com/ibooksauthor/mac/1.0/
    Click the Printer icon on the right-side of the title bar
    Select the PDF option and select Save PDF... or Open PDF in Preview
    Voila! You have 73 jaw-dropping pages of how to use iBooks Author.
    Cheers!
    Jim

  • Mac Mini won't get past the apple startup screen

    Hi,
    Just returned from the long weekend and tried to boot up my mac mini. It seems it doesn't want to get past the apple startup screen and the icon on the bottom just keeps spinning.
    Any ideas?
    Thanks

    can you boot into _*safe mode*_ ?
    ( *click on image to enlarge* )
    JGG

  • Prohibitory sign on startup

    Hi all,
    My G5 froze this evening and I had to do a hard shutdown. Ever since then I get the prohibitory sign on startup (a no entry sign on the grey Apple boot screen).
    I've followed Apple's instructions to reset pram and nvram, and replace mach-kernel, but I still can't boot from either of my internal drives, nor the CD drive.
    I've tried the following:
    Boot from HD1 - no entry sign
    Boot from HD2 - no entry sign
    Boot from Tiger DVD - no entry sign
    Unplug HD drives - no entry sign
    Remove 2 of 4 RAM modules - no entry sign
    Unplug all peripherals, including drives, remove all but two sticks of RAM - boots from DVD
    Plug back in drives and peripherals but not RAM - works fine
    Shut down, install RAM - no entry sign
    Now, here's the odd bit. I then took the RAM back out as it should have then allowed me to boot again but it didn't and went to the no entry sign.
    Took out all peripherals, unhooked internal drives - no entry sign.
    Have also removed all ram and pram battery, then started up, shutdown, put it all back, then booted again and still the no entry sign.
    By the way, I've reset the PMU twice during the evening, reset PRAM and NVRAM numerous times.
    Target disk mode works fine so am able to recover data, and disk utility and diskwarrior report few errors, if any.
    Does this point to a major hardware failure somewhere? Can anyone help pin this down?
    Many thanks,
    Justin

    Do you have power? Do your drives spin up when you turn on the computer? If you do then,
    Try the following:
    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 and 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 shutdown the computer for a couple of minutes and then restart normally.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger, and 4.1 for Leopard) and/or TechTool Pro (4.6.1 for Leopard) 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.
    Booting From An OS X Installer Disc
    1. Insert OS X Installer Disc into the optical drive.
    2. Restart the computer.
    3. Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "C" key.
    4. Release the key when the spinning gear below the dark gray Apple logo appears.
    5. Wait for installer to finish loading.
    Message was edited by: Kappy

  • Strange Big Firewire Icon on Startup

    I am on a 24" iMac and I am randomly getting a grey screen with a big scrolling firewire icon on startup. There seems to be a pattern. I start up and the icon appears so I restart hitting the power button (keyboard and mouse don't work) 3 to 4 times and the computer boots. I have no firewire peripherals plugged in. Aaaah, help

    Just to make sure there are no issues with the startup volume and give it a clean bill of health, do a Repair Disk, Repair Permissions and Check for Preference File Corruption.
    Repair Disk: boot from the installation DVD, once past the language selection initial screen, run Disk Utility off the Utilities menu and do Repair Disk. If any errors appear, repeat until none. If unable to get no errors, you will need something stronger, like Disk Warrior.
    Repair Permissions: boot normally, run Disk Utility off the startup volume, do a Repair Permissions. Beware, Leopard takes an awfully long time to finish this. You don't need to repeat.
    Check Preference Files: get a third-party utility such as [Onyx (free)|http://www.titanium.free.fr/pgs/english.html] or [MacPilot (shareware)|http://www.koingosw.com/products/macpilot.php]. If using Onyx, follow the path Verify/Preferences. If using MacPilot, follow the path Tools/Disk & Files/Verify Preferences Files Integrity.
    You can also try purging all caches, user and system. Also, how old is the iMac? Cause the internal backup battery may be dead or dying, causing PRAM corruption.

  • Prohibitory sign on startup + wifi not working

    A few days ago my 2011 MBP refused to boot and froze at a prohibitory sign on startup. I tried SMC resets, PRAM resets etc, but to no avail. Then I've managed to get it to boot a few times, usually after opening it, removing and fiddling about with the HD a little (yes, makes little sense to me too). But now it says Wifi: no hardware installed. I tried renewing the DHCP lease like someone suggested, but that just resulted in Wifi disappearing from the list of network connections...
    Verify disk said the disk seems ok. Verify permissions, however, seems to freeze the system.
    If I restart, it most likely boots into the prohibitory sign again.
    Now I wonder, could these issues be related somehow, the prohibitory sign (points to a faulty HD, I gather) and the Wifi? Or could it be a software issue? I just want to know whether I should replace the HD and wifi or just get a new Mac.
    Also, this is so rare that I have to share: these issues started on the day I was meant to hand in a project I've been working on for a couple of weeks (no backups of course, because why would my 4-yo laptop ever fail me?). But, it happened only after I delivered the project. Ha! And when it did boot again, I managed to do a full backup, including three years of unique family photos. Ha! again. A dark day at the satanic IT department, I expect.

    maho76 wrote:
    The HDD seems to work normally via USB, though it's rather slow. I suppose that could just be a slow USB connection in my very cheap enclosure?
    Exactly, the USB2 connection is the bottle neck.
    I'll see if I can find a replacement SATA cable, I hope it's just that...
    Though not the cheapest alternative, but the Apple store can do this and it should not break the bank.
    Ciao.

  • My macbook pro just gets stuck at grey startup screen

    my macbook pro just gets stuck at grey startup screen

    Reinstall OS X:
    Reinstall Snow Leopard without erasing the drive
    Do the following:
    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 the Combo Updater for the version you prefer from support.apple.com/downloads/.
    OR:
    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. 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: 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.

  • Imac G5 ALS shows grey screen with blinking folder icon on startup

    Helping a friend - her imac G5 got the blinking folder icon with question mark and grey screen and then wouldn't start. She had OS 10.4.11. I booted from install disk successfully- Disk Util said No repairs Necessary. Disk Warrior hung (never had that happen before). Performed Safe Boot. Multiple reboots were all successful.
    But a few days later, it happened again. Then I did a clean install of 10.5 and all software updates. Restored her user folder from a clone I'd made before starting. All seemed well.
    Now, the grey screen with folder question mark still occurs fairly often. If she restarts, she does get booted. (so far anyway)
    My question: what do I need to do to resolve the grey screen with blinking folder icon on startup?
    Additionally, the computer is slower than before. Does Leopard run slower on these machines than Tiger? (I'd already advised her to get more ram)
    Thanks for your help!

    The blinking folder means just that, it can't find an OS to boot to. Tray zapping the PRAM and it wouldn't hurt to run Rember and if the RAM checks out, she might want to add some, 512 is really a minimum, and Leopard should really have at least 1GB.

  • I can't see an app on my iphone, but when i search i get it. i've made room for the icon to show up on screen, but how do i actually get the icon to appear?

    I can't see an app on my iphone, but when i search i get it. i've made room for the icon to show up on screen, but how do i actually get the icon to appear?

    On your iPad, just go to Settings>Mail, Contacts, etc.>Add account>iCloud and put in the details of the account you set up.  Shouldn't be a problem at all.

  • On my macbook pro the hard drive icon is not on my desktop and I don't know how to find the hard drive or get the icon back on my desktop

    on my macbook pro the hard drive icon is not on my desktop and I don't know how to find the hard drive or get the icon back on my desktop

    Click on the Desktop. From the Finder menu select Preferences. Check the boxes for what you want on your Desktop. If they are already checked, then try unchecking and rechecking.

  • How do I get a PDF document put into an attachment form that I can drag to an e-mail.  Usually I get an icon showing an spiral note book which then becomes an attachment when I drag it to the e-mail, but occasionally it stays in PDF and prints out on the

    How do I get a PDF document put into an attachment form that I can drag to an e-mail.  Usually I get an icon showing an spiral note book which then becomes an attachment when I drag it to the e-mail, but occasionally it stays in PDF and prints out on the e-mail.  What have I done differently?

    Thanks again for the detailed instructions Srini!
    And I really hate to be a pest . . . but . . .
    Using your example and not modifying it, I get the e-mail form filled out correctly and the pdf attached, however, I'm not prompted to sign it.
    Any more clues?

Maybe you are looking for