Grey screen and file icon with question mark appearing at startup on old model macbook

We own a very old model macbook and the startup screen appears as grey and an icon appears in the shape of a file with a question mark in the middle and the startup does not proceed from there. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Athula

Some things to check/try in no particular order:
https://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-5282

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White screen with flashing file icon with question mark mean

What does this mean. We are getting a white screen with flashing file icon with question mark inside the file.

It almost certainly means it can't find a bootable volume (one with OS X on it).
Which means most likely you will have to find your original system installation DVD and install it. Then you should figure out what caused the problem.
Read this to diagnose it before resorting to reinstalling the OS:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440
Excerpt:
Additional steps
If your Mac still starts to a flashing question mark, follow the steps below. If any step resolves the issue, you don't need to continue to the next one.
Select your Mac OS X startup disk with Startup Manager by restarting and holding the Option key. After your Mac starts up, restart again to verify that the flashing question mark does not appear.
If the issue persists, insert your Mac OS X installation disc. Be sure to either use the disc that came with your Mac, or, if you installed a later Mac OS X version from disc, use the newer disc.
MacBook Air note: On a MacBook Air, there are two options for starting up from Mac OS X media: Either connect a MacBook Air SuperDrive to the MacBook Air via the USB port and restart the computer, holding down the C key during startup, or use Remote Install Mac OS X to startup from a system software DVD that's located on a partner computer. Once started up from Mac OS X media, skip to step 3.
Restart the computer, then hold the C key during startup.
From the Utilities menu, choose Disk Utility. Don't click Continue.
Select your Mac OS X disk (named "Macintosh HD" by default) in the left side of the Disk Utility window.
Click the First Aid tab.
Click Repair Disk to verify and repair any issues with your Mac OS X startup disk.
After repairing the disk, try to start up normally.
Important: If Disk Utility finds issues it cannot repair, you may need to back up as much of your data as possible (or use Time Machine to back up to a different disk), then erase the disk and reinstall Mac OS X. You should back up important files and data before erasing a drive. Erasing deletes everything on the hard disk (including things on your desktop). Also, you can install Mac OS X onto an external disk, start from the external disk, and use Migration Assistant to transfer items from your usual internal Mac OS X startup disk to the external disk, then erase the internal disk and reinstall Mac OS X.
If the issue persists, and Disk Utility didn't find any irreparable issues, quit Disk Utility, quit the Installer, select your disk when prompted, and restart.
If the issue continues, reset PRAM. Note: After resetting PRAM, if the computer starts up normally, reselect the startup disk in the Startup Disk preferences.
If none of these steps resolve the issue, start up from the Mac OS X Installation disc and reinstall Mac OS X.

Blinking file icon with question mark at startup

my computer sort of froze so i forced restarted it (second time i've done that in its one year lifetime) and when it started back up the screen displayed a file icon with a question mark blinking on and off every two seconds. eventually the fan started humming too. i have since forced restarted it twice with the same results. any ideas on why my darling will not start properly?

My MacBook Pro did the same thing last night, and I don't think this is good news.
So far I have:
-Reset PRAM and PMU
-Startup from install disks and run Disk Utility. DU doesn't even see the drive! Even Target disk mode doesn't reveal the drive.
-Archive and install; the installer doesn't see the drive
None of these worked, and from reading on other disussions, it looks like it is a hareware problem. I will be going to the Applestore this afternoon when I get off of work to see if they can fix it.

Flashing File Icon with Question Mark Upon Start-Up

Today when I went to use my computer (which was already on) it went blank and then came up with a gray screen with a flashing file icon with a question mark in the middle of it. I have already troubleshot things with several forums online and nothing has worked. I have tried to restart in Safe mode, single user mode, verbose mode, and tried to get on using my option key which got me to an internet login screen finally. I tried to log in and eventually got to an apply.com/support screen with -1007f underneath. I am not 100% which operating system I am on. I know that it is Mac OS X and pretty recent. Please respond if you can help!

Reset the SMC and PRAM
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
About NVRAM and PRAM
To boot from DVD:
Press C during startup
Start up from a bootable CD, DVD, or USB thumb drive (such as OS X install media).

IMAC won't start. Folder Icon With Question mark appears

it will also not take the startup disc. I plop it in , hold 'C' ket to make a disc repair fut nothing happens, now screen is all grey.

HI,
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
If nothing at the link above helps, try booting while holding down the Option key. That will prompt the Startup Manager window.
Since you can't boot from your install disk, Start up in Safe Mode
Carolyn

Desperate, won't boot. Screen shows file folder with question mark??

I'm out of applecare warranty. My PB G4 won't boot. All I get is a gray screen with a small file folder in the center that has a question mark alternating with a little smiling face. Does this mean that my hard drive is fried and the system can't find my OS X software to boot from?
Is there anything that I can do to remedy this? I'm desperate. This post is being performed with a Dell using Windows

If the drive appears in Disk Utility then it isn't dead. That you cannot repair it nor install the OS suggests that there's serious damage to the directory if not the partition table. If you haven't backed up recently and have data you really don't want to lose, it might be worth getting DiskWarrior to attempt repairing the drive or retrieving some data. No guarantees.
Whether you do try that or not, eventually it's back to rebooting with the CD and returning to Disk Utility. Click on the erase tab. Do you have that option? If not, click on the partition tab and select 1 partition scheme and try that. If you can erase or partition the drive you will, of course, have erased everything.
If you succeed only time will tell if the drive went south because of a hardware issue or software. So, were I you, I'd become very careful about frequently backing up the important info on your computer.

White screen, showing a flashing file icon with question mark??

Having issues with the above, please help

Flashing ? mark means it can't find the Disk it thinks it's supposed to boot from, or the Disk is muxed badly.
If 10.7.0 or later...
Bootup holding CMD+r, or the Option/alt key to boot from the Restore partitirion & use Disk Utility from there.

I powered up my macbook and there is a file folder with question mark on the screen flashing. What does that mean?

Powered up Mac book and screen showing file folder with question mark flashing?

A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
Hope that solves your issue.

At startup I get grey screen and a folder with a flashing question mark. How do I reset my MacBook Pro to the manufacture defaults?

At startup I get grey screen and a folder with a flashing question mark. How do I reset my MacBook Pro to the manufacture defaults?

Click here and follow the instructions. If the computer originally shipped with Mac OS X 10.6.8 or earlier, when you reach step 5, insert its original disk, restart with the C key held down, use the Disk Utility to erase the internal drive, and install a fresh OS.
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When I start MacBook Pro13 shows gray Screen and flashing file Image with question mark

When I start MacBook Pro13 shows gray Screen and flashing file Image with question mark , it's brand new I just receive it from Apple Store .

Startup Manager to select Startup disk.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1310
Repair Disk
Steps 2 through 8
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836

MacBook Pro flashes file folder with question mark and startup manager will not run

My son's MacBook Pro won't boot (gets the flashing file folder with question mark). When I try to open startup manager (holding "option" key during boot does not do it). Other posts suggest inserting the install disk, but I am pretty sure that for Lion, there was no disk, it was just off the website through the App Store. Any further suggestions?

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.

Hi . i have Intel based iMac. i erased whole hard disk. now it flashes folder icon with question mark... i have no internet or orginal dvd.... i want to clean install any mac osx..friend got mac book pro and osx in dmg format . what are my options?

hi . i have Intel based iMac. i erased whole hard disk. now it flashes folder icon with question mark... i have no internet or orginal dvd.... i want to clean install any mac osx..friend got mac book pro and osx in dmg format . what are my options?

On your friend's computer with an internet connection, log into the Mac App Store with your ID and download Yosemite from the Purchases section of the Mac App Store. The make a bootable USB install media using
http://liondiskmaker.com/
Then boot from that on your computer and install
You need an internet connection to install via Recovery mode

Blue icon with question mark instead of image in email

Sometimes I get a blue icon with question mark instead of image in email, when viewing in Apple Mail Program.
Does anyone know why?????

I'm asking your thread get redirected to the proper forum. Please read this tip on how to post on Discussions for future threads:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1574700
Is this issue with Tiger or Leopard? Your profile indicates you have a machine with Tiger, yet your signature of your post says you have Leopard.
Also, there is no such thing as a Powerbook Pro. Read the text under the screen to tell us exactly which model you have. MacBook Pro is the name given to Macs that are for the pro lineup of notebooks once Apple shifted to the Intel CPU.
Message was edited by: a brody

Flashing folder icons with question mark

After reading through the forums I've found a few discussions and users that have similar problems as me but haven't seen anything that deals directly with my issues.
After upgrading to Leopard last night, it ran sluggishly for about 15 minutes. I got impatient and decided to restart. While trying to restart it froze, so I just shut my powerbook down. When I tried to boot back up I got the "flashing folder icons with question mark", I've since found out that it isn't finding any type of drive to boot off of. I reset the pram, tried to reboot with the same result. Tried to boot up using cmd-s but still got nothing but flashing folders. Booted up from the Leopard install disc to try and do an archive and install and it said it couldn't upgrade because it couldn't find tiger on my machine. So I booted from the Tiger install discs to try and re-install tiger again. Tiger cant find my HD to install on; I'm thinking this may be due to Leopards install. I ran disk utility and it couldn't complete the verifying process. I got this "Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit."
After work I'm going to try to boot up in target mode to pull any data i can and try erase my HD and install from there.
To me it seems like a HD issue. Anyone have any thoughts?
Thanks in advanced.
-Chance

Chank wrote:
After reading through the forums I've found a few discussions and users that have similar problems as me but haven't seen anything that deals directly with my issues.
After upgrading to Leopard last night, it ran sluggishly for about 15 minutes. I got impatient and decided to restart.
The "sluggishness" is perfectly normal. It's well-known and it is not an issue.
You should have waited for spotlight to finish indexing.
You may have broken some links by forcing a shutdown while things were still being setup.
Which install method did you use, upgrade, archive or erase?

Back to My Mac/VNC/Screen and File Sharing with a PC

Ok back to my mac is great but it doesn't work with a pc. What is the best alternative to screen and file sharing with a PC???
Thanks,

Use VNC.
On the PC.
http://www.realvnc.com/products/free/4.1/index.html
On the PocketPC
http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS5673359231.html
Apple's Remote Desktop allows for VNC control through a password.
iFelix

Grey screen and file icon with question mark appearing at startup on old model macbook

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