How do I fix used iMac that flashes a question mark on start up. ?

First apple product I have ever had. It's used and I have no idea what to do. Can I buy new hard drive?

You need to tell us what you bought. Being as it's used did the seller include the Original Install Disk? It's gray and has a small Apple logo on it. You should have it and need it now in order to proceed.

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My old iMac (screen sits on a white dome) opens with a tiny folder that flashes a question mark, instead of a login to user's desktop

My old iMac (screen sits on a white dome) opens with a tiny folder that flashes a question mark, instead of a login to user's desktop, when booting up after a forced shutdown. How do I get my operating system working again? Thanks --Jim

The blinking question mark indicates that the firmware could not find a valid Operating System on your machine.
Your harddrive may have failed. Your filesystem may have be come corrupted.
Try these things.
-- try to boot up from the installation disc.
The startup manager will list all of your bootable partitions then give you a choice of which to boot. Hold down the option key then power on. Continue holding down the option key until you see the startup manager. This brings up the startup manager. Click on your hd or disc. Click on right arrow key.
-- Sometimes if volumes don't appear in Startup Manager (what you get when you hold down the Option key at startup), you need to reset the Mac's PRAM, NVRAM, and Open Firmware. Shut down the Mac, then power it up, and before the screen lights up, quickly hold down the Command, Option, P, and R keys, until the Mac has chimed twice more after the powerup chime.
Then, before the screen lights up, hold down Command-Option-O-F until the Open Firmware screen appears. Then enter these lines, pressing Return after each one:
reset-nvram
set-defaults
reset-all
"The reset-all command should restart your Mac. If so, you have successfully reset the Open Firmware settings."
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1812?viewlocale=en_US
Should the fail...
Try taking the battery out for 10 minutes. Put battery back in. Cross fingers. Power the machine back on.
How to eject a cd from the internal cd drive:
eject cd
List of devices:
devalias
List of variables:
printenv
More than you ever wanted to know about open firmware
http://www.firmworks.com/QuickRef.html

2 days old imac 27 inch shows question marks on start up..help~

just got a new imac 27 inch two days...finally opened up the box today and start it up and now it show question marks on boot
won't pass that screen at all...did some research and found no solution..since it is new in warranty, would it be better just to go back to apple
or there is something i could try..any help would be appreciated

Try this:
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 file question mark on start up

The computer won`t start up without the cd boot disk and when I try to go to disk utility it doesn`t see the computer at all, only the disk, I had previously tried to fix the computer with disk utility and thought everything was fine, but then I tried to reboot and now I can`t do anything and it can`t see the computer at all. I don`t know what to do, I can`t get into single mode without the disk and even then it says the disk is fine after I run fsck. And I have tried many key compinations that I have found. but nothing seems to work. when I try booting from the techtool cd, I just get a black screen that ends with still hanging on and to reboot. I just want my computer to work again. I have a G4 powerbook 15inch, I think it had been updated to the lastest os x, but now I just want it to run any os! Help, I don`t know what to do!

Hi and welcome to the discussions.
The flashing '?' means that it can't find a suitable volume to boot from. If disk utility does not see the internal hard drive when you boot off the CD it does sound as if there is something wrong with that disk sadly.
You could try Disk Warrior link here:
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
Disk Warrior is spoken of highly in these forums and can resurrect a disk that disk utility cannot.
Other than having a new disk fitted to your PB and then re-install the system and so on. You could then try putting your old disk in a FireWire caddy and see if you can get anything of it. But even that is going to need something like Disk Warrior. So you might as well try Disk Warrior first and see what it can do, there are no guarantees but it may just be able to salvage it for you. If it does back-up any important data asap. Then see if it is a failing drive or not, look at the Smart info in Disk utility and see if it is OK.
Good Luck.
Phil

My macair won't turn on. when I try to turn it on, the white screen appears. But instead of the apple logo, there is a flashing folder that has a question mark on it. how do i fix this?

my macair won't turn on. when I try to turn it on, the white screen appears. But instead of the apple logo, there is a flashing folder that has a question mark on it. how do i fix this?

Try this.
Erase and Reinstall OS X
Note: This will delete all data on the disk. Back up important files before continuing.
Erasing and then reinstalling OS X can give you a fresh start, making your computer exactly as it was whenever you received it from Apple. This can solve various problems such as corrupt system files.
Shut down the computer by going to Apple () > Shut Down…
Select Shut Down or allow the computer to shut down automatically.
Plug in the MagSafe power adapter into a power source and then connect it to your Mac if you have not already done so.
Press the Power Button to turn on the computer.
Press and hold both the R and Command (⌘) keys on the keyboard until the Recovery partition loads.
Select Disk Utility and then choose Continue.
Select your startup disk (Macintosh HD by default) from the left.
Select the Erase tab.
Choose the Format pop-up menu and choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled), enter a name for your disk, and then click Erase.
After the disk is erased, choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility.
Select Reinstall OS X and then choose Continue.
Follow the instructions.
I hope I solved your question.
Austin

Everytime that I sign on FaceTime on my macbook pro, it says "the server encountered an error processing registration. Please try again later". How can I fix this so that I can use facetime again

Everytime that I sign on FaceTime on my macbook pro, it says "the server encountered an error processing registration. Please try again later". How can I fix this so that I can use facetime again

Not a solution, but was able to login at work. Then when I got back to the hotel all was fine and it works now. Just will not change IDs I guess.

How do I fix bug/malware that keeps bumping me from apps I'm using to App Store ads?

How do I fix bug/malware that keeps bumping me from apps I'm using to App Store ads? I have set privacy and Safari security to highest levels, have turned off ad tracking, and have done a hard reboot, but it still keeps happening. The worst offender is the Washington Post app, but it also happens with the Salon app - in other words, apps that regularly update content. Other utility and game apps are unaffected. This happens only very occasionally from Safari.

http://www.apple.com/support/contact/

I've installed the Adobe Reader Plug In. Yet every time I click to see a PDF, it opens another browser and it is blank. The Browser reads about:blank. How can I fix this so that PDF's open in the browser?

I've installed the Adobe Reader Plug In. Yet every time I click to see a PDF, it opens another browser and it is blank. The Browser reads about:blank. How can I fix this so that PDF's open in the browser?

Check your settings in Options > Applications: https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Opening%20PDF%20files%20within%20Firefox#w_check-firefox-settings
Also see:
*https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using%20the%20Adobe%20Reader%20plugin%20with%20Firefox
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/File_types_and_download_actions
'''If this reply solves your problem, please click "Solved It" next to this reply when <u>signed-in</u> to the forum.'''
Not related to your question, but...
You need to update some plug-ins:
*Plug-in check: https://www-trunk.stage.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
*Shockwave Flash (Adobe Flash or Flash): [https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Managing%20the%20Flash%20plugin#w_updating-flash Updating Flash in Firefox]

I'm trying to burn an iMovie in iDVD and at the end of the whole burn process it says "Multiplexer Error" "there was an error during formatting". How do I fix it so that it'll burn?

I'm trying to burn an iMovie in iDVD and at the end of the whole burn process it says "Multiplexer Error" "there was an error during formatting". How do I fix it so that it'll burn?

Hi
Multiplexing error is a very complex problem due to many things (long long list following) - one common but not obvious reason is that material on the iDVD menu goes outside the TV-Safe area (or just touching it).
So first - turn on TV-Safe area and move any object well inside of this.
Wide screen stretched - usually (as I think) it is due to making a 4x3 movie in a 16x9 wide-screen project OR the other way around. This forces one to on flat-screen TV (or other) set the presenting view right - My has 4x3, wide-screen, zoom and auto-wide-screen and I have to switch this by my remote for some DVD I've made "wrong" way.
Now my long long list on Multiplex Error
LONG LONG LONG LIST
Multiplexing Error
PART One.
Use of strange video/audio material e.g. .avi, .wmv, .mp3 etc.
I only use.
Video - StreamingDV (miniDV tape via FireWire) and
Audio - .aiff (as on audio-CDs) (else converted to this .aiff 48KHz)
Photo - .jpg (.bmp known problematic)
Chapters !
A. Using strange letters in video project name e.g. +,/; etc. keep to a-z and 0-9 strange letters in project name e.g. +
as described by Donnyboy69. Does the title of your project have any symbols or decimal points in it. If so, that is why you are getting the error. I had a project that had a + sign which caused the same problem. I renamed it without the symbol and low and behold, it worked.
B. Location of Chapters
• Can’t be at start or end of movie (Skip first/start one - iDVD sets this by it self. At the End - no need)
• Not in a transition (or within 2-3 seconds from it)
Important when from iMovie HD6 or previous - Now also observed when using FCE 4
PART Two.
from Robert Modero.
"Multiplexing Error. Problem during initialization of tracks"
Simply remember to add subtitles to your Quicktime files and menu buttons.
Once I did that, I was back in business.
from Boise Jim
Do a safe reboot (by holding down the shift key until you see the spinning gear on gray background, then release, then restart when your start-up screen appears).
I always makes a DiskImage first and test this so that it runs OK
I use only - Verbatim DVDs
I use only - DVD-R
I burn at an as slow speed possibly e.g. x1
This gives good DVDs
PART Three.
Multiplex Error
Chuck, Chicago 2/7/2009.
Back again. Here is what I have found to work. I also have and use a LaCie DVD-R/RW DL external drive and a LaCie external hard drive as well. Since yesterday I have tried a few ways to burn a themed iDVD project having four 56 minute movies on it, amounting to 226 minutes onto a DVD DL disc, capacity 240 minutes. Apple tech support really didn't know what to do but gave me a very good tip. I had two options left. Apple tech support's tip was to try disc image. One of the replies on a thread with this subject said not to, but my experience today is good. Put your project onto "Burn to disc image," under "iDVD, file." Yesterday encoding took me 23 1/2 hours. Overnight for iDVD disc image, encoding took 21 1/2 hours (again) while I slept. This morning I tried to copy/burn disc image to a DVD with Roxio Toast 7, and it stopped near the end of the burn with some kind of "error" message. So then I tried Utilities> Disc Utility> Burn icon, and followed it through. Be sure to click the DVD DL drive in the window "Burn disc in.". I had one other problem though. At the end of a 46 minute copy, it started to verify, and at the end of verify it rejected the burn. So I tried again, and when "verify" appeared, I clicked on "Skip." The disc finished burning and is doing fine and well. A long and tortuous process, but at last something works. I made several additional copies using Disc Utility. Best wishes. Chuck, Chicago.
2. Disconnect any other external devices not absolutely needed.
e.g. external USB/USB2 hard disks, other FW hard disks etc.
3 Chapter marks in transitions - minimum 2 sec from
FROM Bev.
(Not a 'guy' but I will answer!)
First, I do not think that mixing wide-screen and standard makes a difference in iDVD.
Second, you should use a better brand of DVD disk. Also, many of us have experienced fewer problems on playback with DVD-R disks. Recommended brands here are Verbatim, Maxell and Taiyo Yuden. Memorex and TDK are not consistent and may not give you a correct burn. They apparently have fewer layers in the composition of the disk. I have always used Verbatim DVD-R disks and have not had any burn problems.
Also, choose a slower burn speed, 4x or less.
Third, to determine if the iDVD project will burn properly, create a disk image file (from within iDVD, go File->Save as Disk Image) and test it. Mount the disk image and then open DVD Player (in Applications) and view your project. If it plays correctly, you can then burn the actual DVD disk from the disk image file using Disk Utility.
From. Boise, Idaho
I did everything I've seen suggested, but a friend (who used to be an Apple Genius) suggested that I do a safe reboot (by holding down the shift key until you see the spinning gear on gray background, then release, then restart when your start-up screen appears).
It worked, and I got a clean burn from iDVD.
Hopefully this can help other people.
by dheb0422
Well, I finally got it, and it was odd enough to post here incase anyone looks this topic up again. Many things were tried, including burning the unedited film, the edited film without titles and chapter markers, abbreviating the chapter markers in case length was the issue (remember the old iMovie used to truncate them when moving to iDVD?). In the process, I noticed that one, and only one, chapter marker was on the same line as the title marker. All the others were on the line above. The only way I seemed able to change that was to clip a few seconds of film. After that last clip, the offending marker took a place on the line above, as were all the others. That run published, compiled completely and burned. That's one for the books.
One user more writes
To add my experience with Multiplex Errors using iDVD (7.0.4), I recently created two iDVD projects
Video from both passed from FCE 4.01 with chapters
One project worked fine in creating disk image file
The other gave Multiplex Errors
I tried suggestions to remove special characters and no chapter marks at beginning, but nothing worked
Note that I've used iDVD for dozens of projects and this is first time I've run into Multiplex Errors
Anyway, for problem project, I tried an experiment where I removed all chapters in FCE and passed to new iDVD project
This time multiplex errors gone
So had something to do with chapters
So now I tried numerous experiments to remove individual chapters and try again creating disk image with new iDVD project
After numerous tries, I was able to narrow problem down to 1 "Bad" chapter mark
That is, when I left the "bad" chapter in my FCE project and passed to iDVD, iDVD gave multiplex error
When I removed "bad" chapter mark (and others in), no multiplex error
As a final experiment, I moved "bad" chapter mark about 5-10 sec's beyond original point and passed to iDVD, the multiplex errors now magically went away and I was able to finally create my disk image.
I have no idea why this worked, but thought I'd mention here in case someone else runs into similar problem.
Rich839
In addition to Bengt's fine advice, burning errors can occur if you have located any of your menu buttons wholly or partly outside of the safe TV viewing area. Go to your main project menu, then click on View/Show TV Safe Area, to check. Drag into the safe viewing area any buttons that are outside the safe viewing area.
Russ One - suggest this
Multiplex Error-There was an error during muxing preparation
One thing that worked for me was to export the video w/o chapter markers as a self contained movie (thereby not loosing the edits & etc). Then make a new FCE project and import that movie into a new sequence and add the chapter markers. I've used "-", "&" and "," with no problem in the chapter names. Removing the markers or exporting without them did solve the problem but renaming them with just numbers 1,2,3....5, did not solve the problem and since this problem seems to happen with with iMovie as well, it would suggest the problem is in the video or audio and in combination with the chapter markers iDVD just can't handle it. The only other possibility is that both iMovie and FCE share the same or similar chapter marker code that some how is corrupting the markers.
Summary - What to try
1. Chapters
• Only A to Z and 0 to 9 in chapter title
• No Chapter mark at very beginning of movie
• No Chapter mark in or within 2 seconds from any transition in movie
2. TV-safe area for buttons (no one outside this)
3. Safe re-boot
4. No other external devices connected - that are not needed
SDMacuser adds to this
• On #4 ... No ext. devices. Some think this applies mainly to ext. FW. Not the case. Also applies to ext. USB2 as well (not to mention flash drives too).
Do not leave 3rd party devices / camera / camcorder plugged in unless it is being used with iDvd's One Step process. Certain web cams can trigger this also (especially ones with added features like LED light/s that draw additional power from the FW or USB bus).
5. Minimum of 25Gb free space on Start-up hard disk
6. Make a DiskImage first - reduces where problem originates
7. Trash iDVD pref. file
8. Make a new iDVD project
9. Movies in project with same aspect ratio e.g. 4x3 or 16x9
10. No other programs/applications running during iDVD process. e.g. Internet, screen & energy savers
Yours Bengt W

When I disconnect my iphone 3gs(iOS) from computer, the device disappears from my itunes. This prevents me from doing a wireless sync. how do i fix it so that my device stays on itunes without having to plug it in all the time?

When I disconnect my iphone 3gs(iOS) from computer, the device disappears from my itunes. This prevents me from doing a wireless sync. how do i fix it so that my device stays on itunes without having to plug it in all the time?
it worked the first few times i did it but the next day after i closed out of itunes once, the device only appears when i plug in my phone.

Whenever a menu choice is grayed out, that is because you have Restrictions turned on in Settings. Be sure to turn it off.
You are confusing an itunes store account with an icloud account. You two can continue using the same ID for itunes (thus sharing purchased music, apps, etc.), but you really should have separate accounts (different IDs) for icloud, since an account is intended for one user to keep his/her devices in sync.
To create a new icloud account, go to
http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/
Then go to Settings>icloud and scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Delete Account. (have restrictions turned off) That will disconnect the device from the account but will not delete data in icloud or other devices. Then sign in using the new ID.

How do I fix a ipad that is "disabled"? When we connect to itunes it requests a password that must be typed into the ipad - which we can't do because it is locked.

How do I fix a ipad that is "disabled"? When we connect to itunes it requests a password that must be typed into the ipad - which we can't do because it is locked.

If You Are Locked Out Or Have Forgotten Your Passcode
iTunes 10 for Mac- Update and restore software on iPod, iPhone, or iPad
iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Wrong passcode results in red disabled screen
iOS- Understanding passcodes
A Complete Guide to Recover Your iDevice if You Forget Your Passcode
If you cannot remember the passcode, you will need to restore your device using the computer with which you last synced it. This allows you to reset your passcode and resync the data from the device (or restore from a backup). If you restore on a different computer that was never synced with the device, you will be able to unlock the device for use and remove the passcode, but your data will not be present. Refer to Updating and restoring iPhone, iPad and iPod touch software.
Try restoring the iOS device if backing up and erasing all content and settings doesn't resolve the issue. Using iTunes to restore iOS devices is part of standard isolation troubleshooting. Restoring your device will delete all data and content, including songs, videos, contacts, photos, and calendar information, and will restore all settings to their factory condition.
Before restoring your iOS device, Apple recommends that you either sync with iTunes to transfer any purchases you have made, or back up new data (data acquired after your last sync). If you have movie rentals on the device, see iTunes Store movie rental usage rights in the United States before restoring.
Follow these steps to restore your device:
     1. Verify that you are using the latest version of iTunes before attempting to update.
     2. Connect your device to your computer.
     3. Select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch when it appears in iTunes under Devices.
     4. Select the Summary tab.
     5. Select the Restore option.
     6. When prompted to back up your settings before restoring, select the Back Up
         option (see in the image below). If you have just backed up the device, it is not
         necessary to create another.
     7. Select the Restore option when iTunes prompts you (as long as you've backed up,
         you should not have to worry about restoring your iOS device).
     8. When the restore process has completed, the device restarts and displays the Apple
         logo while starting up:
           After a restore, the iOS device displays the "Connect to iTunes" screen. For updating
          to iOS 5 or later, follow the steps in the iOS Setup Assistant. For earlier versions of
          iOS, keep your device connected until the "Connect to iTunes" screen goes away or
          you see "iPhone is activated."
     9. The final step is to restore your device from a previous backup.
If you can not restore your device then you will need to go to recovery mode.
Placing your device into recovery mode:
Follow these steps to place your iOS device into recovery mode. If your iOS device is already in recovery mode, you can proceed immediately to step 6.
     1. Disconnect the USB cable from the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, but leave the other end
         of the cable connected to your computer's USB port.
     2. Turn off the device: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the
         red slider appears, then slide the slider. Wait for the device to turn off.
          If you cannot turn off the device using the slider, press and hold the Sleep/Wake
          and Home buttons at the same time. When the device turns off, release the Sleep/Wake
          and Home buttons.
     3. While pressing and holding the Home button, reconnect the USB cable to the device.
         The device should turn on. Note: If you see the screen pictured below, let the device
         charge for at least ten minutes to ensure that the battery has some charge, and then
         start with step 2 again.
     4. Continue holding the Home button until you see the "Connect to iTunes" screen.
         When this screen appears you can release the Home button.
     5. If necessary, open iTunes. You should see the following "recovery mode" alert:
     6. Use iTunes to restore the device.
If you don't see the "Connect to iTunes" screen, try these steps again. If you see the "Connect to iTunes" screen but the device does not appear in iTunes, see this article and its related links.
Additional Information:
Note: When using recovery mode, you can only restore the device. All user content on the device will be erased, but if you had previously synced with iTunes on this computer, you can restore from a previous backup. See this article for more information.

Hi everyone, I shared a photostream album with my family. They received the invitation, the folder is on their photostream device but NONE of my pictures are in their album.. How do you fix this so that my pictures in my shared album shows up ? Thanks

Hi everyone, I shared a photostream album with my family. They received the invitation, the folder is on their photostream device but NONE of my pictures are in their album.. How do you fix this so that my pictures in my shared album shows up ? Thanks

Hi mrmrscamp,
If you are having issues with your Shared Photo Stream, you may find the following article helpful:
iCloud: Using and troubleshooting Shared Photo Streams
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4379
Cheers,
- Brenden

After doing a Google search - when I click on a link it does not take me to the corect website. Instead it always take me to some icity webpage. How do I fix this so that Firefox takes me to the correct website that the Google search found?

After doing a Google search - when I click on a link it does not take me to the correct website. Instead it always take me to some icity webpage. How do I fix this so that Firefox takes me to the correct website that the Google search found?

After doing a Google search - when I click on a link it does not take me to the correct website. Instead it always take me to some icity webpage. How do I fix this so that Firefox takes me to the correct website that the Google search found?

How do i fix my 3gs that is stuck in recovery mode and will not restore?

how do i fix my 3gs that is stuck in recovery mode and will not restore?

well if it's in recovery mode, all of the data is already gone. this article mey help you get it working again: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1808

How do you fix an ipod that has a black screen and it turns on but when it turns on the screen gets a lighter black but you still can't see the apps or anything?

How do you fix an ipod that has a black screen and it turns on but when it turns on the screen gets a lighter black but you still can't see the apps or anything?

Try:
- Reset the iOS device. Nothing will be lost
Reset iOS device: Hold down the On/Off button and the Home button at the same time for at
least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
- Restore from backup. See:
iOS: How to back up
- Restore to factory settings/new iOS device.
If still problem, make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store since it appears you have a hardware problem.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar
Apple will exchange your iPod for a refurbished one for this price. They do not fix yours.
Apple - iPod Repair price
A third-party place like the following maybe less. Google for more.
iPhone Repair, Service & Parts: iPod Touch, iPad, MacBook Pro Screens
Replace the screen yourself if you are up to it
iPod Touch Repair – iFixit

How do I fix used iMac that flashes a question mark on start up. ?

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