IMac DV SE 400 chimes, gives flashing question mark. Hard drive bad?

My G3 iMac DV SE 400 will not start up. This is what happens:
1. Startup chime
2. Hard drive starts to spin
3. Hard drive "clicks" once
4. Flashing question mark on screen
I tried resetting the PRAM and disconnecting everything like it says in the manual. I have booted up from CD and used Disk Utility (OS X) and Disk First Aid (OS 9) to find out if the computer "sees" the hard drive. No luck with either one - the drive does not mount. I have also tried System Profiler and the computer does not recognize the presence of any hard drive there either.
Is the hard drive really "dead?" Can it be resurrected - at least to the point where I can retrieve my files, pictures, etc.? I'm confident that the drive is receiving power because it actually starts to spin up (see #2 above). Am I overlooking something easy here? Could it be as simple as replacing the battery? I haven't tried that because the hard drive does "attempt" to start up.
Failing all else, is it possible to retrieve the data using my other Mac even though the hard drive will not boot?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Well if it spins up you might be able to salvage your data with Data Rescue II (free demo) or Disk Warrior. You could also try Target mode but if disk utility didn't see it then that's probably not going to be any better.
If those two don't see it then your only option is data retrieval via a pro company but that will be very expensive.
Richard

Similar Messages

IMac 9,1 Grey Screen with Flashing Question Mark (After HDD Replaced)

Hello, I have an iMac 9,1 and it recently booted with a grey screen and a flashing question mark. My HDD made a very loud ticking noise, which to my knowledge and people on Google, the HDD is basically dead. No big deal. I purchased and replaced the HDD myself, no more ticking but I still get the same screen. I put in my OSX installer DVD and it spits it back out. Tried holding C on start up, same thing. I tried reseting the PRAM and SMC, no luck. Can't boot into safe mode nor the start up manager. I just get a blank screen with the cursor that I can move around, that's it.
However, I was also to boot the Apple Hardware Test through the 2nd CD that came with my installer by holding D on start up. Ran the test, no hardware errors found. I've tried so many things such as the ones listed above, I tested the RAM as well and I'm stumped. Please help. Thanks.
Edit: I also tried booting into single user mode. That doesn't work either. I also tested the OSX installer in my MacBook to make sure the disc wasn't bad and it booted the disc no problem with the full installer.

Linc Davis wrote:
I can boot into Target Disk mode and since my Macbook reads the OSX installer no problem, would I be able to install the OSX through Firewire?
That may work, if you have a retail (not a gray) installation disc, but the MB will then be set to boot from the iMac's drive. You'll need to reset the startup disk in the Startup Disk preference pane on the MB.
Thanks, I'll certainly give this a try. I'm really hoping this works out because I feel like I've tried everything and seeing no hardware errors makes me feel like I can do something on my end rather than dropping hundreds of dollars to get it fixed.

White Macbook gives Flashing Question Mark on Startup

Hi,
I'm in need of some advice & help in what to do with an old White Macbook (06/07 vintage).
I gave this to my mother a few years ago to bring her into the internet age while I conveniently bought a Macbook Pro
A few days ago it stopped working and on startup gave the flashing question mark symbol.
I read through various forums and discussions and have performed the following:
Held the option key down during startup - Resulted in being able to see the mouse pointer but no icons
Inserted the original startup disc (OSX 10.4.8) while holding down C on startup - I decided to go ahead and reinstall the original OSX and upgrade it after everything was back to working. However at the step where you 'Select destination' there is nothing to select. Its as though there is no hard drive on the macbookI selected Disk Utilities at that point and tried to verify the drive (as I could select it at this point) but an error message appeared and said that the volume needed repair. I then tried the repair Disk option but the process stopped almost immediately with the following error:
1 non HFS volume checked
1 volume could not be repaired because of an error
I have held down the D key during startup to get a diagnostic of hardware but this has not worked.
I would like some help with diagnosing what may be wrong to see if its economically viable to repair and get another year or 2 which would be ideal.
Am happy to open up the backside to investigate further if need be.
All help appreciated,
Thanks

I have replaced the hard drive and tried to reinstall OSX but it still does not work. I still cannot select the hard drive in which to install OSX. I tried system utilities but it does not recognize the drive and says there is an I/O error.
I am going to source a HD ribbon cable as a last ditch effort. If its not either then it will be the logic board and that is not economically viable

Flashing question mark folder drives have been swapped

Hi there thank you for taking the time to read this. Spookily within days of each other 2 friends MBP's have succumbed to the flashing question mark folder upon booting. The first we swapped the drive out ran internet recovery saved what we could from the old HD and away we went.
Oddly when getting into disc utility Macintosh HD didn't exist only a tiny 1.53Gb partition called Disk0 which I assume is the recovery program????
However I have just took it apart and assumed by popping my healthy HD from my MBP into the faulty one it would boot as my Mac and troubleshoot a faulty HD
Am I wrong in thinking this, does my Mac having a Beta version of OSX affect this or do you think we are looking at a larger problem.
Many thaks
Gareth

Sort of a bump of kinds
Had various drives in and the Mac doesn't see it however plug same drives into a SATA USB adaptor and OS sees the drive. Have tried replacing the hard drive to logic board cable with same results?
Im assuming at this point the board has gone belly up. Although hardware test is report zero issues there is no startup chime and the machine refuses to recognise any discs connected in the expected manner
As always any thoughts/advise is welcome
Gareth

File Folder with Question Mark: Hard Drive Failure?

I did a search on this topic in these forums, so I think I know what's going on but want to confirm:
I shut down my MacBook Pro this morning and tried restarting it but got a blinking file folder with a question mark. Tried to restart from Disk Warrior (pressing C while restarting) but got the same thing.
Does this mean my hard drive has failed and there's no remedy I can try myself?

The flashing question mark is usually a sign that the hard drive has failed and drives can fail at any point, yours may simply have some bad sectors; it could also be the logic board. It should boot from the DiskWarrior disk though. Try again.

IMac screen gone white with small flashing question mark in centre of screen

iMac screen went blank (greyish white) on startup and now has a small question mark flashing in the middle of the screen.
Any idea what I should do?

Thank you.
Was just trying the routh of a USB keyboard & mouse and by holding down the 'option' key, the request for wireless network popped up; after connecting, 'internet support' popped up and now it's showing a small rotating globe and a horizontal hourglass with 1:23 to go still....
Let's see how this does

Blinking Question Mark / Hard drive failure

Hi all,
Im desperately trying to fix my hard drive and I really need some advice.
The story.
I went away for holiday, left my iMac on in the office so I could access it vis VPN, and whilst away, the hard drive failed on me. I arrived back from holiday with a computer that wouldnt wake up that I had to force shut down and power up again, finding only the dreaded blinking question-mark folder.
where Im at:
Thus far, I have run Disk Utility from the Snow Leopard disk, Diskwarrior, and Data Rescue and only Disk Utility is able to see hardware installed (just hardware, no volumes).
I have a backup from December 2009 (when a power surge killed my backup drive temporarily), but I really want to use it only as a last resort. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I might be able to get DiskWarrior or Data Rescue to find the hardware so it can run tests?
Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated as well—I can't think of anything else to try.
thanks in advance,
Joel

Thanks for the response, much appreciated. I came to my wits end and realized that I couldnt even erase the data using Disk Utility, so alas, looks like it's going to have to be a new hard drive for me. I purchased one a couple days ago and it arrived today. Im going to install it today (hopefully) and back up using the time machine backup i have from 6 months ago.
I dont suppose installing the old drive into an external enclosure would change anything as far as trying to fix/mount it to retrieve data?
Best,
Joel

TS2570 iMac won't boot, GSOD with Flashing Question Mark, safe/verbose mode not possible

I have an iMac 24", just over 2 years old running OS X v10.5 (Leopard). Mighty Mouse and bluetooth keyboard, no peripherals.
It slowed enormously over the last few weeks and has now ceased to boot.
On switching on I hear the chime (blank grey screen initially), the grey screen hangs for approx 30sec before the flashing folder/?mark icon appears.
There is no further progress.
Boot key combination results:
Can reset NVRAM (Option-Command-P-R)
Cannot boot to safe mode
Cannot boot to startup manager
Cannot boot to verbose mode
Cannot boot from target media (DVD etc)
Cannot boot to AHT mode
Cannot boot to single user mode
I have followed the steps here http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Disconnect, test peripheral devices and network cables - done - de-powered and rebooted. No difference.
Perform a Safe Boot- this does not work. I am familiar with the boot combinations and timings. The safe boot leads to the same flashing folder/?mark icon. I have also tried verbose, single user, AHT and startup manager with the same result.
Reset the NVRAM / PRAM - done - this worked and kicks the system into an auto-reboot after 3-5 seconds. This also demonstrates the Keyboard is fine. The subsequent boot fails at the same point via normal, safe or verbose boot instructions.
Start from your Mac OS X Install disc; use Disk Utility – I never received an OSX install disk. I have the original box with receipts etc, the only disk present is an unsealed version of iLife (yeah thanks Apple). Where would I get one?
Check your cables and power source – done - all fine.
Remove third-party RAM and internal hardware – not applicable.
Perform an Archive and Install installation of Mac OS X – how would I do this when I cannot boot the device?
Perform an Erase and Install installation of Mac OS X as a last resort – how would I do this when I cannot boot the device?
To me the problem looks like a HDD failure. I had windows (dual boot) professionally installed when I bought the iMac and since the Windows boot option is also not visible (startup manager itself does not work) I suspect the system can’t find bootable media because the HDD isn’t spinning.
An OS corruption would generally affect one or the other but presumably not both Operating Systems simultaneously.
It's hard to be certain, but I’m sure it used to make more noise.
I had a look into opening it up and troubleshooting the physical components but it’s hard to know where to start. There are no obvious ways in and I’m not a professional so decided to post a question here rather than hack it open.
I'd be grateful if you could suggest next steps here, or is it time to go dig a hole in the garden? I certainly expected more than 2yrs life from a £1200 unit.
Many Thanks,
Ryan

Thanks for the response,
I bought the iMac new, 17th Jan 2010, all receipts intact but no extended warrenty. I declined the Applecare Plan for two reasons.
(1) The sales rep seemed very confident in the product build. In fact the main justification of the price tag was the quality of the device. I'd also never had an apple device malfunction at that stage.
(2) The incumbent EU regulations are quite fair in so much as legislation dictates electrical goods should be manufactured to function for a 'reasonable' lifetime. I would be morally uncomfortable paying for rights I theoretically already have.
I triple checked on the OS X disks you mentioned but no joy. Unusual as it may be, the box has not been used and it's contents reflect the day of purchase.
I'm happy to order the OS X v10.5 DVD and attempt a boot to the disk utility, I don't mind risking a few bucks on a potential fix. I'll need to figure out where to order the disk, the call centre is closed ATM so watch this space.
What I'd really be interested in is; (a) is there a known diagnostic routine to determine the HDD functionality and (b) it is possible to replace/upgrade the HDD? This for me is where the iMac loses ground against a conventional PC in terms of motherboard/component access. It's far superior from an asthaetics perspective while things are running smoothly and the OS is great but the first sign of a hardware malfunction and there seems little or no scope to self-medicate the device.
The disk has around 40-60 GB free space.
I don't have a second Mac, nor any friends or family with a Mac to 'borrow' for the disk utility test you mentioned. I'll hunt around this afternoon/week but my instinct tells me finding a locally accessable Mac running 3 yr old OS X might not be possible. Again, watch this space, I'll post any further developments.
In the meantime any further assistance or answers to the above questions on determining HDD status would be much appreciated. No progress has yet been made on the original issue of failing to boot.
Many Thanks
Ryan

Flashing question mark folder, 3 times this week on my imac : (

My intel based 3.06 GHz imac this week is showing a flashing question mark folder. A friend says is that the hard drive is toast but well twice it was solved quickly. First time on monday I did commandoption+pr to reset NVRAM and it worked. Second time yesterday i pressed option during startup and i selected my mac os x volume. But well today nothing works : (
This flashing question mark is constantly showing up. any ideas how to force my imac to select the hard drive mac os x as the startup disk?
this doesnt work:
1. pressing option to select startup disk as i did yesterday.
2. when trying to boot from mac os x install disc pressing c during startup the imac ejects the dvd.
3. trying to start up in safe boot mode (pressing shift), verbose mode or single user mode all fails, just the flashing annoying question mark folder again.
I was reading that i could use ubuntu live-cd to transfer my data from ubuntu to an external hard drive. I downloaded, burned and then it does shows the ubuntu cd to install ubuntu (the mac os x install disc is ejected but the ubuntu cd works), but i really dont want to install ubuntu X_X I just want my imac back without installing any linux stuff.
I can do target mode with my other macs but the imac hd doesn't show up in the other macs, any way to force the HD to show via target mode in the other macs?
Any ideas? I guess my disk is failing and thats why i have been receiving these question mark folders 3 times this week.
Message was edited by: AppleSensei

if someone has the same issue, i just want to notice i solved it using ubuntu -linux- and transferring the files to an external hard drive from ubuntu, reinstalling mac os x again. When i did target mode with another mac the hard drive didnt appear in finder, but with ubuntu all worked great, i saw my files and then problem solved, i saved my data ; )
I did found annoying using ubuntu to solve this issue with my mac, but well i learnt something new, linux can also be useful when you don't want your data to be deleted as customer support told me they were going to do if i sent my mac.
Message was edited by: AppleSensei

My Late 2013 iMac with Yosemite 10.10.2 randomly shuts down and displays a grey screen with a flashing question mark folder. According to Disk Utility, my drive is OK. What should I do?

I've had this problem for a while and I thought it went away. I've looked at all of the other discussions and tried what they suggest, nothing. I preferably don't want to erase everything on here. Is there a way to fix it without having to do that? I also noticed that other people have the screen when they first boot their computer. Mine are in the middle of a college essay or browsing online. I would really like to fix this issue. I haven't even had my iMac for a year yet. Any suggestions?

Question (?) Mark, Blinking Folder, or Gray Screen at Startup
These are related but not identical issues. Their causes are outlined in Intel-based Mac- Startup sequence and error codes, symbols. Solutions may be found in:
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
Mac OS X- Gray screen appears during startup
In most cases the problems may be caused by one or more of these:
a. Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
b. Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
c. Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
d. The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.
Note that the information I have provided is what Apple recommends, If other users suggest different solutions than found here, then be sure what they recommend does not impact on your warranty, if any, or ability to get continuing Apple service.
Please don't start removing drives or changing cables unless you know what you are doing and have exhausted other non-invasive alternatives outlined here. If you perform any work yourself that is unapproved by Apple, then you will void any warranty you may have and lose all further Apple Support.
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.
The main difference if you are using Lion or Mountain Lion is that you must first boot from the Recovery HD. Simply boot from the Recovery HD to perform the above.
Reinstall Snow Leopard Without Erasing The drive
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 Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
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.

Oh S_it, my intel iMac 2008 wont boot, flashing question mark is all I get.

Bought a friends' intel duo iMac 2008 which was working just find until a couple of day's ago and now when I try to boot it up all I get is a flashing question mark. I unplugged all components, including the electric cord and that worked the first time but now nothing. I don't have the startup or recovery disks. Must I have these...what's a girl to do? HELP!!!
Imac 2008 Mac OS X (10.5.4) previously owned, 2G

You don't need those discs, unless you need to test for Hardware, or reinstall the original operating system.
But you should get them anyway. Any software they installed on your machine, you should have the discs for as they are not their's to give away copies because of licensing restrictions.
The first step to try is zapping the PRAM:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
Then attempting a data recovery if there is no backup*:
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html#RECOVER
If there is a backup, initially try to repair the directory*:
http://www.macmaps.com/directoryfaq.html
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

IMac won't boot - flashing question mark folder

Hi, I was having performance issues with my iMac, so after searching for a resolution, I followed some suggestions to reset the PRAM and SMC....after resetting the PRAM it will not boot up at all! The startup sound chimes, then a blank grey screen briefly before a flashing question mark folder appears. Nothing happens..... I have the install cd, but there is a CD in the drive and I can't get it out. Help!!
Thanks in advance....
Andrea

HI Andrea,
To get the disk to eject, start the iMac while holding down the mouse button.
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
Try booting while holding down the Option key.
Carolyn

Flashing Question Mark - iMac sometimes won't boot

Hi
I have an aluminium cased iMac (2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo) running OS 10.6.8.
Recently I have found that sometimes the machine will not boot - I get the normal chime, grey screen and then the flashing question mark icon. I first noticed the problem a few months ago when restarting after a power outage had occured whilst I was using the Mac. After a couple of tries the machine booted and so I thought little more about it because in usual circumstances when the machine was shut down correctly it started as normal and behaved perfectly. However, after another power outage over the weekend the problem has become much worse.
I have tried all the usual things like trying to boot up in safe mode and recovery mode but with no success. The only way I can get the Mac to boot at all is to simply keep powering down and powering up again and hoping that it will spring into life. Once it does boot the Mac behaves perfectly.
I have an 10.6.8 universal system disk and I got the machine to boot from this disk. I then tried to perform some diagnostics on the hard drive (320Gb) but when I got to the pane that shows the available drivesthere was no drive to be seen.
After a lot of tries I have got it to boot off the hard drive since so, thankfully, I have been able to back up files that weren't archived to an external drive.
Am I right in suspecting that the hard drive is near the end of ts life or should I be considering other scenarios?
Thanks in advance.

Thanks for your prompt reply.
I have gone through all the suggestions on the link but with no success. If I boot off the 10.6.8 universal system disk - which is the one I used for installation of the system - it cannot find a hard drive on which to perform a check, format or do a clean installation. Everything in the pane is greyed.
This makes me suspect the drive - this is a six year old machine. It came secondhand to me but looked as new and has been perfect for a couple of years so It doesn't appear to have had a hard life.
I have eventually got it going again by simply turning off and turning on periodically in between going about doing other chores. After the last attempt pressing of the start button I walked off to do something else and when I came back it had booted. I am using the machine to write this reply.

Flashing Question Mark Icon on Start up. DEAD iMAC. HELP

Well, i think i've hit a break wall...
It wont even recognize my internal HDD, it just has a flashing question mark (?) icon when i start the machine.....i've used Tech Tool Pro 4 and the Leopard start up disk, both with no luck, they don't even think a HDD is present at all.
I have pics of what i'm looking at:
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/9631/26052010014.jpg
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/3278/26052010021.jpg
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/6130/26052010019.jpg
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/3041/26052010018.jpg
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/4143/26052010016.jpg
its one dead HDD..... any clues on what to do next?
Message was edited by: Matt-Beasley

You must use the original grey system DVD disc that came with your iMac to run the Apple Hardware Test, the one that is marked with instructions for running the test on it. Depending on the version of OS X that shipped with your iMac, this could be either disc 1 or disc 2.
When you restart with this disc in the optical drive & the D key held down, you should not see a question mark icon or the leopard installer. If you do, it means that either you don't have the correct disc inserted, you waited too long to depress the D key, or you are releasing it too soon.
You don't say exactly which Core 2 Duo iMac model you have. If it is a Mid 2007 or later model, use the chart at Apple Hardware Test: iMac (Mid 2007) and later models to identify the AHT version you need. That version number should printed on the grey disc you need to use. You can't use the instructions there to start the test from the hidden HD partition if the HD is dead or damaged but the ones for running the test from the Install DVD should work fine.

IMac randomly shows flashing question mark

Hi -
Today, my 2007 20" iMac suddenly froze. I wasn't doing anything hardware-intensive. I shut it off, and when I turned it back on, I was greeted by a flashing question mark. I already tried all the steps in this document to no avail. The only one I didn't try was the startup partition, as this is an older iMac. I did try slipping in a Snow Leopard disk and launching Disk Utility. The hard drive didn't appear. Are there any further steps I can take? I'd rather not take it to a repair shop and lose it for a week. Thanks!

The hard disk is damaged. The question mark means that the Mac can't find any bootable partitions, and in most of the cases, it means that your hard disk is damaged. You have confirmed this saying that Disk Utility doesn't recognize the disk.
If you don't want to take the iMac to an Apple Store or reseller, you can replace the hard disk yourself following iFixit steps > http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+20-Inch+EMC+2133+and+2210+Hard+Drive+Repl acement/1008/1 Also, you can buy the hard disk in iFixit or you can look for a hard drive in OWC > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/3.5-SerialATA/

IMac DV SE 400 chimes, gives flashing question mark. Hard drive bad?

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