Imac G3 (CRT) startup shows a question mark wont boot

At startup there is a flashing question mark that shows. I have tried Disk Utility but it wont let me choose the disk, its read only??? I dont no what to do, I have been a long time Mac user, I have fixed a different Imac with the same problem and fixed it in about 2 hours, should I just give up

Michele Vadnais...
How long did you allow the question mark to show? In some cases the PRAM battery becomes weak and can play that game but eventually it may recover and boot.
Now the "read only" thing does have me puzzled. If you used an older CD that may be a Mac OS version issue.
...Ron

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Flashing question mark - wont boot from CD

Hi
I am getting the 'flashing question' mark folder at start up. I am trying to start up from the OS9 CD by holding the c key at start up, but having no success.
Prior to this, I was having a problem mounting CD's (the this disc is unreadable by this computer dialogue box would show), could that be the problem? I was working around that by using my Zip CD Writer to mount CDs to the desktop.
If there is any way to force a computer to recognise the CD other than holding down the c key, or some other solution, I would be grateful if some kind person could get back to me.
cheers.

HI, Prince Busta. Since you can neither start up from a CD using the standard method, nor read CDs in your internal CD-ROM drive after starting up from another source, it seems likely that your internal drive is malfunctioning. The simplest possible explanation for this is that the drive is dirty and needs cleaning. A drive cleaning kit, available for a few dollars wherever audio CDs are sold, might put you back in business quickly and cheaply.
Another key combination to try at Startup is Command-Shift-Option-Delete, but I wouldn't expect that to work if the "c" key doesn't, and if the drive in question is the original one that came in the iMac.
Failing that, check to make sure your CDs themselves are clean and unscratched. Though it may seem unlikely that all of them are so dirty or damaged as to be unreadable in a properly-functioning optical drive, it isn't impossible: my teenage son came very close to demolishing all of an alarmingly large CD collection a few years ago just by never putting any of them away, and padding around his room on a layer of loose CDs (mingled with lots of common trash) for a couple of years. On the upside, when his indoor landfill was finally excavated, his carpet was in better condition than we'd expected: it had been protected from wear and tear by the thick overlying strata of debris. And in the corners of his room where traffic was lightest, he found a few CDs in usable condition that he'd forgotten he owned, which were a pleasure for him (though not for me) to hear again. Fortunately, the iTunes music store has lately enabled him to spend his money on music without acquiring any cumbersome CDs that need to be taken care of. As long as his iPod doesn't get dropped into the sea of laundry on his floor and put through the wash, he probably won't destroy all his music again.
If your CDs are in good shape and cleaning the drive doesn't help, a new drive is probably in order — though replacing one in an original iMac is probably not a sensible investment nowadays. You could replace the iMac for less than a new drive would cost. Perhaps you can find a used one that works and install it yourself without spending much.

Folder with question mark + wont boot from disk

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One other thought: does the question mark go away when you open a folder?
I am beginning to suspect that maybe just right-clicking the Finder window's toolbar and selecting "Customize Toolbar" and then seeing if you can drag the question mark off the tool bar, like there is some phantom item that the Finder can't resolve.
A puzzle. It definitely has something to do with the Finder toolbar, though. I'm pretty sure of that at this point.
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Well, I learn something new today, and it's only 52 minutes into the day. My work here is done.
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A Funny Question Mark on Booting

My wife's laptop got soaked when left under a faulty aircon unit. Although it was closed it was in a puddle of water and would not start after we dried it off. However, we were in the heat of Malaysia so I put it out in the sun for a couple of hours. Incredibly it booted up fine after that and is running perfectly. Quite incredible! However, when it boots up now it first shows a question mark in a folder for an instant after the sound and before the Apple sign. It then proceeds to boot up and function perfectly. Any advice as to what this is telling us? It is something we can fix ourselves? I have run the disk permissions and also ran Disk Warrior over it - all report everything is fine.

Bruce Billington wrote:
My wife's laptop got soaked when left under a faulty aircon unit. Although it was closed it was in a puddle of water and would not start after we dried it off. However, we were in the heat of Malaysia so I put it out in the sun for a couple of hours. Incredibly it booted up fine after that and is running perfectly. Quite incredible! However, when it boots up now it first shows a question mark in a folder for an instant after the sound and before the Apple sign. It then proceeds to boot up and function perfectly. Any advice as to what this is telling us? It is something we can fix ourselves? I have run the disk permissions and also ran Disk Warrior over it - all report everything is fine.
After booting, in System Preferences, under Startup Disk, reselect the OS - should be first on the left. Somehow it got lost.
An amazing story, BTW and a tribute to Apple's engineering.

Imac G3 (CRT) startup shows a question mark wont boot

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