IMac G5 won't boot, flashing folder icon, disk not found

Hi fellow Mac users,
My mother's G5 iMac suddenly stopped booting after no significant event. Here is some information :
- When the Mac boots up, I get a flashing folder icon.
- When running the extended Apple Hardware Test (from the original Tiger DVD), I get no error, even the hard drive (Mass Storage) seems to be fine.
- When I boot on the Leopard DVD, the hard drive doesn't show up in disk utility.
I think the hard drive is broken, do you agree or is there something else that I am missing ? I am confused because the test says nothing about the hard drive.
Thank you for your help

@ Klaus1 :
Thanks. I tried but everything is fine on this side, the first three LEDs are On and the last is Off as expected.
But the article is about iMacs that display nothing.
@ mrbear235 :
Pressing cmd+R does nothing. I get a grey screen and the computer eventually reboots after a while.
The computer seems fine appart from the fact that there is no hard drive detected. But shouldn't the Apple Hardware Test say something about it ?

Similar Messages

  • MacBook Pro can turn on and off, but does not start up. Stays on white screen with flashing folder icon, does not go to desktop.

    MacBook Pro is not starting up. It just stays on a white screen with a flashing folder icon. Have tried restarting while holding the Option key, and the cursor becomes visible and movable, but it does not go to the desktop.

    Hello Sonya_Rose,
    I found this article when researching the issue you describe here named A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac found http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440.
    Check the mouse and keyboard
    This issue might occur if a mouse or trackpad button is pressed during startup. Make sure the button isn't pressed.
    If the issue persists, shut down your Mac with its power button, disconnect any external mouse and keyboard, then turn on your Mac with its power button. If the flashing question mark issue persists, reconnect the keyboard and mouse.
    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.
    Regards,
    Sterling

  • PowerMac won't irregularly stops booting - Flashing Folder icon

    I have installed Leopard onto my PowerMac G4. It was working for a few months, now it won't boot up most of the time. I am getting the flashing folder/question mark when I turn the computer on.
    This problem doesn't occur all of the time. I was messing around with the two internal hard drives, switching them around inside the machine, and whatever I did must have worked because the computer booted up just fine. All of my files were in tact and everything looked normal. This lasted for about a day. Now my computer is back to the flashing folder on startup.
    What could be causing this problem, and how can I fix it? Thanks!

    If your mac is the G4 DP 867 MDD like it says on your profile, then you have two IDE channels: the 1st is ATA/100 for the drive bays next to the processor, and a 2nd one being ATA/66, if I'm not mistaken, for the drive bays below the optical drive bays.
    It might be worth trying to install your drives into the front ATA/66 if you have doubts that the rear ATA/100 channel is having reliability issues.
    Another thing to check is your IDE cable. Inspect closely to see if there are nicks, cuts or other damage to it. Replace with a known-good cable to verify.
    Yet another thing to check are the jumper setting on your drives. And if your drives are high rpm, there is slim possibility that it's taking them too much time to spin up causing the mac to think they are not present. That's very remote, though.
    Hope this helps.

  • TS1440 Air won't boot (flashing folder question mark); tried all the steps

    I've read and tried all of the fixes in ts1440 and ts2570 and hit blocks in all cases. Anybody got any more ideas before I schlep my Air to an Apple store?
    MacBook Air, 10 months old, running Mountain Lion
    It restarts to a flashing folder with question mark.
    If I hold down the <option> key, it gives me the option of booting off the internet (takes forever) and then I can use the Disk Utility, etc. The DU Verify Disk says there is no problem with my drive. However, the Startup Disk tool doesn't list the computer hardrive (or anything else) to boot off of.
    In the utility I tried the option to reinstall Mountain Lion but it gives me an error message, saying I should call Applecare.
    I plug in my Time Machine backup USB disk drive but the utility has the Continue button grayed out for the option Restore from TM.
    I've tried rebooting with option-command-P-R to reset the PVRAM, and rebooting holding down the shift key (safe mode).
    I don't have physical copies of the OS, I think its all from the cloud/AppStore. I've got a couple other Macs around (mini, macbook) but I don't think I have a compatible cable (without buying a doggle). I always use wifi with the Air.
    Thanks for any suggestions.

    It restarts to a flashing folder with question mark.
    If I hold
    down the <option> key, it gives me the option of booting off the
    internet (takes forever) and then I can use the Disk Utility, etc.
    The
    DU Verify Disk says there is no problem with my drive.
    However, the
    Startup Disk tool doesn't list the computer hard drive (or anything else)
    to boot off of.
    Since you have TimeMachine you can opt to use Internet Recovery to erase/format the entire drive and restore from that.
    1 partition, option: GUID, format: OS X extended journaled in Disk Utility.
    If it doesn't work to restore, then take it into Apple as you have a one year warranty, Buy AppleCare.
    Also a solo TimeMachine drive isn't the best,
    Most commonly used backup methods

  • Imac DV won't boot/get folder & ? blinking

    orig 400DV that someone had installed X, but apparently forgot to upgrade firmware. i replaced motherbd w/500 DV and upgraded the HD. VOILE! maching booted w/OSX cd, and i installed after utility chedked drive. now it will not boot, and on the screen(gray) script in upper left reads "default catch" code 300... Apple PowerMac4,1 4.1.7f4 Boot ROM. Goes on to say i must type mac-boot and press enter to continue. alas! Nothin. force start gives me a quick picture of OSX staaring, then the gray screen w/ script. i have an apple boot dosc 600-7710 from ebay, but the mac won't recognize the CD slot with or wo the C key held. havn't tried to reset P-ram, and willawait advice from youse guys. JZ

    You could try doing this:
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=42642
    Doesn't seem to include your computer:
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25249
    Robert

  • 27 inch Imac Intel won't boot up. Screen ligthts up, then shows a flashing file folder w question mark. What can I do to find the problem?

    27 inch iMac Intel won't boot up. Screen lights up, then shows a flashing file folder w question mark. What can I do to find the problem?

    Please readd Apple's trouble shooting steps in Flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac

  • 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

  • Mac Mini - Flashing Folder Icon / No boot / Loud fans

    I recently got my Mac Mini back after 8 months of it being 'elsewhere' (someone had it, tried to gain access, failed because I have filevault).
    When I first got it back yesterday I turned it on, booted and then logged in, noticed no sound, and system was saying there was no sound card. The computer wasn't lagging or freezing whatsoever, so I reset it and still no sound.
    I open it up and what do you know, someones opened it (I assume to get to the HDD) and had unclipped the sound card ribbon. Reseated that and put it back together, turn it on and finally a chime, but then nothing, White screen, and fans turn on full blast. I reset it, same thing. Reset it about 10 times, only thing I noticed was half the time my mouse cursor would show and let me move the cursor around.
    So I take it apart again, check all connections, restart, same symptoms.
    Pull it apart again and try installing 1 RAM chip at a time, same symptoms.
    I tried booting it with resetting PRAM, NVRAM, I tried starting holding option, pressing c, everything, and nothing happens! Same symptoms. I tried holding down power for 10 seconds, hear a long beep, then chime, same symptoms!
    So I take it apart again, take out hard drive, check connections (all ok), put it back in, same symptoms.
    Anyway I got angry so i turned it on and left it doing it's White screen business. Come back 45 minutes later, flashing folder icon with '?'
    I reboot, wait 15 again, same folder icon, loud fan, nothing else.
    This doesn't make sense, HDD was fine 5 minutes before, no noises at all, no lag, no errors. I didn't touch the hard drive previously to the problem, and now nothing is helping. I've had the hard drive replaced 2 years ago due to near failure, but saved all data by cloning the disk, the HDD isn't old!
    I just bought an external HDD enclosure, should arrive soon, and a new HDD, issue is this disk is filevaulted, I'm scared my data is going to be lost for good.
    What can I do? I've lost my OS X disc, but judging by the computer being unresponsive to other commands at boot I doubt it would boot a CD anyway.
    Please help.
    Thanks

    Whew, what a bad ride.
    Does it also have Firmware password protection in Mac OS X ...
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352
    It would block usage of all the startup keys, like C, N, T, D, CMD+s, CMD+Option+p+r, CMD +v, Option, and Shift, as well as booting from anything but the Hard Drive.
    Force Removing Password Protection
    1) Add or remove DIMMs to change the total amount of RAM in the computer.
    2) Then, the PRAM must be reset 3 times. (Command + Option + P + R).
    http://www.securemac.com/openfirmwarepasswordprotection.php
    Does it boot to Single User Mode, CMD+s keys at bootup, if so try...
    /sbin/fsck -fy
    Repeat until it shows no errors fixed.
    (Space between fsck AND -fy important).
    Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck...
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214

  • MacBook won't start - shows flashing folder icon with question mark

    When I attempted a Spotlight search, my MacBook froze. I shut it down, and when I start again I get the sound, the blue screen, and then a flashing folder icon with a question mark. I tried starting with Option pressed down; didn't work, and now I don't even get the flashing folder icon, just the blue screen. Any suggestions?

    The flashing folder with question mark means the computer can't find a working OS on the computer. This may mean your hard drive has failed.
    Try holding the Shift key while starting up the machine. This puts the machine into Safe Mode.
    If you have your install discs, insert Install Disc 1 and start up the computer while holding down the C key. When the Installer has loaded, choose a language. From the Utilities menu, choose *Disk Utility*. Does your hard drive show up here? If so, click on its icon (the one with manufacturer name & capacity, NOT "Macintosh HD"), and then click on the *Repair Disk* button.
    If booting in Safe mode doesn't help or you don't have your install discs, you need to bring the computer to an Apple store and have the folks there look. If Disk Utility doesn't list your hard drive, it has very likely failed and will need to be replaced. If your machine is out of warranty, you're better off replacing it yourself, as it's very easy to do.
    ~Lyssa

  • Flashing folder icon ? mark after upgrade or boot loop.

    Hi folks.  I upgraded my 2011 Mac Mini 2.3Ghz to Mountain Lion last week and it has been a big disaster.  First reboot after install it gave me the flashing folder icon with ? mark.  I power cycled and it seemed fine.  Next reboot, same thing with the folder blinking.  Hard reboots put me into a boot loop eventually.  I did a clean install after having problems with that as well and now i'm in the same boat.  It has booted normally once or twice but mostly just boot loops.  I do have an SSD installed but this was done at an Apple Certified Micro Center and I had absolutely no problems with Lion with multiple installs done.  Can I get back to Lion or is this a fix?  I have no access to the Lion installer DMG as suggested in many walkthroughs that I have found to build Lion Recovery media and I'm not sure what to do at this point.  I DO have the same exact mac mini at work which is thankfully still on Lion if that helps at all and access to the original mac mini but I don't think that helps at this point.  I'm really ****** I can tell you that.  Help?  Thanks.

      Can I get back to Lion or is this a fix?
    The startup disk may need repairing. Instead of reverting to Lion, use Lion Recovery

  • I have an iMac that won't boot up. Chimes, Gray screen w/ apple icon, spinning gear and progress bar at bottom, about 20 sec then shuts off.

    I have an iMac that won't boot up. Chimes, Gray screen w/ apple icon, spinning gear and progress bar at bottom, about 20 sec then shuts off.
    Please Help

    The internal drive is malfunctioning. What backups do you have?

  • Flashing folder icon with a (?) in the middle. Can I save my mac?

         This happend a few months ago and I have just recently purchased a new 2012 Intel iMac but still have my old one laying around and it would be nice to have the two of them working together.
         It's a 2006 Intel iMac, I had to force a restart by holding down the power button. When it booted up is when I saw the flashing folder icon witth the (?) in the middle.
         I started up the computer with the install disk for OSX Leopard and held down whatever button it was to bring up the menu to install the OS. I got to the point where you're asked to select the HDD location but there's nothing there to indicate there's a HDD to select. If it can't see the HDD does that mean the HDD is dead?
         If the computer doesn't see the HDD and or if the HDD is not dead, is there anyway to recover the data from it? I suspect I already know the answer to this and no, I do not have a back up. Now, if there is no way to recover the data and the HDD is dead, can I get the HDD replaced?

    ... I got to the point where you're asked to select the HDD location but there's nothing there to indicate there's a HDD to select. If it can't see the HDD does that mean the HDD is dead?
    Most likely, yes.
    You may be able to extract its data by removing the HDD and installing it in an external enclosure, but if the Mac does not even detect a hard disk it is likely to be completely inoperative, as in mechanically damaged.
    Hard disks can be replaced by Apple for $400 or so, much less if you do it yourself.

  • Flashing folder icon on startup. Please help

    My laptop won't start properly anymore after i pressed the shut down button when my laptop was running slow. When I started it up I got a flashing folder icon with a question mark.
    As of now I can only get into recovery mode by selecting the recover over the internet option.
    Inside the recovery mode I ran disk utility and it could not repair the errors
    I got errors such as invalid node and missing links
    I cannot mount the drive at all
    Is there a solution to this, maybe apart from disk warrior?
    Many thanks,
    David
    P.s I have gone in to terminal to run fsck_hsf rf /dev/disk0s2, but that could not repair either

    If you are backed up, then you can run Disk Warrior to see if you make it the internal drive readable.
    If you aren't backed up, get Prosoft Data Rescue, an external hard drive big enough to handle both your internal drive, and your installed operating system from http://www.macsales.com/
    Then boot off the 10.6 installer disc and use the Disk Utility in the installer menus to format the external hard drive to have two partitions, one large enough to have the entirety of the internal drive, and one with at least 20 GB to install 10.6, and install Data Rescue.  Once that is done, you can boot off the Data Rescue partition with the Option key at startup, and run Data Rescue to recover the internal drive to the second partition of the external drive.
    If neither Disk Warrior works, nor Data Rescue works, it is time to consider how valuable the data is. If it is several thousand dollars worth, it may be worth trying http://www.drivesavers.com/ which will cost that much to try to recover from a "dead" hard drive.
    Apple might offer an intermediate cost, though I would check with them how much it is before choosing between one and the other.

  • Flashing Folder icon with Question Mark

    While trying Garage Band, I saved a project 'the long way' so as to open it via the Media Browser. Big mistake. Enter rainbow ball of ****.
    I tried to force quit because all I was hearing was a grinding away like 'crickets' says my daughter. Could be the Hard Drive.
    Now I shut it down and when I reboot, it gives me nothing but a gray screen with ? in a flashing folder icon.
    Help!
    Using 10.6.5, possibly 10.6.6. (Whichever one came before the Apple App Store application.)
    There is 70 Gig left available in a Drive that I believe is 384G. 300 something, I recall.
    This is a late 2006 Macbook, with the RAM maxed out..

    That folder with the question mark icon means that the MacBook can't find the boot directory. That can either mean it can't find the hard drive or the hard drive data is somehow corrupted.
    Put your install DVD into the optical drive and reboot. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option key until the Install Disk shows up). That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
    Once it has finished booting and you are at the Install screen launch Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
    If it is then select the First Aid Tab run Repair Disk and if that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions.
    If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

  • Help ! Flashing folder icon with question mark when starting up

    Hi, I have tried to restore my macbook pro 15 (2012 model with Yosemite OS  X) to factory settings and wipe out the hard drive but on restarting it I now just get a blank screen with a flashing folder icon with a question mark on it. Any help/advice anyone I would be very grateful for ! Thanks,  Mark

    Something didn't install properly.
    Try these in order testing your system after each to see if it's back to normal:
    1. a. Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
        b. Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
    2. Restart the computer in Safe Mode, then restart again, normally. If this doesn't help, then:
         Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the
         COMMAND and R keys until the Utilities 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.
    3. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the Utilities 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. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
    4. Reinstall Yosemite: Reboot from the Recovery HD. Select Reinstall OS X from the Utilities menu, 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.
    5. Reinstall Yosemite from Scratch:
    Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
    How to Clean Install OS X Yosemite
    Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
                because it is three times faster than wireless.

Maybe you are looking for