IMac has question mark on screen

My 17" iMac running Panther is usually kept in sleep mode but today I walked by it and it sounded like the fan was racing. I rebooted it and the fan racing stopped. Unfortunately when it rebooted the screen came up blank with a an icon of a folder with a question mark on it. Is this a software or hardware issue?
Thanks for anybody's help.

Could be either or both.
You can start the computer up from the Install disc DVD and see if Disk Utility
ran from there, can verify and/or 'repair disk.' You can also see about booting
up in SafeBoot mode and if the machine does respond eventually, see about
checking the choice in System Preferences> Startup Disk, if it's still the Mac HD.
The hard disk drive could be failing; or the Directory on the hard disk drive.
If the drive is original equipment and the computer more than 3 years old,
there is a possibility the drive could be failing; or there are read/write errors
on the drive, or bad sectors, etc. And if you have a full backup of the Mac HD
contents, you could consider seeing if Disk Utility can be used to Secure Erase
the computer's hard disk drive (over-write with zeros, one or more passes) and
then choose the partition map, and reformat the drive; then reinstall the OS X.
However, the simple things are obviously best tried first; even if you do have a
means of restoring from a clone, & have a clone on an external hard disk drive.
Or, if you have a retail copy of Disk Warrior on DVD or CD for your OS X, it may
be a good idea to see if it can find fault & repair hard drive Directory issues.
Of course, there are other possibilities, depending on your skill & means.
Perhaps other readers will have quicker ideas on this topic?
{Which iMac build version (specs) do you have this issue with? Is there an a copy
of the original Apple Hardware Test on CD or on the boot DVD? If so, test with it.}
Good luck & happy computing!
{edited}

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1280x800
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500 GB HDD 5400 rpm
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Intel HD 4000
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128 MB
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802.11 a/b/g/n
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2
Average Battery Life (in hours)
8 hours
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Apple
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MacBook Pro
Item model number
MD101LL/A
Hardware Platform
Mac
Operating System
Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
Item Weight
4.5 pounds
Item Dimensions L x W x H
8.94 x 12.78 x 0.95 inches
Color
Silver
Processor Brand
Intel
Processor Count
1
Computer Memory Type
DDR3 SDRAM
Hard Drive Interface
Serial ATA
Hard Drive Rotational Speed
5400 RPM
Optical Drive Type
DVD+R DL
Audio-out Ports (#)
1
Power Source
DC
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Somehow you've managed to delete it.
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brianmier,
It appears that in the past few days you have not received a response to your
posting. That concerns us, and has triggered this automated reply.
Has your problem been resolved? If not, you might try one of the following options:
- Visit http://support.novell.com and search the knowledgebase and/or check all
the other self support options and support programs available.
- You could also try posting your message again. Make sure it is posted in the
correct newsgroup. (http://forums.novell.com)
Be sure to read the forum FAQ about what to expect in the way of responses:
http://forums.novell.com/faq.php
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