Mac has a Question Mark in a folder and won't start up

Mac has a ? mark in a folder and won't start up

This can mean a few things. First, one of the main, critical files are missing in the system or some how it was entered into recovery mode. Try holding the power button down until it turns off. Turn it back on. If that doesn't work try downloading the 10.7 recovery assistant from Apple's site. Put that on a USB key and plug that in. Turn on the computer. Hold the recovery hot key (should say on Apple's site) while booting up to enter into the recovery software. Hope this helps.

Similar Messages

  • My MacBook Pro turns on but not all the way, it gives me an icon of a grey folder with a question mark in the middle, and won't go further that that. Anyone knows why, or what's the problem?

    My MacBook Pro turns on but not all the way, it gives me an icon of a grey folder with a question mark in the middle, and won't go further that that. Anyone knows why, or what's the problem?

    If these do not resolve the issue or if you are not comfortable with proceeding through these steps then take your Mac to an Apple store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.  An Apple store will perform these initial steps, diagnose the problem, and give an estimate for repairs (if needed).  If the Mac is less than one year old or is covered by AppleCare any repairs would be free.
              Genius reservation http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/ .
              or find an Apple Authorized Service Provider https://locate.apple.com/country

  • My MacBook has question marks on all folders and won't run ANY program. Help!

    A week ago I was editing some photographs in Photoshop CS 5 extended. My computer has been running slow for a while so I thought that I would finish these files and then clear it of some photos since I know I've recently uploaded several gbs onto it.
    The next day it was frozen. I had to shut it down and restart. It came on and now every folder has a question mark on it and none of the programs will open. They just bounce up and down and then the menu bar says Application not responding.
    I have no idea what I need to do. I was going to update to Lion but I'm unsure if that's what I should do or if it needs some TLC from the apple store.
    Help?

    A professional will image your drive and attempt a bit by bit file recovery method directly from the drive itself.
    You see when you delete something, it's not quite erased yet, but the space the file took is available to be overwritten, so it's only a matter of time before that occurs and the file is really gone.
    So they will recover what they can, and then restore your machine and it's software and return the recovered files.
    The TimeMachine is certainly going to assist, good thing you got it.
    The trick is to hire someone and quit using the computer until they rescue you, show you in person how to rescue yourself .
    Good Luck

  • After I turned on my MacBook Pro, it displayed a blinking question mark over a folder and now I don't know what to do.

    When I turned on my Mac, the blinking question mark appeared and I went to the apple support pages and did everything on the lists.
    Nothing worked. Then I put in the installation disk to wipe the hd, but none appeared on the list. I tried putting in a different hd and that didn't work either. Also, my original hard drive is fine because I put it in a another Mac and it worked perfectly. 
    Now I am at a loss over what to do. Any solutions?

    Sound like a hardware failure / cable / connection
    Genius reservation http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/
    on-line https://getsupport.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.action
    check warranty https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do

  • Question Mark on Safari Icon - it won't start

    I'm a newbie to Mac. I purchased my iMac in March. Last night I clicked on the Safari icon in the dock. A question mark overlaid the icon and it wouldn't start. Through Finder I found a command to start (or run) Safari but I got a message that Safari was either disabled or (I believe) deleted.
    Sorry for the faulty memory but I have to use my work computer to post. Without Safari, I can't get on the internet at home and I can't seem to download Safari. I'm at my wit's end.

    To all who responded,
    Thanks so much for your suggestions. It ended up I kind of lucked into an easier solution. I was smart enough to buy a backup drive so when I went into Time Machine I was able to go back a few days and restore Safari.
    Still can't figure out what happened. Time Machine told me the last backup (prior to my restoring Safari) failed for some reason. After I restored Safari I instructed Time Machine to do an immediate backup and it went fine.
    Don't know if the two are related.
    BTW, I'm going to download Firefox so I don't have to worry about this again. Thanks for the suggestion. Two nights I was ruing the fact that I neglected to do so earlier.

  • White screen with a folder and a question mark on the folder and its blink?

    I was on my computer and it was basically frozen so I turned it offf manually. Then I tried to turn it back on and it it made the noise like it was turning on, but then there was a white screen. Then I turned it off again and it did the same thing exept that now it has a little blinking folder with a question mark in it. Then I turned it off again and it did the same thing as it didi the 1st time......HELP ME !!!
    (oh now it just turned itself off)

    You can try starting up while holding the 'Option' key down. This will hopefully present you with your drive to select from. If not, insert your Install DVD and restart with the 'C' key down. This is called booting to the DVD. When the topmenu appears, launch Disk Utility and then verify/repair both permissions and the drive itself.
    If the drive does not appear in Disk Utility ...you may have one of the faulty Seagate drives. If you are still within you standard 1 year warranty (or have Applecare) then that drive will be replaced.
    Do you have things backed up?

  • IMovie has a question mark over the icon and will not open. Help!

    iMovie will not open in Admin or any users on iMac. Faded question mark in background behind icon. iMovie is unable to be located in the finder as well. All downloads are up to date.

    Niel wrote:
    Install it from your iLife or computer's original disk, using Pacifist if needed, and then run the latest applicable iMovie updater.
    (53051)
    Hello, I have a question mark on the dock where once were icons which were not opening for
    iphoto and system preferences. If I
    Install it from your iLife or computer's original disk, using Pacifist if needed, and then run the latest applicable iPhoto updater.
    will it erase any photos I have on my computer?
    I can't use Time Machine because I can't open System Preferences.

  • On startup my mac has a question mark

    and it wont let me re download os x mountain lion

    Go step by step and test.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440
    Startup Manager to select Startup disk.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1310
    Repair Disk
    Steps 2 through 8
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836
    Reset PRAM.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4405

  • TS1440 My Mac shows a question mark in a folder at startup!

    Tried a few of your solutions like hold option+ command+ P+R! Then only shift. After that C! Nothing seems to help.

    Often that is a sign that there is an issue with the HDD.  Have you tried all of these procedures?
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
    Ciao.

  • My iPhoto app has disappeared and my iMovie has a question mark through it!?

    I went to go onto my iphoto app on my macbook pro today and realised it was missing and imovie has a question mark on the app and won't let me open it can any help me get it back please? I haven't messed with it nor deleted it so haven't got a clue where it has gone or what's happened. I don't want to pay for it as its not cheap and I had it for free on the mac so don't see why I should by it.
    Thanks in advance

    I've managed to get them back for all the other people who are having the same problem go onto the app store on your Mac and once it loaded click 'Purchases' with a little price tag by it and look for it in the list and it should be there for you to install it again for free

  • Macbook dying?  Question mark in a folder sign.

    Was happily surfing this morning when my macbook just crashed. When I rebooted all I got was a grey screen with a flashing question mark in a folder and that's it!
    I haven't backed up in a few weeks (yes, I know I'm an idiot) plus I don't know what's wrong with it. Is there any way to bypass the flashing folder and back up before I take it to the Apple doctor?
    Thanks

    I don't think you have to take it into the doctor's quite yet.
    check this out http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570?viewlocale=en_US

  • HT1310 when i starst my mac i get a flashing folder with a question mark. i tried rebooting and holding the option button then i get 2 boxes, one with a refresh arrow and one with a forward arrow neither of them seem to do anything. now what

    when i starst my mac i get a flashing folder with a question mark. i tried rebooting and holding the option button then i get 2 boxes, one with a refresh arrow and one with a forward arrow neither of them seem to do anything. now what

    Here is an article that describes what it is supposed to do:
    Startup Manager: How to select a startup volume
    If no Volumes are shown, it is telling you there are no potentailly bootable Volumes attached. That means your boot drive has died or the bootable image on it is unrecognizable.
    What Mac Pro ? by year, GHz, number of processors, screen size?
    What Mac OS X ?

  • 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

  • My MacBook has a grey screen with a folder and a question mark in the middle what does this mean?

    My MacBook has a grey screen with a folder and a question mark in the middle what does this mean?

    It means a valid system cannot be found. You need to reinstall OS X.
    If you have Snow Leopard:
    Reinstall OS X 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.
    If you have Lion or later:
    Reinstall Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks without erasing 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
    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 then click on the Repair Permissions button. When the process is completed, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
    Reinstall Mountain Lion or Mavericks
    OS X Mavericks- Reinstall OS X
    OS X Mountain Lion- Reinstall OS X
    OS X Lion- Reinstall Mac OS X
         Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet
                     if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

  • I cleaned up my mac and now all my applications are gone. I try to open them and it has a question mark on the app icon. Everything from System prefrences, Everything in itunes, iphoto, preview and mail? Please help

    I cleaned up my mac and now all my applications are gone. I try to open them and it has a question mark on the app icon. Everything from System prefrences, Everything in itunes, iphoto, preview and mail? Please help

    These question marks are on your dock? And you can't open applications from your dock?
    If so, try this: Open a new finder window and navigate to the Applications folder in your hard disk. The applications in question should still be in there (the Applications folder). So drag each of the application icons that you want to be available on your dock from the Applications folder onto your dock, one by one. Take each of your question mark icons that are on the dock and drag them off the dock to get rid of them. See if that fixes you up.
    Now, if your hard disk no longer has an Applications folder in it, or the Applications folder is empty, you are going to have to reinstall OS 10.6 then do a software update to bring you back up to OS 10.6.8. You may be able to just go to the "optional installs" folder on the installer DVD and maybe all the stock applications are there -- I don't remember and I don't have an installer DVD handy to look. That would be way easier than doing a full blown OS reinstall. Also, as I recall, if OS 10.6 was on the computer when you bought it from the store, I think there should be an "extras" DVD that has a handful of applications that could be reinstalled from it, too.

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