Macbook Pro - Folder w/Question Mark; Internet Recovery

Hello everyone,
I have a 13" Macbook Pro that I purchased (new) in February 2013.
Yesterday I was working on it with an external mouse plugged into one USB, a bicycle light charger plugged into the other USB, and an external monitor connected in that port with the Apple connector, plus the power cord was plugged in. I had Word documents open, an Excel doc as well, plus iTunes running, and I had Chrome open as my browser. I had to quickly leave so unplugged all of them quickly, then closed the cover.
A few hours later when I opened the computer I had no cursor. I gave it a few minutes to "wake up" but nothing happened. I then turned the computer off with the power button. When it came back on I had a folder with a question mark and it was blinking.
In looking through the discussion forums, I tried holding down the Control button. This too me to Internet Recovery. Now I'm at the OS X Utilities and it has four options: Restore from Time Machine, Reinstall OS X, Get Help Online, or Disk Utility.
I back up the computer frequently with T.M. to an external HD, but I'd rather not erase the HD and start over.
I have seen some suggest resetting the PRAM when this issue occurs. As the computer was not dropped, I hope it was more of an overload issue when I unplugged so many things at once and shut it down.
I am definitely not a skilled computer fixer, so wanted to see if anyone with more knowledge could offer the best steps to take.
Thank you!

The folder with question mark means your firmware doesn't know what or where is your volume it's supposed to boot from normally.
1: Shutdown the machine by pressing and holding the power button.
2: Press and hold the option/alt key down. Boot the machine.
3: Startup Manager appears and hopefully your boot drive (along with RecoveryHD) appears, select your boot drive and click the arrow.
4: In System Preferences, set your statup disk again. Done.
Folder with question mark issue
If this fails to work, then do reset the NVRAM and try the steps above again.
If your boot volume fails to appear, then your OS X is corrupt and is not recognized as a bootable option, but it can be fixed.
..Step by Step to fix your Mac
The worst thing is your boot drive is dead, lets hope you have backups of your data off the machine.
My computer is not working, is my personal data lost?

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Macbook pro folder with question mark blinking appear whent I turn on, When I press the Option key Grey lock screen appear asking for a password, can anyone help me please?

Macbook pro folder with question mark blinking appear whent I turn on, When I press the Option key Grey lock screen appear asking for a password, can anyone help me please?

Provide the computer's firmware password. If you don't know what it is, contact the person you got the computer from or Apple.
(91589)

Macbook pro folder with question mark

I am working on a neighbors macbook pro here.
When I startup the laptop, a folder with a question mark appears. It will not go away and nothing else happens.
This laptop was working fine until bootcamp was installed, then he erased all the contents of the hard drive in firewire mode using another computer, so I am pretty sure it is not any kind of hardware problem.
I CAN hold down the T key and boot into firewire mode. When I do this the hard drive and system appears ok in my powerbook that it is connected to.
I went to the apple store and bought the latest tiger 10.4.6, but I am hearing that this will not work with the intel based macbook pro's.
I tried booting holding the c key, the command key, option key etc, all with the same result, the flashing folder with a question mark.
Does anyone know for sure if the Install discs for the macbook pros are different than the one I just bought from the mac store?
We do not have the original discs that came with this computer, It is the 15 inch macbook pro.
Any help here is greatly appreciated!

The Tiger retail install package is not the same as the Tiger install package that ships with an Intel Mac.
Since Intel Macs are new and all ship with Tiger pre-installed, the Tiger retail install package is for PPC Macs only since there is no reason for Apple to supply a retail version that is compatible with Intel Macs. The next OS X version when released (retail install package) will be compatible with both PPC and Intel Macs or provided separately for each.
The install package that ships with a new Mac purchase is very important and should be kept in a safe place. For one and a very important reason, it includes all additional software provided with the new Mac purchase that is not included with a Tiger retail install package.
Your neighbor needs to contact AppleCare or visit the local Apple Store and request a replacement Tiger install package that shipped with this Mac. Although not provided for free, the cost will probably include covering shipping and handling only but I don't speak for Apple.

Blinking folder with question mark! Recovery mode not recognising hard drive!

So today on my MacBook Pro 13" mid 2010, for some reason a CD that I inserted inside the DVD/CD drive didn't come out, and was stuck inside. So I looked up on how to force eject it out, and I saw someone wrote that you can force eject the CD by putting a paper clip inside the hole next to the CD/DVD drive. I did this, and it did not work. After I turned on my MacBook Pro and on the startup I found the blinking folder with question mark! I went through Internet recovery mode, and I found out that it did not recognise my hard drive!
-Do I have to replace my hard drive?
Please help! I'm fairly new with computers :(

Kazmunai wrote:
I saw someone wrote that you can force eject the CD by putting a paper clip inside the hole next to the CD/DVD drive. I did this, and it did not work.
That was for very old Mac's and PC's, it's been a long time since any modern Mac had that ability.
CD that I inserted inside the DVD/CD drive didn't come out, and was stuck inside.
Press and hold the power button down to force a hardware shutdown.
Hold the trackbutton down and the option/alt key at the same time, now boot the machine.
The disk should spit out and you should eventually see a row of icons appear on the screen, this is Startup Manager and you can pres the eject key here also to get the cd to spit out.
If you see MacintoshHD (or your OS X boot volume) click it and the arrow underneath and when you get into OS X, head to System Preferences > Startup Disk and set it again. Your problem should be resolved at this point.
If you don't see your OS X boot volume and it shows RecoveryHD only, or holding the option/alt goes to Internet Recovery, then your boot drive is dead or there is some sort of other issue/power /Mac related.
Try a #1 SMC Reset and a #2 PRAM reset and see if that fixes things.
..Step by Step to fix your Mac
If not, I then suspect because you couldn't eject the cd that something electrical bad happened to the Superdrive and as a result it also effected the power or something going to the boot hard drive.
The hard drive might still work just fine if it's removed from the machine and a SATA to USB adpater to another Mac.
My advice is to take the machine to Apple for a free hardware evaluation, then decide what you want to do from there.
My computer is not working, is my personal data lost?

MacBook Pro with flashing 'Question Mark Folder'

I have a relatively new MacBook Pro that recently had the hard drive wiped clean. I would like to use it but do not have the Mac OS X discs that came with it. I do have a set that came with an older unit but they won't work. Any suggestions?

Here is some info on MacBook Pro (17-inch mid 2010) which matches the A1297 model code. You can have Mac OS X 10.6 installed from the retail disk purchased from apple and then to 10.6.8 (free combo update download or software update). From 10.6.8 you can upgrade to 10.9 if desired (free) via the App store.
http://www.apple.com/support/osx/upgrade/
https://discussions.apple.com/message/23915442#23915442
SOFTWARE
Original OS
Mac OS X 10.6.3 (10D2094)
Maximum OS
Latest release of OS X
OVERVIEW
Introduced
April 2010
Discontinued
February 2011
Model Identifier
MacBookPro6,1
Model Number
A1297
EMC
2352
Order Number
MC024LL/A
Initial Price
$2,299
Support Status
Supported
Case
Precision aluminum unibody
Weight and Dimensions
6.6 lbs., 0.98" H x 15.47" W x 10.51" D
PROCESSOR
Processor
Intel Core i5 or Core i7 (M 540, M 620, M 640) ("Arrandale")
Processor Speed
2.53, 2.66, or 2.8 GHz
Architecture
64-bit
Number of Cores
2
Cache
3 MB (Core i5) 4 MB (Core i7) shared L3 cache
System Bus
Intel Direct Media Interface (DMI) at 2.5 GT/s

TS1365 What does it mean when my Macbook pro displays a question mark at startup, and won't boot?

My MacBook Pro won't start up. It displays a Question Mark for a while, and you can hear the HDD spinning, as well as some clicks, but nothing happens. It started after I accepted and began a recommended upgrade download and install. I started the upgrade install, rebooted, and walked away. An hour later, it displayed the progress bar as about 50% complete for the install. 24 hrs later, it was still at the same status. Several hours later, still no progress, so I hit the on/off button, shutting down the computer. After that, it would not restart...it gives the start-up chime, I hear the HDD spinning, and also hear some ominous "click click" sounds. Then a question mark pops onto the screen, and that's all. Any suggestions?

It means that it cannot find certain startup files. In your case it's probably because you interrupted the installation or the installation failed and files were corrupted or lost. Do the following:
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.

Macbook Pro Late 2011 Question Mark on Startup

My Macbook Pro has started displaying a question mark folder icon on startup. I have been through recovery and various other steps but it seems as though the hard drive simply isn't recognised by the computer.
It worked one minute then when I opened it the next, it had locked up. I restarted the computer and it happened.
If it is my HDD that is knackered, how likely is it that I will be able to retrieve my files, and how would I go about doing it if at all possible?
Thanks!

The question mark typically indicates a problem with the Mac OS. The computer is literally asking you for a boot drive. The hard drive could be fine. Or, it could be a mix of hardware and software.
Do you have the Apple Hardware Test Disc? With your model, it is probably combined with the software restore disc. There will be instructions in very small print telling you to hold the "D" key at startup. If your computer passes the hardware test, you can boot from this DVD as if you are going to do a clean install of the OS, but run Disk Utility to see if it can repair the OS and get you back to a bootable state.
Do you have an AppleCare disc? This usually has a lite version of TechTool Pro (which typically provides a more comprehensive diagnostic than Disk Utility).
Do you have a bootable backup drive (USB or Firewire or Thunderbolt)? If this is current, you could not only run tests on the internal drive, but continue to work until the issues wih the internal drive are resolved.
Target Disk Mode can be used if you have another Mac with the right port (FireWire and/or Thunderbolt). This basically puts the laptop into a disk only mode. As such, it can be connected to another computer for diagnostics.
Oh, and just incase you're not already familiar with this, you can power down the MacBook Pro at any time by pressing and holding the power key (it usually takes about 10 seconds). And, if you have more than one bootable drive connected (this includes a boot DVD or boot CD in the DVD-ROM drive), you can hold the option key at startup for a menu of bootable drives.
When the question mark creeps up on me, I usually go through troubleshooting the startup process as listed. Although, I use Carbon Copy Cloner to keep a daily backup of my boot drive so that I always have a backup boot drive that isn't more than 24 hours old It really helps avoid down time.
Report back on what works for you in your situation.
-Warren

Grey question mark - Internet recovery error 6002F

Hey. I've been having major problems with my Mac book air which was brought in early 2012.
After trying to install mountain lion it's been going crazy. At first there was problems with installing or updating applications, then it wouldn't turn on! Now it's coming up with a grey screen with a question mark in a file. I've read on forums that I should do an Internet recovery by pressing option! However it's coming up with an error code after connecting to wifi and pressing that arrow to go into Internet recovery. It comes up with a ! In a globe saying apple.com/support. -6002F
Someone help? Any ideas. I don't think it's a corrupt hard drive!!

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3516137?start=0&tstart=0
I've seen this issue twice and the resolution differed each time:
Scenario #1 - Required an SSD/HD replacement, the drive had significant directory damage that could not be repaired.
Scenario #2 - One of the RAM DIMMs was failing, as the machine was not a MacBook Air replacing the defective DIMM resolved the issue. In this case with the MacBook Air you can't replace the DIMM as it is soldered to the logic board.
Is this unit under warranty or covered by the AppleCare Protection Plan?

Macbook pro 2012 blinking light.. internet recovery not working

I HAVE a 2012 mac book pro... I did the yosemite up date and now my computer shows a blinking folder or a caution symbol at start up... I goggled and I did the command R option which Got me into internet recovery mode. I Tried to reinstall os However mountain lion os x is showing up for reinstall and when I click on this and I cannot install this older version os... A pop up shows stating " cant install you have an updated version.". I have tried restarting from the Mac HD at startup with no success. There is no recovery drive option only a Mac HD and Base HD.. I did the verify and repair disk options and both check out ok. What is going on with my computer???. It is less than 1 year old!

The symptoms that you are describing indicate that your internal HDD has died. Your data may be lost or require professional recovery services to retrieve.
Enter the serial number (on the bottom) of your MBP here and post back the model information:
https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do
Ciao.

Blinking Folder with Question Mark+ No recovery disk

I've been using an original Mac Mini loaded with 10.5 for a long time, just keeping my music collection for the most part, Not too long ago, I restarted it after is froze up only to find that it now wasn't going to let me in, just give me the blinking folder with a question mark. I've done a lot of looking around and found that the obvious next step is to pop the recovery disk in and find a work around and get back in to sort things out. Unfortunately I seem to have left my disks back home in another state, so I have no access to said disk. What do I do? I don't know anyone who could have disks for OS 10.5 or anything that far back. What should I do? Can Apple help me, or do I have to hunt one down on ebay or something?
Please and Thanks for the help.

Make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store. They may be able to help. The appointment is free. The hard disk may have died.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar

All of the menus on my macbook pro how a question mark inside a rectangle. It looks like unsupported characters. How do I change it back to regular text?

On my early-2011 MBP running Mavericks, all of the text of menus has turned into a question mark surrounded by a rectangle. As a result, I cannot read any menus. What do I do to change the character set the OS is using back to a normal charset?

Startup in Safe Mode. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14204
If this does not help, reinstall OS X.
Reinstall OS X 10.9 Mavericks
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH13871

Help please! My macbook air (2015) startup showed a folder with question mark so i tried "Command R" for internet recovery but after few minutes it stopped and showed error.. Please hepl me!

Help please! My macbook air (2015) startup showed a folder with question mark so i tried "Command R" for internet recovery but after few minutes it stopped and showed error.. Please hepl me!

Startup – Question Mark
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Startup Issues - Resolve (3)

MacBook Pro flashes file folder with question mark and startup manager will not run

My son's MacBook Pro won't boot (gets the flashing file folder with question mark). When I try to open startup manager (holding "option" key during boot does not do it). Other posts suggest inserting the install disk, but I am pretty sure that for Lion, there was no disk, it was just off the website through the App Store. Any further suggestions?

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.

My MacBook pro stop working and it shows folder with question mark after this update, it's not my fault, Apple should solve the problem with out ask me to make payment

After updating my MacBook pro it shows only a folder with question mark on it
It is not my fault, Apple updates problem
They should solve it fir me without make any payment
Thanks

Try starting your computer holding down the option key as soon as you hear the startup sound, and continue holding it. Hopefully, you will see the icon for your startup disk come up on your screen within a minute. Click on that icon and press return. If your machine starts up normally from there, go to System Preferences > Startup Disk and reselect your startup volume

MacBook pro shows folder with question Mark

MacBook pro (pre-unibody) is just showing a White screen with folder and question Mark in it. Is it a hard drive failure? What should I do?

Hi Bobby,
It does sound like the HD. Try booting from the install disc, then see if your HD even shows up in Disk Utility. If it does, check S.M.A.R.T. status and try running Repair Disk.
First check the S.M.A.R.T. status on your HD: Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility>in the panel at left, select the first item in the list/your HD mechanism>look at the bottom of the main window next to S.M.A.R.T. status and see if it says “Verified” or something more ominous like “Failing.”
If S.M.A.R.T. status is "Verified," run Repair Disk: Boot from install disc (insert disc>restart>immediately hold down c key and keep holding it until you see “Preparing Installation”)>at first screen select the language and click Continue> click on the Utilities Menu in the menu bar>open Disk Utility>select your HD in the panel on the left side>click Repair Disk at bottom of main window. Run this at least twice, and keep running it until it says “appears ok” twice in a row. If that doesn’t happen, you may need a stronger utility such as DiskWarrior or if the directory is damaged beyond repair, you may need to reinstall the OS, or you may have a damaged HD (repair utilities can only repair the directory structure, not the HD itself). When this is finished, quit Disk Utility, quit the installer, and restart. Once booted normally, go to Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility and run Repair Permissions.
Message was edited by: tjk

Macbook Pro - Folder w/Question Mark; Internet Recovery

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