My 2011 iMac wont boot up and stuck on white screen with flashing folder and question mark ???

Im running Lion OS and I made update after it asks me to restart the iMac when i pressed restart it never boots again :S please help and how i can get my data back

Try starting the it by holding down the shift key (safe mode) if it starts then check your hard drive with disk utility. Also repair your disk permissions.  If you are unable to start the computer try Lion recovery mode. 

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    Call AppleCare. You should not be having problems with a brand-new machine.

  • White screen with a folder and a '?' ...

    Hi
    I bought my iMac in 2008 and it has work fine and remained just as fast as it was when i bought it unitill last night. I went to watch a film and it failed to load up quicktime and then froze. I turned it off then back on and was given a white screen with a folder and a question mark inside it. At this point i turned it back off again and left it. I found out that this screen is refered to as 'The Screen Of Death' and usually indicates that the Hard Drive is dead.
    Once i had left the iMac for about 10/15 minuets i switched it back on. It loaded my Mac but very slow. Everything is still there but continues to be slow and will crash completely if i open any programme.
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    Thank You

    Hi Brettus and welcome to the Apple Discussions.
    This would be a good time for a backup if you can do so.
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  • Blue screen with flashing folder and question mark on startup

    Hello.
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  • I locked my MacBook - it switched itself off - restart it - white screen with a folder and a questionmark appearing on the screen, I can type in the password or do anything at all

    I locked my MacBook with the find my iPhone app, then it switched itself off and now, when i restart it there is  a white screen with a folder and a questionmark appearing on the screen, I can type in the password or do anything all. I really didn't wipe it, and in the app it says: MacBook locked toay at 15:49.
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    Did you setup a lock code? I have done this operation via iCloud just few minutes ago and it's booted with 4 numbers lock code just fine. When you lock your Mac, it's restarts automaticly and then loads with lock screen and you are only able to enter password of 4 numbers to unlock it.

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    Hi,
    My daughter's Desktop Mac Pro won't reboot. On reboot, it shows a white screen with a folder and a question mark within, It just stays there and nothing happens. Is this a problem with a dead hard drive, dead processor, faulty USB connection, problem with airport.? We need advise and help, please!
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    Hi, Anonymoustache, thanks for responding.
    Yes, I think it is "a flashing question mark". If it is flashing, you think it is a hardware problem like a dead hard drive? I had a flashing question mark with my Power book G4 and Apple replaced a dead hard drive.
    Thanks Hatter, I will convey your response to my daughter and see if it will help.
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  • My MBP wouldn't start this morning, it was just stuck on white screen with grey logo and fan running.  I replaced my magsafe power cord and resolved starting issue.  Now I can't connect to internet and iTunes won't load???  Help?

    This morning I was just getting the white screen with logo and status bar with fan running.  I thought it was an issue with the power adapter so I went out and replaced it.  MBP will start now, but won't connect to internet.  I have full wi-fi signal.  Also, when I try to launch iTunes, it just quits right away.  Please help? 
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    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.
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    Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

  • Getting white screen with file folder and question mark on it...help

    My MacBook Pro starts up and only shows a white screen with a file folder with question mark on it.  I have not had problems prior to this.  Help!,

    That means that no valid system could be found to boot from.  What might have caused that is hard to say, but try referring to this document:
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    Note that if you are using Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), you don't start up from your install disk.  Hold down command-R at startup instead.

  • Gut white screen with flashing apple and circle/warning sign on white screen when i turn on the computer

    When i turn on my computer, i get only a white screen with a gray apples in the middle, flashing, alternating with a ghostbuster-type warning. Never get to the galaxy screen. Just happened today.

    Did you setup a lock code? I have done this operation via iCloud just few minutes ago and it's booted with 4 numbers lock code just fine. When you lock your Mac, it's restarts automaticly and then loads with lock screen and you are only able to enter password of 4 numbers to unlock it.

  • 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.
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    This issue might occur if a mouse or trackpad button is pressed during startup. Make sure the button isn't pressed.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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

  • Can't log in white screen with flashing file and Question mark

    I've been have trouble with getting on line and screen freezing up. Now I have a solid white screen with a icon of a file and question mark on it flashing. Iv tried unplugging and resetting with no luck.

    Have a look at > A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
    Dennis

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

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