My computer suddenly refuse to start. When I turn it on it gives the startup sound but the screen is grey and after a while a little folder icon with a question mark inside turns up. It doesn't blink. What to do? Nothing happens if I try to start up from

As I say my computer, a mac mini refuse to start. When I turn it on it gives the startup sound and the screen turns grey and stay that way for a long time. And in the end a small folder icon with a question mark inside (it doesn't blink) turns up in the middle of the screen.
I have tried to start up from the installation CD holding down the C key on the keyboard. Same result. I have tried different key combinations while starting up. No result or rather same result. Nothing. Is the computer suddenly dead?
I was about to buy a new computer but I need access to my data on this one (I write this on an iPad) but hven't yet found a way.
Anybody have any good advice?
I thought it was a software problem, that the computer couldn't find the startup software or something and maybe it is, but I am beginning to fear that it could be a hardware problem.

You need to re install OSX. If you have the dmg file downloaded via torrentz this is how you can create a bootable external HD or Flash drive (8 GB+)
https://discussions.apple.com/message/23957654#23957654
Peace
Harry

Similar Messages

At start up I get a white screen then eventually a blinking folder icon with a question mark in the middle

Help! As of today, my iMac will not boot up. When I turn it on I get a blank white screen then, after about a minute, a blinking folder icon with a question mark in the middle.

Find your original install disk, insert it and re-boot holding the "C" key during startup. It will take longer but should boot. Then you need to select Disk Utilityfrom the Menu Bar. Do a Repair Disk on your hard drive. When it finishes re-boot normally.

Sometimes when starting my iMac it shows a folder icon with a Question mark in it. Mac does not start up, only when shutting down and restart again solves it

Sometimes when starting up my iMac it shows only a folder icon with a question mark in it. Nothing happened. Only when start up again it runs ok.
What can be the cause of this.
thanks for your help
Hans

That's an indication your Mac can't find a system folder to boot from.
Open System Preferences > Startup Disk
Select: MacintoshHD OS X
For OS X v10.4, v10.5, and v10.6 > A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
Helps when you ask for help to tell us which Mac OS X is installed.
If you aren't certain, click your Apple menu icon top left in your screen. From the drop down menu click About This Mac.
The version is noted there.

HT1721 My computer turns on and displays a folder icon with a question mark in it

What should i do if my computer's screen is grey and displays a folder icon with a question mark in it?

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440
Not covered in the article is a possible hard drive failure.

15" MacbWhite screen with a blinking file folder icon with a question mark on it.

15" Macbook. When i power on all I get is white screen with a blinking file folder icon with a question mark on it.N

You may have a bad hard drive. The flashing folder with the ? indicates that the system cannot find your hard drive. Use the installation disc that came with your machine. Insert it into the disc drive and restart the machine holding down the "C" key . When the restart shows the Apple screen you can release the C keyWhen the installation screen appears, click on the utilities button. Does the left side of the disc utilities screen show your HD? If not, then your HD is bad or it could be a loose connection. ifixit.com has a good tutorial on how to replace the HF in the Macbook. Follow the instructions to remove your HD. Reinstall your HD and boot up your machine to see if it recognizes your HD. If it does't, you probably will need to replace your HD>
Is your machine still under warranty? If so, take it to your nearest Apple Store for repairs as the repairs will be covered under your warranty. If you bought AppleCare when you bought your computer your warranty is for three years. If you didn't buy the Apple Care, then your warranty is only good for one year from the date of purchase.

I restarted my computer, but the screen only shows a flashing folder icon with a question mark. What to do?

I restarted my computer, but the screen only shows a flashing folder icon with a question mark. What to do?

It means that the system boot directory can't be found.
See this support article for suggested actions
Also see this discussion.

On. Startup I get a flashing folder icon with a question mark

My computer won,t start. After about 30 seconds I get a blinking folder icon with a question mark. I have never seen this before.

There are four general causes of this issue:
1. The computer's PRAM no longer contains a valid startup disk setting when there aren't any problems with the disk itself. This can be checked for by pressing the Option key and seeing if the drive appears.
2. The internal drive's directory structure has become damaged. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to perform the repair.
3. Critical system files have been deleted. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to reinstall them.
4. The internal drive has died or become unplugged. This is the most likely case if the computer took a sharp impact or there are unusual sounds coming from its location.
(101798)

What does a white screen with a flashing folder icon with a question mark in it mean?, what does a white screen with a flashing folder icon with a question mark in it mean?

My computer seemed locked up, nothing would open. I had to force quiy everthing. I tried to normally shut it down and it wouldnt shut down. I held the on off power switch. When I tried to turn it back on It stays tuck on the white screen with a flashing folder icon with a question mark in it . Has my hard drive gone bad?

Reboot the computer holding the option key down, you will get a selection of your OS X internal boot drive or the perhaps the disk you stuck in.
You can choose what you can boot into.
If it's the hard drive and it's there, then select that and head to System Preferences and change the startup disk to the hard drive, you shoudl be fine.
If only to disk, then select that and run Disk Utility > Repair, If your drive doesn't appear on the left, it's likely dead.
Repair the drive and reboot holding the Shift key down, see if that fixes things some more and reboot again normally.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents

Folder icon with a question mark now won't boot at all help?

I get a folder icon with a question mark now it says shut down and reboot keeps doing that over and over
Please help!

clifffromhomosassa,
Your system cannot find the startup volume. This can be caused by many things including a failed HD. Please look over and trouble shoot using the Apple Flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac letter.

I have a 21" iMac that only boots as far as a folder icon with a question mark in it. Anyone know what this means and how to fix it?

I have a 21" iMac that only boots as far as a folder icon with a question mark in it. Anyone know what this means and how to fix it?

It usually means your OS has corrupted files. You need to reinstall OS X.
If you are using Snow Leopard:
Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
Do the following:
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 the Combo Updater for the version you prefer from support.apple.com/downloads/.
If you are using Lion:
Reinstalling 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: Select Reinstall Lion and click on the Continue button.

Startup problem flashing folder icon with a question mark

Hello All,
My macbook (Intel Core Duo) suddenly stopped working. Ater I push the powerbutton, I hear a clicking noise(about 1/second) coming it seems, from the cd-rom drive. Then after about 20 seconds, the clicking noise goes away and I get a flashing folder icon with a question mark (?) in it. And it just sits there for ever. I tried all the troubleshooting tricks mentioned in the user's guide, like taking out the battery and pressing the power key for 5 seconds, pressing command and control keys while pushing the power button e.t.c. I also ran the Apple Hardware Test program and it mentioned there was no problem with hardware. When I try to install the operating system with Mac OS X CD1, I go through the steps and there is no destination volume (my Macintosh HD is not seen) to install on. I appreciate any help on this matter. Thanks a bunch.

Chances are if you do not see your MacBook's HD then your HD has crashed and you will need to contact Apple (or take to an Apple Store or reseller) to have it replaced.
I hope it's still under warranty and I hope you have been backing up to another device.
This happened to me about a month ago and Apple replaced my HD and I had back ups (although I wasn't backing up religiously) so I didn't loose everything. When I picked up my MacBook with it's new HD, I also bought a new firewire external drive and back up nightly.
Good Luck - Call Apple.

What does a blinking folder icon with a question mark mean when turning on computer?

When I turn on my Mac Book Pro all I get is a blinking forder icon with a question mark in it in the middle of the screen. What does this mean and how can I fix it?

Your Mac is not able to find a system folder to boot from so it displays the question mark.
Allan

Getting a folder icon with a question mark in it when I start up...

Hi Guys
I know this isn't a Logic or music-related question, but I trust you guys so I'm asking it here rather than in one of the other Apple forums...!
Sometimes when I start my 2 month old Mac Pro, I get a folder icon in the middle of the screen, with a question mark in it...
This happens approximately one in ten startups...
Does this mean there's something wrong with my boot hard drive? Or some other kind of problem?
If I switch off and start again, it always starts up fine, but I'd be worried if this might indicate my system hard drive is on the way out!
Any advice?
Cheers and thanks!
Mike

You cannot delete (just try it) the Network Startup icon, and I don't think it is the problem. That question mark folder on startup actually tells you that the Mac cannot find a valid system, so if I were you I'ld run a couple of utilities, repair permissions, perform a surface scan of your boot disk etc.
And post the question on the OS X and the Mac Pro forums too.
The question mark in the network startup icon in the Startup Disk Prefpanel simply means that there is no network startup system. I have the same icon. It is not the problem. However, if for some reason your Mac decides on its own to try and start up from it, it would explain your "where's the system" startup ?-folder.
It could mean a lot of things: something almost broken in your system, or maybe a firmware problem or maybe a disk, or even that your keyboard is defective, and that (for example) the letter C hangs 1 in 10 times, making your Mac look for a Boot CD/DVD that isn't there...
Regards, Erik

Blinking Folder Icon with a Question Mark . . .

So, my macbook kept giving me messages that my startup disk was full, so I tried to make sure that my startup disk was in fact my harddrive and not another device like my ipod. when i canged the startup disk it asked to restart and i clicked yes. After that the computer went to a blank white screen with a folder icon in the middle blinking with a question mark in the center. now my computer won't leave this screen; i've tried command + s and command + v, restarting, powering off, etc. nothing seems to work . . . To make matters worse, i am studying abroad in morocco right now so i don't have access to an apple store and other conveniences from home. HELP!!!!!!!!!!

Do you have the OS CD's that came with your MacBook? Start your MacBook up holding down your option key. You should get to a boot option screen that will only have your hard drive at this point. The put in your OS CD and it should pop up on the screen shortly. Then double click on the CD to boot it. After you get past the language selection you should have at the top a "Utilities" menu option that you can get to Disk Utility under.

Grey Screen with a Center Folder Icon with a Question Mark in it

I updated my MacBookPro 13 inch with hard drive to OS X Yosemite, I was having some issuies with the mac. I used it last night with no problems at all, I suspend the mac an let it charge for the night and today I try to use it and the mac log in was frozen, something that happen to me before, I close the Mac and open it again and still frozen. I decide to restart the Mac and I press the power botton, when I try to power it on again, a grey screen appears and suddenly a folder icon appears with a question mark in it.
What does that mean? what can I do to fix it? can I safe and keep my information?

A flashing question mark or globe appears when you start your Mac
Question (?) Mark, Blinking Folder, or Gray Screen at Startup
These are related but not identical issues. Their causes are outlined in Intel-based Mac- Startup sequence and error codes, symbols. Solutions may be found in:
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
Mac OS X- Gray screen appears during startup
In most cases the problems may be caused by one or more of these:
a. Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
b. Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
c. Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
d. The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.
Note that the information I have provided is what Apple recommends, If other users suggest different solutions than found here, then be sure what they recommend does not impact on your warranty, if any, or ability to get continuing Apple service.
Please don't start removing drives or changing cables unless you know what you are doing and have exhausted other non-invasive alternatives outlined here. If you perform any work yourself that is unapproved by Apple, then you will void any warranty you may have and lose all further Apple Support.
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.
The main difference if you are using Lion or Mountain Lion is that you must first boot from the Recovery HD. Simply boot from the Recovery HD to perform the above.
Reinstall Snow Leopard 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.
Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion, Yosemite 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 computer suddenly refuse to start. When I turn it on it gives the startup sound but the screen is grey and after a while a little folder icon with a question mark inside turns up. It doesn't blink. What to do? Nothing happens if I try to start up from

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for