My mac is flashing a file icon with a quetion mark when i start it up

When i start up my mac book pro it flahes a file icon with a question mark on it and stops there. Please help.

The MBP is having problems connecting to the HDD. Look at this support article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Ciao.

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What does it mean when my screen just flashes a file folder with a question mark?

I just did software update and now my screen flashes a file folder with a question mark in the middle???

That folder with the question mark icon means that the MacBook can't find the boot directory. That can either mean it can't find the hard drive or the hard drive data is somehow corrupted.
Put your install DVD into the drive and reboot. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option key until the Install Disk shows up). That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
Once it has finished booting and you are at the Install screen launch Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
If it is then select the First Aid Tab run Repair Disk and if that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions.
If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

HT3964 A file icon with a question mark appears instead of apple when booting?

Macbook will not boot. An icon with a question mark in a shape of a file apears after a long delay. I am accessing network on another Mac. Any suggestions for booting would be welcome.

That folder with the question mark icon means that the MacBook can't find the boot directory. That can either mean it can't find the hard drive or the Operating System data on the hard drive is somehow corrupted.
Put your install DVD into the optical drive (CD/DVD drive) and reboot. 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. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option Key until the Install Disk shows up) until the apple shows up. That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Choose your language and press the Return key on your keyboard once. It will then present you with an Installation window. Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it. When it comes up is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
If it is, then click on the Mac OS partition of your hard drive in the left hand list. Then select the First Aid Tab and run Repair Disk. The Repair Disk button won't be available until you've clicked on the Mac OS partition on your hard drive. If that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions. After repairing use Startup Disk from the same menu to choose your hard drive for restarting from your hard drive.
If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

Macbook air mid 2013, I erased my HD and while downloading the OS screen went of and when I switched back on I get a file icon with a question mark.

I erased my HD and while downloading a new screen went of.When I switched on again there was a file icon with a question mark

restart holding down command+r, you'll be able to reinstall your OS here

What does it mean when there is a flashing file folder with a question mark when trying to start computer?

When I try to start my computer a flashing file folder with a question mark is on the screen. I can't open anything up. What does this mean?

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.
(104258)

What does a file icon with a question mark indicate?

had to turn off macbook with power off button vs. shut down and now I tried to log on today and it doesn't start up. I get an icon of a folder or file with a question mark that blinks on the grey screen page. How can I restart my Macbook to get to safari?

folder with the question mark icon means that the MacBook can't find the boot directory. That can either mean it can't find the hard drive or the Operating System data on the hard drive is somehow corrupted.
With 10.4, 10.5 or 10.6 put your install DVD into the optical drive (CD/DVD drive) and reboot. 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. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option Key until the Install Disk shows up) until the apple shows up. That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
Or if you are running 10.7 Lion or 10.8 Mountain Lion, boot from the recovery partition (Command +R on boot) and use Disk Utility to repair your OS 10.7 or 10.8 partition.
When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Choose your language and press the Return key on your keyboard once. It will then present you with an Installation window. Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it. When it comes up is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
If it is, then click on the Mac OS partition of your hard drive in the left hand list. Then select the First Aid Tab and run Repair Disk. The Repair Disk button won't be available until you've clicked on the Mac OS partition on your hard drive. If that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions. After repairing use Startup Disk from the same menu to choose your hard drive for restarting from your hard drive.
If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

Why is my screen flashing a file folder with a question mark?

Why is my screen flashing a file with a "?" in it?

There are several possible reasons. Click here and follow the instructions; if the computer was running Mac OS X 10.6.8 or earlier and you reach the third set of steps, insert a Mac OS X install disk.
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Flashing file folder with a question mark when starting my macbook after a few minutes it shuts down, any ideas??

When turned on our Macbook flashes a folder with a question mark in the center screen, then it shuts down after a few minutes. Doea anyone have any ideas how to boot the computer back up?
Cheers

That folder with the question mark icon means that the MacBook can't find the boot directory. That can either mean it can't find the hard drive or the Operating System data on the hard drive is somehow corrupted.
Put your install DVD into the optical drive and reboot. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option key until the Install Disk shows up). That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Just press the Return key on yourkeyboard once. It will then present you with an Installation window. Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it. When it comes up is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
If it is then click on the Mac OS partition of your hard drive in the left handlist. Then select the First Aid Tab and run Repair Disk. The Repair Disk button won't be available until you've clicked on the Mac OS partition on your hard drive. If that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions.
If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

When I start up my imac, a white screen shows up with a blinking file icon with a question mark on it

Now, I've tried all the steps on http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440?viewlocale=en_US
When I hold down the option key, all that shows is the mouse arrow, nothing else.
When I try the disk utility idea, I'm unable to press the repair disk option, the only thing I can press is something along the lines of 'verify disk permission' which tells me that there's no package, or something like that.
I've reset the PRAM, but all that that has done is that now when i start up my computer, the startup sound actually goes off, instead of it being silent before.
I've had this computer for almost three years now, and I have a lot of important files in there, so I don't want to reinstall Mac OS X. Is there anything else I can do?

How to Perform an Archive and Install
An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X 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 Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) 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. Now restart normally.
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. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

What do I do about the file with a question mark when it starts up?

I have a MacBook Pro, had it for 2 years now. It has been good, up until just now... It was on, perfect as normal until I plugged in my iPad mini and my iPod touch. It started freezing up, and so I turned it off, but when I turned it back on, the file with the question mark just shows up. What am I supposed to do now? I have never had this problem before, and I don't wanna lose everything inside it as I have 2 years worth of pictures and videos. Any suggestions? Is there any steps I can take?
P.s I'm not sure which operating system it is, so I just chose one that might be close to it, as I updated my Mac just a couples weeks ago.

A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac

TS1440 My Macbook will not boot, all that appears is a blinking file icon with a question mark.

I have done some research on the issue and it seems to be quite common, but all of the troubleshooting methods I have taken have failed.
The most common answer seems to be to insert my Mac OS X installation disk.
Well....
I recently bought my Macbook off of amazon, and the seller did not provide me with an installation disk. Go figure!
I have absolutely no idea what to do due to the fact that i have JUST started to become familiar with Mac's.
Help would be greatly appreciated, I live nearly 3 hours away from the nearest Apple store.

Hi Amanda,
The question mark means it can't find the ddrive it thinks it's supposed to boot from, most common cause is drive failure.
Hold alt key at bootup, if the Hard Drive doesn't show as a boot choice, then you have big problems.
If you don't know the model, find the Serial# & use it on one of these sites, but don't post the Serial# here...
http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html
http://www.appleserialnumberinfo.com/Desktop/index.php
How to find the serial number of your Apple hardware product...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1349
It's possible it may run 10.6.x & you can get that disc cheap from Apple.
Snow Leopard/10.6.x Requirements...
General requirements
   * Mac computer with an Intel processor
    * 1GB of memory (I say 4GB at least, more if you can afford it)
    * 5GB of available disk space (I say 30GB at least)
    * DVD drive for installation
    * Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
    * Some features require Apple’s MobileMe service; fees and terms apply.
Which apps work with Mac OS X 10.6?...
http://snowleopard.wikidot.com/
Buy Snow Leopard > http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
Call Apple Sales...in the US: 1-800-MY-APPLE. Or Support... 1-800-275-2273
Other countries...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57
If it's a core Duo & not a Core2Duo, then it'll only run in 32 bit mode.

Why does my MacBook Air power on to an all white screen, and after a minute will flash a folder icon with a question mark on it?

My computer powers on to an all white screen, after it locked up. How can I reboot?

You will need to reinstall OS X.

Flashing File Icon with Question Mark Upon Start-Up

Today when I went to use my computer (which was already on) it went blank and then came up with a gray screen with a flashing file icon with a question mark in the middle of it. I have already troubleshot things with several forums online and nothing has worked. I have tried to restart in Safe mode, single user mode, verbose mode, and tried to get on using my option key which got me to an internet login screen finally. I tried to log in and eventually got to an apply.com/support screen with -1007f underneath. I am not 100% which operating system I am on. I know that it is Mac OS X and pretty recent. Please respond if you can help!

Reset the SMC and PRAM
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
About NVRAM and PRAM
To boot from DVD:
Press C during startup
Start up from a bootable CD, DVD, or USB thumb drive (such as OS X install media).

Blinking file icon with question mark at startup

my computer sort of froze so i forced restarted it (second time i've done that in its one year lifetime) and when it started back up the screen displayed a file icon with a question mark blinking on and off every two seconds. eventually the fan started humming too. i have since forced restarted it twice with the same results. any ideas on why my darling will not start properly?

My MacBook Pro did the same thing last night, and I don't think this is good news.
So far I have:
-Reset PRAM and PMU
-Startup from install disks and run Disk Utility. DU doesn't even see the drive! Even Target disk mode doesn't reveal the drive.
-Archive and install; the installer doesn't see the drive
None of these worked, and from reading on other disussions, it looks like it is a hareware problem. I will be going to the Applestore this afternoon when I get off of work to see if they can fix it.

White screen with flashing file icon with question mark mean

What does this mean. We are getting a white screen with flashing file icon with question mark inside the file.

It almost certainly means it can't find a bootable volume (one with OS X on it).
Which means most likely you will have to find your original system installation DVD and install it. Then you should figure out what caused the problem.
Read this to diagnose it before resorting to reinstalling the OS:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440
Excerpt:
Additional steps
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.
Select your Mac OS X startup disk with Startup Manager by restarting and holding the Option key. After your Mac starts up, restart again to verify that the flashing question mark does not appear.
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.
MacBook Air note: On a MacBook Air, there are two options for starting up from Mac OS X media: Either connect a MacBook Air SuperDrive to the MacBook Air via the USB port and restart the computer, holding down the C key during startup, or use Remote Install Mac OS X to startup from a system software DVD that's located on a partner computer. Once started up from Mac OS X media, skip to step 3.
Restart the computer, then hold the C key during startup.
From the Utilities menu, choose Disk Utility. Don't click Continue.
Select your Mac OS X disk (named "Macintosh HD" by default) in the left side of the Disk Utility window.
Click the First Aid tab.
Click Repair Disk to verify and repair any issues with your Mac OS X startup disk.
After repairing the disk, try to start up normally.
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.

My mac is flashing a file icon with a quetion mark when i start it up

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