My macbook is getting the question mark folder and also my start up disks are gone

A few weeks back I turned on my macbook and discovered that it cannot boot up anymore. There was absolutely no precedent to this. I didn't drop it (I've dropped it many times in the past if that matters, and may have placed it down on my desk a little to aggressively the night before), and I had no problem using my computer right before going to bed. I just closed it went to sleep and the next morning my computer was malfunctioning. Whenever I turn it on the computer is stuck at a grey screen with a blinking picture of a folder with a question mark on it. I thought my computer was a lost cause and I bought a new one, but now I am in desperate need of recovering my lost files on my old computer which I still have.
So I go to the internet for help, with my goal being to just fix my old macbook or at least salvage the data, and read that the thing to do is press command+R when the computer boots up and fire up internet recovery, then go to disk utility and fix the drive/disc/whatever from there. So I press command+R at start up, and I get past the loading screen with the globe and go to a menu giving me the options of disk utility, time machine, reinstallation, and looking on mac forums for help. I click on disk utility and my mac os x disc does not appear to be on the left hand side. There is one disk under a disk that says Disk1 that says MAC OS X BASE SYSTEM or something to that effect on it, but if you click on its info it says that that particular disc has a total capacity of only 1.39 GB, so that can't be it, right? Also when I click on it it doesn't give me the option to verify or repair it. There's another disk at the very top of the left hand side that says 4.14 GB ST_M13FQ8L M... but it also has a low total capacity.
After I find no help in disk utility I decide to take a different route and see if I have any time machine back ups and it asks me to select the disk that contains the backup I want to restore, but the list that is shown is empty. I don't remember ever setting up a time machine back up so this doesn't surprise me.
So I move on to another solution- to try and reinstall MAC OS X Lion and it takes me to a window where it asks me to select the disc where I want to install MAC OS X Lion, but the the little white box under the message that is supposed to show a list or something of the available selections/discs is completely empty. So I have no start up discs?
Then I click shut down on the upper left hand corner of the screen to turn of my computer and another window appears asking me to select the system i want to use to start up my computer but that box is also completely empty.
I don't know what to do this at this point, and I don't know how to interpret the situation either, even after researching the issue on the internet. Does this mean that my harddrive/disc or whatever is completely gone/broken? And more importantly does this mean that all of my data is gone forever? Or is the system or computer itself broken or something like that, but my hard drive is intact? Now that I have a new computer all I really need is to somehow transfer the data from my broken computer to my new one, and don't really need to "fix" my computer- but if fixing it is the only means to see my data again that's what I want to do. And also can I fix this manually by myself, or does this require professionals. And if i do need to hire someone, how much will this typically cost? Thanks!
Some other facts: The macbook in question (the broken one) is an aluminum 13 inch macbook pro from I think 2012, maybe 2011, and used to run on Mavericks. I also used to have windows bootcamp on it but i rarely used it. The macbook has been having some problems for a while and recently started to slowly break down. The USB ports stopped working completely, all of its apps were slow and glitched a lot, the battery in it was nearly dead (it said REPLACE SOON where the battery symbol used to be on the upper right hand corner of the screen), but it still worked at a base level and I used it for work and stuff, up until this point of course.

This document should give you some leads as to what to do.
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac

Similar Messages

Flashing Question mark Folder and clicking - no start up.

Dear Mac Users,
I've already got some info on the above, but my 3.5year old G5 iMac wont get past the flashing question mark folder icon. It can't find the start-up drive. The think the hard drive is dead - if I start up from external HD it's OK and/or Tiger CD - but the mac's HD is nowhere to be seen on any disk utility.
Just bought Disk Warrior - that wont see the iMac HDrive either - so unless anyone has got a fix, it looks like the thing will be dumped or I get a new HD. Are these easy to buy and fit? It's a Rev A model, (the buzzy first edition). I haven't got all my files backed up, just the key ones, which are now on a new alum iMac. Or I could run it off an external drive (noisy, though).
I had been moving the G5 around a lot (switched off) before it went belly up - could this be a cause?
Maybe it'd been feeling left out, with the new 24in installed.
Hope someone can shed further light.
Rob
(PS - anyone want buy my Disk Warrior?)

Your drive is dead, you can look in [macsales.com] or [smalldog.com] for a new new one. The drive isn't too difficult to replace, you can do it yourself, and do get the largest one you can afford, just make sure it's a 3.5" SATA.
Keep your DiskWarrior, you never know when it'll come in handy.

Hard disk in mums macbook failed, bought a new one, formatted it first. Have tried starting it with every possible key and I either get flashing question mark folder or a cursor.

Hard disk in mums macbook failed, bought a new one, used sata adapter cable to format it for mac first. Connected it and have tried starting it with every possible key combination and I either get flashing question mark folder or a cursor. A disk is stuck in it so I can't boot from OSX, and yes I have tried every option of starting to try and eject disk but none work. HELP ME!

Five ways to eject a stuck CD or DVD from the optical drive
Ejecting the stuck disc can usually be done in one of the following ways:
1. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the
      left mouse button until the disc ejects.
2. Press the Eject button on your keyboard.
3. Click on the Eject button in the menubar.
4. Press COMMAND-E.
5. If none of the above work try this: Open the Terminal application in
      your Utilities folder. At the prompt enter or paste the following:
        /usr/bin/drutil eject
If this fails then try this:
Boot the computer into Single-user Mode. At the prompt enter the same command as used above. To restart the computer enter "reboot" at the prompt without quotes.
If you have a 2010 MBP or later, then you can use Internet Recovery. Start by rebooting the computer. At the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION-R keys until a Globe appears in the upper part of the screen. This process can take upwards of 15 minutes to get connected to the Apple network servers. You should eventually see the utility screen of the Recovery HD. You may now go about the process to install Mountain Lion:
Install Lion/Mountain Lion on a New HDD/SDD
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.
Partition and Format the hard drive:
1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
2. After DU loads select your external hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

I need to reinstall lion OS on my MAC mini. I have the 'question mark folder'.

It is a mid 2011 mac mini. It boots to the 'question mark folder'. I installed lion server over my lion OS. After trying to remove the server app unsuccessfully, I id a command-r boot and erased the Macintosh HD where my OS was wiht the intention to reinstall. THe on-screen instruction I thought said I had to reboot after to use the recovery HD so I di. Now when it boots, it jsut goes to the 'question mark folder' and does not load. I only have the bluetooth keyboard so will the mini recognize the command-r on boot? It doesnt appear to.
Thansk for any input,
Ken

Had the same problem w/ a Mac mini server. The only thing that helped was not the timing, but a disconnection of all cables from the machines: power, keyboard, etc., and a wait of one minute which according to Apple support - resets some config on the machine. After I did that, Command R worked just fine.
BTW, According to Apple, you have to hold Commmand R just after you hear the chime, and keep holding it until you see the recovery utility. Another alternative can be holding Command Option R for network recovery.

TS1440 I followed all of the directions after seeing that my laptop flashed the folder with the question mark. But when I went to disk utility to repair/ verify issues w/ start up disk it would not allow me to.button to repair/verify is there but cant be

I followed all of the directions after seeing that my laptop flashed the folder with the question mark. But when I went to disk utility to repair/ verify issues w/ start up disk it would not allow me to. The buttons to repair and modify we're there but they were grey and couldn't be pressed.

Were you trying to repair the disk you were booted from? You can't do that - you need to boot from your install disk, and choose 'Disk Utility' from the 'install' menu.

Hello how do I get the question mark away from my tracks. The songs can be played against the

Hello how do I get the question mark away from my tracks. The songs can be played against the

You have to find the songs on your computer. If you have deleted them then you will not be able to add them. Check the backup of your computer.

QuickTime 7.3.1, I get the question mark?

Hello everybody in the forum.
I have a problem with browsers when I see the trailers of the movies page apple, I get the question mark over QuickTime.
Help Please
Greetings!

I struggled with this issue for a while. One of my false successes was re-installing Flash Player which worked until I closed my browser and reopened it.
For some reason apple removed the option in the MIME settings to disable Flash Media. I think they were looking to remove the option since QuickTime wont play Flash Media. However, I looked at my com.apple.quicktime.plugin.plist in the Plist Editor that comes with Developer and discovered that the Shockwave Flash was set to "true." So, when upgrading to 7.3 somehow it not only kept my old prefs, but it enabled that option (which I never enabled) in my prefs, which is no longer an option in the User Interface Prefs. So I tried changing it to "False" but when I opened a browser session and went to a page with Flash Media, QuickTime changed it back to "True." I tried deleting the file and QuickTime recreated it with the same settings. I later found out deleting the com.apple.quicktimeplayer.plist and the QuickTime Preferences files and rebooting would fix the problem. One of these files was causing the recreation of the com.apple.quicktime.plugin.plist file. Deleteing all three of these files should fix the problem.
Location:
Users/<your user name here>/Library/Prefernces/
com.apple.quicktime.plugin.plist
com.apple.quicktimeplayer.plist
QuickTime Preferences
trash these and reboot
*QuickTime will recreate uncorrupted prefs on first launch
You could also compile this in Script Editor and run it (it targets and deletes the files and reboots your machine) Script editor is in Applications/AppleScript/.
Copy text below:
PLEASE NOTE:
This script was created to simply remove the preferences associated with the QuickTime Plugin and QuickTime Player to remove the pesky QT question mark and restore Flash playback in browsers. It is intended to fix the problem on PPC machines where when updating to QuickTime 7.3 it carries over bad and/or corrupts the preference files associated with QuickTime. These preferences will be recreated on reboot. **You need to be logged into a user account with administrative access in order to use this script**
property the_list : {}
on run
display dialog "Are you sure you want to delete yor QuickTime Preferences?" with icon caution
set CurrentUser to do shell script "whoami"
set user_account to "rm '/Users/" & CurrentUser & "/Library/Preferences/"
--DELETES THESE ITEMS---
set QTPluginPrefs to user_account & "com.apple.quicktime.plugin.preferences.plist'"
set the_list to the_list & QTPluginPrefs
set QTPlayerPrefs to user_account & "com.apple.quicktimeplayer.plist'"
set the_list to the_list & QTPlayerPrefs
set QT_Prefs to user_account & "QuickTime Preferences'"
set the_list to the_list & QT_Prefs
repeat with afile in the_list
tell application "Finder"
do shell script afile
end tell
end repeat
--PROMPTS A REBOOT---
display dialog "Reboot is required! Reboot now?" buttons {"OK", "Cancel"} default button "OK" with icon caution
if button returned of result is "OK" then
tell application "Finder" to restart
else
quit
end if
end run

Booting problem - first question mark folder and now grey screen

Hi all,
I'm having problems with my Macbook booting.
Yesterday it worked fine until I tried to open an old Excel file, then all became extremely slow, but anyway I was able to shut it down properly, or at least this was what I thought.
The next time I tried to turn it on, a flashing question mark forder appeared instead of the apple. Then I tried various solutions I've found in forums, like turning on while holding down shift button like in http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455 (nothing happens), the option botton (the cursor appears, but bootcamp does not start), and command+V for verbose mode (nothing).
Anyway now if I turn it on nothing appears, neither the question mark folder, just the grey screen.
I know that everything suggests that my HD is dead, but I don't really see the reason why it should have done so...
Thank you for your help.
Giulia

Hello,
"*a flashing question mark forder appeared instead of the apple."*
A flashing question mark can mean several things. One, the hard disk disk is failing. Two, it means that when you boot your MacBook, it can't find a System Folder to boot from.
Try booting while holding down the Option key. That should prompt the Startup Manager window so you can select your startup disc.
If that doesn't work... grab your install disk and check the hard drive for errors.
Insert the installer disk and Restart, holding down the "C" key until grey Apple appears.
Go to Installer menu (Panther and earlier) or Utilities menu (Tiger and later) and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in the left panel.
Select First Aid in the Main panel.
(Check S.M.A.R.T Status of HDD at the bottom of right panel. It should say: Verified)
Click Repair Disk on the bottom right.
If DU reports disk does not need repairs quit DU and restart.
If DU reports errors Repair again and again until DU reports disk is repaired.
When you are finished with DU, from the Menu Bar, select Utilities/Startup Manager.
Select your start up disk and click Restart
The fact that you can't boot in Safe Mode (shift key) is not a good sign...
*"but I don't really see the reason why it should have done so..."*
How long have you had your MacBook? Do you have AppleCare?
Carolyn

Get the session trace files and also the TKPROF reports for storedprocedure

Hi ,
I am trying to find out the bottlenecks on a storedprocedure, which does a insert into a table, where the target table has lot of indexes/constraints, so i want to see, which indexes/constraints is causing the problem. so in order to do I want to get the session trace files and also the TKPROF reports to see the bottlenecks for a oracle stored procedure,
Could you please give us the list of steps to get the tracefiles and tkprof reports.

781649 wrote:
Thanks for input, i am using oracle10g standard edition. i dont think i have these tools available (DBMS_PROFILER or DBMS_HPROF). Did you even bother to try the following?
SQL> DESC DBMS_PROFILER
SQL> DESC DBMS_HPROF
I understand it would be too much to expect you to actually Read The Fine Manual
I am using bulk collect for all in my storedprocedure to insert the rows into a big table. In order to perform analysis on this bulk collect which tool will help me to identify the bottlenecks .
I want to compare background session properties for both runs (like inserting the data with indexes/constraints vs without indexes/constraints). please let me know..I am willing to bet you the problem/slowness is on the SELECT side & not the INSERT!
Just Curious
Handle:      781649
Status Level:      Newbie
Registered:      Jul 12, 2010
Total Posts:      35
Total Questions:      17 (14 unresolved)
Why so many unanswered questions?
Edited by: sb92075 on Jan 17, 2012 3:13 PM

I changed my hard drive and when i turn on my laptop i just get a question marked folder.

how do i fix this? how do i get my new harddrive to work with my computer so i can install the operating system? ive changed my harddrive from a 2009 macbook, and had no problems. it would load up and take me to a menu in which i would have to format the harddrive to work with the operating system and such. this time when i start up the computer with the new harddrive i just get the blue/grey screen and an opaque folder icon with a question mark on it. i assume that means it cant find the drive, but how do i fix this? ive checked to make sure that the sata connection is in poperly and that the harddrive is properly secured in its place.
i have a 2nd gen macbook pro 15"
thanks for the help

heres what i did:
i replaced the harddrive
turned my mac on - got the image
turned it off
turned it back on and inserted the snow leopard disk - got the same image
turned it off and back on but kept getting the same image.
when i did it for my 2009 white macbook i did it with the snow leopard disk.
i also tried to eject the disk but it wouldnt eject it. im currently on vacation and am nowhere near a macstore, so i cannot go to a genius bar. im also not the most computer savvy guy, but i know how to get my way around. anything else i can tell you to provide you with information on what ive done so far?

Mbpro won't start up- get blinking question mark folder

help!!! think my macbook pro (1st gen, 17") has died- i get a blinking question mark folder when i boot up.
it's been having problems for a long while, so use it generally to record movies- which a bunch are still on there to export.
is there a resolve for this? would a new harddrive get it up and working again?
hoping i can recover the harddrive to get data, but ok without it. just want it working again if possible.
thanks for the help!

The symptom you describe is usually a HDD problem or it could be an internal cable/connection problem. If you have an external bootable HDD, employ it and see if you can access the internal HDD via Disk Utility and run First Aid.
Ciao.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440
The above article may be useful.
Message was edited by: OGELTHORPE

I get a question mark folder upon start up

My Mac has been freezing up lately, now at start up I just get a grey screen with a question mark folder. Anyone have any suggestion?

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:
Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
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 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.

Appletrailers was workingfor a few minutes but now I get the question mark!

I downloaded the latest versions of Quicktime and Flash player. I made sure Quicktime was NOT set to play flash. I managed to get one trailer to play but when I tried another, I got the question mark. When I tried to bring up the working one again I got the question mark there too! What's going on?

The Apple Support Communities are an international user to user technical support forum. As a man from Mexico, Spanish is my native tongue. I do not speak English very well, however, I do write in English with the aid of the Mac OS X spelling and grammar checks. I also live in a culture perhaps very very different from your own. When offering advice in the ASC, my comments are not meant to be anything more than helpful and certainly not to be taken as insults.
Try a reset. Press & hold the Power and Home buttons simultaneously, ignoring the red power off slider, until the Apple logo appears. Then release both buttons. This should not affect any content on the iPad, it is similar to rebooting your computer.

Boots to flashing question mark folder and disc utility cannot locate internal hard drive

Bottling my MacBook Pro I end up with a flashing question mark folder. I reboot holding the option key to select discs and there were no options at all. I plug in an Ethernet cable and it shows a internet recovery option. I click and it downloaded a temporary recovery mode. From there I open disc utility but it doesn't find any internal hard drives. I reset the pram and I still get the flashing question mark folder. Thinking it was my internal hard drive that failed I bought and replaced the internal hd with a new one and repeated all the processes and still no internal hard drive was found. I'm stuck with the flashing question mark folder. Therefore I've concluded that it was my MacBook pros internal hard drive CABLE that had failed. Does anyone know of any other possible problems that is causing this for my MacBook Pro or know of any solutions? Or is replacing my internal hd cable the only solution? Please help!

It was the internal HD cable. I replaced it and now my MacBook Pro works

MacBook Pro Mid - 2010 has question mark folder and block sign at start up could I get apple care and apple will fix it

I need information ASAP on what I should do with my MacBook Pro , am I able to just give apple the money for the apple care cost and they'll fix problem

It's too late, at this point, to get AppleCare, unless you purchased the machine on or after February of 2011 - and then you'd only have a few months, at best, of extended warranty.
The best thing that you can do is to either diagnose the symptoms and fix the machine yourself or take it into an Apple Store or AASP and have them diagnose and fix the problem(s).
If your profile is correct and you're running 10.5.8 then you should get disc one that came with your machine and boot from it and run Disk Utility's Verify and Repair commands on your hard drive. If it fails, you'll know that the problem is most likely with the hard drive.
Good luck,
Clinton

My macbook is getting the question mark folder and also my start up disks are gone

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for