Question mark folder on restart but boots fine on cold startup.

I'm having an issue with restarting my macbook. Every time I *restart* from the OS, I get a question mark folder flashing. When I start from a cold boot, however, I boot into my drive just fine.
I have a MacBook Pro 13" late 2012 and I've replaced the HDD with an SSD. The SSD is a Kingston 240 gb. I can provide more information if necessary.
Please help! It's an avoidable issue but it bothers me and I'd like to have it fixed.

jchung1029 wrote:
After much research, I've found the solution.
My SSD is a Kingston V300 240gb SSD. For some reason, it has trouble with restarts but a firmware update fixed the issue. Do NOT reset the NVRAM/PRAM as it will keep your Mac from successfully booting into your drive. I had to wipe the drive and start over as the Disc Repair utility did not work either.
Thank you all that responded!
urgh that sounds a little icky. Are PRAM resets still broken?
Do you know if this is an issue with specific Mac models or generally with this disk model & Macs. I'd be contacting the vendors to see if it can be exchanged or refunded, I'd be concerned it could alter how other startup actions behave too, like target disk mode (hold T), the boot picker (hold alt), single user mode (cmd + s)… Without these troubleshooting becomes much harder.

Similar Messages

Start Up Issue - Question mark folder flashes, then computer boots.

This is more of an annoyance than anything as the issue has not stopped my computer from booting. I haven't been able to find anything about this in support forums or online.
When I boot my macbook, the question mark folder thing flashes once, and then the apple logo comes up and the computer boots OK. However, it does take a few extra seconds to boot with this whole folder issue, anyone know what would cause that? I was thinking wrong start up volume but since it boots and thats the only volume (I checked and it's correct) I'm stumped. Any ideas would help.
Ben
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Hello Ben.
Try deselecting and reselecting the startup volume and then restart.

MacBook Pro hard disk upgrade shows question mark folder

I recently bought a 1TB hard disk for my teenaged daughter's MacBook Pro.
I formatted it, used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the existing drive. I even made sure to create the recovery partition.
I restarted while holding the option key and chose the new drive. It booted fine so I checked in System Preferences to make sure it was selected as the boot device.
I opened the case and swapped the drives. Put it back together and restarted only to see the question mark folder!
I tried booting while holding the option key and now I get the choose a network prompt.
I am desperate and hate the thought of disappointing my daughter. It used to be that I was her hero who could fix anything now I'm the guy who asks too many questions and doesn't put enough money on her debit card. Granted she busts her butt getting awesome grades and I was upgrading her drive so she could continue her video yearbook for her school. So I shouldn't complain but it would be great to be her hero again.
BTW, I am not a newbie to the tech world but I don't do nearly as much in the Apple arena as I do in the PC world. Then again I've been a senior tech in the industry sine before IBM had a PC. In fact, my first real work was on a 6502 processor that used the same machine code as the Rage of the day, the Apple ][. All that to say I usually can find my way around a problem but this one has me stumped.
I appreciate any assistance offered.
Thanks,
Thom

I tried to reboot with the option, command P. And R keys pressed. I heard the ding several times it still showed the question mark! I also tried the shift option and it only displayed the network selection. Also I tried to press C so I could boot from USB and it didn't work either.
If I cannot get this to work I fear my only other choice is to use a FireWire enclosure. This isn't a good option as my daughter does mostly movie work and iMovie has this terrible "feature" that forces all movies to be stored in one place. It sure would be handy if it allowed movie projects to set the storage location individually. I suppose I could simply move all the movies to the drive and try to find a way to point all iMovie projects to the external drive.
Unfortunately, my daughter is one of those Mac users who isn't savvy enough to use anything but the default settings. Heck I've tried to explain to her that she ought to get rid of the big files once she has done her work. That's why her drive is always full.

Question Mark Folder at Start up. Tried Everything!

Hello I have a mid 2009 15" MacBook Pro. I am getting the question mark folder at startup.
I have read many message boards and tried all of the following things.
1. Tried to go to boot into safe mode via the shift key at startup. Continues on to question mark folder.
2. Tried to go to startup manager via the option key at startup. Goes to blank white screen with usable mouse pointer.
3. Tried to clear PRAM via the Command / Option / P / R at startup. Restarts but still continues to question mark folder.
4. Used OSX install usb drive to get to install screen. Could not find hard drive to install to.
5. Put hard drive in external inclosure and successfully booted from it.
6. Put in a new hard drive in computer just to check and attempted number 4 again. Same results.
7. Purchased and installed new hard drive cable.
8. Installed original hard drive. Still went to question mark folder.
9. Put in new hard drive and install still could not find it.
10. Returned and got another cable just to make sure that one was not bad. Same results.
Please somebody help me. What am I missing? What else can I try?

You'd better take your MacBook Pro to Genius Bar and tell them about your problem.

Question mark folder at startup, safe boot not working

Last night my iMac froze up, Force Quit didn't work, and I used the Power button to shut it off. When trying to restart, it was getting stuck at the grey Apple.
I tried unplugging the peripherals and restarting; zapping the PRAM and restarting; safe boot and restarting. Safe boot did it.
I then ended up going through those steps a few more times as my iMac starting freezing up again. One of those times I changed all my applications in the dock that were set to launch at login to not do so, wondering if that was somehow causing a problem. I also took a folder of recent items I'd created, mostly a LOT of PDFs of newspaper articles, burned it to a DVD and deleted the folder to free up more memory if that was part of the problem (I'm running out). I then restarted from the Apple menu and it shut down through safe boot and then restarted without safe boot and did so just fine. I ran Disk Utility and very few if any permissions needed repairing. And it was operating OK for a bit and then froze up again.
Now I'm getting the question mark folder at startup and safe boot isn't working. What should I be trying next? Lion Recovery with Command-R? I'm relatively new to Lion, but it had been working OK for me for a while now.
What other things should I try? Would Target Disk mode possibly work from the MacBook I'm using now, which doesn't have Lion installed?

The question mark folder usually means that the
firmware could either not find a valid operating
system to boot, or, it could not find a hard disk
with an operating system on it.
Have you tried booting to Lion Recovery? If
you can, then go into Disk Utility and do a
Repair Disk on your OSX volume. If the
OSX volume is not showing up, you may need
to do a reformat and re-install.
Since it is a 24" iMac (from your description) it was
a pre-Lion Mac. If you still have the original install
disks, try booting with it and use Disk Utility from it
to see if the hard drive is working.
Try this first before making a road trip.

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

My Mackbook won't boot - Question Mark Folder

Hi Everyone,
I've got a problem and I don't know how to fix it for the life of me. Last week my friend was trying to delete a program using the terminal. He looked it up online and found detailed instructions on how to delete it but it ended up deleting everything on the HD. That's as much as I know for the back story.
Now, when I got it from him I powered the machine on and it acted as though there was a leopard installer cd in the drive (and the cd wasn't in the drive) and would load up just past the language select and fail. It would say it can't be installed on this computer. So I used command+T and tried to repair the disk but it would fail and say that I couldn't. So I erased the disk and installed 10.4 clean install. Powered off the machine, reboot and now I get the question mark folder.
It seems like the drive is fine but the kernel wont see the drive. I believe the drive is fine because I can select it and boot from it with the other mac I have (g4 1ghz) while the macbook is in target disk mode.
I've tried zapping the pram a few times, taking out the battery and holding the powerbutton for three secs, holding command+s or v (single user and verbose modes dont start up at all), holding shift, holding x, while starting up and nothing works.
Can anyone help me!? I'm a freelance designer and I can't function without this thing.
Thanks in advance!!

It means critical system files have been corrupted or damaged. You need to reinstall OS X:
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.) 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, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) 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.

I see that i have a problem after installing my new hard drive on my macbook pro mid 2009 version. I put a new hard drive, with all of my information from my old drive installed on it, into the computer. but now have the blinking question mark folder

i see that i have a problem after installing my new hard drive on my macbook pro mid 2009 version. I put a new hard drive, with all of my information from my old drive installed on it, into the computer. but now have the blinking question mark folder. I see that it means that it isn't reading the new hard drive.
did i miss a step between transferring all of my information from my old hard drive to the new hard drive and installing the new hard drive into the computer. I believe that i installed properly. it was quite easy.
thanks for your help

It means there is no bootable system on the drive. If you still have access to the old drive, then I suggest you boot from it then clone it to the new internal drive. Use OPTION boot to boot from the Recovery HD on the old drive:
Boot to the Recovery HD:
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.
     1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu then press the Continue
         button.
     2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
     3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
     4. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it
         to the Destination entry field.
     5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
         the Source entry field.
     6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Source means the external old drive. Destination means the new internal drive.

How do I fix the GRAY boot-up screen with FLASHING QUESTION-mark FOLDER?

When I turn on the MacBook Pro laptop, I opened up the Safari Browser and its when the problem started. It was stuck on an loading infinite loop. I decided to force quit the application and/or turn off the mac by the Menu options, It did not work. So I did a "Hard" Shut-down and restarted the Mac, the Boot up screen stood gray for like a minute until the Flashing ? Folder icon showed up!.
My sister's laptop's warranty is expired so I wonder how can I fix it without having to spend too much money on a simple troubleshooting tip.
How can I download/create a boot-up Disk/Flash Drive so I can reset it to factory settings?
I cannot access the laptop because It's kind-of software bricked if you ask me. Also, I do not know how to check the Mac OS version outside of the "About Mac" menu. I do have another Mac which is a desktop computer with a CD drive.
I would appreciate some expertise on this issue a.s.a.p. Thank you!

Ok, now I am stuck:
Why does my Mac boot its OS from the Flash Drive instead of the INTERNAL HARD DRIVE???a
If I start up my MacBook Pro, It will have the flashing question mark folder UNLESS i plug in the OS-Boot flash drive. When I at the desktop screen and work on a program, When I unplug the Flash drive, THE OS WILL CRASH AS IF I TOOK it's soul (OS x Lion) out of the body (MacBook Pro Laptop)
this is frustrating because when I did the INTERNET RECOVERY, When I install OS x Lion, the Flash Drive only show up as an option as opposed to the HDD.
I cannot format the hard-drive in DISK UTILITY because it's grayed out. This is just frustating. I never had problems with PC Windows OS recovery but this (Mac OS).

G4 17' won't boot, flashing question mark folder with complications

I'm editing a final cut pro project, due to air on friday at noon and during conversion in compressor to dvd format, final cut quits then the computer freezes up. On a hard restart I get the flashing question mark folder.... i know what that means
I was able to boot up after a couple of tries from the os 10.4 (tiger) cd and the hard drive shows up but disk utility can't make the repair. This is the error i get:
booted with the tiger os cd and got to the disk utility. the hard drive does show up with some generic-y looking name. I try to repair the disk and get this error (in red):
Invalid node structure
Volume check failed.
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
then it says:
1 volume could not be repaired because of an error
g4 powerbook 17" Mac OS X (10.4.9)
so then i get the bright idea that i will change the startup disk to network drive and try to start from another drive on the network. it tries to find it then goes back to the flashing question mark. I've restarted holding the c key down with the tiger cd back in there and it is spinning but it never reads it.
any ideas? I REALLY need to salvage this film if possible.
thanks!!!!!
donna
Has anyone seen this before? What is my next step--short of erasing the drive. i really need to get this project off.
thanks in advance for any and all help!!!!!
g4 powerbook 17" Mac OS X (10.4.9)

i'd try disk warrior except that i cant get it to boot from ANY cd right now EXCEPT apple hardware test. and i have NO idea what to do with that.
I've tried booting in option mode and all i get is the little restart button and the forward arrow button but NO drive options
it won't pick up my other laptop in target mode
i've even put in Norton Utilites 8.x and it won't boot up from that either.
i've zapped the pram--nothing
know of any other boot tricks or shortcuts?
donna

TS2570 i have an intel imac and im getting a grey sceen. I get the flashing question mark folder. iv changed the H.D 2x and tired to install a new os into it but no luck. The mac isnt going into safe mode or anything. help?

Intel imac 2009. Grey screen with question mark folder. Changed harddrives 3 times now. Tired 5 keyboards on all Usb ports and a hub and keyboard wont boot to startup or safemode of anything but hub gets power. disc drive wont eject or accept a disc cuz keyboard commands not being sent to computer. Help?

Keyboards must be connected directly to the USB port, not through a hub.
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/.

I replaced the battery on my RAID card, when I booted my mac pro up, I get the folder with the question mark. I used a boot USB drive to boot and when I looked in the RAID utility, my RAID 5 volumes were no longer showing, advise.

I replaced the battery on my RAID card, when I booted my mac pro up, I get the folder with the question mark. I used a boot USB drive to boot and when I looked in the RAID utility, my RAID 5 volumes were no longer showing, advise.
Ernest

Not sure if I'm following you. I have 4 hard drives installed on my Mac Pro. I had a RAID 5 configured and functional for about 5 months. My battery died on the RAID card. I replaced the battery, seated the RAID card back in the slot I removed it from. When I booted to the USB drive to look in the RAID utility, I could see the battery is charged but my volumes are not showing.
The drives don't show in disk Utility. I built the RAID with the RAID Utility and they did show there. I have a early 2008 Mac Pro, Mavricks OS running Mac Server

HT1310 I have a macbook pro about 4 years old. I can't get it to open past the flashing question mark folder. However, I just tried to hold down the option key and the question mark disappeared. Still, nothing...the light is on the screen but nothing e

I have a 4 year old macbook pro and when I turn it on, the screen and fan come on but there is a flashing question mark folder that appears. Nothing beyond that point....help?

There is no installed OS or you have a dead hard drive. Start by booting from the original installer disc that came with the computer or an installer disc that has a later version than the original such as a Snow Leopard DVD. Then you can do this:
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.
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.

Can't boot Macbook, Question Mark Folder

Hi everyone.
So yesterday I was using my macbook, and it apparently froze, so I turned it off manually and rebooted. It gave me the apple symbol, but then it turned into a circle with a slash through it.
I tried to boot it into safe mode, but that caused a kernel panic when the little loading circle underneath the apple appeared.
Now I just get a question mark folder.
please help.

Hey. You could try using FireWire Target Disk Mode (see http://www.tekserve.com/service/mac-faq/plugging-things-in/firewire-target-mode. php) for instructions, but this requires another Mac and it could cause more damage to the system. If you take it to an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider, they may be able to recover the data more reliably for a fee. Sorry to hear about your problem, good luck getting your data off!
Jeremy A.
Tekserve Intern
As an intern at Tekserve, I may receive financial compensation for my recommendations and links.

IMac won't boot - flashing question mark folder

Hi, I was having performance issues with my iMac, so after searching for a resolution, I followed some suggestions to reset the PRAM and SMC....after resetting the PRAM it will not boot up at all! The startup sound chimes, then a blank grey screen briefly before a flashing question mark folder appears. Nothing happens..... I have the install cd, but there is a CD in the drive and I can't get it out. Help!!
Thanks in advance....
Andrea

HI Andrea,
To get the disk to eject, start the iMac while holding down the mouse button.
A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
Try booting while holding down the Option key.
Carolyn

Question mark folder on restart but boots fine on cold startup.

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