Question mark + MacOsX install disc +

I have some iMac G3 600, 256 ram,
Somehow when I tried to update 10.3.1 something went wrong.
I connected it to my eMac 1.42 MacOsX 10.4.7, first I tried to repair it using Disk Utility, it started to clicking....then I turn it off.
Then I erased the iMac G3 (connected via Ethernet).
Then I put in the Install disk 1, booted using C key, but I only get a question mark.
I need help please,
Thank you

Hi PanchoLopez!
Why are you connecting to the eMac, to install 10.3.x, on the iMac?
Do the Panther install disks look like THESE?
ali b

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Flashing question mark/software install disc problem

Hello,
I'm getting the flashing question mark at reboot. I've followed these steps:
a. Insert the Software Install disc that came with your Mac.
b. Restart the computer and immediately press and hold the C key to start up from the disc.
c. When you see the Installer screen, choose Open Disk Utility from the Installer menu.
d. Select your hard disk volume in the left pane, click the First Aid tab, and then click Repair Disk.
e. When it's finished, restart your computer.
HOWEVER, when I restart my computer it STILL reads/loads from the install disc (as opposed to just booting from my hard drive). It's like a endless loop I can't get out of. Am I doing something wrong?
Any suggestions?
- Davey

Here's Apple doc.#106178 on Startup Manager.
Or restart while holding down the "X" key to bring you to your OS.
Cheers!
DALE

Flashing question mark & lost install disc

Our IMac has a flashing question mark for over a year and I cannot find the install disk to try and repair it. The computer is no longer under warranty, was purchased in 2006 and was wondering how I would be able to get ahold of a new install disk. Could I just purchase a newer disk like leopard (an upgrade) to repair the computer? (would this even work?) or if I took it to the apple store would i be charged an arm and leg for having no warranty? would it be best to take it to an apple store or would geek squad be able to help? (would have to drive over an hour to an apple store, 10 mins to a best buy)

HI,
You can get replacement System Install & Restore CD/DVDs from Apple's Customer Support - in the US, (800) 767-2775 - for a nominal S&H fee. They will ask for the model and serial number.
A flashing question mark on startup can mean several things. One the startup disk is failing, or failed, or your Mac can't find a system folder to boot from.
Try booting while holding down the Option key. Normally that will prompt the Startup Manager window, you would select your startup disk and click Restart.
If that doesn't work, try booting in Safe Mode
What is Safe Mode
As for Leopard, your Mac would have to meet the Mac OS X Leopard minimum requirements as stated here. http://support.apple.com/kb/SP517
Carolyn

When i make internet recovery i see question mark after install and reboot. Why?

When i make internet recovery on clear HDD's with created striped software RIDE 0 with two HDD in mac mini.
I see question mark after install and reboot. Why?

Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested. Back up all data before you go.

Flashing Folder and Question Mark, no installation disc

Yesterday, Safari froze up while I was it which I have never had happen before. So, I manually shut my Macbook off and tried to restart. When I did so, I received a gray screen with a flashing folder and question mark. From my research, I have found that usually this means that my laptop can't find the operating system and this issue can usually be resolved by inserting the installation disc. Problem is, I bought my Macbook secondhand and never got an installation disc. Does anyone know of a way around this issue? Or if buying the Snow Leopard upgrade for $30 instead of buying a whole new package for about a hundred dollars more might resolve this issue?
Thanks so much,
Kristin

Yes, quite a quandary. You have some options:
1. Call AppleCare and ask for customer support. You can order replacement discs for the model you have.
2. Purchase an OS X retail installer suitable for your model, like Snow Leopard, that you can use to determine if you can repair the hard drive or will nee to reinstall OS X. If the latter and you are using Snow Leopard, then you just install it. The installer will determine whether to upgrade or not automatically. As long as your drive is OK Snow Leopard will not erase the drive so all your files are safe. If you use an earlier version of OS X then you want to choose the Archive and Install option. See the following:
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.
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.

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

Blue Box Question Marks Since Installing Router

Hello,
Since installing a new Dlink 655 router, I have not been able to view my favorite websites. Most pictures are just blue boxes. A lot of pages won't come up in safari. I have tried to upgrade adobe and fix my permissions, but really haven't had much luck. Any ideas would be great!

HI and Welcome to Apple Discussions...
If you are running 10.5.4 as your profile indicates, you need to bring system software up to date to 10.5.8. Use the v10.5.8 Combo Update
Regarding Adobe Flash. You need to uninstall the old version then reinstall new but make sure you update to 10.5.8 first.
Uninstall Flash
Install Flash
Then repair disk permissions...
Quit any open applications/programs. Launch Disk Utility. (Applications/Utilities) Select MacintoshHD in the panel on the left, select the FirstAid tab. Click: Repair Disk Permissions. When it's finished from the Menu Bar, Quit Disk Utility and restart your Mac. If you see a long list of "messages" in the permissions window, it's ok. That can be ignored. As long as you see, "Permissions Repair Complete" when it's finished... you're done. Quit Disk Utility and restart your Mac.
Relaunch Safari.
Carolyn

Late 2008 macbook 13" prompts mac OS can not be installed on this computer after booting from disc as l get the folder with the question mark screen. New HDD or ?

From the little research l have done, l have been convinced l may be having a dead hard drive though after having tried all the other troubleshooting tips found here, when trying to boot l get the grey screen and folder with the question mark suggesting it can not find the files neccessary to boot hence l tried booting with the disc and the message l get is that mac OS X can not be installed on this computer, though after doing the hardware check etc they all say okay. I've even tried erasing the drive and trying to instal the OS afresh with no luck. Any ideas or l must just get a new hard drive?

Pretty sure BGreg hit the nail on the head. If your hard drive was failing, you would still be able to at least attempt an install, provided your ard drive was mounting. You usually get that message when the disk is incompatible with the computer. If it is the proper disk, you might try erasing the disk (provided your info is backed up) using Disk Utility (under Utilities in the menubar) and choose the Mac OSX Extended (Journaled) format.

On a macbook I purchased secondhand hard drive got corrupted and I started to get the flashing folder with the question mark, I purchased a new hard drive and snow lion install DVD I installed the hard drive and tried disc but kept getting blinking folder

On a macbook I purchased secondhand hard drive got corrupted and I started to get the flashing folder with the question mark, I purchased a new hard drive and snow lion install DVD I installed the hard drive and tried disc but kept getting blinking folder

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. We're users here and do not speak for "Apple Inc."
Power on the computer and insert the DVD immediately.
Hold down the 'C' key to boot from the Snow Leopard DVD.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1533
After selecting the appropriate language, if necessary, select Utilities, and Disk Utility.
You'll likely need to partition and format the new drive before it's recognized.
http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/0/MA161/en_US/MacBook_13inch_HardDrive_DIY .pdf
(Yes, these instructions ARE 7 years old, but the procedure is the same for installing from DVD media.)

Flashing with question mark/OS disc won't install

When I turned my computer of last night it was working fine. Tonight when I turn it on I get a folder with a flashing question mark. I put in the OS disc to try to reinstall but it won't. It doesn't have a disc or space onto which to install. Also can't update to the last time machine point, the time machine can't be found at all. I'm guessing my hard drive has died. I'll take it to the apple store, but how much will it cost? Is this salvageable at all? The computer is 7 days away from being 2 years old (at least two years from the day I bought it). I wouldn't expect an apple to last only two years. I paid a lot of money for this to be crashing in 2 years. If I wanted that to happen I would have just bought a PC.

Hold the option key down on a wired or built in keyboard and boot the machine.
A row of icons appears and if you see your OS X one, then click the arrow to boot from it.
In system preferences, set your startup disk again and that will remind the firmware what to boot from.
Anything else, run through this list to see what's going on and fix it yourself.
..Step by Step to fix your Mac

I have a 27" imac (intel) my hard drive failed and I installed a new one. This is my first time dealing with this so I am having trouble re-installing the OS. Install disc spits out and ? mark with folder appears what am I missing?

Like the title says. My 1 TB drive failed and unfortunately my computer isn't covered on the replacement program even though my hard drive is the one they are claiming to replace. So that is not a solution just to get that out of the way. So I replaced the hard drive. What I am having trouble with is re-installing my OS. I have 10.6. When I load it and restart it just spits it out and I get the question mark folder. What am I doing wrong is there a step I'm missing? I did do a back up to my Time Machine before the crash. Can I plug it into it and reload format? I'm new to this so any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Well, let's hope that nothing was jiggled out of place when you were installing the new hard drive. Your optical drive may just be out of alignment or the disc you have is "dirty." Get a lint-free cloth and some rubbing alcohol, then clean the disc as thoroughly as you can starting from the center and working outward in a concentric circlular motion. See if that helps. In particular clean the inner portion well.
If this does not help, then you have a problem. You have opened the computer yourself. That action voids all support from Apple. If you take the computer in for service the store may refuse to service the computer. This is not related to your now expired warranty.

When i boot i get a flashing folder with a question mark. disk utility doesnt work or read my harddrives to boot with. i installed a new SSD and its not reading that either. i have a macbook pro 2011, any help?

So I came to this problem a while ago. M ycomputer basically froze so I was forced to shut down by holding the button down. When I started it up I got the flashing folder with a question mark. I started it up holding down the command and r keys which brought me to disk utility. Although my computer doesn't read that I have a hard drive to start it up. When I click on the disk utility app, I cannot verify or repair anything either. The buttons won't allow me to click on them. It also shows "Mac OSX Base System" which shows I have files and what not saved. I had been told that I need a new hard drive so I bought and manually installed a OWC SSD 240GB drive and when i booted the computer up it booted up yo the operating system fine with all my files and what not on there. After about twenty minutes, it froze again. I forced a shut down, restarted and the same thing happened. I am not able to choose my SSD to boot up, although thats probably because it doesn't have an operating system installed on it??
i have a Macbook Pro 13" 2011
any help would be great, I'm overall confused.

ryansaint11,
this isn’t Apple support; this is a user-to-user forum. We’re just fellow users of Apple products here.
If you want to boot from your SSD, then you should put the SSD where your HDD currently is, and put the HDD into the optical bay. (That setup will also get you the best performance.) At the moment, you’re still booting from your HDD. Note that you will need to format your SSD in Disk Utility [with the “Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)” format] so that you can install OS X onto it.
Since you have an Early 2011 model, it might or might not have originally come with grey installation DVDs. You will be able to find out whether it did or not by trying to use OS X Internet Recovery to install OS X onto your SSD. If it does not work, or if the installed OS turns out to be Snow Leopard, then it will have originally come with the DVDs, and you should purchase a replacement pair of DVDs from Apple or iFixit; those discs will have your MacBook Pro’s Apple Hardware Test and its iLife apps. If the installed OS turns out to be Lion, then it will not originally have come with the grey installation DVDs, and your Apple Hardware Test will be installed along with Lion, and your iLife apps will be downloadable from the Mac App Store.

I have replaced my ibook hard drive but when I start up I get a folder with a flashing question mark. I have tried installing the OSX disk using the "C" key but can't get any further than the flashing "?." What do I do? What is the problem?

I have replaced my ibook hard drive but when I start up I get a folder with a flashing question mark. I have tried installing the OSX disk using the "C" key but can't get any further than the flashing "?." What do I do? What is the problem?

Which iBook do you have?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1772?viewlocale=en_US
Which version of the OS is installed, and which version are you trying to install?
You could try starting up with Startup Manager and see if it will allow you to select the OS X install disc as the startup disk. If so, maybe you can proceed from there. I would recommend repairing the hard drive first since you are evidently having a bit of a problem with it.

New hard drive in 2009 iMac has been installed and now I have a folder with a question mark displayed on start up.

I installed a Barracuda 500 gb drive. When I attempted a reinstall based off an external hard drive using time machine, it showed an error message of not being able to complete the back up. This was after I formatted the new drive using disc utility. I reformatted a different external drive and let it make several back ups. I then put the new drive into the machine and now I only get the folder with the question mark. It is a late 2009 iMac. The OS updates have been through the on line store and I do not have back up discs. Everything SHOULD be backed up on my external.

when you partition and format the new bare drive are you running off of an install disc in the optical drive? I have used the install disk for Leopard to access the Disc Utility (did not install Leapard, just used it to access the Disc Utility) as well as the machine prompting me to take action due to the new hard drive being recognized, again using disc utility and using the install disc provided by the hard drive manufacturer. All of these were done according to instruction as previously mentioned, on a reformatted and partitioned drive each time.
What OS version are you nstalling on the bare drive before you attempt to restore from your Time Machine backup? I have not installed any OS on the bare drive. I do not have a copy of Lion 10.7.5 as I purchased it through the app store. I was under the impression I could reinstall all the data through Time Machine but that is proving elusive - frustrating.
Are you trying to use the Time Machine "star wars" interface to restore or are you using Migration Assistant? I am not using migration assistant. I have been using the Time Machine restore application.

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/.

Question mark + MacOsX install disc +

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