Question Mark on HD

How do I change the question mark that appears, instead of identification, when I open my HD icon? Is this an identification issue?

Are you talking about seeing a question mark on a drive when you go to System Preferences > Starup Disk? If you are talking about Network Startup, then you don't need to change anything. If you are talking about an external drive, then the question mark is telling you that no bootable OS is installed. To change things, you will need to install an OS.

Similar Messages

I have a PowerMac G4 running ProTools that no longer boots up. All I get is a file folder on the screen with a flashing question mark in it. Ran the Utility disk and all systems passed. Any ideas?

I have a PowerMac G4 running ProTools that no longer boots up. All I get is a file folder on the screen with a flashing question mark in it. Ran the Utility disk and all systems passed. Any ideas?

You need to use the computer's install disks to repair the hard drive or install a new OS.
(58033)

Account with an icon of a face and a question mark

Same issue of other user in Yosemite Apple Support.
Following advises on that thread I also installed the ETRECHECK software tool, report is as follows:
Problem description:
At the login screen I find an icon with a face and a question mark in it - with a message it needs an update.
EtreCheck version: 2.1.5 (108)
Report generated 02 gennaio 2015 12:37:26 CET
Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.
Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.
Click the [Adware] links for help removing adware.
Hardware Information: ℹ️
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) (Verified)
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,2
1 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
16 GB RAM Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Video Information: ℹ️
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Color LCD 1280 x 800
System Software: ℹ️
OS X 10.10.1 (14B25) - Uptime: 1:22:54
Disk Information: ℹ️
APPLE HDD HTS545050A7E362 disk0 : (500,11 GB)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 498.89 GB (467.03 GB free)
Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked
Core Storage: disk0s2 499.25 GB Online
MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8
USB Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
Mac App Store and identified developers
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Support]
User Login Items: ℹ️
iTunesHelper Applicazione (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
Dropbox ApplicazioneHidden (/Applications/Dropbox.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]
Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
Safari Extensions: ℹ️
Pin It Button [Installed]
Save to Pocket [Installed]
Add To Amazon Wish List [Installed]
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
Flash Player [Support]
Time Machine: ℹ️
Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
      14% WindowServer
      3% hidd
      2% Safari
      1% Dock
      0% fontd
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
333 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent
155 MB mds_stores
137 MB Safari
137 MB Finder
86 MB Dropbox
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
7.76 GB Free RAM
4.88 GB Active RAM
3.28 GB Inactive RAM
1.26 GB Wired RAM
4.73 GB Page-ins
0 B Page-outs
Diagnostics Information: ℹ️
Jan 2, 2015, 11:15:06 AM Self test - passed
Jan 2, 2015, 12:06:57 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Dropbox109_2015-01-02-000657_[redacted].cpu_res ource.diag [Details]
---------- is there any troubleshooting for delete that fake account every time I start my Macbook Pro?
thanks and regards
Edoardo

Smiley face with a ? means a bootable system is not found.
There maybe a problem with either system software or hard drive itself.
Try this.
Repair Disk
Steps 2 through 8
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836
Best.

I got new hard driver for my MacBook I don't have the cd but I do have flash drive that has the software I need help because when I turn on my laptop it shows me a file with question mark how can I install the software from the flash driver?

I got new hard driver for my MacBook I don't have the cd but I do have flash drive that has the software I need help because when I turn on my laptop it shows me a file with question mark how can I install the software from the flash driver?

Hold down the Option key while you boot your Mac. Then, it should show you a selection of devices. Click your flash drive and it will boot from that.

I got a flashing folder with a question mark. I got a new hard drive and upgraded to 4 gigs and can't open anything or reload the operating system? Help?

I got a flashing folder with a question mark. I got a new hard drive and upgraded to 4 gigs and can't open anything or reload the operating system? Help? FYI: I have been using boot camp with windows 7 and started getting a kernal_data_Page_error and it would reboot windows, i was trying to do a chkdsk on the next reboot, but thats when i started getting this issue. I have put in a new hard drive and went from 2 gigs to 4. I can not get the computer to do anything, even the monitor does not show anything now????

Prep your new drive:
Drive Preparation
1. 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 Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, 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 (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs,) 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.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
After formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Install OS X.

PDF Preview for a PO template with polish characters shows question marks

When I view the PDF using application I see the polish characters(Boilerplate text) as question marks. But when I view it through XML Publisher Dsktop version 5.5.0 it is fine I have download the new version of adobe 7.08 and I can see the polish characters but the preview in XML publisher in the application stll shows "?"

No I havent configured any fonts on desktop/application .. when I view Document properties on the PDF which works the XML Publisher version 5.5.0 and that of the application is 5.6.0.
In the fonts tab on the desktop version there is one additional one listed fromt he application one - AlbanyWTJ(Embedded Subset)

My MacBook has question marks on all folders and won't run ANY program. Help!

A week ago I was editing some photographs in Photoshop CS 5 extended. My computer has been running slow for a while so I thought that I would finish these files and then clear it of some photos since I know I've recently uploaded several gbs onto it.
The next day it was frozen. I had to shut it down and restart. It came on and now every folder has a question mark on it and none of the programs will open. They just bounce up and down and then the menu bar says Application not responding.
I have no idea what I need to do. I was going to update to Lion but I'm unsure if that's what I should do or if it needs some TLC from the apple store.
Help?

A professional will image your drive and attempt a bit by bit file recovery method directly from the drive itself.
You see when you delete something, it's not quite erased yet, but the space the file took is available to be overwritten, so it's only a matter of time before that occurs and the file is really gone.
So they will recover what they can, and then restore your machine and it's software and return the recovered files.
The TimeMachine is certainly going to assist, good thing you got it.
The trick is to hire someone and quit using the computer until they rescue you, show you in person how to rescue yourself .
Good Luck

2008 imac - beachball lock ups and no-boot 'question mark in file' issue

Firstly apologies am new to this forum.. am happy imac user (2008) but recently my imac is freezing in use and/or failing to boot on startup; the grey screen showing for a bit and then a file with a question mark in it. This now happens frequently and I find my self having to wait hours before my mac will boot. I have looked through forum responses and tried disk repair utility, but that showed no problems other than repairing a few permissions - also downloaded and run EtreCheck - but again nothing obvious, although I'll readily concede I don't really know what I looking for. Before I sadly head off on a long journey to a Genius Bar appointment maybe for a new hard drive?? Can anyone suggest anything please - all advice welcome. Thank you

Hi triffiid,
I'm sorry to hear about the issues you've been having with your Mac. If you are currently booting to a grey screen with a flashing question mark, you may find the troubleshooting steps outlined in the following article helpful (apologies if you have already seen it):
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
Regards,
- Brenden

Every once in a while when I open my mail or a page I get nothing but strange lines of symbols. Many of the symbols are black triangles with question marks in the center. I completely reset it like new, but problem still exists

Every once in a while when I open my mail or open a page I get lines of strange symbols like black triangles with question marks in the center. I have reset the ipad2 to new condition but the problem still exists.

A reset does not make tthe iPad "like new."
First, let's ensure that we agree on just what is a Reset...
Hold down the on/off switch and the Home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo. Ignore the "Slide to power off" text if it appears. You will not lose any apps, data, music, movies, settings, etc.
If the Reset doesn't work, try a Restore. Note that it's nowhere near as quick as a Reset. Connect via cable to the computer that you use for sync. From iTunes, select the iPad/iPod and then select the Summary tab. Follow directions for Restore and be sure to say "yes" to the backup. You will be warned that all data (apps, music, movies, etc.) will be erased but, as the Restore finishes, you will be asked if you wish the contents of the backup to be copied to the iPad/iPod. Again, say "yes."
At the end of the basic Restore, you will be asked if you wish to sync the iPad/iPod. As before, say "yes." Note that that sync selection will disappear and the Restore will end if you do not respond within a reasonable time. If that happens, only the apps that are part of the IOS will appear on your device. Corrective action is simple - choose manual "Sync" from the bottom right of iTunes.
If you're unable to do the Restore, go into Recovery Mode per the instructions here.

White Macbook has folder with a question mark inside when powered on.

My brother has a white macbook given to him from a friend and when it is powered on it shows a folder icon with a question mark in the inside flashing and it doesn't boot. He has sent me on a quest to get a power adapter and a new hard drive, He thinks the hard drive is fried. Does anyone know for sure if thats the case, I just don't want to buy all that stuff to figure out that the logic board is dead or something else irreplaceable. There is no backup disks, all I have is a replacement leopard disk from apple used for my mac mini.

If it is a retail Leopard disc--black with a giant purple X on it--then yes, you could use them, with a couple of caveats. One, it would technically be a violation of the license to use that install of Leopard on more than one computer, and terms of use on this forum forbid me from encouraging such an action. And two, depending on how old this used MacBook is, your install of Leopard may pre-date manufacture of the MacBook and, as a result, not be able to boot the MacBook anyway. However, judging by the info in your signature, that is probably not a problem.
If the disc for your Mini is gray and shipped with or was meant to ship with the Mini, then no, the disc will not work.
I still encourage you to get the system discs that came with the MacBook originally, as they have the Apple Hardware Test included, and, as I suggested above, running any OS (or other Apple software) on a Mac without the discs means technically it's an unlicensed copy.

My iMac has a blinking question mark folder on it and won't let me boot.

I have a late 2009 27 inch iMac whos hardrive failed a while back. A couple days ago i decided to pop in a new hard drive in it, the same brand, just different capacity. I wanted to put windows on it, and tried to boot it with pressing c on the keyboard at startup but encountered a few problems.
When i power on my imac the screen is just a blank white screen for about 20-30 seconds. During this time, any devices plugged into the USB ports do not work. My mouse is not lit up, and my keyboard will not react to pressing caps lock, num lock etc. After that 20-30 second period the folder with the blinking question mark on it pops up. I tried holding C, as well as windows key and C but nothing seems to make the mac recognize i want it to boot from other devices.
The hard drive i installed is empty (obviously) So i'm not sure if its an issue with the way I installed the hard drive (pretty sure i did it right) or another issue that may involve trying to put windows on it. Also worth noting is im using a normal USB mouse, and a normal USB keyboard, not mac devices. I'm willing to put OSX on this computer if its necessary to make it work, but right now all i can get on it is that white screen and then the blinking folder. Does anybody have any idea how to fix this?

Drive Partition and Format
1. 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 Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, 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 Apply button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
When formatting has completed quit Disk Utility and install OS X.

MB Pro 13 (2010) BSOD in Boot Camp followed by question mark folder

Hello, good folks of the Apple support communities. Let me describe my problem to you guys and maybe you'll help me figure out what's wrong because I'm at my wit's end.
A couple of months ago, my MBP13 randomly gave me a BSOD after which it refused to load - just gave me a blinking cursor. I was able to narrow that down to a somehow-messed up boot sequence. I was able to fix it from the Windows 7 repair console. I thought that this time around my situation would be similar, but I haven't been that lucky. So, let me paint the picture of what happened this time.
Sitting in my kitchen, laptop on the counter, plugged in, having a conversation on Trillian and Skype. I pick it up and move to another room, sit down and try to continue and for a couple of minutes everything is fine, but then the cursor freezes and I get a BSOD, followed by an illuminated dark screen. All my attempts to resuscitate prove futile - any time I press the power button, all I get is that gray screen. I reset the PRAM and then got the white screen that usually appears when I just power on. Unfortunately, no choices of boot (Mac of Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit which I'm running in Boot Camp) - and then the flashing folder with question mark followed. I was 15 minutes away from driving off to the airport, needing to get on a plane, so I grabbed the MBP, the OSX DVD and the Windows DVD and an external hard drive (2.5 inch SATA) and went to the airport. Started reading support forums and narrowed the issue down to potential HD issues. So I tried first to re-seat the drive - no dice. Then I tried booting from the OSX DVD and going to disk utility - the HD was not being recognized. Same story with the Windows 7 DVD. Mid-flight I disassembled the external drive and swapped the two - the external was being picked up, no problem, so I figured it was a hard drive issue, not a motherboard one, say.
So, I'm thinking, great, my HD is fried. I've got a whole bunch of data on it that I wanted to salvage (primarily on the Boot Camp partition), so I swapped the MBP drive into the enclosure and hooked it up to a buddy's laptop. To my surprise, Windows 7 on his Dell picked it up without a problem (only Boot Camp, not the Mac part, but since Mac isn't formatted for Windows that probably shouldn't have been surprising) and after futzing with the permissions, I was able to start backing stuff up - never finished, though, figuring that if it's being picked up, I'd just do it later. But I needed a functioning laptop, so I went to Best Buy and picked up a Momentus XT 500GB, installed it and thought I'd be able to install an OS on it. Nope. Windows never even saw the drive and OSX tried to format it but couldn't allocate memory, according to the report. So back to BB the Seagate went. I am coming back to school tomorrow and should be able to have our IT people look at it, but what do you guys think are my best and worst case scenarios and options here? If the Mac HD is completely toast, why would it get picked up just like that via USB? And if it's not toast, can I somehow still boot it? Or should I just salvage what files I have and bite the bullet with a new HD? And which one, if that's the case, since the Momentus crapped out on me big time (in fairness, I later read about all its problems and realized I was better off without it). Or should I just cut my losses, sell the MBP and find myself another computer, perhaps an ultrabook?
Any thoughts greatly appreciated! Ideally I would like to spend as little as possible while restoring my pre-BSOD situation as much as possible, as you might surmise, so I really don't want to buy a new laptop quite yet...

Thanks for the detailed explanation! If MacBook supports AHCI/SATA only in native “UEFI mode”, while reverting back to PATA/IDE in legacy “BIOS mode”, then it could make perfect sense to use UEFI to make sure that technology like Native Command Queuing (NCQ) is employed, as it may give noticeable performance improvements for certain operations: www.happysysadm.com/2012/12/intel-g530-nas-performance-part-3.html. I wonder how do you get Windows 8 x64 with EFI bootloader installed on MacBook?
Simply choosing EFI Boot (“Some EFI platforms support both UEFI and BIOS firmware. On some of those systems, it is not always clear if the default DVD boot option is an EFI or BIOS boot option. On these systems, using the EFI shell command may be required. If you do not specifically start Windows Setup by using the EFI boot entry, the default firmware boot entry for BIOS may be used. If Windows Setup starts in BIOS mode on a combined EFI/BIOS system, the ESP and MSR partitions are not created.”) from Win8 x64 DVD when installing on blank HDD would yield “The computer restarted unexpectedly or encountered an unexpected error. Windows installation cannot proceed" message. Also, if the hard drive was not in SATA mode during Windows installation, registry tweaking may be required before switching from PATA to SATA. Do you do registry tweaking and EFI bootloader configuration manually after a copy of Windows was installed in its dedicated partition in a regular way?

Grey Screen with Flashing Folder with Question Mark

Hi,
I need some help with an issue I'm having on my Mid-2012 Macbook Pro (13"; OSX 10.9.2; 8GB RAM). I've had issues with this Macbook for the past year. I've worked with Apple Support and had it into the Mac Store prior to the warranty expiring (Dec 2013). I have the exact same model with all of the same specs that my employer purchased at the same time for work as my work computer, and I haven't had any issues with that one.
Previously, the system would slow down excessively and eventually start hanging. Occasionally the screen would start flashing. Apple phone support had me wipe the hard drive and re-install the OS and all of my file, apps, and setting from my Time Machine backup. That worked for about four months, and then it started again. Since it was getting close to the warranty expiration, I took it to an Apple Store. They ran a bunch of diagnostics, said the hardware was all fine but the OS needed to be re-installed. They did that in early Dec, and everything was cool again until about three days ago. Three days ago, it started slowing down and freezing again (even when doing non-memory intensive tasks such as broswing the web with only a couple of tabs open and no other applications open). Last night, it froze hard and wouldn't shut down, so I had to cold boot it. When I tried to power it back on, it came to the grey screen with the flashing folder with the question mark (which I know means it can't find the boot sector). I waited until this morning, and it stil wouldn't boot. I then rebooted into Startup Manager, and the HDD was there. I selected the HDD, and it booted fine and ran fine for a couple of hours (I was able to do a Time Machine backup). Then it froze up solid again. I waited for an hour or so before cold booting (don't like doing that), and when I tried rebooting, I got the flashing folder with the question mark. I tried booting into the Startup Manager again, but this time, my HDD wasn't listed. I then booted into the OSX Recovery utility (CMD R on boot), went into the Disk Utility hoping to do a disk repair, but my HDD wasn't listed. I have an external SATA to USB adapter, so I pulled the HDD, hooked it to a USB port on my other (identical except it doesn't have problems) Macbook Pro. Once my other Macbook booted, the HDD from the bad Macbook Pro showed up fine. I ran a verify and repair disk on the HDD from the bad Macbook, and it didn't show any issues.
So I figured I'd be really brave. I took the HDD from the bad Macbook Pro and put it in my work (good) Macbook Pro (I took the HDD out of my working work Macbook Pro). It booted fine. I then did the verify and repair disk (again no errors) and verify and repair permissions (it found a few, but no more than it has in the past). I ran it that way for about an hour with no issues. That led me to believe that the HDD for my personal Macbook was fine, and it must be an issue with the SATA cable or the mainboard.
Here's where it gets odd. I put the HDD from my work Macbook Pro into the bad Macbook Pro thinking it wouldn't even recognize it. It did recognize it, and it booted fine. I ran it like that for about 30 minutes. It did have a couple of short freeze ups, but it didn't lock up solid. I didn't want to push my luck and possibly damage the HDD for my work Macbook, so I shut down the bad Macbook Pro ended the experiment at that point.
I put the original HDD back in the Macbooks where they originally came from. I then ran the Apple Hardware Test (press and hold D on startup) on the bad Macbook Pro; I did the extended testing option. It ran for about an hour, but it didn't find any issues with the bad Macbook Pro.
I put the HDD from the bad Macbook back in my working Macbook and wiped the disk and reinstalled OSX from a Time Machine Backup from last week (before the problems occured). Put it back in the bad Macbook and still no luck. Finally I tried resetting the PRAM because I saw that as one of the options on this discussion board.
I've searched and read everything I can find related to this, but I can't find anything that works, and I'm at my wits end. Can anyone point me in a direction of what might be wrong and what else to try?
Thanks!
Mike

You performed thorough and methodical troubleshooting, and this appears to be the most important result:
I put the HDD from my work Macbook Pro into the bad Macbook Pro thinking it wouldn't even recognize it. It did recognize it, and it booted fine. I ran it like that for about 30 minutes. It did have a couple of short freeze ups, but it didn't lock up solid.
Given compatible hardware, you ought to be able to swap hard disk drives in exactly that manner, so it shouldn't surprise you that it worked. However, installing the "known good" HDD in the problem machine should not have resulted in any freeze-ups at all.
You can conclude the hard disks (both of them) are serviceable and whatever fault exists probably lies elsewhere. Often the SATA cable is damaged or not seated properly, and is likely to fail more than anything on the logic board. Inspect the logic board's SATA connections and make sure there are no contaminants or damage. The two drives and two logic boards are going to have slightly different component tolerances, so perhaps the defective one is simply exceeding some limit.
Apple Hardware Test is very cursory and essentially tests for the presence of operable hardware. It is far from an exhaustive test, and only a report of a failure can be relied upon for accuracy. For a more thorough test you would need to have Apple evaluate it using the time-consuming Apple Service Diagnostics. Even then, they may come up without a clue, and eventually someone will suggest a logic board replacement which can be expensive.
It is an unusual problem, and I don't know how much time Apple would invest in diagnosing it before they conclude you really ought to buy a new Mac instead. They might surprise you though in that a "depot repair", if yours is eligible, is a very cost effective option so consider it.
Given your ability you might also consider purchasing a replacement logic board from PowerbookMedic, or even sending it to them for a flat rate repair.

My MBP (mid 09)/ folder with a flashing question mark.

My MBP (mid 09) is showing a folder with a flashing question mark. I tried the usual things like PRAM Reset and booting with a external drive. I also changed the hard drive and could use it as a external drive on an other Mac - so this seems to work. Another drive could not be used too. The Apple Hardware Test does not work - my Superdrive is broken. Any ideas?

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3046
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents

HT204408 My applications folder has a black question mark on it at the bottom of my screen. I do not know what error I made, but my fan effect of the previous applications has gone away. Can I get some help with this?

One day ago I inadvertantly removed my applications folder. In it's place is a folder with a black question mark which appeared after I attempted to open up the applications file. Also, previously when I clicked on the file applications would open in a fan display. Could I please get some assistance with this?

...removed my applications folder.
From where? And to where?
If you trashed it and emptied the trash, what backup, if any, do you have? If it's still in the Trash, move it back.
If no backup, reinstall Snow, which will give you the version as of the DVD you use, then update back to 10.6.8, and run all other needed updates, including any security updates. This should save all your third party programs, as well as settings.
The white puff of smoke is nothing, it only means you moved it out of the Dock. If you still have it, or had it, as soon as you open it it would reappear in the Dock. The item in the Dock is only a kind of alias.

When I boot up my I get a grey screen with a flashing folder with a question mark

I was trying to set up a bootable Linux flash drive for another computer using UNetbootin and I accidentally selected an empty partition on my hard drive instead of the USB I was trying to use. It went through the install process, and I didn't realize it was on my computer rather than the USB. The computer worked fine, so I thought nothing of it.
Today, I go to mess with my computer and it is frozen at the login screen. I restart it, and now I just get a blinking folder with a question mark. I try to go into recovery, but it isn't there. Internet Recovery works fine, but when I go to use Disk Utility or to reinstall the OS it cannot find the internal Hard Disk.
What am I supposed to do here? I don't want to lose all my data.

greenbil1
You can contact AppleCare to buy a replacement set of the oringinal Install discs for a nominal cost. You will need the serial number and a credit card to place the order.

Question Mark on HD

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