Screen is white with a flashing file an question mark

On start up screen is frozen now has file with a question mark in the middle

Hold the option key down and reboot the machine by pressing the power button down hard.
A list of icons appear, that's called Startup Manager, if you see your OS X boot volume click the arrow, now head to System Preferences > Startup items and remind it to boot again from the OS X boot volume.
If you don't see your OS X boot volume, then it's messed up or the drive or hardware is
If you have Bootcamp or OS X 10.7-10.8 installed you should see a Recovery or BootCamp as a selection. If you have a 10.6 install disk inserted, you will see that as a bootable option.
If you have 10.7-10.8 and not Recovery HD appears, the drive, cable or the Mac is likely in more serious trouble.
You can do data recovery first before erasing the Macintosh HD partiton if ti comes to doing that if you don't have a backup
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
If the easy fix doesn't fix the issue, then you might want to consider getting some paid local Mac help to recover files and restore your machine again.

Similar Messages

  • After a few hours of inactivity , my screen goes white with a flashing file folder in the centre with a question mark in the centre of said folder. at this point i can only unplug the computer for it to reboot properly, then it is fine till the next go..

    After a few hours of inactivity, I return to find a white screen with a file folder in the center of the screen with a ? mark in the centre of said folder and both are flashing...am i compromised?

    No 
    Solution may be found if you search in the "More Like This" section over in the right column. 

  • Can't log in white screen with flashing file and Question mark

    I've been have trouble with getting on line and screen freezing up. Now I have a solid white screen with a icon of a file and question mark on it flashing. Iv tried unplugging and resetting with no luck.

    Have a look at > A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
    Dennis

  • IMac screen gone white with small flashing question mark in centre of screen

    iMac screen went blank (greyish white) on startup and now has a small question mark flashing in the middle of the screen.
    Any idea what I should do?

    Thank you.
    Was just trying the routh of a USB keyboard & mouse and by holding down the 'option' key, the request for wireless network popped up; after connecting, 'internet support' popped up and now it's showing a small rotating globe and a horizontal hourglass with 1:23 to go still....
    Let's see how this does

  • My Macbookpro will not start up.  At first it was showing a gray screen with a flashing folder and question mark.  I went through the steps to repair with disc utility and this did not work.  How do I back up my data, without time machine activated?

    I need to back up my files and date before erasing my drive, but my time machine backup is not coming up.  How do I access my hard drive to back up my files?

    A erase of the drive or boot partition is not always necessary.
    Flashing question mark at boot could be a easy fix, sometimes it's the firmware that simply forgot what bootable volume to boot from.
    Try holding the Option key down while booting the machine, a choice of bootable options appears, select your OS X and boot up.
    When you get in, head to System Preferences > Startup disk and set it again new. This will tell the firmware what to boot from. Test it to see.
    Now if you don't have a selection of bootable options, it could be that the drive is dead, or OS X is erased or corrupted so it can't boot.
    You'll have to run through this list of fixes to see what's going on, if you need a hardware fix or what, I've also included links if you can't fix it and need to recover your data etc.
    (If it's not remmebering your boot selection then also run through the list to reset things.)
    Step by Step to fix your Mac

  • Flashing file and question mark symbol

    My Mac is alternating between displaying a flashing file with a question mark and the prohibitory symbol. I tried holding down the option key after restarting but nothing is working. I updated my OSX Lion last night, but I don't know what update  it was. I need this computer working in the next 3 hours. Please help!

    Are you able to boot into Single User Mode?
    Mac OS X: How to start up in single-user or verbose mode
    If so, perform a disk check via the command line:
    Start up your computer in single-user mode to reach the command line.
    Note: If necessary, perform a forced restart as described in the Emergency Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your computer. On desktop computers, you can do this by pressing the reset/interrupt button (if there is one) or holding down the power button for several seconds. On portable computers, simultaneously press the Command-Control-power keys. If your portable computer doesn't restart with this method, you may need to reset the Power Manager.
    At the command-line prompt type:
    /sbin/fsck -fy
    Press Return. fsck will go through five "phases" and then return information about your disk's use and fragmentation. Once it finishes, it'll display this message if no issue is found:
    ** The volume (name_of_volume) appears to be OKIf fsck found issues and has altered, repaired, or fixed anything, it will display this message:
    ***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****
    Important: If this message appears, repeat the fsck command you typed in step 2 until fsck tells you that your volume appears to be OK (first-pass repairs may uncover additional issues, so this is a normal thing to do).
    When fsck reports that your volume is OK, type reboot at the prompt and then press Return.

  • When booting the screen remains white with a flashing globe. What is this?

    I am a new Mac user and the last two days I have seen this happen when I boot. What is the computer doing?

    To fix it when the machine does boot navigate to System Preferences - Startup Disk and select the internal HD so it's highlighted then restart the machine.

  • 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.

  • When I went to turn the desktop on, the start up sound came on.  Then the screen was white with an icon flashing. The icon is a file folder with a question mark on it.  I cannot get it to fully turn on.  HELP

    When I went to turn the desktop on, the start up sound came on.  Then the screen was white with an icon flashing. The icon is a file folder with a question mark on it.  I cannot get it to fully turn on.  HELP

    Run a disk repair tool on the hard disk or install a new OS.
    (59898)

  • My iMac has a white screen with a flashing file folder with a question mark in the middle.  What does that mean?

    My iMac is completely unresponsive.  Whenever I restart it, it's just a white screen with a flashing file folder with a question mark in the middle.  What does this mean?

    this means the mac cannot find the startup disc. which more times than not means you need a hdd replacement.
    try starting holding the option key, then using utilities try to repair the disc.

  • I have a blank white screen with a flashing file folder

    What do I do if I have a blank white screen with a flashing file folder?

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

  • I've got a 15" white macbook which I bought about 2 years ago. It froze the other day and wouldn't respond so I shut it down. When I turn it on now it comes up with a flashing file with a question mark on it. How can I fix it?

    I've got a 15" white macbook which I bought about 2 years ago. It froze the other day and wouldn't respond so I shut it down. When I turn it on now it comes up with a flashing file with a question mark on it. How can I fix it? I've tried a few things i've seen online but the futhest ive got is to put the start up disk in when you makes it go to a grey screen with an apple logo and the spinning wheel which then stops spinning. Can anybody help?

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

  • I can't get my computer to boot up.  The screen is white with a file folder and then at ? in the middle

    The screen is white with a file folder and then at ? in the middle

    Before declaring that the disk is dead (which is a common cause for what you are seeing), try the steps outlined in this article:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
    This article also has some troubleshooting steps you can try:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1417
    If you don't have your original system disks, you can boot into single user mode folloing these instructions:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1492
    and then following the directions for running the fsck command in the second article I list above.
    I would try these things before giving up and assuming that the disk is dead. The flashing question mark indicates that a valid boot disk cannot be found. One cause for this is that the disk has experienced hardware failure. However another cause could be that the system and boot files on that disk are somehow damaged (perhaps from a power surge or an improper shutdown of the computer) and in some cases the above repair steps can restore them to working condition.

  • I start my mac book pro and the screen goes white with an apple in the middle

    I start my mac book pro and the screen goes white with an apple in the middle. Starts like charging  but then it turns
    off again

    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.

  • White screen with a folder and a question mark in the Folder

    Hi,
    My daughter's Desktop Mac Pro won't reboot. On reboot, it shows a white screen with a folder and a question mark within, It just stays there and nothing happens. Is this a problem with a dead hard drive, dead processor, faulty USB connection, problem with airport.? We need advise and help, please!
    effie imperio

    Hi, Anonymoustache, thanks for responding.
    Yes, I think it is "a flashing question mark". If it is flashing, you think it is a hardware problem like a dead hard drive? I had a flashing question mark with my Power book G4 and Apple replaced a dead hard drive.
    Thanks Hatter, I will convey your response to my daughter and see if it will help.
    effie imperio

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