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/.

Similar Messages

  • Is there a CD you can pick up for Imac as cant get past flashing question mark with troubleshooting.

    Any help would be gratefull.

    If you do not have the original OS X install disks you will have to contact Apple. They will send you the correct DVDs for that system for a nominal charge.
    Call
    U.S. iPod, Mac and iPad technical support:
    (800) APL-CARE (800-275-2273)

  • 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

  • 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.

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

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

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

  • MacBook Pro has a grey screen with circle and slash and will not start up or start into safe mode.

    MacBook Pro has started to get a grey screen with circle and slash and will not start up or start into safe mode.  This happened once previously, however, it allowed a safe mode reboot and then worked for a week or so.  While utilzing the machine, it started with the spinning beach ball for about 5 minutes, went into a shut down mode and then rebooted and came back up with the grey screen with a circle and slash after a few minutes.  For the past three days it has been stuck and will not allow it to boot into safe mode.  Any idea or suggestions?

    Try starting the MBP with the OPTION key down.  If you see two HDD icons, select the recovery Icon.  From the 4 option menu, select Disk Utility.  Select Disk Utility>First Aid and run Verify and Repair. 
    If you cannot get into the recovery partition, make an appointment at an Apple store genius bar.
    Ciao.

  • Flashing question mark folder OS X 10.6.8.  Issue is not the drive itself.

    Received flashing question mark folder on a MBP5,5 running 10.6.8.  Removed the drive and was able to boot on same machine with the drive plugged in as external USB.  Any idea as to what the issue may be?  It's not the drive itself.  Bad connector?  Going to update the drive to mountain lion this weekend to see if that resolves anything.

    Actually, it is the drive in some way.
    Question (?) Mark, Blinking Folder, or Gray Screen at Startup
    These are related but not identical issues. Their causes are outlined in Intel-based Mac- Startup sequence and error codes, symbols. Solutions may be found in:
    A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
    Mac OS X- Gray screen appears during startup
    In most cases the problems may be caused by:
    Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
    Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
    Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
    The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.
    Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
    The main difference if you are using Lion or Mountain Lion is that you must first boot from the Recovery HD:
    Boot From 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.
    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.

  • IMac with flashing Question-Mark Folder

    I've read all of the help on the flashing Question-Mark Folder.  Nothing has helped.  In fact, Disk Utility only finds 'Disk 0' with the base OS X operating system.  All of the disk utility buttons are grayed out and at the top on the left of is 'Media' (not disk drive - not formatted?).  When I try to recover from the internet and re-install OSX Maverick, it can't find a disk to install on.  Does anyone know what happened and can this be fixed?

    Question (?) Mark, Blinking Folder, or Gray Screen at Startup
    These are related but not identical issues. Their causes are outlined in Intel-based Mac- Startup sequence and error codes, symbols. Solutions may be found in:
    A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
    Mac OS X- Gray screen appears during startup
    In most cases the problems may be caused by one or more of these:
    Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
    Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
    Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
    The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.
    Note that the information I have provided is what Apple recommends, If other users suggest different solutions than found here, then be sure what they recommend does not impact on your warranty, if any, or ability to get continuing Apple service.
    Please don't start removing drives or changing cables unless you know what you are doing and have exhausted other non-invasive alternatives outlined here. If you perform any work yourself that is unapproved by Apple, then you will void any warranty you may have and lose all further Apple Support.
    Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
    The main difference if you are using Lion or Mountain Lion is that you must first boot from the Recovery HD. Simply boot from the Recovery HD to perform the above.
    Reinstall Snow Leopard Without Erasing The drive
    1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
    Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
    If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
    2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
    If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed with reinstalling OS X.  Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files.  After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
    Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
    Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion Without Erasing The Drive
    Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
    Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
    When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list.  In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive.  If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
    Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Continue button.
    Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

  • Flashing question mark folder, 3 times this week on my imac : (

    My intel based 3.06 GHz imac this week is showing a flashing question mark folder. A friend says is that the hard drive is toast but well twice it was solved quickly. First time on monday I did commandoption+pr to reset NVRAM and it worked. Second time yesterday i pressed option during startup and i selected my mac os x volume. But well today nothing works : (
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    this doesnt work:
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    3. trying to start up in safe boot mode (pressing shift), verbose mode or single user mode all fails, just the flashing annoying question mark folder again.
    I was reading that i could use ubuntu live-cd to transfer my data from ubuntu to an external hard drive. I downloaded, burned and then it does shows the ubuntu cd to install ubuntu (the mac os x install disc is ejected but the ubuntu cd works), but i really dont want to install ubuntu X_X I just want my imac back without installing any linux stuff.
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    Message was edited by: AppleSensei

    if someone has the same issue, i just want to notice i solved it using ubuntu -linux- and transferring the files to an external hard drive from ubuntu, reinstalling mac os x again. When i did target mode with another mac the hard drive didnt appear in finder, but with ubuntu all worked great, i saw my files and then problem solved, i saved my data ; )
    I did found annoying using ubuntu to solve this issue with my mac, but well i learnt something new, linux can also be useful when you don't want your data to be deleted as customer support told me they were going to do if i sent my mac.
    Message was edited by: AppleSensei

  • Flashing question mark folder- Mac Help instructions arent working

    My computer froze yesterday and when I re-started it, it had the flashing question mark folder.
    I tried all of these steps http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440
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    You can go no further unless you're able to boot from your installation DVD. If your machine came with Snow Leopard installed, that would be the gray disc that was in the box. If you upgraded to Snow Leopard, then it would be the retail disc you used to upgrade. No other disc will work.
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  • Flashing question mark folder drives have been swapped

    Hi there thank you for taking the time to read this. Spookily within days of each other 2 friends MBP's have succumbed to the flashing question mark folder upon booting. The first we swapped the drive out ran internet recovery saved what we could from the old HD and away we went.
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    Gareth

    Sort of a bump of kinds
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  • Boots to flashing question mark folder and disc utility cannot locate internal hard drive

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

  • Flashing Question mark Folder and clicking - no start up.

    Dear Mac Users,
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    Your drive is dead, you can look in [macsales.com] or [smalldog.com] for a new new one. The drive isn't too difficult to replace, you can do it yourself, and do get the largest one you can afford, just make sure it's a 3.5" SATA.
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  • Mac mini (late 2012) when booting shows flashing question mark folder

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