Ubiquitous question mark in triangle shape

I have seen this pop up several times in the last week, on the net, on power point presentations. Someone in the audience at the power point presentation yelled "It's a PC problem."
Anyway, here it Is:
Can anyone here identify the cause of this anomaly?

There is always some idiot in the audience who will yell stupid things about the issue being a PC problem or a Macintosh problem ...
Without seeing the actual PowerPoint presentation file as well as the fonts involved, a definitive diagnosis cannot be provided. Having said that, instinct would suggest that the problem is associated with cross-platform differences in characters sets used by PowerPoint and/or differences in the fonts between the platforms. This is
exactly why using PowerPoint files as opposed to a PDF file (with all fonts embedded) created from the PowerPoint file for an actual presentation is not a particularly good idea.
One of the problems is that PowerPoint on Windows and PowerPoint on Macintosh handle fonts and character sets differently. PowerPoint on Windows has used Unicode encoding for a number of years; I believe that PowerPoint 2008 on the Macintosh is the first Mac version to support Unicode, at least for new documents.
- Dov

Similar Messages

Question mark in triangle in place of punctuation marks in email

Here's situation:
I'm on MacBook Air with Mavericks. My friend is on MacBook with previous OS(10.8). I write her from Mac Mail, she replies from a free web mail program (Juno). When she replies back to answer my email and I scroll down to see something I wrote to her, in my email now appears black triangles with a question mark in the middle of the triangle in each area where I had originally placed either commas or apostrophes. It seems the periods are fine. I think a dash mark is replaced also. So what is the reason and how to prevent it? Is it a Mavericks thing? Is it her email program? If its hers then why did it change on iphone-see next:
Here's a secondary situation: I'm now writing from iPhone (vs 6.1.4) and the same email came into this ph showing square empty boxes (outline of a box) instead of triangle & question mark, in the same location! What gives?

There is always some idiot in the audience who will yell stupid things about the issue being a PC problem or a Macintosh problem ...
Without seeing the actual PowerPoint presentation file as well as the fonts involved, a definitive diagnosis cannot be provided. Having said that, instinct would suggest that the problem is associated with cross-platform differences in characters sets used by PowerPoint and/or differences in the fonts between the platforms. This is
exactly why using PowerPoint files as opposed to a PDF file (with all fonts embedded) created from the PowerPoint file for an actual presentation is not a particularly good idea.
One of the problems is that PowerPoint on Windows and PowerPoint on Macintosh handle fonts and character sets differently. PowerPoint on Windows has used Unicode encoding for a number of years; I believe that PowerPoint 2008 on the Macintosh is the first Mac version to support Unicode, at least for new documents.
- Dov

HT3964 A file icon with a question mark appears instead of apple when booting?

Macbook will not boot. An icon with a question mark in a shape of a file apears after a long delay. I am accessing network on another Mac. Any suggestions for booting would be welcome.

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 (CD/DVD drive) and reboot. Be sure to either use the disc that came with your Mac, or, if you installed a later Mac OS X version from disc, use the newer disc. 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) until the apple 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. Choose your language and 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 hand list. 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. After repairing use Startup Disk from the same menu to choose your hard drive for restarting from your hard drive.
If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

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.

Black screen with triangle and question mark

I was rotating some pictures in iPhoto (11-9.5) and all of a sudden in the large image window there is now a black window with a triangle and question mark in the middle. Nothing I can do makes this go away so I can enlarge my pictures in this window. iMac 2009, OSX 9. Please help!
Thank you
Carl

OT,
Thank you. This didn't solve the problem. I saw somewhere in another post about doing some more manipulations but I was too uncertain. I called Apple. The first problem was I had a problem in my disc that had to be solved through a series of manuvers I don't remember. Then I was referred to a senior tech for the iPhoto issue. We spent several hours altogether on this. If I understand it correctly, some of my photos from the earliest time were converted into PSD files. The originals could not be found anywhere on my computer. The PSD file could not be worked with in iPhoto and that was why I got that symbol. I have a time capsule that fortunately had data far enough back we could retrieve JPGs. Again through a series of manuvers I don't remember we brought those up, deleted the PSD files, and put in the JPEG files. Seems to be working now.
Thanks again,
Carl

Question Mark in a triangle and sad face on ipod screen

My ipod is not working.
Its shows a Question Mark in a triangle and sad face on ipod screen when i reset it
Help!

When you have this problem, you'll want to restore your iPod to factory settings, and see if that fixes your problem.
For information on restoring, see this article about it:
Restoring your iPod to factory settings
If restoring doesn't help the problem, or you are having troubles with restoring, I would suggest that you see Mitch's post on the sad iPod icon, which covers a lot of things to try:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4269443&#4269443
-Kylene

Eternal ball, flashing question mark, kernel panic, etc... all! HELP!

Think this is a good, one... Here is the story:
Some apps will crash, that always happens, right? So I did not pay much attention to it until it was way too often. Learned about disk utility, repaired permissions on a regular basis and moved on. But then... One day disk utility told me there was something that could NOT be repaired. I ran and bought an External HD (usb.. not a good choice, but I found out that too late for an exchange). Backing up from there on was kind of a weekly thing.
But nothing to worry about, I could still use my iBook pretty well and with no problems. Then... one fine day I could not SAVE ANYTHING! Everything was working "normal", but when I wanted to save my work. It told me that I could not do it! Not even making a new bookmark from Firefox!
So I did verify and repair from disk utility, and I ran the hardware test giving me the following:
*ERROR CODE: 2STF/8/3:ATA -100 ata -6 -Master*
I have no idea what that means, but I used it to look for help online and everything pointed out that my HD needed to be replaced. I believe at this point is when I met the flashing folder icon with the question mark. Suddenly it would not detect the HD! But then... after turning it off and on for a few times it would see it and start-up normally. In one of those lucky start-ups I backed up all I thought was important in the external HD and made a clean install of OS X. Oh... and it is fun to try to install OS X when.. there is no HD in the list to pick for your destination! After a lot of patience, it would show up, but then is when I met the kernel panic mesg! After a few more tries (yes, I am a very patient person... sometimes), I finally could make a clean install of OS X. I even partitioned the HD to make sure there was nothing there.
Ok... seemed like it liked it.. but after a little while, strange things happened again, and after the restart, the blinking folder with the question mark again...
So... no choice, have to replace my HD right? I get a brand new Seagate, 120 Gb, 5400 rpm. Followed instructions from ifixit.com and after 3 hours (and a lot of fun!) I replaced the hard drive on my beloved iBook. This was really fun!
Installed the software on the new HD.. everything looks fine... for a few minutes. I tried to use right away what I use everyday to see if it works: web browser, iTunes, Activity Monitor, played a dvd perhaps, etc... And..? Nop... started crashing again... Got the blinking question mark after restart, etc. But now.. the hardware tests reports me no problems.
Ok... it was not the HD, but I already bought one, and installed it myself!... lets move on and see where is my problem.
Could it be the ram?
This model has only one slot of removable ram, and a built-in DIMM that I cannnot replace +(or can I?)+, so I remove the one I can, and restart it without it. First it looks fine again, everything is working, but after a while it starts crashing again. So.. it's not the ram... or at least it's not +this one+.
So... I think its time for a Professional to take a look at it, right?. So I took it to a Mac Store (not Apple store) and explained EVERYTHING to the guy that received my beloved iBook, he takes notes and tells me that it has to stay for a few days. After 1 week I receive a call from the store (another employee) telling me the sad news that my HARD DRIVE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED! And that they were very sorry but they cannot recover any of my data... what data?? All that was there was the OS!!!
So... a deep breath and I explain to him everything over the phone. Ok.. he says he will talk with the tech-guy and I'll hear from them in a few more days. I did...
I was very glad to hear it was a cable that connects the HD to the Logic Board (that's what I understood.. I think). That this was only 20 dollars, but somehow, with the labor I ended up paying around 100 dlrs! I found out later that apple changes this cable everytime they upgrade a HD.
Ok.. 200 dlrs spent already ($100 on my Seagate HD + $100 for the cable..), but if get my iBook to work again I'll be happy.
So I go home and start to work on installing and making everything work again: firefox, iTunes, fugu, tried cyberduck, taco, ... everything looked fine. But after a while... it happened again. Sometimes I don't even get the blinking folder, just a grey screen. I turn it off, and then comes the blinking '?' or it starts-up... and if it does, after a while it would crash.
(I started this post on my iBook, and I was like 2/3rd's through when I got the ball... and no response at all... tried force-quit... and nothing, had to power off..AND start this post all over again on my girlfriend's!!! )
So here I am... Of course I want to take it back to the guys at the MacStore and
complain about their poor job... But does anyone here has a good idea of what could it be?
My thoughts are something like this: Seems like if you do not use a lot of memory (I only have 512 Mb total, so a lot of it comes from the virtual, right?) it works fine, but somehow if it reaches a point where it needs more than a certain amount it would crash. I dont know if this even makes sense, but that's my feeling. The guys at the MacStore told me that they tested around 100 times restarting the computer and it looked fine, so yeah... if all they did was use a software to restart once and again, and again... without really using the memory, they would not see the problem, right? The problem comes later.. when you use the iBook.
Could it be then that the problem comes from the ram that is built-in? If so.. can this be replaced? Is it worth it? Can I do it myself?
Too many questions...
Any thoughts would be more than welcome and...
Thanks for reading all the post!
E

yeah....
the problem is that I do not have a firewire external HD, and it will not boot from my usb external...
Anyway... I am back from the MacStore and the guys told me that the next step would be to replace/work on the logic board, and that that was too expensive a job to do an an old iBook like mine, they did not recommend it to anyone (they told me they charge between 600-800 dlrs for this kind of job).
So... seems like my iBook is in a very bad shape.
I saw DT&T online and it seems like they do the job for half the price of the MacStore (before shipping costs), but... still, is it worth it?
I was thinking in the possibility to find someone who sells a used iBook in pieces because of a crashed screen or something, to get another logic board and try to replace it myself, but... is this something an amateur can do by himself?
Haven't checked ifixit.com for that yet.
Any ideas??
Thanks..
Edgar

Hi I installed a new hard drive in my Mac mini osx lion an when I turn it on I get a flashing file with a question mark. I tried holding command and R keys when turning it on but the recovery fails to work. Does any one know how I can get it to recover?

Hi I installed a new hard drive in my Mac mini osx lion an when I turn it on I get a flashing file with a question mark. I tried holding command and R keys when turning it on but the recovery fails to work. I can hold the option key at start up and choose my network, then Internet recovery shows up with an arrow pointing up. When I click on the arrow Internet recovery fails and all I get is a globe with a triangle on it with an exclamation mark on it, and under that it says
apple.com/support
-6002F
Does any one know how I can fix this without a recovery disc? Thanks

I just want to add to this, in case someone else searches for this error on Apple Support (google doesnt cover apple support.. how clever is that?)
I had the same error. And i had a Computer that had worked, with a SSD drive and 16GB upgrade done by the owner himself.
I tried swapping with a Mechinal Harddrive, no luck.
Kept the Mechanical drive in, and tried with some other Ram, it worked..
So for me this error and after reading the other responses can be boiled down to a Harddrive problem or Ram issue.
It was Ram for me..

Question marks on each application?

after i have accidentally deleted the iCal, the ical icon is still on the dock but if i tap it, it shows question mark infront of it?
what does it mean?
PLS help!!
thanks,
enyakiz

You can restore it as follows:
How to Use Pacifist to Replace Deleted OS X Applications
Download the shareware utility Pacifist from VersionTracker or MacUpdate. Use it to extract a fresh copy of the missing item(s) from the file archives on your OS X installation DVD. The file archives are in the /System/Installations/ folder (use Go to Folder option in the Go menu of the Finder.)
Here are Four Basic ways to use Pacifist (courtesy of George Orville.)
A. Drag a .pkg icon onto the Pacifist window .....proceed to step 7.
B. Click on “Open Package ....” and navigate to package desired and click “Open” in the open/save window.....proceed to step 7.
C. Insert Mac OS X installer CD and when it mounts, navigate to .... Menu->Go->Go to Folder.
In the path field enter or paste ....
/Volumes/disc name/System/Installation/Packages (where disc name is the name of the CD/DVD that you inserted.
• Click on the "Go" button .....
• Drag a .pkg to Pacifist..... proceed to step 7.
The package you'll need will have to be discovered by trial and error, but for most applications you should start with the Essentials.pkg and/or Additional Essentials.pkg.
D. Insert your Mac OS X install disk 1 .... and open Pacifist.
1. In Pacifist, select "Open Mac OS X Install Packages" ... dialog may appear asking for disk 2, then disk 3 and finally disk 1 again.... {if DVD is not used)...If “Stop Loading” is selected...the procedure will stop!!!
2a. When loading is complete, a new window appears, click the triangle to display contents of each package...Select item and proceed to step 7.
2b. or click the “Find” icon in the Pacifist window and type the name of the software you need.
3. In the list that comes back, click the top most entry for the item that you want. ..... that is the one for the English language.
4. On the top of the Pacifist window, click “verify” .... you will probably be prompted for your password.
5. Enter checks for.... “verify permissions” and “verify file contents.” and click “verify” ....enter password when prompted.... you will get back output which may look like this:
20 files were scanned.
20 of 20 files were present on the hard disk.
0 of 20 files had file permissions that did not match those specified in the package.
0 of 20 files had checksums that did not match those specified in the package.
6. Click “close”. Go to step 7.
Extract or Install........
7. In the Toolbar (upper left), you now have the option to extract or install. Click a file in the lower list and those two icons will be enabled.
8. If “Extract to...” is selected.... navigate to the location where the file will be placed, select “choose”, select “extract” in new dialog that appears,authenicate , if prompted, click “OK”.
9. In the next dialog, click “Extract”.
10. If “Install” is selected... dialog will appear with the location/path of the installed software. Click “Install”
11. Type in your password, click “OK”
• Pacifist will begin to extract files.
12. In steps 8/10ß.... you also have the choice to “cancel”
Notes.....
• Pacifist may find that a file it is installing already exists on the hard disk. Pacifist will present you with an alert panel....
Stop
Leave original alone
Update ..... Default selection
Replace .... Replace option should only be used on full install packages

Why are some websites displayed with added question marks inside black diamonds

Numbers are displayed with question marks inside black triangles before and following, possibly as column separators.
== This happened ==
Every time Firefox opened
== I attempted to access financial websites

Can you post a link?
You can try a few different encoding settings: "View > Character Encoding" like Western ISO-8859-1 or another Western encoding or UTF-8
You can also try to switch on Auto-Detect: "View > Character Encoding > AutoDetect > Universal"
A diamond with a '?' usually indicates that a character is missing in the font that is used on a website or the wrong encoding is used.
You get the '?' on websites that use an 8 bit encoding like ISO-8859-1 or a Windows encoding like Windows-1252.
This issue can happen if content was copied from one 8 bit or Unicode encoding to another encoding.

Question marks inside diamond

Hello all,
I was trying to find a topic to reply to, but everything with this issue has been archived. So here's a new post. When I send Apple Mail to someone and they reply, my original message is peppered with diamond shapes with a question mark inside. No logical culprit...double space, no... sometimes after a period, sometimes not. Here's a paragraph I screen shot.
http://www.rainbowtech.info/questionmarkd.jpg
I don't know if the receipient sees this or not. Text with these stray symbols doesn't retain them when pasted into a text file. When pasted into Photoshop CD2 with text, they come out as a question mark. They don't paste as a graphic. They don't show up in TextSoap or CleanText.
Whasup? Any ideas?
Shari

Is there an encoding that is better when sending to
people from that Windows world?
Yes, rich text with uniform UTF-8 encoding.
I read the linked page.
Then you have instructions for Fix B and Fix C to do that.
isn't the real solution for Apple to
correct this in Leopard?
I would not count on it. Apple is a hardware company. How much priority do you think they are likely to give to reprogramming a tiny piece of a tiny piece of what matters to Apple in order accomodate incredibly stupid bugs in a program produced by the word's foremost software company?
If the fixes are not convenient and it's a big problem, best to use another email client like Thunderbird or Entourage.

Grey screen and file icon with question mark appearing at startup on old model macbook

We own a very old model macbook and the startup screen appears as grey and an icon appears in the shape of a file with a question mark in the middle and the startup does not proceed from there. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Athula

Some things to check/try in no particular order:
https://support.apple.com/kb/TS1440
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-5282

When I duplicate or copy slides, my custom theme images turn into question marks. Why, and how can I copy themes with slides?

When I duplicate or copy slides, my custom theme images turn into big grey boxes with an 'x' through them and a question mark in the middle in their new destination. When I go look at the master slides, I see that there are now two sets of masters, one for the my custom theme and a new one just like it, but with no images.
How can I copy (or duplicate) my slides?

OK, got it ... the Power ON Factory reset procedures might have changed with GB ...
To get to a Factory reset using the Power up method:
1. Power Off phone
2. Press & Hold the HOME Button
3. Press and Hold the Power ON button.
You come up to the Triangle with the Exclamation mark & android guy.
Press BOTH the Up and Down Buttons at the same time. This brings up the Blue menu of options.
use the Up/Down arrows to scroll thru the choices. Press the POWER Button to Select the menu item you choose.
You can harmlessly test this and just choose to Reboot without doing anything, just to see how it works in case you ever need to do this in the future.
edit: It was concluded in the test group that they changed this process to align it with the new DX2 as the camera button isn't hard-wired like it is in the DX. So likely they just wanted to make this process the same for both platforms. At least it sounds like a good reason...

Question Mark in Blue Box with Pictures

I recently have had a problem viewing pictures on myspace. It will show me some but not all and the pictures that don't come up have a Blue Square with a Question Mark in it. I have searched the whole discussions page but none of the answers have helped me yet. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Oh I noticed it in Firefox also. Thank You.

Hi
When you select the "Mime Settings" button at the bottom of the Advanced panel, another panel opens. Here's an image of it:
Any category with a check mark indicates all items within that category are selected. To see individual items you would click on the small triangle next to the category name.
Any category with a - mark indicates some items are selected in the category
No check would indicate nothing is selected.
Specific to the Miscellaneous Category, note only Quicktime Html is selected. Make sure your panel setting is the same. If you change any setting select "OK" to close the panel. Otherwise, select "cancel".
Then restart Safari and try the site again.

Cannot scale Nivo slider on page, question mark icon appears in centre

Hi I have just paid the fee and downloaded new widgets and tools, and updated my Max to OS X 10.9. FIrst try out getting the Nivo slider onto my page is not working out. It refuses to scale how I want it (into a horizontal shape) and instead keeps bouncing to a large squarish shape, with a question mark icon appearing in the middle. Please can anyone help? Thanks....

Thanks Michael,
There's the rub, when I went to applications the fcp icon wasn't there. Yesterday I dumped a number of old fcp projects becuase I needed the space. Is it possible I dumped the program as well? If so, is there a solution? I am working on a number of recent fcp projects and would hate to lose them. I go to Finder but cannot find any fcp icons connected to the other projects. QTV is there, but no fcp.
Cheers
Bob

Ubiquitous question mark in triangle shape

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