What Does Lone Macintosh HD Icon Mean?
Recently, when starting up my MacBook, the Macintosh HD icon appeared alone on a black and white screen, and it was only after I clicked on it that the computer started up. Is this some sort of warning, indicating possible hardware/software problems?
If you see that screen every time you start or restart the computer, hold down the Option, Command, P, and R keys until you hear the second startup chime to clear the setting. The instructions provided by Matt aren't applicable; they control whether or not Mac OS X requires a password before the startup disk setting is changed, and not the boot-args variable which affects what mode the computer will start up in when no shortcut is invoked. Any effect they may have is lost when an administrator logs in default; the setting can be changed so that a password will always be asked for, but not to prevent the computer from changing the startup disk on its own, or entering the Startup Manager.
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What does a flashing folder icon with a "?" inside mean?
What does a flashing folder icon with a "?" inside mean?
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 or globe 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:
a. Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
b. Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
c. Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
d. 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. -
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Also, you may find this link of intereset and value...
http://macmost.com/what-to-do-when-your-hard-drive-is-full.html -
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First, I suggest you make another full backup to a locally-attached external hard drive. You should do that anyway. One backup isn't enough to be safe, and backing up over a network is less reliable than backing up locally. Then try each of the following steps that you haven't already taken.
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Why do i keep getting the message 'Cannot connect to iTunes Store' when I have done every connection I can find? What does the error message (-1202) mean when I am on the iTunes site on my computer?
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While there may not be specific information about that error, here is an article of steps for troubleshooting connectivity issues with the iTunes store:
Can't connect to the iTunes Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1368
If that article does not help, there is a link near the bottom for an additional article of advanced troubleshooting.
Cheers!
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On opening some pdfs in new tab, get a box labeled Adobe Acrobat with a ? in it. Go back to the original link, right click on the link gets the pdf. What does the box and ? mean and why do I get it when trying to open some pdfs? Running W7, FF 10.0.2, Adobe Standard 9. Thanks.
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ok then so what is the problem I have with this error code
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Page 12 and 13 of the iPhone user guide.
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf -
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Welcome to the Apple forums.
Good idea to fill out your profile so people can see what machine you are writing about.
Also a good idea to do a little research through the 'More like this' panel to the right of your initial post. Each of the threads also contains more leads so it is amazing how much you can learn from them.
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nwalls wrote:
What does a medium write error mean, when trying to burn a cd?
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Code_Qualifier>
It's not specific enough to pinpoint what caused it—it could be anything from a bad optical medium (CD-R) to a dusty or dying laser diode. You have to isolate the problem—use a different CD-R brand, try a different speed, use a different burn engine (eg, Burn), etc. If it occurs once or twice, randomly, it's more likely to be a bad disc. If it occurs consistently, and at the same stage of the burn process, it's more likely to be a drive or software issue.
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