What does the blinking file folder mean when I turn on my computer?

So my computer got unplugged while it was loading a web page and now when I turn it on it just shows a blinking/flashing file folder with a question mark on it. What am I supposed to do?

The startup disk has possibly been corrupted...try starting holding the Option key and then select the main hard drive and see if you can continue to normal startup. If that does not work, insert your Mac OS X install disk, you show you have 10.6.8, and restart either holding the Option key and select the install disk or holding the C key so you boot from the install disk. Then reinstall Snow Leopard to cleanup whatever is corrupted. If you do a normal reinstall you will not lose information.

Similar Messages

What does a blinking file folder with a question mark indicate?

What does a blinking file folder with a question mark indicate? I cannot get past it or do anything with the unit.

glamiera wrote:
What does a blinking file folder with a question mark indicate?
That's the firmware telling you it can't find the operating system it's been assigned to boot from.
It could be because it forgot somehow, or the operating system is no longer there or readable or the hardware holding the operating system has failed.
Hold the power button to force a hardware shutdown, then reboot holding the option/alt key held down on the wired or built in keyboard, icons will hopefully load on the screen and if OS X appears, click the arrow to boot from it.
Once in OS X, head to System Preferences > Startup Disk and select your boot drive so it can remind the firmware.
If there is no OS X boot volume, just recovery or Bootcamp (if Windows installed) then you need to perform more work.
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive
To get a copy of your files off the drive.
Step by Step to fix your Mac
To fix your machine and find out (hardware test) if it's a hardware issue of some sort.

HT1491 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?

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?

Hi Velvalee,
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!
- Ari

What does the coloured whirly thingy mean when my desktop is soo slow?

What does the coloured whirly thingy mean when my desktop is soo slow?

It would help us to help you if we could have some more technical info about your iMac.
If you so choose, please download, install and run Etrecheck.
Etrecheck was developed as a simple Mac diagnostic and reporting tool by a regular Apple Support forum user and technical support contributor named Etresoft.
Etrecheck is a small, unobstrusive app that compiles a static snapshot of your entire Mac hardware system and installed software.
This is a free app that has been honestly created to provided help in diagnosing issues with Macs running the new OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
It is not malware and can be safely downloaded and installed onto your Mac.
http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck
Copy/paste and post its report here in another reply thread so that we have a complete profile of your Mac's hardware and installed software so we can all help with your Mac performance issues.
Thank You.

What does the yellow "other" category mean when syncing my iPhone

i am trying to sync my iPhone with my itunes on my computer. there is not enough space to sync my iphone. i know i can limit the amount of music i sync but i don't understand what the yellow "other" category means and it is taking up a lot of space. please help if you know what that means

It represents something that iTunes doesn't recognize as music, videos, books, podcasts, etc. Normally, the "other" is limited to a few hundred MBs (operating system, app data, etc). If it grows to a GB or more, it probably indicates corrupted data from an interrupted sync. Sometimes adding a new song or app will clear up the problem. You can always restore from your backup to regain a normal amount of "other".
Note: During a sync, you'll see the "other" bar grow and shrink. It doesn't mean anything until the sync is finished.

HT1386 what does the "other" category (yellow) mean when I entail my iPhone to my MacBook?

When I connect my iPhone to my MacBook and go to Sync it, it shows that I have 4GB used up for "other". What is this "other" material on my phone? All I know of that I have is photos, apps, and music ...

"other" is the content that does not fit into the other categories - favorites, history, app data, etc
More than a gb or so indicates corrupt files.
A restore should resolve.

What does a grey file folder and ? mark blinking mean on my macbook?

What does a grey file folder and ? mark blinking on my macbook mean and how do I fix it???

With 10.4, 10.5 or 10.6 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 Reset Password. After resetting the password use Startup Disk from the same menu to choose your hard drive for startup and restart.
With 10.4, 10.5 or 10.6 if you don’t have an install disk check this article. http://www.macyourself.com/2009/08/03/how-to-reset-your-mac-os-x-password-withou t-an-installer-disc/
If you're running 10.7 Lion check this article
http://osxdaily.com/2011/08/24/reset-mac-os-x-10-7-lion-password/
With 10.8 restart holding the Command and R keys, then from the drop down
of actions, choose Terminal. When Terminal opens type:
resetpassword
and press enter.
You will get a reset password window from which you can select the user you want to reset, the admin account in your case. Type a new password twice, do not do anything with the hint box. Click Save, then confirm you want to do this reset. Then click apply to the user's home directory, and click the apple in the left corner, and choose Restart.

What does "unknown error has occurred mean when trying to login to the app store

what does "unknown error has occurred" mean when trying to login to the app store

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.
Good hunting.

What does the open file dialog do 'under the hood' and is there a way to simulate it

What does the open file dialog do 'under the hood' and is there a way to simulate it?
I have a bug in my code (that I've posted about before, here) which I can't fix at the moment, but I do have a workaround.
Briefly, the bug:
I call a dll from a function node, to initialise and run a spectrometer. If I start up the PC, LabVIEW and run my vi the code runs without complaint, the first call to the dll to initialise the spectrometer doesn;t return an error but the spectrometer is not detected either.
I've tried various solutions, see the link above, and none work
The workaround:
If, at any time before running the code containing the function node I open an 'open file' dialog window, select the dll and click ok/hit enter then everything is fine. When I run the main code the spectrometer is detected.
I use an express vi to open the file dialog, I specify the start path and file name as constant inputs and just click ok/hit return when the dialog pops up. I don't do anything with the dialog outputs. In fact the vi that contains the open file dialog can be run before the project containing the bug is even open.
I have to do this everytime I turn the PC on.
So, either
1) Can somewone suggest a fix for the original bug?
2) What is the easiest way to simulate the enter keypress when the open file dialog pops up
or
3) Can someone tell me what the open file dialog does under the hood that somehow causes the dll to work and can it be simulated in straight LabVIEW
I suspect that the dll itself is dodgy ( I have in the past talked to the supplier but not got very far, and I will try again but I would like a quick, temporary solution too). I'm guessing that the file dialog is making some kind of check on the file, and possibly registering its presence with the OS (winXP). I tried using the file/folder exists vi to see if checking the file like that worked but no luck.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Dave

Hi David
I am very conscious about thread hijacking but this sounded like my issue so I hope you dont mind me asking about your issue. I am hoping that you have a spectrometer from the same vendor as me and its not just me seeing an Error 1097 issue. My spectrometer is from a company called Stellarnet.
So far I have unable to get it to work with other VIs. There is one condition where I can get it to work but its no good for me.
Case 1
I open the VI in a fresh labview environment with no other VIs in memory. The code runs with no issue.
Case 2
Labview is not opened. I double click the spectrometer VI in windows explorer. The VI opens but it fails to run resulting in Error 1097. Personally, I dont see the difference between this and Case 1 above and yet it fails.
Case 3
If I already have other VI's in memory and try to load the spectrometer VI and run it fails with Error 1097. This case is the one that most important to me. I have a test executive that will load test VIs dynamically and I can't get this to work. Same problem Error 1097.
I wanted to share what I have seen with you and to let you know that maybe somebody else has the same issue. I am convinced its the DLL but the vendor dis-agreed saying it was LabVIEW. I couldn't convince him otherwise.
Thanks in advance
David

HT2729 what does the "other" category consist of when syncing iPhone

what does the "other" category consist of when syncing iPhone

"Other" data is real data that you put on your phone by using the built in apps. It is not music, not videos, not pictures and not App Store app data. It is "OTHER" meaning everything that does not fall into these categories. Such as:
email messages and attachments
Reminders
Calendar entries
Contacts
Text messages
iMessages
MMS messages and attachments
Genius data
Music cover art
Music library database index (but not the music itself)
Operating system settings
Safari cache
bookmarks
Game Center status
Music catalog
You will find posts from people who said they recovered over 3 GB of space by just deleting old text messages.
If you want Other to be smaller you will have to keep less data on your phone; delete old MMS and texts, delete old email (especially from the "deleted" folder), clear the cache, eliminate cover art.
Sometimes "Other" includes data corruption. If you suspect this is a possibility try connecting to iTunes and click the Restore iPhone button. First restore from backup; the Other doesn't get any smaller you can Restore again and set up as New, then add your content back separately from your backup.

On opening some pdfs in new tab, get a box labeled Adobe Acrobat with a ? in it. Right click on the link gets the pdf. What does the box and ? mean. Running W7, FF 10.0.2, Adobe Standard 9. Thanks

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.

Assuming that you are using IE10 / IE11 on Windows: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2716529

What does the error code 0x80090318 mean connecting to IStore?

What does the error code 0x80090318 mean connecting to IStore?

I think the problem was using a WPA2 network rather than a WPA network. When I tried connecting to a WPA network, everything went fine.

HT1338 What does a medium write error mean, when trying to burn a cd?

What does a medium write error mean, when trying to burn a cd?

nwalls wrote:
What does a medium write error mean, when trying to burn a cd?
It's an error message returned by the burner. You can see the full list of these error messages here
<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.

What does the message "No Editor " mean ?

What does the message "No Editor" mean?

Okay - the message means that the system knows of no editor (program) to use to view these files.
Since I gather you recently upgrade to Mavericks from Snow Leopare (you might want to update your profile), I am guessing these movies are in the file format for a program that no longer runs on Mavericks (or is not installed).
It is possible that you can change the "kind" ie. the file format extension, to one that the system recognizes, and have it open these files with another program. You will have to experiment to see what works.

WHAT DO THE DIFFERENT COLORS CIRCLES MEAN WHEN YOU LOCATE YOUR IPHONE?

I was just wondering what do the different color circles mean when I've located my iphone. So far I've seen a green dot with a green bigger outlined circle around it , a gray circle , a gray circle with a gray bigger outline around it , a real big green circle like the whole circle is dark green. I'm mainly just wondering can you tell if they are texting or using the phone at the time or if its on off or on vibrate is that what those different colors mean?
Thanks alot ,

Hi MyStErYbItCh69,
If you are looking for more information on the map indicators in Find My iPhone, you may find the following article helpful:
iCloud: Locate your device
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2698
Regards,
- Brenden

What does the blinking file folder mean when I turn on my computer?

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