When I turn on my computer it is showing a folder and a question mark

I can't turn my computer on it is desktop

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What does it mean when you computer crashes and when you turn it back on it shows you a blank blue screen with a little folder and a question mark in the middle?

What does it mean when you computer crashes and when you turn it back on it shows you a blank blue screen with a little folder and a question mark in the middle? It's a old imac from 1997.

I don't have original discs that it came with.
Then you still can use the second option with the keyboard combo I posted, called "resetting the PRAM."
Also when you way hold the c key down do you mean turn computer off and turn back on holding the c key?
Yes, or you can simply restart. As you don't have the CDs, this isn't on the plate any more.
The internal backup battery is not expensive and, in most iMacs is user-replacable. If yours has a tray-loading optical drive like this one:
it takes a major teardown to replace the internal battery. If this is the case, you'd be better off to leave the computer plugged in all the time; that eliminates the main reason for having a working battery.
If it has a slot-loading optical drive like this one:
things are much easier. The battery is visible through the RAM access door on the bottom of the computer case. The manual:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iMacG3_2000UserManual.PDF
has sketches of how to access the RAM and therefore the backup battery. Unfortunately, the pdf on the manual goes up sideways on-screen and the RAM instructions are pretty deep into the manual. It's probably easier to scroll (for a while) to the section on adding RAM and print the applicable pages.
When you work on the battery, some sort of non-conductive pliers or large tweezer or forceps help unless you have tiny fingers. Make sure to note the polarity of the old battery and install the new one in the same orientation.
The battery itself is readily available. If price is no oblect, you can get it for a small rasom from Radio Shack Store ("Tandy" outside the US) as part number 23-026.
Online, they are dirt-cheap even after adding shipping. I buy backup batteries form this outfit:
3.6v Newer Technology Lithium 1/2 AA PRAM Computer Clock Battery

I have removed every possible componet of Mozilla Firefox from my computer and I still get a message when I turn on my computer that Firefox had a problem and needed to close. How do I get this completely removed from my computer?

I have removed every possible componet of Mozilla Firefox from my computer and I still get a message when I turn on my computer that Firefox had a problem and needed to close. How do I get this completely removed from my computer?

See:
* http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_backup
You can transfer files from the old profile to that new profile (be careful not to copy corrupted files)<br />
See:
* http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_Firefox

My screen turns gray with a blinking folder and a question mark

My computer started going really slow so I tried to restart it. When it started to turn back on the screen just went gray for a minute or two then a darker gray folder with a question mark on it started blinking in the middle of the computer. little help?

Hi,
Before you buy a new hard drive, you may be able to get it fixed free of charge.
MacBooks equipped with Seagate hard drives model ST96812AS (and possibly other Seagate models)
with firmware 7.01 have experienced a higher than normal failure rates. The failure mode is that the heads detach from the positioning mechanism.
You can use System Profiler to see what type of hard drive is installed. If you have gotten the screen with the folder and blinking question mark, and you do have a Seagate ST96812AS installed, I recommend calling AppleCare or taking your Macbook to a retail service center. There is a good chance you may be able to get the drive replaced, even if your MacBook is no longer covered by a warranty.
The hard drive is considered to be a user serviceable part, so you might not have to send the entire computer in, but rather swap only the hard drive via mail.
Best wishes for a problem resolution,
Bill

TS2570 i see a folder and a question mark when i restart my macbook pro

i see a folder and a question mark when i restart my macbook pro

There are four general causes of this issue:
1. The computer's PRAM no longer contains a valid startup disk setting when there aren't any problems with the disk itself. This can be checked for by pressing the Option key and seeing if the drive appears.
2. The internal drive's directory structure has become damaged. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to perform the repair.
3. Critical system files have been deleted. This requires usage of an alternate bootable system to reinstall them.
4. The internal drive has died or become unplugged. This is the most likely case if the computer took a sharp impact or there are unusual sounds coming from the hard drive's location.
(79011)

I replaced the battery on my RAID card, when I booted my mac pro up, I get the folder with the question mark. I used a boot USB drive to boot and when I looked in the RAID utility, my RAID 5 volumes were no longer showing, advise.

I replaced the battery on my RAID card, when I booted my mac pro up, I get the folder with the question mark. I used a boot USB drive to boot and when I looked in the RAID utility, my RAID 5 volumes were no longer showing, advise.
Ernest

Not sure if I'm following you. I have 4 hard drives installed on my Mac Pro. I had a RAID 5 configured and functional for about 5 months. My battery died on the RAID card. I replaced the battery, seated the RAID card back in the slot I removed it from. When I booted to the USB drive to look in the RAID utility, I could see the battery is charged but my volumes are not showing.
The drives don't show in disk Utility. I built the RAID with the RAID Utility and they did show there. I have a early 2008 Mac Pro, Mavricks OS running Mac Server

I messed up badly by trying to restore my brand new macbook pro by doing restart then command R and choose disc utility repair now when I start ,all I get is the white screen with a folder and a question mark,What can I do???help please

I messed up badly by trying to restore my brand new macbook pro by doing restart then command R and choose disc utility repair now when I start ,all I get is the white screen with a folder and a question mark,What can I do???help please

Can you still boot to the Recovery partition using Command and R whilst booting? Or did you wipe the Recovery partition as well?
If your Recovery partition is still intact, you can simply boot to it and reinstall the OS via the Internet. If you wiped the Recovery partition, you can hold down Command, option and R keys whilst booting and boot into true Internet Recovery mode. You'll be able to reformat the hard drive, erasing all partitions (format it as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" with a dingle GUID partition) and then reinstall the OS that shipped with your machine.
Note that you should use a physical Ethernet connection when restoring over the Internet - it's three times slower if you use wifi.
Try your Recovery partition first and if that doesn't work, use Internet Recovery.
Clinton

My MacBook Pro turns on and only shows a folder with a question mark and blinks. The computer will not continue start-up. Suggestions/Advice?

I'm not sure how this screen is appearing, but I tried powering up my computer this morning and it immediately presents a grey screen, then displays a blinking folder with a question mark in the middle of it.
I am looking for troubleshooting advice and procedures to bypass this screen and allow my computer to complete it's start-up.
Thanks-
Gary D. Aston, Jr.
[email protected]

The folder with a question marks is usually an idication that the Mac can't find the system file to boot from.
Since you never told us which system your Mac was running there is nothing more to say.
Allan

What do I do when he only thing on my screen is a flashing folder with a question mark.

I had a few browsers open on my computer. I accessed my calendar and it froze. The mouse would still move, but I could not click on anything. Then the screen went grey with a flashing folder with a question mark. I turned the power off and turned it back only but only see the grey screen with the flashing folder. I tried resetting the PRAM but it still will not work. Can this be fixed? Please help!!

You may have a disk error - could be an unrepairable physical problem with the drive, or a repairable file structure problem.
Hold down cmd-R (both keys together) as you start up the Mac, and keep them held down until you see the Apple menu. When it boots to the recovery partition, click Disk Utility, and run Repair Disk on the Macintosh HD. Let us know if you see errors there and whether or not DU can fix them.
Good luck!
Matt

When I start my Mac air I get a flashing folder with a question mark

I am trying to start my Mac air and I get a flashing folder with a question mark. When I turn the power of it shuts down but wen starting it comes back

Just being clear about your situation. When you hold down Option during boot it does not show a system volume or a recovery volume from which to boot. At that point if you select a network boot and you do not see a spinning globe that persists there a good while as it loads the recovery partition over the network. True?
A couple of more thinks to try:
Disconnect all of your external devices.
Reset PRAM
Boot with the option key again.
Standard things to try (which is sounds like you already have attempted) A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac

My MacBook will only turn on to a grey screen with a file and a question mark flashing on the screen

When I turn my MacBook on a grey screen with a file and question mark in the center of the screen flashing. What can I try to
get out of this screen?

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.
Or if you are running 10.7 Lion, boot from the recovery partition (Command +R on boot) and use Disk Utility to repair your OS 10.7 partition.
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.

My Mac keeps locking up and when I restart, I get white screen with just a folder with a question mark in it???

If my computer displays a white screen with a folder with a question mark in it...what does this mean?

Hi Pattib123,
The flashing question mark says it can't find a valid system to boot from. Check out this article.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.
Nubz

My Macbook A1181 won't startup. After turn on I get white screen with a folder sign with question mark in the center.

My Macbook won't startup. After turn on, I get a white background screen with a folder icon (question mark inside) in the center. this icon even blinks
The battery is charging.

It sounds like your hard drive is bad. If you can see it in Disk Utility you may still be able to get your files off of it. If you have one of the MacBooks with the removable battery it's very easy to put in a new hard drive.
Here's instructions on replacing your hard drive http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=45088
To buy a hard drive try Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives
Here's a cheap SATA external hard drive case on eBay http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-2-5-SATA-HDD-HARD-DRIVE-EXTERNAL-ENCLOSURE-CASE-BOX-/120 636286623?pt=PCC_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item1c167ba69f
Put your old hard drive in an external case and after you've formatted your new hard drive and installed your operating system on it plug in your old hard drive and see if it is recognized by the new system. If so then transfer whatever files you want to the new hard drive

I am using a mac book pro with Leopard OS. when I switch my laptop on it flashes a grey folder with a question mark on a grey screen, after the chime. I have tried all the things mentioned in another discussion. none of those have helped. HELP! im scared.

what must i do? im a student and dont have backup for my work. Im in desperate need of a solution where i wont lose my work from my desktop.

You need to purchase Leopard if you don't have the DVD and reinstall OS X:
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, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) 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. Now restart normally.
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. 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.

My computer shows a blank screen and a question mark in a folder when I turn it on

my computer shows a blank screen with a folder and a question mark in it I wonder what is wrong with it?

this means that the computer can not find the operating system on the hard drive. try booting the computer from the disc it came with.

When I turn on my computer it is showing a folder and a question mark

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