When I turn on my MacBook Pro I get a grey screen with a folder icon and a question mark. I can't the computer to boot up.

What do I do when I power up the computer and get a grey screen with a folder icon and a question mark?

vickyfromosseo wrote:
What do I do when I power up the computer and get a grey screen with a folder icon and a question mark?
Read this: A flashing question mark or globe appears when you start your Mac

Similar Messages

  • HT1553 I did the back up as instructed... Installed a larger hard drive and followed the restore instructions... Now I get a white screen with a folder icon and blinking question mark. When trying to set startup with new drive I get a bless tool error...

    I did the back up as instructed... Installed a larger hard drive and followed the restore instructions... Now I get a white screen with a folder icon and blinking question mark. When trying to set startup with new drive I get a bless tool error... Help!!

    If you have installed a new hard drive , you will need to have formatted it in Disk Utility correctly. This may explain your problem.
    Boot  into your 10.6 Install disk again at the top menubar > Utilities > select Disk utility and in there select your new hard drive, and select the tab Erase and choose to make the format as  Mac OS Extended Journaled. When that is finished look in the main window to make sure that the partition map scheme says GUID Partition Table.
    Now go to the Restore tab and reinstall from your backup.

  • When updating to the latest OS X my wife's Mac Book Pro locked at a grey screen with an apple icon and status bar.  Is there any way to recover the data on the laptop and complete the OS install?

    When my wife's Mac Book Pro was being updated to the latest version of OS X the laptop locked up at a grey screen with the Apple icon and status bar.  Is there any way to recover the data and complete the install?  I have not tried anything yet because of the data issue.  I am not sure which OS X version as I did not install the software.

    Used Macs of every description are always available on Ebay and Craigslist and from a plethora of online used-Mac resellers. Apple sells refurbished late-model Macs at 10-20% discounts with a new-computer warranty and the opportunity to extend the warranty with AppleCare.
    http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

  • When i turn on my macbook pro it goes to white screen with picture of folder with ? on it help please

         can't log on to macbookpro goes to flashing file with ? in middle help please

    A flashing question mark or globe appears when you start your Mac
    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:
    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.

  • When I start up my Macbook Pro, I get a grey screen and a flashing folder icon. What does it mean and how do I fix it?

    Help. I don't know what to do. I need this computer for college courses.

    Hi PrinceCobra925,
    Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
    It sounds like there is an issue starting your Mac, it's booting up to a gray screen with a folder that has a flashing question mark on it. The article linked below provides a lot of great troubleshooting tips that will resolve most issues like the one you described.
    Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
    I hope this helps.
    -Jason

  • My macbook pro is stuck on grey screen with apple symbol in center with the progress circle under it continusly spinning. After I had turned it on. Prior to turning it on I had to force close and shut down a few hours prior. Please Help?

    My macbook pro is stuck on grey screen with apple symbol in center with the progress circle under it continusly spinning. After I had turned it on. Prior to turning it on I had to force close and shut down a few hours prior. Please Help I have tried everything I know to do

    Unfortunately this means that there is a problem in the boot sector of your hard drive. It might be indicative of a fundamental corruption in the coding that allows your computer to boot your operating system from your hard drive. I had this problem twice and it resulted in me having to get a new hard drive and restore my data.
    In other words, your computer can't talk to your operating system so you can't access your data.
    Here is my advice: DON'T CALL APPLE TECH SUPPORT though they are kind and usually helpful it will take you an hour just to explain the situation and they will only tell you to do what I'm gonna say here.
    First: Shut down your computer completely
    Two: boot up while holding down the following keys: command, option, p, and r. The computer will reboot 3 times. This solution will likely fail so if you're frustrated skip to the next step.
    Three: Boot up while holding down the option key. Select recovery drive. Select your default language. Select disk utility, click on Macintosh HD, and select "verify and repair volume." Likely the verification will produce some line like "unused node not erased." Or something like that. If anything using the words "node structure" comes up, you need a new hard drive.
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    If you have a back up drive bring it to the apple store and they'll do the whole thing right there, it should take around an hour and a half but may take longer.
    Hope this helps, it's annoying but it's your safest bet.
    All the best.

  • Apple Macbook 13.3" Laptop-Black 2008 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo will not boot up and instead I get a grey screen with a folder and a question mark over it.

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    If you are running Snow Leopard:
    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.
    If you are running Lion or later:
    Reinstall Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks without erasing 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.
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    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 then click on the Repair Permissions button. When the process is completed, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
    Reinstall Mountain Lion or Mavericks
    OS X Mavericks- Reinstall OS X
    OS X Mountain Lion- Reinstall OS X
    OS X Lion- Reinstall Mac OS X
         Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet
                     if possible because it isthree times faster than wireless.

  • Re iphoto: when I double click on a thumbnail i get e grey screen with exclamation mark..can't access my photos to edit, order prints etc

    Was wondering if anyone can help...I am not very computer friendly but want to be able to edit my photos, use them as jpegs, order prints etc. When I double click on a thumbnail ( am presuming the thumbnails are the small photos ) I get a grey screen with an exclamation mark on it. I cannot drag the thumbnail onto the desk top it just pings back. This doesn't happen with all the thumbnails and has been a problem since we upgraded to snowleopard. I recently reinstalled photos from the memory card from my camera and they are alright. I am presuming that the old photos are stuck in there somewhere if only I knew the right buttons to press to get them out. Thanks, Jane Thomas

    Easiest: Restore from your back up.
    Otherwise:
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  • When i turn on my macbook pro it has a black screen and just beeps quickly 3 times with a pause and then repeats.

    when i turn my macbook pro it has a black screen and it beeps 3 times in succession with a pause and then repeats the beeping and so on.

    If you replaced the Ram in your machine at any time, you may not have been aware of the fact that Apple computers have always been a little picky when it comes to 3rd party Ram.  Apple computers have always run very well on 2 different brands.
    Memory for iMac 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, & now 32GB - OWC Certified RAM for Apple iMac with Lifetime Warranty
    This first link is from other world computing and none of us on these forums to my knowledge have heard of any bad ram from either Other World Computing
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    Crucial Ram
    The only difference I am aware of is that Crucial offers a download and will tell you exactly what Ram your computer is capable of using and the prices that are available.
    Resolving Kernel Panics
    HOPE THIS HELPS IN SOME WAY
    DON

  • Macbook pro starts up but i see picture of some files and a question mark

    So I was on my laptop today and it just outta nowhere froze , the song i was listening stopped and i couldn't change the page, i could move the trackpad but nothing else.
    so i clicked on the off button and turned it off.
    then i tried to turn it on again but while loading it just stayed blank and this picture of some files and a question mark on them appeared, i have no idea what's going on.
    I turned it off again and turned it back on and the little apple appeared and it was loading but then a sign appeared like one of prohibited (the one that's a circle and has a slash across it) and idk what to do! i'm so frustrated all my school files are there and idk why this happened in the first place.
    i turned it off and just put it to charge.
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    The folder and question mark means it cannot find a valid OSX Boot Volume, you need to Boot from your original install DVD (hold c at start) and then run Disc Utility from the top menu bar and run both 'Repair Disc' and 'Repair Permissions'. If it still doesn't boot from the internal hard drive then you need to boot from that install DVD again and do an archive (re)install of the operating system. (Your User data will be saved that way)

  • When I turn it on it stays blank with a folder sign and a question mark?

    I need help to understand what to do and where to go!?

    A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
    Symptoms
    If you see a flashing question mark when you start your Mac, it's  probably because it can't find the system software it needs to start up.  Usually, all you have to do to get your Mac back up and running is  remind it where its software is.
    Resolution
    If your computer starts up normally after a brief delay, you probably  just need to reselect the startup disk in Startup Disk preferences.  It's normal to see the flashing question mark when a startup disk has  not been selected. In most cases, reselecting the startup disk is all  that is required to resolve the issue.
    Sometimes, your computer may not start beyond the flashing question mark.
    Tip: If your computer has a gray screen (with no flashing question mark) startup issue, see Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup.
    Check the mouse and keyboard
    This issue might occur if a mouse or trackpad button is pressed during startup. Make sure the button isn't pressed.
    If the issue persists, shut down your Mac with its power button,  disconnect any external mouse and keyboard, then turn on your Mac with  its power button. If the flashing question mark issue persists,  reconnect the keyboard and mouse.
    Additional steps
    If your Mac still starts to a flashing question mark, follow the  steps below. If any step resolves the issue, you don't need to continue  to the next one.
    Select your Mac OS X startup disk with Startup Manager by restarting and holding the Option key. After your Mac starts up,  restart again to verify that the flashing question mark does not appear.
    If the issue persists, insert your Mac OS X installation disc.  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.
    MacBook Air note: On a MacBook Air, there are  two options for starting up from Mac OS X media: Either connect a  MacBook Air SuperDrive to  the MacBook Air via the  USB port and restart  the computer, holding down the C key during  startup, or use Remote Install Mac OS X to startup from a system  software  DVD that's located on a partner  computer. Once started up from Mac OS X media, skip to step 3.
    Restart the computer, then hold the C key during startup.
    From the Utilities menu, choose Disk Utility. Don't click Continue.
    Select your Mac OS X disk (named "Macintosh HD" by default) in the left side of the Disk Utility window.
    Click the First Aid tab.
    Click Repair Disk to verify and repair any issues with your Mac OS X startup disk.
    After repairing the disk, try to start up normally.
    Important: If Disk Utility finds issues it cannot repair, you may need to back up as much of your data as possible (or use Time Machine to back up to a different disk), then erase the disk and reinstall Mac  OS X. You should back up important files and data before erasing a  drive. Erasing deletes everything on the hard disk (including things on  your desktop). Also, you can install Mac OS X onto an external disk,  start from the external disk, and use Migration Assistant to transfer  items from your usual internal Mac OS X startup disk to the external  disk, then erase the internal disk and reinstall Mac OS X.
    If the issue persists, and Disk Utility didn't find any  irreparable issues, quit Disk Utility, quit the Installer, select your  disk when prompted, and restart.
    If the issue continues, reset PRAM. Note: After resetting PRAM, if the computer starts up normally, reselect the startup disk in the  Startup Disk preferences.
    If none of these steps resolve the issue, start up from the Mac OS X Installation disc and reinstall Mac OS X.

  • TS1440 When booting up, grey screen with a 'folder icon' with 'question mark' flashes?

    When I boot up, a grey screen appears with a folder icon with a question mark inside it. The Mac won't respond to and commands or anything, only the On/Off Power button.
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    Thanks,
    -Dylan

    Did you follow this procedure?
    http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-install-or-reinstall-mac-os-x-mount ain-lion.html

  • When I turn on my MacBook Pro I get a message that the iCloud terms have changed and I have to accept the new ones in Settings. The spinning wheel then appears and stays there - forever.

    The problems began when I deleted a ymail account and replaced it with a new ymail account. My main account is a gmail. At some point Yahoo appear to have changed the suffix from ymail.com to yahoo.com. I could not and indeed cannot get iCloud to accept my new account. I kept getting told that my id and password could not be configured. Eventually I tried it on my mini iPad and "hey presto!" no problem at all. My new yahoo account nestles comfortably in iCloud on the mine iPad. But the MacBook Pro will have none of it! I write this question now as I fear that I will be totally demented very soon and unable to formulate my thoughts clearly!
    By the way, I also find the "password" issue problematical. It seems Apple want my Apple password rather than my eMail password. All very confusing.

    Killerfinch wrote:
    My new yahoo account nestles comfortably in iCloud on the mine iPad.
    No, your Yahoo account is not in iCloud (which only handles iCloud mail), it is in Yahoo, and the Yahoo mail account is on your iPad.
    But the MacBook Pro will have none of it! I write this question now as I fear that I will be totally demented very soon and unable to formulate my thoughts clearly!
    Get the correct settings for your account from Yahoo and set it up manually.
    By the way, I also find the "password" issue problematical. It seems Apple want my Apple password rather than my eMail password. All very confusing.
    That would depend on what you are trying to do.

  • When I turn on my MacBook pro I get the apple and the spinning thing will not boot up what can I do

    Having trouble getting to boot up

    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 its location.
    (93862)

  • MacBook Pro is stuck on Grey Screen with "restricted" symbol.

    My MacBook Pro fans were loud and unusual, so when I looked up what to do on google most of the results told me to reset the SMC. So I did that, expecting it to work, and now my MacBook Pro won't go past the Reboot screen! The strange thing is, it doesn't stay on the Apple logo like most people say. Instead, the apple logo changes into the "Restricted" Symbol and just stays there.
    I assumed it was part of the SMC process so I left it alone. But it's been happening for hours now. I even restarted it several times and it still stays with the Restricted sign. I tried redoing the SMC process and I even tried resetting the PRAM. Nothing has worked. Pressing Command-S or Command-R doesn't do me much good either. I'm worried that something went wrong with the harddrive and I cannot afford a new Mac or the repairs for it.
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    Rieev wrote:
    My MacBook Pro fans were loud and unusual, so when I looked up what to do on google most of the results told me to reset the SMC.
    This is usually the remedy for out of control fans.
    So I did that, expecting it to work, and now my MacBook Pro won't go past the Reboot screen! The strange thing is, it doesn't stay on the Apple logo like most people say. Instead, the apple logo changes into the "Restricted" Symbol and just stays there.
    Ok, it's not booting up to OS X, which when loaded will control the fans to settle down, but the default if OS X doesn't load is eventually turbo mode.
    You have basically what's called a "gray screen issue"
    Go through the Steps here and it will fix it,, provided it's not a hardware issue.
    Step by Step to fix your Mac

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