When I turn on my macbook pro, the white screen displays a file with a question mark in the middle. What does this mean?

Suddenly, my macbook pro has experienced problems. When I turn on my computer, the white screen displays a flashing file folder icon with a quesrion mark in the middle. Has my hard drive burnt out? Thank you in advance for any helpful suggestions..

It means your computer is search for a start up volume. You need to reboot into recovery mode and attempt to repair your disk. To do this restart the computer and hold the keys:
<command> + r
Then open Disk utility.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1417

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I can't log in to my computer- when it turns on it has a white/gray screen with a flashing folder with a question mark in it. What does this mean and how can I get it to stop to log in?

Hi
I dropped my macbook yesterday and it turned itself off. When I tried to turn it back on all I got was a white/gray screen with a flash folder with a ? in the middle of it? What does this mean and how do I get it to stop so I can log onto my laptop?

Deev
Normally the question mark on the gray screen means it can't find the operating system. Have you tried booting up from the installation DVD? Do that, and when you come to the screen where it wants to begin a system installation you'll notice in the menubar where it say's utilites. Click on that and choose disk utility. from there choose your disk and try to verify and repair the disk. If you can you may want to also try and new install of the system. I don't know how much critical data you have, but reinstalling is an option. did you purcahse you from an Apple store? If you did you may want them to look at it. Hope this helps.
Regards,
Joseph

I've recently moved my computer and when I've set it back up again all the songs in my library have two versions one preceded by an exclamation mark and followed by cloud symbol with an exclamation mark in it. What does this mean and how can I fix it?

I'v also moved my library to an external hard drive as I'd run out of space. I don't know if this has caused the problem.
Any advice appreciated.

Once you successfully add you iTunes library to iTunes Match, you go to Settings>iTunes & App Store on your iOS device and turn on iTunes Match. Your iTunes Match library will then appear on your iOS device.

My MacBook has a grey screen with a folder and a question mark in the middle what does this mean?

My MacBook has a grey screen with a folder and a question mark in the middle what does this mean?

It means a valid system cannot be found. You need to reinstall OS X.
If you have 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 have 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.
Repair
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 is three times faster than wireless.

My Macbook Air 2011 got a white screen and a folder with a question mark. I tried to press option+r and try to install the OS X Lion but it didn't show the disk Macintosh Hd

My Macbook Air 2011 got a white screen and a folder with a question mark. I tried to press option+r and try to install the OS X Lion but it didn't show the disk Macintosh Hd

You are using Snow Leopard so you have no OPTION+R shortcut. You need to boot the computer from your Snow Leopard DVD or USB flash drive.
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.

HT4650 My computer turns to a white screen. In the center it blinks a suitcase with a question mark in the center. I can not access my desktop. Is this a malware virus?

My computer turns to a white screen. In the center it blinks a suitcase with a question mark in the center. I can not access my desktop. Is this a malware virus?

Hi, likely neither.
What shows for boot choices if you hold alt or option key on startup?
Bootup holding CMD+r, or the Option/alt key to boot from the Restore partition & use Disk Utility from there to Repair the Disk, then Repair Permissions.

I was just using macbook normally when it got hanged. Nothing worked so i restarted. A white screen then came up with a 'question mark in a folder' sign blinking. Nothing's working. Please help!!

I was just using macbook normally when it got hanged. Nothing worked so i restarted. A white screen then came up with a 'question mark in a folder' sign blinking repeatedly. Nothing's working. Please help!!

Look for a solution here:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-5281
Ciao.

I connected my iPad and iPhone to sync just now and got the message, "The iTunes Library cannot be saved. An unknown error occurred (-54)." What does this mean? I clicked "OK" and the sync appears to have worked properly. Thanks - dalebird

I connected my iPad and iPhone to sync just now and got the message, "The iTunes Library cannot be saved. An unknown error occurred (-54)." What does this mean? I clicked "OK" and the sync appears to have worked properly. Thanks - dalebird (MacBook Pro, g4 17in)

Morning dalebird,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
For more information on this, take a look at this article:
iOS: Troubleshooting backup issues in iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2529
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451
Best of luck,
Mario

HT1338 I have plugged in a external drive and i get the following error message 'mount - t-ntfs-3g-o force/dev/rdisk3s1' help what does this mean?

I have plugged in a external drive and i get the following error message 'mount - t-ntfs-3g-o force/dev/rdisk3s1' help what does this mean?

You may be infected with malware.
See: [[/questions/860893]]

TS1702 I have recently begun to use Pages and want to transfer a document between the iPad and my PC. I can transfer to the iPad, but not the other way, and am told I do not have sufficient 'privileges'. What does this mean? Also can't use iCloud with Pag

I have recently begun to use Pages and want to transfer a document between the iPad and my PC. I can transfer to the iPad, but not the other way, and am told I do not have sufficient 'privileges'. What does this mean? Also I can't use iCloud with Pages between the iPad and PC, although I purchased extra storage in order to do this.

If you have a PC, you don't have Pages on it. You can transfer Pages presentations to/from iCloud via http://www.icloud.com , however -- you just won't have an app on your PC to deal with Pages documents. Make sure that you have your iCloud account properly configured on your iPad.

TS1425 I cannot eject my ipod classic after sync with i-tunes on my pc. It states some of the files are being used by other applications. What does this mean? How can I get it to eject?

I cannot eject my new ipod classic after sync with i-tunes on my pc due, it states, to open files being used by another application. What does this mean? How can I get my ipod to eject?

If it's a one-time "glitch," you can try restarting your computer with the iPod still connected. Try ejecting again after the restart.
If the problem recurs, you may have a process running (other than iTunes) that is accessing the iPod's storage. When connected, the iPod's "disk" is like other mounted volumes. This process may be some type of utility that continously monitors your mounted volumes for security reasons, such as to prevent access by malware.
If you know of such a program that you have running in the background, there may be a setting to exclude your iPod's disk.

I get the message "the server encountered an error in processing registration. Please try again later" what does this mean?

When attempting to use Facetime, i get the message "the server encountered an error in processing registration. Please try again later." What does this mean and how do i fix it. I've tried "later" many times.

Hello Mikeytsmith
Check out the article below for troubleshooting the issue of activating FaceTime for Mac.
FaceTime, Game Center, Messages: Troubleshooting sign in issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3970
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Regards,
-Norm G.

Just attempted to update my apple tv.The screen shows an apple tv connected to an iTunes symbol. What does this mean?

Just updated my apple tv so I can use itunes radio. A screen appears with a picture of an apple tv plugged into an iTunes symbol. What does this mean? My apple tv is totally inoperable until I do what? HELPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!

It means the update failed for some reason and it wants you to plug a micro USB cable into the service port of your Apple TV, then connect it to your computer and open iTunes. From there iTunes will restore your Apple TV to working condition. It's the only way to get it back when something like this happens.
For future reference I find that rebooting (restrating) my Apple TV just before updating assures a quick and error free update.

After the install upgrade my imac wont load anymore i tried to do a safe mode load and wehn i do at the end of it it tells me that i have a "systemShutdown false" what does this mean

after the install upgrade my imac wont load anymore i tried to do a safe mode load and wehn i do at the end of it it tells me that i have a "systemShutdown false" what does this mean

If 10.7.0 or later...
Bootup holding CMD+r, or the Option/alt key to boot from the Restore partitirion & use Disk Utility from there to Repair the Disk, then Repair Permissions.
If that doesn't help Reinstall the OS.

When I open Safari I get a message saying 'Your request is prohibited because it will cause a cycle. what does this mean? How can I get rid of it?

When I open up Safari I get a message saying 'Your request is prohibited because it will cause a cycle. What does this mean? How do it get rid of it?

Your request is prohibited because it...: Apple Support Communities

When I turn on my macbook pro, the white screen displays a file with a question mark in the middle. What does this mean?

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