White screen with a folder and a question mark on the folder and its blink?

I was on my computer and it was basically frozen so I turned it offf manually. Then I tried to turn it back on and it it made the noise like it was turning on, but then there was a white screen. Then I turned it off again and it did the same thing exept that now it has a little blinking folder with a question mark in it. Then I turned it off again and it did the same thing as it didi the 1st time......HELP ME !!!
(oh now it just turned itself off)

You can try starting up while holding the 'Option' key down. This will hopefully present you with your drive to select from. If not, insert your Install DVD and restart with the 'C' key down. This is called booting to the DVD. When the topmenu appears, launch Disk Utility and then verify/repair both permissions and the drive itself.
If the drive does not appear in Disk Utility ...you may have one of the faulty Seagate drives. If you are still within you standard 1 year warranty (or have Applecare) then that drive will be replaced.
Do you have things backed up?

Similar Messages

White screen with a folder and a question mark in the Folder

Hi,
My daughter's Desktop Mac Pro won't reboot. On reboot, it shows a white screen with a folder and a question mark within, It just stays there and nothing happens. Is this a problem with a dead hard drive, dead processor, faulty USB connection, problem with airport.? We need advise and help, please!
effie imperio

Hi, Anonymoustache, thanks for responding.
Yes, I think it is "a flashing question mark". If it is flashing, you think it is a hardware problem like a dead hard drive? I had a flashing question mark with my Power book G4 and Apple replaced a dead hard drive.
Thanks Hatter, I will convey your response to my daughter and see if it will help.
effie imperio

HT5654 my iphone 5 fell did not break but went completely black and non responsive. When I plug it to the computer I get a white screen with black apple. When I push both the Top and Homne buttons simultaneously I get the charger picture plug end plus arr

my i phone 5 was dropped, didn't break but went completerly black screen and nonresponsive. I pushed both the home button and top button no response. I plugged it to the computer it gave me white screen with black apple. I pushed the home and the top went black then gave the itune and the charging plug picture. I tried to download and update, the message came as couldn't restore due to unknow error. Any help??

Try:
- iOS: Not responding or does not turn on
- Also try DFU mode after try recovery mode
How to put iPod touch / iPhone into DFU mode « Karthik's scribblings
- If not successful and you can't fully turn the iOS device fully off, let the battery fully drain. After charging for an least an hour try the above again.
- Try on another computer
- If still not successful that usually indicates a hardware problem and an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store is in order.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar

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

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 Pro turns on but not all the way, it gives me an icon of a grey folder with a question mark in the middle, and won't go further that that. Anyone knows why, or what's the problem?

My MacBook Pro turns on but not all the way, it gives me an icon of a grey folder with a question mark in the middle, and won't go further that that. Anyone knows why, or what's the problem?

If these do not resolve the issue or if you are not comfortable with proceeding through these steps then take your Mac to an Apple store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. An Apple store will perform these initial steps, diagnose the problem, and give an estimate for repairs (if needed). If the Mac is less than one year old or is covered by AppleCare any repairs would be free.
Genius reservation http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/ .
or find an Apple Authorized Service Provider https://locate.apple.com/country

White screen with a crossed out circle which flickers to the Apple logo sometimes, but won't open. What can I do to open it?

Help!! I'm in Belize (not a good place to be with an Apple, as international as you may claim to be!) and my computer decided to "quit" thusly:
White screen with a crossed out circle which flickers to the Apple logo sometimes, but won't open. What can I do to open it? (I do have my recently backed up data with me, but no loading discs for my computer.
Hoping there is a solution,
Diana

The make of the disk doesn't really tell us how your data is being backed up onto that disk. Do you know what software it uses?
For example Time Machine copies files every hour in a way that is not bootable, but you can extract those files & get all your data back into a working OS.
Carbon Copy Cloner duplicates a disk in a way that is bootable - it would appear when holding alt at startup so you could use that to boot & inspect the state of the internal disk.
It may also be Seagate's own software that does something different.
Please try recovery mode, if that works you can try repairing the disk in Disk Utility.
OS X: About OS X Recovery - Apple Support
If that works, select Disk Utility & see if the internal disk can be repaired in the first aid tab.
Recovery mode can also download OS X & reinstall it, however you really need to know if the backup contains everything before that is attempted, otherwise you may lose data. The OS is also around 5GB so you may have issues if your internet is capped or unstable etc.
P.S.
I have no idea if this is helpful, but there may be help out there…?
http://belizeyp.com/Belize/I-T-Engineers-Consultants/profile
https://www.google.com/maps/place/VIP+wireless/@17.4938135,-88.1914518,4205m/dat a=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x8f5c583ff12cb605:0x17a5a2f97fc838c3?hl=en
Search & ask around, you may find some help, try recovery mode first.

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.

IMovie has a question mark over the icon and will not open. Help!

iMovie will not open in Admin or any users on iMac. Faded question mark in background behind icon. iMovie is unable to be located in the finder as well. All downloads are up to date.

Niel wrote:
Install it from your iLife or computer's original disk, using Pacifist if needed, and then run the latest applicable iMovie updater.
(53051)
Hello, I have a question mark on the dock where once were icons which were not opening for
iphoto and system preferences. If I
Install it from your iLife or computer's original disk, using Pacifist if needed, and then run the latest applicable iPhoto updater.
will it erase any photos I have on my computer?
I can't use Time Machine because I can't open System Preferences.

I have a flashing folder on a white screen with a question mark in the folder after installing an ssd to my MacBook Pro .. Any suggestions??

Just hoping for some help from the title question. Thank you guys

You need to format the SSD and install a version of OS X on it before it will boot. There are a number of ways you can go about this.
Get an enclosure for your 'old' drive and boot from it with the SSD installed. OWC has an assortment of inexpensive enclosures. Boot from your 'old' drive and use Disk Utility to format the SSD as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" with a single GUID partition. Then use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone your old drive to your new. Select the SSD as your Startup Drive in System Preferences.
Alternately, you can use Lion DiskMaker to create a bootable USB flash Drive (8GB minimum) or a dual-layer DVD if you've downloaded Mountain Lion and still have the "Install OS X Mountain Lion.app" in your Applications folder. If you've already purchased ML, you can simply redownload this file again and quit the application when it finishes downloading and begins the installation.
Either method will work.
Good luck,
Clinton

I think I trashed my chess game that came installed on my computer. The Icon is on the dashboard but when I clicked on it there was a question mark within the icon and the game did not appear. How do I get it back without paying for it?

I think I accidently trashed my chess app. that came installed on my computer, how do I get it back, it isn't in my apps but on my dock and when I clicked on it a question mark showed up in the chess icon. Really dumb I know. But I am a novice at computers.

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.

I get the question mark in the folder on start up, but if i connect the same hard drive via usb it works fine is the hard drive faulty?

but if i connect the same hard drive via usb it works fine is the hard drive faulty?

It sort of sounds like a startup disk issue. Have you tried starting up holding down the "Option" key? This should generally give you the option of which drive you want to boot from after a few seconds. Sometimes, especially if you had previously booted from an external drive (and it sounds as if you have) they system wants to continue booting from that drive. If it can't find it, it just sort of hangs there. Try holding down the "Option" key and see if your internal drive is shown as an option. If it is, select it. If you manage to get into the OS, go to System Preferences / Startup Disk and select the correct drive (even if there is only one drive shown, you should still select it).

My iMac starterd up very slow and when it did it has a white screen with little black dots on it

my mac is starting very slow and it hasa white screen with little black dots.

Hello,
Have you blown the dust out lately?
Get Temperature Monitor to see if it's heat related...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12381/temperature-monitor
iStat Menus...
http://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/
And/or iStat Pro...
http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/
See if the Disk is issuing any S.M.A.R.T errors in Disk Utility...
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH7029
Open Activity Monitor in Applications>Utilities, select All Processes & sort on CPU%, any indications there?
How much RAM & free space do you have also, click on the Memory & Disk Usage Tabs.
Open Console in Utilities & see if there are any clues or repeating messages.
In the Memory tab of Activity Monitor, are there a lot of Pageouts?

On start up my mac is showing a folder and flashing question mark sign?

On start up my mac shows a folder sign & flashing question mark?? Help and Why??

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:
Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.
Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.
Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.
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:
Boot From 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.
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.

White Screen with "1, unknown word_" in upper left corner

I was attempting to reinstall system software (original was 8.1, upgraded to 9, and then 10) to this old computer so that I could give it away without giving away my personal info -- it seemed no matter what, it kept asking me for my password on restart.
God knows what I did next (because I tried EVERYTHING!) but now all I get is a white screen with "1, unknown word_" showing up teeny in the upper left corner of the screen.
Real problem is, I can't get it to start up from any of my old system CDs -- I'm thinking that maybe it's not recognizing my USB port for the keyboard? (installed in one of the PCI slots -- not original hardware).
USB keyboard always worked fine BEFORE I tried to re-install software. Unfortunately, I burnt out my old ADB keyboard so that's an unavailable alternative....
Any suggestions on how to get it up & running? I would just as well trash it, but there's a nonprofit I know that could actually use it...
PowerMac G3 Beige Desktop Mac OS X (10.0.x) 233 mhz, pathetically small 4g hard drive
PowerMac G3 Beige Desktop Mac OS X (10.0.x) 233 mhz, pathetically small 4G hard drive

Can you borrow an ADB keyboard to see if you can reboot from the CD. Is there a Macintosh User Group in your area or any other Mac users you know at work, etc. that might have a spare one around?
If you can't temporarily borrow one, you might consider buying one:
eBay search for ADB Keyboard
I'm sure there are other Mac stores where you could find a ADB keyboard, check for ads in the back of your favorite Mac magazine.
Now, when you did the OS installations/upgrades, did you select an option that preserves the existing User accounts rather than a clean installation? I don't know why else you would get prompted for your password unless that was the case. One option to completely erase the disk before the OS install is to run Disk Utility, it's usually available from the Menu Bar when the installer first starts. If you truly want to wipe the HD clean of any info, select the Zero All Data option, which might take a while for a 4GB drive.

White screen with a folder and a question mark on the folder and its blink?

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