OS X V10.6 Snow Leopard :: Got Macbook Pro Past The Flashing Question Mark?
May 11, 2012
Nothing ive done has got my Macbook pro past the flashing question mark... No keyboard button holding down has done anything! ive even replaced the HD.
Over the weekend I install Snow Leopard on my MacBook and all went fine and it rebooted automatically after Snow Leopard was installed. However on Sunday when I turned on the MacBook it booted and all I had was a flashing folder with a question mark. I have read several suggestion and so far have tried:
1)Holding down different keys (C, D & X) to specify the disk but it doesn't seem to find the hard drive at this points 2)Booting from a flash drive & Install DVD and use Disk Utility to verify/repair the disk 3) re-install Snow Leopard 4) re-install Leopard 5) Erase hard drive and re-install Leopard 6) Reset PARM (?) Think that's what it was called... 7) remove hardward and re-install (memory & Hard Drive)
The hard drive appears and shows as verified in DU and repair does not give any errors but if I try to boot using the hard drive, I get the flashing "?" I've tried re-installs of the OS but once it's done and reboots I get the flashing "?" I just can't seem to get by the problem but the hard drive appears "OK" when verified or repaired.
I've tried all the "fixes" to this problem, but none of them seem to work.•When I hold option, no hard drives show up.
•When using Disk Utility from the install disk, no hard drives are found. (Shows up just as "Media.")-If I wait long enough, they do show up, but problem still persists after repairs.
•Still doesn't boot after resetting PRAM
•I can't reinstall Mac OS because my computer does not recognize that there's a disk to install it on.
What makes this all weirder is that if I wait long enough, it seems to work just fine, but then once I shut it down, it won't restart any time soon.
I also seem to have a problem taking it out of sleep. The screen comes back on, but the spinning wheel shows up if I try to do anything before my fans spin up.
The only thing that showed up in disk utility were the DVD drive (Matshita DVD...) and the actual Mac OS X installation disc. I realize I could try and simply re-install Mac OS X, but I have a research paper (as well as lots of songs and photos) that hasn't been backed up and I will lose it if I reinstall. What can I do?!
It appears that our iMac has died!! The first two options haven't revived it so the next option is using the installation disk but I'm concerned about loosing all our files on the computer. How can we save and hopefully retrieve our files? Will we need to take it into Apple?
I have a Macbook OS X. This just happened when I turn on my Mac it goes to a folder with a flashing question mark. I don't know how to fix this so I just want to restore it. I have my Mac OS X disk in automatically tries to upgrade to v10.5 and when I put it in it asks what language and I click English and then after a minute it says Mac OS X v10.4 or later cannot be found on your computer. So how do I restore it to factory settings?
I have a 13" macbook purchased 2007 just out of the extended protection plan this summer. Last night while watching a video in full screen it froze with the beach ball for over 20 minutes with no sign of stopping. I had my external WD drive hooked up which is my iTunes drive (only). I had to manually shutdown the computer (with external still hooked up) After trying to reboot I got the flashing question mark and continue to get it no matter what I do.
I've removed the external drive, reset the PRAM, tried booting in safe mode, tried booting from installation disc but my hard drive doesn't even appear in disk utility. Not sure what else I can try as nothing has worked.
My MBP (mid 09) is showing a folder with a flashing question mark. I tried the usual things like PRAM Reset and booting with a external drive. I also changed the hard drive and could use it as a external drive on an other Mac - so this seems to work. Another drive could not be used too. The Apple Hardware Test does not work - my Super-drive is broken.
I am getting the flashing question mark and nothing is working. Manual says to re-install the op system and to use the disk that came with my computer. I installed a new op system, Snow Leopard, a while back. Should I use the Snow Leopard disk or the one that came with machine (which I am not sure I can locate)?
Info: MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.3), flashing question mark
My wifes mac book worked fine yesterday and earlier today. During her last session (probably surfing the net) mac locked up. She attempted to restart it and now she has a flashing folder with a question mark. Of course the HD is full of info, pictures etc.
I don't have a installation disk for my macbook. When I start it up, it shows a blank screen then after a while it shows a folder with a question mark.
my laptop fell yesterday but it worked normally after that. i tried to turn it on after a couple of hours and got a flashing question mark.
an installation disk didn't come with it when i bought it so i can't do the disk recovery. holding the option key at restart (for startup manager) starts internet recovery ''starting internet recovery this may take awhile" and then an error shows up ( -21 05F).
i tried resetting PRAM but the flashing question mark is still there. is there a way to fix this or recover the files on the laptop?
I have a problem at the start up of the Macbook. It shows a flashing folder with a question mark. I don't have the installation disk that came with it. It was running Leopard OS X 10.5.8. If I buy Snow Leopard OS X 10.6, will it work?
I wanted to start clean on my MacBook Pro osx 10.9.4. So I did the command r and erased what I thought was the right one. I restarted my computer and did the command r again and what came up was internet recovery. It can't find my internet because it's WEP and I don't know to change it to wpa. So I restarted my computer again and I didn't do the command r but just let it load itself to see what would happen and all I get is a flashing file with a question mark.
i have an early 2011 macbook pro 2.7 i7 i have a folder with question mark flashing, i have replaced hard drive and also hard drive cable but can't see the hard drive, if iuse the old hard drive from usb the mac boots up, re fitting the old hard drive still does not show,
well i just got back from vacation and I tried turning on my macbook, but it wouldn't startup. it made a clicking noise and all that appeared was a white screen and a folder with a flashing question mark inside it. I then put in the apple disk it came with and went to 'disk utility,' but it wasn't able to find my hard drive. Is there any way of retrieving the data on my hard drive, or even better, fixing my macbook? luckily, for me, my warranty just expired while I was on vacation, and I'm not able to talk to apple customer service without paying 50 bucks.
When I start it up I get the Apple "chime" then the flashing folder with a question mark. Have tried all the standard procedures, ie. reset PRam, try to reboot i safe mode, single use mode etc... to no avail.
I can reboot from the install drive.
When I go to disk utilities my System Hard Drive shows up, passes Repair Disk Permissions as well as Repair Disk.
I can even go into Images>Scan Image for Restore and see all the files on my HD are still there - Documents, Photos, Apps, Desktop, Music. It shows how many folders and files there are. I can aslo go into System Profiler from the startup disk and the HD structure seems fine. So, I don't believe I have a catastrophic HD failure, but something else with hardware etc... Is there a ROM chip on a Mac that holds boot info similar to a Windows machine that has a BIOS chip? IF so, has anyone heard of these going bad?
I am not a hardware guru, but it seems it is not reading the startup files. So, I reinstalled the system using Archive my data and it still will not boot. I really need to save the data off this HD. It is under warranty.
My MacBook was fine until it fell last night. It wasn't a big fall. It had actually been very close to the floor, but now when I try to start it a flashing folder with a question mark shows up. There is no clicking noise. It makes the sound like it is going to start. I started it up while holding the option key and Macintosh HD shows up with an arrow underneath it. However, when I click on the arrow, it freezes, eventually disappears and then the computer shuts down.
I am currently in Spain and my installation discs that came with my computer are back in the US. Is my best bet to have someone send me them or is that not even going to help? I also read a post that someone took out their hard drive, reseated it and then when they turned their computer back on everything was fine. Could this be a possibility? Would I need my installation discs after doing that?
I've had my mac for about a year after someone gave it to me. I think it's pretty old, I'd say about 5 years maybe. Its using snow leopard right now. I was on safari yesterday and once I opened my email the computer froze. Mouse and everything. So I held the power button down to turn it off and when I turned it back on there was a flashing folder with a ? on it. I looked this up on google but every thing I found told me to put a disk in the computer. I can't do this because I don't have the disk and the disk drive is broken anyway.
Problem: When I boot up my Macbook, I get the flashing question mark. Failed Solutions: I booted using the Install disk and went to Disk Utility. The hard drive was not mounted.I reset the PRAM. I noticed that the Mac startup sound goes on now, but the same problem (question mark) persists. I went to Disk Utility again. HD still not mounted. I held the option key when booting to go to the Startup Manager. The mouse pointer appears on a grey screen, now, but nothing else What do I do?
Today my I had used my macbook like normal and all of the sudden it was frozen for an extended period of time and would not respond so I had to hit the power button. When I turned it back on a folder with a question mark flashed on the screen. I did some troubleshooting and tried "safe booting" but it took forever and it didn't fix anything. I don't have my original installation DVD because I am a college student at home for spring break and it is at my house back at school.
I turned on my computer this morning (it has been working fine until then) and a flashing folder with a "?" appears. White screen. I don't know what to do, I held the Alt key at startup and that just gets me to a gray screen with my mouse.