My i Mac froze up the other day (no cursor even). I pressed the reset button and I got a blue screen with a flashing question mark. Nothing I do changes it. I don't want to reload the software because I'll lose a lot of valuable information. Can anyone tell me a A.) what went wrong and B.) How can I fix it.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Dreaded flashing questionmark
- Thread starter rosie05
- Start date
Well as long as the hard drive hasn't 'died' then don't worry to much I'm sure we can get the data back.
Things to try:-
Restart the iMac holding down the shift key - hold down till the Welcome screen comes up (this turns off extentions and may help to enable the iMac to boot).
What disks have you got with you iMac, you can insert the 'System Disk' and boot up the iMac off the CD (restart holding down the C key) this will allow you to see if the hard disk icon is there. If it is I would suggest that you copy off any data that you want to an external device if you have one. (Do not re-install the system software at this time !)
There are lots of other things to try but we will start with the above.
regards
Ric
Things to try:-
Restart the iMac holding down the shift key - hold down till the Welcome screen comes up (this turns off extentions and may help to enable the iMac to boot).
What disks have you got with you iMac, you can insert the 'System Disk' and boot up the iMac off the CD (restart holding down the C key) this will allow you to see if the hard disk icon is there. If it is I would suggest that you copy off any data that you want to an external device if you have one. (Do not re-install the system software at this time !)
There are lots of other things to try but we will start with the above.
regards
Ric
Ric,
Help! Holding down the shift key while restarting didn't help (still got the flashing question mark).
And when I tried to boot off the CD while holding down the "C" key, I got only the installation folder, no hard disk icon. I did not reinstall.
What now?
And whether it works or not, we appreciate your effort.
Paulita and Earl
Help! Holding down the shift key while restarting didn't help (still got the flashing question mark).
And when I tried to boot off the CD while holding down the "C" key, I got only the installation folder, no hard disk icon. I did not reinstall.
What now?
And whether it works or not, we appreciate your effort.
Paulita and Earl
Can you possibly tell me the exact names of the 'Mac Disks' you have ?
Can you try and Zap the PRAM, don't worry it is non destructive !
Restart holding down command (apple key) + option + P + R
It's quite tricky to hold them all down together and to restart, best if one person holds down the keys and the someone else presses the power button !!
Keep holding down the keys till you here the mac 'beep' it will then try and startup - but because you have the keys held down it will zap (reset) the pram let it go through this routine twice.
Then see if it starts up.
Regards Ric
Can you try and Zap the PRAM, don't worry it is non destructive !
Restart holding down command (apple key) + option + P + R
It's quite tricky to hold them all down together and to restart, best if one person holds down the keys and the someone else presses the power button !!
Keep holding down the keys till you here the mac 'beep' it will then try and startup - but because you have the keys held down it will zap (reset) the pram let it go through this routine twice.
Then see if it starts up.
Regards Ric
What I should have said right at the beginning, but I have been a bit busy relocating the server etc...any hoo just in case this helps anyone else:-
The flashing question mark, in a folder, indicates that the Firmware cannot find a valid system folder. Resetting the PRAM or rebuilding the desktop will not generally help, but it is sometimes worth a go.
If you have a copy of "Disk Warrior", boot from the CD and rebuild the directories. This "almost" always works. If you have Norton's you can try it but it is not always as succesfull as "Diskwarrior".
In the event that "Disk Warrior" is not available, then a CLEAN install may be your best option. Another trick, is to boot from any bootable CD and explore the Hard Drive, if it is visible on the desktop. Open the HD and you should see the System Folder. It should have a Happy Mac icon on the folder. If it does not, open the folder and drag the finder out of the folder and then close the folder.
Drag the finder back into the System folder, without opening the folder, (or allowing it to open) and see if the Happy Mac icon reappears. If it does, try a reboot. This is called a 'blessed' system folder.
If the HD is not visible on the desktop when you boot from any bootable CD then you definitely have directory problems which will need to be addressed, preferably by Disk Warrior.
The worst case scenario is that the Hard Drive has failed!
This will give the same symptoms and the drive will NOT appear on the desktop when booted from a CD.
If you are not sure what you are doing, and the data on the disk is 'critical' ie 5000 digital pictures that are irreplaceable and not backed up, then I would suggest that you let a 'professional' have a look at it.
Most hard drives are recoverable as long as you have the right 'software' tools.
Regards
Ric
The flashing question mark, in a folder, indicates that the Firmware cannot find a valid system folder. Resetting the PRAM or rebuilding the desktop will not generally help, but it is sometimes worth a go.
If you have a copy of "Disk Warrior", boot from the CD and rebuild the directories. This "almost" always works. If you have Norton's you can try it but it is not always as succesfull as "Diskwarrior".
In the event that "Disk Warrior" is not available, then a CLEAN install may be your best option. Another trick, is to boot from any bootable CD and explore the Hard Drive, if it is visible on the desktop. Open the HD and you should see the System Folder. It should have a Happy Mac icon on the folder. If it does not, open the folder and drag the finder out of the folder and then close the folder.
Drag the finder back into the System folder, without opening the folder, (or allowing it to open) and see if the Happy Mac icon reappears. If it does, try a reboot. This is called a 'blessed' system folder.
If the HD is not visible on the desktop when you boot from any bootable CD then you definitely have directory problems which will need to be addressed, preferably by Disk Warrior.
The worst case scenario is that the Hard Drive has failed!
This will give the same symptoms and the drive will NOT appear on the desktop when booted from a CD.
If you are not sure what you are doing, and the data on the disk is 'critical' ie 5000 digital pictures that are irreplaceable and not backed up, then I would suggest that you let a 'professional' have a look at it.
Most hard drives are recoverable as long as you have the right 'software' tools.
Regards
Ric
rosie05 said:Ric, I can. That's where disk first-aid is, along with drive setup.
Can you run disk utility does that see the Hard drive ?
Unfortunately, all computers at some point 'break', the key is that you back up, that way when 'they' do break - it is nothing more than inconvienient. You can then re-install the 'System Software' and copy back on you 'data'.
It is more than likely nothing to do with what anyone was doing on the computer, (unless of course you threw a cup of tea over it) it just happens sometimes.
It's hard to let you know 'what not to do' until we find out for sure what is wrong with your iMac...
...not that I think there would be anything you could have possibly done to prevent this.
regards
Ric
It is more than likely nothing to do with what anyone was doing on the computer, (unless of course you threw a cup of tea over it) it just happens sometimes.
It's hard to let you know 'what not to do' until we find out for sure what is wrong with your iMac...
...not that I think there would be anything you could have possibly done to prevent this.
regards
Ric
Ask a Question
Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?
You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.