Flashin file with Question Mark

[ecofix]

Flashing file with Question Mark

I have a MacBook Pro mid 2010 production that has been updated to Lion and Lion's latested updates. From day one I have utilized officeMac 2011 for complete compatability with business associates still on windows and also so I would not miss all the band-aids, patches, and updates from my earlier life with windows which remain constant today!.

On 1.31.2013 I installed one of microsofts OfficeMac 2011 updates, and I also installed a free app from the app store on my Mac. It was a free Cad down load that was 700+Mb and during the registration process I felt it was taking me some where I did not choose to go so closed it planning return later when I had the time to reconsider its use or removal from my system.

The next day when I clicked the mouse to wake it up I had a flashing file with a question mark. I researched this occurance and tried all the suggestions to reboot and hold the c, reboot and hold the control, the Option, and tried the something-r to reinstall a fresh OS which worked about 6 months back, and then even tried reinstalling Snow Leopard which came with the machine as sugggested. With that approach I could get as far as a disk with an arrow under it to tic for installation but that did not occur either. I could hear the reader reading it but... I tried coming up in Safe Mode also. All suggested remedies failed thus far after repeated attempts.

My question is are there any further possible solutions before I take this in for repairs knowing they are going to say hard drive even if it does not need one? Can it be booted off another machine or is there a test i can perform prior to the big repair bill myself.

This machine is used only for business and is better maintained than necessary. If its truly broke and not simply unable to boot because of a glitch it will be in the shop for repair. I understand computers better than some but far less than many. It does come up, I get the tone, I see a grey screen, but then about the time it should boot I get the flashing file with the question mark.

Thanks for any suggestions. (e-mail address removed)

 

[oldscribe]

Hi,

Have a look at this thread,https://www.mac-help.com/t382-my-mac-showing-flashing-question-mark.html

 

[ecofix]

Update.
Not mentioned previously, when the Snow Leopard disk is utilized and the Option Key is held, The Apple comes up along with the spinning wait symbol and time-wise when it would normally boot the spinning wait symbol freezes and will not progress any further. Then, not that it matters at this point but I did utilize Time Machine in the automatic mode.

All suggestions of what to do once the computer comes up are unusable because it will not come up. It may be over...

 

[oldscribe]

Hi,

It is not an old Mac, I would book it into the genius bar and see what they say. Could be non Mac software issue but the Apple staff will tell you.

 

[ecofix]

Well the hard drive had indeed failed so I replaced it with an Intel solid state which is way-fast and only 150 bucks at Best Buy where I originally bought the machine, but...

I formatted the drive for Mac and then I installed the Snow Leopard VIA the supplied CD and then went to the app store and again down loaded Lion updating it to Version 10.7.5. Now after several failed attempts of reinstalling both iWork and Microsoft OfficeMac 2011, in both cases after several minutes a message is displayed that: the DVD is blank.

I did also reinstall a Typing Instructor program for Mac that took but all three had been previously installed and work flawlessly. I am sure it is just a setting that is wrong as the CD slot has only been used about 6 times since new.

The hard drive owed me nothing as the machine has run non-stop since 09.09.2009 except for weekly shut downs of 10 minutes and had been occasionally making detectable sounds as it searched.

 

[oldscribe]

Have you been running time machine or other backup system, if so reinstall from there.