flashing file folder and question mark

[garry]

On an imac, I was installing the latest update to Yosemite and got a message "the finder can not shut down because something is in use".I was emptying the trash which I stopped. I then manually shut down the computer. ( Probably the mistake) I can now not restart. I get a flashing folder with question mark. I have tried every key combination I could find on the web and lasso loading from OSX install disc - the newest disc I have. Nothing has worked. HELLLP

 

[honestone]

Since you are using Yosemite, there should be a Recovery Partition ("normally" invisible to the user) on your internal hard drive. To boot your iMac into that partition, hold down the Command and R keys as your iMac starts up. This link describes that partition:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314

It will take some time for the boot process to complete, but eventually you will get to the main screen described in that link.

What you need to do is run Disk Utility from there and 1) Verify and Repair the disk at the Volume (ie, top) level, and 2) Verify and Repair Permissions, and Verify and Repair the Disk, at the Partition (ie, second) level.

Assuming that works and you can subsequently re-boot your machine, check the version of Yosemite that you have. Not sure how far along the upgrade to OS 10.10.4 went, but whether or not it got that far, it would be best if you download and install the OS 10.10.4 Combo Updater. You can get it from here:

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1820?locale=en_US

This link also discusses issues with the flashing question mark:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204323

Note that it also eventually recommends booting to the Recovery Partition. You could try the earlier suggestion in that link regarding the Startup manager, but since you were in the middle of installing an update to the OS, it might be best to try first with booting to the Recovery Partition.

Let us know if you have success with that.

 

[garry]

Tried all of these with no success. Had a new hard disc installed but put the old hard disc into a case so I could hook it up as an external disc. Started the new disc with the old hooked as an external and when selected, the old started up beautifully with all information as I had left it. However, and there is always a however, I walked away from the computer to let my dogs out and the computer went to sleep and shut down the discs. I have not been able to restart the old disc since. It is still in the case and can be connected as an external disc. Thoughts, help , what do I do now to retrieve everything on the old disc. It just spins but doesn't mount.

 

[honestone]

When you got the new hard disk installed (I assume you mean internal disk(, how did you get it ready for use on your machine?

Also, what do you mean by "Started the new disc with the old hooked as an external and when selected, the old started up beautifully with all information as I had left it."?

 

[garry]

You are correct, it was the internal hard disk. The repair location did the install and did nothing but start from scratch as a new computer. There is nothing remaining from the previous hard disk resident on the new disk. I had the original disk returned and installed in a case, which created an externally connectable disk (think Western Digital iBook), so that I could try to attempt to mount it and recover the information on it as an external disk.

I connected the original disk in its case as you would connect any external disc to the iMac and it mounted as an external disc. When I selected it in the iMac, it showed its full original contents, all files and applications etc.. The iMac unfortunately went to sleep shutting down before I could migrate the files to the new internal hard disk. I have not been able to get the external disc to mount since. It just spins but doesn't mount.

 

[honestone]

Understand.

Unfortunately, Western Digital hard drives are known to cause issues. What you can try is to launch Disk Utility, and for the Western Digital drive, 1) do a Verify and Repair Disk at the Volume (ie, top) level, and 2) do a Verify and Repair Permissions, and Verify and Repair Disk, at the Partition (ie, second) level. For #2, you should do that for each visible partition you have.

If that does not work, then you would need a more robust Disk Maintenance/Repair program. Most likely in your case, that would be Disk Warrior, although TechTool Pro might work also. (I actually have both of them).

 

[garry]

I am not sure that you are understanding my babblings. The new internal hard drive works fine to this point but the old one that is mounted as an external drive is the one with the problem. It does not mount but just spins which was what it was doing as an internal drive and why it was replaced. It does not show on the disk selection so I can't run repairs on it. It mounted only the first time I tried but from then it has just continued to spin when I connect it externally.

 

[honestone]

No, I do understand. I was hoping that the external drive would stay mounted long enough to have Disk Utility "look at it".

I'm wondering if you should try connecting the external drive to another USB port on your iMac. Not sure if that will help, but it might be worth a try. (By the way, do other devices connected to any USB port on your Mac work OK?)

Failing that, it would seem that either the interface on the external housing is bad, or the drive is bad itself (or maybe its interface is bad). Although you did say in the first post that the drive itself was problematic while it was inside your Mac.

I guess the other mystery is that it did mount, though briefly, but now longer mounts. Maybe completely shutting down the machine and the external drive, reconnect the external drive, start up your machine, and then turn on the drive. If it mounts on the desktop, then use Disk Utility as "quickly" as you can.

 

[garry]

Sorry, you are correct that the external drive has not mounted except for the first time. The computer is now set to not go to sleep whenever I am working on it so if the external drive is hooked and does mount, that I can migrate the info from it to the internal drive. You have hit it exactly. Why did it start once but never again. Did the same internally. I am sure that the problem is that in updating Yosemite that the computer was shut down mid install and now can not find the startup location. If however it does start up once, I should be able to fix that and migrate the files and apps to the internal HD.

 

[honestone]

Sounds like you are making good progress. By the way, what version of Yosemite did the "shop" install for you on the new internal drive? Version 10.10.5 came out about 2 weeks ago. In case the installed version on your internal drive is less than 10.10.5, you can get the OS 10.10.5 Combo Updater from here:

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1832?locale=en_US

 

[garry]

I also have Disk Warrior but just need the chance to use it on the old disk.

Shop loaded 10.5.5 on the new disk. So all is up to date this week

I will continue to work on opening the old disk. Just dl "Disk Drill" which says it can find lots of lost things. Will see if this has a chance to do anything I haven't been able to do so far. Wish me luck.

 

[honestone]

I also have Disk Warrior but just need the chance to use it on the old disk.

Shop loaded 10.5.5 on the new disk. So all is up to date this week

I will continue to work on opening the old disk. Just dl "Disk Drill" which says it can find lots of lost things. Will see if this has a chance to do anything I haven't been able to do so far. Wish me luck.

Sounds good. I wonder if with Disk Drill "finding lots of lost things" as to whether the disk's directory is muddled up. Disk Warrior can certainly fix that. I would try using Disk Warrior first, before doing anything else.

By the way, how was Disk Drill able to "see the drive"? Given that it did, that is encouraging, for one would think that Disk Warrior will "see it" also.

 

[garry]

I have not today had any time to work on the old disk and will not have any time til this evening to spend with it. Have not used Disk Drill yet but when I was using some of the Mac pieces the disk could be seen but not accessed. So maybe Disk Drill will be able to access it. Will see later today.

I am sure that the directory is the major problem. When in the iMac, I had no problems with the disk at all til when updating Yosemite I had the computer shut down. I feel that the startup files have been corrupted and I need to be able to fix that in order for the disk to mount. I think that it just can't find the startup file. Why it started up once is still a mystery but it was when I just first started the computer after having the new disk installed.Looking for a new startup file may have been the reason that it started once and now that the new startup file has been established - no more mounting. Just thoughts from one who really doesn't know much about these things. Not my area. I would rather work with computers than on them