A folder with a question mark macbook is blinking. What to do if Mac shows a folder with a question mark
Clues to the cause of a Mac startup problem can be found by analyzing the boot process. Problems may be related to power, battery, motherboard, failures in operating system or problems with account user. Macs are reliable machines, but like all machines, they break down from time to time.
If you understand where the problem arose, you will understand how to solve it. Disconnect all external peripherals (drives, printers, etc.)
The following questions can help you figure out why your Mac won't turn on:
Does the system turn on?
If your Mac won't turn on at all, it's likely due to a power failure or problem with the motherboard, a blown fuse (on desktops), a dead battery, or a bad charger (on laptops).
A power failure is sometimes accompanied by an intermittent sound. This is usually a burst capacitor. The power supply may fail completely or partially—the fans may work, but the Mac will not turn on. Luckily, laptop power supplies or chargers are relatively inexpensive.
Laptops have extra food in the battery. Broken batteries may prevent your MacBook from booting. Remove the battery from your laptop and try to boot without it.
Macs also have another battery called PRAM (or NV-RAM). It stores data about network settings, choices boot hard disk, etc. If the date gets lost every time you turn it on, then you need a new PRAM battery. A dead PRAM battery may prevent your Mac from booting or cause strange behavior. Sometimes it is enough to recharge the battery for 30-60 minutes and the computer will start.
Does it make any noise?
Some may find it quite strange to listen to your computer, but it can provide useful clues if you're having trouble starting up. If your Mac doesn't make any sounds or you can only hear the sound of the fan, then it's most likely a power or motherboard problem.
Sometimes the Mac will turn on, but hard drive will crackle, spin violently, or make strange noises. This may indicate that the hard drive is failing. Sometimes, turning it on/off several times can help, but we do not recommend working for a long time under such conditions. In the future, complete destruction may occur. hard drive. Must be done backup copy data and replace the hard drive.
Strange roaring sounds that periodically occur from the fan may be a sign that the cooler is suffering a slow death. Fans are fairly inexpensive and easy to replace.
Boot sounds and flashing lights
The Mac's boot chime is more than a sound brand. It indicates a successful hardware test. If you don't hear the chime, but the sound is one tone or several tones, or see a flashing light, then this means that your Mac has a hardware problem. This could be the motherboard, bad RAM, video card, etc.
Problematic RAM can be a common problem for all Macs. On newer Macs, a pattern of flashing lights may indicate this problem. Fortunately, it is easy to identify. Just remove one stick of RAM and try to start your computer on one, then boot on the other stick. This way you will find the bar that was failing. On the Internet you can easily find instructions for replacing RAM for your Mac.
If RAM is not the issue, check the Apple Knowledge Base for information. Unfortunately, unusual sounds often mean that you need to contact service center. These sounds are sort of the "Check Engine" sounds for the Mac world.
After the screen turns gray and the hardware tests are completed, the Mac looks for boot volumes. The software at this point begins the process of starting the system.
Flashing folder with question mark
A flashing folder with a question mark means that your computer cannot find the boot disk. This indicates errors in the system or that the hard drive is failing.
Use the DiskWarrior utility to fix all major boot problems. You can also try Apple Disk Utility or other third-party software such as TechTool Pro or Drive Genius to try to repair the drive. If checking with these programs says that the hard drive is stable, you should reinstall MacOS.
If the Apple logo appears, it means your Mac has found boot partition and it will begin Mac boot OS X
Apple logo with rotating gear
As soon as the spinning gear appears, the BSD kernel begins loading device drivers. Soon after, it issues commands to the lunchd process. This is how UNIX systems work.
What does it mean to us mere mortals when a Mac freezes at the Apple logo or the spinning gear logo. This may indicate an error in the operating system, or an error in accessing an internal or external device, but this is the least likely.
Reboot in safe mode may help so that the second, normal boot will function normally. Hold down the Shift button at boot to boot into safe mode. You can also try DiskWarrior, if it doesn't work, you may need to reinstall MacOS.
Blue screen or empty desktop
After the operating system has completed loading, the login window takes over the further loading process and takes you to the desktop.
Stuck on blue screen, on the login window or on an empty desktop usually means a problem with user accounts. Corrupt fonts or settings files (.plist) are the most common culprits. Create a second administrator account in order to troubleshoot loading problems. You can also try booting into Safe Mode, as it bypasses non-standard fonts and startup items that you can then remove from your computer.
Kernel panic
You must restart your computer, no options. Kernel Panic is a breakdown of the operating system with a historically colorful name. Mac "falls" come in many forms - the spinning beach ball is perhaps the most famous. Apple managed to scare many users with this window. This is accompanied by the screen slowly darkening from top to bottom until a warning message appears in multiple languages:
Kernel Panic can occur at almost any point in the boot process and may indicate a bug in the operating system, incompatible kernel extensions, or a hardware problem. Try booting into safe mode and disabling third party extensions. If this does not help, try removing the peripheral equipment, remove RAM, PCI cards, etc.
Boot from another drive to troubleshoot.
If your Mac has a disk drive, you can boot from the disk. Once the installer starts, run Disk Utility or reinstall your MacOS. You can also boot from a USB flash drive if it is labeled as a bootable flash drive.
You can also use a clone of your hard drive to boot into the system. Not only can you save data from the main hard drive, but you can continue working if the main hard drive fails.
If the above methods do not help, come to our service center, we will quickly and efficiently troubleshoot your Mac.
Equipment from the world famous manufacturer Apple is distinguished by the widest range of its functionality and a high level of reliability. But even with these devices, sometimes incidents happen. For example, users of older MacBook models often have a question: what does the device want to say when a picture is displayed on the screen in the form of a folder with a question mark?
Let us immediately clarify that in new modifications of these branded devices, that is, in models of a new type (these include MacBook Pro Retina), manufacturers have changed the design of laptops. That is, older MacBooks are equipped with a hard drive ( hard drive), which is connected via a SATA cable, and new models are equipped with proprietary SSD drives. Therefore, problems with loading in modern device modifications, if they do occur, are displayed somewhat differently.
So, you have a folder with a question mark on your MacBook. This means there is a problem loading the device. To be more precise, this icon will indicate that the system cannot access information stored on the hard drive (data storage device). That is, to put it simply, the MacBook does not see its hard drive.
A number of factors can be responsible for this malfunction.
In the first place we can put mechanical damage to the device, in particular the hard drive itself. Let us remember that a hard drive is a whole mechanism that consists of a reading device (laser head) and several rotating plates. If there is a sudden movement or a hard impact (fall) of the device, it is very easy to damage the internal mechanisms. And often the result of such treatment of the MacBook is closed access to information stored on the hard drive.
The second causative factor may be hard drive wear. After all, the service life of any mechanism always has its limitations. And no matter what loads are placed on the hard drive, at some point there comes a time when it completely wears out and, accordingly, refuses to work. So that such a moment does not take you by surprise, and all important information would not be irretrievably lost, it is necessary to make backup copies.
Another causative factor for the image of a folder and a question mark appearing on the MacBook monitor is a faulty hard drive cable. The role of this cable is to ensure the connection between the hard drive and the MacBook motherboard. This part is very thin, and it is quite easy to damage it. Any small debris - crumbs, dust layers - that penetrate inside with air, through the cooling system of the device, and in most cases are the cause of breaks in the thin signal lines of the loop.
As a rule, such damage cannot be detected with the naked eye. But to avoid this, it is very important to promptly and regularly carry out preventive cleaning of all internal parts that make up the Apple MacBook.
Another reason for the appearance of a folder with a question mark on the MacBook screen may be incorrect installation of the Optibay adapter during the device upgrade. Chafing of the train can happen even with the most insignificant discrepancy in size at first glance. And the result of this will be problematic loading, or no loading at all.
These are, perhaps, the most basic reasons that can cause a picture on the device monitor depicting a folder with a question mark.
Every user of a branded MacBook must remember that an accurate diagnosis of this branded device must be carried out by a specialist. Determining the causes of problems on your own can lead to more serious damage to internal mechanisms and parts, as well as subsequent expensive repairs.
In our iFix service center in Kyiv, experienced and highly professional technicians will quickly and with a quality guarantee be able to determine the exact reason why your MacBook cannot boot and carry out the appropriate repair work.
We work without breaks and weekends. Our specialists are always at your service.
You turned on your laptop Apple- but instead of the usual OS X boot screen or login window, all you see is a gray screen and a folder with a question mark? Below we will tell you what may be wrong with your Mac.
If you encounter this and need it, contact us and we will help you.
"Wrong" peripherals
First of possible reasons— failure due to incompatible peripheral (external to the computer) equipment. These include: external hard drives/flash drives, printers, hubs and any other devices connected to the Mac via a connector USB.
To check for incompatible peripherals, turn off your Mac, disconnect all external devices— external HDD, printers, Ethernet-cables (do not disconnect the monitor, mouse and keyboard - they are most likely not to blame), etc. Turn on your computer. If the download is successful, it means that one of your peripheral devices has failed. Using the selection method (i.e., one at a time), connect the peripherals to the Mac and identify the source of the problem. Once detected, try updating the peripheral device's software or connect it to your Mac with a different USB cable.
If your Mac still shows the gray screen of death, move on to the next step.
Safe Mode
The problem can be solved by loading the Mac into the so-called. "safe mode". To do this, turn off the Mac, and then turn it on again and - right away! - hold down a key on the keyboard ⇧Shift. To monitor boot status in Safe Mode, hold down the key combination ⇧Shift + ⌘Cmd + V(and not just one ⇧Shift).
If your Mac boots into Safe, try rebooting it immediately. If not, move on to the next point.
Resetting NVRAM or PRAM
Turn off your computer. Turn it on again and immediately hold down the keys ⌘Cmd + ⌥Option (Alt) + P + R. Hold them until you restart your computer. As soon as you hear the signature Mac startup sound, you can release the buttons.
You may need to make a few more settings after resetting the NVRAM, such as selecting the boot volume and time zone.
Still doesn't help? Then read on.
OS X Installation Disc and Disk Utility
Most likely experiencing Mac problems no longer young, and was still included in the kit installation disk With Mac OS X (10.4, 10.5, etc.). Important: take only “your” disc, do not ask your friends for it! Turn off the computer, turn it on and immediately hold down a key on the keyboard WITH. On the menu Utility select item Disk Utility . Recover your Mac OS X volume, if problems occur, perform re-restoration. Are there any problems found with it? Restore access rights. After completing the procedures, restart your Mac.
There is also another option - installation using the “Archive and install” type (preserving user and network settings).
Removing third party components
Try removing all the modules that you inserted into the Mac yourself - RAM, disk drives, SSD drives, etc., and return the factory components to their place. The goal is to get your Mac back to the condition it was sold to you in.
Clean reinstallation of OS X
Last chance to solve your Mac's problems programmatically. During the reinstallation process, all your files will be deleted. Insert boot Mac disk OS X 10.4 / 10.5 into the drive, turn off the computer, turn it on and immediately hold down a key on the keyboard WITH. From the menu that appears, select Erase and install.
Hard drive problems
The most likely reason. You may need to replace your Mac's hard drive. Try checking the HDD on another Mac or booting OS X on your Mac from bootable flash drive or disk.
It is quite possible that the cable going from the HDD to the motherboard. Contact a specialist to diagnose and replace the cable (or disk, if it is broken).
Finally, a slightly exotic, but still valid scenario. If your Mac no longer has a factory HDD, but an SSD drive, you may have the utility active TRIM Enabler(it is installed for stable and fast work SSD), and after activating it you updated the system to . IN latest version Apple OS blocks any driver that is not signed by the Apple company. Try the following: reset PRAM as above, enter recovery mode (hold ⌘Cmd + R when loading), run through the utilities menu Terminal and enter the command:
Nvram boot-args=kext-dev-mode=1
Fair, not overpriced and not underestimated. There should be prices on the Service website. Necessarily! without asterisks, clear and detailed, where technically possible - as accurate and concise as possible.
If spare parts are available, up to 85% of complex repairs can be completed in 1-2 days. Modular repairs require much less time. The website shows the approximate duration of any repair.
Warranty and responsibility
A guarantee should be given for any repairs. Everything is described on the website and in the documents. The guarantee is self-confidence and respect for you. A 3-6 month warranty is good and sufficient. It is needed to check quality and hidden defects that cannot be detected immediately. You see honest and realistic terms (not 3 years), you can be sure that they will help you.
Half the battle is Apple repair- this is the quality and reliability of spare parts, so a good service works with suppliers directly, there are always several reliable channels and your own warehouse with proven spare parts for current models, so that you do not have to waste extra time.
This is very important and has already become a rule of good manners for the service center. Diagnostics is the most difficult and important part of the repair, but you don't have to pay a penny for it, even if you don't repair the device based on its results.
Service repairs and delivery
Good service values your time, so he offers free shipping. And for the same reason, repairs are carried out only in the workshop of a service center: correctly and according to technology can only be done in a prepared place.
Convenient schedule
If the Service works for you, and not for itself, then it is always open! absolutely. The schedule should be convenient to fit in before and after work. Good service works on weekends and holidays. We are waiting for you and working on your devices every day: 9:00 - 21:00
The reputation of professionals consists of several points
Company age and experience
Reliable and experienced service has been known for a long time.
If a company has been on the market for many years and has managed to establish itself as an expert, people turn to it, write about it, and recommend it. We know what we are talking about, since 98% of incoming devices in the service center are restored.
Other service centers trust us and refer complex cases to us.
How many masters in areas
If there are always several engineers waiting for you for each type of equipment, you can be sure:
1. there will be no queue (or it will be minimal) - your device will be taken care of right away.
2. you give your Macbook for repair to an expert in the field of Mac repairs. He knows all the secrets of these devices
Technical literacy
If you ask a question, a specialist should answer it as accurately as possible.
So that you can imagine what exactly you need.
They will try to solve the problem. In most cases, from the description you can understand what happened and how to fix the problem.
How you can solve most of the problems that may arise while working with your iPhone or iPad yourself. Today I will share similar tips and tricks regarding Mac. So, the vast majority of users, if any problems arise with their MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, MacBook Air, iMac and Mac mini, or they call a friend who understands the issue a little better than themselves, or they rush headlong to look for an address (at worst, the phone number of the nearest service center) and, sobbing into the phone, beg for help. Meanwhile, Apple has developed a powerful knowledge base so that users can solve the vast majority of issues themselves, without the help of a service center.
What to do if your Mac won't turn on or boot?
Check battery . Sometimes it happens that, due to some external reasons or careless handling, the Mac stops turning on. There is no need to sound the alarm ahead of time. First of all, you need to check the following components. If you have a laptop, check the battery charge. Some MacBook models have a battery charge indicator, which is located on the case or the battery itself. It looks like the one shown in the picture. It may well be that his battery died overnight.
Check the power supply. Try connecting a different adapter to your MacBook. Despite the different shape of the MagSafe connector, the power supplies from the MacBook Pro are interchangeable. If there is no second power supply, check the functionality of the outlet by connecting, for example, a lamp to it. If this desktop computer Try replacing iMac or Mac Pro network cable. You can read more about troubleshooting power supplies with MagSafe connectors.
Check connecting cables. Perhaps you carelessly hooked the cable and it does not sit tightly in the socket. Disconnect it and then connect it again. Check your monitor operation. If you're using an Apple Cinema Display with a MacBook, iMac, or Mac Pro, make sure it's connected to your network. If the monitor indicator light blinks in a special way, this may indicate a malfunction. More detailed information Troubleshooting information for working with built-in or external displays can be found here. Check that the components are connected correctly. If you replaced memory modules or hard drive, check that these components are connected correctly. If necessary, disable them and repeat the installation again. If this does not help, return the original parts. Gray screen. If a gray screen appears when you turn on your computer Apple logo and the loading indicator and nothing happens for a long time, try turning off your Mac, disconnecting all peripheral devices (printers, external hard drives, optical drives, modems, etc.), Ethernet cables and turn on the computer again. If this doesn't help, reboot into safe mode. If this does not solve the problem, reset PRAM and NVRAM. Flashing question mark . This message indicates that your Mac does not see the boot volume. The reason may be a mouse or trackpad button pressed during loading, damage to system files or hard drive failure. If the button is actually jammed, release it and try booting again. If this does not help, then check whether your Mac sees available boot volumes. To do this, hold down the Option key during boot. If a list of available volumes appears on the screen and Macintosh HD is among them, then most likely everything is fine with the disk, but Mac OS X itself is damaged. This can be caused by renaming or moving the Applications, automount, Library, System, Users folders or the mach_kernel. To restore it, you can use these instructions. In general, if you suspect that the problem is in the hardware, you can test the components of your Mac using the Apple Hardware Functional Test utility. If you have a Mac that came with OS X Lion, you need to be connected to the Internet. If your Mac is running earlier versions of Mac OS X, use a boot disk or flash drive for this. This program is launched by holding down the D key during boot.
Kernel Panic. The most difficult error to diagnose. Most often, the cause may be third-party software. However, it is possible that your system is being crashed by some piece of hardware whose drivers do not interact correctly with the Mac OS X kernel. First, try turning off all peripherals and rebooting the computer. If the problem persists, try updating the software installed on your Mac. Pay special attention to non-Apple apps. If you can't solve the problem on your own, use Apple's recommendations for troubleshooting the problem.
Let's deal with everything else
Imagine that you have problems connecting to the Internet. Or, let's say, the email is not sent. There seems to be no reason to go to the service center, but there is no one to ask what to do next. This is also where Apple's knowledge base and some of my experience can come to the rescue. Can't get online. Most often we find out about this by opening the browser. And if there we see a message about the impossibility of displaying the entered address, the Twitter feed has not been updated for a long time and the Dropbox icon has faded, we need to find out what is happening with us network connection. If everything was fine with him, we would see the picture shown in the screenshot below.
In our case, there will be either a yellow or green indicator. Both of them indicate that there are problems with the connection. Our further actions depend on how the Internet gets to us. If there is no additional equipment between us and the provider, and the Internet reaches the Mac only using twisted pair, you can first try to disconnect and connect the network cable. If this does not work, then you can safely call your provider. If the Internet is distributed through Wi-Fi router, reboot it. Or perform troubleshooting according to the manufacturer's instructions. To improve the reliability of your Internet connection, use Google DNS servers. This will significantly increase its reliability. and describes in more detail the steps that need to be taken if the listed methods do not have any result in troubleshooting problems with connecting to the Internet.
Can't receive or send mail. I use the built-in client to receive and send letters Mail. But I’m sure that similar tools exist in others. mail clients. If you experience some error when trying to send or receive mail and there are no problems with your Internet connection, I recommend checking your connection with mail server. You can do this using the connection inspector built into Mail. If there are any difficulties with the connection, he will indicate the direction in which to dig. By the way, if you use mail on iCloud, it would be a good idea if such errors occur to look at the iCloud services status page. Perhaps at this moment some planned work is being carried out. Apple's knowledge base contains detailed information on diagnosing and troubleshooting problems with the email client.
Troubleshooting software . If you notice that the performance of the system has decreased, loading takes longer, or errors have begun to appear in the operation of some programs, I recommend checking the rights to boot disk, and also check whether it is enough free space on it. This can be done using the Disk Utility program. Personally, I generally recommend checking access rights every few months for preventive purposes. Especially if you frequently install or uninstall programs. Well, I advise you to always monitor for updates and install them promptly. Problems with burning discs. As a rule, they occur after a long break in using SuperDrive. If your computer did not react in any way to the inserted into the drive empty disk, it's too early to panic. First of all, you need to check the settings. They may specify that empty media be ignored. If this is not the case, I advise you to do a little “troubleshooting” using this topic, and, if this turns out to be ineffective, use these tips to find hardware faults.
The bottom line is that by handling your computer with care, using the latest versions of software, ensuring proper care of your Mac, and using all the capabilities that Apple's knowledge base provides, you can avoid most visits to the service center, save your time, stress and reputation Diagnosis and troubleshooting gurus among friends and acquaintances. The author is an experienced poppy grower, head of a service center
