# Please help Can't start up computer



## calidude6000 (Aug 18, 2004)

Hello,

I am working on my mac and i can't figure out whats wrong with it. When I start up it begins to start up fine then all of a sudden before it fully starts up there is a folder in the middle flashing a question mark. I can put CD's in it. What should i DO?


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## escobar187 (Aug 20, 2004)

which mac os u are using ?
which mac u have ? .. 
anyways .. make ur extensions off by holding down SHIFT key after restart ..
if it works fine , then u have some bad extensions ..
u need to do clean installation ..
if its still the same , boot from CD that came with your mac ..
hope it will work with u ..


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## G4user (Sep 17, 2004)

i am haveing the same exact problem, i cant figure it out i have tried everything, if i reboot/boot and hold down shift the folder with flashing icon and '?' still appears. 

i have tried to reinstall mac OS X but when i get to the step to choose a disk my HD is not an option. i have run all the software repairs and harware checks, everything comes up as OK. Also when i am reinstalling MAC OS X i go to disk utilities but they do not give me the option of repairing my harddrive? 

i have tried booting up and holding down S and command that brings you to, or should a black screen and i am supposed to be able to repair my disk from there but i am only able to reach that page if i have a CD in and then the commands ( /sbn/fsck -fy ) only check the CD for repair. i am stuck on this for days now. all of my friends are computer buffs but they know nothing about mac, i am completed fustrated, any help out there? or should i just go to the work bench and get out the hammer?


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## Daphne (Sep 17, 2004)

*Startup question mark*

Hi,

I'm sorry, but you seem to have a problem there. When a question mark flashes, the system software is damaged or not installed.

There's a chance your files are still on your hard drive when you re-install your system software (by CD), but there's also a chance you have a complete empty machine, except for the system software of course. You can restore your files by connecting your mac to another mac with a firewire cable. You can get acces to your hard drive and copy your files to the other mac.

Did you install the system software after booting up from CD? Your hard disk should be visible as an option to install the software. Maybe your harddrive is damaged and you have to replace it by a new one. You can use any hard drive, they are both compatible for PC and Mac. 

Anyway, you have to re-install the system software (mac OS) or replace your hard disk.

Good luck!


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## G4user (Sep 17, 2004)

is disk warrior worth buying and trying for this problem or is this problem far beyond that?


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## shuuhen (Sep 4, 2004)

First, you should list what the computer's specs are. In this case the OS is the most important.

Second, the flashing question mark means the computer cannot find a valid system folder. You should boot from another disk that has a system folder on it. To boot from a cd you hold 'c' while the computer is booting/rebooting.

If you have Mac OS X and Disk Utility doesn't fix anything, you might need to reinstall the OS. It's a good idea to use the 'archive' option. Just to tell you, when you run fsck (/sbin/fsck), the -y option tells it 'yes to all.' I usually run it without any options.

If you have Mac OS 9 or earlier, you should boot from a removable disk. A system install disk works great. You can run Disk First Aid from there. The disk for a maintenance program is also a good choice. Check to see if the System Folder and the file 'System' (located in the System Folder) have the usual Mac icon. A reinstall of the OS would probably work here, but if you do this rename the current System Folder to something else. Also, a reinstall is usually a last resort.



> Did you install the system software after booting up from CD? Your hard disk should be visible as an option to install the software. Maybe your harddrive is damaged and you have to replace it by a new one. You can use any hard drive, they are both compatible for PC and Mac.


 Acutally, you need to know if your computer uses IDE (ATA) or SCSI. The former is used in most new Macs. G5s use Serial ATA.

DiskWarrior has fixed some of the weirdest problems I've ever seen. I haven't tried the OS X version, but it works great on my OS 9 and earlier computers. TechTool Pro is also great.


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## G4user (Sep 17, 2004)

i got a new HD and i am still at square one. nothing has changed except i am becoming more and more hostile toward everything electronic. i just cannot figure this out. its like my HD is not there?


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## shuuhen (Sep 4, 2004)

G4user said:


> i got a new HD and i am still at square one. nothing has changed except i am becoming more and more hostile toward everything electronic. i just cannot figure this out. its like my HD is not there?


You just get the flashing question mark? Have you tried zapping the PRAM?


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## hexstar (Aug 1, 2004)

This means that finder and possible some other criticle system files are missing/corrupt, if you have a backup of your system folder boot off a cd to get into MacOS and replace your system folder with the backup


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## shuuhen (Sep 4, 2004)

hexstar said:


> This means that finder and possible some other criticle system files are missing/corrupt, if you have a backup of your system folder boot off a cd to get into MacOS and replace your system folder with the backup


Not necessarily. I never have had any main system files get corrupted. Sometimes the directory needs repair, the system needs to be "reblessed" or some other rare problem causes this. However, backups are a good thing to have and keep updated.


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