What to do if Mac shows a folder with a question mark. Macovod's notes: we troubleshoot Mac problems with our own hands

A folder with a question that appeared when booting up the MacBook indicates that the device could not find the system files it needs to work. In some cases, the folder with a question mark appears for only a few seconds, and then the laptop continues to boot normally. To avoid this on subsequent power-ups, you must re-select the startup disk in the MacBook preferences. To do this, select "System Preferences" from the Apple menu and click on "Boot Volume". After that, it remains from the list of available volumes to select the one that is usually used when booting the device. By default, this volume may be named Macintosh HD.

If, after these steps, when the MacBook boots up, the folder with the question appears as before, then you need to take other actions aimed at detecting the MacBook system software. To do this, turn off your MacBook using the "Power" button and turn it on again while holding the "Option" button. After that, the boot manager window should appear on the display, in which you must select the boot volume.

It so happens that the boot manager does not have a boot volume or it is, but is indicated by a prohibiting icon. In this case, you need to select the Recovery HD volume intended for system recovery and try to boot from it. You can also try to fix the problem by using Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. In the program menu, select the Macintosh HD volume and go to the First Aid item. In this menu there is a button "Repair disk", by clicking on which you start checking the disk for errors and debugging it. After the message about the completion of the check and repair appears, the MacBook needs to be restarted.

If you try to boot the computer while pressing the"Option" / the system does not display any logical drives, then most likely the problem is related to failure of the HDD / SSD disk and needs to be replaced. Also, a malfunction can be caused by a failed hard disk cable. In such cases, you should not experiment with attempts to repair "on your own", but it is better to immediately contact a qualified service center. Diagnostics of such a malfunction, with all the software and hardware available, is quick, which will save you time and money.

In some cases, all of the above methods to start booting your MacBook may be powerless and there is a chance that you will have to resort to reinstalling the operating system. The apparent simplicity of this process should not be misleading and become a reason for experimentation, because the stable operation of your device depends on the correct installation of the OS. If you are not a confident user and have never performed such a task, then it is best to entrust the reinstallation to a service center specialist who will certainly cope with this task quickly and without problems.

You turned on your laptop Apple- but instead of the usual OS X boot screen or login window, you see only a gray screen and a folder with a question mark? Below we will discuss what may be wrong with your Mac.

If, nevertheless, you are faced with this and you need it, please contact us and we will help you.

"Wrong" periphery

The first of the possible reasons is a failure due to incompatible peripheral (external to the computer) equipment. These include: external hard drives / flash drives, printers, hubs and any other devices that connect to the Mac through the connector USB.

To check for incompatible peripherals, turn off your Mac, disconnect all external devices - external HDD, printers, Ethernet-cables (do not turn off the monitor, mouse and keyboard - they probably have nothing to do with it), etc. Turn on your computer. If the download is successful, it means that one of your peripherals has failed. Using the selection method (i.e. one at a time), connect peripherals to the Mac and identify the source of the problem. Once detected, try updating the peripheral device software or connecting it to your Mac with a different USB cable.

If your Mac still shows the gray screen of death, go 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 your Mac, and then turn it back on and - right away! - hold down the key on the keyboard ⇧Shift... To track the 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 restarting it right away. If not, go to the next item.

Reset NVRAM or PRAM

Turn off your computer. Turn it on again and immediately hold down the keys ⌘Cmd + ⌥Option (Alt) + P + R... Hold them down until the computer restarts. As soon as you hear the signature sound of Mac turning on, you can release the buttons.

After resetting NVRAM, you may need to make a few more settings, such as choosing the boot volume and time zone.

Doesn't help anyway? Then read on.

OS X Installation Disc and Disk Utility

Most likely, the Mac that is experiencing problems is no longer young, and the kit also came with an installation disc 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 the key on the keyboard WITH... On the menu Utility select item Disk utility... Recover your Mac OS X volume, if you encounter problems, do re-restoration... Were there any problems with it? Rebuild access rights... After completing the procedures, restart your Mac.

There is also another option for actions - installation of the "Archive and install" type (while saving user and network settings).

Removing third-party components

Try removing all the modules you inserted into the Mac yourself - RAM, floppy drives, SSD drives, and the like - and reinstall the original components. The goal is to bring the Mac to the state it was sold to.

Clean reinstallation of OS X

The last chance to solve your Mac problems programmatically. The reinstallation process will remove all of your files. Insert the bootable Mac OS X 10.4 / 10.5 disk into the drive, turn off the computer, turn it on and immediately hold down the key on the keyboard WITH... In the menu that appears, select Erase and install.

Hard drive problems

Most likely cause. You may need to replace your Mac's hard drive. Try to check the HDD on another Mac or boot OS X on your Mac from a bootable USB stick or disk.

It is possible that the ribbon cable from the HDD to the motherboard is broken. Contact a specialist for diagnostics and replacement of the cable (or disk, if it is broken).

Finally, a slightly exotic, but also viable scenario. If your Mac is no longer a factory HDD disk, but an SSD drive, you may have an active utility TRIM Enabler(it is installed for stable and fast SSD performance), and after activating it, you updated the system to. The latest version of Apple OS blocks any driver not signed by the Apple company. Try the following: reset PRAM as above, enter recovery mode (hold ⌘Cmd + R at boot), run through the utilities menu Terminal and enter the command:

Nvram boot-args = kext-dev-mode = 1

How can you solve most of the problems yourself that may arise while working with an iPhone or iPad. Today I will share similar tips and tricks for Mac. So, the vast majority of users, if they have any problems with their MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, MacBook Air, iMac and Mac mini, or call a friend who understands the issue a little better than they themselves or rush headlong to search 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 if my Mac won't turn on or boot?

Check the battery... Sometimes it happens that, due to any external reasons or careless handling, the Mac stopped turning on. Do not 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 indicator that is located on the case or on the battery itself. It looks as shown in the figure. It may well be that his battery ran out overnight.

Check the power supply... Try connecting a different adapter to your MacBook. Despite the different shape of the MagSafe connector, MacBook Pro power supplies are interchangeable. If there is no second power supply unit, check the operation of the outlet by connecting, for example, a lamp to it. If it's a desktop iMac or Mac Pro, try replacing the network cable. You can read more about troubleshooting MagSafe power supplies.

Check connecting cables... You may have inadvertently snagged the cable and it does not fit snugly in the socket. Unplug it and then plug it back in. Check monitor operation... If you're using Apple Cinema Display with a MacBook, iMac, or Mac Pro, check to see if it's connected to a network. If the monitor indicator light blinks in a special way, this may indicate a malfunction. For more information on troubleshooting with built-in or external displays, see. Check if 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 try the installation again. If that doesn't help, return the original parts. Gray screen... If you turn on your computer and you see a gray screen with the Apple logo and a boot indicator and nothing happens for a long time, try shutting down your Mac, disconnecting all peripherals (printers, external hard drives, optical drives, modems, etc.), Ethernet cables, and turning on the computer. again. If that doesn't help, reboot into Safe Mode. If this does not solve the problem, reset the PRAM and NVRAM. Flashing question mark... This message indicates that your Mac cannot see the boot volume. This can be caused by a jammed mouse or trackpad button during boot, damaged system files, or a hard drive failure. If the button is actually pinched, release it and try downloading again. If that doesn't work, then check if 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 there is a Macintosh HD among them, then most likely everything is in order with the disk, but Mac OS X itself is damaged. Renaming or moving the Applications, automount, Library, System, Users folders or mach_kernel. You can use these instructions to restore it. In general, if you suspect a hardware problem, you can test your Mac's components using the Apple Hardware Functional Test utility. If you have a Mac that came with OS X Lion, you need an internet connection. If your Mac is with earlier versions of Mac OS X, then use a bootable disk or USB 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, third-party software can be the cause. However, it is possible that your system is "knocked down" by some piece of hardware, the drivers of which do not properly interact with the Mac OS X kernel. First, try disabling all peripherals and restarting the computer. If the problem persists, try updating the software installed on your Mac. Pay special attention to non-Apple apps. If you are unable to resolve the issue on your own, use Apple's suggestions for resolving the issue.

Dealing with the rest

Imagine that you have problems connecting to the Internet. Or, say, the mail is not being sent. It seems that there is 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 in handy. I can't go 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, there has been no update of the twitter feed for a long time and the Dropbox icon has faded, we need to find out what is happening with our network connection. If everything was all right with him, we would see the picture shown in the screenshot below.

In our case, there will be either a yellow or a green indicator. They both indicate that there is a problem 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 gets to the Mac only using a twisted pair, you can first try to disconnect and connect the network cable. If this does not work, then you can safely call the provider. If the Internet is distributed through a Wi-Fi router, reload it. Or troubleshoot according to the manufacturer's instructions. Use Google's DNS servers to improve the reliability of your internet connection. This will significantly improve its reliability. and outlines in more detail the steps to be taken if the listed methods have failed to troubleshoot Internet connection problems.

I can't receive or send mail... I use the built-in client to send and receive mails Mail. But I'm sure there are similar tools in other email clients as well. If, when trying to send or receive mail, you get some kind of error and there are no problems with the Internet connection, I recommend checking the connection to the mail server. You can do this using the Mail's built-in connection inspector. 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 will not be superfluous, if such errors occur, to look at the status page of iCloud services. Perhaps at this moment some planned work is being carried out. The Apple Knowledge Base provides detailed information on diagnosing and troubleshooting mail client problems.

Troubleshoot software problems... If you notice that the performance of the system has slowed down, it takes longer to load or errors begin to appear in the operation of some programs, I recommend checking the rights on the boot disk, as well as checking if there is enough free space on it. This can be done using the "Disk Utility" program. Personally, I just recommend checking access rights at intervals of several months, for preventive purposes. Especially if you frequently install or uninstall programs. Well, I advise you to always monitor the availability of updates and install them promptly. Disc burning problems... They usually occur after a long period of non-use of the SuperDrive. If your computer has not responded in any way to a blank disc inserted into the drive, it is too early to panic. First of all, you need to check the settings. They can be specified to ignore blank media. If this is not the case, I advise you to carry out a little "troubleshooting" using this topic, and if it turns out to be ineffective, use these tips to find hardware faults.

In the bottom line, treating your computer with care, using the latest software versions, taking proper care of your Mac and using all the capabilities that the Apple knowledge base provides, you can avoid most visits to the service center, save your time, nerves and reputation. a guru on diagnostics and troubleshooting among friends and acquaintances. Author - experienced makovod, head of the service center

Every Mac user, be it MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or Apple desktops, can face a similar problem - the Mac won't boot, and the screen displays a folder icon with a question mark inside. At the same time, the operating system is not loaded beyond this screen. Depending on the version of the installed operating system, it might look like this:

What does it mean when the Mac shows a folder with a question mark?

This means that the Mac does not see or cannot correctly recognize the boot volume from which it needs to boot the operating system. The reasons for this can be different: from damage to system files of the operating system to hardware failure of the hard drive or hard drive connecting cable.

Of course, it is impossible to find out the exact causes of a malfunction without diagnosing a computer, but it is still possible to determine something without contacting a service center. If your Mac won't boot and you see a folder with a question mark on the screen, try one of the following: Turn off and then turn on your computer. When enabled, press and hold the Alt key. If after that the screen displays a list of available bootable disk volumes, and among them there is the "Macintosh HD" volume (the standard name of the MacOS boot volume), then most likely the problem is of a software nature. If the list is not displayed, there is a possibility of hardware problems.

What if Mac shows a folder with a question mark?

If your Mac won't start and you see a folder with a question mark on the screen, depending on the cause of the problem, the solution may vary:

If the problem is of a software nature, then, as a rule, everything is solved by a simple reinstallation of the operating system. In this case, the ability to save data directly depends on how critical the system errors that led to the failure of the computer. If it is possible to get access to the files of the boot volume by loading through an external system, then it will be possible to save the user data; if the system errors are so critical that there will be no access to the boot volume, you will have to reinstall the software without saving the information.
If the problem is of a hardware nature, you should clarify the true reasons for its occurrence. For example, on MacBook models that have a hard drive on board, rather than a solid-state SSD-drive, the hard drive ribbon cable, which must be replaced, can often fail. In this case, provided that the hard drive itself is in order, all user information remains in place. The hard drive itself may fail, and if this is really the case, then it is replaced with a new one, and the possibility of extracting data from the old one, if necessary, is determined by the specialists of the service center.

In the conditions of a service center, it is very easy to determine the reasons for the failure of a computer, because the necessary hardware and software are available, and the wizards have extensive experience with Mac computers. You can read more about Mac repair in the corresponding section of our website: "".

If you are faced with the fact that your Mac does not boot, a folder with a question mark is displayed on the screen, contact us - our wizards will diagnose your computer and offer a quality solution. - we will always be happy to help in solving your problems.

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The 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, incidents sometimes happen. For example, users of old 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's clarify right away that in the new modifications of these branded devices, that is, in the models of the new sample (such as the MacBook Pro Retina), the manufacturers have changed the design of the laptops. That is, older MacBooks are equipped with a hard drive (hard drive), which is connected via a SATA cable, while newer models are equipped with proprietary SSD drives. And therefore, problems with loading with modern device modifications, if they happen, are displayed somewhat differently.

So, you have a folder with a question mark on your MacBook. This means a problematic loading of the device. To be more precise, this icon will indicate that the system cannot access the information stored on the hard drive (data drive). That is, to put it simply, the MacBook does not see its hard drive.

A number of factors can be the cause of this malfunction.

Mechanical damage to the device, in particular directly to the hard drive itself, can be put in the first place. Recall that a hard disk is a whole mechanism that consists of a reader (laser head) and several rotating platters. It is very easy to damage the internal mechanisms with a sudden movement or hard impact (fall) of the device. And often the result of this treatment of the MacBook is closed access to information stored on the hard drive.

The second causative factor can 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, sometime there comes a moment of its complete wear and, accordingly, refusal to work. In order for such a moment not to catch you by surprise, and all important information would not be irretrievably lost, it is necessary to make backups.

Another causal factor for the image of a folder and a question mark that appears on the MacBook monitor is a faulty hard disk cable. The role of this ribbon cable is to connect the hard drive to the MacBook motherboard. This detail is very delicate, 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 are, in most cases, the cause of the rupture of thin signal lines of the loop.

As a rule, such damage cannot be detected with the naked eye. But in order to avoid this, it is very important to timely and regularly carry out preventive cleaning of all internal parts that make up Apple's MacBook.

Another reason for the appearance of a folder with a question mark on the MacBook screen may be the incorrect installation of the Optibay adapter during the device upgrade. Friction of the loop can occur even with the seemingly insignificant mismatch in size. And the result of this will be a problematic download, or none at all.

These are, perhaps, the most basic reasons that can cause a picture of a folder with a question mark on the device monitor.

Every user of a branded MacBook should remember that a specialist should carry out an accurate diagnosis of this branded device. Self-determination of the causes of malfunctions can lead to more serious damage to internal mechanisms and parts, as well as their subsequent expensive repairs.

In our iFix service center in Kiev, experienced and highly professional masters will quickly and with a quality guarantee be able to determine the exact reason for the inability to boot your MacBook and carry out the appropriate repairs.

We work without breaks and days off. Our experts are always at your service.