If your computer can’t identify your hard drive, it might not startup. Here are some reasons why you might see this question : This is as a result of either the Mac is corrupt or simply a failure to detect the startup disk. What causes flashing question mark while booting MacĪs explained above, a Macbook pro flashing folder means your Mac cannot discover its boot directory. This can arise because you might have started up your computer from an external disk and later unplugged it, or it means your hard drive has failed. This question mark is an indication that your Mac is failing to identify its startup disk, leading to failure to boot. What does a folder with a question mark mean on a MacBook?Ī flashing question mark Mac appearing on your screen on startup is one of the most dreaded things that can ever happen to you. However, this shouldn’t be the case because things can always go wrong and be fixed at some point without much trauma. However, when you need it to work as expected, things can quickly go wrong, leaving you with lots of questions. Most people are guilty of thinking that your Mac computer will work perfectly forever. Part 1: Why folder with a question mark appears at Mac startup

Part 3: Important tips for Mac computer startup.

Part 2: 5 solutions to Mac flashing folder with a question mark.Part 1: Why folder with a question mark appears at Mac startup.If they send you a disk you'll then need to locate an Apple external optical drive if you don't have one. It will cost you around 20 dollars (you maybe asked for your systems S/N). If you can't find someone with the needed OS your last hope is to call Apple and order the recovery disk/USB. The one issue here you'll face is your system can only support 10.7.5 (Lion) or older (Snow Leopard being the better OS). See if you can prep up a USB thumb drive off of a friends mac. If you don't have any means to recover things, you still have an out.

Using any one of these you should be able to install a fresh copy of your OS onto your new drive. If not is your old HD still working? If it is you could try using a universal drive adapter to connect it via your USB port. Ben - Your new hard drive does not have the needed software on it yet.ĭo you still have the USB thumb drive? Or if you have the external optical drive and the recovery CD/DVD that came with your system?

Mac new hard drive question mark folder