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does this apply to iMac computers too?

how do i fix a black white screen start up, with a question mark and a folder on it.

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Dec 16, 2020 10:26 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 17, 2020 3:18 PM

If you have followed all the troubleshooting steps on what to do if a question mark appears, that indicates the Mac cannot find it's startup volume, this means your hard drive may have failed, the hard disk has been completely erased etc. You can use Internet Recovery if the computer is a 2012 or later if the drive was simply erased or you can boot into the Recovery Partition and install Mac OS from the RP.


However, if it is a hardware failure there is nothing a help forum can do other than to tell you your next stop is to visit your local Apple Authorized Service Provider to have the computer professionally diagnosed and then you can select your repair option.

5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 17, 2020 3:18 PM in response to iD-3

If you have followed all the troubleshooting steps on what to do if a question mark appears, that indicates the Mac cannot find it's startup volume, this means your hard drive may have failed, the hard disk has been completely erased etc. You can use Internet Recovery if the computer is a 2012 or later if the drive was simply erased or you can boot into the Recovery Partition and install Mac OS from the RP.


However, if it is a hardware failure there is nothing a help forum can do other than to tell you your next stop is to visit your local Apple Authorized Service Provider to have the computer professionally diagnosed and then you can select your repair option.

Dec 17, 2020 3:05 PM in response to iD-3

Did you boot into recovery? Holding Command + R keys immediately after hitting the power button to boot or the restart menu option?


What happened?


You will have the folder with the ? until you install a Mac OS. That image tells you that the computer cannot find its startup disk, so you can't boot from it. That is why you need to either boot from a plugged in external clone or the built in recovery options.

does this apply to iMac computers too?

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