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- #Mac new hard drive folder question mark install#
- #Mac new hard drive folder question mark driver#
- #Mac new hard drive folder question mark software#
Reformat the startup drive and reinstall macOS Repair the startup drive with Disk Utility Reselect the startup disk in macOS Recovery mode
![mac new hard drive folder question mark mac new hard drive folder question mark](https://iboysoft.com/images/resource/mac-recovery-mode.jpg)
Here are the solutions to fix the folder with question mark on Mac in this post: Then, follow the solutions below to get rid of the blinking folder with question mark and boot up your Mac as usual. So, to avoid data loss, recover files from your Mac first.
#Mac new hard drive folder question mark software#
It could see that both software and hardware errors are the possible causes.įor the worst situation, you can't go past the question folder icon, even with a restart. What does it mean? A folder with a question mark icon means that your startup disk is not detected or doesn't have a usable Mac operating system.Ĭommonly, the folder with a question mark happens after you've booted from an external system drive recently, replaced a new HD or SSD, or updated a recent macOS. With no warning in advance, a flashing folder with a question mark appears when your Mac startup. This forces the firmware to start the CD search from scratch, which is a good thing, and follows the Apple recommendations to the letter. Good idea, when in doubt, to cold start the machine and then hold down the "C" key.
#Mac new hard drive folder question mark driver#
CD must have a bootable OS on it, and the boot track must contain a valid disk driver (usually created at the time the disk is made ). For newcomers, no such thing as loading just any CD in the drive and booting. No Backup? No readable original drive? Then you are bluntly out of luck, and you start fresh.
#Mac new hard drive folder question mark install#
Once the new hard drive is formatted, you can copy your old drive contents, if available via Carbon Copy Cloner, or you can reinstall the MacOS from your original install CD/DVD, and then use the automatically called migration assistant to copy your personal data, applications, and user created files automatically from your backup, or contents of old drive. The system optical plate is bootable, if it won't then see the above and study it.īooting from an optical plate, MUST be operational, otherwise you cannot proceed further. Reformatting the new drive is necessary because all hard drives are formatted at the factory to be recognized by Windows, which is often a Mac no-no. Nextly, a new drive MUST be reformatted using Drive Setup (the Apple Utility) located on your original OS CD/DVD. Also check out the label on he drive, pegging instructions are often printed right on it. The extra setup pins on the hard drive determine all that, and it is a good idea to contact the hard drive maker to get the pegging instructions, as they vary a bit (although less so than for 3.5 inch drives).
![mac new hard drive folder question mark mac new hard drive folder question mark](https://usermanual.wiki/adobe/robohelp2017ugen.682479107-User-Guide-Page-1.png)
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In many very new Macs, the factory is also beginning to use "Chip Select", which allows the on-board controller to sort things out, easier. If not, the CD won't boot a bootable CD disk, because it will be sharing the "Master" access with the hard drive. Firstly, in most Mac Laptops that have IDE (or SATA) drives that are intended to be used in MacOS-X, it is necessary to make the CD "Master" and the HD the "slave" The CD is the original in your machine so the hard drive has to be tagged to be "slave". If not, then the following needs to be discussed. Firstly, I assume you have replaced a laptop drive in a Mac Laptop before.