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Lujas513 · Jun 30, 2007, 03:06 AM

when i turn on my ibook a little icon comes up a flashing folder with a questoins mark on it what do i do does anyone know?

C.A.T.S. CEO · Jun 30, 2007, 03:35 AM

Originally Posted by Lujas513

when i turn on my ibook a little icon comes up a flashing folder with a questoins mark on it what do i do does anyone know?

It means that It can't find a boot disk, maybe your HD died? Or the OS crapped out?

btw, please choose more descriptive thread titles

Lujas513 · Jun 30, 2007, 03:48 AM

well wha tshould i do?

C.A.T.S. CEO · Jun 30, 2007, 04:09 AM

Um, why don't you reinstall the OS? Use Archive and Install 1st, then a full reinstall. If that doesn't work then your HD died, so all of your data will be gone.

Lujas513 · Jun 30, 2007, 04:15 AM

so if i reinstall osx all my data will be gone?

analogika · Jun 30, 2007, 08:13 AM

No, if you re-install OS X using the "Archive and Install" option, all your data is still there.

If that fails - or if the machine cannot find the disk to install onto - then, in all likelihood, your data is ALREADY gone.

In that case the box needs to go in for repair, and you'll have to set up the system from scratch afterwards, restoring your data from the backups you keep of everything important.

What exactly happened?

You just turned it on one day and it refused to find the internal disk?

Lujas513 · Jun 30, 2007, 11:10 AM

do you think you can give me a step by step way to do this threw the archive and install? im not sure how to do it

rjt1000 · 12:22 PM

Your hard drive may be dead or dying. The first thing you need to do is start up with your OS X install disk. Then run disk utility first aid (it is one of the menu options) on your internal hard drive and try to verify your disk. If it finds repairable errors, fix them and then repeat until it finds no errors. If it finds unrepairable errors or cant even find the hard drive, you can try another disk repair utility like Disk Warrior but your drive (and data) may already be gone. If it finds no errrors, then you probably have some corrupted or lost system files. If thats the case you can go with the Archive and install option to replace your OS and keep the old data as an archive.

Hopefully you have not lost your data. Many of us have learned about the need to do backups the hard way. Once you get things going again, commit yourself to a reasonable backup routine.

Lujas513 · Jun 30, 2007, 12:25 PM

ok i have no idea what you just said im not a computer fixer here i just need a STEP by STEP way to do it.

Lujas513 · Jun 30, 2007, 02:36 PM

alright well i fixed it now YAY thanks for everything

deeper · Jul 1, 2007, 11:36 AM

Congratulations for getting it running again. This is why we should have some kind of back up system, so that if your hard drive dies, (and yours may be dying,) you still have the important stuff. Good luck!

robshoy · Jul 1, 2007, 02:08 PM

This is exactly why Time Machine will rock.

Peter · Jul 1, 2007, 05:10 PM

wont help since Time Machine requires that you're booted into Leopard, he was getting this at bootup.

robshoy · Jul 1, 2007, 07:14 PM

But Time Machine has a complete backup of your OS too, not just the files. If his HD did die and he got it replaced or got a new Mac, he would be able to restore every single detail of his machine through Time Machine. Steve mentioned this at the first keynote about it.

shifuimam · Jul 2, 2007, 07:57 AM

Unless the hard drive catastrophically failed and had mechanical or platter damage. Time machine won't do a thing if your hard drive is completely inaccessible.

Don't depend on Time Machine as your only data backup. You're just asking for trouble if you do.

analogika · Jul 2, 2007, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by shifuimam

Unless the hard drive catastrophically failed and had mechanical or platter damage. Time machine won't do a thing if your hard drive is completely inaccessible.

Don't depend on Time Machine as your only data backup. You're just asking for trouble if you do.

Huh? I think you're confused.

Time Machine writes a complete chronicled backup of your hard drive onto a SECOND PHYSICAL DRIVE.

Time Machine pops up a window every time a *new* hard drive is hooked up to the computer, asking if you wish to use the new drive as a Time Machine backup drive.

When you (re-)install Leopard, the first thing the installer asks you is whether there is a Time Machine backup drive connected. If yes, you simply tell the Installer where it is, and even after a complete hard drive replacement, you're up and running at the exact state you were in before things started going wrong WITHIN AN HOUR. With no effort on your part whatsoever except having clicked "Yes" once when first connecting the hard drive, and again when re-installing the system.

Total no-brainer back-up, no effort required.

Marvellous!

shifuimam · Jul 3, 2007, 07:46 AM

Originally Posted by analogika

Huh? I think you're confused.

Time Machine writes a complete chronicled backup of your hard drive onto a SECOND PHYSICAL DRIVE.

Time Machine pops up a window every time a *new* hard drive is hooked up to the computer, asking if you wish to use the new drive as a Time Machine backup drive.

When you (re-)install Leopard, the first thing the installer asks you is whether there is a Time Machine backup drive connected. If yes, you simply tell the Installer where it is, and even after a complete hard drive replacement, you're up and running at the exact state you were in before things started going wrong WITHIN AN HOUR. With no effort on your part whatsoever except having clicked "Yes" once when first connecting the hard drive, and again when re-installing the system.

Total no-brainer back-up, no effort required.

Marvellous!

So you're forced to have an external hard drive if you want to use Time Machine on your laptop?

That's really shitty. I would assume that there's an option to keep backups of your data in Time Machine on your laptop's internal drive, so that you can restore old versions on-the-fly without needing to haul around an extra drive...

JonoMarshall · Jul 3, 2007, 08:46 AM

That's really shitty. I would assume that there's an option to keep backups of your data in Time Machine on your laptop's internal drive, so that you can restore old versions on-the-fly without needing to haul around an extra drive...

Imagine how many average consumers would think all their information was safe if their HD stopped working though... "I'm fine, I've got Time Machine after all".

It's much better to encourage making a backup using an external drive and if you really wanted to, I imagine you could create a disk image on your internal disk and backup to that for "on-the-fly" restores.

Googer-Giger · Jul 3, 2007, 09:01 AM

Many of the errors with HDs in laptops come from physical damage, like dropping or denting. There are many HDs that are portable and very small and designed to be carried around with laptops.