MacBook Pro displaying folder icon accompanied by an inquiry symbol!
MacBook Pro displaying folder icon accompanied by an inquiry symbol!
Hey, remember when you were working on your MacBook Pro about an hour ago? It suddenly shut down and started showing updates. It seemed reasonable since it had been reminding you about updates for a while. I decided to wait and resume later. After roughly five minutes, a folder appeared with a question mark. I searched online and found that I needed to enter recovery mode and choose the boot drive. I did that, and it told me my drive was encrypted—probably because I set a password. I entered it and clicked 'Restart'. It said I should restart from OSX version x.x.x (I don’t recall the numbers). After confirming, another folder with a question mark showed up. Other fixes suggested replacing the hard drive data cable. Does this really match what you had? Are there other steps I should try? Thanks.
It appears some essential files are missing or damaged. I suggest taking it to a repair shop for inspection. Does the issue occur when power is off during the update? Could you share more details about your system—model, age, and version if available? Also, did you notice this message appearing twice?
Just to confirm, you attempted the following steps:
- Power off Mac by holding the power button briefly.
- Turn it back on by pressing the power button once.
- Use Command + R keys to launch macOS Recovery.
- Hold Command and R until you see an Apple logo or globe.
- Connect to Wi-Fi during startup via the prompt.
- Restart using Startup Disk from the menu.
If you need further help, let me know.
I'm happy to assist further. Review the rest of the revised response before continuing. When facing issues where disk utility fails to repair a disk and you wish to try again, it's important to preserve any crucial information. Before deleting your startup disk, ensure you have a recent backup of your important files in your home folder or desktop. If you lack such a backup, consider these options: Connect an external USB, Thunderbolt, or FireWire device to your Mac. Verify the drive is larger than your current startup disk and supports erasing. Use macOS Recovery to wipe the external drive, then install macOS onto it. Choose the external disk during setup so you can restore your data. Once installation completes, your Mac will restart from this external drive. When Setup Assistant appears, pick the option to transfer data from another disk, selecting your built-in startup disk as the source. After migration, follow the remaining steps to finalize. After backing up your data to an external drive, use macOS Recovery to erase your built-in startup disk and reinstall macOS. Pick the internal startup disk for the erase, not the external one. Upon completion, your Mac will restart automatically. If you encounter difficulties during this process, consider scheduling service with an Apple Genius or an authorized service provider for additional support.
Sure! It sounds like you're wondering if reinstalling the OS will wipe everything on your device. This process typically removes the operating system but leaves your files intact unless they were backed up elsewhere. If it does erase data, it usually deletes the OS and temporary files, so backups are important before proceeding. Let me know if you need more details!
Yes, reinstalling macOS usually won’t delete anything, but it’s still wise to back up your data. A virus could remain after the install, and a clean setup might not fix missing folder icons. If you have a backup, proceed with it or consider taking some files with you. Your MacBook should boot into recovery if you follow the steps correctly.
Yes, you can perform your backup using the internal drive during recovery even without an external one.
The indicator shows EFi isn't locating any bootable drives. You'll need to reformat and reinstall from the recovery interface. Only changing the hard drive cable works if you can't wipe the disk. With Time Machine or iCloud enabled, restoration should be possible after reinstalling MacOS. If you lack an external drive, backing up from recovery isn't an option. I advise against reinstalling without erasing the disk.