Blinking Question Mark of Death

Question

Blinking Question Mark of Death

What have I done?? So, I have the new MacBook and I'm giving my MacBook Air to my mom and I thought it would be nice if I did a full clean sweep reset of it for her. So I looked it up online. I rebooted using Command R and I opted for Disk Utility and erased the hard drive. Then I went to Reinstall OS X. It started but then warned me that the item is not available at this time. I tried it again and again. Then I made the mistake or shutting down and restarting. Now, when I boot, because there's no operating system, it just goes to a blinking question mark and a folder. I tried numerous times after that on successive boots to hold down Command R, or Command Option R, even just Option. And sadness, nothing happens.

First tell me that I didn't just ruin this expensive piece of machinery and there is a fix. Tell me that everything is going to be ok.

So here's what I'm thinking of doing, and this is all according to this web page

http://osxdaily.com/2014/10/16/make-os-x-yosemite-boot-install-drive/

Let me know if this is the best solution.

I'm currently downloading to save to a USB drive OS Yosemite from my New MacBook to install on my almost 2 year old MacBook Air. Will this boot drive install and work?

Thank you, thank you, for your time and any assistance you can send my way!

Jay

Posted on Apr 23, 2015 12:59 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Apr 23, 2015 1:04 PM in response to capncrunch203

You need to do this:

Install OS X Using Internet Recovery

Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:

Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.

Partition and Format the hard drive:

Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
After DU loads select your newly installed hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.

Reinstall OS X: Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.

Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

This should restore the version of OS X originally pre-installed on the computer.

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Answer 2

Apr 23, 2015 2:41 PM in response to Kappy

It seems that when I last used the laptop I didn't have the sound up and I've tries to turn up the volume and to no avail it didn't boost. So unfortunately I hear no chime. But I try to time it out. I have also tried the Command Option R but no globe appears. I don't know if it's my timing or something else. The patient 15-20 minutes, does that come into play when I hold the three keys? How long until the globe appears? I have tried several times but like I said, maybe it's because I have no chime that I'm pressing it at the wrong moment. Any advice? By the way, thank you very much for your response. I am looking forward to trying this out and fixing my issue.

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Apr 23, 2015 3:04 PM in response to capncrunch203

What comes into play is the exact Mac model you have. Prior to 2011 you could not use Internet Recovery. If that' the case for you, then see the following:

Clean Install of Snow Leopard

Be sure to make a backup first because the following procedure will erase

the drive and everything on it.

1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came

with your computer. Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.

After the chime press and hold down the "C" key. Release the key when you see

a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.

2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue

button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.

After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive

size.) Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the number of

partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button

and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended

(Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.

3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed

with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.

4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup

Assistant. After you finish Setup Assistant will complete the installation after which

you will be running a fresh install of OS X. You can now begin the update process

by opening Software Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your

installation current.

Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

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Answer 4

Apr 23, 2015 8:18 PM in response to Kappy

The Macbook Air was purchased around the time they were released on 6/17/13. It also did not have an installer disc nor does it have a CD drive to use it. Let me tell you that I greatly appreciate your help and any further assistance is graciously welcomed.

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Answer 5

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Apr 23, 2015 8:30 PM in response to capncrunch203

Install OS X Using Internet Recovery

Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.

Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:

Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.

Partition and Format the hard drive:

Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
After DU loads select your newly installed hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.

Reinstall OS X: Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.

Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

This should restore the version of OS X originally pre-installed on the computer.

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Answer 6

Apr 24, 2015 6:21 AM in response to Kappy

What do you recommend if holding Command Option R isn't working? How long should I hold it down for? I press them until I see the blinking question mark then I let go. Should I be holding it longer. Could I have done something that holding those don't work??

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Answer 7

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Apr 24, 2015 9:38 AM in response to capncrunch203

Do you have an Internet connection? It will not work unless you have a Mid-2011 model or later: Computers that can be upgraded to use OS X Internet Recovery. Otherwise, you must use the Snow Leopard disk that came with the computer when it was new.

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