mac pro 1.1 boot problem

anybody???

thank you, lllaass, for the link and info. Hatter, my hardware profile as follows; 2.66 ghz xeon dual core x2, 4 gb ram, 250 gb maxtor hdd, 512 mb ati radeon x 1900 xt, airport card, os x 10.6 . i just got this computer from an online seller. and so when the flashing question mark showed up (and the mac still won't boot past that screen) i had never seen it before on my other mac pro, i posted here and since have read some of the info on this and apples main site. the majority of which point to bad hard drive. that being said, now i need to know if simply replacing the drive with a new one will fix this problem. i have snow leopard and lion installer disks and since i only just got the mac i don't have any files to lose on it. i have a choice of sending the whole computer back for exchange or refund, or keep it and change out drives, reinstall os and pretty much void any further warranty claims.( the seller gave a thirty day warranty) the mac itself is in great shape as far as i can see, case is very clean, inside looks to be in pristine condition. i really like the well cared for appearance of this machine. but looks aren't everything, so i'm hoping you guys can tell me if there are any other issues that could be related this problem besides the hard drive, i'm basing my decision on what info i can find out here, and apple's main site. thanks in advance for any insight you may be able to share.

0

thanks again lllaass, for the diagnostics link which turns out to be apple hardware test in my mac's case. however my mac won't run the test, when i press d as i turn the mac on it never opens the test logo or app. so i guess this can only be done once i have a functioning system drive installed. what i'm concerned with is could there be any other hidden hardware issues that would cause this flashing "?" at start up? i need to figure this out before i change hard drives out, 1 because i don't to purchase a new drive if there's a chance i end up returning the mac, 2, i don't want to void my ability for refund and return if i can't be sure this is purely a osx / hdd problem that would fixed by new drive and osx install. 3, other than points 1 & 2, i really like this computer as has almost zero visible flaws or defects, everything appears to be well care for and pristine, which in the used mac world is a rare or at least way more expensive trait to find. 4, i hate to expose the computer to more risks of being damaged via shipping, after getting it here in one piece, so if i am to keep this mac i would rather make what repairs are needed myself to verify they were done with care and caution and that i don't receive the computer back in worse condition than it is. but i am not an expert tech so i want to eliminate the chances getting into way more complex hardware diagnostics/repairs than installing a drive or memory, or pci e card. so i am still seeking advice due to this issue, but hopefully i have explained my situation a little better now, and as always any insights concerning this is greatly appreciated, thanks.

bill

thanks Hatter, i was thinking along similar lines with the hdd, as for the 1900xt are you saying it could be causing the flashing "?", ? because the monitor seems to be working fine, at start up i get the mac tone then the grey screen with apple logo, then seconds later the "?", also on the mac pro 4,1 $499 is a great price, however it's about twice what i paid for the mac pro 1,1, and i might add my original mac pro 1,1 with ssd , 24 gb ram , osx lion, runs great and has been very reliable as the center of my audio recording/editing studio, which was one of my reasons for purchasing this 2nd mac pro 1,1 for a general use family computer for the wife and kids.