folder on startup

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Level 1

4 points

folder on startup

Hi everybody!

Lately my mac mini (mid 2011) started to have a big problem: for the second time in about 2 months, when I turn on the mac, a folder with a question mark on a grey screen (startup screen i think) appears and the computer won't go on. The first time, after many tries, I simply reinstalled Mac OS using a time machine backup disk. This time I would really like to know if the problem is a hardware one, so I can change the HD, or if there is another way to solve the issue.

Thanks a lot! 🙂

Mac mini, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Oct 10, 2015 7:57 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Niel

Level 10

726,905 points

Oct 12, 2015 3:20 PM in response to gabriele995

Restart with the Option, Command, and R keys held down.

If the Disk Utility doesn’t show the internal drive, it’s a hardware issue, and probably a dead drive.

If it does, it’s either in software or with the drive’s directory structure.

(134711)

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Answer 2

gabriele995 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 12, 2015 3:12 PM in response to Niel

Thanks for your help, anyway, the problem was not a dead drive (i'm a lucky man). It was just the HDD's connection cable, which was not completely inserted down. As I said before, thanks anyway 😀

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Answer 3

Oct 12, 2015 4:22 PM in response to gabriele995

Gabriele, when the boot folder has repeat issues, that is usually a sign the the hard drive is dying. I would get a drive and clone it over, just in case. You may be able to keep it going for a little while, but odds are high it will die soon. You can get an internal drive and enclosure online or at one of the computer stores, and clone the present drive onto the new drive, then just swap the drives internally.

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Answer 4

den.thed

Level 9

77,158 points

Oct 12, 2015 4:30 PM in response to gabriele995

Hi Gab

I never had the ribbon cable connector come loose on either of my Mac Mini's, but I did have one come loose on a friends Mac Mini. On his mac Mini, I ended up putting an extra piece of thin foam tape between the connecter and cowling to help keep the connector secure.