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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Flashing Q mark OS 9

Just_a_Mo - Nov 15, 2007 - 3:22 pm

Hi, any help appreciated. My ibook has done it again and is giving me the flashing question mark on startup. I've had this problem previously and resolved it by using my OS X CDs to startup in OSX and then switching the startup disk back to OS9. Unfortunately my OS X CDs I left in London and i cannot find the "Software Install" CD for OS 9 (presumably it came with one? I can't remember sorry!). All I have are the 4 "Software Restore" CDs for OS 9 which will erase my hard drive and months of unbacked up work.

Is there any solution or anywhere I can buy a download that will help find my hard drive? Or even enable me to get the files off my ibook (the most important ones are on the desktop though ). I have another imac but the software restore CDs don't work on the ibook.

Sorry to go on ... I did copy my system folder over to the imac a few months back so is it possible to make a CD from that, that will help temporarily boot my ibook up? I tried burning that system folder to a CD and starting up on the ibook holding down C but it just ignored it.

Absolutely any help appreciated

Thanks

ScottW - Nov 15, 2007 - 3:30 pm

You can typically choose which Startup Disk you want by holding down the "Option" key when you power on the system. Keep holding it down until it comes up and gives you a choice of "Startup Disks".

Let me know if that works, if not we can address it in further detail.

Scott

Just_a_Mo - Nov 15, 2007 - 3:51 pm

Thank you for answering.

I have held the option key down until it comes up with a sort of "circular" arrow on the left hand side and a straight arrow on the right hand side. nothing happens when i click either arrow apart from the clock-icon ticking round for a minute or so.

Can I create a startup disk, given that I have the old system folder on a different mac .. if so how?

Cheers
Mo

ScottW - Nov 15, 2007 - 9:54 pm

Sounds like to me, it's not seeing the internal drive, which would go along with the flashing question mark. Unlike previously where you booted form a CD and chose a new startup disk, if the "startup" "option key" chooser doesn't see the drive, you may have a more complicated issue.

In these cases, I HIGHLY recommend Disk Warrior. It is a commercial product, and while I would love to recommend a free option, it is the only commercial product I recommend for cases like this, where the drive seems to have disappeared. You can buy it online from their site and download a copy and burn your own CD and/or wait for a copy to copy in the mail.

This provides a "bootable" CD you can use, and of course, run the DiskWarrior against the drive.

If you have access to another Mac, you could start your system up in targeted firewire mode (T) key at startup, and then just attempt to access your drive as though it was an external drive to the other machine. Then you can run disk utility against it and try and figure out what is going on.

Scott

Just_a_Mo - Nov 17, 2007 - 9:48 am

Hi

My problem is resolved. I found a friend who had the OSX disk and so I re-installed it and then ran disk repair and was able to boot back into OS 9 and retrieve all my work.

I did try the Firewire suggestion but the other mac said "This disk is unreadable Eject/Initialise! Many thanks for your prompt response and advice anyway.

Cheers

Mo

ScottW - Nov 19, 2007 - 10:49 am

Good to hear, glad you got it fixed.