I have a late 2007 macbook. I was browsing in firefox today and I started getting the spinning rainbow wheel and the computer wouldn't respond for about 10 seconds while the rainbow wheel was up, then it would respond for like 3 seconds, then again with the wheel, no response. It did this a few times and I could hear the hard drive make some noise during the 3 second response periods. It wasn't a strange noise, just sounded like the hard drive would stop working while the computer wasn't responding and then start again while it was. So I held the power button, computer turned off, I turned it back on, all it shows is a gray screen and then a flashing folder with a question mark in it. my usb ports still work, at least they will still charge my phone.
If I hold alt option key down I get a mouse cursor that I can move around but thats all. anything else I can try?
I found this: A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
I assume it can't find the system software cause the hard drive is broken.
If I hold alt option key down I get a mouse cursor that I can move around but thats all. anything else I can try?
I found this: A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac
If you see a flashing question mark when you start your Mac, it's probably because it can't find the system software it needs to start up. Usually, all you have to do to get your Mac back up and running is remind it where its software is.
I assume it can't find the system software cause the hard drive is broken.