The flashing question mark, in a folder, indicates that the Firmware cannot find a valid system folder. Resetting the PRAM or rebuilding the desktop will not help at all. If you have a copy of Disk Warrior, boot from the CD and rebuild the directories. This "almost" always works. DO NOT TRUST NORTON to do the same thing.
In the event that Disk Warrior is not available, then a CLEAN install may be your best option. Another trick to try. Boot from any bootable CD and explore the Hard Drive, if it is visible on the desktop. Open the HD and you should see the System Folder. It should have a Happy Mac icon on the folder. If it does not, open the folder and drag the finder out of the folder and then close the folder.
Drag the finder back into the System folder, without opening the folder, (or allowing it to open) and see if the Happy Mac icon reappears. If it does, try a reboot.
If the HD is NOT visible on the desktop when you boot from any bootable CD then you definitely have directory problems which will need to be addressed, preferably by Disk Warrior. Invest in a copy of it, if you do not have it. It works in 9 and X and will save you a great deal of time and worry.
Worst case scenario, the Hard Drive failed! This will give the same symptoms and the drive will NOT appear on the desktop when booted from a CD.
Another trick, if you have another hard drive, external or internal, is to copy the four core files to another drive. Finder, System, System Resources and panels, to the other drive. Then when something like this happens again, you just copy them back to the System Folder and get on with life.
As to what happened to cause this, Anyone's guess. The error code, Type -10, is "noColMatch from Color2Index/ITabMatch", whatever that means. What we do know is that during the process of trying to do something, Adobe messed something else up.
Computer Specs:
Powermac G4
Operating System:
Mac os 9.1
Problem:
Folder with flashing q mark with power up
I was using photoshop before this happened, photoshop froze while I was moving the mouse, I forced quit the application and immediately got a system error of type -10. Now on start up all I get is a flashing question mark in a folder.
I reset the PRAM by pressing command+option+P+R which didn't help.
I know I'll probably have to reload the system CD, but more curious as to why this is happening.
Posted by: canadahat Posted on: 11/19/2004

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