If you see a flashing question mark on your Mac's screen at startup, it means your Mac can't find its system software. You can find some troubleshooting tips from Apple here.
Most often, the flashing question mark is an indication that one of three things has occurred:
- Your hard drive has failed, or is failing
- The cable connecting the hard drive to the logic board has failed
- The operating system has been corrupted in some way.
While other possibilities exist, these are the most common. If you are a student, you can bring your computer to the Support Center desk in the Library. They will be able to look at it and determine what is causing the issue.
Faculty or staff, contact the Support Center at 325-674-4357 or Report a Problem and a ticket will be entered for someone to look at your computer.