When you start up, a disk icon with a blinking question mark appears in the middle of the screen.
This icon indicates that your Macintosh cannot find the system software it needs to start up. One of the following is probably the cause:
mYour computer may be having a problem recognizing external equipment that uses the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI).
Turn off all external SCSI equipment and disconnect the first SCSI device in the chain from your computer’s SCSI port. Then restart the computer. If the computer starts up after you disconnect your SCSI equipment, refer to the manuals that came with the equipment for information on the proper way to connect SCSI equipment and assign SCSI ID numbers.
If you have a printer connected to your computer’s SCSI port, make sure your printer is not supposed to be connected to the printer port instead. Check the manuals that came with your printer for information on how to properly connect it.
mSystem software is not installed on the startup hard disk, the system software is damaged, or the hard disk is not working properly.
Start up your computer using the Disk Tools floppy disk or (if you have a
If repairing the disk doesn’t help, follow the instructions in “Installing or Reinstalling System Software” later in this chapter to reinstall system software on your startup hard disk.
