Folder "?" Icon after waking from sleep

[MBX]

Hey there

Lately and only ever since I updated to High Sierra something weird is happening. And this also only happens when I'm running Parallels Windows VM and put my MacBook Pro to sleep. After a certain time and waking it up from sleep my MBP is completely unusable.

All I see is this blinking (on/off) folder with the "?". I can't log in back and resume my work.

And I have to force shut down my MBP to restart it.

What is happening and why? How can I fix this?

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Start by referring to this support article: https://support.apple.com/HT204156

You'll learn that this indicates that the machine can't find its startup partition (normally Macintosh HD). This might happen if the system is set to boot to your Windows partition instead of the Mac partition. Since you're running Windows via Parallels, you'd want it to consider the Mac partition to be your default startup drive.

Go into System Preferences > Startup Drive and make sure that Macintosh HD has been selected. Alternately, if you're currently on the folder-with-question-mark, boot to Select Startup Disk (hold the Option key on startup) and select it there.

If this persists, then reset the NVRAM https://support.apple.com/HT204063

 

[MBX]

I got nearly a heart attack because this time just before it happened when I booted up the Mac (not after sleep).

For 20 minutes all I could see was this folder, trying to reset NVRAM and other stuff. After I booted into recovery mode via my time machine drive I could not see the actual Mac drive at all. It was gone. So I could not select it via Start Up Disk option.

Then suddenly it started up again and everything was normal.

I'm really scared about this because it's happening so often lately and even now at start up.

I tested the drive via disk utility and it says it's all ok with the drive.

What else could it be?

 

[ApfelKuchen]

What model Mac is it? Certain MBPs from around 2011-2012 can have issues with the interconnect cable ("flex cable") between the HDD and the main logic board. Rather than failing completely in the early stages, it may be intermittent (cut in and out).

 

[MBX]

It's a late 2016 MacBook Pro nTB 13'' manufactured early 2017 and purchased in April 2017.

It seems to happen only when I run Parallels (Windows VM) and put it to sleep. This boot up issue also happened when I had it on sleep while running Parallels and then forced a restart but then it happening at boot up too.

This never happened before and I haven't changed Parallels' settings. But for now I will avoid putting to sleep while Parallels/ Windows VM is running. Will see if it happens again anyway at different times during normal use with only macOS.

 

[Retroworldnews]

Happen to find this thread while searching this problem

Recently my iMac encounter this problem , while put a sleep mode . After like few hours or next day I wake up see the screen on showing " miss folder ".


I can boot , go to check do Disk check no fault find etc.
I don't think is harddisk faulty so not sure why


than problem come back after one week of usage ,