Strange "start up" scenario

[OldManJimbo]

I use 10.3.9, on a PowerBook G4-1ghz -- When restarting the computer, just before the Gray Apple, there is a tiny little icon that looks like a little blue folder. It stays for about a second, then a very small question mark "?" flashes on the folder, and that's followed by a little smily face.

It flashes for about a split second and then goes away. I don't think it was always there and for some reason I think it starting showing up at the same time a few other weird things happened -

Does anyone have an idea what this little icon is, and if it's even necessary to have. Seems as though it might be affecting the start-up process.

 

[Benjamin]

it seems that you haven't selected a start up disk in your system preferences. the icon shows up then after the internal drive is found it is selected by default as the boot drive so then it starts up normally. you can just probably reselect your internal drive in system preferences under start up disk to fix that problem. i bet that is what the ? mark folder icons is saying.

this document for further reading: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58042

 

[OldManJimbo]

Benjamin - that was it.
Simple, easy, finished.
Thanks a bunch.

 

[Gokhan]

k

4 some reason my imac and powerbook flash a grey screen before very very quickly flashsing the grey screen again followed by the white apple loading screen my ti does not do this wonder why ???