3 clicks and light blinks 3 times on start up

gazzabhoy · Mar 1, 2009, 01:21 PM

Hi there,

Converted to Mac about 18 months ago and having first nightmare... I thought it was only windows that crashed.

I had some sort of fatal error message come up on the screen when I was using the machine which said shut it down. I thought nothing of it and pressed the power off button. When I started the mac book pro again it just makes 3 clicks through the speaker and then the light on the front near the open button blinks 3 times and repeats this while showing a gray screen? I have googled this and the suggestions are to reset pram and I have even tried using the install disc to to a hardware test but when I restart and hold down D with the disc in nothing happens, when I restart to do the PRAM (hold apple alt P and R) nothing happens either. Is the keyboard knackered as well? I am really hoping that this isn't a clean install as I haven't backed up this machine...

logana · Mar 1, 2009, 03:27 PM

Sounds like it might be bad ram - try taking one stick out and try to restart - then the other stick.....if that does not work

gazzabhoy · Mar 2, 2009, 03:17 AM

Thanks, I had re-seated the ram, but when I removed one stick it worked.... yippee

logana · Mar 2, 2009, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gazzabhoy

Thanks, I had re-seated the ram, but when I removed one stick it worked.... yippee

Ram is cheap - time to put more ram in the MacBook !!!!

Mar 1, 2009, 01:21 PM	#1
gazzabhoy macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2009	3 clicks and light blinks 3 times on start up Hi there, Converted to Mac about 18 months ago and having first nightmare... I thought it was only windows that crashed. I had some sort of fatal error message come up on the screen when I was using the machine which said shut it down. I thought nothing of it and pressed the power off button. When I started the mac book pro again it just makes 3 clicks through the speaker and then the light on the front near the open button blinks 3 times and repeats this while showing a gray screen? I have googled this and the suggestions are to reset pram and I have even tried using the install disc to to a hardware test but when I restart and hold down D with the disc in nothing happens, when I restart to do the PRAM (hold apple alt P and R) nothing happens either. Is the keyboard knackered as well? I am really hoping that this isn't a clean install as I haven't backed up this machine...
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Mar 1, 2009, 03:27 PM	#2
logana macrumors 65816 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Scotland	Sounds like it might be bad ram - try taking one stick out and try to restart - then the other stick.....if that does not work __________________ MacBook 7,1 - 2.4GHz 8GB 500GB, 32GB iPod Touch 4G
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Mar 2, 2009, 03:17 AM	#3
gazzabhoy Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2009	Thanks, I had re-seated the ram, but when I removed one stick it worked.... yippee
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