3 Beep problem - not Memory error?

Discussion in 'MacBook Pro' started by lucasmx, Jul 25, 2011.

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  1. lucasmx, Jul 25, 2011

    lucasmx macrumors newbie

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    Jul 25, 2011
    #1
    Hello,

    I have a MacBook Pro, it was working fine today, but when i got home and turned it on, it freezes on apple logo and keep playing 3 beeps.. I searched a little bit and i found out that this should be related to Memory Problems..
    As i need my Mac this week, i prefeer to take to authorized support only in the last case..

    anyway, i used the hardware test tool from apple (pressing D on the boot) and made the extended test, it said everything was OK, no problems found. I even booted a Live Linux distribution, Lubuntu 10.10, and it worked perfectly, so i really think thats not a memory problem.. maybe the SO is corrupted?

    I have a disc of MAC OS Lion and it boots perfectly, but i dont want to format the computer and loose my data..
    I tryied to access from Linux but i receive a message of Access Denied..

    Any sugestions?
    Is there anyway to me to access my User folder on Mac HD by Linux? Get permissions? How can i get permissions?

    Thank You very much!
     
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  2. gr8tfly, Jul 25, 2011

    gr8tfly macrumors 603

    gr8tfly

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    #2
    When you boot to your OS-X disk, try running Disk Utility repair disk. Or, if you actually have Lion installed, boot to its Recovery HD volume (cmd-R on startup, or opt key to select the boot volume).

    If it's failing power up tests, you should get the failure beeps before it tries to boot. This might describe your situation: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2341
     
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  3. lucasmx, Jul 25, 2011

    lucasmx thread starter macrumors newbie

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    #3
    i have Snow Leopard Installed, but i have the Lion disc... =/
    i tryied to use the Disk Utility and repair the disc, the disc was fine, im trying to install mac os lion to an external hard drive to try to access my files on the HD and save them..
     
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  4. gr8tfly, Jul 25, 2011

    gr8tfly macrumors 603

    gr8tfly

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    #4
    Try starting up in Safe mode - it might bypass whatever is corrupted. Then, you can check system logs and perhaps get a clue as to what's going on.

    When you're installing Lion, you can use the Migration Assistant to import all your data, apps, and settings. I'd suggest backing up that partition (I always like to have data in two places I trust), then decide what you need to do with your internal.
     
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  5. lucasmx, Jul 26, 2011

    lucasmx thread starter macrumors newbie

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    Jul 25, 2011
    #5
    i can boot to a live linux distribution, but i cant access my mac user files, it says i dont have permission... if i copy the data under linux, it will copy for real? or not?

    i've tryied to press shift, without success.. =/ im taking it to the authorized support, but im afraid they format my computer..
     
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  6. head honcho 123, Jul 26, 2011

    head honcho 123 macrumors 6502

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    #6
    can u boot ur mac in firewire target disk mode?

    boot while pressing T and connect ur computer to another computer with firewire. hopefully ur HD will show up and u can clone ur HD
     
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  7. JohnRN, Jul 26, 2011

    JohnRN macrumors member

    JohnRN

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    #7
    I had the same problems on my iMac after doing a RAM upgrade. About three week afterwards and having turned it on/off many times without an issue I got the same three beeps. The RAM had somehow become slightly unseated and it caused the issue. I just had to pop the ram back into it's slots and the beeps went away and it booted right up. Not sure if you may have done something sort of similar on your MBP???

    John
     
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  8. vslo, Jul 31, 2011

    vslo macrumors regular

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    #8
    Hey, you that bought the iMac ram. You are probably getting the problem again. Some iMacs are very unstable with 8gb, 16 gb, etc... Download prime 95 and make a MEMORY stress test.
    I was also having those problems and needed to reduce my ram to 6gb to get a stable system.
    I recommend doing those stress tests.
     
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  9. cdwyer757, Jan 8, 2014

    cdwyer757 macrumors newbie

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    Jul 19, 2013
    #9
    Error beeps are probably not RAM errors

    Hi there,

    It sounds to me like this is not a RAM error. You will only hear those 3 beeps as a signal of a RAM error BEFORE you see a grey screen or hear the startup chime. If you are hearing these beeps on a grey screen with Apple logo and spinning cog then this is a kernel extension issue. You will need to reinstall your OS. You should be able to do this (10.6+) over the top of the current installation without the need to re-partition your hard drive.
     
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