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MacBook Pro problems

D

dragonstryke

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 5, 2011
5
0
Hey guys, I purchased a MBP early 2010 and have recently experienced several problems with it (hardware related). To start, I am not very good with macs or computers in general.

So recently (past 2-3 weeks) the MBP would go into sleep mode by itself and freeze in sleep mode and not turn back on; unless I hold the power button and it fully shuts off. This happens also when it is plugged into the outlet.

I brought it to the apple store and they couldn't find out what the problem is but we also ran into another problem. One of the ram sticks were dead and it has been running on 2gb of ram for who knows how long. The guy at the genius bar things that this might have caused the problem of the laptop freezing in sleep mode.

As of now, my MBP is running with one stick of ram and when I turned it on today it kept making a beeping sound; it eventually turned on and now my question is if that it is more than just a ram issue?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

On a side note, my warranty has expired in February and I don't have apple care. Is there a way to prove that the ram died before February? or am I out of luck here. I know ram is relatively cheap but if it is more than a ram issue it will suck.
 
dragonstryke said:
Hey guys, I purchased a MBP early 2010 and have recently experienced several problems with it (hardware related). To start, I am not very good with macs or computers in general.

So recently (past 2-3 weeks) the MBP would go into sleep mode by itself and freeze in sleep mode and not turn back on; unless I hold the power button and it fully shuts off. This happens also when it is plugged into the outlet.

I brought it to the apple store and they couldn't find out what the problem is but we also ran into another problem. One of the ram sticks were dead and it has been running on 2gb of ram for who knows how long. The guy at the genius bar things that this might have caused the problem of the laptop freezing in sleep mode.

As of now, my MBP is running with one stick of ram and when I turned it on today it kept making a beeping sound; it eventually turned on and now my question is if that it is more than just a ram issue?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

On a side note, my warranty has expired in February and I don't have apple care. Is there a way to prove that the ram died before February? or am I out of luck here. I know ram is relatively cheap but if it is more than a ram issue it will suck.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised the Apple tech could not identify the problem and offer a flat fee repair charge. You might try running the AHT to see if any problems are revealed. Also, RAM is dirt cheap now. You can replace your RAM for less than $50 and see if that resolves the issue. I don't know of any way to prove when the RAM went bad.



iforbes said:
I hate to be gullible, but is that true?
Click to expand...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2538?viewlocale=en_US#
 
iforbes said:
I hate to be gullible, but is that true?
Click to expand...

Yes, the beeping in morse code is sign that you have a dead logic board.
your sleep indicator also flashes in a morse code patter (. . . - - - . . .)

It can mean firmware update, but if this happens out of no where, it must be dead logic.
It can also mean a dead RAM but it would have a beep and 5 sec pause and beep again.
 
user418 said:
I'm surprised the Apple tech could not identify the problem and offer a flat fee repair charge. You might try running the AHT to see if any problems are revealed. Also, RAM is dirt cheap now. You can replace your RAM for less than $50 and see if that resolves the issue. I don't know of any way to prove when the RAM went bad.





http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2538?viewlocale=en_US#
Click to expand...

Thanks for your replies so far!

Anyways, they did offer me to replace the dead stick of ram for 80$ which is quite overpriced since ram is so cheap now. But this is not the problem.

You mentioned AHT... could you explain to me what that is?

Thanks!

Edit: are dead logic boards replaceable? and do I have to do it through apple if it is actually a dead logic board?
 
Last edited:
yusukeaoki said:
Beeping is probably RAM failure.
If the beeping was SOS in morse code (...- - -...) that is logic board problem.
Click to expand...

user418 said:
I'm surprised the Apple tech could not identify the problem and offer a flat fee repair charge. You might try running the AHT to see if any problems are revealed. Also, RAM is dirt cheap now. You can replace your RAM for less than $50 and see if that resolves the issue. I don't know of any way to prove when the RAM went bad.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2538?viewlocale=en_US#
Click to expand...

yusukeaoki said:
Yes, the beeping in morse code is sign that you have a dead logic board.
your sleep indicator also flashes in a morse code patter (. . . - - - . . .)

It can mean firmware update, but if this happens out of no where, it must be dead logic.
It can also mean a dead RAM but it would have a beep and 5 sec pause and beep again.
Click to expand...

According the KB, the only sequence close is:
——— • • • ——— which is O S O

Close, though. :)
 
dragonstryke said:
Thanks for your replies so far!

Anyways, they did offer me to replace the dead stick of ram for 80$ which is quite overpriced since ram is so cheap now. But this is not the problem.

You mentioned AHT... could you explain to me what that is?

Thanks!

Edit: are dead logic boards replaceable? and do I have to do it through apple if it is actually a dead logic board?
Click to expand...


AHT - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1883

You can have Apple replace the logic board, have a certified repair facility do it, or if you are technically inclined do it yourself. There are numerous videos online detailing the self repair. I'm no good at fixing computers so I would probably go with option 1 or 2.
 
yusukeaoki said:
Hmm this definitely sounds like a SOS morse code to me :/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzLqYuesm2I&feature=related

It maybe just my ears playing tricks but this sounds like 3 short 3 long 3 short.
Click to expand...

You are so right! I hadn't heard it personally - I was just going off the KB article.

(side note: though not very proficient, I have some training and experience with code as I've been a licensed HAM since '76 when you had to pass a code exam. Though that was only 5 WPM, and a long time ago. When I got active again in '04, I've off and on tried to relearn and can recognize short phrases. It's on my list of projects to be able to hold a full conversation with just a key and my ears (I can do it with keyboard and decoding s/w, but it kinda defeats the purpose and fun of doing it myself.).)
 
iforbes said:
I hate to be gullible, but is that true?
Click to expand...

I have gotten the morse code before but mine turned out to be a ram slot malfunction. I believe the POST will just shoot out whatever message is the most relevant, so perhaps at that point there were more errors than the ram itself
 
gr8tfly said:
You are so right! I hadn't heard it personally - I was just going off the KB article.

(side note: though not very proficient, I have some training and experience with code as I've been a licensed HAM since '76 when you had to pass a code exam. Though that was only 5 WPM, and a long time ago. When I got active again in '04, I've off and on tried to relearn and can recognize short phrases. It's on my list of projects to be able to hold a full conversation with just a key and my ears (I can do it with keyboard and decoding s/w, but it kinda defeats the purpose and fun of doing it myself.).)
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is suppose to show logic board failure.
Im not sure the OSO post is, if its either a mistake or there is another type of morse code built in.
 
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