Performed a Mac OS X re-installation
Reinstalling Mac OS can be almost seamless. This option will preserve your installed apps, settings, and files, while replace all the core system files with fresh ones. If the error code 311 is caused by corrupted/missing system files, performing a reinstall of Mac OS can be a quick fix for the problems resulting from a damaged operating system. To reinstall Mac OS X, do the followings:
- Make sure to connect your Mac with the Internet, and then restart your Mac.
- Once it reboots and shows a gray screen, hold down Cmd + R keys.
- When you see the OS X Utilities menu, select the Reinstall OS X option.
- Follow the instructions that appear on screen to complete the reinstallation.
In this way your personal files, installed app, and user settings will still be the same as before, and Mac OS X built-in software and system files will be reinstalled. See if this solution helps solve error code 311, or if the problem shows different behavior.
Reset your Mac’s PRAM& SMC to fix hardware issues
Sometimes your Mac will malfunction for no apparent reason. When error code 311 happens and you tried all you know to fix but still end up with failure, you may consider to do a reset. If the error code 311 is hardware-related, the only real hardware-based fix you can do for your Mac is to reset the Parameter RAM (PRAM) or/and system management controller (SMC). It is the first step to solve a wide variety of hardware-related problems. Before resetting PRAM or SMC, you should back up your data or even the whole system on an external drive as a precaution.
PRAM holds information about the configuration of your Mac, including things like startup disk selection, screen resolution, speaker volume, and other control settings. To reset the PRAM, turn off your computer first. Then press the power button, and hold down the Command+Option+P+R keys all the time until your Mac reboots and you hear the startup sound twice, which means you have reset the PRAM.
SMC controls a lot of the physical parts of your Intel-based Mac, like LED indicators, keyboards and other peripherals, cooling fans, and power buttons. How to reset the SMC depends on the type of computer you’re using, so head to Apple's official SMC Reset page, find your model here, and follow their instructions to do a reset.