electro_pa

Level 1 (0 points)

Q: SOS style beeps on P.O.S.T.

What do 3 short, 3 long, 3 short beeps, mean at POST, on a MA876LL, iMac7,1?

It does nothing else! No light on display.

I looked in the answers for decoding beeps, but the listseems to show only one beep to five beeps, not a series as this.

Could be major failure indication??

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8), 20" iMac 9.1, A1224

Posted on Jan 23, 2012 3:48 PM

I have this question too

Q: SOS style beeps on P.O.S.T.

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Helpful answers

by shldr2thewheel,Helpful

shldr2thewheel Jan 23, 2012 4:00 PM in response to electro_pa
Level 7 (25,881 points)

Jan 23, 2012 4:00 PM in response to electro_pa

that means there is an issue with your ram.
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by iCare,Helpful

iCare Jan 23, 2012 4:03 PM in response to electro_pa
Level 4 (1,826 points)

iLife

Jan 23, 2012 4:03 PM in response to electro_pa

Several years ago I had one of my 24-inch iMac's exhibit a very similar issue. My service tech was able to resolve the issue by removing the small coin battery from the logic board for a couple of minutes and then installed a new one after checking the battery voltage. He didn't have to replace any parts other than the battery. Hopefully that's all your system needs.

This link shows what the battery looks like:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing-iMac-Intel-24-Inch-EMC-2111-PRAM-Battery/ 5193/3
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by electro_pa,

electro_pa Jan 24, 2012 5:07 AM in response to iCare
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Jan 24, 2012 5:07 AM in response to iCare

Thanks for this suggestion. I'll try that fix.
Unfortunately the apple support threads on 'POST beeps' only list a single sequence, 1 to 5 beeps in both
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2538
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1547
Since posting this thread, the 'More Like This' helpful suggestions, on the right side, has turned up two similar beep sequence experiences. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2538?viewlocale=en_US
and http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2213
So I have a couple of others to check too.
Thank you again for your help. It's most encouraging.
Clive.
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by electro_pa,

electro_pa Jan 25, 2012 7:26 AM in response to iCare
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Jan 25, 2012 7:26 AM in response to iCare

Hi iCare,
I discovered the right beep sequence in the HT22133 thread (at point 7.).
Appears computer is waiting for the "firmware restoration disc" to be installed.
I did your battery trick and it worked!
Brilliant!
Can't thank you enough.
Clive.
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by electro_pa,

electro_pa Feb 27, 2012 5:24 AM in response to iCare
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Feb 27, 2012 5:24 AM in response to iCare

Hi iCare,
I discovered the right beep sequence in the HT22133 thread (at point 7.).
Appears computer is waiting for the "firmware restoration disc" to be installed.
I did your battery trick and it worked!
Brilliant!
Can't thank you enough.
Clive.
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