chrisfrommaidenhead

Q: Mac Book fails to boot properly after EFI Firmware 27 update

hi

 

I have a strange boot issue having (tried) to install EFI 2.7 update.

 

When I restart the laptop, it 'chimes', displays a grey screen ... then chimes, displays a grey screen , ... for ever

 

I hit the bower (off) button for 5 secs or thereabouts, and restart ... same thing

 

I do this 4 times and finally it reboots.

 

But the EFI update still appears as needing to be installed (software update tells me it is not installed).  Update history shows however that it IS installed.

 

I can go through this process any number of times ...  I now have Software Update history showing quite a few installs opf the EFI 2.7 update.

 

If I just do a restart WITHOUT installing, I also go through the same fail to restart / fail to start / ... / eventually restart sequence.

 

So it seems now that the laptop will only start after 4 failed restarts and finally it starts ...

 

After starting it all appears to be perfectly fine.

 

Nothing strange in the console logs that I can see.  The failed reboots don't seem to register in the console logs - I suspect that the failure to restart is pretty early on in the boot sequence, well before it tries to load any semblance of the OSX kernel.  It is almost as if it is trying to boot from someplace other than the disk ... until eventually it gives up and tries the disk.  (I have tried booting with and without network cable - no difference)  I don't know enough about mac bootup sequences to know if there is some config/setting that is screwed up causing this odd behaviour.  I sirt of feel it must be setup/software related, but could be wrong.

 

Odd.

 

Any ideas?

 

- chris

MacBook (13-inch Mid 2010), Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on Apr 16, 2012 7:40 AM

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Q: Mac Book fails to boot properly after EFI Firmware 27 update

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  • by Courcoul,

    Courcoul Apr 16, 2012 9:04 AM in response to chrisfrommaidenhead
    Level 6 (14,193 points)
    Apr 16, 2012 9:04 AM in response to chrisfrommaidenhead

    Once the patch is downloaded, the installer is located in the Application/Utilities folder for you to reattempt an install. If the install fails and your Mac goes nuts, as it appears to have happened, you can attempt to restore the firmware. See:

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1557

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2213

  • by chrisfrommaidenhead,

    chrisfrommaidenhead chrisfrommaidenhead Jun 7, 2012 9:10 AM in response to Courcoul
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Jun 7, 2012 9:10 AM in response to Courcoul

    Meant to reply before ...

     

    The problem turned out to be a hardware problem.  I sent the mac back to Apple and they found a problem with the 'logic board' (whatever that is).  This was causing the failure to both install the firmware upgrade and the restart issue.

     

    With a new logic board, the problem has gone away.

     

    - chris

  • by Courcoul,

    Courcoul Jun 7, 2012 10:23 AM in response to chrisfrommaidenhead
    Level 6 (14,193 points)
    Jun 7, 2012 10:23 AM in response to chrisfrommaidenhead

    Always good that the Mac is back again within specs.

     

    As a side note to the EFI 27 update. When I first got the MBP in Dec'11, my old Early 2008 MBP had just croaked and I held onto its HDD in an external enclosure. On a whim, tried to boot from it and discovered the new Mac would happily start and work, even though it had 10.5.8. However, after the firmware update, it attempts to start, gets past the welcome screen and hangs forever, emitting beeps forever. So, no more Leopard for this Mac. Snow Leopard continues to boot unhindered, though.

  • by dickbytes,

    dickbytes dickbytes Jun 19, 2012 2:21 PM in response to chrisfrommaidenhead
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 19, 2012 2:21 PM in response to chrisfrommaidenhead

    I have a MC721LL/A early 2011 15.4" MacBook Pro i7. After I installed this firmware update my Mail would not load saying the version I was trying to start was not compatible with the OSX version (not sure whether this was an OSX update issue which I think I did at the same time). But the biggest problem I have is that I cannot boot my machine. It boots to the Apple logo and then emits 3 beeps repeatedly. I am on vacation in Osaka, Japan and the Apple Store here told me after running some analytics that the logic board is not seeing the RAM. After reseating the RAM multiple times (both original and replacement DIMMS), it still won't boot. The Genius Bar guy said very nicely that it is out of warranty and needs a new logic board, costing over $500 and taking a week at the factory. He recommended spending the money on a new MacBook instead. Since my machine is 15 months old, I am not very happy about this. The machine was absolutely fine before the firmware upgrade. I will wait till I get back to the US and get a second opinion from my local Apple Store. I can't accept that a 15 month old MacBook Pro very lightly used can develop such a catastrophic failure.

  • by Courcoul,

    Courcoul Jun 19, 2012 3:35 PM in response to dickbytes
    Level 6 (14,193 points)
    Jun 19, 2012 3:35 PM in response to dickbytes

    I confirm that the infamous Three Beeps of Death (Apple equivalent to MS's BSOD) implies No RAM. If the firmware flash went bad, it could conceivably be reverted, but if the process finished OK, I believe it is an irreversible process. Sorry to hear that the Oriental Genii were less than adept at curing the problem.

     

    It also adds fuel to and reinforces my assertion that AppleCare is highly recommended on mission-critical (i.e., you get to keep your job) mobile platforms.