3 beeps

Hardware test is not always definitive.

yes 3 beeps RAM problem/chip/seating/or bank itself.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1547

Try resetting PRAM

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379

If your Mac originally came with Snow Leopard 10.6.x then you need the Original System Discs that came with the system or a Replacement set of them.

If the DVD disc Apple sent you is White then that is the wrong disc. That is a Retail Snow Leopard DVD that does not contain the correct version of Snow Leopard to work on your model Mac notebook.

Call Apple back and ask to speak to someone Specifically to Order a Set Of Original System Reinstall DVD Discs. They will be Grey in color.

You Need Those Specific Discs.

You should have the original set that came with the computer. They were in the box the computer came in.

Leroy 3 Beeps only, not repeating, means the DVD disc you are trying to start the system from is not the correct version of OS X.

3 beeps, pause, 3 beeps, repeating mean a Memory problem.

leroydouglas wrote:

Hardware test is not always definitive.

yes 3 beeps RAM problem/chip/seating/or bank itself.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1547

Edit.

Well the 3 beeps repeating is what is defined as a memory problem. But in any event the disc Apple sent you is the wrong one. It has SL version 10.6.3 on it and for all early 2011 MBPs that came with SL you need at least 10.6.7 to start the computer from.

Since you are getting those beeps only when trying to start the system from that wrong discs I don't think you have a memory problem. If you did you would get those beeps everytime you tried to start the system. Not just from that wrong disc.

Call Apple as I suggested.

You're Welcome.

The problem you are having is that system should not of been sold to you with Lion installed on it. That is if it came with Snow Leopard originally. For those system that came with SL and then upgraded to Lion or above those upgrade version of OS X ate tied to the Apple ID of the person that bought and downloaded/installed them.

May I ask why you wiped the drive. were you having problems with it?

I ask this because the Early 2011 model came with both Snow Leopard or Lion from the factory Preinstalled. That model was released in Febuary 2011 and originally came with SL. Lion came out in June or July 2011 and all later built Early 2011 models came with Lion Preinstalled.

So it is possible your unit came with Lion originally and whatever problem you have that made you wipe the drive is because of a failing hard drive.

One way to check this is at startup hold down the Command + Option/alt + r keys and keep them held down unti you see a Globe on the screen. That will boot the system from across the internet to the Online Internet Recovery system where you will get the Mac OS X Utilities screen. From that screen select Disk Utility and then try partitioning your drive as One partition formatted Mac extended (Journaled). If that works and you get no errors then exit Disk Utility and select Reinistall Mac OS X. If you then get an errors about your Mac isn't in the database, or something like that, then it came with Snow Leopard and you will need those original system discs.

If you do get an error while tryinig to partition the drive then you might have a hard drive problem. you can then try verifying iot fromo the First Aid tab of disk utility but it has been my experiens that once a drive starts to fail it is best to replace it.

Then I do suspect your HDD is at fault for the original problems you were having and you will need that replacement Set of Original System Reinstall DVD discs to set the system back up once you change out the drive.

All the best to you.