grey screen and continuous beeping (macbook pro 2010)

Question

whistler2014 Author

Level 1

5 points

grey screen and continuous beeping (macbook pro 2010)

Hi, I unplugged my computer from its display/keyboard/HDD setup to use it portably and then upon waking it from sleep - it froze and a continuous beeping began from within the computer.

When I started the computer I get the bong and white/grey screen (completely blank) and the beeping begins immediately. But thats as far as it goes.

I've looked online and there's a lot said about RAM related beeping but having removed the RAM i know this not to be the case as the beeping I hear is much quieter and far more regular than any of the loud RAM beeps.

Safe boot, pram reset and cmd s did nothing.

Any ideas whats wrong and how to solve?

Thanks

MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2010), OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Feb 3, 2014 3:19 PM

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Answer 1

pedro d

Community Specialist

Feb 5, 2014 1:40 PM in response to whistler2014

Hello there, whistler2014.

Sounds like you did some great troubleshooting already. You may just want to review the recommendations in the following Knowledge Base article to make sure you've covered all bases:

Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570

Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.

Cheers,

Pedro.

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Answer 2

hands4

Level 4

2,246 points

Feb 6, 2014 10:14 AM in response to whistler2014

Which of these best matches the description of the beeps?

Beeps on startup:

1 beep = no RAM installed

2 beeps = incompatible RAM types

3 beeps = no good banks (RAM)

4 beeps = no good boot images.

5 beeps = processor is not usable

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2538

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Answer 3

hands4

Level 4

2,246 points

Feb 6, 2014 10:16 AM in response to whistler2014

Try

Using Apple Hardware Test

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1509

Memory Test: “Rember"

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5869418?tstart=150

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Answer 4

whistler2014 Author

Level 1

5 points

Feb 6, 2014 10:55 AM in response to hands4

Hi, the best I can do to describe it is 1 beep every 2 seconds, repeating for about 5 minutes with no other pauses. I removed my RAM which produced a much louder intermittent beeping.

I've also been unable to do any magic start up key combinations like D or shift. It just stays stuck on the grey screen.

Thanks for your help.

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