Macbook Air Chimes but does not start

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Level 1

5 points

Macbook Air Chimes but does not start

Hi team,

Here's the situation, my macbook air worked like a charm until yesterday when I allowed it's battery to drain completely dead while playing music. When I tried to start it the following happens:

the computer does not respond to pressing the power button
when the power button is pressed and held for about 10 seconds the computer will begin to start
the computer chimes and the screen flashes once
after the flash the computer does not respond. The screen is black and the computer is (by all indicators) totally off.
I cannot boot into a boot menu or to an os x flash drive

Here are things I have tried:

resetting PR/NVRAM (no effect)
resetting SMC (no effect)
safe boot
boot into single user mode / boot menu / install media

Bottom line: the computer isn't giving me a whole lot to work with.

I'd really appreciate any kind of help you can provide. I am nowhere near an apple store (I live in Moldova) so a genius bar appointment isn't in the cards for me right now. Willing to try anything else.

Computer specs:

Macbook Air 11' Core 2 Duo 1.4 ghz (Model: A1370)

Posted on Jun 22, 2014 6:12 AM

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Answer 1

John Galt

Level 10

141,144 points

Jun 22, 2014 7:27 AM in response to dsmith890

Bottom line: the computer isn't giving me a whole lot to work with.

It certainly seems so. What is the status of the power adapter's LED - if it's on, is it green or orange?

Confirm that you allowed adequate time for the battery to fully recharge.
Leave the power adapter connected and persistently repeat the NVRAM reset, followed each time by attempting to start the Mac.

If this is not successful, it's likely the battery has failed completely and cannot be resurrected. It won't work at all in that condition, and you'll have to find a way to get it replaced.

Apple's support webpage directs Moldova customers to itsUK Support site.

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Answer 2

Jun 23, 2014 1:38 AM in response to John Galt

Hi John,

This is dsmith890 My apple ID is somehow locked so while apple sorts that out I'm posting as a friend.

Thanks a ton for the fast response. The computer showed orange on the adaptor for a while but is now showing green. I assume this means fully charged. The behavior has not changed.

I have tried the NVRAM reset a number of times and there's no change.

Do you stand by your assessment that the battery is the problem? Do you know if the macbook air can start on the adaptor alone if the battery is removed? I have a friend loaning me the appropriate screwdriver in the next few days so I can check that.

Many thanks for your help.

Also: who is John Galt? 😉

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Answer 3

John Galt

Level 10

141,144 points

Jun 23, 2014 7:49 AM in response to Community User

I don't have reason to believe the MBA or any Mac with an integral battery will work at all with it removed, though I have not tried it. Earlier Macs with removable batteries would work without it, but with performance consequences.

I have seen failed batteries eventually result in a green LED but usually they took many hours to charge, and disconnecting the power adapter would result in an immediate shutdown. When a battery has failed in that manner not much can be inferred from the LED's appearance.

You'll need a "pentalobe" screwdriver.

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Answer 4

dsmith890 Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 29, 2014 8:26 AM in response to John Galt

Hi John,

Thanks again for your help. Sorry it took me a long time to respond - I got locked out of my account somehow and it took a while to resolve it.

I have decided that my problem is almost certainly either the battery or the internal power supply (magsafe board). I'm leaning towards it being the power supply but won't know until I do some more testing. I'm in Eastern Europe so getting ahold of a pentalobe screwdriver is going to be a problem. When I do I'll test a bit and see which is the problem.

Thanks again for the help! I'll let you know how it turns out.

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Answer 5

dsmith890 Author

Level 1

5 points

Sep 7, 2014 6:24 AM in response to dsmith890

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for hanging in there with me. It's been a long time but that's how long it takes to get anything shipped to where I am.

Here's the store:

1.) the problem IS NOT the magsafe power connection

2.) the problem IS NOT the battery

So that *****. Again I'm pretty much at square one. The only relevant detail I've found is that I was a little confused about the startup process I originally posted. Here is what is happening:

the computer DOES respond to pressing the power button
the computer chimes and the screen flashes once
after the flash the computer does not respond. The screen is black and the computer is (by all indicators) totally off. BUT IT ISN'T. The computer is running as indicated by the fan continuing to run. I cannot seem to trick it into any other activity that would give me somewhere to start

Ok, so this kinda leaves me thinking that maybe the logicboard is the problem? literally I have no idea and am grasping at straws. Any help or clarification would be appreciated.

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Answer 6

dsmith890 Author

Level 1

5 points

Sep 7, 2014 6:51 AM in response to dsmith890

Oh, I forgot to mention that I was briefly thinking that the only problem might be that the screen is out. This seems not to be the case because I tested a startup with an external monitor and got nothing. Additionally the volume keys, etc produce no sounds or response.

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