Level 1

22 points

MacBook Air won't start - chimes but screen black

Hi All,

I have a MacBook air purchased in Sep 2013 that I've never had the slightest problem with. After shutting down normally last night, I tried to start it today, and this is what happens:

1. I press start

2. After a few seconds I hear the chime

3. Nothing else happens -- screen remains black and the keyboard is dark

I followed all the steps outlined here: My MacBook pro it does not start, including trying to reset the SMC and the PRAM, but this did not help.

Yes, I checked the brightness of the screen. Yes, it has a good connection to power, the power cord light shows amber.

I am running Yosemite 10.10.1

I really don't want to go to the Genius Bar!

Thanks,

Jwol

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013), OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Jan 9, 2015 12:57 PM

Top-ranking reply

sea0818

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Dec 16, 2017 4:55 PM

Hello, this response is a few years late, but I recently had this issue with my 2013 MacBook Pro and I was unsure where to post the answer to this question.

Symptoms:

My computer would start up, fans would run, Apple logo would light up and chime would sound, but no display. I could see the backlight of the screen was on (different color black on LED screen), but nothing would actually display on the screen.

Things I tried:

I tried all the hard resets and even went into the Apple Store to see if they could find a fix. The only thing they said they could do for me was replace the display (costing half the original price of the laptop or more).

What worked:

I opted to not purchase the display and I wanted to transfer all of my data from my laptop before making a decision.

I decided to hook up my laptop to an external display (another separate monitor) to see if I could at least view my files.

THIS FIXED MY SCREEN. As soon as the HDMI cable was plugged in and I restarted my computer (held down power button until display was clearly off, pressed power button again to start "normally") my display suddenly worked again.

NOTE: I had this issue again several months later, and my screen was once again saved by simply plugging in an HDMI cable.

I don't know how or why, but plugging in an HDMI cable saved me from buying a whole new laptop.

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26 replies

jbest90

Level 1

4 points

Dec 5, 2017 10:22 PM in response to AWHYTE23

I tried this but the black screen did not go away. 😟

Dec 26, 2017 1:52 PM in response to AWHYTE23

this didn't work for me

Dec 26, 2017 1:56 PM in response to sea0818

What do you mean by hooking up an HDMI chord? What did you hook it up to? @sea0818

Dec 26, 2017 2:08 PM in response to joyce 57

i have the same problem. did you ever fix it? @joyce57

Jan 5, 2018 3:31 PM in response to maustin1300

None of the command functions worked for me. Any other codes before we eliminate all Apple products ever? If Steve were here....

Mar 12, 2018 2:57 PM in response to rolando115

It worked for me, thank you very much

mindprov

Level 1

4 points

Mar 18, 2018 1:36 PM in response to AWHYTE23

Woa, that worked for me too! Thank you.

Jan 14, 2015 9:30 AM in response to rolando115

thank u rolando, if i could make any progress. I'll let u know good luck

Aug 7, 2016 6:17 AM in response to jwoland

I Keep having to "reboot" like this every week. is there a bigger problem? Mine is from Sept 2013 macbook air. Concerned. My friends rest Apple, before always PCs, never had a problem with those workhorses! Do I need service if this is a weekly recurring problem and I have to reboot like this? Thank you.

jwoland Author

Level 1

22 points

Jan 12, 2015 12:55 PM in response to rolando115

Unbelievable, Rolando, it actually worked! My laptop seems to be working just fine now. Can you let me know what the "permanent" resolution is?

Many thanks.

Jan 14, 2015 9:18 AM in response to alitaheri

Hey, alitaheri

aas of right now all I can say is try it again. I have a appointment on Friday at 5 pm est. If I get any new info then I will relay it to all you guys!

good luck

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MacBook Air won't start - chimes but screen black