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Macbook air will not start - Circle/slash symbol

Hi! Hope someone can help...


Macbook Air 13.3" 2013 model will not start. It froze and when restarted, this symbol was shown on the screen:

User uploaded file


I have searched the web and followed all these instructions, including Target disk mode etc., to no avail:


http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac/10-steps-take-when-your-mac-wont-start-up-o r-turn-on-3423817/


When I ran the File System Consistency Check, I got the following message on the screen:

User uploaded file


I then ran the Disk Utility in Recovery Mode, and could see that the SSD was OK, so I could not repair:

User uploaded file


I then ran Apple Diagnostics and got this message:

User uploaded file


According to Apple Diagnostic reference codes, PPM002 is an issue with onboard memory modules:

Apple Diagnostics: Reference codes - Apple Support


I then used DiskWarrior 5. Sometimes I could get it to rebuild the directory, and this allowed me to get access to the SSD and copy the user directory, so I have saved all data. Sometimes I could not rebuild, and here I got this message:

User uploaded file


I have also tried to reinstall OS X from OS X Internet Recovery, but it will not complete the process. It stops and says it cannot continue. The Installer Log has this as the last entry:


Sep 19 22:46:14 MacBook-Air Viewer[509]: -[SFLListItem synthesizeMissingPropertyValues] Failed to updated bookmark for item (null) [EA0E40C9-D4E9-44EC-B18B-97870E1F573F] - URL:file:///var/root/Downloads/ with error Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=260 "The file couldn’t be opened because it doesn’t exist."


My last chance is to Restore from Time M



It would seem, therefore, that the SDD is OK, but the onboard soldered RAM is corrupted.


What can I do? Is the MBA wasted? Is there anything I can do to get it working?

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), Mac user since 1993

Posted on Sep 20, 2016 12:18 AM

Reply
6 replies

Sep 20, 2016 5:31 PM in response to DK Deadhead

Hi, DK Deadhead!


Thanks for reaching out via the Apple Support Communities. Based on your post, I am understanding that your MacBook Air will not boot. Instead, you receive a prohibited sign. I rely on my own Mac every day, so I definitely want to makes sure yours is taken care of!


It looks like you did quite thorough troubleshooting--thank for that, and for posting screenshots! Based on the results displayed from the Apple Diagnostic, your MacBook Air requires service for both the battery and the onboard memory. You can obtain this service one of several ways:


First, you are welcome to contact Apple support directly to set up service here: Contact Apple Support

You are also welcome to take the MacBook Air into an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. The following link will provide you with locations and contact information, and also allow you to set reservations: Apple - Find Locations

For more information on repair service, you can check out the following site: Mac notebook Service Answer Center


Have a wonderful day!

Sep 20, 2016 5:48 PM in response to DK Deadhead

My experience as a tech and consumer is that when a RAM test indicates the RAM passed the test it means it passed this time but the RAM might still be iffy. But, when the RAM test indicates a failure it is almost always correct. I think you are going to wind up making a call or trip to an Apple service center.


But there is one more thing you might try. You indicated that you attempted to reinstall the OS but you didn’t indicate that you had first formatted the drive. If you attempted to install the new OS overtop the original OS maybe a damaged directory explains the failure. And if you did format the drive first it may be that you need to do a network recovery and first partition the drive. It’s worth a shot doing a network recovery and repartitioning the drive.. Otherwise, as the Apple Rep said, you did a very complete job of handling the problem yourself.

Sep 21, 2016 2:47 AM in response to dwb

Hi dwb


Thanks for your advice! I hope you can reply as to whether I am understanding the process correctly:


1. Do an internet recovery from Apple's servers.

2. Repartition drive - is that the same as erase and reformatting in Disk Utility?

3. Do OSX install.


Is that correct?


Also, I have a Time Machine backup - should I try reinstalling that first?


Many thanks for your help!


The guarantee period on the MBA has run out, so I hope I can find a solution...

Sep 21, 2016 7:45 AM in response to DK Deadhead

Partitioning isn’t the same as format and erase. Once you have booted into Internet Recovery choose the Disk Utility app. Click on the drive icon probably labeled Apple SSD - not the one under it probably labeled Macintosh HD. Then select the Partition option. Choose one partition - that will replace the current partition and then OK. Assuming that works, then back out and download & install the OS.


If that fails we’ll know the RAM really is defective. If it succeeds then go ahead with the migration from your backup. My entire idea is based on the (remote) possibility that your problem stems from a damaged directory or other disk error and partitioning is the best way to make sure that all gets set correctly. Simply migrating isn’t likely to do any good. Again, I think the chances are your RAM is bad but I’ve had too many instances where a colleague or customer came back with a working computer when I pronounced it RAM dead and the common thread was their claim of the problem being the hard drive.

Sep 21, 2016 7:45 AM in response to dwb

Hi again!


Well, as I was waiting for your reply, I decided to try restoring from the Time Machine backup, which was about 1 month old, and I had retrieved all user files with DiskWarrior.


And it worked a treat! The time machine restore worked fine, I reinstalled the user files, and everything seems to be ok. I re-ran Apple Diagnostics, and the message regarding faulty memory was not there!


I will keep an eye on things in the near future to ensure stable running. And keep my fingers crossed.


Thanx for the help!

Macbook air will not start - Circle/slash symbol

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