My 2010 13” MacBook Air is giving me three beeps when I go turn it on .. I have tried SMCand PRAM reset with no change .. still three beeps when I try to power on.

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My 2010 13” MacBook Air is giving me three beeps when I go turn it on .. I have tried SMCand PRAM reset with no change .. still three beeps when I try to power on.

I am unable to rid my 2010 13” MacBook Air of the three beeps. SMC and PRAM resets do not help. It worked fine this morning.

i do get messages lately that my hard drive is full, but each time I do a full shutdown a memory check shows over a gig available. Battery is failing as it’s old but I don’t think this is my problem.

what to do next ?

im not a tech head and don’t have the tools or wherewithal to inspect the hardware or make any mods

I have unfortunately not backed up in some time 😖

thanks for any advice

MacBook Air 13″, OS X 10.11

Posted on Sep 12, 2020 12:13 PM

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Answer 1

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John Galt

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145,738 points

Sep 12, 2020 12:58 PM in response to mikefromcobh

Three successive tones, then a five-second pause (repeating): RAM doesn't pass a data integrity check. About Mac startup tones - Apple Support describes the meaning of those sounds and what to do about them.

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Answer 2

mikefromcobh Author

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Sep 13, 2020 5:29 PM in response to John Galt

Thanks for your help John. It is the original RAM. Apple support tell me the motherboard is damaged. Not sure if it’s worth repairing but I need to get access to hard drive content (Haven’t backed up in a while unfortunately). On holidays next week and had planned to buy a new laptop .. bad timing!!

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Answer 3

John Galt

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145,738 points

Sep 13, 2020 5:52 PM in response to mikefromcobh

I need to get access to hard drive content

Its contents are likely to be intact. The problem of course is how to extract it because the Mac doesn't work.

If you are sufficiently motivated I suggest purchasing an external enclosure for that SSD such as this one: OWC Envoy. Remove the SSD from the Mac, install it in that enclosure, and when you get a new Mac you can probably copy its contents. OWC has instructional videos so that you can determine if it's something you want to do.

You're in luck because your early MacBook Air has a removable flash storage module. Its RAM of course is soldered in place and is not easily replaced. Apple won't fix them any more but third party shops might be able to.

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Answer 4

mikefromcobh Author

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8 points

Sep 13, 2020 6:26 PM in response to John Galt

Thanks again John .. I may have found a repair shop, but of course It will be price dependent.

thanks for the information on the owc envoy .. will check out

mike

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My 2010 13” MacBook Air is giving me three beeps when I go turn it on .. I have tried SMCand PRAM reset with no change .. still three beeps when I try to power on.

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