Chosen Solution
The screen stays back and I get continues beeping every 4 to 5 seconds. The only thing that I am able to see is a white flashing light on the right edge of the chase. I have read some post and they say it’s the memory. I have replaced the memory and still no go. I know the old and new memory works just fine because I have tested it on a different MackBook Pro. I know the hard drive is good as well because it works on a similar laptop. Any suggestions? I think it’s the motherboard?
How many beeps? The number of beeps it makes each time relates to a “beep code”, which can tell you something about what’s wrong. Or is it making a solid tone, and not discernable individual beeps? Have you tried resetting the PMU/SMC and the PRAM? It’s a longshot, but it could be that the power button is stuck, causing the power-on sequence to repeat continuously. To rule out that and the topcase/keyboard/power button assembly as the problem, I would disconnect the ribbon cable attaching it to the board, and then trip the power by bridging the power-on pads on the board. If the behavior is the same, you know it’s not the topcase/keyboard that is the problem, and if it resolves the issue, you know the problem is somewhere in the topcase.
Sometimes you can have problems with one of the two memory slots. Try booting with a single stick of memory you’ve tested in another machine, first in one slot and then in the other.
I am having a similar issue. With both RAM sticks inserted, I get three beeps at startup. I tried taking one stick of RAM out and I still had 3 beeps. Then, I switched the RAM and removed the second stick of RAM, I got no beeps but still just a black screen during boot-up. The light turns on, but that it it. Any help is greatly appreciated! I just want to retrieve my files!
