Macbook Air 2011 Issue

[greg2011]

Hi. I purchased Macbook Air 11 inch 2011 just few days ago.
It was sold as faulty but working.
Here is seller's statement:

There is one issue with the machine, it has a funny 5 mins when installing things, also when i tried to update the operating system. I since took this to Apple and they managed to update all my software and upgrade the OS to 10.9.1. I took it into apple not long ago and it says it passed their tests, on all hardware aspects. Someone mentioned about a ‘Kernel Panic’ I had received these on occasion but not a regular thing, something i was told would be sorted with the OS update. I had since taken the computer to Apple, they managed to update the machine to OS X 10.9.1.

It worked fine when I first powered it on but I decided to wipe the drive and install fresh copy of Mac OS because I didn't want to have preinstalled apps by the previous owner.
How stupid was I !!!!
I had few macs before but never seen anything like it.
There is no recovery drive but I can access it from USB drive created by Apple Recovery Drive Assistant.
I can erase and partition ssd but thats about it.
I didn't do any back up so the only option is to download new OS but it tried to download it many times, each time it stops, reboots and goes back to recovery mode.
Sometimes displays OS X Mavericks failed to download. Use the purchase page to try again. Bit difficult to access purchase page without OS!
Then I tried to create bootable USBs with Mountain Lion and Mavericks but every installation fails. Then I found out that MbAIr uses different OS so I downloaded Slow Leopard for Macbook Air but installation fails as well.
I have an iMac so I did a system back up of about 50GB to transfer it to Macbook Air but when I tried it says my 128GB disk is not big enough.
I tried to download new system from internet to external USB drive instead of Macbook Air's ssd to exclude ssd malfunction but It won't download it as before.
I am running out of ideas. I run disk utility in recovery mode and repair disk but it shows no errors at all.
I will be trying to use my iMac to install any OS to USB drive and run it from USB drive to create back up that will take less than 50GB hopefully. Also wanted to try do install windows as a main os just to try it, but I really want Mac OS.

Can someone help me please or has anyone got any idea how to fix it please.
Thank you so much in advance.

 

[greg2011]

Problem solved, sort of...

Hi I can see many of us read my thread but nobody replied.
Just to let you know I kinda fixed it.
I was able to install fresh copy of Mavericks by creating USB bootable Mac OS from terminal's command line.
Previously used Disk Utility and some software to create USB and was not able to install OS.
So my Macbook Air is running now but...
It resets itself very often. White screen shows "your computer will restart etc" and quickly reboot. It does not look like normal reboot, it is much quicker than normal.
I tried to run in safe mode and it runs stable, no resets, no problems. I installed tech tool pro to diagnose it but can only perform diagnostic when in safe mode, in normal mode mac resets very often.
I run tech tool pro just after fresh install of OS and as far I remember it passed test but now when I run RAM test it fails on Stuck Address test every time.
I am afraid RAM might be faulty and since it is nor replaceable it will be costly to replace. The guy i bought it from said this Mac was tested by apple and no hardware faults were diagnosed. Does anybody knows any other way to test RAM. I have no idea hot to access Apple Hardware Test on my Macbook Air. Once I press D while booting up it redirects me to internet recovery and returns apple.com/support -6002D error.

Thank you.

 

[pigoo3]

Hi. I purchased Macbook Air 11 inch 2011 just few days ago.
It was sold as faulty but working.
Here is seller's statement:

There is one issue with the machine, it has a funny 5 mins when installing things...

Purchasing something that is sold as "known faulty" is a BIG risk. ESPECIALLY on a computer item like a MacBook Air...where basically nothing inside can be repaired or replaced...without incurring a large expense.

Paying a reduced price for a faulty or possible faulty item can have its rewards...since maybe the problem is only software based & not hardware. But...then it is possible that the problem is hardware based...and then you are stuck with what was purchased...a known faulty computer.

Hi I can see many of us read my thread but nobody replied.
Just to let you know I kinda fixed it.
I was able to install fresh copy of Mavericks by creating USB bootable Mac OS from terminal's command line.

I guess this is "semi-positiive"...but maybe what you succeeded in doing is getting this computer back to it's original condition when you first bought it (and before you erased the internal storage).

And now it's working...but still has the..."it has a funny 5 mins when installing things..." that the seller mentioned originally.

So my Macbook Air is running now but...
It resets itself very often. White screen shows "your computer will restart etc" and quickly reboot. It does not look like normal reboot, it is much quicker than normal.
I tried to run in safe mode and it runs stable, no resets, no problems. I installed tech tool pro to diagnose it but can only perform diagnostic when in safe mode, in normal mode mac resets very often.

All not very good signs. Everything points to a hardware issue.

I run tech tool pro just after fresh install of OS and as far I remember it passed test but now when I run RAM test it fails on Stuck Address test every time.

Again...not good.

I am afraid RAM might be faulty and since it is nor replaceable it will be costly to replace.

Does anybody knows any other way to test RAM.

Even if you could test the ram/computer further...and you do confirm that the ram is bad...what good is this information going to do you? The ram is not replaceable. The only way to repair/fix things is to replace the logic board...and this is VERY cost prohibitive!

What you may or may not realize is...laptop/notebook computers suffer damage in two VERY frequent ways:

1. Physical abuse (dropping the computer).
2. Liquid spills.

Either one of these things could have happened to this computer...and thus the problems. Is the seller going to tell you this?...probably not. Since if you knew one of these areas was 100% the source of the problem...you never would have purchased it.

BELIEVE ME...I've been exactly where you are now. You purchased a computer with a problem at a reduced price...and the hope/desire was...maybe the problem is something simple that can be easily resolved via software. And if so...then you have a great computer...purchased at possibly a greatly reduced price.

The problem in this case is...it does seem that the computer has hardware problems...and unfortunately on a computer like a MacBook Air (which has VERY few parts that are replaceable)...the repair is not going to be cheap. Most likely the logic board needs to be replaced...and the cost of a replacement logic board is probably more than you paid for the whole computer.

About all you can do at this point is sell the computer as a "parts computer". Maybe someone else needs a display, a keyboard, a trackpad, the exterior case, etc.

Sorry. Sometimes buying a used (but faulty) computer can work out in your favor...and sometimes not.

- Nick

 

[greg2011]

Macbook Air 2011 crashes and resets itself.

Hi my Macbook Air resets itself very often. White screen shows "your computer will restart etc" and quickly reboot. It does not look like normal reboot, it is much quicker than normal.
I tried to run in safe mode and it runs stable, no resets, no problems. I installed tech tool pro to diagnose it but can only perform diagnostic when in safe mode, in normal mode mac resets very often.
I run tech tool pro just after fresh install of OS and as far I remember it passed test but now when I run RAM test it fails on "Stuck Address" test every time.
I am afraid RAM might be faulty and since it is nor replaceable it will be costly to replace. The guy i bought it from said this Mac was tested by apple and no hardware faults were diagnosed. Does anybody knows any other way to test RAM. I have no idea hot to access Apple Hardware Test on my Macbook Air. Once I press D while booting up it redirects me to internet recovery and returns apple.com/support -6002D error.

I know certain Mac OS X features do not work in Safe Mode but I don't think it reduces RAM so why it works fine in Safe Mode and crashes in normal mode?

Thank you.

 

[pigoo3]

Hi my Macbook Air resets itself very often. White screen shows "your computer will restart etc" and quickly reboot.

I run tech tool pro just after fresh install of OS and as far I remember it passed test but now when I run RAM test it fails on "Stuck Address" test every time.

I am afraid RAM might be faulty and since it is nor replaceable it will be costly to replace.

No need to start a 2nd thread for the exact same issue. Threads merged. Thanks for understanding.

- Nick

 

[greg2011]

Sorry Nick I didn't know that.
Thank you for your response to previous thread.
Harsh but true.
How can you explain that Mac works perfectly fine when in safe mode?
I suppose in safe mode still has full 4GB of RAM available.
Any ideas.
Thank you.

 

[pigoo3]

Harsh but true.

Yes...some of the info I mentioned may seem harsh...but true. I speak from a lot of personal experience.

I most recently purchased a 2011 iMac that wasn't supposed to have any problems. Then when I met with the seller...a problem developed. But the computer seemed to work properly in all respects...so I took a chance (great price).

Got it home...tried every software trick in the book that I knew. Still no solution to the problem. Long story short...I worked on it an entire weekend (3 days). The problem eventually turned out to be a lousy $5.00 bad hard drive SATA cable (which I had an extra one laying around). Problem solved!

How can you explain that Mac works perfectly fine when in safe mode?

Safe mode is a situation where the computer is operating on a reduced set of instructions. So maybe something isn't being triggered (or triggered as often) to cause the problem(s) to surface.

From what I'm reading...it does sound like this computer has a hardware issue. Can I be 100% positive...no (since I don't have it in front of me). But from the various software things that you have done...it does sound like a hardware issue.

Remember the iMac example I mentioned above. The iMac was taken to Best Buy by me and the seller of the iMac (2 times)...for the "Geek Squad" to work on. They replaced the internal hard drive twice! After the 2nd time...the "Geek Squad" declared that the logic board was bad. But as I discovered (very fortunately)...it was just a bad $5.00 SATA cable.

Unfortunately with a MacBook Air...you don't have nearly the flexibility to swap/replace parts like can be done on a older iMac. The only thing you really can do is...swap out the logic board. But logic boards for MBA's are not cheap...so this is not easily done.

And even if you were willing & able to purchase an expensive replacement logic board...and it did solve the problems. The purchase price of the MacBook Air + the purchase price of the replacement logic board...would almost definitely exceed the current used value of what a 100% working 2011 11" MacBook Air is worth.

- Nick

 

[greg2011]

Looks like you were really lucky to fix it for just $5
I have just found out than there is a mac version of a good windows RAM testing software called memtest so I will try this evening. Also downloaded AHT package to install and test. thank you

 

[pigoo3]

Looks like you were really lucky to fix it for just $5

It was actually $0 dollars. The good SATA cable I used came with one of the "free" hard drives Best Buy installed (I actually had two of them). But there was quite of bit of my own time put into it...and a fair amount of stress & anxiety on my part.

I have just found out than there is a mac version of a good windows RAM testing software called memtest so I will try this evening. Also downloaded AHT package to install and test. thank you

As I mentioned earlier...it sounds like you already have indications that there is a ram issue. While using "better" ram testing software may be nice...it's really not going to do you much good...since if "memtest" gives you the same result...there's still nothing you can do about it. I'm just being honest & realistic.

If this was a computer that you could replace the ram in...I'm with you 100% on testing the ram further. Just about everything on an 11" MacBook Air is "fixed" onto the logic board. So basically just about ANY hardware issue will require the logic board to be replaced.

All that is needed to know is the computer has a hardware issue...and most of the time...BAMM...need new logic board. Basically the only other parts are the keyboard, display, trackpad, fan, and a couple cables.

So sure...verify that the ram is bad. But in the end...you're back to square one...need new logic board.

Good luck,

- Nick

 

[greg2011]

Hi Nick.
You were absolutely right, more hardware diagnosis revealed faulty RAM.
The reason techtool pro passed RAM test few times is simply because any software cannot test whole RAM because some of it is being used all the time. I used memtest in single mode which diagnosed RAM fault clearly. At the moment I am trying to return this MBA and get my money back. Although the seller described it as faulty he assured me that the hardware has been tested at Apple. I doubt it.

Thank you so much for your help. I have learned so much from this experience.

Thank you

 

[pigoo3]

...more hardware diagnosis revealed faulty RAM.

Good news & bad news I guess. You verified that that the ram is bad (good news to find the issue)...but bad news...faulty ram.

Good luck with the return.

- Nick