Want to install Snow Leopard, but three beeps

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I got memtest to run, it's running now. Set it to run three full tests, may take a while. I'll report back, but I'm beginning to think it isn't the memory but the firmware, which is a bummer.
 

dtravis7


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Bob I checked Everymac and it and Apple say minimum OS for the late 2011 is 10.7.3 Lion. I tried the SL DVD and got a kernel panic. First panic that machine ever got.
 
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Bob I checked Everymac and it and Apple say minimum OS for the late 2011 is 10.7.3 Lion. I tried the SL DVD and got a kernel panic. First panic that machine ever got.

I know that EveryMac says that, I also know what was on my MBP when I got it. As I said, this was back in 2012. Apple may have issued a firmware upgrade for that year MBP.


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I've given up on it. Memtest finds no memory error, so the three beeps is in error. All I can think is the firmware. Not worth chasing it any more. The software I want to run will also run in an older version of Windows, I may look for WinXP SP3 somewhere to install in the MBP. It's not being used for much anymore, so I can do that.

Thanks for trying.
 

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It has to be a Firmware update then. Like I told Bob my late 2011 gets a KP trying to boot up with SL DVD. I am sure I saw at least 2 Firmware updates install, one with Sierra and the other with High Sierra. Usually those updates have a really thick progress bar which I have seen at least 2 times then it rebooted and finished the Mac OS install.

I am sure Bob is correct.

For the fun of it I tried the SL DVD on my 2008 iMac which has El Capitan on it and it booted just fine.
 

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Dennis:

Keep in mind that Jake had that Logic Board swapped out when the GPU failed. Very likely the newer Logic Board already had the updated firmware installed so there's probably no way that machine will be able to run Snow Leopard. I suspected that when Jake said he heard 3 beeps but the memory was okay. Firmware errors sometime act like memory errors and can cause beeping.
 

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Dennis:

Keep in mind that Jake had that Logic Board swapped out when the GPU failed. Very likely the newer Logic Board already had the updated firmware installed so there's probably no way that machine will be able to run Snow Leopard. I suspected that when Jake said he heard 3 beeps but the memory was okay. Firmware errors sometime act like memory errors and can cause beeping.


I agree completely.

I was just posting all my findings. I also though when I got my MBP it had SL on it so was shocked when EveryMac said Lion. Like I said above I saw the firmware getting updates on my MBP so that is probably why SL no longer will load.
 
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Thanks Harry, but my logic board was replaced by Apple for the GPU issue already. And I don't get the beeps on booting High Sierra from the internal drive, just when trying to boot the Snow Leopard install disk. And the memory passed memtest run three times and the Apple Hardware Test, so it's not memory. I have no video glitches and the machine runs just fine, except for not booting the SL installation disk. As Dennis and Charlie have said, it is most likely a firmware upgrade that is now blocking SL from booting. The three beeps are just wrongly indicating a problem in the boot.

I did try running with one memory module, in both slots, but got no boot from that. No beeps, but no boot, either. I think I've eliminated the memory as the issue, which only leaves the firmware.
 

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That logic board replacement defintiely throws an uncommon wrinkle into things. I'm curious to see what happens with my Early 2011 17" MacBook Pro running Sierra...will attempt booting from my Snow Leopard install disk later today...and post the results.

As an unrelated side note. 4 of the keys on my 2011 17" MacBook Pro have basically stopped working (maybe from typing too many Mac-Forums posts)!;) And soon I'll be replacing the topcase with a replacement I received & hopefully get all keys working again. Maybe today will be experiment with & fix 17" 2011 MacBook Pro day for me. Lol

- Nick
 

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