Reset pram & nvram...But Still Strange Behavior

[hoody]

Hi all, I recently had a 1TB SSD fitted to my mid 2013 macbook air. It also went from Sierra to High Sierra: I didn't want Catalina.
I often leave it on overnight, but since this work has been done it's acting a bit strange.
Left on overnight, or even for more than a couple of hours it won't start, it's also usually quite warm. I have to hold the power button down to shut it down, then when I press the power button I get the start up sound > black screen > a thin horizontal white line flashes across the screen very briefly, as in a split second, then the start up sound again and it's back to normal. I've reset the SMC and the NVRAM and PRAM, but all settings appear to have remained the same where I expected some preferences to have changed. Does it look as though I've actually done the resets, or maybe I haven't managed it. For the NVRAM and the PRAM I've followed apples instructions: press the power button and immediately press and hold option, command, P and R for 10 seconds: it starts normally after this, also the same buttons but wait for the start up sound and then press and hold those same buttons minus the power button.
The warning was that some preferences for track pad, keyboard, etc might be changed, but after multiple attempts, nothing's changed.
Can anyone help here please.

 

[ferrarr]

When you do the NVRAM/PRAM reset, you should hear the startup "gong" sound at least one more time (I usually do it for a total of 3) before you let go of the buttons.

One more thing to try is: with the MBA off, turn it on and immediately hold "shift" down until the login screen. This will get you into safe mode.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

Also, you didn't mention who did the SSD replacement for you? But maybe they may know what's happening? Being in front on the MBA, is a big advantage.

 

[pigoo3]

Hi all, I recently had a 1TB SSD fitted to my mid 2013 macbook air.

Not sure if you installed it...or someone else did. I would want to be 100% sure the new SSD was compatible with a 2013 MacBook Air.

The first troubleshooting step I would do is reinstall the old working SSD. This would double check to see if any damage was done when the new SSD was installed (assuming the MacBook Air was running fine with the old/original SSD).

- Nick

 

[hoody]

Bob and Nick, thanks for the replies. I had the ssd installed by a repair man who also got me back from Catalina to High Sierra.

I asked the question at Macfixit Australia about compatibility with my mba and they told me it was OK.

Out of five or six attempts at resetting the nvram and pram, I never once heard more than one chime.

I'll try recovery tonight and then leave it on to see what happens in the morning.

If that doesn't help I'll put the old drive back in and then see what happens. This will take a couple of days, so I'll get back to you with the results.

 

[ferrarr]

Out of five or six attempts at resetting the nvram and pram, I never once heard more than one chime.

Then you will need to hold the keys down longer, until you hear the "gong" multiple times.

 

[hoody]

But I hold them down until the computer starts and then wants my password.

 

[IWT]

@Peter,

Is your Keyboard wireless ie Bluetooth? If it is, is it one of the newer versions with rechargeable batteries via USB connection to the iMac?

I ask because a Bluetooth KB is often not recognised during a Power-Up until late in the cycle. To overcome this problem you need a wired KB or connect your KB via USB to your iMac before you start the PRAM/NVRAM reset.

Attaching the Bluetooth KB to your iMac via USB converts it into a wired KB.

Ian

 

[ferrarr]

But I hold them down until the computer starts and then wants my password.

If you keep holding them down, and you get the login screen, then you started too late.

1 Press the power button to turn on the computer.
2 Immediately press and hold option+command+P+R keys, until you hear the startup chime/gong sound two times.

The way I do it is left hand holds R+command, and the right hand holds option+P.

 

[hoody]

Ian,
It's a built in keyboard on a macbook air.

Bob,
I don't know what's going on here but no matter how quickly I press and hold those buttons, I still get one sound and while still holding the keys, it starts up with the log in screen. I even tried holding them down and then press the power button, but that didn't work either.

 

[ferrarr]

Did you see if you can start the MBA in safe mode? The instructions are in my first reply to you (post #2).

 

[hoody]

I'll be trying it within the next hour or so. Bit busy at the mo'. I thought retirement would be easy.

 

[hoody]

I've just tried it and like the pram and nvram it just starts normally. I know I'm not good with the finer points of computers, but I'm not so daft that I can't follow those simple instructions.
Meanwhile, I went to disc utility and did the disc repair. That made no difference, but leaving it on overnight, when I got up this morning it wouldn't wake up and I had a blank screen and had to hold the power button to turn it off. It then did exactly the same weird start up as in my op.The only difference was that it wasn't warm to hot like it was before.

 

[IWT]

Ian,
It's a built in keyboard on a macbook air.

Sorry about that. Under your Avatar, you have a 21.5 iMac which I assumed was the Mac in difficulty. However, I see now that in your first post you did indeed make reference to a MBAir. My error.

It perhaps raises the possibility that your MBAir keyboard might be faulty because I have every confidence in your ability to hold down the four keys

Ian

 

[hoody]

No problem Ian. I really should put the MBA on there. In fact I'll do it now.
While I'm at it, I might use the usb keyboard that I use with the imac because it seems that maybe, just maybe, the inbuilt keyboard doesn't work soon enough.
I'll let you know.

 

[IWT]

I might use the usb keyboard that I use with the imac because it seems that maybe, just maybe, the inbuilt keyboard doesn't work soon enough.

Seems like a good plan, Pete

Ian

 

[hoody]

I'll do it tomorrow because the single malt bottle's calling.

 

[IWT]

the single malt bottle's calling

I'm so glad to see that you are supporting our economy. I realise it's a struggle, but we all have to do our bit

Ian

 

[hoody]

Well the single malt went down very nicely, but nothing else did. The macbook wouldn't even recognise the usb keyboard. I went in to system prefs thinking I could change it, but it wasn't there so I'm now at a loss. The next thing is to try the old SSD as Nick suggested and see if it still plays up with that. Or I could take it back to the repair man.

 

[hoody]

Not sure if you installed it...or someone else did. I would want to be 100% sure the new SSD was compatible with a 2013 MacBook Air.

The first troubleshooting step I would do is reinstall the old working SSD. This would double check to see if any damage was done when the new SSD was installed (assuming the MacBook Air was running fine with the old/original SSD).

- Nick

Hi Nick,
I finally got round to putting the old drive back in. I then left it on for five hours. When I went back to it, it's working perfectly; no heat and woke up as soon as I lifted the lid. Any ideas?