On startup MacBook pro 2008 shows white screen, makes 3 clicking noises, then light at front flashes 3 times at intervals. Help?

On startup a blank white screen shows after startup tone and followed by 3 clicks from the speakers. The light at the front of the computer then flashes 3 times at intervals. Startup doesn't progress past this point. I've attempted to put it into safe mode but no luck. Any help?

Hard drive failure.

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  • My mac book pro only shows white screen.

    My mac book pro only shows white screen and then I rebooted with shift+command+P+R and now I have option to restore my computer but I am afraid to lose anything on my hard drive. What do i do?

    Howdy Lowana42,
    Welcome to Apple Support Communities. 
    It sounds like your MacBook Pro has a startup issue that is causing it to only display an Apple logo. Try the suggestions in the article below, they will resolve most issues like this one. 
    How to Troubleshoot iSight
    I hope this helps, 
    -Jason

  • Macbook pro boots to white screen and a ?

    macbook pro boots to white screen and a ?

    Gus@MaggiesFarm,
    try this: boot your MacBook Pro into Recovery mode by holding down a Command key and the R key as it starts up. Once the Mac OS X Utilities menu appears, select Disk Utility. On the left-hand side of the Disk Utility window, select your internal disk’s boot partition (typically called “Macintosh HD”). On the right-hand side, press the Verify Disk button if it’s not greyed out; if it is greyed out, or if it reports that errors were found, press the Repair Disk button. Once the verification/repair is completed, exit Disk Utility and select Restart from the Apple menu to restart in normal mode. Does it get past the white screen now?

  • Macbook Pro 2008. My screen stayed black and is unresponsive.

    Macbook Pro 2008. My screen stayed black and is unresponsive and sleep light is on. I shut down and then restarted and nothing happened on screen but sleep light came on and is solid.

    It could possibly be the video card, or the logic  board.  You could try a smc reset if you have not done s yet.   smc reset:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
    I had an issue similar to this, and there was a bad logic board, hard drive and video card.
    You might want to bring it in to the Apple store, they do the diagnostic for free and give you a repair price.
    They offer a flat repair rate, which they fix what ever is wrong as long it was due to liquid damage.
    The repair cost me about 1/3rd the price of a new machine and the machine has been fine ever since.
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  • Macbook pro 2010 is crashing and nonstop clicking noise. cant forcequit either i am forced to shut down maually. whats the problem?

    Macbook pro 2010 is crashing and nonstop clicking noise. cant forcequit either i am forced to shut down maually. whats the problem? does the hardrive needs to be replaced?

    Welcome to Apple Support Communities
    Your hard disk is damaged. Make a backup of your files with Time Machine > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427 Alternatively, you can use Carbon Copy Cloner to make a clone onto an external disk.
    Then, look for a hard drive. You can use a 2'5" SATA hard drive, and you can buy it at OWC > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/ Seagate and HGST drives have good performance, and 7200 rpm hard drives will give you a slightly better performance.
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  • My Mac Book Pro only show white screen

    When I restart my PC.  It only show white screen.  It cannot go on.  What should I do?

    Hello hugh betcha1,
    The following article provdies some useful troubleshooting steps that may be helpful in getting your Mac to boot.
    Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
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    You likely have the problem that many of us 15" and 17" 2011 models are having: a faulty soldering GPU and as discussed here -> https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4766577?tstart=0. It usually, but not always, beings with screen glitches and then gets to the point where the machine will simply not boot.
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    Read through a few the articles (not all of them!) and make the decision yourself - and then make the decision about whom your going to contact.
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  • Macbook pro won't turn, and make loud noises

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    I tried pressing the power button again, and again, the same thing just kept on happening.
    Then I pressed the power button down and held it for 5-10 seconds and heard multiple click sounds. After that, my macbook pro successfully turned on.
    However, the noise (supposedly from the cooling fans?) kept getting louder and louder. My macbook pro now functions rather normally, but the noise would never go away, which worries me a lot.
    Also, I turned it off and tried turning it on again. The same thing happened. I could not turn it on by pressing it once; all i heard was the click sounds. I could only turn it on by holding the power button for more than 5 seconds (also hearing the click sounds multiple times and the loud noise)
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    and can I make it so I can turn it on normally and not hear the loud noises?
    thanks

    You can try running the Apple Hardware Test by booting holding the D key down.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1509

  • Macbook Pro stuck at white screen on startup.  HELP!

    Right when i turn on my macbook pro, it plays the startup sound and gets stuck on the white screen. I can hear it running my cd right when the computer starts up. no matter what i do, i cannot get out of the white screen. it just stays there. same thing every reboot. Whats going on???
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    Hi, I had this exact same problem with my 15in mbp just before Christmas. I shut it down one afternoon, and then later in the day switched it back on. It wouldn't boot past the white/grey screen. It wouldn't even get as far as the apple symbol. I tried to start it up several times, but to no avail.
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  • Macbook Pro boot shows black screen with white text cursor

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  • I have a 13 inch MacBook Pro (2009) & the "White Screen of Death" is present.  Need help?

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    Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
    Step 1
    The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since your last backup, you can skip this step.   
    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
         a. Boot into the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
    b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
    c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
    Step 2
    Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
    If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
    Step 3
    Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
    Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
    The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
    When you boot in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, your boot volume is damaged and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to step 5.
    If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
    If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
    Step 4
    Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
    Step 5
    Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select your startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
    This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then reboot as usual.
    Step 6
    Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
    Step 7
    Repeat step 6, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a Time Machine or other backup.
    Step 8
    This step applies only to a Mac Pro tower, not to any other model. A dead logic-board battery can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions.
    Step 9
    If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.

  • MacBook Pro 15in showing gray screen on start-up

    Okay, so basically trying to format my Macbook pro, I guess I deleted the software on my computer as well. Stupid me, didn't back my computer up. All that shows, is a gray screen with a folder with a question mark on it. I have the OS installation disk on an external CD-ROM drive and all that pops up when it's plugged in is the apple logo. Ive tried CMND-R, CMND-C, CMND-V, and just simply pressing the option button at startup and nothing has seemed to work, i end up at the same screen. When I just did the option, it gave me the opportunity to use the disk, but it goes right back to the apple screen. If anyone could help, that'd be FANTASTIC. Please!!

    You have a Retina model MBP. It did not come with installer discs. You would use Internet Recovery:
    Install Mavericks, Lion/Mountain Lion Using Internet Recovery
    Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
    Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:
    Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.
    Partition and Format the hard drive:
    Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
    After DU loads select your newly installed hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
    Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
    Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion. Mavericks: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion, Mavericks and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.
    Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.
    This should restore the version of OS X originally pre-installed on the computer.

  • My macbook pro 2011 shows grey screen with apple logo and want start

    i was just using my macbook pro and it freezed for a while not responding and i turned it off by pressing the power button. afterwards, i turn it on and it shows a grey screen with apple logo but want start pls somebody help me because am having "my life" on the machine

    Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
    Step 1
    The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since your last backup, you can skip this step.   
    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.a. Boot into Recovery by holding down the key combination command-R at the startup chime, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
    b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode by holding down the key combination command-T at the startup chime. Connect the two Macs with a FireWire or Thunderbolt cable. The internal drive of the machine running in target mode will mount as an external drive on the other machine. Copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
    c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
    Step 2
    Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
    If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
    Step 3
    Boot in safe mode.* The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
    Shut down your computer, wait 30 seconds, and then hold down the shift key while pressing the power button.
    When you see the gray Apple logo, release the shift key.
    If you are prompted to log in, type your password, and then hold down the shift key again as you click Log in.
    Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
    The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
    *Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t boot in safe mode. Post for further instructions.
    When you boot in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, your boot volume is damaged and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to step 5.
    If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
    If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
    Step 4
    Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
    Step 5
    Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see step 1.) Select your startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
    This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then reboot as usual.
    Step 6
    Boot into Recovery again. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, follow the prompts to reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
    Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with proxy servers, or with networks that require a certificate for authentication.
    Step 7
    Repeat step 6, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a backup.
    Step 8
    A dead logic-board battery in a Mac Pro can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions.
    Step 9
    If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.

  • Macbook pro stuck at white screen.

    My macbook pro is stuck at a white screen and doesnt boot. I tried resetting, tried to safe boot by pressing shift, nothing works,. It is stuck in white screen. Pls help.

    If you cannot select Recovery HD at startup, problem is serious enough to take the MBP
    to the nearest Apple store. They will help to resolve the issue.
    Have you tried pressing option key down while starting the MBP?
    Probably that has been tried already.
    Best.

  • Macbook Pro Boot Issue, White Screen with Apple

    Having a similar issue with my macbook pro. When I press the power button, a white screen appears with an apple icon in the middle and a small cirle on the bottom that is like a timer. I thought that the computer might be downloading something, but I left it on for hours and the computer didn't get out of that mode. I have tried several things such as the installation cd, first aid repair, but both said repairs weren't needed and that the drives were fine. Any suggestions on why the computer is doing this? It's been several days and I shut if off, leave it off for an entire day and when I turn it on, the same screen with the apple appears and nothing else.
    Any ideas are appreciated!
    Thank you!

    Hi Claudiat :
    You could try a SMU reset, which may solve your problem,
    from Apple:
    MacBook, MacBook Pro
    If the computer is on, turn it off.
    Disconnect the AC Adapter and remove the computer's battery.
    Press and hold down the power button for 5 seconds and then release the button.
    Reconnect the battery and AC Adapter.
    Press the Power button to restart the computer.
    More info here:
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303319
    -Robert

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