MacBook: Won’t start, flashing sleep light
If you turn on a white or black MacBook when it’s completely powered off (not sleeping), and instead of starting up, the screen remains dark and the sleep light is blinking, the MacBook’s RAM might not be installed properly or might have worked loose. I found this out when re-seating the RAM of a friend’s MacBook to try and fix a problem. I thought I had pushed the RAM modules far enough into their slots, but after the MacBook failed to start up I took another look and found out that you really do have to push firmly and carefully past some initial resistance until the RAM goes in all the way. You may have to push harder than you think is normal, but seriously, you have to push pretty hard.
And don’t use the levers to do this. Remember that the levers are only for popping out the RAM, not inserting it.
I wasn’t able to find a tech note at the Apple site about this, and that’s why this entry exists. In case it helps someone.
(Update: I don’t know if this applies to the newer unibody aluminum MacBook.)
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Thanks a million for that, I ran into the same problem and was quite upset until I read this. You actually have to push til it hurts
Thank you so much. Worked like a charm. What a helpful tip.
..wow..many thanks ..the most useful tip related to this issue..saved the day:)
This saved my butt (well, lots of aggravation)! Thanks!! -Andy
Thank you so much!!! Like all the previous posters, I too had the exact same problem (thanks for the tip on required force, “Scott”).
After only two days of having my MacBook, I was frekaing out when I ran into this prob…about 15 mins of Google searching led me to this post…thanks a mil!
Hey man, thanks a lot; great tip
My Macbook caught Random Shutdown Syndrome recently, and part of the process in getting Apple Phone Support to set up a repair was reseating the RAM. Needless to say, I didn’t push the memory back in hard enough and later that day; the computer refused to start.
What I noticed with the L-bracket was that the spaces between the screws bulge out very slightly when you don’t have the ram chip push far enough.
Thanks again!
Dude you are the man…
I took out the HD just to check it out and when i put everything back together i thought i broke the HD or something fucked up! I was pissed i guess i must of bumped the stupid levers!
It helped me too.
People like you should get awards…!
It worked for me
Thank you so much for this advice.
This is what I love about the internet-
I Google “Macbook flashing light” after trying to install 2gigs of Ram into my Macbook, and I end up here. I follow the directions, temporarily disfiguiring my index fingers, and – Awesome!
It worked. Whoever you are, it’s people like you that make my day.
Thanks!
Wow , do they take a lot of pressure to seat !
Word of caution .
I tried to tuck in the groundig mesh with my finger tip & sliced into it like a razor blade. Be careful & use a tiny screwdriver .
Thanks so much for posting this!! I’ve found myself in exactly the same situation as you all. The take home message is that you have to push the RAM in really very hard. Thanks for giving me the confidence to push harder!
I have tried this and I still get the flashing light
Thank you so much for this. And dude, that’s A LOT of pressure to fit those in!!
I tried it twice till my finger hurt and am still getting only the flash. I called Apple support and they said there was nothing they could do by phone. They recommended I take it back to the store I bought it from. Any you guessed it. It worked fine there. The tech got it boot up the first time and every time he tried it. I was able to start it right up myself several times. But, when I got it home it started doing it again. Frustrating. I have been a PC used all my computer life, and decided to make the switch after having to put up with Windows. Now I not so sure I did the right thing. At least I could always restart my PC. When I have got the computer to start, I have it freeze up as much if not more than the Windows did. Have not been that impressed with the Mac!
YetAnotherThanks! I put more RAM in, and it worked. Just luck I guess. But when I put in a bigger disk it got flashing sleep LED syndrome. I thought the disk was bad.
A little pushing on the RAM made the disk work.
Made that L-bracket look better, too…
THANK YOU SO MUCH U SAVED MY LIFE, MY MONEY, AND PLUNY OF HOURS OF WORK AND FRUSTRATION
Follow up on my MacBook problem:
I did an update of the software and it has eliminated the problem of the flashing light. Also, I haven’t had it lock up.
thank you so much!!!!!
Oh my god, thank you!
After installing my memory the first time, the computer did start up ok, so I was happy. However, when I retstarted the computer, it would not start up again and I received the blinking light.
I attempted to reseat the memory without any luck until I read this post. I pushed and pushed and tried again, still no luck. The third time I pushed until I thought I would push the memory out the other side. You literally have to push until the tips of your fingers *hurt*.
My computer is now back up and running.
Just like all the others who posted here I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your post: So if you ever come to Denmark, look me up and I’ll buy you a beer or two
Thanks!
you’r great man, thx a lot =)
now my heartbeat can slow down…
thanks hope that it works for me as it has for many
Ahh, I’ve been having this problem as well and I’m glad to see a solution…
Thanks so much
I’m having lots of problems putting my new 2 1 gig ram sticks in and i guess i put it in not right. Im trying to take it out again but its stuck now! It’s really frustarating. Could somebody please help me? I really don’t want to take it to the apple store to just me $200 for just a simple thing.
Reassuring to know that you do need to put that much pressure on them. Thank you!
[...] I was relieved when it came to my Mac to find the following video which showed me how to do it, and this blog post which reassured me that you really do need to use that much pressure to get them [...]
I’ve put so much pressure on the 2 1 gig sticks i’ve been trying to install, almost to the point of my fingertips nearly bleeding and I still can’t get my macbook to start up. The memory sits in the slots fine, and both are at the same position so I don’t see how they aren’t installed. Argh this is making me want to pull my hair out.
I used a cloth so my finger didn’t hurt! I really thought mine were in, thought it was duff memory, and then finally it budged.
OH MY GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS POST. I have now completely disassembled my macbook. pulled everything down to its bones off. My harddrive just quit on me and i was afraid i broke it even worse. thank you so much again.
Thank you for the post; I really appreciate the guidance! I thought maybe I broke the slot itself or something. The MacBook was quite an investment for me, so my heart SUNK when the light started blinking. :S I read your site and decided to “…try it one last time,” and I am so glad I did! Thank you again for your help!
Dudes you have really impressed me, i thought i stuffed the memory and also my macbook, i pushed really hard and knowing how mac products are i thought i would break the thing, but it works.
Well my Macbook just flashes the sleep light. It isn’t even restarting now. I had very little problem except for the begiining few weeks last year with my macbook. It worked beautifully until this week when it kept asking me to restart. and yesterday it refused to do that. What do you think could possibly be wrong with it. I know I had a few kernal panics. But I thought it would be just an installation problem. Now it isn’t working.
I bought 2X1 GB RAM for the 13″ macbook and could not push it in with my fingers. I did have success using the hand mixer beater from the kitchen drawer though! My wife held the macbook and I, using a chamois cloth, pushed with the back end of the beater part pushed it in. I will tell you I tried many times with my fingers to no avail. This method popped it right in. I started on one corner and then slid it down and repeated till it was in. IT WORKS NOW! i can swap back and forth from parallels/XP and all my mac apps at the same time w/o any lag. awesome!
Wow. I almost died thinking I killed my computer. If not for your comment about really having to push in the memory, I might have sent my computer to repair. Thanks for the tip about seating the RAM.
IT WORKED! thank you for your help. Why isn’t this issue posted on mac support?
Another person saved by this info. I agree, this needs to be posted on mac support. I wasted a day trying to figure out why my computer went to sleep and wouldn’t wake up.
THANKS!
This is a lifesaver for me, just installed 2Gig of Corsair memory. Turn the Macbook on, nothing but a flashing light. I thought I was screwed, so I went to install the original ram. back in, turn it on, same thing. Now I can go to sleep.
Thank you very much.
Just to add my own thanks. After surviving RSS, battery problems and overheating, I thought I’d finally killed my machine off when I turned it back and saw nothing but that flashing white light. Panic over, RAM safe and snug.
You’re a lifesaver.
I tried this and the only thing I’ll say is that if you think you’re not pushing too hard on the RAM, you’re not! OMG, you’ve really got to give it a good shove. I think I ahve to get a finger tip reconstruction now! Thanks man, great post.
Man I never would have guessed that I would have to push that hard. Thanks
Just another quick thanks. Funny that it was even running at all b/c i put in the extra RAM about 4 months ago, and just today it went all blinky on me.
Yet another vote of thanks from me – now up and running thanks to this advice. But yes, you really DO need to push very hard!
awesome post!!! super helped us
Worked for me!
Hey thanks a ton.
I thought that i was screwed when both my 1gb and 2gb had the blinking light.
You try to be careful with the memory, but in actuality you really have to shove it there.
You rule! You rule! You rule!
Thank you so much
!!
I love google and people like you, who make me able to fix problems to fast !! Thanks so much
the immediate availability of acutely needed information such as this and the wonderful spirit of people that want to make it available freely are two reasons why the internet is great and beautiful!
so thanks for saving me from an impending sad face saturday!!!
Having upgraded PCs all my life, I knew that you have to be aggressive with memory.
Installing the 2 Gigs of RAM in my BlackBook and when it wouldn’t come on, I thought I had some faulty memory on my hands.
Woah, you really have to push until it sits in, thanks for the tip.
Thanks a lot mate! My heart was just about to stop…it really requires a push!
Best regards,
Carola.
Good information, just a little extra push. Good that someone else has been there so we know we’re not breaking the Mac.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I was just about to give up and buy a new computer!
I’ve had this problem in even older computers, not just MacBooks. iBooks, iMacs, etc. do the same thing. You do have to push HARD! I was afraid I’d break the card before I got it to start!
If you ever see white crude on the contacts of your RAM…it really is lubricant…because I guess they didn’t allow enough room for a good fit with out the lubricant…I thought it was battery corrosion…but APPLE tech told me it was lubricant….my chip fell out after working fine for months…right after I upgraded to 10.4.11…needless to say I thought it was the upgrade…but checked seating JUST IN CASE and voila that is what it was…I had never really seated it ….properly in the first place…just lucky it actually worked with it bearly touching the contacts…it took a real push to seat it.
I see from reading here I am not alone.
Dude, you just saved my life, I’ve spent the last 2 days on the phone and trying different things…
Thankyou SO much!!!
Cheers!!!! My heart stopped 4 times had 3 mini-strokes and lost half a head of hair till I tried your trick…..I have sore fingers but at least I haven’t lost all my years work of research. This is a great tip!!! I guess no pin…no gain
WOW!!!! I WAS SCARED I DID SOMETHING WRONG AND REALLY JACKED UP MY MAC…. BUT I DIDN’T IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID!!!!!!!!! THANKS A MILLION!!!!!!!
THANKS THANKS THANKS!
thank you! I upgraded my RAM on my MacBook and thought I”d really lost everything when it wouldn’t turn on!! INitially it did turn on but only 1 of the RAM modules showed up, so I opened it back up and reinserted them both and then NOTHING!
I think the really key tip to knowing if you’ve pushed in far enough if what someone said up top–if the metal cage thing is bulging in between the screws, then you need to keep pushing–and like someone else said–so hard that it hurts!.
Thank you so much, glad I found this site–now I’m happily upgraded and running! Why in the world don’t the manuals/directions say all this stuff. All theApple direction that I got online from apple.com were that you should not see the green edge popping out, but that wasn’t such a specific cue.
Awesome! My heart sunk after I put some new RAM into my Macbook and turned it on only to get a flashing sleep light. A quick search on Google and I came across your tip. Saved me a trek back to the Apple Store.
Has Apple offered you a job yet?
I was literally in tears before I read this post. Thaaaaaaank you!
Man, the best line was “You actually have to push til it hurts”, this must be in the Apple dictionary.
Muchas gracias
Just to let some people know, I struggled with this for hours as everyone else did, and in the end, after breaking the RAM board, talked to an Apple Genius only to find that my computer’s motherboard can only handle 2GB of RAM total, despite the 2 slots. Might be worth checking that out. I bought my computer in the early summer of 2006.
THIS WORKED FOR ME TOO!!! My RAM upgrade was working for a while. Then I started getting random crashes and sometimes my computer wouldn’t boot. At first I thought the RAM went bad, so I got new RAM. Still didn’t work, so I was quite bummed that something might be wrong with the motherboard.
Just found this article today and gave it a shot. What do you know! It worked! I am surprised my laptop worked at all before I pushed the ram all the way in.
And a little tip for other people, use your nails to push the ram, not your fleshy finger tips. No pain pushing the ram in at all
Thanks, save my butt. I can stop sweating from fear of wrecking my macbook now!
Thank you SOOOO much! I was panicking already when I found this post, and quickly realised I hadn’t pushed hard enough (you REALLY have to push till it hurts!). You’re the man
push till it hurts? I am having a hard time here also. i dnt feel like it can go anymore! now none of the ram starts the computer!
thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you
I thought I had fried my Macbook.
Thanks, mate – I just had this problem after installing a new hard disk in my MBP and I was having a heart attack…just RAM after all…
Cheers
Ian
this is great and was exactly my problem. thanks!
thanks a bunch man, i thought i had got the wrong memory and everything!
You sir are a gentleman! I was about to send some memory back, just needed to push harder. Thankyou!
Hey, above posters having problems. First off, it actually all of a sudden gives a little when you’ve pushed hard enough, right at the end. And if the gasket seems like it doesn’t fit quite right, it means you *still* haven’t pushed in the RAM far enough. It seems like it’s in. It’s not. Push harder. Keep going. Eventually, it goes in a tiny fraction of an inch further.
This page was a life-saver! jhn is right – I thought the RAM was in. Thanks to the tip to “push ’til it hurts”, it’s fixed. And one really does have to push harder than I’d ever have felt safe doing.
thank u so much got 2x the ram for my MacBook
Awesome!!! My fingers still hurt…
What a pain !!
Push harder !!
Thanks
Hi!
Thanks so much for this.
Just ran into the same problem… you really do have to push quite hard.
I found the tops of my fingers hurting (:
Cheers
thanx alot!
had the same problem and i thought the machine had crashed!
cheers dude!!!!..
mine just had the same problem, I took it to MacHouse in Amsterdam. Firstly the guy shaked the laptop (for god knows reason) in case there was a bug inside? (at that stage am questioning in my head whether those guys know what they are doing)…then he went at the back to test with other memory to find out that it still didn’t work…so for me looks like its the logicboard… my 2nd one in 19 months, does Apple test their product or do we at our expenses?!
Thank you!
I almost given up the hope of getting my macbook back in life, sleep light turns on permantly, but after your tips all getting back to normaly, thank you again!
2 years later your post saved my macbook after a flying computer landed under my desk!
Hey, good tip. But if this were the case then the RAM wouldn’t show up in the OSX control panel, right?
Email me if u know something!
Thanks!
thanks a million! saved the day.
Thanks for this post. This helped fixed my daughter MacBook today. She replaced RAM a long time ago but for some reasons they came loose and after trying everything I found this post and reset the RAM and it boot up. Thanks again.
Holy crap. This fixed my iMac. Thanks a ton!
Hey,
Thanks so much for this post. For anyone in this situation, you really do have to push HARD. My fingers hurt now, but my MacBook is working!
Thanks
thank you!!
and just as a side note, if it hasn’t already been pointed out. using a credit card (or some kidn of car) to push in those foam supports will help a lot when puutting back on the metal frame.
hi all
sometimes you do have to push quite hard, but if you have to push REALLY REALLY hard then maybe you aren’t doing it right…
it’s important to install the board on an angle, it should push almost all the way in on an angle, then drop down into place… if you lay the board flat and try and push it horizontally then it can be very hard!
some finesse is required!
Bless you!
I bought a 2 gig stick for my Core Duo MBP. Afterward I read my comp could only support 2 gigs total, but no big deal. After drilling through the head of a stubborn screw (that screw pissed me off so much) and installing the new stick I got the flashing light syndrome. Found this article, pushed the stick in and got rid of the flashing light but the computer still wouldn’t start up. I removed the original 1 GB stick and replaced it with the 2 GB stick and now my computer works. Just putting it out there for anyone with the same problem.
Thank you for that. Saved me a trip to the Apple store!
Now it all makes sense. I’m off to push in my RAM.
thanks for the post…doing just what was posted worked!
It’s amazing how helpful a small piece of information can be, and how long it can remain useful. I see you posted this in 2006 and two years later it’s still helping people.
30 minutes with Crucial’s Live Support with no resolution…2 minutes doing a Google search, finding your post, and fixing my computer.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!
panic, followed by more panic and anxiety followed by relief folleed by thanks
Just wanted to add my name to the list of thankfuls. My fingertips are numb, but the computer finally booted.
I am having the same problem. How do I go about pressing the RAM in firmly? Can someone explain to me how I go about this? I have never taken a computer apart before.
Thanks!
cngersch@gmail.com
Apple should be payig you
Saved me quite a few nerves. Thanks!
Just thought I’d add my name to the list of people saying thanks – THANKS SO MUCH, MAN!
OMG THANK YOU
Thanks, it worked. I was panicking because I replaced the top case (spilled wine on keyboard) and the macbook wouldn’t turn back on. Reseating the memory a few times fixed it!
Thank You….. it helped me a lot!!
Thanks
thanks you really saved my ass.
There were some cold and dark lonely days without my trust albino friend. Today you bought him back to life. I love you.
WOW It worked, can you imagine a thread that started in 2006 still being useful in 2008! Saved me from an all nighter. Thanks again!!
everyone was pointing at software, motherboard etc issues. who’ld a thunk? you MUST be old school!
in the old days we would drop the device on a table to reseat shit
you rock, man!
Awesome! the tip worked for me. Can’t believe apple doesn’t have this on their website. Thank you again.
[...] firmware screen, just black. After a while of searching – from my phone, no less, eventually found this post from three years ago that held the secret. The Apple KB article didn’t mention [...]
I LOVE YOU!!!!! dam i almost died.. thanks
lol me too!
It works on the aluminum MacBook Pros. Thanks so much for posting this!!
Thank you!
Wow, great tip, thank you!
Hey guys looks like everything is already said but I could not leave without saying THANKS A LOT!!!
My husband was FREAKING OUT because he thought his computer was toast. But, after I found this thread, he tried it, and it worked. Thank you guys so much!!!!!
thank god for you, and for my phone having a web browser. I found this in seconds from google, and it completely saved my life.
Side note: I also received a loud beeping tone with my flashing light and non- working computer.
Pushing harder completely solved this problem.
… and saved me from a panic attack.
seriously, god bless you.
Thanks for your help! I pushed it in all the way until it hurt and now my computer boots up again. Thanks!
thank you for putting this up.
this may of fixed my already malfunctioning trackpad too!
Thank you! This saved my bacon.
Ditto to all the above comments. I almost had a slight heart attack and I’m only 23. Thanks a million!
even years after you posted it: thanks, it helped me
It helped me too, thanks for posting.
Tim
AMAZING!!!! I nearly lost my mind.. and cried a lil bit. but YAY!!! It worked. I don’t know you but heres a virtual hug!!!!!!!!!
i was so pissed thanx though U MADE MY DAY
THANK YOU very much! You totally saved my ass, and I’ll give you a kidney if you need one!
I would like to confirm this applies to iMac’s too (mine was an Intel 17 inch). RAM was the issue and fixing that allowed the system to boot afterwards! Thanks!
Thanks. I did this twice and zapped the P-RAM too. All appears to be working.
thank u so much i’ve breen trying to figure it out for ever
THANKS!! I was having the exact same problem, and this note saved me!! You rock!
You legend!