Back to the Genius Bar- the MacBook Pro is ready!

In a short while I will be heading back to the Apple Store to pick up my MacBook Pro.  I got a call from the Genius Bar late yesterday informing me that my MBP is ready to be picked up after repair.  It is with a bit of trepidation that I pick it up today as it doesn't seem they repaired anything at all.  The genius said they ran diagnostics non-stop for the three days they had the MBP and it only hung up once on them.  When they rebooted it he admitted he got the three beeps of RAM death from the hardware so he swapped the two RAM cards into the other slot.  I informed him that I've brought the MBP in for the same symptoms, frequent hang-ups followed by difficulty rebooting due to the three beeps and that the first time I brought it in the genius swapped the two cards into the other slot too.  Since that didn't fix it he ran hard drive diagnostics which flagged the disk as being bad and they replaced the hard drive.  That didn't fix the problem and hence the second trip to the repair center with the MBP.  I asked the genius yesterday why he thought that swapping the RAM cards into the other slot would work this time when it didn't work the first time.  Long pause.  He then said that after he swapped them this time it didn't hang up a single time.  I'm not sure how confident I should be at that statement since it only hung up once on them in three days when it's been hanging up on me frequently.

Anyway, I'll pick it up today and then bang on it to see how it fares.

Comments

[PJE]

I hope everything's well, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

I had an embedded controller I designed flaking out during install at a customer site, but it's since been running 24/7 for a couple of weeks in the lab with no issues. As a matter of course I replaced the unit with a new tested unit to ensure the customer was happy.

I'd be looking for something more than moving the RAM if it were my machine.

[Kevin K]

I too, had a re-occurring issue with a PowerMac G5. After three trips to the apple store, the "genius" got the go ahead to trade in my PowerMac G5 for a NEW MacPro. I felt like the KGB was going to nab me as I walked out the door.

Gotta LOVE APPLE!

ps. My company buys a lot of Macs from this store...

[Allan_Jones]

It's time to open a book on how long it will be before the computer malfunctions again.

[Allan_Jones]

Seriously, the reality of owning modern digital equipment is that there's quite a high probability that at some point you will have a device that doesn't work properly for no identifiable reason. I don't know anyone who hasn't had this experience, yet I don't see any acknowledgement of this fact from manufacturers.

Don't get me started on the Dell Inspiron 3700 I once owned. What a turkey. Sheer theft of my money by Mr Dell. If I saw him, I'd tell him to his face. No maker is exempt, as far as I can see, and they treat you with contempt when it happens.

[Vinny]

Good news is if this doesn't fix it and you have Apple Care, you're entitled to a new machine, at least as far as I remember.

Also, check to see if your state has any Lemon Laws which might apply.

[Woadan]

Well, the CEO apologizes that the stock price had taken a nose dive. Consequently, you'll have to bask in the glow of the sexy design of the case. It is a sexy doorstop, no?

All sarcasm intended.

But I do hope that it works without too many problems. Having a sick computer isn't fun.

Woadan

[Taxman]

Well, you can fondle a MacBook Air while you're there. You just can't buy one.

[JeffGr]

So, why do you keep referring to the technicians as "geniuses" when they obviously can't figure out your problem? :)

[turn_self_off]

i wonder why they keep rotating those ram sticks.

grab a couple of new ones for the customer damn it...

also, sounds like those "geniouses" do not keep a work log or talk to each other...

meh, better to do it ones self...

[bmhome1]

Has ANYONE yet run venerable Memtest for fully 24 hour session test when the real errors marginal damaged RAM only begin to reveal source of this problem?

[OJ]

Sounds like a typical crApple genius to me. Just lie to the end-user and tell them it is fixed.

[gary]

I agree that they obviously don't have the faintest idea what the problem is so they use the "witchcraft" of swapping the ram sticks - a bit like banging the television when it's not working properly.

They should just replace the ram or, if they can't figure it out, stop wasting your time and give you a brand new one.

[Bill]

Good luck- please let us know how things work out when you take it back in few days!

[Mac "It just works" (Stock)]

Take it back all you Mac fans, it doesn't "just work". Does it? Apple's OS X just works. Apple's hardware is just as shoddy as the rest of 'em. Such is life.

[Stider]

I am having the same problem with the hanging and 3 beeps. I am dying to find out, what's was the outcome? I *don't* want to make 3 trips to the "genius" bar.