Reset hard or soft?

Thanks Ron. I will try your suggestions. I used to fix IBM clone xt computers which had a post series of beeps. They would send me in the right direction. Pity the apple doesn’t.

@whymewhyme I don't know if you are referring to me or not, but if so, you are very welcome. I have two more comments and then I'm signing off.. First, the problem is definitely at or before reading and running the Autostart ROM. That is where the screen gets cleared. Second, you may be able to engage the built in hardware test by pressing Control-Open Apple-Reset. If it works and indicates a fault, replacing the faulty IC will generally fix the problem.

I hope this can solve your problem. I'd try to help more, but iFixit's faulty spam detection bot has already flagged me twice, deleting what I wrote and penalizing me 200 reputation points, though since I don't think I'm going to keep wasting effort on this site, the points matter less than the wasted effort.

Yes Michael I was responding to your comments. I would love it if you can find that information . I might have to check the eprom as it has no sticker over it and I know they can deteriorate over time. Long shot I know. Please stay with these guys for our sake. No one else has helped me with this and the expertise is dying out quickly.

@whymewhyme Not sure if this is directed at me since no one named Ron answered, but if if it is, you're welcome and I hope you can find what you need to fix your Apple II. Both for your sake (which is why I answered), but now also so I can thumb my nose at iFixit over docking me 100 reputation points for my answer being 'spam'.... apparently because the bot decided it wasn't helpful.

It's too bad that unlike the IBM PC clones, the IIe doesn't give you more of a clue But I know for a fact that there was a technical manual from Apple that covered the details of startup in the type of detail you'd need. I know because I remember reading it and barely being able to understand any of it. There is a slim chance I still have it with my old Apple //e but its deeply buried and hard to get to right now without moving many boxes of heavy things form my mother's estate (though protected from moisture at least!). If I do find it, I will post what I find out here.

EDIT: One question and one confirmation:

Have you tried hitting Control-Solid Apple-Reset? That is the buillt in hardware test. If it doest work, that is likely an important indicator or where the failure is. If it doe, it may tell you exactly what the problem is.

And I was right, the clearing of the screen and Apple //e at the top of the screen is due to the autostart ROM being run. So the problem is at or before running it.