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2006(?) A1181 water damaged

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chester1066

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 18, 2012
25
0
Hi,

I wonder if anyone could offer some advice, or at least bash me over the head with a hammer if this sounds like a ridiculous idea.

I bought a 2nd hand Macbook A1181 a few years back, it was loaded with some great software - i loved it, couldnt fault it. One day my flatmate was using it whilst i was at work, when the ceiling to my flat started to leak, RIGHT ONTOP of the open laptop...unfortunately I tried to dry it out, but it stopped working. It wouldnt even come on.
A friend told me he knew someone that would take a look at it and at the least, get my photos from it onto a memory stick. He had it for ages, Ive no idea what he tried, if anything, but he salvaged my photos.

So, I still have the Macbook (dead) - what are my options? Im short on cash so cant afford for someone 'professional' to look at it. Im not very techy. I love the Macbook - should i just let it go to heaven, or is there a way around this? Could I buy a logic board? Could it be the switch short circuited when the water damaged it, and it just needs this? It could be anything right?

Im stuck with a dead macbook and a deadening Macbook Pro - all within 8 months!! IM currently using my stepdads laptop.....
 
MisterKeeks

MisterKeeks

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2012
1,833
28
You could take it to a tech to diagnose the issue. At this point, it's possible that other things than the logic board are at fault. Of course, the problem probably is the logic board, test to make sure before you by a new one.
 
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chester1066

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 18, 2012
25
0
Thanks MisterKeeks..you are right, if i go ahead a buy a logic board and it turns out to be something like the on off switch, I would actually hit myself over the head with a hammer
 
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minifridge1138

macrumors 65816
Jun 26, 2010
1,175
197
there's a decent chance that all of your files and the OS are still on the hard drive (some had to be or else the guy wouldn't have been able to recover your photos).

So if you bought a used MacBook (assuming hardware and OS compatibility), then you could just put the old hard drive into it and boot. It would be like nothing ever happened.

Good luck!!!
 
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chester1066

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 18, 2012
25
0
Hi

I could sell the white macbook and the macbook Pro for spares/repairs and buy another 2nd hand one, but this would be my third MB in 2 years :( Im worried now about buying another second hand one...

The idea of taking the harddrive out of the MB and putting into my dying MB Pro sounds attractive...but my MBPro has had a kernel Panic and I cant get it to work now.....

Options are to buy logic board for both?!
 
M

minifridge1138

macrumors 65816
Jun 26, 2010
1,175
197
Tell us more about the Kernel Panic on the MBP?

When does it happen?
How far into the boot process does it happen?
What are you doing when it happens?
Are there any error codes?
etc.....
 
thekev

thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
chester1066 said:
Thanks MisterKeeks..you are right, if i go ahead a buy a logic board and it turns out to be something like the on off switch, I would actually hit myself over the head with a hammer
Click to expand...

An on/off switch is not likely. Even if it is one, I'm not sure that is sold on its own. You could look through the entire forum, and I doubt you'd find one repair instance where that was the only thing that was replaced. As to buying secondhand machines, I'd personally prefer a cheaper new one. It's too difficult to fully assess the condition of the machine including battery, display, etc. at a glance. Logic boards can be expensive. If it's really old, it may not be worth it. Other parts will eventually need to be replaced. Batteries do eventually die. Display backlights die. I've seen power inverters on Apple displays die. The point is don't spend too much on an ancient piece of hardware. If you buy a secondhand computer, don't pay more due to pre-installed software. It's often pirated, and how would you really recover it if the hard drive dies? Hard drive failure is quite common. The last thing is start backing up your photos regularly. That last incident should have taught you this.

chester1066 said:
Hi

I could sell the white macbook and the macbook Pro for spares/repairs and buy another 2nd hand one, but this would be my third MB in 2 years :( Im worried now about buying another second hand one...

The idea of taking the harddrive out of the MB and putting into my dying MB Pro sounds attractive...but my MBPro has had a kernel Panic and I cant get it to work now.....

Options are to buy logic board for both?!
Click to expand...

Kernel panics generate a dump. You should post that to see if anyone can discern what may be wrong from it.
 
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chester1066

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 18, 2012
25
0
Hi Kev, sorry ive only just seen your reply to this!!

What is a dump'...since the kernal panic, my Macbook Pro wont even display a screen and there is no chime on start up....the lights on, but no ones home.
 
ResPublica

ResPublica

macrumors regular
Jun 12, 2011
177
52
I once fixed a water damaged Macbook from 2008. Weeks after the damage had occured, the machine still refused to start. I removed the topcase so I could acces the motherboard. The water damage was clearly visible around the area were the keyboard with the ON/OFF-button connects to the main board. I cleaned it up using some pure alcohol. Than I tried starting again and the machine has worked perfectly ever since.
 
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