MacBook not working - Help please. Power light on but no display.

Mine done something like this the other day. I downloaded updates and forgot to install them when shutting it down, but when I opened the lid back up the screen wouldn't come on. So I forced shut down and tried to boot it back up but it wouldn't get past the logo. Multiple attempts and repairing permissions didn't fix the problem and I eventually had to reformat the drive and reinstall Leopard.

Luckily I was able to access it through my AEBS on my iMac when in Disk Utility and transferred all my important files to my iMac before reformatting.

Also check your RAM to make sure it's properly seated. This happened to my BlackBook as well. I took it to the Genius Bar and after checking several other things, that's what we found- loose RAM chip. It's been fine ever since.

Can you hear any high pitched beeps when it is trying to start-up ?

Somebody else will come along in a minute but sounds like logic-board fault.

Any AppleCare ?

If you can't start it then you won't be able to put it into Target mode.

Similar start-up problem if you had just changed the RAM and it was not in properly - but unfortunately you have not just changed it and you have checked !

Sounds like water/liquid damage to the logic-board - is this a possibility ?

macpbr98 said:

All the RAM were securely in place but despite that, it seems one of the slots is broken. The MB works again as long as I keep RAM off of the broken (left) slot. Thanks so much for helping!

Click to expand...

Sorry the slot's broken though

You might want to invest in a 2 GB ram chip now that you're limited to just one slot.

macpbr98 said:

Yeah it's a bit of a bummer, but I was all prepared for a possible logic board replacement so this isn't so bad fearing the worst! I'm just so happy to get it up and working again!

Any ideas what could cause that to happen? Haven't changed RAM in a year and it was working fine til sometime last night.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't know. If I were you I'd take it to the Apple store. The chip itself could have also gone bad, it may not be the slot.

PLZZZZZ big problem.......urgent help.....macbook pro help...!!!

hi...can anyone please help me?????

i got pfroblem with my macbook pro for the first time....i recently bought it...its been not more than 6 months i guess since i bought this.

the previous night i manually shut down my macbook and kept it aside. the other morning i took it to my college. on the way to the college inside the bus, i started it by clicking the power button....the light indicator button glowed but nothing came on display. i shut down it again by pressing the power button and again restarted it. the same thing happened again. i did it for around 4-5 times. the same no display problem raised again and again.

after about 2-3 hours, i tried to open it agin and this time it successfully booted. i used it for more than half an hour. after that i just closed the lid and put it in my bag. i was amazed to see no sleep light when i took it out of my bag again after an hour or too. the same problem like the previous arise again.

i felt sleepy and put my arms on the top of my macbook pro and slept with my head on my arms. i don't thaink that caused problem with the display, or did it?? i think i didn't applied much pressure on the LCD lid while sleeping.

will there be any effect on the display or screen problem with event like this??

i shut down it and came to my home. i tried to open my macbook in the same way as in the bus several times but nothing happened.

1) on pressing the power button, the light indicates on the front side.
2) also the battery indicator glows on pressing the button.
3) even the back light i.e. apple logo doesn't glow
4) and caps lock button also shows no light on pressing.
5) from the back portion just the air comes flowing all the time and no display at all just the black screen...not even the apple startup logo.
6) i hear a subtle sound when i put my ears near to the back portion which might be of hard drive spinning...but i have no idea what it is??

i still have my 1 year warranty left... so i am planning to take it to the apple authorized reseller here at the philippines.

what should i do??????
will they fix my macbook pro?? do i have to pay even when i have 1 year warranty still left??? nad it was not my fault that macbook became so...

please please please give me a solution as well as advice what to do....
plz its urgent...!!!!

macpbr98 said:

Yeah - that's a good idea to take to the Apple store. I know the RAM chip is fine because they both worked in the one slot but never on the other no matter which chip it was. Maybe the Apple Store can confirm that it's just a lousy RAM slot gone broke or hopefully can figure out a fix for it.

Click to expand...

or instead of wasting the money, swap the ram

desperate!

sunu420 said:

hi...can anyone please help me?????

1) on pressing the power button, the light indicates on the front side.
2) also the battery indicator glows on pressing the button.
3) even the back light i.e. apple logo doesn't glow
4) and caps lock button also shows no light on pressing.
5) from the back portion just the air comes flowing all the time and no display at all just the black screen...not even the apple startup logo.
6) i hear a subtle sound when i put my ears near to the back portion which might be of hard drive spinning...but i have no idea what it is??

please please please give me a solution as well as advice what to do....
plz its urgent...!!!!

Click to expand...

I have this same issue. If anyone knows how to fix or have had this problem and had it fixed about what is the price of fixing.

think it's the HW display failure. i have the same, BUT the system fully boots up and i can hookup external monitor. so it's not a video issue.

Problem I had:

Macbook Pro 17" from 2008. After a Lion update I would push the power button and get a solid white light (from the sleep light), black screen and there would be no chime. I had a disc in so I would hear it spinning.

I thought it was because of the Lion update.


Fix:

The Macbook must have overheated when I was doing the Lion update. I tired SMC resets, taking the RAM out, PRAM zap, etc. I heard that this could be due to the Left Logic Board.

What I did was set the Macbook up like a teepee under the covers on the bed. I put lots of pillows around and covered it good. After it got really hot to the touch, I set it in another room upside down overnight. The next day it worked! I had the HDD out, so I powered it down and put it back in.

Problem was, I decided to do updates. About a year+ worth since that's how long it was down. So there was a 2GB combined Lion update. I did the update, restarted and the issue was back: solid white light, black screen, no chime.

I set it up like a teepee again under the covers and overheat it. That did not work. So a day later I powered it on, but this time I put it upside down on the bed with the lid closed, so the batter was facing up. With it powered on, I covered it really good. After about an hour give or take, I put it in the other room to let it cool. Once it was cool to the touch I powered it on and it worked.

I thought there was a correlation with Lion, but I think it is just a heat issue. While doing updates, the computer heats up.

So far it is still working. I downloaded smcfancontrol and set the fan speed to max. I am going to order a big cooling tray for it.

But it seems it was overheating and affecting some connectors on the logic board.



So in summary, the fix (at least for me) for the black screen, no chime, solid white light: is to overheat the laptop upside down under the bed covers and then let it set until it is cool. Then give it a shot. While I overheated mine, I took out the battery and HDD. Then download smcfancontrol.

Macbook problem

macpbr98 said:

Hi - I'm hoping someone can help me out on this...

I usually leave my MacBook on overnight. I woke up to find my MacBook (Nov 2006 2 GHz, Black, Core2Duo) with the display off - which is what I would expect since the display sleeps automatically. Since it didn't seem to wake up, I did a force shut down by holding down the power button for several seconds.

I try to power on and:
-the LCD briefly blips on and quickly goes off
-the white LED light by the Apple Remote Infrared Receiver stays on a solid white.
-I hear NO start up chime
-i can hear the fan
-but the built in display does not turn on
-the external display i have it hooked up to does not receive any signals from the mac.

So I try to reset the Power Management by:
-unplugging
-removing the battery
-press and hold the power button for 5 seconds
-reattach the battery
-reattach to the power adaptor

I power on and the same thing happens:
-display briefly blinks
-white solid led light
-no start up chime
-etc.

I try to insert the DVD restore disk. The MacBook happily takes it in, but nothing. I've tried restarting again and holding down the C key. But no display on the built in or the external.

I force shut. Power on. Hold the eject key. And now the DVD is stuck. Same problem as before but now it ate my DVD!

Any help or advice from anybody would be greatly appreciated!


BTW - I'm going to try to put it in target mode when I find my old powerbook but I doubt that will resolve it.

ALSO - I pretty much use my MB as a desktop. It's almost always on and plugged in to the wall outlet. I don't know if that makes things worse in terms of wear.

Click to expand...

I believe you have a failed graphics chip on the logic board as it seems that the macbook is functioning and making the correct noises etc, (just no display or start up chime).
That is why you are getting no output on external monitor!!. (if screen was faulty you would get output to external monitor).
So it is either a very expensive logic board replacement, you could have the GPU reballed for around the £90 mark if you know a competent computer technician skilled in BGA rework, (reball is the permanent fix).
Or you could reflow said GPU which could get you another couple of months use, or it could last a year?.
E-mail me if you would like any further help with this or organise a repair
Stan

Macbook power but no display problem

brucejs7 said:

I have this same issue. If anyone knows how to fix or have had this problem and had it fixed about what is the price of fixing.

Click to expand...

Hi, I am dismayed that this issue often gets convoluted and portrayed as some sort of software problem.
The fact of the matter is that the GPU has failed on the logic board, (nvidia produced a lot of bad chips more commonly known as the, "nvidia defect".
Apple should replace your macbook if it is diagnosed with said defect.
The permanent repair, (other than a logic board which probably has the same defect due to non leaded solder being used alongside a flawed chemical formula used in production of said nvidia chips), the permanent and strongest repair is to have the GPU, "re-balled".
This is basically taking the graphics chip off the logic board and replacing the bad, lead free solder with leaded solder which is far more forgiving as due to the heat generated by the GOU, the solder balls used to attach GPU to logic board expand and contract as machine is used, then off, then used, off etc, (heat, cool, heat, cool). Over time this causes the solder to weaken and fracture, thus eventually losing electrical connectivity to logic board, hence no graphics.
The temporary repair is to reflow the GPU with specialist equipment and chemicals, if done improperly this can damage the GPU and logic board so I would advise against undertaking this repair yourself.

A reball repair is around the £90 mark
If you would like to discuss this issue, please feel free to message me.
scottystan