Help! Macbook pro won’t boot most of the time (2017) A1708

[ChrisRodz]

My macbook pro 13” no touchbar (mid 2017) started to present this issue a few months back. After shut down or waked from sleep, it gets the folder with a question mark and it won’t boot. The only way I might get lucky and get it to boot up is if I persistently turn it on and off in 15 to 20 minutes intervals in which case when it does it works flawlessly. I was wondering if it’s logic board related or the ssd failing. I already run a diagnostic and got code VDH002 which apparently is the storage device failing. Also when this happens if I boot in recovery mode the ssd won’t show up in disk utility. I’ve been searching all over the internet and haven’t been able to find an answer other than apple’s replacement program for the ssd and logic board which my serial number shows that I’m not elegible. My other option is to take it to an apple store to get it checked out but, I can’t because there are no apple stores in my country, only authorized reseller.


Hope you guys can help me identify which of the two is the culprit.


Thanks in advance.

 

[jandrso]

Well it sounds to me like the SSD is failing. I would get to backing it up ASAP, get a good handle on the 3rd party applications you have on it, then ship it to Apple or repair center in your country. If you can afford the logic board replacement then get it. This is the problem with soldered on SSD in my opinion. Plus there is no real upgrade or repair path. It is unfortunate but a sign of the times across manufacturers and platforms. Sorry you are going through this.

 

[ChrisRodz]

Well it sounds to me like the SSD is failing. I would get to backing it up ASAP, get a good handle on the 3rd party applications you have on it, then ship it to Apple or repair center in your country. If you can afford the logic board replacement then get it. This is the problem with soldered on SSD in my opinion. Plus there is no real upgrade or repair path. It is unfortunate but a sign of the times across manufacturers and platforms. Sorry you are going through this.

Thanks! I’ve been doing some research and I found out that if it’s the ssd I might no be entirely out of luck. Apparently in the 2016 and 2017 no touchbar models the ssd is removable. I found a seller on ebay that sells them used since apple is the only company manufacturing it at the moment. I might buy one to try and replace it when it gets worst but, for now l’ve been able to keep it working as long as I don’t shut it down completely. If it turns out to be the logic board I probably won’t be replacing it. Is pretty disappointing, this is my first mac and it last me roughly a year and two months. I don’t find aceptable paying premium price for disposable quality.

Here is the link to the video on youtube that shows the removable ssd. Check out at 1:54.

 

[Honza1]

Did you try talking with Apple? It is really too early for the drive to fail. They could offer free replacement.

 

[ChrisRodz]

Did you try talking with Apple? It is really too early for the drive to fail. They could offer free replacement.

I’ll try and contact them in the next couple of days but, I’m not feeling really optimistic since I ran out of warranty a few months back.

 

[ChrisRodz]

Did you try talking with Apple? It is really too early for the drive to fail. They could offer free replacement.

Sorry fo the late update! I called apple and after a troubleshoot through the phone, they decided to make an appointment with an authorized service provider for a diagnosis. The technician at the service center determined that the ssd was faulty and it needed to be replaced. He said that the drive was showing the same conditions as those affected by the recall. When he reported back to apple about the diagnosis they didn’t hesitate to replace the drive free of charge. Thanks for all the help that you guys gave me. I really appreciate it!

 

[Honza1]

Sorry fo the late update! I called apple and after a troubleshoot through the phone, they decided to make an appointment with an authorized service provider for a diagnosis. The technician at the service center determined that the ssd was faulty and it needed to be replaced. He said that the drive was showing the same conditions as those affected by the recall. When he reported back to apple about the diagnosis they didn’t hesitate to replace the drive free of charge. Thanks for all the help that you guys gave me. I really appreciate it!

My observation with Apple is, that it is worth asking for help even when outside of warranty. They sometimes offer free/reduced cost repair when outside of warranty, especially in cases like this. They replaced my MBP display even after AppleCare expired since it had this antireflection layer peeling off... Asking costs no money, unless you are in country where access to Apple is complicated.

 

[varvara.art]

My macbook pro 13” no touchbar (mid 2017) started to present this issue a few months back. After shut down or waked from sleep, it gets the folder with a question mark and it won’t boot. The only way I might get lucky and get it to boot up is if I persistently turn it on and off in 15 to 20 minutes intervals in which case when it does it works flawlessly. I was wondering if it’s logic board related or the ssd failing. I already run a diagnostic and got code VDH002 which apparently is the storage device failing. Also when this happens if I boot in recovery mode the ssd won’t show up in disk utility. I’ve been searching all over the internet and haven’t been able to find an answer other than apple’s replacement program for the ssd and logic board which my serial number shows that I’m not elegible. My other option is to take it to an apple store to get it checked out but, I can’t because there are no apple stores in my country, only authorized reseller.


Hope you guys can help me identify which of the two is the culprit.


Thanks in advance.

How did you fix this issue?! I got the same with my macbook pro 13” no touchbar (mid 2017). Clean reinstalls not fix this.