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MacBook 5,1 not turning on!

Rags158

Rags158

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 8, 2015
8
0
haywards heath west sussex
Hey hows it going?
Im new here and not sure if this has been posted before so forgive me if its a double post.

I have a Macbook aluminium unibody late 2008 and the problem is it wont start up, what happens is when i press the power button you can hear the humming of the fans spinning and the HDD powering up but no life anywhere else no chime or anything and after about 5 seconds or so it switches off and restarts again with the same process as described above but this time it just stays on but with nothing else happening apart from what i have already described. I tried everything that i found in this awesome forum from the power button thing to jumping the keyboard pins to start it but nothing would work.
Does anyone have any clues as to what it could be? Could it possibly be the GPU?

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions
Chris (Rags158)
 
Your symptoms suggest that the hard drive has failed.
Does the sleep LED flash when you try to boot?

Have you tried both SMC and PRAM resets?

Try removing, or just disconnecting the hard drive.
Then, try the PRAM reset to see if you now get a boot chime.
If you do get a boot chime - Shut off by holding the power button for 5 seconds or so.
Connect the hard drive again, and try power once more. If you get the same "no boot chime" and it simply resets or even powers off by itself within a few seconds, then replace the hard drive. It's done...
This would be a good time to mention the customary "replace your hard drive with an SSD". You will be glad that you did.
 
Hi
Thanks DeltaMac for your reply and suggestions, have tried a new HDD and also what you what and still nothing and no boot chime, when i turn it on (Press the power button) the little white led light comes on then goes off when the power goes off and on again when it powers its self up again, its not flashing or anything just stays lit up.
Funny you say that I ordered an SSD to put in it last week but looks like i will have this snazzy SSD with no mac to stick it in.
 
Is there any difference when you remove the hard drive, then try the power on?
Do an SMC reset, by disconnecting the power adapter. Remove the bottom cover on your MBook, and remove the main battery. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds. (That's the reset, nothing physical happens when you do that.) Leave the battery OUT, and connect the power adapter, and press and release the power button.
If the hard drive is still removed, you should get a flashing folder on the screen (and it should not shut off by itself!) The flashing folder can take a minute or so, just let it sit.

Another test would be to remove ALL the RAM, then try power again. You should get error beeps, or at least a flashing sleep LED, indicating that there's no memory installed. I'm trying to help you get something different to happen.
 
It doesn't sound like the hard drive all. The computer is not even posting to reach the point of accessing the hard drive.

Try the following:

1. Disconnect power and see if you can turn it on with just the power adaptor.
2. Try resetting power management and PRAM.
3. Try booting with just one stick of RAM and switch to the other stick if still not booting.
 
Hi
Thanks DeltaMac for your reply and suggestions, have tried a new HDD and also what you what and still nothing and no boot chime, when i turn it on (Press the power button) the little white led light comes on then goes off when the power goes off and on again when it powers its self up again, its not flashing or anything just stays lit up.
Funny you say that I ordered an SSD to put in it last week but looks like i will have this snazzy SSD with no mac to stick it in.

DeltaMac said:
Is there any difference when you remove the hard drive, then try the power on?
Do an SMC reset, by disconnecting the power adapter. Remove the bottom cover on your MBook, and remove the main battery. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds. (That's the reset, nothing physical happens when you do that.) Leave the battery OUT, and connect the power adapter, and press and release the power button.
If the hard drive is still removed, you should get a flashing folder on the screen (and it should not shut off by itself!) The flashing folder can take a minute or so, just let it sit.

Another test would be to remove ALL the RAM, then try power again. You should get error beeps, or at least a flashing sleep LED, indicating that there's no memory installed. I'm trying to help you get something different to happen.
Click to expand...


Thanks again DeltaMac but still no difference even tried disconnecting the screen, and CD rom cable just to see what happens but still no difference. I have tried just about everything i could find on the net. Hope with all your wisdom and knowledge we can come up with something apart from sticking it in the oven....but even that i would try if there was nothing else to try.
 
pastrychef said:
It doesn't sound like the hard drive all. The computer is not even posting to reach the point of accessing the hard drive.

Try the following:

1. Disconnect power and see if you can turn it on with just the power adaptor.
2. Try resetting power management and PRAM.
3. Try booting with just one stick of RAM and switch to the other stick if still not booting.
Click to expand...


Thanks PastryChef for your suggestions but I have tried this in every way possible with the ram from no ram to different ram and also the reset of the pram and power management. It seems like its getting closer and closer to sticking it on the BBQ with a few onion rings and burgers.
 
Is it possible to upload videos here as it might be easier to show whats happening rather than explain and you might get a better idea of what and how to do it.
Thanks
 
The sleep LED should come on during boot, then should go off when the display turns on.
From what you say, the display never lights up?
So, it's just not making it through the POST, and shuts itself off because of that failure.

Could be the video card, which is built-in to the logic board.

I THINK your aluminum Macbook has the built-in hardware test. Try when you next try to boot, by holding the D key immediately after you press and release the power button.
Or, the hardware test will be available on the Disk #2 of the set of DVDs that originally came with your MacBook (if you still have those disks). Boot to that DVD with the hardware test by holding the D key after restarting with that DVD in the drive.
- - And ,there will be some risk with that, in case it still doesn't boot. The DVD will probably appear to be stuck in the drive. But, better to try and fail - just to see if you can boot to that hardware test.
 
DeltaMac said:
The sleep LED should come on during boot, then should go off when the display turns on.
From what you say, the display never lights up?
So, it's just not making it through the POST, and shuts itself off because of that failure.

Could be the video card, which is built-in to the logic board.

I THINK your aluminum Macbook has the built-in hardware test. Try when you next try to boot, by holding the D key immediately after you press and release the power button.
Or, the hardware test will be available on the Disk #2 of the set of DVDs that originally came with your MacBook (if you still have those disks). Boot to that DVD with the hardware test by holding the D key after restarting with that DVD in the drive.
- - And ,there will be some risk with that, in case it still doesn't boot. The DVD will probably appear to be stuck in the drive. But, better to try and fail - just to see if you can boot to that hardware test.
Click to expand...

You're right the display never comes on at all.
Tried the D key with all possible methods...with the battery on power etc but still nothing.
It look like all possible avenues have been crossed so it only leaves on thing to do.....BBQ Time I am going to get some thermal paste and try and reseat the GPU at work, but i have a few days before I condemn the mac to the BBQ. What type of thermal paste would you recommend for this?
 
There may be a device that retains some settings on the logic board, but it probably is not recognizable as a battery.
Not unusual for Apple. For example, iBooks never had a replaceable backup battery.
 
pastrychef said:
Hmm... I was just looking at iFixit.com and didn't see a PRAM battery for the aluminum MacBook. Is it possible they don't have one??
Click to expand...

I was just looking in the same place and apparently it has its just up and to the left of the red square....here is the link
http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/P21gMUkStuLkuxls.huge

but according to ifixit it is not a battery but a 80 000microFarad / 3.3 Volts capacitor.

So there you go you learn something new every day :)
 
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