Macbook does not turn on

[paulpratt]

Hello everyone.

I've got an Intel Core 2 Duo Macbook. It's about three years old now. I upgraded the ram and hard drive about two weeks after purchasing the laptop and it ran flawlessly for a year and a half.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the computer ceased to function. The computer would not turn on. When i plugged the mag safe connector into the machine the light would turn on, but it would be extremely dim.

I reset the PMU, the SMC, everything. Removed the battery, unplugged the adapter, i did everything recommended by apple and simple internet searches.

After this, I took it to an apple store where they checked the AC adapter and the battery but could find no issues. They tried a new ac adapter and battery but the computer would not turn on and the AC light was still dim. They concluded it was the logic board, i also had this "verified" through a third party mac repair shop as well. I did not spill anything on the computer and i had taken very good care of it as well so i wasn't sure where it had failed.

With no money to buy a new logic board, the computer sat for many months and i was looking for thing to sell on ebay. I found the computer and begin messing with it again. Suddenly, it sprang to life as if it had never missed a beat.

So, the computer and i go along for another year and now, about two weeks ago the same problem happens. I did a forced shut down when the computer froze up. I've done this several times, but this time it did not want to reboot.

So now I'm back in the situation i was in before with the same issues. I've tried resetting all the control units i removed the ram and hard drive to reseat them all with no change to the "brick" status of the laptop.

I curious if anyone has experienced this and if so, what am i to do to recover the machine and how to prevent it from happening again?

Any leads or suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks all for your time in advance.

 

[Maim]

that does sound like a strange case you have there. if it was mine i would open the computer and check for anything that could have gotten in there which may be interfering with your logic board, such as excessive dust or fibres or any liquid damage which you may not know about, as it sounds like it may have trouble with the power distribution. of course, the dissection depends on your ability to do that sort of thing....

 

[paulpratt]

I've opened it up and made sure everything is in it's place so to speak. No liquid damage as i could see and i used some gentle passes with a can of canned air to get any light and loose debris out.

 

[Maim]

what might be worthwhile is removing the logic board completely and reseat all the connections. perhaps also leave it long enough for the smc to reset itself (leave the battery and ac unplugged for about a minute or two).

 

[paulpratt]

I took the computer apart with no luck. I made sure to disconnect and re connect all connections i could get my hands, particularly the power connectors. No luck.

 

[toleda]

I had a similar problem with my three year old mbp a few weeks ago. Returned from a business trip, tried to use the computer a day later but it was dead. No response to any input, removed the battery (reset SMC), still nothing. Took it to the Apple store; a few days later they said it was indeed dead and suggested a new logic board for $1140 fixed cost which I quickly decided not to pursue. I picked up the computer from the Apple Store (the work order said "No trouble found") and the Genius again suggested a new logic board.

At home, I took the mbp apart to remove the SSD. While the computer was open, out of curiosity, I pugged the power supply into the computer (no battery). To my surprise, the green light turned on. Clearly, the computer was not dead. Indeed, it booted right up. Thinking, the problem was solved, I put it back together. As you might expect, it went dead. Took it apart again, plugged it in and it booted. Subsequently, I could get it to boot during more than two dozen disassembly/reassembly trials over a weekend but it would not boot when completely assembled. Long story short, on a whim, I disabled the sudden motion sensor and my mbp has booted normally since.

Disabling the SMS requires a terminal command: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1934

 

[toleda]

Dead mbp

I had a similar problem with my three year old mbp a few weeks ago. Returned from a business trip, tried to use the computer a day later but it was dead. No response to any input, removed the battery (reset SMC), still nothing. Took it to the Apple store; a few days later they said it was indeed dead and suggested a new logic board for $1140 fixed cost which I quickly decided not to pursue. I picked up the computer from the Apple Store (the work order said "No trouble found") and the Genius again suggested a new logic board.

At home, I took the mbp apart to remove the SSD. While the computer was open, out of curiosity, I pugged the power supply into the computer (no battery). To my surprise, the green light turned on. Clearly, the computer was not dead. Indeed, it booted right up. Thinking, the problem was solved, I put it back together. As you might expect, it went dead. Took it apart again, plugged it in and it booted. Subsequently, I could get it to boot during more than two dozen disassembly/reassembly trials over a weekend but it would not boot when completely assembled. Long story short, on a whim, I disabled the sudden motion sensor and my mbp has booted normally since.

Disabling the SMS requires a terminal command: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1934

 

[paulpratt]

Long story short, on a whim, I disabled the sudden motion sensor and my mbp has booted normally since.

That is an interesting story. It's amazing how many varied problems i've come across while trying to figure this out. I know there are a lot of components to these things, but "generally (i use this term very loosely)" when you turn electronics on they work.

This is the most trouble i've ever had with any electronic device. Frustrating too. I wanted to bring a lot more Apple products into my home and this throws that plan into question.

I hope I'm in the minority here.

Aside from that... i will try and run the computer while it is apart. Is there any particular level of break down i need to have, or just getting the case off will suffice?