Macbook keeps turning off

[YoungLeiva]

Okay so yesterday a friend brought me their Macbook because when he turned it on it will be a white screen and a folder with a question mark. His cd drive doesnt work so i was going to install the OS off a flash drive thats the reason he brought it. Well yesterday i checked it and well it was doing just that and also when you diconnect it off the power it turns off and doesnt charge the battery. But today as I turned it on to put on the OS it turned on with the white screen then turned off right away and has been doing it ever since. Before it turns off though it makes a click sound, does any one know what any of this can be?
Thanks in advance

 

[DeltaMac]

Sounds like a failed hard drive.

The MacBook does a test of the hard drive during boot. If that fails, it tries again. If it fails a third time, then power shuts off. That's how it works (or in your case, how it doesn't work )
The clicking sound may be the drive motor trying to turn, or the drive is making a mechanical noise (that click) because the head won't reset to the correct position (or a number of other possible mechanical problems that might appear as a variety of noises.
And, your initial problem - the flashing folder means that the Mac can't find a boot system. Can be a blank hard drive (erased), or a corrupted system, or simply a failed hard drive.
So, the hard drive is likely the main culprit here...

 

[YoungLeiva]

okay I will try a diff hard drive see if that fixes that, and for the battery not charging? what can be causing that?

 

[DeltaMac]

If the power just shuts off when you disconnect the power adapter, then maybe the battery is just no good, and doesn't accept a charge now.

Do you know how old the MacBook is? If this is an older MacBook (white or black case, not aluminum), then you can check the serial number label inside the battery compartment, which will tell you the processor speed, and a few other items about the original configuration. The processor speed would tell a lot. Maybe you know the exact year of the MacBook...
In those older MacBooks, you can press the battery test button on the battery. If the battery has no charge at all, no lights will illuminate when you press the test button. Plug the power adapter in, and wait about five minutes, then check if ANY lights will come on. If you don't see any lights, even after the power adapter is plugged in for several minutes, then the battery probably needs to be replaced (if your friend wants to use it as a portable again), or possibly the battery connector cable can be bad (it's an internal cable where the battery connects), or the Magsafe card can be bad, too, letting power in, but won't charge the battery. So, lots of possibilities. You can get a better check on the battery if you can boot to a system. OS X on an external drive, then go to the power information in the System Profiler (System Information with Lion or later)

 

[YoungLeiva]

I just asked him when did the battery go wrong and he told me he had just bought it off someone that said it just needed the OS X and the cd drive didnt work. I guess he told him that he didnt have time to charge the battery so he connected it to the power and just showed him the white screen with the folder and question mark. I guess he ripped him off by telling him there was nothing really much wrong with it. I opened up the laptop and saw that the HD on it doesnt even have the clips that hold it from moving, so im assuming the guy who sold it to him took out the original HD and threw in one that didnt work. So now question is, is it worth fixing it? he bought it for 120 its a 2008 mac book and the battery does have that test button which nothing shows but after you told me i noticed that sometimes when i connect it to the power it does blink a couple time sometimes then just goes off and doesnt blink again, it happens every so often when i plug it in to the power
[doublepost=1460944669][/doublepost]also i have an external hard drive thats blank at the moment that i have just incases i need it, will it be possible to install osx on that somehow and boot it up from the usb since it just keeps turning off?

 

[YoungLeiva]

okay so i had an old hard drive from my windows lap top that doesnt work. So i put in the Hard drive and all went well was trying to install OSX of a flash drive all was going well till i got a circle with a line going across it, but it would turn on and stay on no problem. I left it a lone to mess with it when i woke up and then i tried to turn it on and it would turn off unexpectedly or not at all. The little light turns on as it should when the computer is going to turn on and it just makes like a beep sound and turns off. It sounds like its coming from the Hard drive but im not sure... It was working flawlessly last night as in it would turn off or anything. I did leave it on long enough though trying to connect my external and it tried to load onto windows and i got a quick blue screen and turned off, was working fine after that, just this morning having this problem. Any ideas?

 

[DeltaMac]

What version of OS X are you trying to install?
The "prohibited" symbol can mean several things, but usually it meant that you are trying to boot to a system that is not compatible with your Macbook. 2008 MacBook may be the same one that I have, which will run OS X 10.7.5, but if I try to boot to OS X 10.8 or higher, I get the "prohibited" symbol.
Anything higher than 10.7.5 is not supported natively.

If you are sure the OS X version is supported, then the "prohibited" symbol can appear on boot when the system is not installed properly, or something is missing, or corrupted in the system software. The fix should be reinstalling OS X, if you are certain your system is supported, and that you have enough RAM installed. OS X 10.7 (Lion), for example, will probably show that symbol when booting with less than 2GB installed.

I doubt that you could boot to Windows installed on an external drive, unless you have installed Windows that way originally, on that MacBook, and to that external drive.

 

[YoungLeiva]

What version of OS X are you trying to install?
The "prohibited" symbol can mean several things, but usually it meant that you are trying to boot to a system that is not compatible with your Macbook. 2008 MacBook may be the same one that I have, which will run OS X 10.7.5, but if I try to boot to OS X 10.8 or higher, I get the "prohibited" symbol.
Anything higher than 10.7.5 is not supported natively.

If you are sure the OS X version is supported, then the "prohibited" symbol can appear on boot when the system is not installed properly, or something is missing, or corrupted in the system software. The fix should be reinstalling OS X, if you are certain your system is supported, and that you have enough RAM installed. OS X 10.7 (Lion), for example, will probably show that symbol when booting with less than 2GB installed.

I doubt that you could boot to Windows installed on an external drive, unless you have installed Windows that way originally, on that MacBook, and to that external drive.

No the hard drive that i put in has Windows on it, not the external. The external has the OSX ready to install. I assumed I was installing the wrong one. Problem is yesterday the computer would turn on and everything. Would let me try to install and then give me that symbol. But today when i tried this morning, it would turn on with the white screen then just turn off, or right when i press the power it would just turn off right away, or it would let me go to almost installing then just turn off. So its just randomly turning off atm so i cant do anything. Last night when i put in the hard drive everything was working good, this morning it wont stay on. What could be causing that?

 

[DeltaMac]

My first guess is a bad hard drive.
You also have power issues, so THAT could be helping (and not in a good way!)
If the Windows install was installed on THIS computer, then it should work fine. If it was installed on some other computer, then it may or may not boot, although I suppose the safe mode SHOULD work.

What version of OS X are you trying to use?
How much RAM is installed?
Try swapping the RAM between the slots (checking that the RAM is firmly seated - this can cause strange issues, too!)

 

[YoungLeiva]

My first guess is a bad hard drive.
You also have power issues, so THAT could be helping (and not in a good way!)
If the Windows install was installed on THIS computer, then it should work fine. If it was installed on some other computer, then it may or may not boot, although I suppose the safe mode SHOULD work.

What version of OS X are you trying to use?
How much RAM is installed?
Try swapping the RAM between the slots (checking that the RAM is firmly seated - this can cause strange issues, too!)

I mean i switched hard drives since the one it came with would make that click sound and turn off, i put this one on ( it already had windows install as it was in a laptop i had own already that i lost the charger to) and it was working flawlessly ln i just couldnt install the OSX but today it wont even stay on makes a little beep like sound and turns off. Not a click like the other hard drive this time the light barely turns on by the pad that shows its powering on and it just turns off screen doesnt even get to the white screen. I will try the switching the RAM as you mentioned and ill check how much RAM it has as well and update you in a bit.

 

[tubeexperience]

You friend got ripped-off buying this piece of junk

 

[YoungLeiva]

Okay so I switched the RAM like you said and didn't change anything (1gb each).

Then I opened it up again disconnected he Hard Drive, connected it back and checked that everything was connected on right, turned it on and working again like it was last night. I got to disk utility reformatted the hard drive and is installing Yosemeti at the moment. Question is that after I install everything will it act up again where it won't want to boot up? Is it something that's not connecting right or that gets loose when the laptop is moved around ? I'll come back when the OSX is fully installed says 15 mins left

 

[YoungLeiva]

Okay so when I installed the OSX and the hard drive was working I had the left the laptop open as in I didn't put the screws on and all that. So I put it together and the first turn on it the apple came out with the bar loading and it turned off like it was , then I turned it on and it started up with no problem and is working . Idk if every start up is gonna be different ? Well rn as I was typing this I moved the lap top a little and it happened . The hard drive doesn't seem to move but it doesn't have the holder thing that it should could that be why?
[doublepost=1461202674][/doublepost]Or could it be part be the power ?
[doublepost=1461203686][/doublepost]

 

[DeltaMac]

You said "... as I was typing this I moved the lap top a little and it happened ."
But, you did not say what "it" was? What happened when you moved the laptop a little?
If you mean the power shut off, it's very possible that the power connection is simply not very good. Check that both the adapter connector, and the internal magsafe port are both clean and undamaged. I have often seen that one or more of the little gold contacts (the row of five pins and the "cups" that all fit into) will be loose. You can try to gently move those.
And, something there may be loose enough that you lose the connection when the adapter wire moves "just a little."
Your battery is certainly bad, so you can try removing the battery completely, and see if that helps you stay powered up more reliably. (I haven't had a battery in my 2008 MacBook for a couple of years, and use it plugged in daily.)

 

[YoungLeiva]

Yes "it" was the laptop turning off. When I kept trying to turn in on and nothing then when it finally did load up (which was how I got the pics I sent) I moved the laptop around and everything and it didnt turn off so idk why it was turning off in the beginning. The magsafe is all one piece im assuming. Ill load some pics of it and I will try it without the battery as well see if that helps it out
[doublepost=1461206273][/doublepost]

 

[DeltaMac]

Your pictures don't show the piece that may be the easiest to miss. That's the row of matching contacts on the internal port.
Your power adapter is a newer replacement. The original one has a "T" connector, rather than a right-angled one. I also have that newer connector. It's easy to move and lose the connection (losing power), because the cable is easy to accidentally snag, and it pulls off really easy.
I usually turn the plug on mine so the connector wire travels along the side, instead of hanging off the back corner. I have fewer accidental "power-outs" when the adapter wire follows the left side panel.

 

[YoungLeiva]

No dice, seems like it doesnt wanna turn on now just the light comes up makes a beep and turns off. Well atleast I gave it a go to make it work. I appreciate you trying to help me as well Thank you very much im going to just tell him to cut his losses.