MacBook refuses to start day after Yosemite

[emoni]

Hello all, and thank you for reading about my problem.



I have an old early 2008 MacBook. Ran fine, no problems, thing is a tank. I use it for my PhD dissertation. Last week I installed Yosemite on it, and it starts fine the first boot up, I get some work done and go to sleep. Typical night (other than putting the new OS on). The next morning, it won't start. At all.



When the power button is pressed it lights up for a second, the optical drive makes a bzzzt (typical start up noise) the fans start for a second and I heard the hard disk and then it IMMEDIATELY shuts down. Nothing from the screen at all. If I hold down the button, it lasts about 4 seconds before the front light blinks and then the computer goes dead again.



I've tried various combinations with the battery or AC power, used the hotkeys for the (PRAM reset, assuming it is on long enough to register), and waited several days for the battery to go down a bit. Nothing, it just refuses to start and I have no idea why. Nothing has happened to it, no drops, no water, no nothing at all between the time it was working fine, and the next day where it just does not work. Charge light and battery are both green and no problem there. Took out and reinserted the memory just in case as well.



Nothing, no effect at all.



I'm seriously worried. I've read a bit about the Nvida problem, but not sure if that is in play here. One time in the past it wouldn't start, but it seemed to just be some weird fluke or the battery, and after messing with it a bit, it started up again. A charge issue when it hit 0 charge.

SMC reset was tried, as ws SMC Bypass. Still lasts only a second before its off. No response or lights from keyboard. Front light only goes a second.


The Apple store here in Japan is a nightmare to make an appointment for recently (probably all the bugs due to iOS and other problems, ugh). So I'm really hoping I'm just missing some possible fix. I can't imagine (and cannot even remotely afford) a fix or let alone a new computer as well. I almost wonder if Yosemite could have some sort of impact, even though it is software.



Please, any ideas? I'm desperate here...

 

[blueroom]

An early 2008 MacBook isn't supported by Yosemite to my knowledge. How did you manage to install it?

You might try to get ahold of a Mountain Lion CD and boot / reinstall from then restore from backup. You did make a backup I hope...

 

[emoni]

Sorry, I may have gotten the year wrong, it may be a 2009, not 2008. Is there a place where I can confirm the model number for you?

Sorry It's a MacBook PRO (Ooops)

 

[DeltaMac]

...
Last week I installed Yosemite on it, and it starts fine the first boot up, I get some work done and go to sleep. Typical night (other than putting the new OS on). The next morning, it won't start. At all.

When the power button is pressed it lights up for a second, the optical drive makes a bzzzt (typical start up noise) the fans start for a second and I heard the hard disk and then it IMMEDIATELY shuts down. Nothing from the screen at all. If I hold down the button, it lasts about 4 seconds before the front light blinks and then the computer goes dead again.
...
SMC reset was tried, as ws SMC Bypass. Still lasts only a second before its off. No response or lights from keyboard. Front light only goes a second.
...
I almost wonder if Yosemite could have some sort of impact, even though it is software.

Please, any ideas? I'm desperate here...

Your symptoms sound like a failed hard drive.
The OS X install - with all the disk activity - can push a flaky hard drive over the edge.
The power-on tests include the hard drive, and often will shut power down if the drive controller can't spin up the hard drive.

 

[emoni]

Thanks very much for the reply Delta.

I grabbed a spare old HD that I had and switched them out. No change. Tried with no HD attached as well. No change.

----------

One a side note, I switched out memory to test it, and no change either.

 

[emoni]

Okay, I just got back from the Apple Store. I can't say I'm satisfied, but it went farther than I expected (although I admit I had rather low hopes).



They tested the computer and decided that yes, the logic board is damaged in some way. They admitted that there were numerous problems with my model. They both agreed that upgrading to Yosemite was the likely cause of pushing the computer over the limit and breaking the board (likely putting extra pressure on the computer).



The result? They offered a 5% discount if I were to buy a new mac at the Apple Store, and gave a new charger for a computer that doesn't work. Apparently, there are no more replacement boards from the US, and that is the maximum discount they can offer. I believe them, and the staff WAS extremely kind and considerate and sympathetic.



However, seriously, Apple you release an OS that kills a computer due to stress, and then offer 5% off on a new computer and that is acceptable? I don't think so... I'm a PhD student and struggling to get by, and I can't afford to just replace computers like paper plates when a new OS is released that isn't tested enough to NOT break older models that it is marked acceptable for.



Certainly unsatisfied right now, and I have a computer that I used for my dissertation that doesn't work. Will be contacting Apple customer service to try to argue that they need to take responsibility for this. I wasn't the only one at the Apple Store, and the guy next to me had immediately had his computer collapse right after Yosemite was installed.

(Update: I called Apple Customer Service. They only offered a $85 [9000 yen] discount off their website. Then the lady proceeded to try to blame me for installing Yosemite on my MacBook before checking to see if it was able to handle it. Of course it could handle it and was officially marked as an acceptable model for Yosemite. Jez... that really rubbed it in after a month of nonfunctional buggy and broken updates from Apple on various devices and getting my computer broken. THANKS APPLE!)

 

[crazzapple]

Okay, I just got back from the Apple Store. I can't say I'm satisfied, but it went farther than I expected (although I admit I had rather low hopes).



They tested the computer and decided that yes, the logic board is damaged in some way. They admitted that there were numerous problems with my model. They both agreed that upgrading to Yosemite was the likely cause of pushing the computer over the limit and breaking the board (likely putting extra pressure on the computer).



The result? They offered a 5% discount if I were to buy a new mac at the Apple Store, and gave a new charger for a computer that doesn't work. Apparently, there are no more replacement boards from the US, and that is the maximum discount they can offer. I believe them, and the staff WAS extremely kind and considerate and sympathetic.



However, seriously, Apple you release an OS that kills a computer due to stress, and then offer 5% off on a new computer and that is acceptable? I don't think so... I'm a PhD student and struggling to get by, and I can't afford to just replace computers like paper plates when a new OS is released that isn't tested enough to NOT break older models that it is marked acceptable for.



Certainly unsatisfied right now, and I have a computer that I used for my dissertation that doesn't work. Will be contacting Apple customer service to try to argue that they need to take responsibility for this. I wasn't the only one at the Apple Store, and the guy next to me had immediately had his computer collapse right after Yosemite was installed.

(Update: I called Apple Customer Service. They only offered a $85 [9000 yen] discount off their website. Then the lady proceeded to try to blame me for installing Yosemite on my MacBook before checking to see if it was able to handle it. Of course it could handle it and was officially marked as an acceptable model for Yosemite. Jez... that really rubbed it in after a month of nonfunctional buggy and broken updates from Apple on various devices and getting my computer broken. THANKS APPLE!)

Wow... that is horrible. Apple broke your perfectly functional computer and should pay for it. If there are known hardware problems with that model, look it up online. There could be a recall or class action lawsuit. I know there is class action lawsuit starting up against apple regarding one of the newer (2011?) macbook pro models.

 

[emoni]

Actually, when I was at the Apple store, they hinted at that ongoing 2011 lawsuit I think (mentioning they couldn't talk about any ongoing cases), but I didn't know what it was referring to.

Apple makes some good hardware, but I'm having a hard time considering to stay with Apple hardware if they admit that it killed my computer, and then take no responsibility for it at all. Extremely bad form.

Worse, when I called customer service last week, the lady tried to accuse me of forcing Yosemite onto my computer, claiming that maybe it wasn't approved for my year model (it was).