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MBP not powering up

M

maldoror

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 20, 2009
105
0
i've had this computer less than two weeks and now it's not powering up. it's a refurb. is this a common issue or might i have a bad refurb? in the power preferences i chose to not let the hdd stop before i left b/c i wanted to make sure an ebay bid went through that i was sniping. i guess this is what caused it.

what do i need to do? reset pram or smc or something? could i lose anything doing this?

thanks,
maldoror
 
I don't think that would have caused it.

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/MacBook_Pro_15inch_Late2008.pdf

Always worth checking
Check whether the battery needs to be recharged. Press the small button on the left
side of your computer. You should see one to eight lights indicating the battery’s
level of charge. If a single indicator light is on, connect your power adapter to
recharge. For more information about battery indicator lights, see page 56.

If the problem persists, reset the MacBook Pro power manager by disconnecting the
power adapter, removing the battery, and holding down the power (®) button for at
least 5 seconds.

If you recently installed additional memory, make sure that it is correctly installed and
is compatible with your computer. See whether removing and reinstalling the old
memory allows the computer to start up (see page 42).

Press the power (®) button and immediately hold down the Command (x), Option,
P, and R keys simultaneously until you hear the startup sound a second time to reset
the parameter RAM (PRAM).
Click to expand...
 
When it's plugged in, does the little power light on the charger come on? Is the battery fully charged?
 
i think this might be the answer...it wasn't shutdown properly though...so i'm hesitant. should i try it?

"Starting with MacBook Pro (Late 2008) and MacBook (Late 2008) models, you may instead use the reset method for MacBook Air (below) to reset the SMC. All earlier models of MacBook and MacBook Pro must use the method described above, which involves removing the battery.
MacBook Air (Original), MacBook Air (Late 2008) and MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)

1. If the computer is on, turn it off by choosing Shutdown from the Apple () menu.
2. Connect the power adapter to a working power source.
3. On the built-in keyboard, press (left) Shift-Control-Option along with the power button once.
4. Wait 5 seconds and press the power button to start the computer.

Note: You must use the keys on the left side of the built-in keyboard.

You should only perform an SMC reset when the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009) has been properly shutdown. This prevents issues from occurring to the file system."
 
i check the option to not stop the harddrive from power management and then i left for 3 hours...when i got back screen was black and nothing happening. inside it sounded like a cd or maybe the hdd was trying to spin but making a light click and stalling. now it powers on makes the sound and stays grey.
 
Clicking? Sounds like a HDD failure.

Ok, get your Install DVD turn it on put the disc in, then turn it off and on again but holding C

When the installer loads, on the menu bar, click utilities and run Disc Utility and verify the HDD.
 
It seems you have to take it to Apple Store. I feel for you. I hope a Genius fixes it.
 
I hope you have a backup of your HD.

Another option is to get the DVD in, then when you boot up, after the chime hold the Option (Alt) key and hopefully it should show you a grey screen and you can select the DVD from there.

If all else fails, call Applecare. Your laptop is still under the 1 year warranty.
 
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