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littlecody8

macrumors member
Original poster
May 3, 2012
35
0
I just bought an as is 2010 white unibody macbook. Everything actually works fine BUT it acts as if the power button is always pressed down. So to do a full boot I need to keep pushing a button or something. Then about every 5 seconds it comes up with the "restart, shut down..." pop up. Is there a way to fix this without replacing the entire uppercase?
 
Check that the power button is working OK by trying an SMC reset:
Leave power on with just battery for 30 minutes or more, so if you plug in the power adapter, the LCD on the plug changes to amber, indicating charging.
press and hold the left-side shift-Control-Option, then press and release the power button. The adapter LED should instantly change to green, then back to amber after a few seconds - which indicates a complete reset. If the adapter goes to green while you hold shift-Control-Option, before you even press the power button, then, the power button is sticking. You COULD try gently cleaning underneath and around the edges of the button, but I haven't seen one fixed doing that.
Also, try disconnecting both the power supply, and the battery for 30 seconds, which is an alternate method to reset the SMC. It MIGHT fix your power button issue.
If you can't get any better results, I suggest taking to an authorized service shop, at least to verify what you have. I doubt that you can do anything except replace the top case.
 
Replace top case, or dare to replace keyboard (power button is part of keyboard). Lots of screws involved in doing this, and can be fun...Only suggest doing this if you can take a VCR apart, and re-assemble.
 
It's a problem with the actually button. Not just power. So a SMC reset didn't work.

I've replaced a topcase on one of these before so I know I can do it. Just was trying to avoid the expense of that. Also have a 2008 MacBook that needs a new display. So I'll just keep an eye on eBay for a topcase and display and take an afternoon to do some repairs
 
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