2008 Macbook Pro not turning on

[parentspatterns]

Hello! I just inherited a 2008 Macbook pro from my mother in law. It was working fine and dandy and then all of a sudden it stopped powering up. The battery is full and it does this no matter if it is plugged into the power source or not. The light power on in front comes on and after about 3 seconds, the computer clicks and shuts off. I have a video of it happening here-

I am wondering what it might be and how to fix it (and if I have to bring it into the genius bar what it might cost, as I do not have applecare). Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[honestone]

Please provide the exact MacBook Pro model you have. That is needed in order to point you to a repair guide as to how to remove the battery. Once you have that, a couple of things to try:

1. Remove the battery, then re-insert it.

2. Remove the battery, then with the machine plugged it, try and start it up (yes, you can boot up the machine without a battery inside).

If #2 works, then you'll know that the battery is bad. If neither work, the issue could be quite a bit more serious.

 

[parentspatterns]

Please provide the exact MacBook Pro model you have. That is needed in order to point you to a repair guide as to how to remove the battery. Once you have that, a couple of things to try:

1. Remove the battery, then re-insert it.

2. Remove the battery, then with the machine plugged it, try and start it up (yes, you can boot up the machine without a battery inside).

If #2 works, then you'll know that the battery is bad. If neither work, the issue could be quite a bit more serious.

So I tried both options and the same thing happens- it boots for a few seconds and then dies. Any idea what it would be? And how much it costs?

 

[honestone]

From what you describe, I surmise it is one of two things:

1. The internal hard drive needs to be replaced.

2. There is an issue with the mother board.

 

[parentspatterns]

From what you describe, I surmise it is one of two things:

1. The internal hard drive needs to be replaced.

2. There is an issue with the mother board.

Awesome! So, if I went to the genius bar they'd be able to diagnose the issue I am assuming. And its probably really expensive. Glad I hasn't transferred anything over yet! Any idea on price?

 

[honestone]

How are you posting here, ie, what machine are you using? That could be helpful with a possible "solution".

If it's the hard drive, you might be able to do the installation yourself. If you have a bootable backup on another external drive, then the software installation on the new drive is a snap. If not, then it is more involved. Then, of course, there is the cost of the drive itself. That will depend upon whether you want an SSD or not (would be a wise move to install an SSD), and size of the drive (ie, how many gigabytes).

The genius bar should be able to help you, but if you either have another Mac with a Firewire 800 port, or have a friend that has one (again with a Firewire 800 port), you can do this detective work yourself.

 

[CKB]

Dear All
I have an old faithful MacBook Air 2009 which has hitherto not let me down.
However it recently suffered a power surge (I think).
When I try and reboot it, I can hear the drives and fan working, and the heat radiates from MacBook Air as usual - but the screen remains black and does power up as normal. Connecting an external screen hasn't helped.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can recover the data unto an external hard drive?

 

[honestone]

When you say "When I try and reboot it, I can hear the drives and fan working, and the heat radiates from MacBook Air as usual - but the screen remains black and does power up as normal", do you mean that except for a black screen, everything else is fine? If that's the case (and possibly supported by the fact that connecting an external monitor does not help), I'd say the video connections are bad.

You can remove the hard drive yourself and install it inside an external case. Then, you can connect that external case to another Mac, and recover the data. Here is a link from www.ifixit.com that shows how to remove the drive from your machine (assuming it is the A1304 model):

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+Models+A1237+and+A1304+Hard+Drive+Replacement/860

It would be a good idea to look at the video first.