Macbook Pro misbehaving badly.

[Terry Corder]

Hi,


I’ve got and early 2011 macbook pro. 15”, i7, 8gb ram. Last year I had to use the Macbook pro extension repair programme and all was good.


While my Macbook was broken I had to buy a Mac mini to tide me over as I use it every day in my business and as a result my Macbook pro has seen little use since its repair however, when I have used it, it seems incredibly slow, so slow in fact that it was virtually unusable.


I installed El Capitan and it was still slow. It turned out that the battery had died so I replaced the battery and it speeded up a bit but was still slow.


A few weeks ago things started to get worse. In no particular order.


The screen freezes or locks up.

The screen freezes or locks up and the curser disappears.

I get the blue screen of death.

I get a grey screen.

It suddenly restarts with no message.

I get a message, your computer will restart because of a problem.

It gets stuck in a startup loop which goes on forever until switched off over night.

The screen splits in two with the left half going to the right and the right to the left.

I get black lines across the screen and funny colours.

The Z key has stopped working.

On start up, the Apple logo and progress bar show then the screen goes grey, then a line appears across the centre of the screen than looks like a normal screen compressed into about half an inch and then the Apple logo and progress bar reappears and it starts up and works normally for an indefinite time then it all starts again or the screen goes black and nothing happens.

All of the above happen when started in safe mode as well.


I have replaced the hard drive. Reinstalled everything from the Mac mini, which is working fine. Reinstalled El Capitan and now installed Sierra and nothing has worked, all the problems still exist.


I’ve run AHD and all it comes back with is 4xxx/4/40000005 battery but the battery is OK.


Where can I go from here?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

-A bad battery can cause some slowness, as some MacBooks require a good battery to operate at maximum processor speed, even when using AC power. When there isn't a battery installed, or the battery has been totally exhausted, the processor will actually cycle between GHz speeds as a protective/power saving feature.

The other issues could be numerous things:
-The first seven or so symptoms actually sound like a bad logic board - similar to the issues covered in the repair extension program that you had the board replaced for previously.
-The screen split, black lines, and compressed half in image are symptoms of a bad graphics chip/logic board, or possibly a loose LVDS cable from the display.
-The Z key issue could be a liquid spill, bad keyboard/top case, etc. Or, maybe a software setting/remapping?
-That AHT code is a bad battery - could be another symptom of a failing logic board or battery. Is it an Apple battery or third-party?

-Is there any physical damage to the case?
-Are you aware of any liquid spills?

Depending on where you had the repair extension program work done, I would definitely have an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Center take a look at it and perform additional diagnostics.

C

 

[Terry Corder]

Many thanks for that.

The battery is a third party but is new and holds a charge well although it is almost always powered by the power supply.

Never Dropped and no liquids spilled on it. I'd thought from what I'd read that it could be a kernel panic but the Mac mini is working fine, tempting fate here, and everything is the same on the MBP. I suspect that the logic board is all that is left to check.

The repair extension program work was carried out at the Apple Store in Lakeside shopping centre, it looks like I shall to make a return visit.

Many thanks again.

 

[Cory Cooper]

No worries.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

C

 

[Terry Corder]

Thanks, Friday 2pm. Watch this space.

 

[Terry Corder]

I took my MBP to the Apple store yesterday and it's the graphics card gone again. They are going to repair it for me free of charge again. So fingers crossed. I'll let you know if it's ok when I get it back in a week or so.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Well, at least we were on the right track - a graphics card/logic board issue similar to before. And, it's good that they are covering it again, as they should.

Sorry you are having so much trouble, but I think this should resolve the issue for good. Our fingers are crossed...let us know when it comes back.

C

 

[Terry Corder]

Hi, collected my MBP back from the Apple store yesterday and it works again. They replaced the logic board, again. I've been a bit short of time but will put it through its paces over the weekend. I'll let you know how I get on. Fingers crossed!

 

[Ormond]

And, it's good that they are covering it again, as they should

To be more precise, it appears they've covered PART of it. If they are replacing with free labor and parts, that's a good start, but it's not full compensation.

Full compensation would include compensating Terry for his time and trouble. If we were to count up the hours Terry has had to invest in diagnosing the problem, communicating with Apple, returning to the Apple Store to drop off the machine, returning again to pick it up etc, and we compensated him at say, minimum wage, we might find that his time is worth more than the parts and labor.

If Apple compensated Terry fully, and didn't shift any of the burden of this problem on to him, such incidents would cost Apple more, and thus give them more incentive to solve such problems before they occur.

But this will never happen, because there is a consensus among Apple Fan Boy users that Apple is never wrong about anything ever, and to suggest otherwise is to commit a blaspheming mortal sin PUNISHABLE BY DEATH!!!!.

This post is not particularly helpful to Terry personally, and that is because it's not logical or intelligent to try to solve such repetitive issues one by one by one by one by one for thousands of different individual users, when such issues are more constructively and efficiently addressed in a single place, at their source, within the walls of the Cupertino Holy Mother Ship.

Ok, I'm done. You may lynch me now.

 

[honestone]

To expect a company to compensate for one's time and trouble is like living in a dream world! The classic example, of course, is automobiles. Whether one diagnoses the problem themselves, or responds to a recall notice (even if some of the issues for the recall have arisen already for the customer), automobile companies do not compensate for one's time and effort. While it would be nice to get reimbursed for that, it is just not going to happen.

 

[honestone]

Hi, collected my MBP back from the Apple store yesterday and it works again. They replaced the logic board, again. I've been a bit short of time but will put it through its paces over the weekend. I'll let you know how I get on. Fingers crossed!

Good luck, Terry! Hope the issues are now resolved.

 

[Terry Corder]

It all seems to be working OK, but the question is for how long and what happens if it happens again? It is, as we all know, a known fault, hence Apple's repair program for early 2011 MBPs, extended to 31st December this year. It will be 6 years old in May 2017, will they turn me away if it happens again after that? It was top of the range when I bought it and is still pretty well speced even for today with i7 processor and maximum ram and like my old dual G4 processor, mirrored drive door mac, I expect them to work forever. That one still is and is being used by my grandaughter.

 

[Ormond]

Here's a strategy that might work in the future, depending on what you do with your Mac.

I'm typing this on a $300 used 2009 Macbook (running Snow Leopard) I bought a few years back. I could buy 5 such machines for about what a new one would cost. Old cheap machines will easily do most of what most people want to do with the Macs.

If this machine became sick I wouldn't have to diagnose the problem, or call Apple, or take it to a repair shop, or pay repair bills, or worry about it at all. I could simply toss the sick machine in the trash and order a another used laptop. If I already had a replacement machine standing by, and backups on a bootable external disk, I could be up and running again in minutes.

Four used machine at this price would all have to die before I'd be up the price of a new one. To put it another way, there's much more chance that one new machine will get sick and die than 5 used ones. Buying cheap used Macs is actually safer than buying a new one from Apple.

This strategy can work for the majority of Mac users, who use their machines mostly for email, web surfing and other low load tasks. Most people don't actually need a new machine, they just want one.

This strategy won't work for those who really do need the latest greatest powers and features. In this case, the best plan is probably to get the extended warranty, and plan on replacing the Mac with a new one when the warranty runs out.

And, it's probably not a good plan to buy used machines that cost more than half of what a new one costs, a mistake I'm in the midst of making right now.

The plan really works best if you can get by with cheap machines that cost a fraction of a new one. That's what allows you to simply toss a Mac when they get sick, and thus skip everything you're going through now.

 

[honestone]

I guess that one can decide to live in the past forever, or move forward like most folks do. Heck, maybe one can buy about 4 or 5 real old cars, and have a fleet of them for replacement purposes.

Nope, not for me, and I suspect many, many others. I'll continue to upgrade both my Macs and our automobiles when the need arises. Meanwhile, I'll just take real good care of them by being proactive with maintenance, and making the effort to learn things on my own. That has always led to success for me, and I am not living in the past.

 

[Ormond]

My post above suggests a strategy of hanging back from the cutting edge a bit, unless one specifically requires cutting edge features, which few people do. That's something entirely different than "living in the past forever".

You say you will upgrade your equipment "when the need arises", which is the very same thing I'm suggesting. If a Mac user has a real need for the latest machines, then they should buy one of course. If they have a real need for the newest OSX features, then go for it, install the latest OS.

Most Mac users don't have these needs, because most Mac users are regular everyday non-technical folks (ie. not Mac forum nerds like us) who use their Macs for simple, low load, far from the cutting edge tasks like web surfing, email, managing their photo collection etc.

I don't know if the strategy I'm suggesting is useful for Terry, because I don't know what he does with his Mac. I know only that the strategy I've suggested above can help millions of people avoid what Terry is currently going though.

When you say you will learn all about your Mac etc you're not grasping that the whole point of Apple philosophy from the very beginning has been that Mac users should not have to become nerd wankers like us who spend all day everyday on Mac forums learning obscure technical information. This is what the marketing slogan "it just works" is promising.

If a Mac doesn't "just work", if it has to be taken back to the Apple store again and again, and if the burden for this problem falls primarily on the user who had nothing to do with creating it, then the machine in question is not really even a Mac.

It's a PC in Mac clothing.

 

[Terry Corder]

Hi All.

I use my mac for image processing and design for laser engraving / cutting, web design, media printing, cd production, copying and printing, recording with Logic and video processing to name a few things that I do. I could get others to do most of it for me but unfortunately lack of cash does not permit this.

I have no problem using an older mac but unfortunately the software updates require OS updates as well and eventually mac updates and the speed increase is very nice.

I also agree that my time is money and traveling 60 miles each way to get to an Apple store to get a mac fixed and then doing it again to collect it isn't the best use of my time but tell me another product that pays me for my wasted time. Wait all day for a repair man to arrive to fix a broken appliance and they don't turn up or even let you know. Wait in all day for a delivery that doesn't arrive. No compensation offered here either. At least Apple stores are in shopping centres and my good lady and I can make a day out of it.

Apple just works has always worked in the past and in 30 odd years of using macs this is the first mac I've used that has ever gone wrong. Now if only I could turn off siri and voice control on my iphone in ios 10.

 

[honestone]

You say you will upgrade your equipment "when the need arises", which is the very same thing I'm suggesting. If a Mac user has a real need for the latest machines, then they should buy one of course. If they have a real need for the newest OSX features, then go for it, install the latest OS.

In my case (and I suspect for a number of other folks), that time is when the Mac I have been using for a long, long time will no longer be functional. By functional I mean the software I need to use requires the latest version of the Mac OS, and the machine I am using can not run that newer OS. That's exactly what happened with the last two Macs I replaced. My Mac Pro, which I had been using for more than 6 years, could not support the newer Mac OS at that time for the software I use. Same with my 17" MacBook Pro. I had used that machine for about 5 years or so.

When I purchase a new car, I actually make it last at least 10 years. But, there comes a point where I have needs for newer technology (like blind spot monitor, rear view camera, etc. (by the way, those two ate definitely safety-related)), and thus cannot live in the past.

Most Mac users don't have these needs, because most Mac users are regular everyday non-technical folks (ie. not Mac forum nerds like us) who use their Macs for simple, low load, far from the cutting edge tasks like web surfing, email, managing their photo collection etc.

I don't consider myself a "nerd", as there is so much computer-related stuff that I do not know. I do know some information, and I am perfectly happy to share it with those who need it. But, there are times that I run into an obscure issue (most of the time it is software related), and I get the help I need here.

I don't know if the strategy I'm suggesting is useful for Terry, because I don't know what he does with his Mac. I know only that the strategy I've suggested above can help millions of people avoid what Terry is currently going though.

Well, based on what Terry said above, his needs are definitely way more that what the typical user needs.

When you say you will learn all about your Mac etc you're not grasping that the whole point of Apple philosophy from the very beginning has been that Mac users should not have to become nerd wankers like us who spend all day everyday on Mac forums learning obscure technical information. This is what the marketing slogan "it just works" is promising.

You have mentioned that before, and I will just repeat what I have said before. Toyota is similar with that approach, but given all the experiences I have been through, I know better, and thus will make the effort to learn as much as I can. And in my case, it is mostly some rather basic stuff. It is not "nerdy". But maybe for such folks, even something as basic as checking the air pressure in tires is too nerdy for them.

Terry mentioned that "Apple just works has always worked in the past and in 30 odd years of using macs this is the first mac I've used that has ever gone wrong". That's the same for me (including using an Apple IIE and an Apple IIGS from 1981 through 1996, at which time I switched to Macs). And in my case (knock on wood!), I have yet to have a machine that has "in life" issues like he has encountered. As with any mechanical product, there is always a chance of getting a "lemon". But both Appel and Toyota make a sincere effort to minimize that.

 

[honestone]

Hi All.

I use my mac for image processing and design for laser engraving / cutting, web design, media printing, cd production, copying and printing, recording with Logic and video processing to name a few things that I do. I could get others to do most of it for me but unfortunately lack of cash does not permit this.

I have no problem using an older mac but unfortunately the software updates require OS updates as well and eventually mac updates and the speed increase is very nice.

I also agree that my time is money and traveling 60 miles each way to get to an Apple store to get a mac fixed and then doing it again to collect it isn't the best use of my time but tell me another product that pays me for my wasted time. Wait all day for a repair man to arrive to fix a broken appliance and they don't turn up or even let you know. Wait in all day for a delivery that doesn't arrive. No compensation offered here either. At least Apple stores are in shopping centres and my good lady and I can make a day out of it.

Apple just works has always worked in the past and in 30 odd years of using macs this is the first mac I've used that has ever gone wrong. Now if only I could turn off siri and voice control on my iphone in ios 10.

Thanks Terry, for that clarification. And at least compared to myself, your needs are WAY more complex than mine. But, I suspect that even with the lack of cash, that you have learned a great deal about the software you use, and what the capabilities are. I (fortunately) am not strapped for cash, but I still do as much as I can on my own. That is especially true with the automobiles we have owned. Again, nothing too complex, but still some stuff that others would just have a mechanic do (or they don't bother to check on such simple things as air pressure in tires).

And excellent analogies about "my time is money". One company that is trying to alleviate that, though, is Comcast. They will provide various credits towards your bill if they do not come within the agreed-to time for a visit. Of course, they have been "scarred" for the past few years, but at least they are making the effort. Too bad other companies do not follow suit.

 

[Ormond]

Hi Terry,

I would agree a $300 machine is probably not for you. As I get deeper in to 3D work, the same is increasingly true for me.

You asked for another company that will treat your time with respect. Here's one for you. Apple. Well, Apple of days gone by.

They once shipped me a new Mac with a dead modem. I don't know why they ship machines without giving them a test drive, given that this would only cost about $20, and that cost can be easily passed on to the customer. So demerits for shipping a broken Mac, but...

They resolved the issue by sending a tech to my house within 48 hours to install a new modem. So the only time I lost was the phone call to Apple. So in that case, they redeemed their demerit, and took responsibility for their mistake, leaving me more confident in future purchases.

Apple themselves has proven that they don't need to disrespect you and your time. Apple themselves has proven they are capable of handling such issues in a professional manner.

The reason this doesn't happen any more is that Apple is now richer than God, and thus they no longer give a #%^$#$#. It's that simple. And every time we drive an hour or two to the Apple Store to fix one of Apple's mistakes we are teaching them that not giving a #%^$#$# is a good plan, because we're mindless robot slaves (see the 1984 Apple TV ad) who will put up with pretty much anything, typically without even complaining.

At the least we could all learn how to complain, to push back against the machine, just like Apple has been telling us to do since the founding of the company.

Think differently.

 

[honestone]

People will continue to b#$%^ and b(*&^%, but at least we can try and fix some things ourselves. Anyone that believes Macs will just work without any TLC is living in a dream world. Myself, I will take the proactive approach and attempt to learn as much as I can, both on my own and with assistance. And that applies whether it's with our cars, my Macs, our appliances, general home care, etc., etc.

Yup, think differently, and also proactively.