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Macbook 13" repair problems...

post #1 of 6
3/22/10 at 11:19am
Thread Starter 
I posted a while ago asking about a logic board replacement for a mid-2009 macbook 13". It is a friend's and she caused damage by spilling nail polish remover on it (lovely, I know), and it hasn't even turned on since.

Flash forward and I have since replaced the logic board and top case, as these seemed to be the top choices for replacements for spill damage. The new logic board didn't do squat to fix it, but with a new top case and the old board, I managed to get the machine to turn on once. After I tested that it was in working order, I shut it down and finished screwing everything back together. I tried it again, but it decided not to cooperate and not turn on yet again.

The macbook is getting power - the led from the power adapter is on and the battery now has a full charge as well. When it did turn on, the keyboard worked fine, and opening basic programs worked as well. Needless to say, I'm stumped and would like to get it back to her asap.

This long-winded explanation leads me to my question - does anyone know of any other parts that may have been damaged that could prevent the machine from starting up completely? Or would it be more beneficial to have her sell this one for parts and just get a new one? I was hoping I could get some suggestions here considering how uickly I got a response about the logic board model last time.
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post #2 of 6
3/22/10 at 2:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by da_newbie View Post

does anyone know of any other parts that may have been damaged that could prevent the machine from starting up completely?

No, that could be anything, afaic.
You would need to run a hardware diagnostics test, but that's obviously not an option if the MacBook won't even start up.

Quote:
Or would it be more beneficial to have her sell this one for parts and just get a new one?

Probably! If only because she would get the latest model with full warranty (which she apparently doesn't have now).

Once she has a new MacBook she'll want the data from her old one transferred to the new one. If she ran Time Machine on the old one and has an external HD that is very simple: just stick the install DVD in the new MB, start up holding 'C', and restore Time Machine to the new MB.
If she didn't run TM on the old MB you could try the following: connect the old and the new MB with a USB cable, and start up the new MB. When the new MB is started up you can (try to) start up the old MB while pressing 'T' (for Target mode). If it works the old MB's HD should appear on the desktop of the new MB. You can then copy all data (not applications!; they will need to be installed fresh on the new MB) from the old MB to the new MB by dragging & dropping.
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post #3 of 6
3/23/10 at 3:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by da_newbie View Post

The new logic board didn't do squat to fix it, but with a new top case and the old board, I managed to get the machine to turn on once. After I tested that it was in working order, I shut it down and finished screwing everything back together. I tried it again, but it decided not to cooperate and not turn on yet again.

Evidently and expectedly, it looks like the keyboard was damaged. Logic board is just buried too deeply under the rest of stuff to be the first candidate for replacement.

Still, your account doesn't show what exactly is now wrong with the machine. Does it beep when starting? Is the disk spinning, do you hear it?

We mean Apple no harm.

People are lovers, basically. -- Engadget livebloggers at the iPad mini event.

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We mean Apple no harm.

People are lovers, basically. -- Engadget livebloggers at the iPad mini event.

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post #4 of 6
3/23/10 at 8:37am
Thread Starter 
Sorry if I wasn't clear on what exactly was going on. Save the one time I got it to turn on in full working order, it has not turned on. No disk spinning, no lights or sounds, just sits there and does nothing. Needless to say, I've been a bit frustrated, considering I got it to turn on and it was working.

I already checked power connections as well and the power adapter registered as it being connected and even fully charged the battery, so as far as I know, it wouldn't be a power issue.

I just can't think of anything else that would prevent it from starting up now, especially since I did get it to work. I took it apart and double-checked everything to make sure it was all connected properly. There doesn't seem to be any other cause, unless the new keyboard is busted too and it was just a fluke.

So to answer your question Ivan, no reaction from the machine when the power button is pressed, save the one time it did turn on and was in full working order, at least as far as I could tell.
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post #5 of 6
3/25/10 at 5:26pm
Apple has a liquid spill trip somewhere that needs to be reset, so I hear.

You can salvage the hard drive and put it in a powered external case to transfer the contents to a new machine.

Cloning a boot drive is better than Time Machine as one can boot from the clone and not from a Time Machine drive.

Check out Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper, the two most popular brands of cloning software.
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post #6 of 6
3/30/10 at 12:29am
Power issues. As the cheapest --- free --- available remedy try to reset SMC. But it doesn't mean that you won't have to verify and possibly replace connectors, wires, power button assembly and dc-in board...

We mean Apple no harm.

People are lovers, basically. -- Engadget livebloggers at the iPad mini event.

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We mean Apple no harm.

People are lovers, basically. -- Engadget livebloggers at the iPad mini event.

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