Emergency: Macbook Pro unresponsive, I think something short circuited. Irreplacable data inside.

ultra3000ultra3000
Posted:
in Genius Bar
While using a faulty USB my macbook pro completely turned off and is unresponsive. Nothing works...not even the “check battery button” and it’s fully charged. It won’t turn on, won’t show battery bars, and when plugged in to charger only shows a very dim green light upon close look.

What could’ve happened? How much should repair cost? Is my data accessible? It is an early 2011 macbook pro that has never experienced this before and has been running very smoothly and was in good condition. Please any input would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,322member
    Yes you should be able to get to the harddrive easily by taking the bottom off the early 2011 models.
    Then put the drive in a usb case and read the data if the drive is undamaged. If it is a recovery service maybe able to get it off for you.

    Check iFixit for exact disassbley instructions for your model. It'll tell you if you need any special screw drivers or the like. 
    ultra3000
  • Reply 2 of 9
    ultra3000ultra3000 Posts: 2member
    mattinoz said:
    Yes you should be able to get to the harddrive easily by taking the bottom off the early 2011 models.
    Then put the drive in a usb case and read the data if the drive is undamaged. If it is a recovery service maybe able to get it off for you.

    Check iFixit for exact disassbley instructions for your model. It'll tell you if you need any special screw drivers or the like. 
    Thank you. I’m hoping if I just wait it’ll turn on later. But it’s truly unresponsive. 

    I opened it up and about an hour later and only thing I see wrong through my uneducated tech eyes are that this spot right above the battery (see pic) is scorching hot to the touch still.

    Not sure if these means anything.

    https://i.imgur.com/2kwm417_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

  • Reply 3 of 9
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,326moderator
    ultra3000 said:
    mattinoz said:
    Yes you should be able to get to the harddrive easily by taking the bottom off the early 2011 models.
    Then put the drive in a usb case and read the data if the drive is undamaged. If it is a recovery service maybe able to get it off for you.

    Check iFixit for exact disassbley instructions for your model. It'll tell you if you need any special screw drivers or the like. 
    Thank you. I’m hoping if I just wait it’ll turn on later. But it’s truly unresponsive. 

    I opened it up and about an hour later and only thing I see wrong through my uneducated tech eyes are that this spot right above the battery (see pic) is scorching hot to the touch still.

    Not sure if these means anything.

    https://i.imgur.com/2kwm417_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

    That's not good if it's still really hot after being turned off. Disconnect the battery plug, you can gently pull it off with fingernails or buy a repair kit with a plastic tool. You need triangle screwdriver heads to remove the battery. Leave it unplugged for a while, that should let the machine cool down as it won't be getting any power. You can then try reconnecting the battery and see if it will turn on. If not, the USB device might have damaged the motherboard. It may not be worth repairing or replacing 2011 models if that's the case. The 2012 models are more reliable and you can sell the 2011 for parts after removing the drive.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-MacBook-Pro-A1398-15-4-Laptop-June-2012-Extremely-Good-Condition/163244828049 $700
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-MacBook-Pro-13-2-5-GHz-Intel-Core-i5-16GB-256-SSD-2012-Logic-X-Office-FC-X/183405509676 $522

    https://www.amazon.com/Precision-Screwdriver-Magnetic-Bits%EF%BC%8CProfessional-Electronics/dp/B072N833D8  (repair kit)
    edited September 2018
  • Reply 4 of 9
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    ultra3000 said:
    While using a faulty USB my macbook pro completely turned off and is unresponsive. Nothing works...not even the “check battery button” and it’s fully charged. It won’t turn on, won’t show battery bars, and when plugged in to charger only shows a very dim green light upon close look.

    What could’ve happened? How much should repair cost? Is my data accessible? It is an early 2011 macbook pro that has never experienced this before and has been running very smoothly and was in good condition. Please any input would be much appreciated. Thanks.
    but you weren't doing backups? sorry but you potentially screwed yourself and you have no one else to  blame. I'm sure that will be hard to hear but it's true. you might get luck removing the drive and putting it in an enclosure but I wouldn't get your hopes up. if that faulty USB shorted the computer it could have shorted the drive
  • Reply 5 of 9
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,564member
    It is fairly likely that your drive will be okay or at least salvageable by a recovery service. 

    General rules of thumb regarding ALL digital data: 
    #1) Your hard drive is already dying. It is just a matter of time. 
    #2) If you don’t have at least two copies of it, it wasn’t important. (Past tense)

    If you incorporate those basic thoughts into all computing activities (including smartphone and tablet use), you’re slightly less certain to lose important data at some point. 
  • Reply 6 of 9
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,694member
    I would get the battery out and try starting the machine while running off the mains. If it starts you might notice a slowdown as some Macs will throttle in the absence of a battery but you will be able to back up your data easily if the USB port isn't fried.

    Use an iFixit guide or similar. You may need a specific screwdriver for some screws as mentioned above. For the case screws try to remember exactly which holes they came out of as some may have slightly different lengths. If you have trouble finding the correct screwdriver you could try ordering a battery on Amazon (some include the necessary screwdriver - check on Amazon first) and if the mainboard is damaged, just return the battery.

    If the issue turns out to be battery related and nothing else is affected, consider installing more RAM and an SSD when replacing the battery. Your mac will fly!

    Good luck!
    edited October 2018
  • Reply 7 of 9
    LydiaLydia Posts: 1member
    I believe there are some services which can help to recover the data. The key point is how to make the macbook pro work again.
    Anyway, backup is really important!
  • Reply 8 of 9
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    ultra3000 said:
    mattinoz said:
    Yes you should be able to get to the harddrive easily by taking the bottom off the early 2011 models.
    Then put the drive in a usb case and read the data if the drive is undamaged. If it is a recovery service maybe able to get it off for you.

    Check iFixit for exact disassbley instructions for your model. It'll tell you if you need any special screw drivers or the like. 
    Thank you. I’m hoping if I just wait it’ll turn on later. But it’s truly unresponsive. 

    I opened it up and about an hour later and only thing I see wrong through my uneducated tech eyes are that this spot right above the battery (see pic) is scorching hot to the touch still.

    Not sure if these means anything.

    https://i.imgur.com/2kwm417_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

    I would take that battery out and put it somewhere away from anything flammable.
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