Resolved MacBook Pro Suddenly Died - Will not turn on. Help Needed

[Hustler1337]

Hi guys,

My Early 2011 15" MacBook Pro suddenly died and it will not turn back on. I would really appreciate any help and advice. I'm very stressed out at the moment as it contains valuable files that I cannot afford to lose, including my university work.

I was updating the apps on my iPhone when all off the sudden I noticed in the corner of my eye that the screen suddenly went blank (I was watching TV at the time). I assumed it went to sleep, but I thought it was strange that it went to 'sleep' only after 20-30 seconds since I last used it.

I go back to the MBP to check the progress and find that it wasn't actually asleep, but that whole MBP was switched off. I tried turning it back on but it will not turn on.

No water or liquid has ever been spilled on this machine during its life. I've only had some condensation on the track pad many months ago

Here's what I've observed:

- There's no sound or hard drive sound that I can hear when pressing the power button

- The battery LED indicators do not light up at all. I recall the battery was at 50-60% at the point when it turned off.

- I connected the Magsafe and the Magsafe LED lights up VERY FAINTLY to the point that it cannot easily be noticed in a lit room, and even in darker settings.

- It appears that the whole MBP is completely dead and there is no sign or indication that it is actually turning on.

What I've tried

- Connected to the Magsafe - no indication of charging at all as stated above
- an SMC Reset but nothing happens at all - it's just dead.

If anyone can advise me on what may be wrong and what steps I should take, I would really appreciate it.

I've read on another forum about someone having a similar/same issue when he used a cheap USB cable. Could this be the cause of the problem, since I also used a cheap eBay knockoff cable to sync my phone?

Could this be a hard drive failure? I'd rather it be a battery issue as I can't afford to lose all my files.

Any help is appreciated. Thank You

UPDATE: Please see post #17 below - SMC bypass
UPDATE 2: Solution can be found in post #19 below

 

[Virginaustralia]

The Hard drive must have died. You can pay someone to recover your data maybe install it onto an SSD or a new HDD

 

[jav6454]

Hard drive is ok. If nothing starts, then it means the power section of your Mac fried.

Why do I say HDD is ok is because nothing else starts. When an HDD dies, the disk spins but nothing happens and your computer turns on as normal.

Open your Mac up and check the area where the Mag Safe goes.

 

[blueroom]

I'm very stressed out at the moment as it contains valuable files that I cannot afford to lose, including my university work.

I'll never understand how folks simply don't bother to backup their data.

 

[Mrhighdef]

If your hard drive is ok you can remove it and connect to an external enclosure to recover your files. There are other methods too, but this is probably the simplest in my opinion. Next time back up your data. Ill let others weigh in in the issues with the machine itself. Just thought i would try and relieve your stress

 

[DarkSel]

Hard drive is ok. If nothing starts, then it means the power section of your Mac fried.

Why do I say HDD is ok is because nothing else starts. When an HDD dies, the disk spins but nothing happens and your computer turns on as normal.

Open your Mac up and check the area where the Mag Safe goes.

Was your power adapter plugged directly into your wall?

Even if there was a voltage spike, the power adapter would have taken the fall, not your Macbook. I'm thinking that there's more to this than you're telling us. Did you ever spill anything on your Macbook?

 

[jav6454]

Was your power adapter plugged directly into your wall?

Even if there was a voltage spike, the power adapter would have taken the fall, not your Macbook. I'm thinking that there's more to this than you're telling us. Did you ever spill anything on your Macbook?

I'm talking about the power block inside the motherboard, not the white one. That might have given due to unknown circumstances.

 

[DarkSel]

I'm talking about the power block inside the motherboard, not the white one. That might have given due to unknown circumstances.

I know.

That's why I said that he most likely spilled something on the DC unit inside the Pro.

 

[leman]

Take out the HDD and retrieve your data via a docking station or an external enclosure. In future, take steps to backup your data, not doing it is just plain negligence. You can also bring the laptop to a service and ask them for help, but this will cost you.

 

[ryallen]

I assume you don't have a time machine backup?

 

[kevink2]

It is possible the white brick failed, and he just didn't notice it was running off of battery until it went completely dead.

I've had a couple die on me over the last nearly 3 years.

 

[glenthompson]

What happens when you press the battery level check button? Would give a check tat it's not the battery.

 

[davey73]

Take the battery out and plug it in....or take it to a apple store and have them plug it in with a different adapter to see if it's the charger.

 

[Count Blah]

I'll never understand how folks simply don't bother to backup their data.

You have your data backed up in time machine, but the MBP which is busted, is the only mac you have.

GO ...

 

[Astroboy907]

Try an SMC bypass (worked for me just yesterday when repairing my Macbook).

Same symptoms, no boot at all, no lights, anything.
Not sure if it will work with the internal battery connected, but remove the charger, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds, reconnect the charger (while still holding the button), and hold it for another 10 seconds. Let go of the button, press it again, and the computer should boot with the fans on high.

My problems turned out to be a bad cable. Not sure about you, but yours may be a dead battery.

 

[blueroom]

You have your data backed up in time machine, but the MBP which is busted, is the only mac you have.

GO ...

Huh? When you get your Mac fixed & restored via TM, your data will be just where you left it. Better yet put your frequently used documents in the cloud, such as Dropbox and access them from anywhere anytime.

 

[Hustler1337]

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that when the magsafe is connected, I see the faintest of green light on the magsafe's led indicator (it is almost unnoticable).

Was your power adapter plugged directly into your wall?

Even if there was a voltage spike, the power adapter would have taken the fall, not your Macbook. I'm thinking that there's more to this than you're telling us. Did you ever spill anything on your Macbook?

Hi, no, the magsafe was not connected when the MBP suddenly died - it was running on battery.

Try an SMC bypass (worked for me just yesterday when repairing my Macbook).

Same symptoms, no boot at all, no lights, anything.
Not sure if it will work with the internal battery connected, but remove the charger, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds, reconnect the charger (while still holding the button), and hold it for another 10 seconds. Let go of the button, press it again, and the computer should boot with the fans on high.

My problems turned out to be a bad cable. Not sure about you, but yours may be a dead battery.

Hi, I tried this a few days back but nothing happened. However, trying this today, it seems to have worked partially. The macbook pro powers on and the Apple logo shows up with the fans running at full speed. However, once it gets to the next stage before getting to the login screen, the macbook pro just powers off and the process starts again - all I am seeing is the Apple logo.

Also, I thought it may be worth mentioning, my magsafe cable is frayed with the internals exposed. However, this problem didn't occur when it was connected, so I doubt that is the cause.

 

[Astroboy907]

...trying this today, it seems to have worked partially. The macbook pro powers on and the Apple logo shows up with the fans running at full speed. However, once it gets to the next stage before getting to the login screen, the macbook pro just powers off and the process starts again - all I am seeing is the Apple logo.

Also, I thought it may be worth mentioning, my magsafe cable is frayed with the internals exposed. However, this problem didn't occur when it was connected, so I doubt that is the cause.

Sounds like something happened with the internals to keep it from booting all the way. I wonder if you can try the SMC bypass and run the Apple Hardware Test and see if it brings up any issues. So far, your symptoms are quite similar to water damaged computers. If it IS water damaged (or has had water in it before this issue), which I am not saying it is, the damage is most likely corrosion on the logic board keeping it from booting. If not then this is a pretty bizarre issue and apple would probably cover it because it seems like a hardware defect... Either way I would say have apple take a look at it and see what they have to say.

 

[Hustler1337]

Sounds like something happened with the internals to keep it from booting all the way. I wonder if you can try the SMC bypass and run the Apple Hardware Test and see if it brings up any issues. So far, your symptoms are quite similar to water damaged computers. If it IS water damaged (or has had water in it before this issue), which I am not saying it is, the damage is most likely corrosion on the logic board keeping it from booting. If not then this is a pretty bizarre issue and apple would probably cover it because it seems like a hardware defect... Either way I would say have apple take a look at it and see what they have to say.

Hi,

Just to update you, and for future reference for those who are reading, it seems like the problem has been fixed. In fact, I am using it right now to type this out

What I Did:

I opened the bottom cover of the MBP and found a lot of DUST around the fan/grill areas as well as a very thin layer of dust scattered around the logic board, tiny bts of dust over the superdrive etc - generally everywhere, but mostly around the grill areas. I've also noticed dust on 3 wires towards the top corner (will post pics). The battery, though covered with a plastic cover, had some 'spots', not sure what they were though.

I didn't have any compressed air available (they're not too common in the UK) so I used my vacuum cleaner to suck the dust out carefully and then finally brushing over with my mum's very fine soft makeup brush tto clear remaining dust/debris whilst hovering over with the vacuum.

I did not notice any signs of corrosion - everything seemed to look fine (didn't check the other side of the logic board). However, I did notice 2 circular plates underneath 2 different screws which were purpleish/blueish/rainbowish in colour (the sort of colour when metal is heated/oil is spilled), so maybe a sign of some overheating or maybe i'm reading too much into it .



After I cleaned the dust from the logic board etc + the bottom cover (which also had quite a bit of dust), I replaced the cover and connected the magsafe. Without even pressing the power on button, the MBP turned itself on and began booting. Not only that, the magsafe's indicator light glew up orange! So it was charging - no more faint green light. I also pressed the battery indicator button and the it was blinking on the first light, indicating critically low battery level.

Surely enough I finally managed to get to the login screen and log in successfully. The battery level on the status bar at the top of the screen indicated '0%'. I'm not sure how this has managed to happen as I am fully certain that the battery level was at around 50-60% when the MBP suddenly 'died'. The battery seems to be charging fine.


I have taken pics of the dust etc and will post these up later on today.

I know this is a long post, but I thought I'd explain in detail what I tried, observed and how it went for the benefit of future readers.


Other Side notes:

astroboy907, as per your advice, I tried to do the Apple Hardware Test (AHT) through the SMC Bypass but it did not work. The icon for the AHT would not show, and it just rebooted again after the apple logo but before the login screen as explained earlier. However, on the second/third attempt it managed to get a stage further - to the login screen - but then 1-10 seconds later it rebooted. The battery icon on the top of the screen had an 'X' inside it so it wasn't charging. This was before the dust cleaning.

Thanks to all who helped.

 

[blueroom]

Now go setup a backup solution.

 

[Astroboy907]

Wow.. didn't know the dust could keep it from booting. Maybe it messed up the fans... If you worked a lot around metal shavings and dust that probably could have done it in as well! Glad to see you got it worked out.

And as the last post said, go get a backup solution!

 

[sarerah86]

Hello. I tried the SMC bypass and my computer turned on...but got frozen in the stratup screen with the grey apple.

What should I try?

 

[simonsi]

Hello. I tried the SMC bypass and my computer turned on...but got frozen in the stratup screen with the grey apple.

What should I try?

Starting a new thread?

 

[sarerah86]

I did. Sorry new to the forum.

 

[dayoariyo]

It works!!

Thank you so much!

Just tried this on a macbook pro that had the exact same issue; thought it was dead and gone. took out the battery etc, and it worked. phew!

Such a life saver; that!