Dead Macbook

gofer

14" macbook 2007. When I plug in A/C adapter, green light comes on. No lights on battery and no charging (orange) light on adapter plug. Any thoughts?

NullZer0

Dead completely while attepmting to power it up?

Try removing the battery, connect it to mains and then boot.

Possibly logicboard failure (wouldn't be the first one I've seen!) ..... post back once you've tried that.

deevey

Will the machine boot at all ... if so sounds like you have a dead battery,

Check how many charge cycles you have on it ....

Apple > About this Mac > More info > Power > about halfway down you'll see cycle count / Full charge capacity (mAh)

Full charge capacity had dropped under 100, should read around 4500 - 5500 or thereabouts.

If you are below 300 cycle counts you might be entitled to a free battery as there is known issues with the 2007 model , I missed out on getting one by 19 cycle counts .. Waaaahhhhh Wahhhhhhhh.

Also try ...

1. Unplug from mains, take out the battery, hold power for 5-10 seconds, replace battery, power up .. check battery.

2. Power machine off (plugged in though), Hold power button for 5-10 seconds until you hear a loud "beep".

I got a Brand spanky new Original Apple battery from the UK / Ebay for under 50 euro Inc shipping with the exchange rate the way it is right now - yes Warrantied and all.

NullZer0

deevey wrote: »

Will the machine boot at all ... if so sounds like you have a dead battery,

Check how many charge cycles you have on it ....

Apple > About this Mac > More info > Power > about halfway down you'll see cycle count / Full charge capacity (mAh)

Full charge capacity had dropped under 100, should read around 4500 - 5500 or thereabouts.

If you are below 300 cycle counts you might be entitled to a free battery as there is known issues with the 2007 model , I missed out on getting one by 19 cycle counts .. Waaaahhhhh Wahhhhhhhh.

Also try ...

1. Unplug from mains, take out the battery, hold power for 5-10 seconds, replace battery, power up .. check battery.

2. Power machine off (plugged in though), Hold power button for 5-10 seconds until you hear a loud "beep".

I got a Brand spanky new Original Apple battery from the UK / Ebay for under 50 euro Inc shipping with the exchange rate the way it is right now - yes Warrantied and all.

Should work without battery while connected to the mains

deevey

D'oh! ... I should really have read the title of the post "dead macbook" .. damn fastest fingers.

gofer

Thanks guys, tried all of above. No joy. Got hold of another macbook and swopped batteries and adapters, but no luck. Seems like a motherboard issue. Could it be something like a loose connection, as it worked o.k the night before.

NullZer0

Possible its a connection because with a dead logic board you usually get a screen light for a few seconds at least.
No harm to open it up and take a look... but I don't know how that effects your warranty.

If thats within warranty the logic board is covered

Elessar

How long is it out of warranty? You could have a case to get it repaired under your statutory rights. If you would be up for it.

NullZer0

Elessar wrote: »

How long is it out of warranty? You could have a case to get it repaired under your statutory rights. If you would be up for it.

Logicboards fail... its a fact of life and thats that.

Have a go at it yourself... although the price can't really be justified.

Elessar

iRock wrote: »

Logicboards fail... its a fact of life and thats that.

And?

NullZer0

Elessar wrote: »

And?

and how does that effect your "statutory rights".

I mean, if you buy a car you know that there is a good chance you will get a puncture.

Apple wiill more than likely replace it anyway because they are pretty good like that.
Its a shame they cant start making better quality hardware along the lines of the iPhone.

Elessar

iRock wrote: »

and how does that effect your "statutory rights".

I mean, if you buy a car you know that there is a good chance you will get a puncture.

Apple wiill more than likely replace it anyway because they are pretty good like that.
Its a shame they cant start making better quality hardware along the lines of the iPhone.

It affects your "statutory rights" because, regardless of any warranty, if there is reasonable expectation for a product to last longer than it does, you are entitled to a remedy from the manufacturer (or seller). In all my years of working with and using countless desktop computers, laptops and other devices, not one has ever failed from a motherboard defect. In fact, I'm using, daily, computers with motherboards between 3-10 years old.

I'm also using a 3 year old Macbook Pro and 5 year old iBook. No defects.

Point is, I was asking the OP to clarify how long he is out of warranty to see if he would be entitled to seek a legal remedy. He would stand a very good chance in the small claims court if the Macbook was just a few months outside warranty, because there is a reasonable expectation for his €xxxx laptop to last longer than what it did.

Equally, he would have a hard time arguing the same for a fault after owning the laptop for 4 years.

But 90% of claims are settled out of court. In fact, you don't even have to go to court. So he wouldn't even have any hassle.

If you buy a car and get a puncture, you still have the same recourse if you can prove it was a fault in the tyre (or car) that caused the puncture.

I have typed this so many times now it's becoming a chore. I think there should be a sticky somewhere to "remind" (teach) people of what they are entitled to do, legally, in these situations if they so choose. The amount of people who just shrug their shoulders and accept it is unbelievable.

NullZer0

Elessar wrote: »

It affects your "statutory rights" because, regardless of any warranty, if there is reasonable expectation for a product to last longer than it does, you are entitled to a remedy from the manufacturer (or seller). In all my years of working with and using countless desktop computers, laptops and other devices, not one has ever failed from a motherboard defect. In fact, I'm using, daily, computers with motherboards between 3-10 years old.

I'm also using a 3 year old Macbook Pro and 5 year old iBook. No defects.

Point is, I was asking the OP to clarify how long he is out of warranty to see if he would be entitled to seek a legal remedy. He would stand a very good chance in the small claims court if the Macbook was just a few months outside warranty, because there is a reasonable expectation for his €xxxx laptop to last longer than what it did.

Equally, he would have a hard time arguing the same for a fault after owning the laptop for 4 years.

But 90% of claims are settled out of court. In fact, you don't even have to go to court. So he wouldn't even have any hassle.

If you buy a car and get a puncture, you still have the same recourse if you can prove it was a fault in the tyre (or car) that caused the puncture.

I have typed this so many times now it's becoming a chore. I think there should be a sticky somewhere to "remind" (teach) people of what they are entitled to do, legally, in these situations if they so choose. The amount of people who just shrug their shoulders and accept it is unbelievable.

Hi Elessar,

Judging by your tone you seem a little irritated. It wasn't my intention to insult you in anyway but I think a logicboard failing in 2009 that was bought in 2007 is pretty reasonable.

I administer a portion of our computers and servers (I look after 400 on a daily basis with a responsibility for about 5,400 worldwide). Now on that scale you come to realise just how often things go wroung and fail like hard drives, mother boards and power supplies.

When you say you use countless how many do you mean? 2, 5, 10, 100, 1000? more? less?

As for the car example, I was referring too regular wear and tear.
You also have to take this into consideration with computers i.e wear and tear, usage, heat/cooling etc.


IIRC there are a few stickies on boards stating that boards is not a place to receive legal advice.

As I said above I'm sure Apple would replace it anyway, they are good like that.

Hope that explains a little better

iRock

gofer

Thanks for the advice guys. I will contact Apple and see what can be done. This, by the way is the same laptop that had a HD failure a few months back. would be prepared to go to the small claims court to enforce my rights but will use this as a last resort. The last time I contacted Apple, they wanted money just to diagnose the fault. I fixed the problem myself and still had change. Judging from various posts on different sites, logic board failure is prevalent with this model and year. This also affects iMacs, which use the same logic boards.

NullZer0

They'll replace it,just be firm on the phone and keep ringing back. I've had ALOT of iPod's replaced.

Good luck

~Rebel~

Gofer, if you haven't already called AppleCare, then when you do, and they agree its a dead machine, mention politely, but confidently that consumer law would be a road you might look to go down as you're disappointed the machine hasn't lasted very long after the amount you paid. In reality, the machine should be lasting longer then a year and a half, assuming there hasn't been misuse.

At the very least, mentioning the legal route, sounding reasonable and without being overly aggressive is the best way to go as they'll boost you up to the higher level of support, or else over to customer relations, who are usually only too happy to help you out anyway they can, maybe by splitting the cost or something like that.

gofer

Hi Guys,

Well Mactivate have declared the logic board dead. I rang Apple, spoke to a lady who said that due to being over warranty, I wasn't entitled to a repair. I disputed that and stated that after spending 1400 euro I expected a laptop to last longer. She said that the failure was due to a "random" failure and that macbooks dont generally fail. I went on to a "product specialist", and he wasn't much better, stating that as I was so many days over warranty I couldn't get any leaway on the cost of the repair. I told them that the next stop was the courts and wished them luck convincing a judge that one year was good. The small claims court said I had a valid claim and they would expect a laptop for that money to last at least five years. So it's off to court we go.

Elessar

gofer wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Well Mactivate have declared the logic board dead. I rang Apple, spoke to a lady who said that due to being over warranty, I wasn't entitled to a repair. I disputed that and stated that after spending 1400 euro I expected a laptop to last longer. She said that the failure was due to a "random" failure and that macbooks dont generally fail. I went on to a "product specialist", and he wasn't much better, stating that as I was so many days over warranty I couldn't get any leaway on the cost of the repair. I told them that the next stop was the courts and wished them luck convincing a judge that one year was good. The small claims court said I had a valid claim and they would expect a laptop for that money to last at least five years. So it's off to court we go.

Good man yourself. Keep us informed on how it goes. Five years you say?....hmm......

It is likely Apple will settle out of court.

Elessar

Any update on this?

Borneo Fnctn

Elessar wrote: »

I have typed this so many times now it's becoming a chore. I think there should be a sticky somewhere to "remind" (teach) people of what they are entitled to do, legally, in these situations if they so choose. The amount of people who just shrug their shoulders and accept it is unbelievable.

+1 for sticky.

gofer

I have lodged an appeal with small claims and hope in due course to get a ruling. Thanks for support. The one year guarantee is a MANUFACTURERS guarantee and cannot limit your statutory rights. They are in addition to and not instead of them.

Sad Professor

Hey, gofer.

Just to confirm, you bought the Macbook from the online Applestore, right?

Did you make this very clear to them when you rang them? They tend to act dumb and talk with their manufacturer's hat on until you tell them this, especially if it's more than a year old. And did you speak to customer service (not technical support) about your consumer rights? What did they say?

gofer

Yes I bought the Macbook online from the Apple store and made this clear. FYI they didn't have any record of that purchase or any other purchase except for 1 game I purchased. Their records only go back 18 months, I was told. I'm not sure of the legalities there but wasn't impressed.

Sad Professor

18 months? What a load of bs! That doesn't change anything. You've got a record of it even if they don't. Very bad, I expected better from Apple.

Good luck with the appeal and keep us updated.

gofer

Successful resolution of issue. Apple rang yesterday and twice today to resolve dispute. Basically they are repairing the laptop free of charge. They are issuing a 30 day voucher to allow me to go to a mac repair facility.

kerash

Hope you dont mind me hijacking the thread.
Similar thing happened my sisters macbook (grey screen, folder icon with a quetion mark and the clicking sound) so got on to apple they said harddrive dead and because it was out of warranty as of December they wouldnt repair it. I quoted the sale of goods act and what do ya know they offer to repair it no cost.
Have to take it to a repair store, live in Longford so the nearest seem to be Dublin.
Any recommendations on the best place to take it for repair - I rang one place and they said it may take 2 weeks because they have to wait for the part!! Thats pretty slow I thought?...