MBP Not booting -or- not awaking from sleep mode

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So last night i was doing the usual, surfing the web, checking email, talking on iChat. I closed the lid and set the MBP on my side desk. Few hours later i open the lid, it didnt start up/awake up, so i tried moving the mouse & hitting the space bar, but nothing. Hard shut down the computer, tried rebooting it, but nothing. I called a friend and she said she had a similar problem and apple told her, the computer was stuck in sleep mode. She had to send it in. I thinking about taking it to the apple store. I really need to get this computer working again, i have some photos i need to edit before a dead line, thankfully i have the them on the memory cards still. I just dont have another computer with the software i need. Any help is SUPER appreciated.

Symptoms:
Front light is very dim but not pulsating.
It becomes brighter when the lid is closed, still not pulsating.
Upon boot up, i hear fans/drives spinning.
Black screen, nothing ever appears.

Specs:
15in MBP (silver keys)
2.6ghz intel duo
4gb ram

Trouble shooting steps ive done:
Got on my iPhone and started researching what it could be.

Tired booting with only battery and then only power cord.
I've reset the SMC.
I've reset the PRAM.
Installed OEM RAM.
Tired 1 stick of ram in each slot.
Tired to do a disk check (holding D key when booting), never started.

Inserted the OS disk into the computer, upon boot up. I got sound that very moment but nothing ever appeared. (back to no sound upon boot up)
The disk does not eject, and the drive spins ever time i boot up the system.
 

cwa107


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Sounds more severe than the machine simply being stuck in sleep mode. The steps you took would have certainly caused it to cold boot.

I would schedule a Genius Bar appointment at the Park City store (about 45 minutes away from Camp Hill). Apple Retail Store - Park City

That store is always hopping, so definitely schedule one.
 
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TomTomTuning
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Sounds more severe than the machine simply being stuck in sleep mode. The steps you took would have certainly caused it to cold boot.

I would schedule a Genius Bar appointment at the Park City store (about 45 minutes away from Camp Hill). Apple Retail Store - Park City

That store is always hopping, so definitely schedule one.
Hey neighbor,

Yea, if i cant find anything out today, then i will make the trip up tomorrow.
I'll be sure to make an appointment, they are always busy when i go there.
 

cwa107


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Hey neighbor,

Always good to see locals here :)

I don't know how you guys on the West Shore can deal with that traffic! Especially with the I-83 and 11/15 interchange construction going on right now.

Yea, if i cant find anything out today, then i will make the trip up tomorrow.
I'll be sure to make an appointment, they are always busy when i go there.

After seeing the troubleshooting steps you've already tried, I'm not sure that there's really anything else you can do.

The previous generation MacBook Pros (those with the silver keys) that had NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GPUs have a known problem where the GPU's layers separate and the chip fails. This causes problems similar to what you're describing (machine has no display, but the system appears to power on and the drives spin, etc). Apple extended the warranty for this specific issue 2 years beyond the factory warranty.

If this is the case, you will probably need a replacement logic board, or they might swap out the entire machine. Do keep us posted.
 
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TomTomTuning
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Always good to see locals here :)

I don't know how you guys on the West Shore can deal with that traffic! Especially with the I-83 and 11/15 interchange construction going on right now.
I absolutely hate the construction around here, especially all the on/off ramp changes they have been doing.

After seeing the troubleshooting steps you've already tried, I'm not sure that there's really anything else you can do.

The previous generation MacBook Pros (those with the silver keys) that had NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GPUs have a known problem where the GPU's layers separate and the chip fails. This causes problems similar to what you're describing (machine has no display, but the system appears to power on and the drives spin, etc). Apple extended the warranty for this specific issue 2 years beyond the factory warranty.

If this is the case, you will probably need a replacement logic board, or they might swap out the entire machine. Do keep us posted.
A spoke with another avid Mac user and he said he also had a similar issue and it was the HD.

I have a Intel "silver key" MBP with 8600M GT.

I found this thread..
Apple Extends NVIDIA MacBook Pro Warranty to 3 Years [Archive] - Mac Forums

I wonder how it could be determined if that's my problem?
Mine was purchased on 2/21/08 (just checked the receipt)

I would be very grateful if it was the GPU vs the HD. I wont loss my stuff and well i wouldn't have to pay for it since the repair policy was extended.
 
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TomTomTuning
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Mmmm, i looked at a few images of the GPU symptoms and those computers are still booting, where mine isnt.
Alot of the boot/wake up issues seem similar to what i'm experiencing.

Another thing, i left the computer on for a few minutes to see if anything else happens and when i went to check i notice it was warm on the bottom. As a comparison, its as warm as if i was using the computer heavily... :(
 

cwa107


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From what I've seen, if there's a problem with the hard disk, you'll still get the familiar gray screen at startup and the chime, but you would get a folder with a flashing question mark.

The GPU issues on the other hand tend to manifest themselves as no display at all, or severe distortion of the display.
 
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TomTomTuning
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I want to take it to the apple store right now!!! But its to late, i work a late 2nd shift (4:30pm).
So tomorrow morning it will be.

Now, is this the excuse ive been waiting for... To buy a new 27in iMac... LOL
 

cwa107


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I want to take it to the apple store right now!!! But its to late, i work a late 2nd shift (4:30pm).
So tomorrow morning it will be.

Now, is this the excuse ive been waiting for... To buy a new 27in iMac... LOL

Good luck and do let us know how you make out.
 
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TomTomTuning
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Just got back from the apple store.

Explained everything and what I have tired.

He hooked up some USB device and tried to trouble shoot to see if it was in fact the GPU but he said it does not appear to be.
He then attempted to remove the disk in the drive, but that did not happen either.

He said, he believes its something a bit more serious like a Logic board or CPU.

Instead of having them fix it in the store, i sent it out to get repaired.
So its only going to cost me 310.00 to fix what ever is the problem.
Vs, paying for individual parts and labor at the store.

I'm SUPER tempted to buy a 27in iMac. I really need a desktop computer.
I have some old PC i built like 7 years ago and well it just sucks..
 

cwa107


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Was it more costly to have it repaired in-store? I only ask, because it would seem more advantageous - the last time I needed a repair, I had it back the same day. But that was an in-warranty repair.
 
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TomTomTuning
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Was it more costly to have it repaired in-store? I only ask, because it would seem more advantageous - the last time I needed a repair, I had it back the same day. But that was an in-warranty repair.
Yea, in store repair would have been MUCH more.
Just the Logic board is like 500.00 (not including labor)

I'm trying to figure out if i can afford a 27in iMac. ;D

I know the Quad-Cores argent out yet, but i doubt ii would really benefit from that. So the dual core would be just fine i think. What do you think?
 

cwa107


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Yea, in store repair would have been MUCH more.
Just the Logic board is like 500.00 (not including labor)

I'm trying to figure out if i can afford a 27in iMac. ;D

I know the Quad-Cores argent out yet, but i doubt ii would really benefit from that. So the dual core would be just fine i think. What do you think?

It depends on what you do with it. Most applications aren't optimized for multiple processors anyway. If you're heavy into Adobe CS, it might be worth it, otherwise I don't see the need.
 
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TomTomTuning
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Purchased a 27in iMac today...
While home setting it up, i get a phone call that my MBP is back.
It was the Logic board, i will be picking it up tomorrow.

Now its time to learn how to sync the two together. (calender, address book etc).

I also need to find out how my iPhone will work, should i stay syncing it up to just my MBP or can i also sync it up to my iMac.
 

cwa107


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Good deal, congrats on the new iMac! I'll bet it's sweet.

I think MobileMe is what you're after for syncing purposes.
 
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TomTomTuning
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Thanks, yea I'm loving the new iMac.
I started the MobileMe Trial and it certainly is what I'm looking for.

I also setup iMap for my main email accounts.

I use firefox, so i setup Xmarks on the machines so firefox bookmarks syncs up with Safari. And mobile be takes care of syncing all the safri's together.

Thanks again for the help.

PS: I posted up this question about HD formats, if you have any advice, let me know.
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/ot...external-hard-drive-what-should-i-format.html
 

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