Old Macbook Wont Boot.... Help Please!

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Good Evening,

A business acquaintance of my wife brought his old Macbook with him for a meeting. I believe its a 2009. The laptop will not boot or turn on, there is no "power" indicated on the front lights. I removed the battery and reset the SMC and that unfortunately has not worked either.

The power adapter works, as I was able to confirm this by plugging it into my wifes laptop (which is functioning)

What else can I try to do to get this thing to boot up? Thank you for any and all input.
 

chscag

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Did you check the status of his battery? While the power adapter (MagSafe) might be OK, a dead battery may prevent the machine from turning on. There are other things that likewise could be preventing it from turning on, but the battery is the easiest to check for now.
 
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Thank you for the reply, the battery appears to be taking a charge. The battery "button" on the side shows 2 lights "on" and then a third that flashes. It has been progressing up since I have plugged the machine in.
 

chscag

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Let's wait until the battery is fully charged or to the point where it should be functional. After that, try turning on his MacBook again. If it won't turn on at that time, the problem may be a dead logic board or possibly a dead DC input board. However, if the DC input board were dead, I suspect the battery would not properly charge.
 
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Ok, I will give that a try. So I'm clear, there is a possibility that the macbook will not power on even when directly connected to power?
 

chscag

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So I'm clear, there is a possibility that the macbook will not power on even when directly connected to power?

Yes, that's correct. As mentioned above a dead battery may cause it not to turn on but again, there are also other reasons. The most serious reason would be a dead logic board (mother board). Or it may be something as simple as a defective on off switch.
 

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This is not to contradict the good advice given here but my late 2007 Santa Rosa Macbook works perfectly with the AC adapter that it came with with the battery out of the machine. I have had to power it that way when testing changes I made inside the machine before reassembling and it's always worked. What I have heard is if the AC Adapter is not up to full power it won't come on without the battery.

Do let us know if it comes alive after a charge.
 
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Hi Everyone,

With the battery showing a full charge, the macbook will still not turn on or show any sign of life. Any other suggestions out there?
 

chscag

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As stated in a previous reply, the problem could be a dead logic board or something as simple as a defective on off switch. Unless you or the owner has the capability to trouble shoot it, it might be time for an Apple technician to have a look at it.

The ifixit web site has excellent take apart instructions. You might want to give it a go since the machine is an older model and may not be worth spending a lot of money or time on.

iFixit: The free repair manual
 

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