Incredibly Broken MacBook

[blambiase]

Hi all,

If you're reading this in hopes of aiding me, I want to start by saying, thank you. What you are about to enter into might be the most complicated and advanced MacBook problem in Apple history. I do not use that term lightly. My issue is such that the Apple Geniuses’ have admitted to me that they have never seen anything like what is going on with my Mac. I wish none of you must go through it either.



Here’s my issue:

I have a 2016 MacBook Retina 12” laptop. I know many of you will cringe at that, and I haven’t even gotten started yet. I know by now it’s outdated, but I like it. It runs well, it’s small, and It cost me a lot of money so stop judging and let’s get to the issue.

Here’s a list of every problem this tiny little computer has:

• IPD cables are most likely broken, both of them
• Mac wont turn on
• No input from keyboard or trackpad
• SMC is ripped apart
• Needs special commands to turn on, using external keyboard
• I was able to reinstall Catalina onto it. For some reason, that’s the only OS it will run.
• The mac entered into this state after an attempt to install Monterey from Big Sur. If you try to install any OS other than Catalina, it boot loops.
• In Catalina, there is no battery percentage.
• The camera will not work, although this has been an issue for years, and well before the mac became a $2000 paperweight.
• I took it to Apple. They ran their special diagnostics program and the guy told me he had never seen anything like what came up, There were errors that he didn’t even know existed and therefore did not know how to fix.
• I have replaced the trackpad and IPD cables with no luck, however they may have been faulty.

This is all I can think of for now. I’m sure there is more. If anyone on these forums can help even in the slightest, please let me know. Thank you again.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Frankly, if the Apple folks say they don't know how to fix it. Then it likely involves replacing the logicboard and associated cables between the top case and bottom to ensure that everything works as it should.

For that reason alone, you've tried, and the machine is dead, time to move onto a new machine.

 

[pigoo3]

It runs well, it’s small, and It cost me a lot of money so stop judging and let’s get to the issue.

This is your 1st post...why would you mention something like this..."so stop judging & let's get to the issue"...when you have no idea what Mac-Forums is like...or what the culture is here.

What does "SMC is ripped apart" even mean??

Referencing the thread title..."Incredibly Broken MacBook". "Incredibly broken" or just "broken"...it's the same thing...it's broke!

Finally...the one part you didn't tell us is how did this 12" 2016 MacBook get like this? It didn't just happen by itself. If liquid was spilled on it, if it was dropped down a flight of stairs, was used as a frisbee, or was struck by lightning...something happened that caused this.

My suggestion is tone down the drama...and it's not necessary to over-use all of the overly dramatic adjectives.

Nick

p.s. We don't do drama here!

 

[MacInWin]

• IPD cables are most likely broken, both of them
• Mac wont turn on
• No input from keyboard or trackpad
• SMC is ripped apart
• Needs special commands to turn on, using external keyboard
• I was able to reinstall Catalina onto it. For some reason, that’s the only OS it will run.
• The mac entered into this state after an attempt to install Monterey from Big Sur. If you try to install any OS other than Catalina, it boot loops.
• In Catalina, there is no battery percentage.
• The camera will not work, although this has been an issue for years, and well before the mac became a $2000 paperweight.
• I took it to Apple. They ran their special diagnostics program and the guy told me he had never seen anything like what came up, There were errors that he didn’t even know existed and therefore did not know how to fix.
• I have replaced the trackpad and IPD cables with no luck, however they may have been faulty.

OK, in turn, you said the IPD cables are most likely broken, but you then said you replaced them. Do you mean the NEW ones are now broken? Why do you think that?

You said it won't turn on, then said it runs Catalina and that Apple was able to run diagnostics, so which is it, that it doesn't turn on, or it does?

You said no input from keyboard or trackpad, but then said it works with external keyboard, and needs special commands to run. What special commands and is the keyboard USB or wireless?

You said the mac "entered this state" when you tried to install Monterey. What did you do to try to install Monterey? Machines don't "enter" a state, they are driven there. So, what did you do?

And as has been said, if Apple says it cannot be fixed, it cannot be fixed. But the logic board can probably be swapped out, at some expense, if you really want that particular machine to work again. Before we go there, tell us what you really did.

 

[blambiase]

OK, in turn, you said the IPD cables are most likely broken, but you then said you replaced them. Do you mean the NEW ones are now broken? Why do you think that?

You said it won't turn on, then said it runs Catalina and that Apple was able to run diagnostics, so which is it, that it doesn't turn on, or it does?

You said no input from keyboard or trackpad, but then said it works with external keyboard, and needs special commands to run. What special commands and is the keyboard USB or wireless?

You said the mac "entered this state" when you tried to install Monterey. What did you do to try to install Monterey? Machines don't "enter" a state, they are driven there. So, what did you do?

And as has been said, if Apple says it cannot be fixed, it cannot be fixed. But the logic board can probably be swapped out, at some expense, if you really want that particular machine to work again. Before we go there, tell us what you really did.

My mistake, I have a list of issues in a notebook and I listed them.

The new ones are cheap, so yes, I think they arrived dead.

The Mac turns on, and enters into Catalina w/ no issues, besides no response from keyboard/trackpad and no battery life.

No input from internals-not no input from externals. It's a wired keyboard. In this order, here's how to turn it on:
Unplug Mac
1. Kill power command (CMD+OPT+CTRL+PWR) 5 seconds
2. SMC reset (CTRL+OPT+SHIFT+PWR) 10 seconds
3. Release all keys except for PWR
4. Plug in charger while continuing to hold PWR for 5 seconds
5. Release PWR and wait 10-20 seconds.

To install Monterey, I went through System Preferences and did it properly. It was during the time where Monterey was bricking T2 chip macs, but that shouldn't apply to mine, as it has a T1.

I hope this answers all your questions, let me know if there's more.

Thanks

 

[blambiase]

Frankly, if the Apple folks say they don't know how to fix it. Then it likely involves replacing the logicboard and associated cables between the top case and bottom to ensure that everything works as it should.

For that reason alone, you've tried, and the machine is dead, time to move onto a new machine.

Everybody tells me that, I know, but I have a particular liking to the machine, and would really like to see it work again. At this point, I agree with you that it's probably time to move on, but I am still curious to see what the forum has to say.

Thanks

 

[blambiase]

This is your 1st post...why would you mention something like this..."so stop judging & let's get to the issue"...when you have no idea what Mac-Forums is like...or what the culture is here.

What does "SMC is ripped apart" even mean??

Referencing the thread title..."Incredibly Broken MacBook". "Incredibly broken" or just "broken"...it's the same thing...it's broke!

Finally...the one part you didn't tell us is how did this 12" 2016 MacBook get like this? It didn't just happen by itself. If liquid was spilled on it, if it was dropped down a flight of stairs, was used as a frisbee, or was struck by lightning...something happened that caused this.

My suggestion is tone down the drama...and it's not necessary to over-use all of the overly dramatic adjectives.

Nick

p.s. We don't do drama here!

You must not be aware of the stigma around the 12" Macs. I was merely trying to make a relatable joke in regards to which people hate them. There's no need to make that aggressive.

I have no idea what "SMC is ripped apart" means either; I was just explaining how damaged I believe the chip is.

In terms of the title, I didn't know what to name it, so I came up with that. It's fitting, however, because I can almost certainly guarantee that you have never even heard of a computer this damaged with its specific issues.

My apologies for not explaining the background, I mentioned this in another reply as well. I was attempting to update to Monterey during the time in which it was bricking T2 chip Macs. The update never completed, and I believe it bricked my Mac, however that would not make much sense seeing as my Mac has a T1 chip, and the two are vastly different.

Finally, I'm not looking for drama... I'm looking for help! My word choice is in line with what I am trying to convey.

I hope this answers your questions.

Thanks

 

[MacInWin]

My mistake, I have a list of issues in a notebook and I listed them.

The new ones are cheap, so yes, I think they arrived dead.

The Mac turns on, and enters into Catalina w/ no issues, besides no response from keyboard/trackpad and no battery life.

No input from internals-not no input from externals. It's a wired keyboard. In this order, here's how to turn it on:
Unplug Mac
1. Kill power command (CMD+OPT+CTRL+PWR) 5 seconds
2. SMC reset (CTRL+OPT+SHIFT+PWR) 10 seconds
3. Release all keys except for PWR
4. Plug in charger while continuing to hold PWR for 5 seconds
5. Release PWR and wait 10-20 seconds.

To install Monterey, I went through System Preferences and did it properly. It was during the time where Monterey was bricking T2 chip macs, but that shouldn't apply to mine, as it has a T1.

I hope this answers all your questions, let me know if there's more.

Thanks

Have a read of this article on recovery modes. Note particularly the DFU mode, which requires another Mac and the Apple Configurator 2 to do.

Recovery mode problems and how to solve them

If there’s a problem, you may try Recovery mode. What do you do when that proves to be a problem? Solutions for Intel and Apple silicon Macs.

eclecticlight.co

Based on your symptoms, it sounds like somewhere in the Monterey upgrade the firmware/SMC got mucked up, but that's a guess. If you do the DFU reset, the machine will go back to factory state. I don't know why the Apple store didn't offer to try it for you, but if you have the other Mac and software, you can give it a go.