Please Help :( 2008 Macbook pro

[gary strife]

Hello thanks for taking the time to read this.

have a 2008 Macbook pro it was working fine but now it wont start ?

I can hear the fans working and have a dull light on the front

but caps lock/keyboard not illuminated and screen staying black

please please help

 

[pigoo3]

...have a dull light on the front…

What do you mean by "have a dull light on the front"? Do you mean you have a "dull light" on the display? If so…does this mean that if you take a flashlight & shine is at an angle to the display…that you can see the computers desktop (do this is a darkened room for best results)?

Also…if you have an external display (and video adapter)…you cold plug that into the computer to see if you can see anything.

...and screen staying black…

Try what I mentioned above regarding the flashlight (torch if you're in the UK).

- Nick

 

[chas_m]

I'm fairly sure he meant the "sleep" light on the front, Nick. It indicates that the machine is on but not responsive.

As for the op, this is likely to be a "rock and a hard place" moment. Hopefully, this is nothing more than "heat coma" -- a phenomenon I used to see a lot with notebooks.

Try this: press and hold the power button for four seconds -- this should cause the machine to shut down (light in front goes off). Open it up and unplug the battery (small connector, easy to disconnect/connect). Leave it alone for quite a while -- hours -- like this.

Connect the battery back up and restart. Let us know if that "fixes" it.

If that doesn't work, you'll need to make a decision about how much you're willing to spend to fix it, because if that doesn't work it is likely to be a logic board issue and too expensive for a machine of that vintage to repair. I trust your backups are/were up-to-date ...

 

[gary strife]

I'm fairly sure he meant the "sleep" light on the front, Nick. It indicates that the machine is on but not responsive.

As for the op, this is likely to be a "rock and a hard place" moment. Hopefully, this is nothing more than "heat coma" -- a phenomenon I used to see a lot with notebooks.

Try this: press and hold the power button for four seconds -- this should cause the machine to shut down (light in front goes off). Open it up and unplug the battery (small connector, easy to disconnect/connect). Leave it alone for quite a while -- hours -- like this.

Connect the battery back up and restart. Let us know if that "fixes" it.

If that doesn't work, you'll need to make a decision about how much you're willing to spend to fix it, because if that doesn't work it is likely to be a logic board issue and too expensive for a machine of that vintage to repair. I trust your backups are/were up-to-date ...

hi thanks for responding sorry i meant the sleep light on the front of the machine is alight but dim and the fans are on but no chime and completely black screen ?

 

[chas_m]

Sooooo ... did you follow the steps outlined above? Any result?

 

[gary strife]

Sooooo ... did you follow the steps outlined above? Any result?

Hi Chas thank you for responding. I did follow above but no joy. im guessing i need a new machine

 

[chas_m]

Well take it to an Apple Store for a final exam, but yes ... the logic board has probably gone. Congrats, a new(er) machine for you!

 

[pigoo3]

Hi Chas thank you for responding. I did follow above but no joy. im guessing i need a new machine

I suggested in post #2 to connect an external monitor as one further way to troubleshoot the problem. I don't think that was tried yet.

Yes…there are signs that this computer may have seen its last days. Still might be a good idea before spending $1000+ on a new computer. Unless you wanted a new computer all along anyway!

- Nick

 

[crisscross01]

I trust your backups are/were up-to-date ...

If the machine is a write-off and you don't have recent back up, you can still take the HD out easily and connect it as an external drive to another machine using a $2 SATA to USB cable or go mad and add a cheapo aluminium case for another $