MacBook Air Won't Turn On

[lclev]

Hey, I am so encouraged....I have a 2013 Mac Air. I just had a stern talk with mine and let "her" know I would not find the above behavior acceptable. Sometimes you just have to be firm with them. ;D

Actually, back in the dark ages around 1985, I had just finished getting the farm account books finalized so I could start filling out tax forms. I went to bed, got up the next day and the computer had a hard drive read error and would not boot. I was furious to say the least. I picked up the desktop and slammed it down on the table. The thing reset and booted! Needless to say I did a complete backup and printed everything out I had.

So the shake (or drop) method of repairing a computer is a tried and true method... sometimes. If nothing else it releases frustration.

Lisa

 

[pm-r]

;D

Sounds like the good old Classic Mac days and their stiction problems.

The first time a went to visit a friend who had just started at a local Apple Authorized dealer store in the late '80 or early '90s, the "experienced" tech greeted me with a large rubber mallet in his hand which was used to give a Classic a sharp whack on its side to get the hard drive spinning again. Worked too!!

 

[pigoo3]

Hey, I am so encouraged....I have a 2013 Mac Air. I just had a stern talk with mine and let "her" know I would not find the above behavior acceptable. Sometimes you just have to be firm with them. ;D

If your computer starts talking back to you (telling you to do strange things)…I'm going to have to stay as far away as possible from Lewisburg, Ohio!!lol

- Nick

 

[CLS9]

It may be a recall issue. If so, Apple will fix/replace for free even if it's out of warranty. I got new HDs for both my 2007 iMac and 2008 MacBook a couple years ago with the HD recall.

 

[ManoaHi]

Well…it's good to know the actual source of the issue. And with a bad logic board…that would explain why nothing we tried got it going.

$280 for a logic board replacement/repair is not as bad as it could be. I've many times seen prices of $400, $500, and more quoted. Of course different logic boards may have different prices.

Hopefully Apple is going to ship the computer to your home (if that's what you want)…so you don't have to make another long trip.

Thanks for the update,

- Nick

I started to not being able to plug things into my left side USB. When I did manage to angle it in it worked. I took to Apple store and they replaced the part. So, I was able to easily plug it in. They had made it worse, so I could plug devices, but the port was dead. Along with that, the headphone jack stopped working. Took it back in and they replaced the logic board and the port part (again) and the bill came out to $435 and change. I have the top speced mid 2013 MBA with i7 8Gb RAM and 512GB SSD. So type matters. Luckily it was still on Apple Care so I didn't have to pay anything. I easily got my Apple Care cost back.

 

[Dewij]

MBA Black screen

Having read the latest Weekly wrap up on the subject, I have also experienced this problem, as late as yesterday, the screen went black for no reason ( as the battery showed 90%+ ) and I could not revive it or shut down or anything. Eventually, after rebooting (switching on the power button) it came to life again.I even tried giving it ' a shake" as someone suggested!
But I didn't risk dropping it from a great height!!This is just FYI, but where does one find the build date in 'About this Mac'? I purchased this late 2013, but one can't assume it was built in 2013. I also noticed a comment about the left USB socket, in inserting my mouse remote, I also have to find the right angle before it will slide in. Finally, today, I went to look at some photos in iPhoto, to find all photos literally 'gone'. I have a Pop Up saying 'To get started with iPhoto'. It looks as if there might have been an unauthorized upgrade, but where do I start looking for my lost photos??
Tks. Dewi

 

[pm-r]

If you really need or what to find out the exact build date of your Mac, just use it's serial number with either:
Klantenservice: Serienummers
Apple Serial Number Info // Decode your Mac's serial number! [Some erroneous data sometimes supplied like max RAM etc]
or use coconutID. [Seems to need some updating from what it used to be and is now pretty basic.]

As for your lost photos, I don't know other that looking for another photos folder and using the option key when starting iPhoto to use it.

But I'd suggest you search the forums or post a new thread for your problem.

 

[Dewij]

MBA Black screen

Thanks pm-r, I will try both suggestions. Where is Brentwood, BC? I'm in Lakefield ON.
Dewi

 

[pm-r]

It's Brentwood Bay, BC. Just enter it in Maps or Google Maps and that'll show you. Doing the same for Lakefield ON seems a bit vague but a google search found it.

Brentwood is just a big shopping center area outside of the Vanvouver BC area.

 

[rainbowcat]

Happy ending! Brought the laptop to Apple, they sent it out to replace the logic board, I got it back in 2 days, and so far it works perfectly. Didn't even have to use my back up drive; no data loss at all.

Again, many thanks to all who tried so valiantly to help. Hope I can return the favor some day - you folks are just the best!

 

[pm-r]

Good news to hear. Thanks.

And pretty good fast service too. Nice.

 

[pigoo3]

Happy ending! Brought the laptop to Apple, they sent it out to replace the logic board, I got it back in 2 days, and so far it works perfectly. Didn't even have to use my back up drive; no data loss at all.

Apple service is really awesome!!! Congrats!

- Nick

 

[Rod]

Having read the latest Weekly wrap up on the subject, I have also experienced this problem, as late as yesterday, the screen went black for no reason ( as the battery showed 90%+ ) and I could not revive it or shut down or anything. Eventually, after rebooting (switching on the power button) it came to life again.I even tried giving it ' a shake" as someone suggested!
But I didn't risk dropping it from a great height!!This is just FYI, but where does one find the build date in 'About this Mac'? I purchased this late 2013, but one can't assume it was built in 2013. I also noticed a comment about the left USB socket, in inserting my mouse remote, I also have to find the right angle before it will slide in. Finally, today, I went to look at some photos in iPhoto, to find all photos literally 'gone'. I have a Pop Up saying 'To get started with iPhoto'. It looks as if there might have been an unauthorized upgrade, but where do I start looking for my lost photos??
Tks. Dewi

Dewi if there has been an upgrade, and that shouldnt happen unless it's set that way in your preferences, you may simply need to click on the "Get Started With iPhoto" popup.
If your photo library is still there iPhoto may then need to convert the photo format of your library for the new Version. This happened to me when updated. If you want to see if you had an update go to the Apple Menu, click Software updates and under updates you will see all updates for the last 30 days.

 

[CureMS]

Replace logic board

I just had the same experience with my Macbook Air - it died while I was traveling last week, in the middle of doing something. Not only couldn't I turn it on, the LED on the magsafe adapter wouldn't even light. Took it in to the Apple store and the guy at the genius bar couldn't believe how clean and well kept it was. All the testing led to the need to replace the logic board, just 3 months after the warranty expired. I'm feeling very defeated over my love for Apple products right now. Yes, I understand that I could have bought Apple Care and that my warranty had run out but when I purchase a product as reputable and expensive as an Apple computer, I don't expect a logic board to fail 3 months out of warranty. Don't know if I'll have the courage to take the plunge on Apple again.

 

[CureMS]

I bought my 2011 MBP used, it was only 6 months old when I purchased it. Luckily, before the year was up, I purchased the Apple Care Extended Warranty, as I have had the logic board replaced twice. Well worth the price in my opinion.

I just find it frustrating because I don't think it should be necessary. The logic board should last more than 15 months on a quality product.

 

[CureMS]

I don't consider it a matter of luck. When I purchase a piece of equipment like a Macbook Air, I expect it to be free from manufacturing defects. If it is not, I expect the company to stand behind their product. I shouldn't have to pay $249 to insure that they didn't sell me a defective product that will cost me $280+ to repair. One year may be sufficient for something like one of the USB ports - there is another and the computer can still be used, or the magsafe power cord - it can be much more easily replaced by the user. The logic board, on the other hand, should be guaranteed to be free from defects for much more than a year, especially when these defects are a know problem (some have even had them automatically replaced by Apple when they were not experiencing problems).

 

[pigoo3]

When I purchase a piece of equipment like a Macbook Air, I expect it to be free from manufacturing defects.

One thing to consider. Laptops being mobile devices that are subject to all sorts of hazards when they are taken "out into the world". Rough treatment (just one time) could cause a problem.

Now of course I know what you're going to say…"I treated my MacBook Air like it was my baby…never abused…never dropped…never bumped." Maybe that's true…and maybe not…we have absolutely no idea. Just something to consider.

No manufacturing process is 100% efficient. All manufacturing process's have some small percentage of defects. Whether the product is a computer, refrigerator, automobile, lawnmower, sewing machine, etc. Sometimes problems show up during the warranty period…and sometimes they show up after the warranty period expires.

All Apple computers come with 12 months of Applecare warranty. Which can be extended to 3 years with the purchase of extended Applecare.

It's very unfortunate that your computer had a failure. But it can & does happen. And remember. Problems can happen due to a manufacturing defect…or abuse by the owner (abuse that may be realized or not realized by the owner). Laptop computers get bumped, dropped, liquid spilled on, etc. etc all the time. So owners need to be very careful how they treat their laptops. One bump (in just the right or wrong way) can cause a problem. And this can happen without the owner even realizing it.

- Nick

 

[CureMS]

I understand what you are saying. Of course you have no idea if there was any damage to my computer and there's no reason for you to take my word for it. I know for a fact that there was no damage and the guy at the Genius Bar actually thought it was a brand new computer when he opened it up.

Having to pay $249 as insurance against a defective machine that will result in a repair bill of $280+ should not be a necessity. When Apple themselves have replaced logic boards for people who had not experienced problems, it is evident that there have been problems. If I had the least suspicion that there could have been damage done to the computer, I would not take issue with it.

I know that manufacturing defects do occasionally happen. And yes, sometimes defects show up after a warranty expiration but when it is so close to that expiration, and with a company that I have always held in high esteem because of their reputation, I expect a bit more responsibility. Knowing that I have the option of paying an additional amount to cover such a major defect either in advance or when it happens is not acceptable to me - it simply means my computer costs more.

I am very saddened to have lost confidence in Apple's methods of operation. I don't feel I can confidently continue to purchase their products without having to pay a higher cost to protect against their defects.

 

[Dysfunction]

I've had a lot of Apple products, I've generally gotten AppleCare. That said, I've had more batteries (8 total, so far) replaced under AppleCare than anything else. I've had exactly 2 system boards replaced, on 7 different Apple portables, since 2007. One of them well past the AppleCare expiry (a known mfg fault, so warranty was extended). Although, my 2011 needs to go in and have it replaced (there is an extended warranty, because it is a known issue). So while that's all anecdotal, I'd be willing to bet that the PPT failure rates are in the single digits.

That all said, you've made up your mind. I really can't recommend any manufacturer, since they all have failures out of the box, failures in and out of warranty. Although if you stick with cheaper machines, perhaps that's a non-issue. Good luck.

 

[CureMS]

I understand failures out of the box and failures in warranty. I also understand minor failures out of warranty. What I don't understand are known major failures just 3 months beyond warranty. I don't expect to have to pay ~$300/year over and above the $1500 upfront cost. I can buy a cheaper computer every year for less than that.

You were fortunate to have an extended warranty for your known issue, mine is also a known issue that I could have been warned about before the warranty expired. Instead, it shut down in the middle of something while I was traveling, could not be turned on again, leaves without my computer unprepared (which could have been prevented by a warning about the issue) and is going to cost me money I don't have at a time when I can't afford to be dealing with this. I can get this kind of service from any manufacturer, I simply expected better from Apple.