Macbook Unibody Mid 2010 Left Shift Stuck no Boot

[Joematarazz]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and kinda new to macs advanced troubleshooting so bare with me. I bought a macbook unibody mid 2010 with a stuck left shift key. I found steps in another forum on how to skip the stuck shift key and avoid the constant "safe-boot". I was able to install Karabiner to disable the left shift key once logged in. I also set up the Firmware password so I would not need to hold the option key to avoid the safe-boot. All was working OK until I was messing with the partitions (Remove BOOTCAMP and Linux from the hard drive and expand the OS X HFS+ partition. Oh failed to mention (OS X Lion 10.7.5).

While removing the older partitions to make space for target OSX, upon reboot I got the flashing folder with ? in it. After several attempts, I decided to just install OS fresh from scratch but here is the frustration. It will not boot into ANYTHING, I mean no boot key strokes work, OPtion key doesn't bring the Boot manager, T, D, Cmd Opt P R, NOTHING!! So I decided to disconnect the laptop keyboard and connect a USB one (Still Apple KB from an iMac). I powered the laptop board from the two pins on the board (Power button is disconnected too when on board KB is disconnected). Same issue.

It will not BOOT from OS X Lion DVD. I know the DVD works because I have used on a couple of other Macbooks A1181. I know the DVD player on this particular Macbook works because when I had it working, it would read it just fine. I do remember, when I didn't have the Firmware password setup, I could use the key strokes for R, etc. If I try SuperDuper or Carbon Copy from a working mac and clone the partitions to the hard drive, I still get the flashing folder. One ONLY way I could get the boot into something is to restore the Boot DMG file for OS X 10.6.3 onto the SATA Drive (I tried USB but Option won't bring the boot manager). When I boot from the SATA drive with the Installer on it, it comes on but I cannot Install the OS on the same source drive so I can't do much there. I tried to remove the firmware password while in the Installer but is as if it can't detect it, and it asks to setup a new one. I did that and poof, flashing folder upon reboot.

How in the world do I get this thing clear??? I do have the firmware password, just can't bring that up or get to remove it.

 

[pm-r]

Maybe try getting hold of a proper working USB Apple keyboard and use it to try and boot and log in.

I would just hope that the key mapping or keyboard mods or software don't mess it up otherwise you could have a doorstop.

Then a SMC and PRAM9VRAM) Resets come to mind to try.




- Patrick
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[Joematarazz]

Thanks Patrick but I am using a proper working USB Apple KB and indeed works and it not affected by the stuck shift key. However, it works when I manage to get something to boot but none of the pre-boot keys do anything (Including the PRAM NVRAM reset). I am not sure what you mean by "Keyboard mods or software".

I did manage to install Snow Leopard by using another mac. I restored the Snow Leopard Install DVD (.DMG) image onto a SATA Hard drive. Placed that HDD in the problematic MAcbook, removed one memory stick of 4GB leaving just one 4GB in (Read somewhere that doing that clears the firmware password but don't know the details). Plugged in the targeted SATA HDD with a USB to SATA adapter. Powered laptop and booted into the Install Snow Leopard image from the internal HDD.

During the install, it detects the external SATA HDD as usable disk. Run the install process and swap the drives at completion and before the restart. Hold the option key at boot to skip the safe-mode and voila'. 10.6 is completely installed now. The built-in kb still has the stuck shift key but I can disable it after login with Karabiner. I guess the shift key really affects all the other keys to work as they should at boot?? There is really no way to do that? I'll try again but I am pretty sure the external KB does the same thing.