Macbook 2008 Grey Screen

[x59]

Using a Late 2008 MacBook MB466L Unibody Aluminum. I have a grey screen upon boot. No key commands work upon startup,
new SATA cable did not fix,
Upgraded to SSD about a year ago, no problems until now.

NVRAM, SMC reset does nothing. NVRAM reset does create a 2nd boot, but to grey screen again.

My thoughts are logic board failure, or SSD failure, but the research I can see makes me think it is not the SSD since I get no Apple logo or any startup commands work.

Any ideas?

 

[pigoo3]

Any ideas?

You didn't say what OS version is installed. But if it has OS 10.7 or newer…try booting into the Recovery Partition (command + r). First to see if this works…then 2nd to use Disk Utility to examine & maybe repair the SSD.

If 10.6 or earlier…boot the computer with an OS install DVD. And then do the same thing with Disk Utility.

- Nick

 

[x59]

I even bolded this...

NO KEY COMMANDS WORK. NOTHING.

 

[pigoo3]

I even bolded this...

NO KEY COMMANDS WORK. NOTHING.

Ok sorry…I missed that…my mistake. You could try being a little bit nicer about things though!

It actually isn't 100% clear what "No key commands work upon startup" even means. "Startup" can mean different things to different people. So it's hard to know at what point during the booting process you are referring to (from the info in the original post).

Sorry…but with this attitude…maybe I'm wasting my time trying to help you.

- Nick

 

[x59]

Sorry, frustrated. But "no key commands" means i went through the entire list of possible commands upon startup to get anywhere, to no avail. Pretty clear...

 

[pigoo3]

Sorry, frustrated. But "no key commands" means i went through the entire list of possible commands upon startup to get anywhere, to no avail. Pretty clear...

"Pretty clear…" after things are explained in more detail. Please be a bit more patient with folks replying & trying to help.

As far as the issue. If no commands from the MacBooks keyboard are working…then the first thing to figure out is...why isn't the keyboard working?? You could try plugging in an external keyboard to see if that helps. Then do as I suggested above (booting into the Recovery Partition or booting from an OS install DVD). And seeing if Disk Utility can do anything.

You didn't tell us what OS version is installed (this info can always be helpful).

- Nick

 

[pm-r]

Hmmm… some recent or old spills on the MB keyboard perhaps???

As suggested, try a good working USB keyboard.

 

[techiesteve]

If you previously fitted the SSD as an upgrade rather than replacing a failed hard drive, refit the old drive and see if the MacBook boots ok. If you haven't got the original HD, and If you still have an install DVD, either the original or Snow Leopard, and your optical drive is still functioning, try the following. Disconnect the SSD and try booting from the optical drive. Disconnecting the SSD first is wise as a failed drive can in some instances stop the optical drive or even an external bootable hard drive from booting. If you still have the same problem, there's a possibility of logic board failure.

 

[Rod]

Also if the internal HD is damaged and you have a bootable backup on say a USB HD then you could just plug it in and startup. The system should pick the working OS by preference and you will then have access to Disk Utility to examine the internal drive. e.g. a OSX bootable installer on a thumb drive will also tell you if its the internal drive at fault.

 

[harryb2448]

And have three brands of SSD fail within the twelve month warranty so it may well be the drive.

 

[techiesteve]

And have three brands of SSD fail within the twelve month warranty so it may well be the drive.

I've seen a few fail too, no particular one brand. The last and quickest to fail was a new OWC 240GB flash storage SSD for a 2011 MacBook Air, it died before Yosemite finished installing. Some of the older Crucial M4 2.5" SSD'd have failed too.

 

[x59]

Thanks guys. Disconnecting the SSD and booting from the optical drive worked. I have put in a warranty claim since the SSD is 6 months old. Thanks!