MacBook won't turn on

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First, my apologies. I'm sure this same thing has been asked, and I don't mean to be needlessly redundant. I don't have much computer access at the moment, however, so I can't sift through all the old posts.

Admittedly, I rarely turn my computer off--just put it to sleep. Five days ago I shut it off as I was going on a trip. Now it will not turn on.

The battery indicates it has charge--I don't think that's the issue. When I push power the screen does the initial flicker, but does not light up. While the blue indicator light at the bottom right of the keyboard lights up, the usual start up sound doesn't occur. I can hear whirring from within (pardon my lack of computer knowledge), but the computer doesn't seem to actually start up in any meaningful way. I've tried pushing the volume and caps lock keys--nothing, so I don't think it is simply a screen problem.

I tried resetting the SMC, but that seems to have had no effect. I'm abroad at the moment--far from a mac store, so I can't just bring it in for repairs. If anyone has any suggestions/ideas, it would be most appreciated.

Thanks!
 

chscag

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It's hard to say exactly what's wrong with your MacBook. The whirring sound might be the hard drive or optical drive trying to spin up - most likely the hard drive. But the screen not lighting nor the POST chime sounding indicates something seriously broken. Your logic board may have decided to quit.

Do you have your original install DVD along with you? You will need that to run some tests although if the machine won't boot at all, it may not do any good.

I'm sorry I can't give you anything more definitive to go on. You may have to wait until you get home and can carry it on in to your local Apple store. Hopefully your machine is still under warranty or Apple care.

Regards.
 
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I'm going to agree and say the logic board. You're knocking, but nobody's home (pardon my cheesiness ;) )
 
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Thank you for your prompt replies. Alas, it seems like a rather grim diagnosis, but at least I can stop worrying about it for the time being.

Out of curiosity, if it was the logic board, would the hard drive be salvageable?

Thanks again!
 
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iMac 20" 2.4 GHz Dual Core 3GB Ram 320GB Hard Drive 10.6.2 :: Ipod Touch 8 GB :: Beastly Gaming PC
Yes, it should be. If you have another computer, you can connect to your laptop using firewire target mode to retrieve the data off your drive. Also, other members can usually provide better help if you provide computer specs. Best of luck!
 

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