Apple MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.6 15" (08) Specs
Identifiers: Early 2008 - BTO/CTO - MacBookPro4,1 - A1260 - 2198
Ok, I just want to start by saying that I have already scoured the iFixIt forums and the rest of the internet in hopes of solving my issue. While iFixIt has actually helped me in solving my issue temporarily, I still have not been able to completely eradicate my problem. So let me begin by giving some background...
I bought my first MacBook Pro back in October of last year (2010) from eBay. It was used, but appeared to be in excellent condition and came with an SSD, so I went for it. It is the most recent model of the aluminum MacBook Pro's (the A1260) before Apple began producing the unibodies.
Anyway, never had a single problem with the computer up until a couple weeks ago. Maybe sometimes the computer would not wake from sleep, but nothing a good hard shutdown couldn't fix. Now, just a couple weeks ago, I come home after work to turn on my computer and nothing happens. The night before I had actually disconnected the Mac from the magsafe connector because a couple days before we had gotten some power surges and I was being extra cautious. But it didn't turn on. I tried everything: switch batteries (I have two), reset the SMC, reset PRAM, power cycle, make sure the memory was seated correctly, tried other power adapters, etc. I scoured the iFixIt forums for answers, seeing that some people have experienced the same problems... and the answer was almost always a bad logic board. However, after several attempts to get the computer to power, I was finally able to get the white light to blink.
I work at my university's IT department and I know how to get in contact with Apple Support without having to pay the phone service fee when your Mac is not under warranty. Anyway, after an hour on the phone with an Apple Supervisor I was unable to convince him that my nVidia graphics chip had died and needed to be replaced.
Since the computer was definitely turning on (I had a white light), the answer that the logic board was dead didn't seem right to me. Power seemed to be the issue after reading many problems on the iFixIt forums, and I switched out the left I/O board from a known good MacBook Pro A1260 and tried to boot. The computer booted, white Apple screen and all. This pleased me, because the department can always get theirs fixed for free since it is still under warranty. However, this was not the end of my problems, because after a couple days the computer, once again, failed to boot, giving me that white blinking light. So, it wasn't the I/O board after all? Not sure, but after wiggling some cables around inside, making sure everything was snug, I got the computer to boot again. And, once again, after a day or so, the Mac fails to boot.
I find it hard to believe that the logic board is dead. The computer booted... I even got to install Lion on it yesterday and watch several TV shows last night in HD. The computer works... there must be something loose or something that can be fixed that doesn't cost $900. Does anyone else experience this? Is there a way I can get my nVidia GPU to "stop" working and produce the code necessary for an Apple repair? I think it's insane that Apple won't fix MacBook Pro's with nVidia GPUs even though the GPU themselves don't fail completely. I've read online that sometimes the computer will not boot without all the parts in working order (i.e. SuperDrive, GPU, CPU, etc.).
Please feel free to ask any questions. I am extremely tech savvy and have literally exhausted all of my options short of replacing the entire computer.
Ok, I just want to start by saying that I have already scoured the iFixIt forums and the rest of the internet in hopes of solving my issue. While iFixIt has actually helped me in solving my issue temporarily, I still have not been able to completely eradicate my problem. So let me begin by giving some background...
I bought my first MacBook Pro back in October of last year (2010) from eBay. It was used, but appeared to be in excellent condition and came with an SSD, so I went for it. It is the most recent model of the aluminum MacBook Pro's (the A1260) before Apple began producing the unibodies.
Anyway, never had a single problem with the computer up until a couple weeks ago. Maybe sometimes the computer would not wake from sleep, but nothing a good hard shutdown couldn't fix. Now, just a couple weeks ago, I come home after work to turn on my computer and nothing happens. The night before I had actually disconnected the Mac from the magsafe connector because a couple days before we had gotten some power surges and I was being extra cautious. But it didn't turn on. I tried everything: switch batteries (I have two), reset the SMC, reset PRAM, power cycle, make sure the memory was seated correctly, tried other power adapters, etc. I scoured the iFixIt forums for answers, seeing that some people have experienced the same problems... and the answer was almost always a bad logic board. However, after several attempts to get the computer to power, I was finally able to get the white light to blink.
I work at my university's IT department and I know how to get in contact with Apple Support without having to pay the phone service fee when your Mac is not under warranty. Anyway, after an hour on the phone with an Apple Supervisor I was unable to convince him that my nVidia graphics chip had died and needed to be replaced.
Since the computer was definitely turning on (I had a white light), the answer that the logic board was dead didn't seem right to me. Power seemed to be the issue after reading many problems on the iFixIt forums, and I switched out the left I/O board from a known good MacBook Pro A1260 and tried to boot. The computer booted, white Apple screen and all. This pleased me, because the department can always get theirs fixed for free since it is still under warranty. However, this was not the end of my problems, because after a couple days the computer, once again, failed to boot, giving me that white blinking light. So, it wasn't the I/O board after all? Not sure, but after wiggling some cables around inside, making sure everything was snug, I got the computer to boot again. And, once again, after a day or so, the Mac fails to boot.
I find it hard to believe that the logic board is dead. The computer booted... I even got to install Lion on it yesterday and watch several TV shows last night in HD. The computer works... there must be something loose or something that can be fixed that doesn't cost $900. Does anyone else experience this? Is there a way I can get my nVidia GPU to "stop" working and produce the code necessary for an Apple repair? I think it's insane that Apple won't fix MacBook Pro's with nVidia GPUs even though the GPU themselves don't fail completely. I've read online that sometimes the computer will not boot without all the parts in working order (i.e. SuperDrive, GPU, CPU, etc.).
Please feel free to ask any questions. I am extremely tech savvy and have literally exhausted all of my options short of replacing the entire computer.
Ok, I just want to start by saying that I have already scoured the iFixIt forums and the rest of the internet in hopes of solving my issue. While iFixIt has actually helped me in solving my issue temporarily, I still have not been able to completely eradicate my problem. So let me begin by giving some background...
I bought my first MacBook Pro back in October of last year (2010) from eBay. It was used, but appeared to be in excellent condition and came with an SSD, so I went for it. It is the most recent model of the aluminum MacBook Pro's (the A1260) before Apple began producing the unibodies.
Anyway, never had a single problem with the computer up until a couple weeks ago. Maybe sometimes the computer would not wake from sleep, but nothing a good hard shutdown couldn't fix. Now, just a couple weeks ago, I come home after work to turn on my computer and nothing happens. The night before I had actually disconnected the Mac from the magsafe connector because a couple days before we had gotten some power surges and I was being extra cautious. But it didn't turn on. I tried everything: switch batteries (I have two), reset the SMC, reset PRAM, power cycle, make sure the memory was seated correctly, tried other power adapters, etc. I scoured the iFixIt forums for answers, seeing that some people have experienced the same problems... and the answer was almost always a bad logic board. However, after several attempts to get the computer to power, I was finally able to get the white light to blink.
I work at my university's IT department and I know how to get in contact with Apple Support without having to pay the phone service fee when your Mac is not under warranty. Anyway, after an hour on the phone with an Apple Supervisor I was unable to convince him that my nVidia graphics chip had died and needed to be replaced.
Since the computer was definitely turning on (I had a white light), the answer that the logic board was dead didn't seem right to me. Power seemed to be the issue after reading many problems on the iFixIt forums, and I switched out the left I/O board from a known good MacBook Pro A1260 and tried to boot. The computer booted, white Apple screen and all. This pleased me, because the department can always get theirs fixed for free since it is still under warranty. However, this was not the end of my problems, because after a couple days the computer, once again, failed to boot, giving me that white blinking light. So, it wasn't the I/O board after all? Not sure, but after wiggling some cables around inside, making sure everything was snug, I got the computer to boot again. And, once again, after a day or so, the Mac fails to boot.
I find it hard to believe that the logic board is dead. The computer booted... I even got to install Lion on it yesterday and watch several TV shows last night in HD. The computer works... there must be something loose or something that can be fixed that doesn't cost $900. Does anyone else experience this? Is there a way I can get my nVidia GPU to "stop" working and produce the code necessary for an Apple repair? I think it's insane that Apple won't fix MacBook Pro's with nVidia GPUs even though the GPU themselves don't fail completely. I've read online that sometimes the computer will not boot without all the parts in working order (i.e. SuperDrive, GPU, CPU, etc.).
Please feel free to ask any questions. I am extremely tech savvy and have literally exhausted all of my options short of replacing the entire computer.
Ok, I just want to start by saying that I have already scoured the iFixIt forums and the rest of the internet in hopes of solving my issue. While iFixIt has actually helped me in solving my issue temporarily, I still have not been able to completely eradicate my problem. So let me begin by giving some background...
I bought my first MacBook Pro back in October of last year (2010) from eBay. It was used, but appeared to be in excellent condition and came with an SSD, so I went for it. It is the most recent model of the aluminum MacBook Pro's (the A1260) before Apple began producing the unibodies.
Anyway, never had a single problem with the computer up until a couple weeks ago. Maybe sometimes the computer would not wake from sleep, but nothing a good hard shutdown couldn't fix. Now, just a couple weeks ago, I come home after work to turn on my computer and nothing happens. The night before I had actually disconnected the Mac from the magsafe connector because a couple days before we had gotten some power surges and I was being extra cautious. But it didn't turn on. I tried everything: switch batteries (I have two), reset the SMC, reset PRAM, power cycle, make sure the memory was seated correctly, tried other power adapters, etc. I scoured the iFixIt forums for answers, seeing that some people have experienced the same problems... and the answer was almost always a bad logic board. However, after several attempts to get the computer to power, I was finally able to get the white light to blink.
I work at my university's IT department and I know how to get in contact with Apple Support without having to pay the phone service fee when your Mac is not under warranty. Anyway, after an hour on the phone with an Apple Supervisor I was unable to convince him that my nVidia graphics chip had died and needed to be replaced.
Since the computer was definitely turning on (I had a white light), the answer that the logic board was dead didn't seem right to me. Power seemed to be the issue after reading many problems on the iFixIt forums, and I switched out the left I/O board from a known good MacBook Pro A1260 and tried to boot. The computer booted, white Apple screen and all. This pleased me, because the department can always get theirs fixed for free since it is still under warranty. However, this was not the end of my problems, because after a couple days the computer, once again, failed to boot, giving me that white blinking light. So, it wasn't the I/O board after all? Not sure, but after wiggling some cables around inside, making sure everything was snug, I got the computer to boot again. And, once again, after a day or so, the Mac fails to boot.
I find it hard to believe that the logic board is dead. The computer booted... I even got to install Lion on it yesterday and watch several TV shows last night in HD. The computer works... there must be something loose or something that can be fixed that doesn't cost $900. Does anyone else experience this? Is there a way I can get my nVidia GPU to "stop" working and produce the code necessary for an Apple repair? I think it's insane that Apple won't fix MacBook Pro's with nVidia GPUs even though the GPU themselves don't fail completely. I've read online that sometimes the computer will not boot without all the parts in working order (i.e. SuperDrive, GPU, CPU, etc.).
Please feel free to ask any questions. I am extremely tech savvy and have literally exhausted all of my options short of replacing the entire computer.