crwdns2933423:0crwdne2933423:0

17 Inch MacBook Pro Not booting up

My MacBook Pro 17 inch will not boot up. I replaced the battery and the charger, still no results. The only time it will boot up temporarily, is when I unseat and reseat the battery cable to the motherboard. The laptop will boot up on its own then there is a light blue screen and a bar on the screen showing the laptop booting up. Then the wallpaper shows up like normal, but will then shut down again and cannot restart the laptop. Please advise.

V/R

Stan J. Dominick

crwdns2934089:0crwdne2934089:0 crwdns2934093:0crwdne2934093:0

crwdns2934109:0crwdne2934109:0

crwdns2889612:0crwdne2889612:0 0
crwdns2934285:0crwdne2934285:0

crwdns2933315:02crwdne2933315:0

crwdns2934057:0crwdne2934057:0

Surprisingly you have a very simple problem! The disconnection of the battery offered the clue!

Your system has a PRAM battery which given the systems age needs replacement! Follow this guide: MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 PRAM Battery Replacement.

But! You still have a second issue! Your main battery is not charging or offering the needed power to run! Check the on board battery checker to see if it is healthy. You may need to replace the battery connecter MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Battery Connector Replacement

I would encourage you to think about getting a newer system. More so if you are surfing the web. Apple no longer offers security updates for the OS this system runs so you do run the risk of malware and other nasties.

crwdns2886500:0MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Battery Connectorcrwdne2886500:0

crwdns2930805:0crwdne2930805:0

MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Battery Connector Replacement

crwdns2934079:0crwdne2934079:0

crwdns2937803:0crwdne2937803:0

1 - 2 hours

crwdns2886500:0MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 PRAM Batterycrwdne2886500:0

crwdns2930805:0crwdne2930805:0

MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 PRAM Battery Replacement

crwdns2934079:0crwdne2934079:0

crwdns2937803:0crwdne2937803:0

crwdns2934105:0crwdne2934105:0

crwdns2889612:0crwdne2889612:0 1
crwdns2934285:0crwdne2934285:0

If the screen lights up and the operating system loads, and it gets to a desktop, then the computer is booting up. What it's not doing is staying powered up once you've booted up. The first thing I would try is resetting the power manager/SMC controller, just in case this is just a system glitch:

How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac

I doubt that's the problem, but the fact that disconnecting/reconnecting the battery seems to change things may be power management-related.

But really, it sounds like the computer is overheating, possibly due to one or more of the following issues:

  1. Clogged or failing fans
  2. Disintegrating heatsink compound between the CPU/GPU and the attached heatsink
  3. Clogged air vents

I'm guessing that when you try to start up the computer, the fans are making a lot of noise. Depending on your environment, fans and air vents can get clogged with dust or pet hair; cat hair is particularly bad, as it's usually finer than dog hair, and can get deeper into the machine. I would open up the machine and clean out whatever gunk has accumulated in the fans and air vents, then reassemble and see if the problem is solved.

MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Right Fan Replacement

MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Left Fan Replacement

Links to the replacement fans for the various generations of MBP 17" are available from the guide pages.

The left fan is more difficult to remove than the right, as there are more things to move out of the way. You can brush the blades of the fan with a dry toothbrush to clean the dust out; a can of compressed air is also useful.

Cleaning the air vents (on the back of the bottom case, underneath the display hinge) is often difficult unless you remove the logic board to provide clear access from both sides of the vent. You can try to scrub the vent from the outside with your toothbrush; you can also try to scrub from the inside once you've removed the fans, as the fan vents are one of the primary collection points for debris.

Pay attention to the sound of the fans after you reassemble the computer and power up. If the shutdown problem still occurs, and you hear unusual noise from the fans such as rattling or whining, one or more fans may need replacement. Do them both; they're at least ten years old, and all moving parts eventually wear out.

In the event that fiddling with fans doesn't fix the problem, it's possible that the heat sink compound attaching the metal heat sink to your CPU and graphics chip has dried out and is crumbling away. This means that heat generated by these chips isn't getting out through the metal (which works like a car's radiator ro keep the chips from overheating). When enough heat builds up in the chips, they freak out and start misbehaving; if it gets bad enough, the computer shuts down to prevent burning the chips out.

Removing the logic board and reapplying thermal paste is a much more involved task than replacing fans; you have to remove the logic board and flip it over, because the heat sink is on the lower side of the board. Once the board is out, take advantage of the opportunity to clean the case's air vent thoroughly.

MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Heat Sink Replacement

MacBook Pro 17" (Model A1151) Heat Sink

MacBook Pro 17" (Models A1212/A1229) Heat Sink

crwdns2937315:0IF187-072crwdne2937315:0

You haven't identified the specific generation of MBP 17" you have. The model ID is printed on the bottom of the computer, just near the hinge; it will be one of these four generations:

  • A1151 (2006)
  • A1212 (2006-2007)
  • A1229 (2007-2008)
  • A1261 (2008-2009)

The big distinction between these generations (aside from the normal CPU/GPU/drive/connector variations) is that the A1261 generation has a heat sensor, which might contribute to shutdown issues if it's malfunctioning and transmitting incorrect information to the system. The instructions for replacing the thermal sensor are included in the replacement guide for the A1261 heatsink.

MacBook Pro 17" (Model A1261) Middle Thermal Sensor

crwdns2886500:0MacBook Pro 17" (Model A1151) Heat Sinkcrwdne2886500:0

crwdns2934075:0crwdne2934075:0

MacBook Pro 17" (Model A1151) Heat Sink

$9.99

crwdns2886500:0MacBook Pro 17" (Models A1212/A1229) Heat Sinkcrwdne2886500:0

crwdns2934075:0crwdne2934075:0

MacBook Pro 17" (Models A1212/A1229) Heat Sink

$19.99

crwdns2886500:0MacBook Pro 17" (Model A1261) Middle Thermal Sensorcrwdne2886500:0

crwdns2934075:0crwdne2934075:0

MacBook Pro 17" (Model A1261) Middle Thermal Sensor

$9.99

crwdns2886500:0MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Right Fancrwdne2886500:0

crwdns2930805:0crwdne2930805:0

MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Right Fan Replacement

crwdns2934079:0crwdne2934079:0

crwdns2937801:0crwdne2937801:0

crwdns2886500:0MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Left Fancrwdne2886500:0

crwdns2930805:0crwdne2930805:0

MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Left Fan Replacement

crwdns2934079:0crwdne2934079:0

crwdns2937803:0crwdne2937803:0

crwdns2886500:0MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Heat Sinkcrwdne2886500:0

crwdns2930805:0crwdne2930805:0

MacBook Pro 17" Models A1151 A1212 A1229 and A1261 Heat Sink Replacement

crwdns2934079:0crwdne2934079:0

crwdns2937803:0crwdne2937803:0

crwdns2934105:0crwdne2934105:0

crwdns2889612:0crwdne2889612:0 0
crwdns2934285:0crwdne2934285:0

crwdns2934229:0crwdne2934229:0

Stan crwdns2934231:0crwdne2934231:0
crwdns2936625:0crwdne2936625:0:

crwdns2936751:024crwdne2936751:0 1

crwdns2936753:07crwdne2936753:0 1

crwdns2936753:030crwdne2936753:0 5

crwdns2942667:0crwdne2942667:0 2,133