Egads! What did I do? (Completely dead MacBook)

[ravenvii]

I am planning to take my MacBook to the Apple Store tomorrow for the flickering screen issue I'm having. Today, I went and changed the RAM in my MacBook from third-party 2 GB sticks to the 512 MB stick that came with the machine. Once I finished that, I wrapped things up, opened the MacBook and hit the power button...

Nothing. No power light, no sound, no nothing. Tried plugging in the power adapter, it lights up, so the battery is fine, but the power button does nothing.

I tried switching back the RAM to the 2 GB that worked just a few minutes ago. Same thing. Power button does zilch.

My MacBook is now completely dead. What could have been the cause? There's no flashing power light (they normally flash if no RAM is detected). There's just nothing.

I'm taking it to the Apple Store tomorrow nonetheless, now instead of being about the flickering screen, it's now about a completely dead MacBook. It's easier to prove, I suppose.

 

[nazmac21]

You answered your own question. Go to the Apple Store.

 

[Keebler]

you might not want to tell them about the ram b/c it might not have been the ram..maybe the machine was starting to die before you even touched the ram and it just keeled over at an inconvenient time.

 

[ravenvii]

Well my MacBook's off to Repair Land. They said 6 to 10 days.

I'm now reduced to using the crappy computers in the computer lab. Windows, of course, and administered by absolute morons.

Fun.

 

[emac82]

Well my MacBook's off to Repair Land. They said 6 to 10 days.

I'm now reduced to using the crappy computers in the computer lab. Windows, of course, and administered by absolute morons.

Fun.

I like how you called the IT guys absolute morons but yet you are the one who killed your macbook when you were changing ram, as it likely wasn't grounded properly or something.

 

[khunsanook]

I like how you called the IT guys absolute morons but yet you are the one who killed your macbook when you were changing ram, as it likely wasn't grounded properly or something.

I had the exact same problem after changing some RAM soon after I bought my MacBook. Many people suggested that I should push the RAM in more firmly and sure enough, this solved the problem.

 

[CanadaRAM]

Closing the barn door too late, but...

In the MacBooks, when you insert the RAM, there is a 'clunk' and it appears as if the RAM is in. Not true, it has to be pushed in another 1/8" (2 mm) or so before it makes connection. You need to get both thumbs on it and push with about 10 lbs of pressure.

 

[djinn]

I had the same problem. Actually I didn't know I installed it correctly until that metal piece was flush with the rest of the walls of the battery cavity.

 

[ravenvii]

Closing the barn door too late, but...

In the MacBooks, when you insert the RAM, there is a 'clunk' and it appears as if the RAM is in. Not true, it has to be pushed in another 1/8" (2 mm) or so before it makes connection. You need to get both thumbs on it and push with about 10 lbs of pressure.

I did successfully upgrade my MacBook with 2 GB of RAM, so I know how hard it is to push it all the way in.

I also know how the machine behaves when there's no RAM. The machine refuses to turn on, and the power light (in the front) flashes. In this case, there are absolutely no light at all.

As for the snip about calling the admins morons, let me give you a example. In this computer lab, half of the computers are i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-y SLOW, to the point of being unusable. And the other half are half-tolerable. They all are the exactly same computers. They were configured differently for some reason - the ones against the walls suck, while the ones in the middle are usable. You call that good administration?

 

[BlackMax]

Make sure you always use an anti-static wrist strap when working on the internals of your machine. I can't tell you the number of machines I've seen fried by static electricity. If possible work on a anti-static bench, never on carpet and be extra careful on cold dry days.