Embracing Early Intel

[TheShortTimer]

If you close the lid while the machine is booting and use an external keyboard and mouse, it should switch to clamshell mode and direct everything to the external monitor. I've found that I can open the lid after it's booted and use the internal keyboard without it kicking out of clamshell mode, so theoretically an external mouse should be sufficient. However, I don't know if that also works in the OS X installer.

Considering that I've successfully set up SL on the other MB, I could just spare myself having to struggle with the LCD and clone that installation using Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner via FireWire TDM and go straight to the clamshell model. Thanks for the tip.

Is the exact part I'll need to replace the inverter? The backlight has been mention as well - are they one and the same?

Well, a mission statement only gets you so far. With x86_64 hardware having been introduced in 2003 and having become mainstream a couple of years later, I can sort of understand the decision even though it's a bit of a shame. It's also slightly ironical that the Linux kernel no longer supports the CPU it was born on.

Agreed!

Keep in mind the CPU underclocks to 1 GHz if the battery is dead or missing, so don't expect mindblowing performance.

Noted, I've got a couple of spares that I can swap over as a stop gap for the meantime: the BlackBook's battery still appears to hold a full charge.

Given that it's swollen, I'd dispose of it ASAP since it can be a fire hazard.

Will do and thanks.

 

[LordeOurMother]

I'm kind of the same way. I know I should just stick to one OS/platform to make things easier on myself, but the temptation to experiment becomes too great and I end up playing around with different OS setups. Whenever these experiments go awry, I think to myself how I should have just stuck to the OS I had before instead of messing around with a different OS.

I've always hated faffing about with OS installs. It's gotten easier recently as my university lets me have unlimited google drive for life. So photos/music collections, project files for work and so on stay there without me having to store them locally. This means when I make a new install the only thing I really need to do is re-install the OS and any related software.

I did, nonetheless, have an issue with Catalina whereby I found out the hardware that none of my audio plugins work (apparently I have a huge backlog of 32 bit virtual instruments and plugins). I reinstalled Mojave over winter break.

Finding a working OS for my MacBook Pro has also been a bit of a ****-show, as Catalina ran like relative crap (usable, but when I'm used to the Mac Pro it felt sluggish), and High Sierra is presently unusable for a large portion of HS users because the App Store apps won't work on there. Therefore I'm all the way back on Sierra. This took over a week and a half to properly resolve. I may give Mojave a try when I have a free moment but for right now I'm extremely annoyed with the fact that High Sierra should 'just work' but doesn't, haha.

I recently installed Windows on my Mac Pro in a second HDD and it was relatively pain free, as I avoid Windows except for gaming.

 

[Amethyst1]

Is the exact part I'll need to replace the inverter? The backlight has been mention as well - are they one and the same?

The backlight is the actual CCFL lamp. The inverter powers the lamp. Since the inverter is easier to replace I'd start with that.

MacBook Display Inverter

Replace a broken or damaged display inverter for your MacBook with this part and fix backlight issues. This part is compatible with all 13.3" MacBooks (excluding MacBook Unibody and MacBook Air).

de.ifixit.com

However, it's also possible that the lamp itself has blown.

BEANTWORTET: How can I replace a backlight in my MacBook lcd? - MacBook

Yes it's a difficult job to replace the backlight bulb in a LCD screen. This little lamp is so fragile and difficult to manipulate without breaking it. You must desolder a wire at each end of the backlight, pulling it out of the LCD, pushing a new one in and redo the solder on both ends. If...

de.ifixit.com

 

[TheShortTimer]

Danke!

 

[bobesch]

About battery-replacement for the MB models with accessible batteries: those models tend to fail in battery charging!
I once had a black early intel MB (two times - for the first and the last time ...) that suffered from failure to charge the battery. Can you swap batteries between your books to proof, that failure to charge the battery isn't an issue?

 

[TheShortTimer]

About battery-replacement for the MB models with accessible batteries: those models tend to fail in battery charging!
I once had a black early intel MB (two times - for the first and the last time ...) that suffered from failure to charge the battery. Can you swap batteries between your books to proof, that failure to charge the battery isn't an issue?

The battery is well and truly worn out. It doesn't charge because the cells have expired and it's swollen. I did swap the batteries over as a test and the BlackBook's one works with both machines.

 

[retta283]

On the topic of these plastic MacBooks, I have a Core Duo MacBook that works pretty good other than an odd issue with sleep.

When I close the lid on the laptop it goes to sleep like it normally would, but every 10 seconds or so the computer wakes up, I see the Apple logo light and then it goes back out again. I can hear it too because the superdrive spins a bit. I posted a thread about this around 2 years ago but no one responded. It only seems to do it under Leopard/Snow Leopard, not Tiger.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

On the topic of these plastic MacBooks, I have a Core Duo MacBook that works pretty good other than an odd issue with sleep.

When I close the lid on the laptop it goes to sleep like it normally would, but every 10 seconds or so the computer wakes up, I see the Apple logo light and then it goes back out again. I can hear it too because the superdrive spins a bit. I posted a thread about this around 2 years ago but no one responded. It only seems to do it under Leopard/Snow Leopard, not Tiger.

That happens with my 2009 MacBook too

 

[Amethyst1]

When I close the lid on the laptop it goes to sleep like it normally would, but every 10 seconds or so the computer wakes up, I see the Apple logo light and then it goes back out again.

Anything in system.log?

 

[retta283]

Anything in system.log?

Never thought to check. Currently I don't have either of the affected OSes loaded (took the drive for use in another
machine, only reloaded Tiger on new drive) so I'll have to do so when I get them reinstalled.

That happens with my 2009 MacBook too

Perhaps this is an issue with the whole series then, I wonder if it's hardware or software related. Which versions of OS X does this occur in or does it happen all the time?

 

[RogerWilco6502]

Anything in system.log?

I can check mine next time I have it booted up

Perhaps this is an issue with the whole series then, I wonder if it's hardware or software related. Which versions of OS X does this occur in or does it happen all the time?

Mac OS 10.11 on my 2009. I also have a 2008. I don't know if it also suffers from this or not, I can perform some tests soon though. I will say that my 2009 is strange in that it only ever initializes the optical drive on bootup. Nothing else that should initialize it does. This could be due to the sticky eject mechanism however.

 

[MacFoxG4]

This thread saves me having to create one and provide an apology for discussing Intel machines within the PPC forum. 😄

Glad to know that my thread is useful.

 

[Riviera122]

I have a 2009 MacBook also. Really wish it still worked. Love the keyboard and the rubber base. The battery bulged over time, and one day overheated and shut down, due to poor ventilation. Pretty sure the logic board has been fried... I get a green light when I plug the charger in, but that's it.

 

[TheShortTimer]

Glad to know that my thread is useful.

Invaluable! I haven't spent that much time in the main Intel threads but from what other members have described, people who seek help with older machines are frequently told to go and buy a new one and on the Facebook group whose name shall not be mentioned, I recall someone genuinely asking for advice about potential usages for an early MacBook and receiving helpful replies such as using it to prop up "a table leg."

The landfills are already saturated with perfectly usable tech, they don't need more.

 

[Amethyst1]

I recall someone genuinely asking for advice about potential usages for an early MacBook and receiving helpful replies such as using it to prop up "a table leg."

or to support windows (incredibly lame pun intended)

 

[mdgm]

I still have a few 2009 Mac Minis. My early 2009 Mac Mini has a CTO upgrade to 4GB RAM.

Now booting my early 2009 Mini running El Capitan off a SATA SSD via FW800. The machine feels much newer booted off a SSD rather than a HDD and it was a cheap upgrade considering the SSD was just lying around after being pulled out of a dead MBP years ago.

Planning to start booting my late 2009 Mini off a FW800 SSD as well this year.

Now booting my 2011 Mini Server into High Sierra off a TB3 NVMe SSD.

 

[retta283]

2009 Minis are good units. Classic design, plenty of ports, good OS support and hardware for it. 2010 Mini isn't a bad choice either if you're interested in keeping Snow Leopard (maybe people got SL running on 2011 Minis, I forgot) and a built-in DVD drive.

 

[mdgm]

I have some mid-2011 iMacs. All of my mid-2011 iMacs shipped with Snow Leopard. Only major drawback of those is no USB3 ports and the dedicated graphics doesn’t support Metal and has a very high failure rate

 

[Amethyst1]

maybe people got SL running on 2011 Minis,

Only on those with the Radeon iirc - no thanks.

 

[retta283]

I have some mid-2011 iMacs. All of my mid-2011 iMacs shipped with Snow Leopard.

2011 iMacs were released at the start of May 2011, when SL was still current. 2011 mini came out on July 20, 2011 same day as Lion released so it shipped with that out of the factory. I'm pretty sure it uses similar enough hardware to early 2011 MBPs (Feb 2011) that it can still be made to run SL, but I forget the details. The model with Dedicated GPU might not have GPU support though.

If the 2011 iMacs I can find were 27"s I would probably try to grab one .

 

[retta283]

Only on those with the Radeon iirc - no thanks.

Ah, I might have it flipped on GPU support then, I thought the Intel HD graphics were supported, would've imagined they were same as 2011 13" MBP

 

[Amethyst1]

2010 Mini isn't a bad choice either

If only those weren't a lot more expensive (at least here) than the 2009 for no good reason.

 

[Amethyst1]

Planning to start booting my late 2009 Mini off a FW800 SSD as well this year.

Why not install the SSD internally?

I thought the Intel HD graphics were supported, would've imagined they were same as 2011 13" MBP

So did I but...

Now booting my 2011 Mini Server into High Sierra off a TB3 NVMe SSD.

What kind of speeds are you getting via TB1?

Only major drawback of those is no USB3 ports

Delock Products 62634 Delock Adapter Thunderbolt™ male > USB 3.0 Type-A female

www.delock.com

 

[mdgm]

I’m concerned I could break something opening up the machine. If the coin battery fails I’ll probably change my mind.

Over TB1 I’m getting a little better than SATA III speeds, a number in the 700s MB/s. As I’m using a bus powered drive I’m using a TB3 dock to provide power to the drive. The dock also has USB3 ports.

 

[Amethyst1]

The dock also has USB3 ports.

What kind of speed are you getting on USB3 via TB1 just out of interest?