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MacBook is dead

N

notwist

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 29, 2006
191
0
New Brunswick, NJ
I think my MacBook just died. :( I left it on before I went to asleep and when I woke up, it was shut off. I think a power outage might have occurred since it was storming pretty hard last night. Anyways, I tried turning it on this morning but all that shows on the screen is a folder icon with a question mark (?) in it. I tried reinstalling OS X using the install CDs but when it asks which hard drive to install into, the hard drive is not listed. Other times, the installer would not start and a KP would display instead. I'm pretty sure my MacBook is dead. I know I'm pretty stupid for not getting a surge protector sooner, but I remember countless times where the power has gone out yet my computer was perfectly fine. SO basically, what can I do from here? This is my first Apple and it was working smoothly until this happened. Will my AppleCare take care of this (I hope)? Thanks in advance :eek:
 
plug your power adapter in, turn it on, then open lid, press power button.
im new to macs but ive noticed that if the battery runs low on my gf's powerbook when its sleeping, it wont wake up until you give it external power, prolly due to the fact it does not have enough power to sustain the data stored in memory.
I reakon Apple should call this mode 'Coma mode' lol
 
i don't think that it was a power surge, it sounds like you HD is dead, AppleCare will fix it, you just will have lost your data unless you backed up previously.
 
if you think it's dead, put the power plug it. boot up your install disc and check disk utility. if your harddrive is recognized, check the smart status.

that's always my first check.
 
If you can boot off of the install CD then it doesn't sound like your MacBook is dead. It does sound like the hard drive is gone. Hopefully the kernel panics are all about the fact that the drive is confusing the Mac. Get a surge protector! Even if Apple replaces the drive, your data is toast, so you need to deal with a backup strategy, too.
 
ScottDrummer said:
plug your power adapter in, turn it on, then open lid, press power button.
im new to macs but ive noticed that if the battery runs low on my gf's powerbook when its sleeping, it wont wake up until you give it external power, prolly due to the fact it does not have enough power to sustain the data stored in memory.
I reakon Apple should call this mode 'Coma mode' lol
Click to expand...
:( I always keep my Mac plugged in so the battery was fully charged before I went to sleep.

mrkramer said:
i don't think that it was a power surge, it sounds like you HD is dead, AppleCare will fix it, you just will have lost your data unless you backed up previously.
Click to expand...
Frankly, I'm alright with losing all my data. I just don't want to end up with a dead laptop and no where to go.

wyatt23 said:
if you think it's dead, put the power plug it. boot up your install disc and check disk utility. if your harddrive is recognized, check the smart status.

that's always my first check.
Click to expand...
I booted up with the install disc, but it starts the OS X installer. I'm thinking the hard drive is dead.

Thanks for all your suggestions! :)
 
notwist said:
I think my MacBook just died. :( I left it on before I went to asleep and when I woke up, it was shut off. I think a power outage might have occurred since it was storming pretty hard last night. Anyways, I tried turning it on this morning but all that shows on the screen is a folder icon with a question mark (?) in it. I tried reinstalling OS X using the install CDs but when it asks which hard drive to install into, the hard drive is not listed. Other times, the installer would not start and a KP would display instead. I'm pretty sure my MacBook is dead. I know I'm pretty stupid for not getting a surge protector sooner, but I remember countless times where the power has gone out yet my computer was perfectly fine. SO basically, what can I do from here? This is my first Apple and it was working smoothly until this happened. Will my AppleCare take care of this (I hope)? Thanks in advance :eek:
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that. I would defiantly take it to an Apple store and act like it just stopped working and would never say anything about lightning :)

At this point you have no more to lose if they refuse to repair it.
 
Sherman Homan said:
If you can boot off of the install CD then it doesn't sound like your MacBook is dead. It does sound like the hard drive is gone. Hopefully the kernel panics are all about the fact that the drive is confusing the Mac. Get a surge protector! Even if Apple replaces the drive, your data is toast, so you need to deal with a backup strategy, too.
Click to expand...
If Apple is willing to repair my computer then I will be happy enough. I guess getting a surge protector and a external hard drive is at the top of my to-buy list :eek:
 
kresh said:
Sorry to hear that. I would defiantly take it to an Apple store and act like it just stopped working and would never say anything about lightning :)

At this point you have no more to lose if they refuse to repair it.
Click to expand...

Heh. That's what I plan on doing. I have AppleCare anyway so I guess I can finally put my investment to good use.
 
I had both my computer's hard drives dying for the past months now, and trust me, your hard drives dead. Not too expensive, wouldnt worry too much. surge protector is indeed a good idea. and not a dollar store one.
 
notwist said:
:( I always keep my Mac plugged in so the battery was fully charged before I went to sleep.


Frankly, I'm alright with losing all my data. I just don't want to end up with a dead laptop and no where to go.


I booted up with the install disc, but it starts the OS X installer. I'm thinking the hard drive is dead.

Thanks for all your suggestions! :)
Click to expand...

I just well, I am still going through this.

Boot up to the OSX cd, then at the top Click Utilities, and Disk Utilites, then you can check your drive. My drive didnt even show up which confirmed my theory that the drive was indeed dead.

Yes, Apple care will cover it. They will gladly swap my drive but I need to recover the data from it before I send it in for the swap.

Hope you get it fixed up soon!
 
jnbyoung said:
I just well, I am still going through this.

Boot up to the OSX cd, then at the top Click Utilities, and Disk Utilites, then you can check your drive. My drive didnt even show up which confirmed my theory that the drive was indeed dead.

Yes, Apple care will cover it. They will gladly swap my drive but I need to recover the data from it before I send it in for the swap.

Hope you get it fixed up soon!
Click to expand...

How did you recover the data from your hard drive if it was dead? :confused:

TO get my hard drive replaced, can I just take it to an Apple store or do i have to send it in to get repaired?
 
I am taking my drive next week to DriveSavers to get the data. It is stuff I cant live happily without and stuff I didn't back up well enough.

I went to my local apple authorized repair place - they will be doing the drive replacement once they get a MBP certified tech back in their shop.

Drive Savers was the only Apple-auth'd place to remove a HDD and recover data (according to the Apple tech I talked to).
 
Just to confirm, your drive is well and truly dead, no doubt about it. AppleCare should cover it too.

If a drive fails, it is possible to recover some data from them, it's just extremely difficult.
 
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