Wrong Serial Numbers! Macbook Pro 2010?

[boomhaueruk]

Hi everyone,

I run a small IT repair firm and I’m working on a customers Macbook Pro 2010 (2.4Ghz Intel Core i5, Intel HD Graphics 288) running 10.13 which has a problem - seemingly it's had a bad SMC upgrade.
(They bought it several years back from eBay)
Right now the machine won’t boot unless the power is cut, SMC then it will switch on, fans on full.
Even then it’s unstable.

Actually, it had a number of problems - the battery had been replaced with a cheap knock off, half the memory was duff and the hard drive wasn't screwed in - but after I sorted all that I was still facing the power on and fans on full issue.

But here's the really odd part.

The Serial number under About is "C02L737****3...", or in System Report is "C02L737****3...?"
This doesn't match the bottom plate; C02FR17****V
Or the motherboard; W81035JAAGU

(I've starred out a few characters..the dots and questions marks are what I see)

Here's the thing;
C02L737.... is MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i7" 2.3 Mid-2012
C02FR17... is MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i7" 2.0 Early 2011
W81034... is MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i5" 2.4 Mid-2010

and the processor is showing as a Core i5 2.4, so I’m assuming what this actually is is the last one, the MBP 2010.

Now, I’m assuming this is a replacement backplate and we’re waaaay out of warranty so Apple aren’t helping, but I don’t get the serial numbers in software - has someone replaced them with blank board or something? Would this affect SMC updates?

So here’s my question; could the SMC issue have been caused by those incorrect software reported serial numbers during an SMC update?
Is the serial number meant to match that motherboard one in software?
Is that m/b serial what should be in software now? The ‘right’ one?

I’m trying to find path back to a working Mac with the “correct” serial in it, so I can run an SMC update for the right model and hopefully bring it back to health. I fear it’s picking the wrong model with updates.

I’ve tried using instructions for flashing SmcFlasher.efi for the 2010 model but refit 0.14 won’t boot, so I’m thinking - start with the serial number.

The customer is happy enough to bin the Mac, but I hate doing that when I don’t think anything is actually wrong with the machine fundamentally that couldn’t be sorted by getting it back to the ‘right’ settings!

Thoughts? Advice?

 

[chrfr]

Hi everyone,

I run a small IT repair firm and I’m working on a customers Macbook Pro 2010 (2.4Ghz Intel Core i5, Intel HD Graphics 288) running 10.13 which has a problem - seemingly it's had a bad SMC upgrade.
(They bought it several years back from eBay)
Right now the machine won’t boot unless the power is cut, SMC then it will switch on, fans on full.
Even then it’s unstable.

Actually, it had a number of problems - the battery had been replaced with a cheap knock off, half the memory was duff and the hard drive wasn't screwed in - but after I sorted all that I was still facing the power on and fans on full issue.

But here's the really odd part.

The Serial number under About is "C02L737****3...", or in System Report is "C02L737****3...?"
This doesn't match the bottom plate; C02FR17****V
Or the motherboard; W81035JAAGU

(I've starred out a few characters..the dots and questions marks are what I see)

Here's the thing;
C02L737.... is MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i7" 2.3 Mid-2012
C02FR17... is MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i7" 2.0 Early 2011
W81034... is MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i5" 2.4 Mid-2010

The bottom plates are obviously interchangeable across all 3 of these machines- they're all the same form factor. I would go by whatever serial number shows in "About this Mac," but I wonder what leads you to think that there's a "bad" SMC upgrade. That's an exceedingly unlikely situation and it's far more likely that the board has had some sort of failure not related to updating firmware. GPU issues were common in the 2010 and 2011 15" models.

 

[boomhaueruk]

The bottom plates are obviously interchangeable across all 3 of these machines- they're all the same form factor. I would go by whatever serial number shows in "About this Mac," but I wonder what leads you to think that there's a "bad" SMC upgrade. That's an exceedingly unlikely situation and it's far more likely that the board has had some sort of failure not related to updating firmware. GPU issues were common in the 2010 and 2011 15" models.

So the answer to your question is; I've dug around and found reports that a Macbook Pro can get into a 'loop' whereby you can only 'jump boot' it - in other words, power it off (battery disconnected), power it on with power key held down.
It then powers on but the fans are on full blast.
The only way (apparently) to get the fans not to be on full blast is effectively to force an SMC reset - the normal procedure for SMC reset doesn't work - which has to be done by triggering part of an SMC install - as I say by effectively using "refit", restarting, flashing the SmcFlasher.efi file.

I'd have tested this, but I install refit and it doesn't work. Possibly because I'd installed 10.13. I'm trying to get an older os boot disk created.

So because of the serials mismatching as well - the one in OS doesn't match the motherboard or the machine specs - that I'm guessing what I guess - and it is a guess! The SMC seems messed up.

The mac, once powered up, shows no other issues I could associate with hardware - graphical or otherwise.

But that serial number in 'About'. Why doesn't it match the motherboard one?
also, the details it gives don't match the processor it lists, the motherboard one does.

That leads me to believe, if nothing else, there's something wrong with the serial - it seems to have been written to it.
Why the question mark at the end...the dots?

 

[chrfr]

But that serial number in 'About'. Why doesn't it match the motherboard one?

The logic board serial is not intended to be the same as the computer's serial. If you enter the "About this Mac" serial at the AppleCare Coverage checker site, does that match the general specs of the computer?
Replacement boards when shipped from Apple are not serialized. There is a tool that will allow the serial number to be written to the board, but only once. It's possible that the number was entered incorrectly, but I still think you have bigger problems than might be fixed if you can find some way to flash the EFI outside the supported Apple methods.

 

[boomhaueruk]

The logic board serial is not intended to be the same as the computer's serial. If you enter the "About this Mac" serial at the AppleCare Coverage checker site, does that match the general specs of the computer?
Replacement boards when shipped from Apple are not serialized. There is a tool that will allow the serial number to be written to the board, but only once. It's possible that the number was entered incorrectly, but I still think you have bigger problems than might be fixed if you can find some way to flash the EFI outside the supported Apple methods.

I wasn't sure about the serial on the board being the same, so that's helpful. I know apple replace motherboards, but somehow I don't think that's happened here. Something odd has gone on.
Surely if Apple had put in a 'blank board' whatever serial they wrote to it would be the correct model? And dont blank boards lack serial numbers on them?

In answer to your question; no, I don't think the serial (which bear in mind ends with three dots and a question mark!) that appears in software is correct.

That 'about' serial comes up as "MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i7" 2.3 Mid-2012"

The specs below it - that appear in the system report as well - match a " 2.4Ghz Intel Core i5, Intel HD Graphics 288" etc.
So a MacBook Pro 15-Inch "Core i5" 2.4 Mid-2010 - Which is also what the motherboard serial comes up as in the Applecare reporter. (as above in the original post).

I may well have bigger problems with the macbook, but right now all I need to address is forcing it to SMC reset, stopping the fans being on full blast.
I can follow the breadcrumbs from there - but I need a way to get there.

 

[Fishrrman]

At 10 years old... it sounds like the serial number... is THE LEAST of the problems you may have with it...

Not worth getting troubled over...

 

[boomhaueruk]

At 10 years old... it sounds like the serial number... is THE LEAST of the problems you may have with it...

Not worth getting troubled over...

Disagree. I'm trying to get as many laptops as possible to not well off users for home schooling.
A laptop like this is perfect, just need to get it on it's feet.
Bear in mind, some people are happy with anything; so far - aside from lots of simpler jobs - I've managed to repurpose a 2007 macbook by getting windows 10 running on it and a Samsung NC10 with ChromeOs. Both times I was told they were useless, both I got going for under £35, both enabled a child to homeschool.

We shouldn't throw away kit either, the world's only got finite resources. This thing is working, just need those fans to stop being on full blast.

So I'll keep plugging away.

 

[clueless88]

Disagree. I'm trying to get as many laptops as possible to not well off users for home schooling.
A laptop like this is perfect, just need to get it on it's feet.
Bear in mind, some people are happy with anything; so far - aside from lots of simpler jobs - I've managed to repurpose a 2007 macbook by getting windows 10 running on it and a Samsung NC10 with ChromeOs. Both times I was told they were useless, both I got going for under £35, both enabled a child to homeschool.

We shouldn't throw away kit either, the world's only got finite resources. This thing is working, just need those fans to stop being on full blast.

So I'll keep plugging away.

I think you may have missed Fish's point--don't worry about the serial numbers especially if the laptops are that old.

For a while I was running Linux Mint on a 2012 MBP after the original hard drive had started failing. Was pretty happy with the performance. I think Linux is much easier on the resources than windows 10.

 

[boomhaueruk]

I think you may have missed Fish's point--don't worry about the serial numbers especially if the laptops are that old.

For a while I was running Linux Mint on a 2012 MBP after the original hard drive had started failing. Was pretty happy with the performance. I think Linux is much easier on the resources than windows 10.

It's not just the serials I'm worrying about - though I thought I'd try and straighten it out! I was more wondering how it got into this state to some extent.
Just running AHT and it's saying 'nothing found'. Running extended tests now.

To be fair I also answered that - no - the serial from 'about' did not match the specs. And I do wonder if that hasn't caused an issue via firmware updates.

 

[chrfr]

To be fair I also answered that - no - the serial from 'about' did not match the specs. And I do wonder if that hasn't caused an issue via firmware updates.

Firmware updates are not installed based on serial number. The installers use the Board ID and model identifier to determine which update to apply.