[X4U] Questions about Mac that has quit working

[Jeff Carruthers]

On Jun 21, 2010, at 11:06 AM, Cheryl Homiak wrote:

> Hi all.
> 
> I have a friend who has a Macbook that she got three years ago; the Apple Care just ran out last week. Suddenly this morning it wouldn't work for her; she's blind so I've asked her to get a sighted person to look and see if there's any indication of life at all. Since I have never owned a Macbook and am trying to troubleshoot for her, I have the following questions (sorry if these sound stupid but I'm trying to cover all the bases):
> 
> 1. If somehow her battery had been allowed to run down completely, would the computer still work immediately when plugged in?
> 2. If the battery was completely dead and needed replacing, would the computer still continue to work when plugged in?
> 3. Could we test whether the problem is the hard drive by putting a Mac cd/dvd in and turning on the computer while holding down the C button? If it was the hard drive, wouldn't we still be able to boot up the cd?
> 4. Can anybody think of anything else obvious that I should have her check? She seems to indicate that when she pushes the button to turn on the computer, absolutely nothing happens--meaning there's no sound of starting up at all. If there's something else obvious we should check before trying to get a repair estimate, I'd like to know about it. She lives in a rural area and it's going to be a pain to take it in plus, probably like most of us, a new computer or a computer repair without Apple Care, isn't really in the budget, though now I guess it may have to be.
> 
> Thanks for any troubleshooting help anybody can give me.
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> Cheryl
> "Let the words of my mouth,
> and the meditation of my heart,
> be acceptable in thy sight,
> O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."
> (Psalm 19:14  Bible KJV)


Cheryl: the Macbook should work when plugged in even if the battery is dead, unless the power brick itself is defective. I believe the power tip, which plugs into the Macbook, should glow when it is charging the Macbook. If the power brick is malfunctioning, then the computer would not recharge and the battery would be dead.

Using an OS system DVD in the CD drive and booting while holding down the option key should start the computer off the DVD; same would work if you used an external firewire drive with a proper system file on it.

If this was a desktop, a dead PRAM battery (which can be replaced) would result in a dead computer; don't believe this applies to a Mac portable.

It would be helpful if you could identify the model of Macbook and the OS running on it, if you knew that.

Finally, if AppleCare just ran out, it would be worth calling AppleCare and seeing whether they would still help you trouble shoot the computer. Worth a try.

Good luck.

Jeff
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