MacBook Pro Late-2008 Battery Can't Keep a Charge.

I understand I bought my MacBook Pro Late-2008 just before they upgraded the MacBook batteries; it's never held a good charge, so I've had to keep it plugged in. Lately I've been finding myself needing it when outlets might not be readily available.
After I remove the power cord, it doesn't stay charged for more than 3 minutes, 30 seconds (I've timed it more than once). Even with its age, this seems like a significant problem with the battery.
I'm really not sure it's worth it to spend $130 on a replacement battery, and I'm not in a position to simply get a new MacBook.
Are those third-party batteries actually legit? Is there a chance that an Apple Store might be able to take care of it? I'm well past the life of my Apple Care, obviously, but three minutes for the battery?
What is my best option? Or just suck it up and deal with having to find an outlet wherever I go?
Thanks.

There are many third party batteries that are at best suspect. I have seen on Amazon what appear to be legitimate OEM Apple batteries which I suspect are graymarket products. You may try that at your own risk. If you purchase from Apple. you will know what you will be getting and with a warranty.
Ciao.
OWC has what appears to be a battery that will fit your MBP. They are a reputable vendor for Mac compatible products,
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/BAP15MBU54RS/
Message was edited by: OGELTHORPE

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Macbook pro late 2008 battery problem

I have a macbook pro late 2008 and I've been experiencing problems with the battery. I have changed the battery two times till now and now it's telling me to service battery. I am not a heavy user and I always try to drain the battery twice a month. Can it be the power supply?
I need help

Hi there,
I seem to have the same problem. My battery indicator gives me no more than 2 1/2 hours of battery life.
I checked to see if my computer was set to better battery performance and it was.
Now initially I thought that this may because of my external display (ACD 23") and my LaCie rugged external HD, which takes power from the FW connector. But even when I disconnect both of them I still only get two and a half hours of battery life, even when I leave the computer alone to just sit there.
Now I'm guessing this isn't normal. It may take an software update to correct this. But if this doesn't get corrected this thing is useless to me. And I will no doubt return it.

HT3053 Can I run my MacBook Pro Late 2008 without battery forever? Is it bad in long term or anything? Does it make the system less stable?

Can I run my MacBook Pro Late 2008 without battery forever? Is it bad in long term or anything? Does it make the system less stable?
My battery got swollen (and I unfortunately noticed it very late and might have be running with it for months, which potentially explains all the crashes everyday and the trackpad not working anymore, the Apple test also says I have a bar of ram broken...) and I had to remove it because the back pannel did not close anymore... Can I still use my MBP normally forever that way? I was planning on buying a new mac anyway but maybe waiting for the next iMac upgrade in the year... Should I wait?

Other than the system shutting down instantly if you have a power outage, whcih could corrupt the OS. Nothing else bad will happen.

My macbook pro (late 2008) shuts down but battery is at 25-30%

My macbook pro (late 2008) shuts down but battery is at 25-30% and I don't get a low power warning box before this happens. This only happens when the power chord is not connected, and it restarts with no problems once I put the power chord in. Does this mean I need a new battery, or is it an indication of something else? Using osx 10.5.8

Mine is Unibody 15" MBP late 2008, with the exact problem as yours. It can be a sudden shut down at 25-32%, or, after upgrading to OS 10.7.2, can be hang all of sudden on battery power.
Condition on, "Replace Soon". From 4.5 - 6 hours when new, goes down to 1 - 2 hours on discrete graphics.
But after 'abusing' it for the first year in the heat of Jakarta's climate in a non AC room when doing a video editing, before moving back to a comfort AC room at home sweet home, the battery performance is still top notch comparing to other kind than Apple. Also, it caused me to replace the right fan, after a lot of hard work on that first year. Oh, and by the way, I regularly done the battery calibration, at least once or twice between 3-6 months.
Here's also an useful link about battery I found on the internet:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batterie s
My battery condition:
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number:          6N8389BD13EB
Manufacturer:          SMP
Device Name:          bq20z951
Pack Lot Code:          0
PCB Lot Code:          0
Firmware Version:          002a
Hardware Revision:          000a
Cell Revision:          100
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh):          2192
Fully Charged:          No
Charging:          Yes
Full Charge Capacity (mAh):          2716
Health Information:
Cycle Count:          616
Condition:          Replace Soon
Battery Installed:          Yes
Amperage (mA):          254
Voltage (mV):          12392
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          15
Automatic Restart on Power Loss:          No
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Wake on LAN:          No
Current Power Source:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
GPUSwitch:          2
PrioritizeNetworkReachabilityOverSleep:          0
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          5
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
GPUSwitch:          2
Reduce Brightness:          Yes
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed:          No
AC Charger Information:
Connected:          Yes
ID:          0x0100
Wattage (W):          85
Revision:          0x0000
Family:          0x00ba
Serial Number:          0x0063ac36
Charging:          Yes
Got the battery replacement today. Hopefully it will last for at least 3 years like it predecessor.

I did hold the ALT cmand r key but i cant see the globe i dont know how i can fix my macbook pro late 2008 can any 1 plzzzz help me im very upsate but i live PAKISTAN in here i cant find os x lion disk i dont know what to do if i get the os x lion usb

i did hold the ALT cmand r key but i cant see the globe i dont know how i can fix my macbook pro late 2008 can any 1 plzzzz help me im very upsate but i live PAKISTAN in here i cant find os x lion disk i dont know what to do if i get the os x lion usb

That does not work on model year older then 2010 and really doesn't work on any older then late 2011 models.
You will need a set of original system dvd disc thjat are always sypplied with every mac sold before Lion came out. Systems older then late release early 2011 models.
If you don't have them you kcan order a replacement set from apple by calling them. Have the serial number of you mac handy.

How can i Flash and restore the firmware ( EFI ) from a Macbook pro ( late 2008 , 5.1 ) ??

How can i Flash and restore the firmware ( EFI ) from a Macbook pro ( late 2008 , 5.1 ) ??
Please help me !!

The Seagate backup drive I bought doesn't support 10.5.8
The only reason I can see for that is it's formatted NTFS, which would likely be Read Only in 10.5.x, if you can reformat it MacOS extended, which would erase everything on it now, then that should work for your purposes.

Macbook pro late 2008 update to osx mountain lion already but can't open safari

macbook pro late 2008 update to osx mountain lion already but can't open safari

Where did you buy this "open box" MacBook Pro?
Here are the specifics on the upgrade program:
http://www.apple.com/osx/uptodate/

MacBook pro (late 2008) shutting down even without the battery

Hello
I have a MacBook pro late 2008 model, recently it started to randomly shut down.
I have tried the following
- Reseting Pram
- Reseting the SMC
- Recalibrating the battery
- New hard drive
- Returned to original RAM (from 4 to 2Gb)
- Removed the battery and run with the MagSafe only
- Downloaded a fan control program to run it at max and verify if this was not a heating issue (although this also happens right after starting the laptop)
Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm already loosing hope on my Mac :(
Thanks for any help that you could provide

Hi V,
Even though the symptoms don't match up exactly, you may have the NVIDIA issue. First, go to System Profiler > Hardware > Graphics/Displays and see if you have the GeForce 8600M GT GPU. This is the GPU covered under the free repair program. While there, also look at PCIe Lane Width. If it says anything other than x16, the GPU has issues (but this is only one potential symptom). If you have the 8600 GPU, bring the MBP to an Apple Store or AASP for free testing. If Apple's free test confirms the issue, repair is free. Read all about it here: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377
Also, whether you have the 8600 or not, you should run all the updates in Software Update.

HT201343 how can i use airplay in my MacBook Pro late 2008?

Somebody can tell me how can i use AirPlay on my MacBook Pro late 2008?

On your MacBook: Apple Menu > System Preferences > iCloud > place a checkmark in front of Contacts
On your iPhone: Settings > iCloud > turn Contacts to on

Can I use my old Macbook Pro Ram in the New Macbook Pro (late 2008)

I have 2, 2 gig DDR2 sticks of ram in my macbook pro. I wanted to know if they would work in the new macbook pro (late 2008)? I know the new one uses DDR3 - What would be the downside of using DDR2 in a DDR3 macbook? Would the graphics cards work to their potential? Thanks!

No. The DDR2 RAM in your older computer is not the same as the DDR3 RAM used in the new ones. There are significant differences between them not the least of which is pin count.

Macbook Pro Late 2008 Boot Issue

Hello All!
So I have an issue i would like to throw into the ring and see if I get any responses I have not thought of yet. Let me give you a quick backstory to my recent macbook adventures.... I will start with a quick prelude story.
Chapter One:
Purchased a used Macbook Pro, Late 2008 2.53ghz, 4gb DDR3 ram with no charger off ebay. And yes, I should know better. But honestly, it only had a cracked screen but still worked perfectly connected to an external monitor and i could not pass on the price of it.
Chapter Two:
After recieving my purchase, I determined that it was just a cracked cover over the LCD screen which is easily replaced, but the backlight was out on the LCD. So i ordered a new LCD. The new LCD did not fix my issue, which then pointed me to a problem on the motherboard. I then sent it out and had it repaired.
Chapter Three:
Upon recieving my newly repaired macbook, I installed a new SSD drive, battery and replaced the screen cover for the newly installed LCD. It looks Fantastic if I do say so myself! I then proceded to install lion and I have a perfect running Macbook Pro for less than 700 bucks after all was said and done.
Chapter Four:
Now, at this point you should know why I bought it... I use it for djing. That is it. There is nothing else on this. No apps, programs, or scripts. It has an updated lion OS on it and my serato itch Djing software. There isnt even any music on it as i store that on an external 3T WD elements drive. (I only installed an 80gb SSD for the OS system). Unfortunately i have had some instances where the Mac Pro has just shut down completely while im spinning! Not good for business!
Chapter Five:
Over the course of the last year I have noticed some things happening. Longer than normal boot times (especially since it has an SSD in it this seems wierd to me) and crashing of the Itch software while trying to analyze music or just not closing itch at all when im done playing a show and having to press and hold the power button to turn off the mac. Now for the kicker... Unbeknowst to me, apparently you cant use a 65W charger on a macbook that requires an 85W charger, this i just recently learned. The charger i was using was a 65W from a white 13 inch macbook 2006. I just recently aquired the 85W charger.
This brings us to the present.....
Here is the issue. I was analyzing my music files using itch, when suddenly & randomly one of the 2 analyzing indicators would just stop analyzing the track it was on... This leaves only one analyzer bar going and the other just stuck where it is (16000 songs will take awhile with only one analyzer going). If i stop analyzing and restart it, it picks up where it left off and continues for a bit and stops again, but its never the same track or same length of time before it stops analyzing. Now I have tried this with both Lion and Snow Leopard (the white macbook 2006 has snow) and it appears to happen with either OS.
So I decided to install Snow on my Mac Pro 2008. For some reason, and I dont know why, it would not let me install snow to the partion I made on the drive. The disc would just keep rebooting the Mac pro over and over again. I know for a fact that snow works because I took the drive out of the white Macbook 2006 and put it into the Mac Pro 2008. Booted right up.
So, I have re-installed itch on lion... Still has the same problem with lion.
I have restored a copy of snow to the partioned hard drive of my Mac Pro 2008 from my white macbook 2006. This seems to be the only way to do this if i want snow on my Mac Pro 2008 since it won't boot Snow from disc or USB. Installed a new copy of itch, still the same problem.
So my question is this.... Is it hardware or software?
And to stop those from putting the obvious, I have done all the PVRAM, SMC etc resets!! I am not some 12yr old trying to make daddys computer work again because i used it like i shouldn't have. Im looking for something besides the obvious!
Sorry, but I felt the entire story needed to be told in order to get the responses I'm looking for....
And thanks for taking the time to read about my issues! Hopefully someone can point me in the direction I need to go to get this to stop doing what it's doing. I will be more than happy to answer any and all questions concerning this issue as best I can.

The heat generated may be a function of what you are doing on the Internet. Watching videos will stress the CPU/GPU and create heat and result in faster fan speeds.
First try a SMC and PRAM resets:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14222?viewlocale=en_US
If there is no change, post back.
Ciao

MacBook Pro late 2008 no longer working with Airport Express

Hi,
since a few days I have big problems with my MacBook Pro (late 2008) and my Airport Express. The MacBook can't find the airport express anymore, even not with the airport utility...
The Airport Express is correctly configured as my Ipod, Blackberry and Dell pc are connecting to it and do have internet access...
I can only manage the Airport Express when I'm directly connected to it with an ethernet cable.
My brother has an airport expreme, I tested it with my MacBook Pro and there it just works fine...
Can anyone help me? Has it something to do with an update for Mac OS X or the firmware from the Airport Express?
Many thanks in advance!

Thanks for the response,
1. I live in Atlanta, close enough to an Apple store. But I just know that going there will probably mean I'll have to get the logic board replaced.
2. The only thing I noticed before the first USB port started acting funny was that my battery status changed to "Service Battery". I plan on replacing it this week too.
3. Nope only difference is that my battery drains kind of fast. After about 3-4 hours of my normal usuage with it (Internet, music, videos, and sometimes using Logic) it will be time to hook up the charger.
Would replacing the battery do anything? I'm not thinking it would but figure it'd be worth a shot since I've got to replace it anyway.
And to goofyziggy,
I too noticed that most people who had this problem had some version of OSX 10.8.x

Random hard freezing issues, Windows 8 64-bit on Macbook Pro (Late 2008)

Hi,
I recently upgraded to OS X 10.8.3 and got a hold on copy of Windows 8 64-bit. As I'm running on my old trustworthy 15 inch Macbook Pro (Late 2008), my hardware is officially unsupported. Over the years I've had XP, Vista, Win7 32-bit and 64-bit running running on the same machine, and thought I'd give Win8 a chance.
To be able to install Win8 on my unsupported hardware, I tricked the Bootcamp assistant that I was going to install Win7, and after the reboot and start of the Win7 installation, I exited the installer, rebooted, switched DVD to Win8 and did the installation from there. So far so good. For installing the Bootcamp drivers, I followed the instructions in https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4894920?tstart=90.
Now, the machine runs just fine with Windows 8, and I've installed some basic third party applications (Firefox, Spotify, Steam). However, I get completely random hard freezes on the machine (sound looping, no other activity whatsoever) during normal use. These can occur 20 minutes after start, or 3-4 hours in. The freezing behavior is very much similar to how my model can behave under overheating conditions (which mostly have occured in past Windows versions while gaming), however overheating doesn't seem to be the issue here (based on simple palpation ).
Have anyone experienced a similar problem, or know something about it? My current idea is that some weird things are going on with the Bootcamp drivers, so unless anyone comes up with a suggestion I might try doing a rollback to the point before I installed the drivers to see what I can make of it.
Thanks!

Had a few similar short system freezes, after installing Windows 8 x64 on 13” MacBook Pro Mid-2010 with BootCamp 5.0.5033.
There is a suggestion that DisableDynamicTick may fix the problem: https://discussions.apple.com/message/21565295#21565295. There were similar topics at Microsoft forums: 1, 2, 3. It was said “that this will likely reduce system battery life, so it should be undone when you update your Windows build or if it doesn't resolve your issue”, and that “this problem is resolved in the release versions of Windows 8”.
Another possibility is that there is indeed a buggy driver, within BootCamp 5.0.5033, or a 3rd party, like a wireless network driver in the following case http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-performance/system-fr eeze-randomly-after-installing-windows-8/49488183-26cf-4389-af21-a85dc366c99a?pa ge=2#LastReply.
The problem has been noticeable on my MacBook, but not annoying enough yet to spend time troubleshooting. If you find a robust solution, using the links above or other method, it would be interesting to know.
HTH

MacBook Pro Late 2008 (Unibody) doesn't boot

Hello,
my good old MacBook Pro Late 2008 running Mountain Lion won't boot anymore. The sleep light does not light on, the green battery status indicator light is showing that the battery is full. I had this problem two or three times, and usually my Macbook comes magically back to life after one or two days.
At the Apple store they said I'd have to make a SMC reset, and when they did it in the store, it worked. But it doesn't work for me (and I am sure I am doing the same thing, so maybe the Apple guy was just lucky – or is there another special trick?). What could be the solution to my problem?
Unfortunately, I can't really tell the exact specifications, but it is the standard model, and I didn't change anything since. I just had the problem that it was getting really hot like half a year ago, but then I cleaned the fans and since then it was running rather fine (just sometimes froze).
Any help greatly appreciated!
Julian

I've got the same, or almost the same problem on a MBP 2008 (late).
MBP 15.4/2.53/2X2GB/320/SD/512VRAM upgraded to 8 GB 1067 DDR3 (OWC memory)
In my case the computer works fine when I'm able to get it on. If it is turned off and the MagSafe charger disconnected then left that way for a few hours, and the MagSafe is re-connected, let it charge for a bit, it can often be turned on via the power button. HOWEVER, .....
If it is left OFF overnight (Apple > Shut Down .... ), and the backlit keyboard goes dark, then a little pause before closing the lid, and left overnight, it will usually not be able to be turned on. The battery is in reasonably good condition (~+3500 mAh) and the newer battery (~ guess +5000 or more mAh) it doesn't do any better, and it won't turn on. Cycle count 183.
Take the battery out, (disconnect the MagSafe first! Never have the MagSafe charging without a batter in the computer) wait half a minute, reinstall battery (I like the 5,1 because the back section can be easily removed to access the battery and the hard drive), attach the MagSafe charger then wait a bit (few minutes), and the computer can often be turned on the first time. If not the first time then repeat the process. Tried hitting the Power button with the battery off but that doesn't seem to change anything.
Erased the HD (Hard Drive) and reinstalled Yosemite, have Fire Vault turned off, did a Utilities (Cmd + r ) check of the hardware (no problems), also did a few other tests - no problems. PRAM reset. Investigated BONJOUR - haven't gone into the Terminal yet. Would be nice to disable Bonjour without disabling DNS. https://www.apple.com/support/bonjour/ and http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/151485/how-do-i-disable-bonjour-visibil ity-after-yosemite-install and http://forums.obdev.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6106
The Genius Bar tested it and couldn't find a problem. Suggested the Logic Board be replaced and that i$ expen$ive! I've investigated having the Logic Board repaired and that would cost around $150 + shipping. Won't do the oven trick. Other problem sources I've come across is the graphics chip (mainly on the 2008 (early) MBPs.
Since erasing and reinstalling OS X Yosemite the computer really screams but I've started to reinstall some of the applications (FCPX & Motion), Documents, and Movie files. Still screams though! Nothing like a real cleaning of the hard drive. Didn't do a Time Capsule-type backup because I wanted to minimize "junk". The CanoScan LiDE 90 scanner won't work because Canon won't come up with a driver to work with Yosemite. Won't buy a Canon scanner again and didn't want to buy it to begin with due to a previous Canon problem. Bought a new Canon camcorder, $1,600 + tax, back when they had mini-tapes, it at the Maxwell tape but just outside the warranty period and wanted something around $500 to fix it. Turned out that was a typical problem.
Really running out of options and ideas at this point. Hate to send it off to repair the Logic Board. Still looking for a software or setting fix.

Macbook Pro late 2008 goes black randomly

I purchased a macbook pro late 2008 model on December 30, 2008. Since recently, its screen goes black randomly when the built-in 9400m graphics chip is switched on. During the black screen process, the keyboard still keeps shining. I might wake it up by pressing CtrlShiftEject, but quite often I have to shut it down by holding the power button and restart. I have never encountered the problem when it is working with the 9600M chip, or when it is running window xp.
The screen can go black at any time, when it is booting (the gray screen with the Apple logo), or in the Apple hardware test. I have run Apple Hardware Test for several times, and no errors were found.
Desperately, I brought my laptop to the local apple store, and there I was unable to reproduce the black of death, and I left my computer there for check, after 3 days, they just called me, saying there was nothing wrong with it. But when I take it home, turn it on, only to find that the problem still remains the same.
Could it be the problem with a defected graphic chip? Or is it a problem with the firmware or the OS?
I really appreciate your assistance.
PS I tried to reset the SMC as it is instructed in Apple Support, but I did not see the led blinking at all, so I did not know whether it worked or not.

i am having the same problem!!! My description is pretty much exactly the same as the orgional posters. now mine have been less frequent, but i recently just expierenced two in a row in about a 3 minute time span. now, mine have never done it at boot up. i dont believe i had this problem with 10.5, and i definitly dont have this problem in windows. now, i have in MOST cases, been able to recover from it by, simply closing the screen for a moment, then reopening it. but i really would like this issue to be resolved. Thanks!

MacBook Pro Late-2008 Battery Can't Keep a Charge.

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