Aluminum 2008 MacBook Trackpad issue

Any ideas as to what may be causing this. I have searched tons of threads, but my issue seems unique. The trackpad on my MacBook suddenly is unresponsive in the middle of it. If I touch the upper most and lower most portions of the trackpad it works nearly fine. The scrolling is a little off but still clicks and right clicks. I can drag and drop as normal, but as soon as I venture off to the middle of the trackpad it becomes unresponsive. I have pulled the battery, connecting to AC power only, even tried creating a new user account. No luck. Very odd. I've heard of pads not clicking or not scrolling or at all, but nothing along the lines of the middle not working. Any advice is much appreciated. Also I am running LIon 10.7.4

also one posibility is the battery in your macbook is swelling. since the battery is right under the trackpad if it is swelling (say in the middle of the track pad) then that spot is dead. since you laptop is fairly older (not to old) this is may be very well what is happening, if you go and click on the battery on the top right hand corner what does it say? (cant be pluged into outlet)
it should say if you battery needs replacing or replaced soon if every thing is going ok

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2008 Macbook trackpad has gone bananas

2008 black Macbook 2.4ghz Intel Core 2 Duo. 4gb 667 mhz ddr2 sdram. Osx 10.6.8
All of a sudden last night the trackpad is acting like I'm clicking and dragging. When I move the cursor on the desktop, it creates selection boxes selecting everything. It's really hard to navigate, even having to go into the tool bar to open folders. In finder I can click on applications in the left bar, then when I move into the window with the apps the selection drops down to "all documents" on the left and if I click, it opens that, even though that's not where the cursor is.
I've rebooted, I've taken the battery off for 20 mins, nothing is fixing it. It does it on battery and power supply.

MacBook
This is driving me insane. It won't do it for days, then it's non stop. Like now, it's real work to type this because it keeps selecting everything and then as I'm typing it types over it, deleting what I've typed. It does it with USB mouse, it does it with Magic Mouse, it does it with track pad. Nothing makes it stop until it just stops. Rebooting doesn't even make it stop. I'm not going to pay hundreds of $ to have the Apple store diagnose a computer that is almost 6 years old. If I can't figure it out, I'll just replace it with a PC.
2008 Macbook trackpad has gone bananas
2008 Macbook trackpad has gone bananas

2008 Macbook many issues

I have an aluminum unibody 2008 Macbook running Mountain Lion. It's been great to me, however it has been slowly getting worse and worse. When I say worse, I mean many little tasks just do not function as they should anymore. Sorry in advance for the long post.
Some symptoms:
-Not waking upon opening lid
-Waking upon opening lid but the screen brightness is all the way down, and no way to change it
-Wifi takes about a minute to connect every time it does awake
-Volume controls stop working, when I move the mouse up to the corner to try and see what is going on, the swirly disk appears.
-Date and time stops working, when I move the mouse up to the corner to try and see what is going on, the swirly disk appears.
-Finder doesn't really respond - Not able to force quit, restart, sleep, shut down, etc. I've tried to do this as a response to the date/time/volume malfunctions to no avail.
-Poor battery life - barely an hour off the charger (although this could just be the battery rather than computer issues)
-Bluetooth connection stops working (this has only happened once, it said there was no Bluetooth device connected)
-Running very hot and loud
Note: I have reset the SMC, this only helped temporarily.
These do not happen all the time (with the exception of the Wifi connection issues, that is pretty consistent), but they have been getting more and more common. The only way I can seem to get past these sometime dehabilitating issues (stuck on sleep) is to hold down the power button and force shut down. I know this is bad for the computer but what else can I do? In one instance the computer was stuck on sleep and after trying for 10 minutes to wake it, I had to shut it down. When I turned it back on, I was greeted with a rapid error noise (the "****" noise) that wouldn't stop and left the computer frozen. So I had to shut it down again.
I've had to forcefully shut it down at least two or three times just this week. Again, I have reset the SMC, this helped greatly for about two days, then the problems started creeping back. Now I can't go a day without noticing at least one of the problems I mentioned on the list above.
Any advice? Is the computer just slowly dying? I know every computer has a lifespan, so is this the end for my computer?

No one here can help you.
We are just other users like yourself.
If you feel that you are having problems with a repair done by the Apple depot about your only recourse it to take this up with Apple Customer Support.
Allan

2008 Macbook trackpad or mouse no longer working

Did a defrag on a non-system drive, and it finished overnight. This morning, was able to use the trackpad to close the program and put the Mac to sleep, to take it to work. When I got to work, the pointer will move using the trackpad, but clicking does nothing. I attached an external wired mouse and the same thing happens. Reset the SMC using Apple's instructions but no change. Restarted in safe mode, no change. Used the repair disk mode at startup, chose 10.8.1 repair disk, no change. Can move the pointer, but clicking does nothing.
Any ideas? I've got the battery out right now, and it's disconnected from the power adapter.
Thanks
Update: Pulling the battery out for 10 minutes before the SMC reset fixed the problem.

Actually, it only worked for about 5 minutes, then it started again. Pulled the battery for an hour, did SMC reset, still not working.
Any ideas?

Late 2008, Macbook Fan issues?

Hello,
I am curious to know if anyone has experienced problems with their fan?
I had a power failure at my house, before the failure, the Macbook was running fine as usual, after restarting, Fan continues to run?
Through iStat I can see that the temp is 35 degrees and the dual cpu usage is at little to none? Is this normal, will the fan return to its quiet mode?
Thank you

I'm not sure I understand. The fan always runs continuously. It should idle around 2000 RPM and will increase to 6000 RPM depending upon CPU and GPU activity.
If your fan is running at high speed continuously, then open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the Processes drop down menu. Click twice on the CPU column to display in descending order. Look for a process consuming a large amount of CPU time. If you find one then select it and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar, then click on the Force Quit button. See if that fixes the problem. Otherwise you may have some file corruption that may have been caused by the power outage. You should try the following in this case:
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger and Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger, and 4.1 for Leopard) and/or TechTool Pro (4.6.1 for Leopard) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.

What i need to do to activate the multi touch gestures o my 2008 macbook?

i installed Lion and i just noticed that my track is the same that before, it only works when scrolling and more, but new gestures arent working, how can i activate them or my 2008 macbook trackpad is not compatible to do that?

The Late 2008 model 5,1 Aluminum Unibody was the first MacBook with a glass trackpad. Is that what you have?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3211

Late 2008 Trackpad Issues

The glass Track Pad on my Late 2008 MacBook Pro has a number of major issues rendering it closes to useless.
The Mighty Mouse and other pointing devices function normally on the same machine.
1. The arrow or I bar will hang on check boxe's selection points, corners of input boxes, or go off to the far side of the targeted window and will remain stuck for random periods of time. Will hang and accept no further input for as long as a minute uo to a Minute.
2. Cutting and pasting with the trackpads pads is very problematic. The acquire a "mind of their own" and will destroy work in all directions.
Settings from System Prefiences seem to have no effect on the Track Pads Behavior.
The longest I have been able to use the pointer reliabilty has been 10 minutes.

Go to the Genius Bar and get them to change it.
If they offer you a repair or if they tell you to wait for the update which will so called fix it... Tell them No! Tell them you want it to be replaced!
Good Luck!

The screen on my 2008 Macbook (aluminum) freezes, snows up and then fades.

The screen on my 2008 Macbook (aluminum) freezes, snows up and then fades away. I have to restart at that time.
I ran the hardware test and it immediately found the following error: 4MEM/1/40000000:0x7a622d18. What's wrong?
Is anyone familiar with this problem/error message?

it means that it is not a hardware issue. Other then that, Im not too sure. Sorry I can't help you any further, but Im sure others members of this forum will read your question and be able to help you. Good luck

Macbook late 2008, re-installing issue

Hi,
I have a Late 2008 MacBook, 13 inch aluminum running OS X 10.9.5.
I would like to wipe the disk clean and re-install the software before I pass it on. I have tried inserting the disk that came with it but it will not run. I'm guessing this is because the OS X software has been updated and the disks are now obsolete. Can someone confirm this is the case and how I can get around this?
I have tried holding down the C key and the T key on separate occasions with the disk inserted and restarting.
I get to the language choice and click English, but then a little window appears saying MAC OS X cannot be installed on this computer.
Thanks in advance.

You need to start the MacBook holding the C key so you boot to the DVD with the original Mac OS X installer. Then after going through the questions and answers part, you need to go to Utilities and select Disk Utility. Select the internal hard drive, usually named Macintosh HD.
After highlighting the HD, select either Erase or Partition from the buttons top center of the main window pane.
After erasing the hard drive, now you can select Install Mac OS X.

Trackpad issues on Macbook Pro 15"

Hi! I'm experiencing trackpad issues with a Macbook Pro 15" Model A1286. The battery had recently swollen after a long and productive life of about 5 years. Assuming this was a fair life/usage for a battery I have ordered a replacement from Apple.
While waiting for the replacement battery and following advice from other users, I removed the battery and have the power lead connected to prevent damage from the swollen battery. However, the trackpad now only appears to work the cursor movements around the screen and does not register clicks without the battery in place - it's as if it's got nothing to push against. I'm guessing that the swollen battery may have caused damage to the trackpad, but won't know until the new battery arrives.
Do I just need to be patient and wait for it's arrival or are there any suggestions of how to rectify this please?
Thanks in advance for your advice.

Be paticent.
You can try a SMC reset:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Follow the directions that apply to your machine regarding battery, remove or don't remove yourself.
Try with a USB mouse in the mean time.

Trackpad issues on Macbook Pro, new June 2009

I have been unable to resolve a trackpad issue that began this afternoon on my Macbook Pro. The computer was new in June. I was playing an online computer game, and it seemed that drag was locked on even though I hadn't changed any settings. Movements of the mouse dragged the window. The drag would not release with 1 click, 2 finger click etc. When I tried typing, the letters selected and replaced as soon as I typed new ones. After several restarts with the same behavior occurring, I reloaded the Snow Leopard 10.6 OS. I originally installed it about 2 weeks ago, and it has been working fine until now. After the reinstallation, the trackpad will not register most clicks of the trackpad. It will register taps, but it refuses to let the user click and drag. I have Microsoft Vista installed in Boot Camp and the trackpad is operating with the same glitches on boot camp. Clicks of the trackpad do not register most of the time. If they do, I have to click very hard, and even then it doesn't always work.

Be paticent.
You can try a SMC reset:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Follow the directions that apply to your machine regarding battery, remove or don't remove yourself.
Try with a USB mouse in the mean time.

I am using an early 2008 MacBook Pro and am having issues with it deleting text on its own (in word, emails, etc.). As I am typing it all of a sudden starts deleting and I can't stop it. What can I do?

I am using an early 2008 MacBook Pro and am having issues with it deleting text on its own (in word, emails, etc.). As I am typing it all of a sudden starts deleting and I can't stop it. This happened once before and it was due to a buldging battery pressing on the track pad. I checked the battery and it appears to be fine. What can I do?

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select Help from the menu bar, and enter “Set up guest users” (without the quotes) in the search box. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode* and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Shut down your computer, wait 30 seconds, and then hold down the shift key while pressing the power button.
When you see the gray Apple logo, release the shift key.
If you are prompted to log in, type your password, and then hold down the shift key again as you click Log in.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
*Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t boot in safe mode.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.

I have a late 2008, aluminum body macbook. I'm told 4GB is the most RAM it will take, but DMS says it will take 6GB. Can anyone clarify? Thnx

I have a late 2008, aluminum body macbook. I'm told 4GB is the most RAM it will take, but DMS says it will take 6GB. Can anyone clarify? Thnx

This one http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook/stats/macbook-core-2-duo-2.4-alumi num-13-late-2008-unibody-specs.html ?
Quote:
"Apple officially supports a maximum of 4 GB of RAM. Originally, this model was only unofficially capable of stably supporting 6 GB of RAM, but as confirmed by site sponsor OWC, it is capable of supporting 8 GB of RAM if updated to Boot ROM Version MB51.007D.B03 and running MacOS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" or higher."
Stefan

Hi quick question regarding macbook aluminum 2008 and motion 3

I was just wondering if Motion 3 works on the macbook aluminum 2008.

Well it should work, but I've been having problems with the integrated GPU on my new MBP
http://peterwiggins.com/content/view/49/33/
Peter
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

I have a 2008 MacBook that suddenly is showing a dark screen. Would like to test this with an external screen to see if it is software or hardware issue.

Can someone please advise on cables required to connect to PC flat screen that is over 3 years old? Standard PC flat pan

The early 2008 MacBook has a Mini-DVI port for video output. You will need, therefore, a Mini-DVI to whatever your external display has.
A better test to see if this is a software issue would be to start up the MacBook while holding the Option key on your keyboard down. This starts into the Startup Manager, which is not software dependent. Do you see any video if you do this?
You may also want to try resetting the parameter RAM and if that doesn't do it, resetting the System Management Controller.
If all of these fail, you have a hardware issue. Contact Apple using www.apple.com/support/contact if you are in a country that supports it or call the appropriate phone number on this page. Alternatively carry the MacBook in to an Apple retail store or service provider to ask for an estimate.
Best of luck.

Aluminum 2008 MacBook Trackpad issue

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