Battery issues on Macbook Pro 15" A1286 (late 2008)

I am having battery issues with my Macbook Pro 15" A1286 (late 2008) model. My battery does not hold a charge for more than about an hour. It only has 287 cycles, so far less than the suggested 500 cycles, and something seems to be wrong with it - the back panel that holds the battery seems not to be attached as it should, as if the battery is pushing the cover out a little bit. Even my trackpad seems to be acting a little funny - it doesn't click in the same way or as easily as it used to.
In my use of the computer, I have routinely let it run on battery power only and cycle out, but most of the time, I am running it with the power cord attached.
Does this mean I need to replace the battery? I am out of AppleCare, and did not want to pay for a support question if I'm only going to be told that the battery needs to be replaced.
I do not have an Apple Store very close to me - it is a long drive that I cannot make on a business day because I have to be at work. I ordered my computer online and have not had any issues until now - though I once contacted AppleCare with some questions.
Has anyone had a similar experience, and can offer some guidance?
Thank you very much.
Rikamae55

J G B,
Did you purchase an 'official' Apple battery? Batteries do some things well and have a long lifespan if well cared for, doesn't do some things so well (playing games, watching videos, etc.) and you can shorten the lifespan of a battery by how you use it.
But you should be able to get more than 2 hours out of a new battery (depending on how you're using it). If you're within 90 days of purchase, I would return th unit and ask for a new battery.
Clinton
MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS Mavericks 10.9.4, 16GB RAM, 960GB SSD, 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display

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MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) suddenly very slow and laggy

This seems to be a popular question so I apologize, but I know there can be a number of issues that cause a computer to run slow, so I want to post my computer's specifics and hopefully someone can diagnose the issue for me without my having to bring it into the store. Thank you in advance.
Specifically my MacBook runs slow when trying to open or close Microsoft Word, iTunes, or access a folder with pictures and short videos in it. Frequently I get they are not responding, or have to close out of everything else in order to get the spinning wheel to go away and sometimes that doesn't even help.
I would just like the computer to be able perform simple commands in a timely manner like it used to. If there is any way I can get back to this I would be eterrrrnally grateful!
Problem description:
MacBook responds very slow when trying to open applications. Slow, lags, rainbow spinning wheel all the time, even just to open a folder with pictures.
EtreCheck version: 2.0.6 (91)
Report generated October 24, 2014 at 8:07:12 PM PDT
Hardware Information: ℹ️
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) (Verified)
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro5,1
1 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core
4 GB RAM Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
BANK 0/DIMM1
2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Video Information: ℹ️
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT - VRAM: 512 MB
Color LCD 1440 x 900
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - VRAM: 256 MB
System Software: ℹ️
OS X 10.10 (14A389) - Uptime: 6 days 19:54:17
Disk Information: ℹ️
Hitachi HTS543232L9SA02 disk0 : (320.07 GB)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
OS X (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 319.21 GB (122.35 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS21N
USB Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. iPhone
Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple, Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Configuration files: ℹ️
/etc/hosts - Count: 15
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
/Applications/Toast 10 Titanium/Toast Titanium.app
[not loaded] com.roxio.BluRaySupport (1.1.6) Support
[not loaded] com.roxio.TDIXController (1.7) Support
/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.ManyCamLLC.videodevice.driver (2.0.10 - SDK 10.7) Support
[not loaded] com.devguru.driver.SamsungComposite (1.2.61 - SDK 10.6) Support
[not loaded] com.leapfrog.codeless.kext (2) Support
[not loaded] com.leapfrog.driver.LfConnectDriver (1.9.8 - SDK 10.8) Support
[loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (0.0.68) Support
[not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverVSP (0.0.68) Support
/System/Library/Extensions/ManyCamVideoDeviceDriver.kext/Contents/PlugIns
[not loaded] com.ManyCamLLC.videodevice.userclient (2.0.10 - SDK 10.7) Support
/System/Library/Extensions/ssuddrv.kext/Contents/PlugIns
[not loaded] com.devguru.driver.SamsungACMControl (1.2.61 - SDK 10.6) Support
[not loaded] com.devguru.driver.SamsungACMData (1.2.61 - SDK 10.6) Support
[loaded] com.devguru.driver.SamsungMTP (1.2.61 - SDK 10.5) Support
[not loaded] com.devguru.driver.SamsungSerial (1.2.61 - SDK 10.6) Support
Problem System Launch Agents: ℹ️
[failed] com.apple.AirPlayUIAgent.plist
[failed] com.apple.CallHistoryPluginHelper.plist
[failed] com.apple.CallHistorySyncHelper.plist
[failed] com.apple.cmfsyncagent.plist
[failed] com.apple.EscrowSecurityAlert.plist
[failed] com.apple.gamed.plist
[failed] com.apple.printtool.agent.plist
[failed] com.apple.recentsd.plist
[failed] com.apple.sbd.plist
[failed] com.apple.scopedbookmarkagent.xpc.plist
[failed] com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy.plist
[failed] com.apple.telephonyutilities.callservicesd.plist
Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[failed] com.apple.AssetCacheLocatorService.plist
[failed] com.apple.awdd.plist
[failed] com.apple.ctkd.plist
[failed] com.apple.diagnosticd.plist
[failed] com.apple.icloud.findmydeviced.plist
[failed] com.apple.Kerberos.digest-service.plist
[failed] com.apple.nehelper.plist
[failed] com.apple.nsurlsessiond.plist
[failed] com.apple.periodic-daily.plist
[failed] com.apple.periodic-weekly.plist
[failed] com.apple.softwareupdate_download_service.plist
[failed] com.apple.systemstats.analysis.plist
[failed] com.apple.tccd.system.plist
[failed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist
[failed] com.apple.xpc.smd.plist
Launch Agents: ℹ️
[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support
[failed] com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist Support
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support
[running] com.rim.BBAlbumArtCacher.plist Support
[running] com.rim.BBLaunchAgent.plist Support
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
[invalid?] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist Support
[loaded] com.ea.origin.ESHelper.plist Support
[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist Support
[loaded] com.leapfrog.connect.authdaemon.plist Support
[invalid?] com.ManyCamLLC.videodevice.daemon.plist Support
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist Support
[running] com.rim.BBDaemon.plist Support
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
[running] com.leapfrog.connect.monitor.plist Support
[running] com.spotify.webhelper.plist Support
[invalid?] com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist Support
User Login Items: ℹ️
Flux Application (/Applications/Flux.app)
iTunesHelper UNKNOWNHidden (missing value)
NambuHelper UNKNOWN (missing value)
Orb UNKNOWN (missing value)
Google Notifier UNKNOWN (missing value)
Synergy UNKNOWN (missing value)
Dropbox UNKNOWN (missing value)
Flux UNKNOWN (missing value)
Calendar Application (/Applications/Calendar.app)
Google Chrome ApplicationHidden (/Applications/Google Chrome.app)
Cinch UNKNOWN (missing value)
fuspredownloader ApplicationHidden (/Users/[redacted]/Library/Application Support/.FUS/fuspredownloader.app)
Spotify ApplicationHidden (/Applications/Spotify.app)
BlackBerry Device Manager ApplicationHidden (/Library/Application Support/BlackBerry/BlackBerry Device Manager.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 55 Check version
o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.4.2.18903 Support
Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 2.3.6.5 Support
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.12 Support
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.189 - SDK 10.6 Support
Silverlight: Version: 5.1.20913.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.189 - SDK 10.6 Support
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.4.2.18903 Support
SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.1 - SDK 10.6 Support
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.12 Support
DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.6.6r636 Support
User Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
WebEx64: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
WebEx: Version: 1.0 Support
Dashlane: Version: Dashlane 1.0.0 - SDK 10.7 Support
ZoomUsPlugIn: Version: ZoomBundleVersionNumber - SDK 10.9 Support
Safari Extensions: ℹ️
Dashlane
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
Connect360 Support
Flash Player Support
Flip4Mac WMV Support
Growl Support
Java Support
MediaLink Support
Perian Support
Time Machine: ℹ️
Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
      26% Finder
      16% QuickLookUIHelper
      13% WindowServer
      2% quicklookd
      1% hidd
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
218 MB Finder
206 MB iTunes
120 MB Google Chrome
82 MB Skype
82 MB Google Chrome Helper
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
253 MB Free RAM
1.65 GB Active RAM
670 MB Inactive RAM
714 MB Wired RAM
39.22 GB Page-ins
1.92 GB Page-outs

Resetting SMC could solve the problem.
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
And you need to install more RAM, I think.

I have a MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) and am currently running Snow Leopard 10.6.8. I would like to know which is the most stable upgrade for my model. I have read some reviews of Maverick and Yosemite making the older macs slower. Is this true?

I have a MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008), Intel Core 2 Duo 2.53 GHz, 4GB Memory. and am currently running Snow Leopard 10.6.8.
I would like to know which is the most stable upgrade for my model? Mountain Lion, Mavericks or Yosemite?
When I had gone to the apple care centre in India a few months ago to upgrade my OSX to Mountain Lion, I was told that considering my macbook pro's specs, upgrading it would just make it less efficient, and that I should stick to Snow Leopard unless I consider buying a newer mac that would benefit from it. Is this true? I find it a bit hard to believe. Which update is most recommended?
I also notice that my mac has gotten considerably slower. While using chrome, it buffers and struggles with even just 5 tabs open. Could this have something to do with my current ios? As a precaution, I have always been making sure I have enough free space on disk i.e around 70 - 100 free out of 250GB.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Mavericks is no longer available from the App Store, so your choice is Yosemite. One option is to create a new partition (~30- 50 GB), install the new OS, and ‘test drive’ it. If you like/don’t like it it, you can then remove the partition. Do a backup before you do anything. By doing this, if you don’t like it you won't have to go though the revert process.
Check to make sure your applications are compatible.
Application Compatibility
Applications Compatibility (2)

Can't upgrade MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) to snow leopard

I have a MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) and a copy of snow leopard on DVD. When I try to upgrade it says that snow leopard cannot be installed on this computer
The details are as follows:
Model Name:    MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:    MacBookPro5,1
Processor Name:    Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:    2.53 GHz
Number Of Processors:    1
Total Number Of Cores:    2
L2 Cache:    6 MB
Memory:    4 GB
Bus Speed:    1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version:    MBP51.007E.B06
SMC Version (system):    1.33f8
Serial Number (system):    W88460TU1GA
Hardware UUID:    B0F6EC73-8CE7-58F8-B300-769B4BBB1353
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State:    Enabled
The retail dvd I have has a part number: MC223Z/A
I am currently running 10.5.8
Anyone know what the problem might be?
Thanks

Perhaps the HDD does not have sufficient room. It needs a minimum of 5 GB for Snow Leopard.
In all other respects your MBP should be able to install 10.6.
Disk MC223Z/A is the appropriate retail disk.
Ciao.

What internal hard drive is compatible with Macbook Pro (15-inch, late 2008)?

G'day guys,
I was just wondering which internal hard drive is compatible with Macbook Pro (15-inch, late 2008)?
Thanks
bryce

same as used by Apple:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toshiba-MQ01ABD1001TB-1TB-2-5-inch-SATA-Laptop-Notebook- Hard-Drive-1-0-TB-/380643766002?pt=US_Internal_Hard_Disk_Drives&hash=item58a022e ef2
I own many of them.

Bootcamp 3.1 Macbook Pro 15 Unibody Late 2008 fans working now?

I just upgraded bootcamp to 3.1 on my macbook pro 15 unibody late 2008. I ran Windows Experience Index under win7 Pro 64bit and the fans were humming loud and clear during the test which is a good sign. It runs about the same as when using 9600 in Leopard (very warm). Two finger right click is still a little sketchy, but at least I won't be using my macbook as a frying pan any time soon.

Resetting SMC could solve the problem.
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
And you need to install more RAM, I think.

I have Macbook Pro 15 inch; late 2008 with OS X Lion. can his machine be upgraded to maverick?

I have Macbook Pro 15 inch; late 2008 with OS X Lion. can his machine be upgraded to maverick?

Yes as long as you backup your data and check compatibility here:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6131

I'm having battery issues with macbook pro

I've tried calibrating my battery on my fairly new (3 months old) macbook pro, but it has not resolved the issue. Whenever i connect the charger to my mac it momentarily lights up green for a few seconds and then goes to amber which obviously means it's charging. My issue is it never turns green after letting it charge for an hour or two. I've also noticed at the top, my battery icon the percentage time just when it's about fully charged rather than the percentage time go down it goes up. Please help

My issue is it never turns green after letting it charge for an hour or two.
It may not be fully charged after an hour or two, depending on how far down it was drained beforehand. A full charge can take several hours.
I've also noticed at the top, my battery icon the percentage time just when it's about fully charged rather than the percentage time go down it goes up.
If I'm understanding this garbled sentence correctly, you mean that the time estimate until full charge is achieved sometimes increases near the end. This is to be expected, because the rate of charging slows down at the end.
MBP

Rare battery issue that "MacBook Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.7" was supposed to address.

I recently downloaded this update that is supposed to "address a rare issue on some Apple notebooks where a battery that has accumulated more than 1000 charge cycles may unexpectedly shut down or stop functioning." This did nothing for my battery, which has been completely shot for the past six months. My MacBook Pro is essentially a desktop now because it constantly has to be plugged in. My battery only had between 200-300 cycles when it shutdown. Apple service would not replace the battery free of charge because I was off my warranty, even though I knew this was a factory defect. My question is now that Apple has acknowledged that some of the MacBook Pros had faulty batteries, will they replace them free of charge even if i'm off warranty? It seems ridiculous that I have to pay $200 plus to fix a problem that was their fault in the beginning by supplying faulty batteries.

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
Apple has fixed the battery problem by a SMC update, so the 1000 cycles problem is now fixed, and your problem is different.
During the first year of warranty, if your battery fails, you will get it repaired for free. However, if it fails when the warranty has expired, you will have to pay unless you have purchased AppleCare.
If it's a common problem with a lot of MacBooks Pro, Apple will start a replacement program, where they will repair all batteries affected for free. This is the only exception, so you will have to pay because your warranty expired

Graphics issues with MacBook Pro 15-inch Late 2011 model

I have a MB Pro 15-inch late 2011 (2.4GHz Core i7) and recently I started to get random screen glitches while working on photoshop and illustrator and then eventually the screen went totally blank and so I paid to have the graphics chip replaced (as I was out of warranty).
After 2 weeks, the same glitches have started again so I did some internet research and discovered that that there are thousands of other people around the world who had similar issues in this particular model range that uses the AMD Graphics chipset (Radeon HD 6770M) combined with the Intel HD Graphics 3000 on the same motherboard.
Does anyone know if Apple has announced a recall / replacement programme for this model as it appears to be a widespread issue ?
Thanks
Rohit

There is an online campaign at change.org which has crossed 10,000 signatories (or is about to) that should prove that there is an issue.
From my analysis, the problem is the AMC Radeon GPU that is the problem - there is some compatibility issue with the logic board. I just paid to get the problem solved, but it has come back again in less than a a week. I installed gfcCardStatus to control which graphics chips are being used and found that when the Intel HD chipset is used, there is no issue, but when it switches to the AMD chipset, the problem returns.
There is certainly an issue and it's widespread and I am sure that this will come back to bite apple in the ***...
I think their issue is probably that the fault lies in AMD's chips and not their circuitry which is probably why they don't want to bear the cost of a recall program unless AMD contribute to the costs...which they won't because Apple have pretty much stopped using AMD GPUs and use nVidia instead now.
Anyway, I'm going to go back to the repair folks and have them re-fix the issue as it's covered by their warranty. Let me know if you have any more luck on your end.

Mavericks battery issues on macbook pro

Ever since i upgraded to mavericks my battery has actually been decreased. when i close my macbook pro to sleep mode it still takes more battery than it previously did on mountain lion. why?

Avraham wrote:
Ever since i upgraded to mavericks my battery has actually been decreased. when i close my macbook pro to sleep mode it still takes more battery than it previously did on mountain lion. why?
Join in with this thread
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5478677?start=0&tstart=0
that will stop the forum getting clogged up with repeat threads.
Cheers
Pete

Yet another battery issue on macbook pro 15''

Okay, so before posting this I searched the community for battery problems same as mine and I found some, but they weren't suggesting any solutions other than replacing battery. I want to consider changing battery as a worst-case-scenario, so I'll re-ask a question with some more details about the problem. I would be really glad if somebody can help me solving it in any other way.
I have a macbook pro 15'' purchased on july 2011, and the battery is at 180th cycle. The problem came out of nowhere, yesterday I sit down in front of my computer and it did not open, so I plugged it in in case the batteries are emptied somehow. Then it was opened, but I got a warning like "date has been reset to pre-2008" (something like this) just after seeing desktop. Then I noticed the magsafe light is green, and saw "not charging" notice next to the battery indicator. It also says "condition: change now". Then I looked at the properties of the battery and saw it has %92 percent of charge already. So I unplugged the magsafe, and boom, my computer just went down as it has no battery.
The funny part starts here: I could not again start up the computer by just pressing the power button, so I had to plug in the magsafe, and as soon as I plugged it in my computer started without pressing it. after booting I shut down normally, it did stay shut down until I unplug and re-plug - it started automatically again! and it just crashes whenever I plug it off.
So upon my research, I learnt that this might be because of SMC, so I reset it as instructed but the problem persists. I also booted from one of the dvd's that came out of the box and perform a hardware test, and it said: "Alert! Apple hardware test detected an error. 4XXX/1/40000000: ´®'^! Battery" (the symbols were not exact, but they did not mean anything to me). And now I continue to use my computer plugged, without any other weird behaviour.
So, can anybody have any advice for this? thank you very much in advance.
ps1: I purchased the mbp in one of the apple stores in US and I use it in Turkey now.
ps2: I can make lots and lots of conspiracy theories from the fact that I bought my computer in 15th july 2011 and it broke in 19th july 2012

I am sure you also tried resetting PRAM?
My macbook's battery also died suddenly without warning, so it is possible for batteries to die suddenly.
I know that you are looking for a different answer, but battery replacement is probably the only solution to your problem. If you are lucky, it is possible that your battery connector is loose due to vibrations or something like that.
If it was a software problem, your hardware test would not have given you an error.
BY the way, the "date has been reset to pre-2008" error message makes it sound like your CMOS battery is dead. The CMOS battery is pretty small, and cheap. It is different from your main battery.

How do I add more RAM to my macbook pro 15 inch late 2008 model?

I am wondering if I ma able to add more RAM to my 15 inch MacBook Pro from late 2008. It currently has 2 slots each with 2GB of RAM each. Am I able to change those out with higher amounts of RAM for each slot? Or is this thing maxed out and i'm out of luck? Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks!

MacBook Pro: How to remove or install memory
maushoo_32 wrote:
Am I able to change those out with higher amounts of RAM for each slot?
Mactracker

I am unable to use an external microphone on my MacBook Pro (17-inch Late 2008)

I have a dilemma. I wanted to use Skype on my MacBook Pro as I have before (successfully) but I have a new headset so I decided to plug it in and use it. I plugged the green headphone jack into the headphone jack on the side of the computer and did likewise with the pink microphone jack into the mic/line-in hole.
Skype seemed to work but I realized the audio output was coming through the headphone but the audio input was coming from the internal mic on the computer. I went into Settings and found the sound control. I tried to change from internal mic to external line in, which you can do, but there is no audio input at all then. Switch back to internal mic and all is well again.
The headset is new and works fine on my DELL so I know the issue is in the MacBook. If I open the sound conteol and unplug the headphone from the jack the computer knows and changes the settings right in front of me from headphones to internal speakers... as it should. The same does not happen for the microphone. Nothing seems to happen with the external line in port.
I have run out of ideas. Is there something I am missing here? All I want to do is use the mic on the headset instead of on the laptop. Seems simple enough.
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Ideas??
Jim

A USB mic would be the best bet. Blue make some outstanding USB mics. I would just return the one that you've purchased and buy a Blue USB mic.
Clinton

Audio out jack malfunction macbook pro 15-inch (late 2008)

The audio out jack on my MacBook Pro is functioning intermittently. I am sure this is a mechanical problem effecting the analog signal (no red light indicating digital output). I have checked the system prefs for sound-- output shows device connection and mute box is not checked. If I jiggle the plug I might eventually get a connection. Did a little research and the problem seems to be occurring in the 15-inch Unibody MBP from late 2008 (my machine) due to faulty design of the jack. Most sites do not recommend replacement of the jack due to the necessity of resoldering to the logic board. Some suggested inserting a piece of tinfoil to tighten up the loose jack but I am not comfortable with this. Any suggestions out there?
George
MacBook Pro
15-inch Unibody
(Late 2008)
Model No.: A1284
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Apple Memory Module 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3 (PC3-8500) - 2x2GB SO-DIMMs/
OSX 10.10.1

Resetting SMC could solve the problem.
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
And you need to install more RAM, I think.

Battery issues on Macbook Pro 15" A1286 (late 2008)

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