Expensive repairs

A few months ago a picture frame fell on my computer and left a dent on the left side of the track pad. Also I accidentally dropped it while in a case from a few inches on its side while it was off. A few weeks ago I brought it into to the Apple store to have it looked at because it was crashing on me at random times and I had random colored lines through my screen sometimes. The guy found a problem with the hard drive and had it repaired via software. He never mentioned any of the small dents on the enclosure. He recommended that I send it out to Apple and I declined at the time because I needed it for school.
Now skip to Saturday. It shut off of me randomly in the morning and then wouldn't boot up. This is the first time this has happened. I brought it into the Apple Store in the same condition that I brought it in a few weeks before. The Mac Genius called me up and immediately commented on some of the dents in the enclosure. Took it to the back to do some more tests and when he came back he informed me that the problems must be due to physical damage and wouldn't be covered under my warranty. He then told me it would cost me about $100 for labor and $850 for parts!!! As a struggling college student I couldn't pay that and left. What are my options, it seems to me if I would have sent it out the first time I wouldn't have had this problem.
My ideas for my options
-I have heard that home owners insurance often times will cover this. My parents are currently checking into if it will and what their deductible is. In an ideal situation this would work out for me.
-Put my self further into debt and take out a loan against my car or something to be able to afford to get it repaired.
-See if I could somehow part it out and make a some money and then finance a new one (I would get another MBP...I think). (could I even make any money if I tried to part off my computer)
-Repair it myself. I only have a year left on my Apple Care so I wouldn't be missing out on much and paying that much to put it back into warranty, I don't know if it is worth it. I have looked up what it would take to replace the hard drive on http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/ and think that I could do it.
Does anyone have any other suggestions to what I could do or recommend one of them. I could use any advice that you could give me.

Hi d5itup,
Welcome to the forum.
-I have heard that home owners insurance often times will cover this. My parents are currently checking into if it will and what their deductible is. In an ideal situation this would work out for me.
My home contents insurance does have a clause for accidental damage to computers. A quick call by your parents to their insurance company should confirm one way or the other if they have that cover. If they do, I would suggest this is your best course of action.
-Put my self further into debt and take out a loan against my car or something to be able to afford to get it repaired.
I would advise against this. You might as well buy a new Mac as opposed to repairing your original one.
-See if I could somehow part it out and make a some money and then finance a new one (I would get another MBP...I think). (could I even make any money if I tried to part off my computer)
Not really an option as you will not get as much as you think you might.
-Repair it myself. I only have a year left on my Apple Care so I wouldn't be missing out on much and paying that much to put it back into warranty, I don't know if it is worth it. I have looked up what it would take to replace the hard drive on http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/ and think that I could do it.
Definitely an option if you are comfortable with a screwdriver. Do you have an external hard disk? If you do, install Mac OS X on it and then start up from the external hd. If all works well, and continues to work well, then it's just the internal hd that's damaged; very easy and very cheap to replace.
External HDs are quite cheap these days and if you do not have one, it would be a wise investment anyway as you can continue to use it with any future computers. The cheapest ones only have USB ports and although you can start up an Intel based Mac from an external USB drive, I would recommend that you get one that has firewire port, or has both USB and firewire.
Good luck. Let us know how it works out.
Kryten

Similar Messages

After getting my LCD screen repaired, my firmware file is suddenly not compatible

The pixels in my screen were dying so first I took it to the apple store where they told me that either they could do an expensive repair or get a new ipod. So i went to a local phone repair store so they could fix it cheaper than the apple store. When I got it back, there was nothing on my ipod.. so i figured they had just reset it and I would just plug it in and I could get all my music back on. But when I plugged it in, an error message that said "itunes has detected an ipod that appears to be corrupted." and told me it needed to be restored. So when I tried to restore it, another error message came up saying that it couldnt be restored because my firmware file is not compatible. I also noticed that the back of the ipod says it's a 160gb model when my ipod is actually the 120gb model. I was confused so I called the store and they told me they had to replace some parts of mine with another ipod's parts for some reason. My ipod also has a new serial number.. So I took it to the genius bar and they reset it and it seemed to work fine but when I got home and tried to plug it in, i got the same error messages. So I called apple and someone walked me through TONS of solutions, but all of them to no avail because the problem is the hardware on my ipod. Does anyone know what might be wrong with it? If it's unfixable, i believe a certain phone repair shop owes me another ipod.

most likely the repair gave you someone else iPod with jailbreak firmware, that doesn't work,so get your iPod back from them. Have it repaired at a 3rd Party iPod repair center. Google for it.

Does my iPod need repair?

Do I need to bring my iPod (30 GB iPhoto, approximately 1 year old) in for repair, or am I just an idiot who can't follow directions (please don't answer the second question -- it's rhetorical)? Here's the situation: My iPod froze up, and I reset it. It seemed to work OK for awhile, and then it happened again. Resetting it did not work, as it did the last time. I recharged the battery, and according to the screen, it was fully charged. However, when I tried to use it, my songs and playlists had all disappeared. When I plugged it into my iMac (I run OS X, Jaguar, although I don't know if that's relevant) and opened iTunes, the iPod icon never appeared, the way it usually does when I update the iPod's contents. Nor did the screen go gray. In short, nothing happened, although the iPod did start up with the blinking "Do Not Disconnect" message. Soon, I got a message on my computer reading "You have inserted a disk containing no volumes that Mac OSX can read. To use the unreadable volumes, click initialize. To continue with the disk inserted, click ignore." I clicked ignore because I was afraid of what would happen if I clicked "initialize." I read through the manual and the online help pages, and I even tried to restore my iPod by running the iPod applications/utilities updater application. It didn't work -- the program did not seem to recognize that I'd plugged in the iPod or whatever. I don't want to pay for an expensive repair if this is something that I can handle myself. I still have all the disks that came with the iPod, but I'd prefer not to completely lose everything that's in iTunes already -- I have a full library, and it would be a real pain to recreate it.
I'd greatly appreciate any suggestions. I'd rather not download any new updates, if possible, because I have a dial-up Internet connection, and it takes forever to download software.
iMac Mac OS X (10.2.x) iPod Photo, 30 GB

OK, I followed your (very helpful) advice (thank you!), and I selected both the icon that had 27.95 Apple (the iPod, I assumed) and the little icon indented beneath it, which didn't say anything but appeared to be a subset of the one above. I had to initialize them because I got the message saying that it was unreadable (the other option was to ignore). So after I did that, I clicked on the First Aid tab and -- voila! -- was able to click on the "repair" button. It took a couple minutes, and then I got the following message:
Repairing disk "".
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Catalog file entry not found for extent
Volume check failed.
Repair completed.
So now what? My iPod is still plugged into my computer (I'm getting the "Do Not Disconnect" message on it, but there is no way to eject it because the iPod icon is still not showing up either in iTunes or on my desktop.
Do I need to start over by reinstalling the iPod software and just pretending that I've got a brand new iPod? Will it mess the iPod up if I disconnect it while the "Do Not Disconnect" message is on its screen?
Thank you so much.

How much will it cost to get the power button repaired on an iphone 3gs

My iphone's lock button is broken and it keeps turning off. since the lock button is broken i cannot turn the phone back on. is this an expensive repair?

Apple does not repair devices, they do a full device swap.
If your device is under warranty, there is no charge.
If your device is not under warranty, the out of warranty exchange price is $199 if you are in the US.
Make certain that you back up your device and transfer all purchases to your computer before you take it in for replacement.

TS5167 How much does it cost to repair?

How much does Apple charge to replace an iMacs graphics card if insurance has expired? Thanks in advance.

If you have a Mid 2011 iMac with the affected graphic card, the repair is free. Make a backup of your data with Time Machine and take it to an Apple Store or reseller.
If you have any other Mac, it depends. If you have an Early 2009 or older iMac, your logic board has to be replaced, so this is an expensive repair. If you have a Late 2009 or newer iMac, only the graphic card has to be replaced, so the price is much cheaper (about $200, depending on the graphic card your iMac has)

Logic board repair extension

I have an iMac 1st generation I purchased A little over 3 years ago. About 2 weeks ago I started having video issues with my Mac where the desktop freezes, sometimes goes blank and other times I have horizontal lines going across the desktop. I thought it was a video card issue but after doing research on the support page on Apples website I found that it may be an even bigger problem than a video card. I have read that there have been may problems with the logic boards in the 1st generation iMac's. Today was the soonest I was able to visit my local Apple store only to have the genius affirm my suspicion.
I did notice that under the support page, on the lower right hand corner, in small print that there is an issue with these logic boards. The repair extension program leads all of us to believe that Apple acknowledges the predicament many of us are in now, that we have bought a faulty product. The genius at the Apple store told me that I was out of luck and that there is nothing that can be done with getting my computer repaired under the extension program. He told me that if I would have brought my iMac in 2 weeks ago when the problem occurred that he could have honored the extension program but now it is too late. My computer was 3 years old on Jan 27, 2008. I don't understand why he would have allowed the extension program at 4 weeks beyond the 3 year mark but not at 6 weeks? When I tried talking to him about it he then told me that Apple doesn't even do the repair extension anymore for the logic board. Its either you do or you don't but don't try to blow me off with lies so I have to pay for an expensive repair. He quickly changed his answer when I told him as of yesterday the repair extension program was still posted on Apples website.
Also, I would like to know why the 1st generation Imac'ers were not advised of this problem? I now have a 20 pound paper weight sitting on my desk, unless I opt to pay over $500 dollars for a repair that Apple has said was faulty from the get go. Apparently its only a matter of time before they all start to have issues.
Back to the Apple store visit. When I pleaded with the genius 1 more time he told me that because I didn't purchase the Apple Care Plan at the time I purchased my iMac I should have expected to pay for a high cost repair bill eventually. Seems he doesn't have too much faith in the products he is supposed to be endorsing. I walked out of the store feeling like I was lied to, and belittled because of his demeaning attitude towards mine and many other peoples situation with these 1st generation iMac's. Customer service does not seem to be his line of work.
Has anyone encountered this situation where even though they missed the 3 year window for a free repair extension they were still given the repair at no charge? I have really lost my faith in Apple. Not only does Apple have a crappy way of dealing with faulty products, they have some pretty rude people working for them. I was pretty much told that because I didnt pay for the Apple Care Plan I'm stuck. Although, had I purchased it Apple Care Plan they would have given me the free repair even though I missed the repair window of 3 years. Windows is starting to look appealing to me again. Your thoughts are appreciated.
I would like to file a complaint about my experience at the Apple store and would like to know if there is something we can do to honor the repair extension program? I was a loyal Apple customer until I had to be put through a genius lashing who needs to have his behavior attended to. I will be looking forward to your reply.
Thank you,
Val Lutyj

I believe that the employee treated you harsher than he should have. In my eyes, there is always a more appologetic tone to take with a customer. The reason the rep was not eager to help is basically because of what he said, repairs are bound to happen. I work in a non-commision based Apple Specialist environment and we try to get this by our customers as much as we can... it is going to happen. Applecare is not Best Buy trying to take more money from you. It is used to help them cover repairs that happen YEARS from the purchase date. We used to have a tech here that would flat out tell the customers that said no "Don't come crying to me when your computer breaks and you pay for it". I still believe that he was harsh in the way he said that but I find myself wanting to say the same thing.
Apple computers will always be built in a much finer quality, but no matter what you do, they will all break. Thats just technology. When your parts break and a higher percentage than normal, you need to stand by the product. Apple did so with a 3 year repair extension... but should not have limited you so quickly.
I am almost certain that if you call them directly and plead a little more, you will get your results. You are a loyal Mac user and a returning customer for when it is time to get rid of the 1st Gen -soon I hope ;)-

System powers off during boot and I have to repair

Hello,
I am having a niggling problem with a Lenovo 3000 n200 with both Vista and Windows 7
1. close lid, system goes into standby
2. After a couple of hours system powers off ( power cable is in)
3. Power on, system starts booting and powers off, turn power on again and problem repeats indefinitely
4 To overcome problem I select repair and recovery, this sometimes powers off once or twice too, but eventually system boots, repairs and works fine.
I have rebuilt system several times and tried 3 different hard disks.
Problem occurs with both 3.03 & 3.05 firmwares
thanks for your help,
Taggn8tor
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Does this still happen when the battery is removed and is on PSU only, if it does then I have bad news for all you guys, the laptop will require a new motherboard and unless you have an extended warranty then this could be an expensive repair.
Apparently Lenovo call this fault a "Boot on cold issue" and seems to be a common problem with the N series which are over a year old. I personally think it's a single part failure on the motherboard or manufacturing fault.
To find the part number for the motherboard remove the RAM and under there will be the part number for the motherboard which will look something like 1r7694, 43n7652, 41r7695, 43n7654 etc.
The problem you have here is will a replacement motherboard after a year have the same fault?
I would also look up the Consumer Protection act and check out the part which says Fit for Purpose.

Trying to capture in FCP 6.06 w/ Sony fx 1000

Trying to capture footage in FCP 6.06 from an fx 1000.
FCP does not seem to see the camera while it is in vcr mode and hooked up through firewire.
I think I have FCP fully updated but don't see the options for hdv to capture. Need help with proper capture settings and any updates in codecs or software I may need.
Read through numerous other topics but can't quite find the answers I need.
Any help would be great
Running a iMac with 3.06 dual core and 4gb or ram with FCP 6.06 and osx 10.5.8

Hi
An Amateur trying to be of help. This is a problem in several movie editors
My general list might give a clue to Your problem too
BTW - a very interesting Camera - might look for it - upgrade is of need to me.
*NO CAMERA or A/D-box*
Cable
• Sure that You use the FireWire - USB will not work for miniDV tape Cameras
FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin FW one ?
• Test another FW-Cable very often the problem maker.
Camera
• Test Your Camera on another Mac so that DV-in still works OK
• Toogle in iMovie pref. Play-back via Camera (on<->off some times)
• Some Cameras has a Menu where You must select DV-out to get it to work
Does Your Camera work on another Mac ?
Sorry to say it is to easy to turn the 6-pin end of the FW-cable 180 deg wrong.
This is lethal to the A/D-chip in the Camera = needs an expensive repair.
(Hard to find out - else than import/export to another Mac ceased to work
everything else is OK eg recording and playback to TV)
Connections
• Daisy Chaining most often doesn’t work (some unique cases - it’s the only way that work (some Canon Cameras ?))
Try to avoid connecting Camera <--> external HD <--> Mac but import directly to the Mac then move
the Movie project to dedicated external hard disk.
Mac
• Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? Please specify the amount of free space.
(Other hard disks don't count)
I go for a minmum of 25Gb free space for 4x3 SD Video - and my guess is 5 times more for 16x9 HD ones
after material is imported and edited.
SoftWare
• Delete iMovie pref file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into this and have a re-try.
• Any strange Plug-ins into QuickTime as Perian etc ? Remove and try again.
• FileVault is off ? (hopefully)
Using WHAT versions ? .
• Mac OS - X.5.4 ?
• QuickTime version ? (This is the heart in both iMovie and FinalCut)
• iMovie 8 (7.1.?) ?
• iMovie HD 6 (6.0.4/3) ?
*Other ways to import Your miniDV tape*
• Use another Camera. There where tape play-back stations from SONY
but they costed about 2-4 times a normal miniDV Camera.
• If Your Camera works on another Mac. Make an iMovie movie project here and move it
over to Your Mac via an external hard disk.
(HAS TO BE Mac OS Extended formatted - USB/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange WILL NOT DO)
(Should be a FireWire one - USB/USB2 performs badly)
from LKN 1935.
Hi Bengt W, I tried it all, but nothing worked. Your answer has been helpfull insofar as all the different trials led to the conclusion that there was something wrong with my iMovie software. I therefore threw everything away and reinstalled iMovie from the HD. After that the exportation of DV videos (there has not been any problem with HDV videos) to my Sony camcorders worked properly as it did before. Thank you. LKN 1935
from Karsten.
in addition to Bengt's excellent '9 yards of advice' ..
camera set to 'Play' , not rec/computer/etc.?
camera not on battery, but power-line?
did your Mac 'recognize' this camera before...?
a technical check.
connect camera, on, playback, fw-connected...
click on the Blue Apple, upper left of your screen ..
choose 'About../More..
under Firewire.. what do you read..?
More
• FileVault - Secure that it’s turned off
• Network storage - DOESN’T WORK
• Where did You store/capture/import Your project ?
External USB hard disk = Bad Choise / FireWire = Good
If so it has to be Mac OS Extended formatted
----> UNIX/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange is NOT Working for VIDEO !
mbolander
Thanks for all your suggestions. What I learned is that I had a software problem. I had something called "Nikon Transfer" on my Mac that was recognizing my Canon camcorder as a still camera and was preventing iMovie from working properly. After uninstalling Nikon Transfer and doing a reboot, everything worked great.
I never liked the Nikon Transfer software anyway--I guess I'll get a cheap card reader and use that to transfer photos in the future.
*No Camera or bad import*
• USB hard disk
• Network storage
• File Vault is on
jiggaman15dg wrote
if you have adobe cs3 or 4 and have the adobe bridge on close that
or no firewire will work
see if that halps
DJ1249 wrote
The problem was the external backup hard drive that is connected, you need to disconect the external drive before the mac can see the video camera.
Yours Bengt W

Best Buy Geek Squad Warranty is terrible!!!

Not usually a social media poster, but when I searched this topic and found I was not alone, had to vent. As previously mentioned in other posts, it seems that there is a general trend for BB GS warranty service to have a major DISCONNECT between their phone operators/technicians/customer service people and the actual technicians that are sent out to do the repairs, and the subsequent repair of their TV's.
It has been 23 days since I first contacted GS and I have had two home visits from GS and will have 3 different sets of parts ordered by the time they return next weekend!
Some history- I too have bought most of my bigger electronics from BB mainly for lack of serious competition where I live (mainly only Sears). I have bought at least 5 TV's from 32"-55" from them in the last 5 years, and this is the second large TV that has gone out on me within 2.5 years! The first one was a Samsung 47" LED that was 6 mos post warranty and basically the amount that they were going to charge to repair was something crazy! Thus, thinking that it was just the brand, I did my research and settled on a Panasonic Plasma rather than pay for an expensive repair.
Fast forward to 23 days ago. TV fails to turn on, notice power button blinks 8 times. Google search the problem, call GS. This time I did buy the extended warranty, but the tv is still under the manufacturer warranty. Talk to a tech he says no problem, will order parts for you and set up a home repair for after the parts arrive. I get no tracking # from UPS only when it should arrive. Arrival day comes and no parts! Repair is scheduled for the next day! Call GS, (who by the way is NOT 24/7 for repairs, only for tech support) and they say that the parts are delayed so will reschedule the repair appt. Parts arrive 3 days later and next day tech comes and finds out we need different parts! He tells my wife, I'll be back a week from now. No tracking for parts, so figure maybe the tech will bring it with him. Day that the tech said he will be back (a week after his first visit, as per his statement), we get no phone call or visit from the tech. Call GS that night, but of course have to trick the answering system to talk to a LIVE person, a salesperson, that is, and they say I have to call back tomorrow. Talk to them the next day only to find out the parts will arrive the next day and the tech will visit Saturday(yesterday). Tech comes and finds out he needs ANOTHER part! WTH!!! Tells my son, who stayed home to answer the door, that we will be back next week! Call GS and talk to a tech who tells me about the 30 day window or that they will replace the TV. He tells me that he is pretty sure that after the next visit that the tv will work! He also goes on to tell me that if it was him, he would have known what parts to order the FIRST time! He goes on to tell me that there is nothing that he can do since he works from home and that if I have further issues it be best to call corporate HQ and complain! TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!! In all fairness to the telephone support people, they have all been overly nice and apologetic, but "so sorry" only goes so far. Why can't my local BB GS get on the same page with the techs that troubleshoot over the phone? Best thing to do is never buy from you clowns again! Hope Sears doesn't shut down all their stores here!

Hello beyondpeeved-
I can certainly understand your frustration, no one likes to be without the service of a major electronic product like a TV, but it’s especially annoying when you are faced with delays as well due to parts, etc.
I absolutely apologize for all the delays that you have gone through up to this point and what appears to be a lack of communication on our part regarding the progress of that repair. I’d like to look further into this for you, but I could not find any customer information for you with the email address on your forum profile.
If you could send me a Private Message with your full name, phone number and email address that I might locate a customer profile under, I would appreciate it. If you could also include any work order numbers that you might, that would help as well. You can send me a Private Message by logging into the forum and clicking on the button across from my name on this post.
I look forward to hearing back from you,
Bill|Senior Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate
Private Message

Imovie HD not working/improting mini dv

I am having truble with imovie HD, the icon on the dock does not look right, when I open it up, it gives me the three options in text, none of which will do anything when clicked on, there is no picture in the opened widow and when I have my mini DV cam (panasonic PV GS 180) attached (by fire wire) it does not give import file as an option. It has done this in the past however. Please help, thanks
mikeldn

Hi
Test another FW-Cable.
Test Your Camera on another Mac so that DV-in still works OK
Toogle in iMovie pref: Play-back via Camera (on<->off some times)
Other ways to import Your miniDV tape:
Use another Camera. There where tape play-back stations from SONY
but they costed about 2-4 times a normal miniDV Camera.
If Your Camera works on another Mac. Make an iMovie movie project here and move it
over to Your Mac via an external hard disk.
(HAS TO BE Mac OS Exchange formatted - USB/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange WILL NOT DO)
(Should be a FireWire one - USB/USB2 performs badly)
What Camcorder ?
FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin FW one ?
Using WHAT ? :
• Mac OS - X.5.4 ?
• QuickTime version ? (This is the heart in both iMovie and FinalCut)
• iMovie 8 (7.1.?) ?
• iMovie HD 6 (6.0.4/3) ?
Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? (Others don't count)
Does Your Camera work on another Mac ?
Sorry to say it is to easy to turn the 6-pin end of the FW-cable 180 deg wrong.
This is lethal to the A/D-chip in the Camera = needs an expensive repair.
(Hard to find out - else than import/export to another Mac ceased to work
everything else is OK eg recording and playback to TV)
Delete iMovie pref file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into
this and have a re-try.
from LKN 1935:
Hi Bengt W, I tried it all, but nothing worked. Your answer has been helpfull insofar as all the different trials led to the conclusion that there was something wrong with my iMovie software. I therefore threw everything away and reinstalled iMovie from the HD. After that the exportation of DV videos (there has not been any problem with HDV videos) to my Sony camcorders worked properly as it did before. Thank you. LKN 1935
from Karsten:
in addition to Bengt's excellent '9 yards of advice' ..
camera set to 'Play' , not rec/computer/etc.?
camera not on battery, but power-line?
did your Mac 'recognize' this camera before...?
a technical check:
connect camera, on, playback, fw-connected...
click on the Blue Apple, upper left of your screen ..
choose 'About../More..
under Firewire.. what do you read..?
Yours Bengt W

Memory works in either slot, but not both at same time?

Hi, I've recently purchased some ram to upgrade my girlfriend's powerbook G4 15" 1.3ghz, 2x1gb chips. Before I installed it, I noticed the mac was only reporting 512meg of ram when we thought there was 1gb. Sure enough, there were actually 2x512 in there, but only 1 chip was being recognized. So, I tried the new ram anyway, to find of course that it would only recognize 1 of the 1gb chips also. In searching, of course, I've found all sorts of info on the lower slots going bad, but I've found in testing that any of the 4 chips (2 512mb and 2 1gb) will work in either slot, just not 2 chips at a time. So, both the upper & lower slots will actually function.
When I run the hardware test on the restore cd (sorry, I'm probably using the wrong name for this. I don't have it in front of me, and I generally.. gasp.. use PC's) I get this error:
post/0/2048 SODIMM0/J25LOWER
Now, she did upgrade to leopard maybe 6 months ago, but other than that, no major changes.
So, my questions would be, is this the same as the lower slot failure that everyone is having? Or is this something different? And, of course, is there anything I can do or try to fix it?
Oh, ya, and, this machine is well out of it's warranty, so hopefully no expensive repairs are needed?

Hi, beardo. My guess, and that's all it is, is that you have the beginnings of a classic lower RAM slot failure. I suspect, and it's only a suspicion, that lower RAM slot failures are caused by cracked solder joints, which in turn are caused by repetitive heat-related expansion and contraction of components on the logic board including the RAM sockets. My hunch, and it's only a hunch (have I qualified this post enough yet?) is that your lower slot is coming unstuck from the logic board only to the extent, so far, that when the spring-loaded slot is stressed in the particular way that having RAM modules in both slots produces, a crucial lower-slot contact is broken and the RAM in it isn't seen. When the lower slot and/or the logic board is stressed a little differently, by having a module in only one slot, the contact isn't broken. I imagine that the tolerances involved are minute: probably thousandths of an inch. I won't be surprised if the problem worsens to the point that your lower slot is completely undetected, particularly if you keep stressing the hardware by inserting and removing RAM modules in both slots, trying to find the cause. And I have nothing at all to suggest except all this guesswork and this repair option. I wish I could offer something more promising and helpful.

MBP Late-2011 hard drive not recognized

Okay, so last November 2012, not even a year after I bought my MBP, it just froze and wouldn't respond to anything. All it showed was the rainbow loading circle and the computer crashed. I brought it to the Apple store and the person behind the Genius bar said that it was a hard drive problem and he replaced it. However, ever since then, I noticed that my mac has been running very slow and programs would take a lot longer to load.
5 months later, my computer is having problems again and one time when I turned it on, it just showed a blinking folder with a question mark. I know this means it can't find the system software. I brought it to a friend and he tried to fix it first by using the OS X system software disc but that didn't work. Then he thought the problem was the hard drive cable so I bought a new one and when he replaced it, my hard drive still isn't recognized. At this point he thinks it's something with the logic board or something since nothing seems to be working. Right now, all I'm doing is connecting my hard drive to the USB and using booting from there. Everything else is working fine. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do? (btw, I don't have AppleCare)
Thanks.

The good news is that it is not the logic board, other wise the MBP would not function at all. The symptoms that you describe are a strong indication that the internal HDD connection is faulty.
As mentioned before, have the technicians at the genius bar look at it and if I am correct, they should be able to install a new cable and allow you to use the MBP with the HDD inside the MBP. This is not an expensive repair.
It is also possible that the replacement cable that was installed earlier was not done correctly.
Ciao.

My MacBook Pro isn't turning on, at first it would only turn on when being plugged in by its charger and continued to stay on 0% and now it won't even turn on even when plugged into charger. What's wrong with it?

Please help

Is this an early 2008 MacBook Pro?
I observed two of these machines work perfectly for several months (different users and workflows) with no issues and with normal shutdown. The next press of the power button is greeted by about 3 - 5 seconds of DVD click, hard disk seek, and then nothing. Different batteries, chargers, and memory chips were used with no machine revival.
As these two machines were fully depreciated employer hardware, they were scrapped, rather than provided to Apple for hardware diagnostic and likely expensive repair.

Trying to install snow leopard on my Macbook Pro. After already having problems with Grey screen, blinking file with a question mark, etc. Computer now says that one of the hard drives is failing.The "hitachi" drive says it's failing in disc utility.

o.k. So, I've been tinkering with several "self help" fixes for several days now with no positive results. I'll explain my initial problems and then end with my most current situation. In hopes that someone out there will have a good suggestion or possibly remedy for the issues i'm facing
First, my problem started after my wife played a game on my macbook pro and the computer froze. She went into a panic and decided to shut down via power button. When computer restarted she got the blinking file/grey screen and that problem continued for a couple of days before I began using steps from various support topics from apple concerning the grey screen/blinking file folder.
Ultimately, yesterday I decided to erase my Macintosh HD file as one tip suggested. Following the brief online and on screen (via the process) tips that were there. Once that was completed I attempted to reinstall snow leopard (my most current version on hand) into the pc.
At first, I thought this would work. It looked promising. But, after several hours the installation screen returned with failure. I attempted to repeat. And, even repair drives during this try and re-try process.
Now, today, one of the drives.. "hitachi..." states that it's failing and is in red letters with no ability to repair via the disc utility screen. The Macintosh HD drive shows that it's o.k. But, this drive is listed under the HItachi drive so I think that's where a problem might lay.
So, I guess my question really revolves around.. What if anything can I do to get the hitachi drive back up? (short of taking it to a repair facility and replacing.)
And, how on earth can i get my OSX back up to I have a laptop again.
Operating on a macbook pro here. It's my lifeline. Otherwise, I am using a Windows desktop that i'm not that fond of. lol
I'm trying to bring this 2006 laptop back to life. Trying to avoid a rather expensive repair or the purchase of a new laptop. Also expensive...
Any help would be appreciated.

Well, running on a 2006 model. I did not have a startup disc. Initially, it booted up on original software in 2006. Since then, I've upgraded to 10.6 via a box set. And, since then I think I popped it up to lion.
All I have on a disc is snow leopard. And, I can't get farther than the setup screen due to hard drive. I'm taking to a apple authorized repair store right now. We'll see what they tell me . I'm just going to weigh the cost of repair vs. buying new.
Another bad, stupid thing is I had no means of backing up my stuff. So, I might have lost things like music, vids, etc. we'll see if they can recover. If the cost is too much for repair I might just forget it and start over with a new system. Just not sure at this point.

Just outside of my warranty and my Macbook Air is faulty! Help!

Hi all,
Just wanted to know if anyone is or was in the same boat and if there was any options open to me here without forking out for expensive repair costs.
Macbook Air purchased November 2010. 11 inch 4 Gig model. Mac OS X 10.6.8.
My Problem... (LCD Display Faulty)
1st Problem: Been absolutely perfect until about 4 weeks ago. First I noticed a few small red dot's appearing on the left of the screen, as far as the screen will go which only apear on darker colours. These red pixel dots only appear after the Macbook has been on for about 20 minutes or so. They will dissapear when you close and re open the lid but then will re appear 20 minutes later. The longer you use it the worse these red pixel dots get and they even start flashing. This has got worse over the last 4 weeks.
2nd Problem: I have just noticed after these red dots the right side of the screen is a slightly darker shade than the left side. Split exactly in the middle of the screen. Noticed this on boot up last week and is particuary noticable on blue and grey coloured screens. Eaxactly the same problem as these guys had here https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2791453?start=0&tstart=0
What I did...
Tried reinstalling software etc which didnt rectify anything so I booked an Apple Genius Bar appointment today at 12:20 at the Apple Store in Birmingham (Bull Ring). The genius confirmed this was a faulty screen and it would have to be replaced.
One Problem... My Warranty ran out November 8th. Just under 2 months over the warranty. Guess what... They said they would not replace it and I would have to pay just under £400 to get it fixed. They were not prepared to help in any way.
I expect a £1200 laptop to last longer than 14 months without developing a fault and even if it did at that price I certainly would be expecting the retailer/manufacturer to repair free of charge especially when they have confirmed it is a manufacturer fault. A £300 Asus Notebook then I wouldnt mind.
I quoted Sales of Goods act to the Manager in the store and she said the Sales of Goods act doesnt apply because it has to be reported within 12 months and Im only covered for up to 6 years if the fault was reported within 12 months.
HELP... Advice?
Has anyone had experience with out of warranty repairs? Has anyone any advice? (Forget the buy the extended warranty wise cracks) I can't afford to buy warranties on every electrical item I purchase for my houshold.
This Macbook is less than 60 days out of its warranty is there anything I could do? Or even any simple repair solutions? Tried the stuck pixel fixes which didn't work.
Many thanks in advance.
Joe.

Thanks Allan,
Allen to be honest after visiting the apple store today I was hoping to get some sort of compremise. Like I pay for the labour or something hoping to be around £100ish but no. I had a grinch. She was not prepared to help in any way....
I have onother Apple store in Sollihul. I could pay them a visit I supose. There all like 30 miles away though and a 60mile round trip like the one I have had today has drained my energy!
I just wanted to see if anyone else has had the same issues and Im glad to see you managed to compremise.

Expensive repairs

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