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!

Similar Messages

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 heat issue

Hi there!
I recently purchased a used Macbook Pro 15 in (Late 2008), which works marvelously, all except for one problem: it heats up fairly quickly when I only use the internet. The fans, I'm guessing, also make a fair amount of noise. I've never owned a macbook pro before, or any other apple product aside from an iPhone last year. My previous computer was a later model, made around 2012, and didn't have this problem. (It was an HP though) I'm using it on a desk, sometimes propped up by a book on the back to help air flow, but the bottom of the laptop still heats up quickly. The top near the screen and left hand side also get hot easily.
so I was wondering if there was any way to fix this? I'm not sure what information would be needed to help me, but I'll readily supply the specs for others to review if needed : ) Thank you in advance!

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 (unibody) backlight not working, trackpad issue

Hi,
My wife is running 10.7.4 (Lion) on a MacBook Pro late 2008, first gen unibody. There is two issue with her computer.
The first issue is that the backlight keyboard is not working correctly. In fact, it is not working at all. My assumption is that it stopped working when it had a a display assembly replacement in 2010. My wife not behing to technical realized she did not had this feature when I bought a MBA 13" last year. It could be something with the system (OS) but I'm pretty sure it is not. I open the back of the case to see if something (a missing wire connectivity) could be found, but none step to my eyes. I did not want to dismantle everything in case I'll be making it worst!
The second issue is the trackpad. She told me many times that her mouse was not working as expected, and when I looked at, I finally found that the problem was not the mouse, but the trackpad. What I found is that the trackpad button, sometimes, stayed pressed. If that happen, eventually, the mouse is acting very trangely! My wife never uses the trackpad, so I can't figure out it is an abuse of it. To temporaly resolve the issue, I dissabled the trackpad when a mouse is connected in the Universal access system pref.
I plan to have it send to the Apple store next time I go near one. The Apple Care is expired...
My questions are:
any idea of what may be the problem and is it repairable easily by myself?
Could it be that the trackpad is broken in anyway?
Could it be possible that the technician forgot to reconnect a cable near the keyboard (under the motherboard) that prevent the backlight to work?
Thanks

Hi,
My wife is running 10.7.4 (Lion) on a MacBook Pro late 2008, first gen unibody. There is two issue with her computer.
The first issue is that the backlight keyboard is not working correctly. In fact, it is not working at all. My assumption is that it stopped working when it had a a display assembly replacement in 2010. My wife not behing to technical realized she did not had this feature when I bought a MBA 13" last year. It could be something with the system (OS) but I'm pretty sure it is not. I open the back of the case to see if something (a missing wire connectivity) could be found, but none step to my eyes. I did not want to dismantle everything in case I'll be making it worst!
The second issue is the trackpad. She told me many times that her mouse was not working as expected, and when I looked at, I finally found that the problem was not the mouse, but the trackpad. What I found is that the trackpad button, sometimes, stayed pressed. If that happen, eventually, the mouse is acting very trangely! My wife never uses the trackpad, so I can't figure out it is an abuse of it. To temporaly resolve the issue, I dissabled the trackpad when a mouse is connected in the Universal access system pref.
I plan to have it send to the Apple store next time I go near one. The Apple Care is expired...
My questions are:
any idea of what may be the problem and is it repairable easily by myself?
Could it be that the trackpad is broken in anyway?
Could it be possible that the technician forgot to reconnect a cable near the keyboard (under the motherboard) that prevent the backlight to work?
Thanks

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

Trackpad non responding for wake up on macbook pro late 2008

i mentioned a problem with my macbook pro late 2008 since upgrading to 10.8. while clicking the trackpad to wake up my macbook air 2011 everything works fine, but on my macbook pro late 2008 it wouldn't. i have to click either the spacebar or any other key on the keyboard. otherwise no issues with the trackpad. is there anything different to the air, is there a fix or is it just normal. thanks for replies. greez.

Yes. That wouldn't hurt. I do have a couple of other suggestions:
1 - create a new test library, import a few photos and see if the import succeeds. If it does then the problem is with the original library.
2 - if the test import crashes log into another account on your Mac, create a test library if there isn't a library there, and see if you can import. If you can't then a reinstall of iPhoto would be the next step.To do so you'll have to delete the current application and all files with "iPhoto" in the file name that reside in the HD/Library/Receipts folder. Reinstall iPhoto from the disks it came on and apply the latest updates.
3 - if you can import successfully in the second account your primary account is the culprit. It could be a preference file other than iPhoto's that's causing the problem. Here's how to determine if that's the case.
Trouble Shooting Preferences in Leopard
1 - Create a folder titled "Preferences A" on the Desktop.
2 - Open the working Preferences folder, HD/Users/your_name/Library/Preferences, and move the contents to the Preferences A folder on the Desktop.
3 - Make a duplicate copy of the Preferences A folder on the Desktop as a precautionary backup.
4 - With the working Preferences folder empty run the application again and determine if the problems is fixed.
NOTE: you may have to drag the contents of the working folder to the trash and empty if moving the contents to the A folder only copies them instead of moving.
5 - If the problem is fixed:
A - open the working Preferences folder (HD/Users/your_name/Library/Preferences).
B - Open the Preferences A folder on the Desktop, select all of the contents and drag them into the working Preferences folder.
C - When the Copy window pops up check the "Apply to All" check box and then click on the Don't Replace button as seen here.
6 - If the problem is NOT fixed, empty the working Preferencess folder and move the contents of the Preferences folder on the desktop back into it.
OT

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 Late 2008 Freezing/Unresponsive trackpad and keyboard

Macbook, Late 2008
Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
Software OS X 10.8.5 (12F37)
This has been happening for months on end. I've repaired the disk repeatedly. My friend who's an ex-Apple Genius said it was the little watch battery on the Logic Board. Replaced it. Still happens. He told me to replace the fan. Still happens.
What happens appears as an absolute freeze. The cursor stops reacting to my trackpad and nothing happens when I press things on the keyboard. Anything on the screen that would naturally be moving/changing is frozen.
I don't know what's going on and I don't know any solutions. I need help.

It's happened to me twice today with regular use. It happens at random whether I'm using a taxing program like Photoshop or reading a textbook in Preview. It happens at random and is a huge pain.

Macbook Pro (Late 2008) - Windows 7 64-bit, Bootcamp 3.1 - Wireless Issue

Hi Everyone,
I have a Macbook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) model with Snow Leopard and Windows 7 64-bit dual boot. I have done a search and cannot find any reference to this problem on my hardware.
I have had no issues in Windows 7 when using Bootcamp v3.0. In the last week I have upgraded to Bootcamp v3.1. (completed twice, rolled back in between to prove that the issues was related to the Apple Update)
After I update to v3.1, I have issues with my wireless network. The network cannot resolve the name for any internet address. I can connect to wireless networks (tried multiple networks), all the DHCP settings seem to be retrieved correctly (Gateway, DNS etc) and I can ping local and machines outside my network without an issue provided I use the IP address. (Skype works - which uses direct IPs rather than names I have found over time)
As soon as I use a name for a destination for Web traffic, Mail, pinging (any application), my Macbook Pro cannot resolve the address and just bombs out.
If I connect to a wired network, the machine works perfectly and name resolution on that interface works. If I rollback (using Windows 7 rollback capability) to before the v3.1 Bootcamp is installed, the wireless networking also works perfectly.
I noticed this in the support area at apple:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3196
But this refers to wireless issues in Bootcamp drivers prior to v3.1 and on 13 inch Macbook. Wonder if this is a similar issue or related?
Anyone else seen this or point me in the direction of a fix?
Thanks,
Thommo

I'm looking into running Windows 7 64bit on the exact same MBP you have, so I'm curious as to whether or not you've found a solution yet outside of the forums.
Do you think it might be that the bootcamp 3.1 update is only for Windows 7 32bit and not for the 64bit version?

Audio Issues with MacBook Pro (Late 2008)

I am seeing an occasional issue with my MacBook Pro (Late 2008). The Audio will go out... and instead you will just hear static-like clicking sounds when and audio even happens. For example... when you have the up/down volume notification on... and you change the audio volume.. you hear clicks. Or... when you open up a file that has audio.. you will hear the static-like click when the audio starts to try to play.
The work around per-se is to completely shutdown and turn the notebook back on. A simple restart does not seem to fix it... it looks like the system needs to have a bit of energy drain first. Which... worries me that this is a hardware issue and not a driver issue.
Wondering how many others are seeing this???

I went to and Apple Support Center last week and I asked some questions about audio because my MBP was having troubles too. The tech told me audio issues are very frequent on these machines and sometimes you have to change a part of the soundcard. He also added you have to bring the MBP to a support center if you're having the problem several times - in my case I'm waiting the next "crash" since I had only 2 issues so far... If you're under warranty go for a check up and see if it really needs assistance. Goodbye

MacBook Pro Late 2008 Graphics Recall Issue

Hello. When I purchased my 15-inch Late 2008 MacBook Pro I remember something about Apple having a problem with the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M / 9600M GT Graphics Chipset, and there was a Recall or Repair Plan in place to resolve the issues.
Since 2008 I've been having very infrequent graphics issues with the MacBook Pro, and thought nothing of it as sometimes Mac's will freeze up or have strange issues. Now for the last few months, the Graphics issues have been occurring on a regular/daily basis. After reading many forum posts I have determined that the issue has been due to the Graphics Drive/Chipset all along, as everything else I've tried has not resolved the issue.
Can someone direct me to the appropriate Apple info so I may, hopefully, have the NVIDIA Graphics replaced or repaired. I've been unable to locate info on the Apple Support site.
- Cheers

Call your local Apple Store and ask. I don't see that it's still active: Exchange + Repair Extension Programs - Apple Support.

Late 2008 MacBook Pro - Bootcamp (Vista-32bit) issues

Hey all -
I have a couple issues with my late 2008 MacBook Pro when I use bootcamp to switch to its Vista (32 bit) side. I've never been able to solve these issues myself, so I was hoping I could get some help here.
When on the vista side, when I close the lid the computer display will shut off but the actualy computer will continue to run, and after some time I will no be able to wake it from its sleep.
When I try to turn the brightness down on my screen, it will turn down but then turn back to full brightness a few seconds later.
Scrollng with 2 fingers on the track pad is erratic (I read there was going to be a fix for this?)
The laptop gets so hot to the touch that it is almost painful (I imagine this can't be good for the computer)
It has also become sluggish to the point where even simple games and those on steam won't work without incredible lag. Are there anyways to stop some processes to speed up the vista side?
Like I said, this is all while in bootcamp, not experiencing any of the issues on the OSX side.
Thanks for any help

Would love some help if anyone knows

Costo sostituzione trackpad macbook late 2008

Ciao ragazzi vorrei sapere cosa puó costare la sostituzione del trackpad di un macbook 13 late 2008 in alluminio

It's happened to me twice today with regular use. It happens at random whether I'm using a taxing program like Photoshop or reading a textbook in Preview. It happens at random and is a huge pain.

Erratic Trackpad Issues. MBP/R Late 2012

I got this Macbook a year and a half ago, November 2012, and within a month I spilled an entire bottle of watter all over the thing. But luckily, I was quick about it. I shut it off immediately, and threw it upsidedown in a box of rice for a week. I took it out and no harm done. It was perfectly fine. I never experienced any issues with it.
2 years later. I take a damp clorox wipe to my keyboard / trackpad, as I have many other times. I have oily hands I guess. I like to keep things clean. I probably should have shut it off, but I didn't. I hit a few buttons when I wiped off my keyboard.
10--20 minutes later, my trackpad starts having a seizure. Clicking things. Creating folders, renaming stuff on my desktop, swiping across my desktops. Insane things. Even typing a letter or number here and there.
I tried restarting it and I got a weird graphical glitch when the gray apple screen came up. There were some weird colors and that really worried me.
I was worried about liquid getting under the trackpad, and it probably did, but not much. I mean I spilled an entire bottle over the trackpad area and it was fine, It'd be completely insane that a quick damp wipe would have ruined it. But I shut if off and left it in a box of rice for a day.
I took it out and it worked fine... for 30 seconds, before it gradually started to get worse.
I boot into Windows 8. Exact same problem. So it's deffinitely a hardware issue.
Boot back into OSX and after fighting with the erractic behavior I somehow managed to get into the Accessibility preferences to disable the trackpad when a wireless mouse is connected. When I did that, it stopped, and I finally got control back and now I'm posting this.
I tried resetting NVRAM/PRAM but that didn't do anything.
I don't have warranty or apple care anymore, and maybe I shoud, considering all the issues I've had. I guess, does anyone know how much it would cost to get this fixed? The drive to the Apple Store is pretty far for me. Is it even worth it to have it fixed? Could I fix it myself ordering parts?
I've also had a buzzing left fan for a while. It still keeps my laptop cool, according to iStat Menus, but I'm thinking it's about to die.
2 years seems kind of quick to buy a whole new laptop, but if the price to fix the fan and the trackpad is over $500, maybe I'll just sell this one as a parts laptop on ebay for $1000 which is less than half of what I paid and use that to get a new one.

Some reading for you:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1449
Try a SMC reset:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
You may have a swollen battery which would need to be replaced, you can take it to a Genius bar for a free evaluation, make an appointment first. Or a logic board that has gone belly up.
http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar
Good luck

Late 2008 iMac stuck in continual restart, startup screen issue

So, I come home last night and my iMac has shut itself off, not terribly out of the ordinary, so I start it up. However, the screen is covered in black blocks of pixels, with some color thrown in. The little wheel spins for about a minute I guess and then the next thing that pops up, although barely visible through the mess, appears to be the "new age" style kernal panic warning. It just cycles through this over and over without stopping, never getting any further than the first start up screen with the Apple logo on it. After hopelessly trying to restart a few times thinking it would go away, I hook it up in Target Disk Mode to my MBPro and start pulling stuff off the hard drive. Running Disk Utility on my iMac throws three errors, "incorrect number of file hard links," "invalid directory item count," and "the volume Hard Disk was found corrupt and needs repaired... Error: this disk needs to be repaired. click repair disk."
Originally I thought it was a graphics or logic board issue (I remember a similar looking display issue years ago on my G4 Cube), but now these errors make me think its a directory issue? I really don't know.
Here are a couple pictures of what I'm talking about:
http://bit.ly/12tFDM7
http://bit.ly/12N8goN
http://bit.ly/11JWMQo
sorry about the external links, pictures were too big to be embedded.
Cheers
Edit: I should mention this is a late 2008 iMac, running OS X 10.8.3

Run Apple Hardware Test in Extended Mode 3 times. If it reports errors take it in for repair, Apple does not publish the error codes so please do not ask what they mean. Only an Apple Store or AASP will be able translate them for you. You can find instructions for AHT at:
support.apple.com/kb/ht1509
Good luck.

Late 2008 Trackpad Issues

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