MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz won't start up

Question

Hello fellow forum users,
Usually, I can find solutions to most of my problems, but today, I have a bummer. My MacBook Pro won't start up. Here are the specs:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/stats/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-2 .2-15-santa-rosa-specs.html
It started when I closed the computer to put it to sleep. Before that, for about 6 months, the computer had been acting very slow, and the pinwheel/beach ball/spinning wheel would keep appearing constantly. The hard drive was replaced once, but that didn't help. When the problem started, I had just finished downloading 2 files in safari – they weren't huge, just a few megabytes. I opened the laptop, but the screen was black, no backlight, with the fan/hard drive running in a way that sounded normal. Since then, I have forced a shutdown, and it wouldn't start up. I reset the PRAM and NVRAM successfully, with no result. I reset the SMC (not sure if there's a way to see if that worked), with no result, and the computer wouldn't open in safe boot or target hard drive mode. I'm beginning to think it's the logic board, and I would like to know if Apple is still replacing them for free, as they say here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377
Finally, this is an interesting thing I came upon. Apparently, I can file a claim with NVIDIA? Hmm. Here's the website: http://www.nvidiasettlement.com/index.html
They say the following: "Please be aware that the Claims Period will not begin until after the Final Hearing, which is scheduled for December 20, 2010. If you wish to file a claim, please return to this website after the Claim Period begins (after the Final Hearing on December 20, 2010)."
Should I wait until December 21st, which happens to be my birthday, or should I ask Apple to repair it now?
Thanks for all your help in advance,
Ahanu
Message was edited by: ahanuban

Answer 1

That's a good question, and I don't really know the answer to it. You say you get a flashing sleep light 3 times? Makes me wonder if you need to reseat the RAM?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1547
It mentions that on some computers, you will just get the flashing lights and the tones won't be played again. For sure your Mac won't boot up if it doesn't see the RAM, and if your volume happens to be on "Mute", I would assume you wouldn't hear the tones anyway let alone the start up chime.
It sounds like power is getting to the logic board if you can see the sleep light. Do you hear the hard drive spin up? If your machine seems to be on except for the display, then it may have booted up as much as it can, even if you don't see anything on the display, as could be the case if you have the NVIDIA problem. If you get to where the machine seems to be on, it's probably time to try to get the NVIDIA test done.
The slowness you were experiencing could have been due to RAM becoming unseated and not recognized or possibly going bad. Reseat it, and if you replaced Apple RAM with other RAM, then try the original RAM if reseating doesn't work.
Here's a link on getting a Mac to start up--you've probably already tried all this, but it might work as a checklist:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1365
Here's another link for troubleshooting no video issues:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1573?viewlocale=en_US
Your description seems like more of a no video issue, but check out both articles to see if there is any possibility you overlooked anything.
Good luck!