My macbook model 7.1 will not start up unless connected to power supply even when it is fully charged. Does anyone know the cause of this?

Question

I have a 4 year old MacBook 7.1 that has worked wonderfully until today. I went to turn on my computer and it would not do so until it had been plugged into the power supply, and it was fully charged. Can anyone suggest what to do to fix this? DO I need to take it to an apple repair tech? Thanks

Answer 1

Hello ssamaro13,
I definitely understand your concern with your battery not powering your MacBook when the power adapter is disconnected.  I found a couple of resources that I think might help with this.
The first thing I recommend is resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) on your MacBook:
Resetting the SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own
Note: Portable computers that have a battery you should not remove on your own include MacBook Pro (Early 2009) and later, all models of MacBook Air, and MacBook (Late 2009).
Shut down the computer.
Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
Press the power button to turn on the computer. 
Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.
You can find the full article here:
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
If your battery is still not powering the computer when disconnecting the power adapter, the next thing I recommend is troubleshooting your MagSafe adapter using the steps in this article:
Apple Portables: Troubleshooting MagSafe adapters
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1713
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Sheila M.