White Macbook: discolored/shiny palmrests

I've had my white Macbook for about six months. Very quickly the palmrests became discolored and grimy. Glass cleaner has done a great job getting rid of the dirt, but the palmrests are still shiny - you can really see this when you look at them at an angle. It looks like sweat/oils have actually corroded away some of the finish, but I can't be sure. Has anyone else had this problem? Is there a solution apart from having the top case replaced? Thanks for any ideas.

Here's a picture of MY MacBook if it helps... (the one above I found online).

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About the new white Macbook...

Now that the "original" polycarbonate Macbook has also been upgraded with nVidia graphics, I could be persuaded to replace our iBook G4 with one of those new models : it's cheap and most important of all, it's got firewire. I'd really prefer a black one, but they only sell the white one, so I'll have to accept that.
Anyway, I have some questions.
The 120Gb hard drive is a bit limited, but I guess it's easy to replace it yourself. Next, memory. I'd like to upgrade to 4Gb. It's DDR2 (unlike the unibody) so relatively cheap. But does this model support DDR3, should I want to put in DDR3 instead of DDR2 ? Would the slower DDR2 not limit the Gefore9400 or the macbook overall performance wise (I'm thinking Snow Leopard and Open CL) ?
And finally, does the white macbook's shell still suffer from discoloration ? The iBook we have has a palmrest which is in a light grey colour, so the problem doesn't pose itself there.

You missed my point - anyone who knows anything about Snow Leopard's performance is under an NDA and cannot talk about it. Anyone who is willing to talk about SL's performance is either guessing, talking nonsense, or breaking the NDA. We just don't know.
In terms of how the older black MB compares to the newer white model, since I haven't had a chance to play with the new one, I can say. But I can say that I switch between an original black MacBook and an early 2008 MBP almost daily and while the MBP on paper is a much faster computer with much better graphics I don't really notice all that big a difference between the two most of the time. Is that any help?

White MacBook discoloured by use of Tucano Second Skin folder

I have a three month old white MacBook which I protected from new with a black Tucano Second Skin folder. I've discovered discolouration on the case at either side, matching the internal design of the sleeve. I've used iKlear, with no effect.
Anyone else had the same problem?
2GHz MacBook Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2Gb RAM, white

Hi Nick,
I had the exact same problem. The Apple centre in Rotterdam referred me to Apple. After calling Apple twice they agreed to replace the outer bottom case.
The bottom contained a half circled line across the bottom (also the battery) just beneath the trackpad. The service centre replaced the bottom case and I also got a new battery.
I am still using the same Tucano second skin. So far no discoloration... It's been almost two months.
White Macbook 2GHz Mac OS X (10.4.8)

White MacBook become yellow-dirty

Hi,
I've read a lot of articles from the web about cleaning methods for white macbook.
I've bought this laptop in 2006 and now, after three years of use (I'm a lady and I usually have my computer sessions with clean hands :-)) the area (especialt dx part) near the trackpad and the trackpad button are become somehow 'yellow'.
As I've tried first with computer cleaning kit that was very good for the screen and exterior part but doesn't solve my real problem. Then, I've tried with 'magic rubber' of Mastro Lindo that works for almost everything, but in this situation also this one was useless.
So, my mac is not cover by assistance anymore, but I think is something related to the material, not to the use. Before getting frustrated and running after my reseller to ask for assistance, I'd wanna now if some other people have the same problem and it has a solution.
thanks in advance
michy

The white MacBooks only have dirt and discoloration problems for some people, not everyone. It all depends on what you put on your hands or what your body secrets more abundantly than you wash off. We are all biologically different.
I have heard many folks say that they good very good cleaning results using Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (U.S. based product name) but I have never had cause to use it so cannot comment from experience. It is an abrasive so using it on the glossy plastics seems like a bad idea, but again, I have no experience with it.

Hi - I am new here: I need help and advice on the White Macbook - thanks.

Hi all,
I'm a new member to this forum + I am soon to be a new user of the Macbook.
I have ordered my new White 2.16 Macbook with an upgraded 2GB RAM & an upgraded 16GB HDD.
I have some questions which I would like answered please:
1) How likely is it that my macbook will get the cracks near the wrist rests?
2) How likely is it that my white macbook will discolour? Are the latest 2007 range also facing discolouration like last years models? How soon does the discolouration start to show?
3) Is the macbook a SOLID build? Or does it feel cheap when you touch and feel it?
4) How likely is it that the outer glossy body will get stratched? I remember the previous Ipods were poor quality and got stratched even by normal use or by putting it in your EMPTY pocket.
5) How likely is it that I will encounter hardware issues?
6) Is the Macbook AS GOOD AS Apple say it is?
Reason I am asking all these questions is because I am investing quite abit of money in a never before used item and with a company who I have never dealt with.
But having read all the issues and problems with apple products one has to ask these simple questions.
I mean even if you go out and buy a real cheapo laptop you would almost never come accross these poor quality issues in such a short time period has Apple users are stating.
Thanks, I look forward to the answers.
PC Windows Vista Awaiting delivery of my new White Macbook: 2.16GHz - Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB memory - 160GB hard drive.

1) It's impossible to guess the likelihood of cracks. We don't have the numbers.
2) Discolouration seems to have been a problem specific to some earlier ones.
3) The MacBook is solidly built, but still feels more fragile than a MacBook Pro or even an iBook.
4) the outside plastic is easily scratched.
5) impossible to say, we don't have the numbers
6) Yes, it is that good. Great computer.
Any question you wrote which includes the words likely or likelihood is impossible for users to answer meaningfully, since we don't have access to any good numbers. Just from watching this discussion board, it might appear that cracks and discoloration are likely, but since Apple has sold millions of these things, these issues might really be measured as a small fraction of a percent. We just can't know.
Quad G5, PB 15" 1.5Ghz,MacBook 2.0GhzCore2Duo Mac OS X (10.4.10) Logic Pro 7.2.3, Focusrite Saffire...

Getting a Case(Shell) for my White MacBook. Which one to get?

Hey guys, my question is what should i get as a shell. I read the reviews for the spec shells that they stain the macbook and scratch it. What should I get? And another question what product would you guys recommend for cleaning the screen?
I have the 13'' white macbook.

I wouldn't bother with a shell myself. They don't really do anything but waste money and add unnecessary bulk to the system. They aren't going to magically protect your system from a good drop off a table or anything like that. Hard shells will just translate all that energy right into the system. A rubberized shell might absorb SOME of the shock, but probably never enough to really be worthwhile.
As for cleaning the screen... A soft lint free cloth and a little water is all you should really need. Just go to an auto parts store, or the auto parts section of some retail store, and get a chamois.
The most important things to remember here is to turn the system off and remove/disconnect the battery FIRST. Then you want to be gentle with the pressure you apply to the screen. It's very easy to crush the little LCD cells and transistors that control them, so do not press hard. If you have ever seen how an LCD discolors if you press your finger against it, that is a warning sign that you're pressing too hard and are in danger of permanently damaging the screen. So use less pressure than that.

Pictures of Macbook discoloration?

I've seen lots of topics complaining about the discoloration on the white Macbooks. I'm wondering, is this happening to ALL macbooks?
Also, does anyone actually have/would take some pictures of the discoloration so we could see just how bad it is?

I don't have any disoloration at all.
If this were a widespread issue, you'd see 1001 posts about it...plus, if it did happen, Apple would exchenage it for you. Just take it back within the first day or two (or they may think you did something to it).
Don't worry about it, just buy a MacBook if you want one.

Case Cracks White MacBook (2006)

I have observed cracks on my white macbook (Late 2006 model) case (both insde & out side). Everytime I take an appointment with the Genius, they say that they are so busy to replace the case and they might need at least 3-5 business days. Since I did not have an alternate computer, I have delayed a bit. Now that I recently got a iMac, I would like to turn in my macbook for repair. Not sure if apple has spares to repair the cracked outer shells. Any idea how long and how much it costs to get it fixed ? Or can I return my laptop to get some store credit and buy a new Macbook ??

sparu wrote:
Not sure if apple has spares to repair the cracked outer shells. Any idea how long and how much it costs to get it fixed ? Or can I return my laptop to get some store credit and buy a new Macbook ??
Only Apple would know that. Also, ask Apple. Not going to happen. You can't return a 6 year old mac and expect to get a store credit. Since the repair volume of the store seems to be high, get an estimate and leave it there for repair if you find the price of repair to be acceptable.

How will an external Hard drive designed for the macbook Pro work with my White Macbook? My white macbook has a Firewire 400 and the G-Tech HD has a 800 to 400 compatible cable for the firewire.

I am asking this because I want the G-Tech Hard drive says that it is designed for the macbook pro. Yet, I want to back up faster with by using my firewire 400 which is not an option on the one designed for the white macbook that does not have a firewire (only a USB port.) The G-Tech Hard drive comes with the 800 to 400 compatible cable and has 5400 RPM with 750 GB. Also, I've heard that laptops with low battery (mine all the time) won't have the power for a bus powered Hard drive (as in no ac plug in adaptor.) Can I just plug in my laptop? Any one know the answers from experience with this hard drive?

As far as I know, if a harddrive works with a Macpro, it should work with the Macbook: if your Macbook is low on power, plug in the AC adapter
If your Macbook has a firewire port, then it should be fine. BUt i would do somemore research first.

White MacBook dead or dying. Apple Store store screwing me.

I have had an unfortunate event. Two days ago my white MacBook has started to misbehave. I have turned it on, and it powered itself off after a minute. It probably did that about 4-5 times. Eventually, it booted and stayed on for the rest of the day. This has happened with a fully charged battery and plugged-in. Since it has worked for the rest of the day, I did not think more of it. Weird boots have happened before rarely.
Yesterday, it booted fine, but the keyboard was misbehaving. The option key was stuck in the ON postion without being physically pressed. Some letters worked, others created the option+letter key combination.
So, I have taken it to the Apple Store. I have a got a call an hour later saying that he removed the top case and found a small stain in the bottom-right side of the keyboard, which according to him is evidence of liquid damage. The warranty has been voided. The warranty was actually going to expire today on the 14th.
I find this highly suspicious. I have taken great care of it. Besides a scratch or paint transfer on the bottom case next to the exhaust, which I have no idea how it happened, and yellowing of the touchpad, it looks like new. I have read that the MacBooks turn yellow, mine has in less than a month of use. Maybe, due to heat, it has turned yellow or brown inside.
It's pssible they saw that my warranty was going to expire today and thought to screw me. If it's going to expire in one day, why help him?
They want $230. $130 for the top case. $100 for work. I told him to disassemble it further due to the weird boots. I have not yet received a call back if he has found more damage.
I've seen laptops taking a bath. You could float Noah's ark on them. They have major flooding stains from coke, smoothies, and other beverages. I don't drink that suff, nor have I on the day in question, nor did anyone else use it.
It's my only machine. My only means of communication with the planet is my iPhone. Suggestions?
Thank you.

So, I thought that I should give an update. After the initial quote for $230 ($130 for the top case and $100 for work) to fix it due to liquid damage, I decided to wait a few days before going back to the Apple Store to research the issue. After a few days, I went to the store. The tech who quoted me the price was not there. When I asked when he will be there, I was told that they can't give out his schedule. One of the Genius Bar employees gave me a new price: $750. A new white MacBook is $900 with the education discount.
When I heard that price, I told him to keep it. I decided to call Apple customer support. I spoke to a few people until I have eventually been redirected to someone called Jen. I explained to her that the Apple Store won't give me a straight answer nor have they proven to me that liquid damage has occurred. She wrote some notes down and said that she will email me a case number. She also said that I should take it back, try to have another tech look at it by speaking to a manager, try to take it to another store, or ship it to a depot. That email never came. She lied to me.
I decided against talking to a manager. There was another person there with an iPod. They told him that they haven't found anything wrong with it, but if he wants to buy a new one and trade the old one, he'll get a 10% discount. He was very disappointed and expected that answer.
Clearly, I think that due to the ***** economy, they are pressured to sell to keep the store afloat and deny warranty claims. I decided against speaking to the manager. He would be the one pressuring them.
I took the laptop back. It was dirty and had a few new scratches. I bought a top case from eBay. It's a factory second grade B, AKA scratched to ****, and some of the metal inside was bended, but I straighten it as much as I could. My old one hand an yellow touchpad, but no scratches. I found a YouTube video on how to disassemble and remove the top case. It's 19 screws and it takes about 5-10 minutes. For that work they were going to charge $100. Since they do this all the time, it probably takes them 10 minutes to disassembly, replace, reassemble. They charge more than a lawyer. What a ripoff!
Once I removed the top case, I was in for a shock. There was NO stain. Also, none of the Liquid Submersion Indicators (LSI) were triggered. Those LSIs are sensitive. They turn pink to red from humidity. Actual liquid does not have to touch them. They were all white. One might think that he was nice enough to clean up liquid residue if that was the case. I very much doubt that. The laptop had dust and hairs in it. If the tech had taken the time to clean up a stain, he would have spent 10 seconds with an air can to blow the dust and hairs away. This leads me to believe that he may not have disassembled the MacBook in the first place. He may have assumed that there was liquid damage on the right side since parts of the keyboard stopped working.
After installing the new top case, everything works. There are no issues whatsoever. I'm going to write an email to Steve Jobs because I've been cheated.

White Macbook has folder with a question mark inside when powered on.

My brother has a white macbook given to him from a friend and when it is powered on it shows a folder icon with a question mark in the inside flashing and it doesn't boot. He has sent me on a quest to get a power adapter and a new hard drive, He thinks the hard drive is fried. Does anyone know for sure if thats the case, I just don't want to buy all that stuff to figure out that the logic board is dead or something else irreplaceable. There is no backup disks, all I have is a replacement leopard disk from apple used for my mac mini.

If it is a retail Leopard disc--black with a giant purple X on it--then yes, you could use them, with a couple of caveats. One, it would technically be a violation of the license to use that install of Leopard on more than one computer, and terms of use on this forum forbid me from encouraging such an action. And two, depending on how old this used MacBook is, your install of Leopard may pre-date manufacture of the MacBook and, as a result, not be able to boot the MacBook anyway. However, judging by the info in your signature, that is probably not a problem.
If the disc for your Mini is gray and shipped with or was meant to ship with the Mini, then no, the disc will not work.
I still encourage you to get the system discs that came with the MacBook originally, as they have the Apple Hardware Test included, and, as I suggested above, running any OS (or other Apple software) on a Mac without the discs means technically it's an unlicensed copy.

White Macbook (2008) overheating and shutting down

Hello,
I have a white macbook from about 2008 (it is not unibody, it's the one you can remove the battery). My case has cracked all around and little pieces of the plastic have flaked away (as seen on all other 1 year+ macs of this generation). I figure this helps the heat escape rather than make the problem worse but I still plan to get the case fixed on with applecare.
My problem is that sometimes when running only iTunes and safari my CPU heats up to 90 degrees celcius (194 F) and my computer simply shuts off. I don't have the clear plastic covering vents and I just use my mac on my desk, not on a pillow or anything like that. When my computer heats up like that, the fan is rotating at about 6200+ RPM according to SMC fancontrol. Right now my computer is propped up using a large eraser to create a space for air to circulated along the bottom of the case.
What can I do to keep my Macbook from overheating? I don't want to damage my computer. I don't really do much video or real intense stuff, mainly just music.
Any help is appreciated.

Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the Processes dropdown menu. Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time (>=70,) then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.

White macbook 13inch are there are cases that will still fit this computer?

I have a white macBook 7,1 intel core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz
and i need to purchase a case, i know this model is old and discontinued
but are there any similar cases that will still fit this computer?

You might check iFixIt. Also, check eBay.

White macbook Lion performance

I have a White Macbook 2,1, running Lion 10.7.5. I believe its the late 2006 model., 2G RAM. Replaced the original drive with a 500GB, 7200 RPM drive a couple of years ago. The performance is just dreadful. Constant spinning beach balls, delays in keyboard characters. I've noticed by System memory takes up 1.7G of of the 2G of available RAM. Am I correct is assuming that is the problem, and the machine is just not powerful enough to run Lion efficiently? I've run a variety of maintenance programs to clear out junk files, caches, etc, disk permissions. I do have an very large audio library connected through iCloud, but I don't understand why that would be a problem if iTunes isn't running.
Any thoughts about what might be causing the performance problems, or is it just the age of the computer?

You might want to open Activity Monitor and under the (Memory) tab check the amount of (Page Outs) to the hard drive....
The minimum requirement for RAM under Lion is 2GB.....so you will not have much actual RAM to work with for any extra apps.....that is why I suggest checking the (Page Outs) in Activity Monitor....it would mean that the MacBook is using the hard drive to store commands that would normally come from the RAM and would be much slower....

White MacBook cases/covers

Anyone able to recommend a good case/cover/skin for a white MacBook (mid 2009), ideally one which covers the top edge of the keyboard area. Was looking at something like this, currently sold via Apple Store
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/TQ933LL/A?n=13inchmacbook&fnode=MTY1NDA2Ng&mco=MTA4MjU0Mzc&s=topSellers
but would appreciate any recommendations based on experiences you might have had.

Hi Martin_UK,
I don't know of any cases that cover the top case as well, but I've always liked the Speck cases:
http://www.speckproducts.com/products/seethru/macbook-13-white-or-black/24
You can add something like this as well:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/TW021LL/A

White Macbook: discolored/shiny palmrests

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