Difference between revisions of "MacBuild Laptop Eval"
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badopt [label="Write 'Bad Optical Drive'\n on the Keeper label" shape=box] | badopt [label="Write 'Bad Optical Drive'\n on the Keeper label" shape=box] | ||
keeperon [label="Attach the completed\n Keeper label to laptop" shape=box] | keeperon [label="Attach the completed\n Keeper label to laptop" shape=box] | ||
| − | troubleshoot [label="Refer to the Troubleshooting | + | troubleshoot [label="Refer to the Troubleshooting Guide.\n Were you able to resolve the issue?"] |
resolved [label="Return to the step that led\n you to the troubleshooting process" shape=box] | resolved [label="Return to the step that led\n you to the troubleshooting process" shape=box] | ||
dead [label="This is a DEAD laptop.\n Attach a PARTS label and\n check the DEAD checkbox." shape=box] | dead [label="This is a DEAD laptop.\n Attach a PARTS label and\n check the DEAD checkbox." shape=box] | ||
| Line 54: | Line 54: | ||
} | } | ||
</graphviz> | </graphviz> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Troubleshooting Guide== | ||
| + | ===The laptop does not turn on=== | ||
| + | If a laptop does not turn on, or turns on for a split-second and turns off again, it usually indicates one of the following things: | ||
| + | * Drained battery AND bad power supply | ||
| + | * Bad RAM | ||
| + | * Logic board failure | ||
| + | * Power connector/DC-in board failure | ||
| + | |||
| + | Follow these steps to see if you can determine the cause of the problem: | ||
| + | # Check for spilled liquid on the laptop. This is probably the most common reason laptops are donated to Free Geek. There is not much hope for spill victims, and since the extent of the damage cannot be adequately assessed in a reasonable amount of time, the laptop should be recycled. Obvious signs of a spill victim are: | ||
| + | #* sticky keys and/or stains on the keyboard | ||
| + | #* pools of sticky residue under the keyboard, on the logic board, around seams in the casing, and/or in the battery slot | ||
| + | # Apple power supplies don't have particularly high-quality cables and have a tendency to get frayed. Find a known working power supply and try it on the laptop. If that doesn't work, move on to the next step. | ||
| + | # As some Apple laptops do not have clear indicators as to whether or not they are on, it can be difficult to tell when are on or not if the internal speakers are disconnected or if the startup chime is disabled in Open Firmware. You should pick up the laptop, press the Power button, and feel for any vibrations. If you can feel something move in the laptop when you do this, it is probably getting power from somewhere. If nothing moves, move on to the next step. | ||
| + | # Gently shake the laptop. If you can hear something rattling around in there, that's a good indicator that either something snapped off the logic board or someone monkeyed around with it to catastrophic effect. If that's the case, the laptop can get recycled. If you don't hear any rattling, move on to the next step. | ||
| + | # Apple laptops use Power Management Units (PMUs) to manage power, and occasionally they will flip out and stop working properly. Resetting the PMU will sometimes fix the problem. To learn how to reset the PMU for various models, please follow [http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1431 this link] for directions. If that doesn't resolve the problem, move on to the next step. | ||
| + | # Bad RAM will sometimes prevent a system from starting up. Remove all RAM from the system and trying powering it on. If it does not have any RAM built onto the logic board, it should complain by beeping. If it beeps, try adding different RAM. If there is no change in behavior, replace the RAM and move on to the next step. | ||
| + | # Find a known working battery for the particular type of laptop you are working on, charge it for a bit in a working laptop, and swap it into the one you are evaluating. If the laptop turns on, odds are the logic board is good but the power connector/DC-in board is bad. | ||
| + | |||
| + | If following these steps does not change the behavior of the laptop, odds are it is irreparably broken and should get recycled. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Laptop turns on, but the display does not work=== | ||
| + | There are several failure modes laptop displays will fail with, and they are all useful to some degree for diagnosing problems: Among the more common failure modes are: | ||
[[Category:Macintosh]] | [[Category:Macintosh]] | ||
Revision as of 18:40, 2 September 2009
MacBuild Laptop Eval
Troubleshooting Guide
The laptop does not turn on
If a laptop does not turn on, or turns on for a split-second and turns off again, it usually indicates one of the following things:
- Drained battery AND bad power supply
- Bad RAM
- Logic board failure
- Power connector/DC-in board failure
Follow these steps to see if you can determine the cause of the problem:
- Check for spilled liquid on the laptop. This is probably the most common reason laptops are donated to Free Geek. There is not much hope for spill victims, and since the extent of the damage cannot be adequately assessed in a reasonable amount of time, the laptop should be recycled. Obvious signs of a spill victim are:
- sticky keys and/or stains on the keyboard
- pools of sticky residue under the keyboard, on the logic board, around seams in the casing, and/or in the battery slot
- Apple power supplies don't have particularly high-quality cables and have a tendency to get frayed. Find a known working power supply and try it on the laptop. If that doesn't work, move on to the next step.
- As some Apple laptops do not have clear indicators as to whether or not they are on, it can be difficult to tell when are on or not if the internal speakers are disconnected or if the startup chime is disabled in Open Firmware. You should pick up the laptop, press the Power button, and feel for any vibrations. If you can feel something move in the laptop when you do this, it is probably getting power from somewhere. If nothing moves, move on to the next step.
- Gently shake the laptop. If you can hear something rattling around in there, that's a good indicator that either something snapped off the logic board or someone monkeyed around with it to catastrophic effect. If that's the case, the laptop can get recycled. If you don't hear any rattling, move on to the next step.
- Apple laptops use Power Management Units (PMUs) to manage power, and occasionally they will flip out and stop working properly. Resetting the PMU will sometimes fix the problem. To learn how to reset the PMU for various models, please follow this link for directions. If that doesn't resolve the problem, move on to the next step.
- Bad RAM will sometimes prevent a system from starting up. Remove all RAM from the system and trying powering it on. If it does not have any RAM built onto the logic board, it should complain by beeping. If it beeps, try adding different RAM. If there is no change in behavior, replace the RAM and move on to the next step.
- Find a known working battery for the particular type of laptop you are working on, charge it for a bit in a working laptop, and swap it into the one you are evaluating. If the laptop turns on, odds are the logic board is good but the power connector/DC-in board is bad.
If following these steps does not change the behavior of the laptop, odds are it is irreparably broken and should get recycled.
Laptop turns on, but the display does not work
There are several failure modes laptop displays will fail with, and they are all useful to some degree for diagnosing problems: Among the more common failure modes are: