Dead Powerbook

[ComputerClinic]

I have a dead powerbook 15" unibody (http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Device/MacBook_Pro_15%22_Unibody) and I'm unsure where to start troubleshooting. It won't power on at all, no lights or anything. I've tried removing the battery and RAM. When I have this problem with Windows laptops I test the AC adapter first, and then strip away parts one by one until its down the the mobo, CPU, and RAM using an external monitor. After that I am confident that its the motherboard.

Should I do the same thing with this powerbook? The only problem is that there is no VGA port. Also, I'm not sure how to test the AC adapter voltage. The light on the adapter turns on when I plug it in. Also, the batter charge button shows that the battery has some charge. Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

[anonymous Mac Tech]

I'd suspect a spill right off the bat. You should be able to remove the bottom case and see all of the bottom of the board. If the liquid came in from behind through the back vent the fan would have thrown it right onto the logic board. Otherwise if it came through the top, there are liquid spill indicators on the top case, but seeing them is sometimes tricky because the board has to come out (along with just about everything else) to look for the LSIs (liquid spill indicators). This thing has to perhaps still be under warranty, so why is this thing not at an Apple shop (unless you are Apple authorized)?

[ComputerClinic]

I'd suspect a spill right off the bat. You should be able to remove the bottom case and see all of the bottom of the board. If the liquid came in from behind through the back vent the fan would have thrown it right onto the logic board. Otherwise if it came through the top, there are liquid spill indicators on the top case, but seeing them is sometimes tricky because the board has to come out (along with just about everything else) to look for the LSIs (liquid spill indicators). This thing has to perhaps still be under warranty, so why is this thing not at an Apple shop (unless you are Apple authorized)?

It is still under warranty and I am not apple authorized. This is a student with important data and he needs his computer to do his homework. I told him that I could possible have it repaired within 48 hours depending on what I found (I know sometimes a SMU or PMU reset will fix problems like this). He didn't want to send it in if there was a chance of having it back sooner. I will just tell him that it is likely a logic board problem and it wouldn't be any faster for me to repair it because I have to order a part and it would also cost a ton. I will offer to burn his important data to CD or DVD and advise him to send it in for repair. Thank you.

[anonymous Mac Tech]

If you've already reset the SMC, it is very likely it is a logic board or perhaps a defective top case. There are pads at the bottom of the logic board where shorting the pads will get the machine to power on. Sometimes this involves disconnecting the keyboard and trackpad connections to the logic board for the pads to short successfully. So the best you could do is maybe just get the thing to turn on. But fixing it is pointless do to it being under warranty and you won't be able to get parts.

If he has an external HD and you have a Mac, you can make a complete disk image of his drive using disk utility for him so he can connect it to another mac and either migrate his data to another mac or at least have access to the whole contents of his drive.

[dracken]

There is a ribbon cable connector on the motherboard if you take off the bottom panel. That connects the top case to the motherboard, if it is loose it wont power on, it does sound like a bad logic board from your problem description though.