The MacBook from Hell or the Macbook Came back…

Just like the old the Cat came back scenario, a "client" dropped off his inherited original MacBook Core Duo from his university son unannounced last evening and basically demanding I get it working properly again. Yup again!!!

Brief history of this "MB from Hell" as I call it over the last four-six months and it had obviously been dropped several times and quite abused but everything worked after some serious fixes:
- Goofy HD replaced and new virgin Leopard 10.5.8 installed.
- New larger RAM installed
- it's CD/DVD optical drive doesn't work and a USB external drive purchased for his use and convenience.
- a new replacement battery installed

Then a month or so later the keyboard keys wouldn't work so a new working top case (keyboard and trackpad module) was replaced. Left here all working properly.

Now, some four months later he says he hasn't been able to use it for several weeks now which is BS, as when I was finally able to get it to boot or to check it with Target Disk Mode that works, the users desktop has some very recent downloads and the Safari history shows some very recent connections.

Its existing problem now is that it will NOT boot without an almost instant cold boot kernel panic:
- boot chime -> silver-grey screen that quickly changes to blue, Apple logo shows, no spinning loading gear wheel and then the kernel panic window saying to restart. All within about 10 seconds.

RAM has been switched with various known good woking chips, and the 10.5.8 Combo has been installed again without any improvements.

The MB when in target disk mode can be used and booted with two different Macs and is fully bootable.

The MB can NOT boot from any compatible boot drive via FW or even a boot CD/DVD using an external LaCie CD/DVD FW drive when it it's present state. Nor can I run any Apple Hardware Test on the MB.

The only way I have been able to maybe get it to boot is by using various PRAM and PMU resets and sometimes with a single user or verbose boot process, but that may work one out of maybe ten tries.

BTW: doing a PRAM reset, I only get a single chime and then the display goes black, but the HD is still running. No choice left other than holding the power switch for some seconds to get the MB to finally shut down and quit.

Bottom line question for the Mac gurus I guess, has this MB used up all its lives and is it now completely KAPUT and maybe now just a decorative doorstop??

Any logic board replacement would seem to be a wasted Don Quixote futility type thing.

But maybe I'm missing some easy fix thing??? But I don't think so and I suspect that this particular MB core duo MB's life has finally come to it's demise.

Any comments welcome, except those telling me I'm a stupid Mac user idiot!!

Thanks.

PS: Sorry for the long post, but many say to include ALL details!!! Which I think that I have done. ;)

The kernel panic screen would make me suspect it's not the typical fried logic board which wouldn't even get that far, it would just freeze or die silently during the boot process. But if you can't boot up with a boot disk from USB or Firewire that's a reeeeeaally bad sign. You are definitely looking at something that would be more than the cost of the computer to fix (the core duos are what, $300-450 in perfect condition now?)

I'd hazard a guess that's all she wrote. If it were me I'd Yank the drive, stick it in an enclosure and call it a day.

Zombie MacBook. After a certain point, it's like you're Dr. Frankenstein, bringing the dead back to life. That puppy deserves a decent burial.

From your description, the father/son appear to be the biggest part of the problem...

You must first determine if the issue is caused by the logic board or by an internal component (device, cable, top case, etc).

- remove the top case and disconnect it from the logic board
- disconnect everything from the logic board but the magsafe board, the inverter cable and the LVDS cable
- connect the magsafe to the MB and start the machine directly from the logic board. If you get an interrogation icon on screen without a KP then you know the logic board should be OK.

Since the machine has been dropped the problem can be caused by a bad solder joint, a connector that needs to be reseated, a bad cable, etc.

PM me if you decide to sell the machine for parts, I could be interested.

You must first determine if the issue is caused by the logic board or by an internal component (device, cable, top case, etc).

... ... ...

Since the machine has been dropped the problem can be caused by a bad solder joint, a connector that needs to be reseated, a bad cable, etc.

PM me if you decide to sell the machine for parts, I could be interested.

Thanks, but it's not mine to sell or decide, and I've already spent waaaay too much time on this MB and not about to do any surgery etc.

I was able to get it to boot late this morning after trying command+s, but no go and saw an upsetting line with part saying: Mac unable to find driver for this platform
and a few lines below with some text followed with <panic> and some other lines, and had to force shut down.

Then tried command+V, a whole bunch is lines and pages of data flew by, and it just proceeded to launch to blue screen and an auto login all on its own.

Looking at the Console log it doesn't appear that all the text I saw fly by got entered, so maybe it's still in memory???

Anyway this is where it sits, and everything seems to be working but I'm afraid to turn it off.

Maybe PM me if you have some similar but proper working MBs for sale and or trade up exchange models I could provide to the owner.

I won't hold my breath as he's already put $400.00+ into this MB with new HD, RAM, OS 10.5.x, battery and replacement top case, and I think they're mainly a windows using family.

Explain to the client that the abuse the machine has clearly suffered has affected logic-board-level components and that it's not worth fixing. Point him to MacDoc or someone like that who can sell the guy a decent machine at a good price, or he (the client) can go and get a second opinion from a tech (which MIGHT be worth doing).