Q: MacBook Pro Blank Screen (Built - in & External) - continued

My Macbook Pro Intel 2.4Ghz has just stopped working - well the screen has stopped working, i closed the lid when i left work at 8pm and took the laptop out of the bag when i got home around 8:40pm the laptop was red hot (to hot to touch for any time) i opened the lid and the screen didn't wake from sleep. So i held down the power button to force a shut down, then pulled the battery. Left it for a while and the put the battery back in and powered up the laptop the chime sounded but no screen, just black.

I think that I would be very lucky if Apple would repair it for free, as i brought the laptop around 2 years ago from apple refurb - does anyone have any idea how much it will cost to fix the macbook pro in the UK?

our would it be better to buy another Macbook Pro?

Thanks

I sent my macbook to Service Pro in Mexico city which is the offical Apple support with the problems that I wrote on the previous page. The same symtopms as everyone else basically.

I closed the computer very hot, and the screen never came back. The gpu melted...

I bought my macbook like 18 months ago, so my apple care died half year ago... but they are repairing the logic board almost for free. I'm only paying for the work hours.

So thank you Apple. I really hope this problem has been fixed in the newer macbook models.

The only advice I can give you is if you have santa rosa 2007 macbook pro is to never close the lid while the fan is still working. The gpu will probably melt as it has happened to hundreds of people.

I'm not really sure... but as I see it the problem is that the gpu melts at an inferior temperature that nvidia specified. So the macbook doesn't refrigerate the interior enough and when you close the lid it only keeps the cpu at a good temperature and not the gpu.

The thing is that it should be easily correct by software... on a pc you can configure all the temperature settings at the bios, depending on the motherboard.

Take you're macbook pro into an apple store or authorised repair center. If it fails their NVIDIA test then Apple will repair it for free for 3 years from purchase under the following program:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377

If they won't repair it then they'll probably charge about £700-800 for a logic board replacement.
As you're in the UK... you miiight be able to get Apple to repair it under the Sale of Goods Act as ammended. The fact that it's a refurb might mean it's not expected to last as long though. Don't know but there's some options for you.

Macbook Pro is FIXED!!! FOR FREE!!! under warranty!!! Woooop Woooop!!

Macbook pro would not boot light on front and hardrive noise but nothing on screen...


So i took it to apple store and got seen by the head genius (hmmm).

And because it wont boot and they have the diagnostics to see if it is the graphics chip on a usb drive he could not confirm that because it cant read/start the drive... and told me he could do nothing and it would be a new logic board and cos i am out of warranty and applecare it would be £700.

Morning!

So i took it to the "mac and pc centre" manchester a certified reseller service centre for a second opinion and see if they could repair for less...

So they confirmed the logic board needed changing but they asked apple if i could be done under warranty and apple said thats fine so its here after 2 days in the shop all repaired...i am happy...

Still gonna get a mac pro soon though..

Cheers.. woop woop

In just 3 days my macbook was repaired for free.

YEAH!

Just in case someone has the same problem with the 8600 GT fron Nvidia
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377

same problem with me...

MBP 2.4ghz, crashed up last week...

give some of your good luck...

mine is going in tomorrow.

yay, they're fixing it for free!

So Apple won't fix my laptop and just looking at other options.
Can anyone recommend an Apple repair shop that does board/component level repairs on a Macbook Pro?
I'm in the UK but happy to send it to the US if it works out considerably cheaper.

Found a few in the UK that have quoted about £450-500 for a logic board repair.
CRS in Florida have quoted $250 for the the repair. Has anyone heard of them or know if they're reliable? -http://www.crsrepair.com/

Also any cheaper/more reliable options I might have?

The 10.5.8 update fixed my laptop!! I installed it via VNC from the new Mac that I got as replacement. The two restarts booted at a black screen too, but then I did a SMC reset and the thing came alive again! I rebooted it and put it to sleep repeatedly to check that it's not a fluke. I still can't believe it! I already wrote off this laptop as a brick!

I'm SO glad I didn't pay for fixing it! This proves that it was only a software glitch (probably with the SMC firmware). **** it Apple, you almost made me pay a lot of money for YOUR error! Also, imagine all the people that experienced this error while in their warranty. Apple had to replace thousands of motherboards because of a ******* software error! And all the people that paid for having their motherboard replaced! They will never be able to prove that the fault was a software update...

Anyway, everyone having a no video Macbook Pro install this update, let it do the double restart and then do an SMC reset. And let us know if it worked for you, of course!

hmm...
I'd be very interested to know if this works so I hope more people test it out soon.
Adashi, what were your symptoms before? Did you have responsive keyboard lights? Start up chime etc?
I don't have another mac or know anyone else nearby with a mac so wanna find out the likelihood of success before I hunt out for Mac neighbours.

The symptoms were: after the 10.5.7 update it restarted fine, but the after I put it to sleep the screen never came on. The keyboard lights were working, it had the startup chime, I could VNC into it and the graphic card showed up as X3100 instead of NVidia 8600M GT. And the white power light was glowing constantly as if the screen was sleeping. The screen only came on twice after that, once after I put it in Target Disk mode and then restarted, and once after I reinstalled the system from the original DVD (also in Target Disk drive mode, from another Mac). But once I closed the lid and put it to sleep, it would wake up without the screen.

Now it's back to normal, I've put it to sleep several times and rebooted it as well - and still every time it pleasantly surprises me, it's going to take a while to get used to the fact that it WORKS again. (And the video card shows up as the NVidia as well.)

Sorry to get everyone's hopes up. Today when I booted the machine (it was shut down overnight), it woke to a black screen again... So if you get the screen working after this update, it will work for 3 restarts and about 4 sleeps, so use them wise.

10.5.8 still only includes SMC 1.3 which came with 10.5.7

This definitely does not fix the problem and in some cases may have made things worse (by hanging the sleep when the lid was closed after the update and overheating the machine).

Well my mbp 15 2.2ghz it happen to yesterday.

Talk ot apple lastnight and they told me will need to take in aasp.

My luck its logic board and stuff.

Ran flawless from when I got it.

From what i can tell i might be this to http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377.

Crossing fingers going take in on monday to see.