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User profile for user: antonisalb
antonisalb Author
User level: Level 1
0 points

SOS help please. Macbook Pro won't turn on. Blinking Light

Hello to everyone this is my first post here and sadly its about a problem with my macbook pro.
The notebook in question is a 17'' Macbook Pro I bought in September 2008.
I simply closed it (without turning it off, just let it go on sleep) and took it with me as usual and when I tried turning it on again, it would not turn on.

I press the power button and I hear the hard drive/superdrive (not sure which of the two) start up and I see the sleep light turn on but after a few seconds its turns off again. If I hold the power button down for a few seconds the sleep light starts blinking and then the notebook turns off once more. In all cases the screen is black.

I tried everything here http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1365 and tried removing and re-installing the RAM and nothing changed.
Short of trying to re-install the RAM again I have no idea what to do. I won't be able to visit a Genius until after the 5th so any ideas/suggestions?

macbook pro sep '08

Posted on Jan 2, 2010 11:33 PM

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4 replies
User profile for user: jinnes
jinnes
User level: Level 1
13 points

Jan 3, 2010 7:23 PM in response to S.U.

Anyone know what the blinking light codes mean. I've spent hours trying to figure out. You would think Apple could document it somewhere. My 15" late 2009 unibody is not starting on power up and I've tried everything. I get slow blinks from the suspend button that repeat, the DVD drive starts and then quits each time it blinks.
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User profile for user: Rod Hagen
Rod Hagen
User level: Level 7
32,000 points

Jan 4, 2010 2:57 PM in response to jinnes

see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2674 and http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2341 for some information about beeps and flashes.

In your case, though, jinnes, the slow blinks suggest that the computer is simply refusing to wake up from sleep.

One possible, though unusual, cause of this can be if you are using the computer with it stacked on top of a macbook. In this case the magnet in the macbook underneath activates the Hall effect switch in the MBP, making the latter think the lid is closed, and preventing wakeup. I've had this happen to me and it is quite unnerving at the time! Simply moving the MBP will fix it. see http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2917

The same effect could be generated by proximity to other magnets.

It is also possible , if this is not your situation, that the hall effect switch in your MBP is actually defective. It may be worth trying simply opening and closing the lid a few times to see if you can get it to activate.

Cheers

Rod
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SOS help please. Macbook Pro won't turn on. Blinking Light

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