MacBook Pro 13.3" mid 2012 wont work no matter what I do

From what you describe I would suspect a failing hard drive or possibly a bad internal hard drive cable. You could try running the Apple Hardware Test. If the laptop has a third party SSD installed, then it will most likely fail the test. Even if the Hardware Test passes, it does not mean the drive or cable is good.

The best way to check if the hard drive is failing is by using an external boot drive and running an app to check the drive's health, or removing the drive and connecting it to another computer to check the drive's health. There is a slim chance you might be able to put the laptop into Target Disk Mode and connect it to another computer, but I'm not sure if Target Disk Mode will pass the necessary commands to check the drive's health.

FYI, the 13" MBPro (mid-2012) model had a high failure rate for the hard drive cable. At one time Apple was replacing the cable for free, but this program is over for most people. When a cable failure occurs it could just produce intermittent issues or it could keep the drive from working at all.

I bought a refurbished Apple MacBook Pro MD101LL/A 13.3-inch Laptop (2.5Ghz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD)  about 3 months ago, the other day it randomly stopped booting up. it starts when I hit the power button and even allows me to put in my password but when it goes to load into the desktop it never finishes no matter how long I wait.

I kept trying every possible thing that I could to fix it, every single tip and trick I have found online, every keyboard combo, going into recovery, literally everything I have seen I eventually have now tried. Internet recovery doesn't work, reloading OS, nothing.

I haven't opened the back yet but to see if it could be a RAM card or a Hard drive issue, maybe the logic board, maybe the CPU. I have no idea at this point and any help would be much appreciated. Im hoping the company that sold me the refurbished computer will replace it with a working one.

I would not throw any money at it until you get the issue diagnosed.

You can try running the Diagnostic/AHT http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509

However, not definitive by any means, but may kick out an error code.

In or out of warranty you can get a free over the counter 'Apple Service Diagnostics' test

Make an appointment:

https://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/

https://checkcoverage.apple.com/

https://support.apple.com/my-support

https://support.apple.com/en-lamr/aasp-program

From iOS online Genius Bar appointment:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-support/id1130498044?mt=8

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-10081

I would not throw any money at it until you get the issue diagnosed. 


The best way to diagnosis the HD is put it in an external enclosure and boot from there—this will bypass the internal SATA cable.  If it boots successfully externally, then you have identified the problem as the SATA cable.

I agree.

If it won't boot externally, then you can connect the drive to another computer and check the drive's health. I would check the drive's health even if it boots externally. If connecting the drive to Mac you can use DriveDX along with a special driver. If you connect it to a Windows PC, then use GSmartControl. If these apps don't show it as failing, feel free to post a screenshot of the drive's SMART Attributes (or Health Indicators) using one of those apps. Most drive failures can be determined from the use of those apps.

For memory, I am partial to Crucial as I very seldom get a defective module and I've rarely had them fail. Stay with a name brand or you will likely encounter issues. Crucial's website provides an easy way to identify the correct part for your system and they are usually fair on price.

For SSDs, I like the Crucial MX series, but Samsung is also a good option. I've used the OWC Mercury line, but I don't care for them as much because OWC doesn't list what firmware updates fix and OWCs platform independent firmware updater is sort of "ok" for Apple systems, but not for anyone else. Don't bother with the Crucial BX500 SSD as it is an economy model lacking many features and can be slow. Stay with a name brand SSD or you will likely have problems. Also make sure the manufacturer provides a platform independent firmware updater in an .iso format so you can update the SSD's firmware. Some brands only provide a Windows app for firmware updates.

While you should always have good verified working backups, it is even more important when using SSDs. Sometimes SSDs will fail without any advanced warning signs. Data recovery may not be possible due to the way SSDs operate internally.