Macbook Air dead/not dead/ part dead

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Level 1

4 points

Macbook Air dead/not dead/ part dead

Hi, got a slightly odd problem. I bought a mid-2013 macbook air book in 2015 and in 2017 it stopped working - seemed completely dead. i took it to an Apple shop and they tested it and said dead, probably due to liquid damage. i didn't get it repaired and popped it in a drawer meaning to dispose of it at some point.

Last week, I found it in the drawer and thought 'What the ****, I'll try it again before i ditch it'. i plugged it in and pressed 'on' and hey-ho - it started up. But the trackpad and keyboard were both dead.

I've got hold of a USB mouse and keyboard and they're both recognised and the mac has started up fine (I'm posting this from the 'dead' mac).

So, 2 questions really - 1) is there a way to reset trackpad and keyboard? Tried the SMC reset but no joy, presumably because the keyboard isn't working.

2) How can i factory reset the mac without going into recovery mode (or how can I get into recovery mode without restarting and holding down command-r) - the lack of keyboard functionality again means that i can't do this. The wireless keyboard i have is not an Apple keyboard and so has no command key.

Thanks in advance!

MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.12

Posted on Jan 6, 2020 9:12 AM

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Answer 1

HWTech

Level 9

69,320 points

Jan 11, 2020 7:08 PM in response to RBfaV

You may find that the Trackpad Cable where it connects to the Trackpad is damaged from the liquid spill. Sometimes just a new Trackpad & Trackpad Cable will be enough assuming the rest of the keyboard itself isn't damaged. FYI, the keyboard is connected to the Trackpad and the Trackpad connects to the Logic Board. However, you may have other liquid damaged components so it is hard to say whether the laptop will keep working or not.

As far as reinstalling macOS you should be able to do this using the external keyboard. The only thing you cannot do is perform an SMC reset with the external keyboard. If you cannot boot into Recovery Mode/Internet Recovery Mode, then either the internal keyboard is interfering or this is a sign of other liquid damage to the Logic Board.

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Answer 2

i_rina

Community Specialist

Jan 8, 2020 1:46 PM in response to RBfaV

Hey there RBfaV,

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities! It sounds like you've got a few questions about your Mac dealing with resetting some hardware and restoring the software. I'd be glad to provide you with a bit of guidance on that.

For your keyboard question, Look over Windows keys on a Mac keyboard as a guide to which keys are used to represent they keys from a keyboard tailored to a different operating system.

You've done a great job by resetting the SMC as that is how most hardware like the trackpad and keyboard are reset. You also mentioned that the Apple Authorized Service Provider you visited mentioned likely liquid damage to the Mac. If that turned out to be the case, that could be why the keyboard and trackpad are currently nonfunctioning, and resetting them wouldn't correct that.

Have a great rest of your day!

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Macbook Air dead/not dead/ part dead

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