Won't start up; charger blinking orange

I had the same problem. The power adapter was blinking orange. Disconnecting the battery wouldn't fix it. I'm not exactly sure what fixed it but this is what I did.

1) plug power adapter into a different wall circuit

2) remove back cover and unplug battery (make sure it can't reconnect)

3) plug in power adapter (be careful with the back off of the computer) and hold down the power button for a long time (30 seconds). At this point the power adapter started blinking green.

4) unplug the power adapter

5) plug the battery back in and put cover back on computer

6) plug power adapter back into computer (at this point the power adapter went orange to indicate charging and my computer started just fine)

7) back everything up because you might not be as lucky next time.

Just encountered same issue...MacBook Pro completely died in the middle of working in iTunes...charger faintly flashing orange. Tried the instructions from dbartul...removed screws from the bottom, removed the lid and gently disconnected battery connector. Reconnected after a minute or so and back in business! Thanks dbartul!

Hi - so I also had the same issue - dead - blinking charger light - opened her up, unplugged the battery, reconnected and it worked. But it keeps happenening!
I've had to unscrew and unplug my macbook pro 13-inch (mid-2012) about 4 or 5 times in the last 4 weeks. Does anyone know what the actual CAUSE of the problem might be?

I'm just scared that one of these days this quick fix will no longer work :/

Any advise is appreciated

peace

There might be a problem with your battery in the computer. What do the battery level lights show on the side of the computer?

It would also be wise to visually inspect the magsafe receptacle on your computer and see that it's not damaged or plugged up with some foreign object or debris. This could be preventing one of the pogo-pins from making proper contact to enable charging.

=Josh

It could just be your system management controller. Try resetting it using the following procedure:

Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

Note: Portable computers that have a battery you should not remove on your own include MacBook Pro (Early 2009) and later, all models of MacBook Air, and MacBook (Late 2009).

1. Shut down the computer.
2. Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
3. On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
4. Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
5. Press the power button to turn on the computer.
   Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.

This was found here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964

If that doesn't give any love it may actually be a battery problem. The part may just have been defective. Manufacturig isn't perfect, especially when you introduce things like Humans and Fridays. 🙂 That is why we have warranties.

Hopefully the SMC reset helps!

=Josh

I am having exactly the same problems that you mentioned. LED blinking orange. No battery indicator lights are working. Resetting the SMC not working. Connecting another magsafe charger not working. But i feel some vibration when I touch the laptop when the Magsafe charger is connected. Seems like the fan is working.

Can anyone help please!

Had the same problem with my MacBook Pro 13" (Late 2011), switching adapters didn't work, SMC reset didn't work and I was just about to quit trying and take it to the shop when out of frustration I've unplugged the battery connector and plugged it right back in and that FIXED IT!!

(note: do not remove the battery since that will void the warranty, just remove the connector)

I had the same problem with my MacBook Pro 17" (Early 2011).

Started to convert a file, all of a sudden the fans start working overtime, next minute, my Mac crashes. The Magsafe Power Charger started to blinking a very vague orange. Looked at the forums and tried to reset the SMC, but that didn't work. So I took the advice of (dbartul) and opened up my MacBook and disconnected the Battery Connector, then plugged it back in. And...voila!!! FIXED.

Don't know why there was a problem? All I know is my MBP works fine now. Thanks (dbartul).🙂

(note: DO NOT REMOVE the Battery as this will VOID your WARRANT. Just remove the connector)

How do you do this?

there's a little cable going from the battery to the connector on the motherboard (low right corner), you just have to unplug it and plug it right back in.

Do you need a really tiny screwdriver to get the back off then too? I'll try and find one. Thanks!

you have to take the lid off first, of course 🙂

Had exactly the same issue. Thanks dbartul 😀

Do you have a picture of which one to unplug?