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E_Louise Author

Level 1

16 points

Won't start up; charger blinking orange

Came home from work and went to turn on my late-2011 MacBook Pro. It won't start up. Nothing happens (no tone, no motor noise, nothing). When plugged in (MagSafe power charger that came with the unit) the charger unit blinks orange. Tried the charger on my other computer - works just fine. Tried 2 other MagSafe power chargers (from other Macs I own/have owned) and all act the same way with this computer, but work just fine with another Mac.

Anyone have any idea what's going on? I have owned Macs since 1988 (over the years I've owned a Macintosh II, Macintosh Performa, Power Mac, Power Book, and another MacBook Pro before this one). I've never had a problem like this one before...HELP!

[A side note: There have been NO spills, no tumbles, no falls, nothing to prompt any sort of issues....This was a completely RANDOM "dead" laptop!]

MacBook Pro (13-inch Late 2011)

Posted on Sep 5, 2012 8:03 PM

Top-ranking reply

DannyJamesAudio

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Jun 1, 2017 11:53 PM

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.

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172 replies

Nov 16, 2015 4:58 AM in response to Joshua Kapellen

Charger plug LED was blinking green and orange. Screen battery indicator showed MacBook was connected to mains power - but battery % indicator would not rise - not charging. Removed charger from mains and MacBook, plugged up again and hey presto charger reset.

Dec 4, 2015 4:51 AM in response to dbartul

dbartul wrote:

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)

THANKS dbartul it helped me a lot!

Feb 8, 2016 12:34 PM in response to dbartul

Thank you very much. I thought my MacBook Pro was finished, in desperation I searched on iPad for a diagnosis / solution and within 15 minutes I was back alive using your great tip.

Feb 27, 2016 4:08 AM in response to dbartul

thanks for the tips, it works brilliantly. Thanks

Feb 27, 2016 4:10 AM in response to Fiachrag

Cheers for that

Apr 25, 2016 8:18 PM in response to dbartul

Thank you so much. My extreme doubt in this working mainly stemmed due to nothing is usually that easy to repair for me and my husband. However I was determined to try the easy and free way first so I didn't regret it. When I opened it up I got worried because I wasn't sure I had right spot and didn't want to pull on something thinking it was plug like and it being soddered in there. I had nothing to fear, I lifted cable plug, then put back in & VIOLA I have a running laptop that didn't cost anything to fix.

Apr 25, 2016 10:30 PM in response to dbartul

HELP!!! As I stated several hours ago this method also worked for me and was sooo ecstatic. However,after several hours of use the same thing happened again. What should I do now??

spudnuty

Level 5

7,122 points

Apr 26, 2016 6:43 AM in response to sharon681

Hi sharon681,

It would help us to know the year made and the size of your machine.

Go look on the bottom of your machine, pull the serial number and run it here:

http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

You'll have to go in again and unplug the battery. This time leave it unplugged ( You might have to cover the plug with tape. These plugs have a tendency to replug themselves when you flip them upright. I use Scotch Blue painters tape or the equivalent.) Using just the the power adapter, try to start it again.

A defective battery or power adapter can cause this symptom. So use another power adapter and see if that works. What's the wattage rating on the power adapter? ( Written on it.)

pmoribe

Level 1

8 points

Apr 30, 2016 3:29 PM in response to dbartul

Thanks a lot, dbartul!

pmoribe

Level 1

8 points

Apr 30, 2016 3:30 PM in response to Fiachrag

Thanks for the pix!!!

dejussel

Level 1

14 points

Jul 3, 2016 9:09 PM in response to spudnuty

Hey Spud, I have the same problem as most of these guys n gals. MBP 13" 2012 won't turn on, with an orangey/greeney light blinking on the magsafe charger. I've tried everything Apple suggests, as well as SMC resets, and disconnecting the battery. Any other ideas? I'm too broke to take it to Apple atm. Thanks