MacBook Air 11" (Mid-2011) Hardware Question

Question

Level 1

8 points

MacBook Air 11" (Mid-2011) Hardware Question

Hi, I was given a MacBook Air "Core i5" 1.6 11" (Mid-2011) a few months ago by my sister. I'm new to Mac's but I have been fixing PC's for over 20 years. Need a little advice on this problematic model.

Full Specifications are here MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011) - Technical Specifications

Short story is the Macbook Air was dead. After purchasing the specialised screwdrivers to open up the macbook air I managed to pull out the internal SSD Flashdrive out but as Apple uses custom connectors I had to purchase an external enclosure to test the drive and it was DEAD.

So I installed El Capitan onto an EXTERNAL drive plugged into the usb drive. That is a plus for Apple in allowing external drives to boot up and a nice feature.

Once I got the macbook air I found the following multiple hardware faults.

1. SSD drive is dead

2. Camera and Microphone is dead. No facetime.

3 The POWER BUTTON is dead and holding it down will not turn off the macbook air. (I had to unplug the battery connector from the motherboard) This allowed me to turn off and on the computer buy pulling out the magsafe power supply.

I have been fixing Windows based computers for decades and never seen so many parts fail at once. WHAT POSSIBLE COULD CAUSE THIS?

At first I thought it was the logic board at fault but I doubt this is the case. I can only presume a POWER SURGE or something to do this much damage.

I hoped to get this up and running for my daughter starting high school to save some money but sadly not the case. The price of just the ssd drive is high and it still has a chance to not work if the logic board is also damaged.

SO AND MACBOOK HARDWARE SPECIALISTS GOT SOME ADVICE?

Is it true that to fix the power button which is dead the entire keyboard needs replacing?

Any tips would help. For now I am able to use with the base cover off and the battery unplugged but it is in now way portable.

Many thanks

cinospotts

MacBook Air, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5), MacBook Air 11" Mid 2011

Posted on Jun 19, 2016 8:20 PM

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Answer 1

jndupuis1

Level 2

462 points

Jun 19, 2016 10:08 PM in response to cinospotts

Similar to you, I have been dealing with PC and old computers for years. You have quite the list and you have probably answered your own question. I have researched the Logic Board alone and saw $200 - 300 min. purchasing from a reputable Apple Parts source. My opinion.

Put the 2011 Mac Air all back together and trade her in.

MacBook Air 2015 11" Apple Refurbishment. $759.00 with Apple 90 day warranty and 1 yr Apple Care. All new accessories. Apple treats their refurbs like new Macs for that New out of box experience. Here's a link:

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/FJVM2LL/A/refurbished-116-inch-macbook-air-16g hz-dual-core-intel-core-i5

None of us here can estimate what Trade-in value your Mac Air holds, but, The Apple Store can discuss this with you. Hope this helps!

Cheers!!

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Answer 2

cinospotts Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 19, 2016 10:19 PM in response to jndupuis1

Hi, Thanks for the quick and thoughtful reply. I was NOT aware of the trade-in option with apple as I'm new to the apple side of things. Sounds like a good option to get a refurbished Mabook Air. I live in Australia but found refurbished options in my country which is great. See http://www.apple.com/au/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_air/11 but the prices are much higher than the link you gave.

I think the trade in option is the best option. Even if get a new logic board the ssd is dead and all that adds up to a lot of dollars.

From the PC side of things there are a lot of things to like about Macs. I had a lot of fun learning how to do an operation install from scratch to an external drive. The downside to Macs as I can see is they don't want you fixing your own computers making it impossible for most to even up up their notebook macs.

I am still puzzled at what could have caused so many parts to die at once. I mean the camera, microphone and power button could all be a faulty logic board but for the SSD drive to die as well is unusual. (I tested the SSD with an external adapter on a working mac but dead dead dead)

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Answer 3

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,329 points

Jun 20, 2016 3:21 AM in response to cinospotts

Apples 'trade-in' will be only a nominal amount for disposing and recycling the MBA. In short, Apple does not deal with trade-ins in the traditional sense.

What you might do is look at iFixit.com and Powerbookmedic.com web sites. They have parts, prices and repair instructions for all Macs which should help you repair the MBA.

Ciao.

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Answer 4

jndupuis1

Level 2

462 points

Jun 20, 2016 6:25 AM in response to cinospotts

Hi!

Any sign of liquid or faulty ribbon cable(s)? Plugged a No-no into the USB port? This all, of course with Mercury and Venus aligning with Neptune. LOL! 😁 You know how electronics are. I'm shooting towards a liquid accident with a dry out but no way of pulling the battery before the damage was done.

Cheers!!

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