15" Macbook Pro stuck in safe sleep

Question

15" Macbook Pro stuck in safe sleep

I've got a 15" MacBook Pro Mid-2010 that seems to be stuck in "Safe Sleep" mode. It got there when I left it running and didn't realize the power strip had fallen out of the wall outlet, so the old-and-worn battery didn't last very long before it zonked out.

I've tried resetting SMC, pressing and holding the power button, removing and reinstalling the RAM and HDD, and none of that has helped. The RAM and HDD are both aftermarket (Kingston RAM, maxed out, and a Transcend 512GB SSD), but neither are recent installations.

I can seem to toggle between sleep (slow-pulsing power light) and off (no light at all), but otherwise I can't get it to do anything. If the battery were removable, I'd pull it, but unfortunately it's not.

Any suggestions?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7), Core i7 15"

Posted on Aug 31, 2016 4:51 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

362,023 points

Aug 31, 2016 5:01 PM in response to Kevin Broderick1

Press and hold down the Power button until the computer shuts down.

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Answer 2

Aug 31, 2016 5:15 PM in response to Kappy

Tried that, timed it at over a minute without clearing state.

I can get it to stop pulsing the power light (and presumably turn off), but when I press the power button again, whether a short press, long press (~10 sec.) or absurdly long press (> 30sec), it just goes back to safe sleep mode.

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

362,023 points

Aug 31, 2016 5:30 PM in response to Kevin Broderick1

It would help to tell me what version of OS X is currently installed. Most likely you will need to reinstall OS X because the system became corrupted during the improper shutdown. Be sure you keep it connected to the AC charger.

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Answer 4

Aug 31, 2016 5:44 PM in response to Kappy

It's running OS X 10.9.

If it wasn't already clear, I can't get the darn thing to even reboot and chime, so reinstalling the OS is still a long ways from possible, unless I pull the drive and reinstall from another machine (which is plausible, but I don't think it will do much given that attempting to boot the machine with the hard drive removed resulted in the same exact behavior as with it installed).

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Answer 5

Kappy

Level 10

362,023 points

Aug 31, 2016 6:30 PM in response to Kevin Broderick1

If there is no chime and the computer will not start, then you have a hardware problem to deal with. Make an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar for service. If needed find an Apple Store - Find a Store - Apple.

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