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John

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John
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  • It's looking more and more like a board issue, especially considering the external video did not work. Just to be clear, when you reinstalled the OS, did you boot from restore media, format your hard drive, and go through the whole standard install…
    in Macbook display problem Comment by John September 2013
  • Hi! Please try the procedure outlined in my video below, and let me know if it works for you or not. Thanks! https://www.rdklinc.com/tutorials/knv8UMTIIfQ
    in my imac apple is firmware locked,can you help please Comment by John September 2013
  • Hi! Thanks for the post! First, what are the last 3 digits of your serial number, so I can identify exactly which MacBook Pro you have? We need to figure out whether this is a board issue, a hard drive issue, or a video system issue. If this is …
    in Macbook display problem Comment by John September 2013
  • Hi Nigel! Thanks for the post! Have you seen my video on removing and re-connecting the PRAM battery in order to fix machines that are acting like yours? Let me know if it helps! And if not, let me know, and we can go from there. https://www.yo…
    in Powerbook G4 Ti nostart :-( Comment by John September 2013
  • Hi! Again, I would be somewhat reluctant to invest too much in this machine due to the cost associated. You can get a working 17" 1.67GHZ machine for $250-$400 on eBay, but definitely consider the fact that you can get a 17" MacBook Core …
    in Upgrade my 17" G4 PowerBook Comment by John August 2013
  • Hi, and thanks for the post! Before starting I would take note of the fact that very nice 13" MacBooks are available on eBay for less than $300. Since a random handful of the upgrades you've mentioned would cost about that amount, it's worth …
    in Upgrade my 17" G4 PowerBook Comment by John August 2013
  • That's great that you have tried several DC-ins -- with aluminums, it's always difficult to know whether the DC-in or the board is the problem. So, yes, I would guess it's the board. I have seen some aluminums that power off randomly due to a stri…
    in Powerbook G4 start up problem Comment by John July 2013
  • Hi! Thanks for the post! I am not sure which of the videos you watched...do you have a Titanium (black keys) or an Aluminum (silver keys)? I would twist the AC adapter plug in the socket and see if its color changes. If you notice that it change…
    in Powerbook G4 start up problem Comment by John July 2013
  • Awesome, that's great to hear! Good luck with the machine, and hopefully it will last you several more years. Thanks, John
    in 1 GHz TiBook won't start up Comment by John July 2013
  • Hi Chris! Yeah, sorry to say it, but it's probably a bad board. The intermittent power issues usually indicate a weak or cracked trace on the board that only connects from time to time. This is often caused by ESD (electrostatic discharge). If y…
    in 1 GHz TiBook won't start up Comment by John July 2013
  • Hi Christopher! Thanks for the post! Don't worry about "rambling" -- it's far better to have more information than not enough. Yes, a battery is a distraction...when troubleshooting it's always best to reduce the situation to the fewest…
    in 1 GHz TiBook won't start up Comment by John June 2013
  • "Jhon", In addition to Devitol's question (which is important in determining whether or not you actually have a PRAM password), have you tried watching my video on the subject?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knv8UMTIIfQ Assuming you d…
    in Macbook pro15" Comment by John June 2013
  • Yikes, sorry to hear that. My guess is that you may not have been grounded and were carrying around a buildup of static electricity, and then when you jumped the board, it received the full impact of this. If you noticed a smell, most likely the b…
    in macbook jumpstart Comment by John March 2013
  • The best way is to buy a retail copy of the OS, probably on eBay. It's important to get the retail copy, because it is not specific to a certain model laptop, whereas the non-retail versions are, which is a pain. And I'd recommend installing it fr…
    in Broken Apple computers? Comment by John March 2013
  • Hi! Thanks for the post! The vast majority of my broken laptops come from electronics recyclers. If you do a Google search in your area, you'll find a surprising number. I'd give a bunch of them a call and ask if they ever get "as-is" …
    in Broken Apple computers? Comment by John March 2013
  • Hi! Thanks for the post. I'm not an expert at unibody LED screen issues, but a lot of the time when the backlight is out, it's due to a small blown microfuse on the board, and the issue can be resolved by replacing/bridging the microfuse. Here's …
    in macbook pro early 2011 no led backlight lvds broken??? Comment by John March 2013
  • Hi! Looks like you have an early 2011 13" MacBook Pro i7. The black connector should be the right speaker. The silver connector should be the webcam. The machine should work without either, as long as you can live without half of the sound,…
    in Fix damage from installing HD in place of DVD Drive in MacBook 13inch Early 2011 (S/N: C02F8LTTDH2H) Comment by John March 2013
  • Like the heatsync, the speaker/microphone assembly is not usually included when you buy a replacement board, and it is affixed to the board you take out, so it's easy to forget to transplant it to the new board. And even if you do, the small connec…
    in Need help finding Power Pads to boot MacBook Pro without keyboard! Comment by John February 2013
  • Hi Geg! Sorry again for the delay. Glad to hear you got it working! Yeah, the keyboard illumination cable is always easy to forget. It's so small, and it often gets stuck underneath the board when you put the board back in, so it's easy to overl…
    in Need help finding Power Pads to boot MacBook Pro without keyboard! Comment by John February 2013
  • I also always recommend the iFixit 54 Bit Driver Kit: http://www.ifixit.com/Tools/54-Bit-Driver-Kit/IF145-022 It has any bit you could possibly need, is very inexpensive, and the highest quality. I tend to prefer a handful of the fixed Moody scre…
    in Macbook Keyboard Screw Size Comment by John February 2013
  • Hi Nick! Thanks for the thanks! :-) Any high quality small phillips should work, but I prefer this one from iFixit: http://www.ifixit.com/Tools/Phillips-000-Screwdriver/IF145-030 I have one of these turquoise Moody screwdrivers in every size I …
    in Macbook Keyboard Screw Size Comment by John February 2013
  • No problem, and thanks for the link -- I hadn't tried that one! John
    in Powerbook G4 Titanium 1Ghz OSx 10.3.9 Comment by John February 2013
  • Hi! Thanks for the post! You are way beyond me when it comes to going into the batteries, transplanting the cells, etc. -- I've never done any of that stuff, so I can't really offer advice as far as that goes. But I have used a ton of cheap Chine…
    in Powerbook G4 Titanium 1Ghz OSx 10.3.9 Comment by John February 2013
  • Sorry for the delayed response. It does sound like the board. Did you try the method of jumping the board in the iFixit article? I have a feeling your particular machine does not use the power-on pads, but rather requires the other method, i.e. b…
    in Need help finding Power Pads to boot MacBook Pro without keyboard! Comment by John February 2013
  • Thanks, I appreciate it! PowerBook G4s aren't worth a lot these days, so paying even $80 to find a replacement board and then putting the time in to do the swap is hard to justify. I'd vote for saving your money and buying a MacBook at some point.…
    in Powerbook G4 Lower Memory Problem Comment by John January 2013
  • Hi! Thanks for the post! Unfortunately the RAM slot issue is a hardware problem which has to do with these older PowerBooks slowly developing defects over time, and there's no fix. Be happy that both slots are non-functional, because that happens…
    in Powerbook G4 Lower Memory Problem Comment by John January 2013
  • Thanks for the kind words! DC-ins (the MagSafe connector) usually don't go bad, unless liquid gets directly on them and they become corroded. From what you describe, I wouldn't suspect it. I wouldn't suspect the battery either, although for testi…
    in Need help finding Power Pads to boot MacBook Pro without keyboard! Comment by John January 2013
  • Hi Tom! I'd buy the screw set on eBay...they are probably cheaper there. I got this list by searching for "macbook unibody hard drive screws", and it produced a lot of options. Ifixit is great, but they are generally expensive. http://…
    in Macbook Pro soda spill Comment by John January 2013
  • Hi Tom! Thanks for the post! To answer your questions: 1. You can definitely jump a computer without a hard drive. In fact, a computer does not need a drive to power on, and it's beneficial for the purpose of troubleshooting to remove all ele…
    in Macbook Pro soda spill Comment by John January 2013
  • I found this article, which has lots of good information: http://www.macstories.net/stories/ios-5-icloud-tips-sharing-an-apple-id-with-your-family/ I've never tried it, but it looks like you might be able to create her a specific Apple ID just for…
    in Apple ID on multiple devices Comment by John December 2012