› ›
Avatar

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register
Sell your MacBook

John

About

Username
John
Joined
Visits
667
Last Active
Roles
Administrator

Comments

  • Hi! SSDs fail...it's probably not worth the effort trying to determine what went wrong. I have a dozen SSDs I use daily for imaging laptops, and I probably replace 2-3 a year due to failure. They are more reliable than mechanical drives, but they…
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John May 2020
  • Hello! You know, I have never used one so I really have no idea. Cool concept though. I would contact the manufacturer about stability. Perhaps you can buy one from a place with a good return policy, so if it doesn't meet your needs you can retu…
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John May 2020
  • AWESOME!!!! So glad to hear this story had a happy ending. :-)
    in Ore MacBook A1342 Water Damage Comment by John May 2020
  • Hi! Thanks for the post. So just to be clear on the power-on-pad test -- you disconnected the keyboard cable, jumped the board, and it powered on, but then it shuts off halfway through booting? Are you able to power it on with the power button w…
    in Ore MacBook A1342 Water Damage Comment by John May 2020
  • No problem! The one thing to keep in mind is that this is a 2011 screen assembly, so the video cable takes a little more pressure to get into the socket, but it's 100% compatible. I put 2011 screen assemblies on 2012 machines all the time. Here's…
    in Worth Repair Comment by John April 2020
  • That is super expensive and you're buying a whole laptop that you don't need. There are plenty in the US (assuming you are in the US), so there is no need to deal internationally. Just search eBay for "a1286 15" pro screen assembly"…
    in Worth Repair Comment by John April 2020
  • Thanks for posting! It's not clear from your statement what the problem is. I don't know what you mean by "it sort of powered up but I powered it off". Is the screen broken? When you power on do you get a light on the screen? If there…
    in Worth Repair Comment by John April 2020
  • The best way to determine which MacBooks will work with an OS is to Google "X system requirements", where X is the OS in question. You'll quickly find the supported list of machines for that OS.
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John January 2020
  • Hi! Thanks for the post. To be honest, I'm having difficulty determining exactly what you are asking. eBay is about the best play you'll find to buy boards. You get what you pay for, and there is no magic solution, or a place that has them super…
    in 2012 MacBook Pro logic board and 2015 logic board replace DIY Comment by John January 2020
  • Thanks for the post, but I don't do repairs for end-users, and I don't work on iPhones anyway (only MacBooks). I would check out the repair network on ifixit.com. Thanks, John
    in How much would you charge me to replace/repair the home button on an iPhone 7? Thanx in advance. Comment by John December 2019
  • One thing that comes to mind -- when you say it falls to fully open, is it still at an angle, or does it fall completely flat, like even with the keyboard? If it falls all the way down to the desk, you may need a new screen assembly...there are com…
    in Recurring loose screen tips Comment by John December 2019
  • Thanks for the post! Are you noticing the looseness on the computer side, or on the screen side? Either way, it's probably the screws or the hinge arms becoming stripped over time. You might try replacing the screws first. I've never tried glue,…
    in Recurring loose screen tips Comment by John December 2019
  • Removing battery and power will generally reset the PRAM in itself because the computer loses means of maintaining PRAM settings. Resetting PRAM and SMC is never a bad idea, but no, I wouldn’t generally associate either with permanently fixing prob…
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John November 2019
  • No, emails like those wouldn't cause this kind of crash. It's really an endless rabbit hole trying to interpret kernel panics and know what to do about them. It's just not worth it -- you won't find anything conclusive, and it will only succeed in…
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John November 2019
  • Here's what I think is the best solution -- put your old drive in a 2.5" USB enclosure like I mentioned, put a clean install of Catalina on the 2015, then manually migrate your data over. Once you are confident that you've moved everything ove…
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John November 2019
  • No, Retinas use a different form factor SSD and are not compatible with 2.5" SATA like your current machine has. What you can do is back up your old machine with Time Machine and do a restore on the new machine, or even just put the old drive …
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John November 2019
  • Hello! I wouldn't associate kernel panics with the battery. You could always remove the battery if you wanted to rule it out. Diagnositcs, etc., are generally not going to help, because crashes are something that happen outside the system, so the…
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John November 2019
  • Yikes, wouldn't that cost a lot of money? Lemme know how that goes -- I'm curious. Yes, you can find PRAM batteries in scrap machines as well.
    in Powerbook G4 Titanium, where to get new battery and PRAM battery Comment by John November 2019
  • Hi Ulrik! Thanks for the post, and I'm glad to hear you liked the video! For some reason Titanium batteries are absurdly expensive -- I've seen them for $150! This may sound crazy, but the best way to get both types of batteries is to buy broken …
    in Powerbook G4 Titanium, where to get new battery and PRAM battery Comment by John November 2019
  • Unfortunately there are no reliable battery vendors anymore due to trade issues, and also Apple convincing homeland security to consider all legit 3rd party batteries counterfeit and block them at the border. Best way is to search eBay for “new A12…
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John October 2019
  • Hmmm...I wouldn’t normally associate battery issues with kernel panics, but definitely get rid of the swollen battery — it will only get worse and cause more problems, It can shatter your trackpad and warp the laptop’s case, and it is also a fire …
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John October 2019
  • Sorry for the delay — I just noticed your post. Kernel panics are hard to interpret, and what they state usually doesn’t point to the exact problem, so I don’t even bother. To rule out the OS, try booting from another OS install on an external dri…
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John October 2019
  • Thanks for the post! Just to start off, this machine has no financial value, so it’s not worth putting money into unless you are a repair hobbyist, etc. If you could supply the serial so I can determine the exact model, that would help. Lines on …
    in Screen on 2007 iMac Comment by John October 2019
  • Hi, and thanks for the post! Yes the battery is simple to replace — just slide the battery release lever on the underside of the computer and it will pop right out. The harder part will be finding a replacement battery as there is a shortage and t…
    in Sell for parts or Repair? Comment by John October 2019
  • Interesting. Of the tens of thousands of Macs I've repaired and sold, I've never witnessed one that was affected in such a way. Not to say it COULDN'T happen. Mac antivirus software pretty much doesn't exist because Macs are more secure and the b…
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John August 2019
  • I may have gotten a good deal on my 2015, being in the business and all. But there are 2.2 and 2.5GHZ versions as well, which are cheaper but basically the same machine. The 2.8GHZ has a premium on it due to being top of the line. I'm curious why…
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John August 2019
  • Wow, you got a good deal on the screen -- they are usually 2-3x that price. Anyway, glad it worked out!
    in 2015 11" MacBook Air opens flat Comment by John August 2019
  • Unfortunately a 2009 is stuck at El Capitan, and Sierra is not supported. You can find that model 2015 on eBay. Otherwise I would try macofalltrades.com. Thanks
    in Upgrading 2009 Dual Core MacBook Pro Comment by John August 2019
  • Thanks for the post! The ends of the hinges on either side are not actually part of the hinge, but separate pieces screwed on with a few screws, and it's very common that these screws become loose. You are most likely correct -- your hinge is fine…
    in MacBook Pro 2016 Screen shaking/Loose Comment by John August 2019
  • Sounds good! I'll be interested to know how it goes. Once you have the left hinge off, you might want to pry it open and see if there are any small broken parts. Also, lots of replacement parts are never tested and end up being bad, so if the rep…
    in 2015 11" MacBook Air opens flat Comment by John August 2019