Two MBP Questions

Some background: I own a 15 inch Santa Rosa (merom) Macbook Pro that I purchased ~late 2007. It has really only seen light use; gaming is few and far between and I seldom bring it to class. Recently, however, I have been experiencing several problems.

Problem 1:

On occasion (3-4 times, maybe?) my MBP will refuse to turn on. I'll try pushing the power button in various ways, removing and reinserting the battery, plugging it into power / unplugging the power, but nothing seems to work. Oddly enough, if I come back in as little as 5 minutes it will power up normally. For now, at least, this is very troubling to me as term papers are coming up and I can't afford to not have access to my laptop. Yes, I do back things up but my laptop has several programs which are indispensable so just any computer will not suffice (I also do not want to sit in a computer lab for 5-6 hours a day for a week or two writing these papers).

Any idea what might be causing this / are there any diagnostic tests which I might run?

Problem 2:

This is a rather simple one. Should I bug Apple to replace my battery? Istatpro counts my recharge cycles at 32 (Whenever I bring my laptop somewhere there is always a power outlet) yet my battery health reads 38% and with nothing but wireless on (better battery performance setting / brightness down to 0 etc etc) my computer struggles to last for more than an hour and a half. Normally this wouldn't pose an issue because usually the only classes which require the use of a laptop also have power outlets readily available, but this semester I have been taking a class which periodically requires a laptop and isn't taught in a lecture hall with power outlets for every student. Having a battery that can just barely make it through one lecture is quite annoying.

If this does indeed merit a new battery is there a way that I could have Apple send me one in the mail without losing access to my laptop? The only Apple store in this area is a 1-2 hour drive away depending on traffic and it would be terribly inconvenient for me to make that trek.

Thanks so much in advance for any help.

 

for #2 try recalibrating the battery (run the battery all the way down, let the battery rest for a while, then recharge the battery to full capacity). If your battery doesn't to back to above 95% have Apple replace it as it is faulty.

 

Regarding problem 1 - it sounds like you might be having an issue with your power button. Perhaps, it isn't making contact with the logic board. If not, it could also be a RAM issue. I am assuming you dont have Apple Care, but if you do, take it to the genius bar and get them to diagnose it. Even if you dont have Apple Care, I believe the genius appointment/phone call to tech support (if its related to a hardware issue) is free.

 

I do have Apple care, so I will probably end up making the ridiculous 2 hour journey (by car) to the Apple store at some point, but I don't have a car at the moment (thank you university housing for not having parking). I also forgot to mention that I recalibrated my battery about a week ago; the health went up from 25% to 38%. Will they send me a battery in the mail? I would like to avoid having to make what will probably turn into an entire day's trip for as long as possible.

 

If it were me I would want to get that power button issue sorted as quickly as possible with term papers coming up. I'd test all the RAM modules individually. If that doesn't diagnose the problem then I'd bring it to the Apple store...peace of mind that your computer will work when you're in an exam period can't be overvalued.

 

They could be the same issue... a bad battery can cause the machine to not turn on. Have you tried running the laptop when it wont turn on with no battery in it at all? Not just reseating it, but removing and running with none.

 

It could your power supply which has humidity. Try bringing it to your nearest apple store.

 

Wow - didnt realize that the Apple Store was that far away from you. In your case I would recommend going ahead and calling up Apple technical support - 1800-MY-APPLE. They will troubleshoot hardware issues over the phone and arrange for a repair. If it is a user-replaceable part (i.e. power adapter), they will send it to you with a credit card hold to make sure you send the defective part back to them. If its something that requires a technician, they will send you a box in which you will package your system and send it back to their service depot. If you are passed the initial 90 days from purchase, some users have reported that Apple tries to "charge" you for the phone technical support - just tell the agent that you have a hardware issue and that the nearest Apple store is more than 2 hrs away from you.

Good Luck and please let us know how your issue resolves.