Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with logicboard

Google, please believe me when I say this is my password.

banannafish — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:44:44 -0800

After getting a new logicboard installed on my MacBook Pro this past week, why does GoogleUpdateInstaller constantly ask for my password every few minutes? I'm only using GMail notifier and it is making me insane. Sooo, after a new logicboard (thank you cat vomiting all over computer) install this past week, I have been getting a log-in prompt every twenty or so minutes saying, "Type your password to allow GoogleUpdateInstaller to make changes" and has my computer name and blank password, but no option for "remember password" or the ability to add it to my password chain. After I type in my password and hit "OK" it brings up the Google Notifier, but there are no software updates available. I have uninstalled and reinstalled GMail notifier about five times now, and I'm still getting this error and it is driving me insane. How can I get this to disappear? As an added note, no other program has exhibited any of these problems, or even asked for my password. My Google-fu is completely busted.

I should have bought the AppleCare. Damn it!

evariste — Sun, 20 May 2007 23:13:21 -0800

My 13-month-old MacBook Pro broke. Can you guess? Yeah, the AppleCare warranty had just expired. The fan made a horrible "playing card in the bicycle tire spokes" sound for about 60 seconds, then stopped forever. The machine still runs just fine, except that the fan isn't running at all, so after about an hour or two, the machine gets too hot and turns itself off.

I ran Apple Hardware Test on it, from the OS X install DVD that came with the machine, and it reported the following very long error:

4MOT/1/40000002/Left_Middle-Front

Google says it's the fan, but Apple's Genius says it's my logic board. The system is out of AppleCare, so Apple wants $1259 to fix it (it would be $310, but Apple is claiming there was liquid damage to the laptop, which there categorically wasn't, but that's a whole 'nother story. Whatever, ).

Questions:

1. Is Google right, or is Apple right? I think Apple's logic board theory is wrong, since the system works fine right up until it overheats due to lack of ventilation. Am I overlooking something? I looked at iFixit's disassembly photos and the fan and logic board look like separate components. The Apple Genius was claiming they're inseperable.

2. Oh, you say it really is the logic board and I should listen to Apple? Fine. I'm handy with electronics, so I want to try to fix it myself rather than spending $1259. I've found a few logic boards on eBay, and iFixit sells 'em too. Can you recommend any other outfits? eBay is sketchy-ish but the price is right; iFixit wants $900 which is out of question. Is there a happy middle? When I search Google, the majority of the results are news stories about Apple's sketchy logic boards.

3. Can I install a Core 2 Duo logic board, or won't it fit? I had a 1.83 ghz Core Duo board with the 128 MB ATI card. I figure I might as well upgrade it a bit. I'm worried they reengineered the inside of the case and a C2D board won't fit.

Special Bonus Question: Meanwhile, I bought a MacBook. I used an iSkin Protouch silicone keyboard cover with the MacBook Pro. Has the state of the art advanced or is this still the best thing to get to protect my MacBook's keyboard, too?

In conclusion, yes, I have learned my lesson, and in the future I will purchase extended AppleCare coverage for 3 years.

should i start ritually cannibilizing ibooks?

garfy3 — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:44:24 -0800

broken ibook conundrum: help me come up with an affordable and sensible replacement solution? my ibook G4 gave me some funny display issues for a day before crashing and not booting at all. it was 2 years old, and i didn't have applecare, but had it shipped to apple on the advice of a local mac-shop that's helped me out in the past. verdict = bad logic board, and since they believe it was due to "fluid damage" it would cost over $900 to fix (not sure how that could have happened, but i've been caught in the rain with a shoddy bag a couple of times).

i know the hard disk was good right up to the end, and i was able to backup everything to a firewire drive. here are the options i'm considering.

(a) snagging an external drive enclosure, removing the drive from the ibook and slapping it in there.

(b) locating a similar model of ibook on ebay (they seem to be going for around $500 right now), slapping my old drive in that one, and the existing drive in an external enclosure.

(c) option (a) + trolling the applestore website for a refurbed macbook, which seem to go for around $900 occassionally.

(d) just plunking $400 or so on a new eMachines desktop, slapping ubuntu or something on it, and getting along without a laptop for a while.

(with each of these options, i would probably take the drive-less ibook and put it up on ebay for parts, just to get some cash for it).

the caveats: i've built a desktop before, but haven't ever delved into the innards of an ibook. and i'm not up on the ubuntu world quite yet either, which could make for a steep learning curve.

so, i'd love to hear your views on which of these is a crazy course of action, most likely to fail, biggest waste of time, etc. especially interested to hear from anyone that's salvaged a drive from an old ibook.

Firewire and USB trouble on an iBook G4

matteo — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:45:27 -0800

Lately, my iBook G4 (I use Toast Titanium, 6 and 7) has trouble recognizing my external FireWire hard drive. Today, the external DVD burner (USB) has disappeared -- the iBook just doesn't recognize it anymore. Is my logic board f*cked, again? And if it is, does it make economic sense to fix it on such an old machine, or should I just upgrade? Thanks.

PowerBook logic board woes

danb — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 15:21:00 -0800

Should I get my PowerBook's logic board replaced? I've had a PowerBook since February of 2004, which came with two 256MB RAM chips. Everything has worked fine until this Christmas, when I got a 512MB RAM chip as a gift. With the 512 installed, I get a kernel panic within a minute of booting up; with the original 256
chips, everything works fine.

A Genius at the Apple store tested the computer with other RAM chips, and the 512 wasn't a bad piece -- the computer won't run with any 512MB (or larger) chip installed. He also tried booting from an external drive (didn't help) and running extensive diagnostics tests off of a CD (no problems reported). He concluded that it's a logic board issue, and that I should mail off my computer to Apple for a $324 repair. WTF?

Does this actually sound like a logic board problem? The Mac Genius seemed pretty confident that it was, but I'm skeptical because he couldn't test for it -- he could only tell me things that weren't the problem. I don't want to send the thing off for expensive, lengthy repairs for no reason. Could it be something else?

Also, can I safely ignore the problem if I don't upgrade the memory, or is my logic board somehow corrupted (meaning that the computer may eventually not work at all, and I should get it replaced)? The Genius was evasive on this question -- presumably because of a vested interest in doing more repairs -- but recommended an "aggressive backup schedule" (which I've begun). What to do?

Am I missing out on some rights as an Apple customer?

ckolderup — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 23:45:32 -0800

LetTheBuyerBewareFilter: Do I have any rights as an Apple customer, or a customer in general, that I'm not aware of with regards to the Apple iBook Logic Board Repair Program? I purchased an iBook in May of 2003 and have had problems due to the "Logic Board" issue three times in the past 12 months, the most recent happening just this past week. Each time I've shipped it off to Apple with no real hassle, but it's meant losing my laptop for a week or so. What I'm worried about most is that come next May, which at this rate will happen just after my fourth breakdown/repair, I am no longer eligible for the program. Is there anything that can be done before Apple starts ignoring my calls? Can I get into some sort of "customer dissatisfaction" grey area where I could get a different repair on this unit that will actually continue to work, or make them ship me an entirely new iBook or at the very least throw me some Apple Store credit?

When I worked in retail I always hated it when customers felt that they deserved special treatment, but I guess I'm just wondering if maybe there's some kind of normal, but better, procedure that you don't get unless you know about it.