[Lokhe]

Hey!

 

(If this is the wrong forum I'm sorry, I checked three times for an Apple specific one but I must be blind in that case )

 

So I have this old MacBook Pro 15" from ´09. It works really well still with the exception that if you tap it too hard (like if you're typing with intent and happen to press the space bar a little harder than what could be considered very gently ) it bluescreens (I guess it's grey really).

 

Pretty sure the problem stems back to the family's late four legged friend kicking it off my bed into the floor at one point. What I wonder really is if I have made the correct diagnosis and if so, could it be worth it to have it replaced? I haven't been in need of a laptop for a while now but I will be in the not too distant future. I'd rather drop a little money on repairs than buy new because otherwise it's fully functional and snappy.

 

Cheers

Edited by Lokhe, 02 February 2016 - 01:48 AM.

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Hello Lokhe,

 

It works really well still with the exception that if you tap it too hard (like if you're typing with intent and happen to press the space bar a little harder than what could be considered very gently  ) it bluescreens (I guess it's grey really).

 

 

I wouldn't suspect the HDD of causing this, try removing and reseating the Ram to see if that helps (have a clean out while you are in there) see guide here if that doesnt help you may be looking at needing to replace the keyboard in case the space bar is coming into contact with something that it shouldn't be when it is pressed down to hard, the back light for example (on models that have them). 

[phillpower2]

Hello Lokhe,

 

It works really well still with the exception that if you tap it too hard (like if you're typing with intent and happen to press the space bar a little harder than what could be considered very gently  ) it bluescreens (I guess it's grey really).

 

 

I wouldn't suspect the HDD of causing this, try removing and reseating the Ram to see if that helps (have a clean out while you are in there) see guide here if that doesnt help you may be looking at needing to replace the keyboard in case the space bar is coming into contact with something that it shouldn't be when it is pressed down to hard, the back light for example (on models that have them). 

[Lokhe]

It's not just the space bar, that was just an example to explain just how little force needs applied to crash it I'll try to open it up and poke around, no warranty left to void anyway

 

Just have to figure out how to open a unibody case :s

Edited by Lokhe, 02 February 2016 - 08:19 AM.

[phillpower2]

Still wouldn`t suspect the HDD, if it was bad in any way the computer would crash without you even touching it.

 

See if step 8 here helps any.

[Lokhe]

That's just me thinking it's the only moving part (besides fans) in the entire thing I will see what I can find and get back to you. Thanks!

[phillpower2]

You are welcome 

[Lokhe]

So, I finally got around to working on this yesterday. Started it up and bumped it around a bit and tapped it and it was actually running just fine. Surprised I started browsing the web for a bit but then it soon crashed again. I tried a few more times and this time the crashes didn't seem to have anything to do with tapping it too hard. A cursory google search told me that random crashes can be fixed by emptying the caches and resetting the PRAM, so I did.

 

It seems to be working perfectly fine now! 

 

I'm considering an upgrade to the HDD though, maybe put a SSD in there but I have some questions before I would do that. For one, the CPU might be a bottleneck maybe and I'm not sure how I would re-install the OS. It runs Snow Leopard right now which has long since been dropped and I don't think I have the original disks that came with it.

 

Thoughts?

[phillpower2]

CPU wouldn't cause a bottleneck but the 1066MHz RAM may slow things down a little.

 

Never cloned a Mac OS myself but looking at the guide here it looks simple enough as long as you have the right kit, an external HDD enclosure or adaptor + an SSD in your particular case.

[Lokhe]

Aha. So a SSD + RAM upgrade would be the first order of business then. I'm thinking it's not really important whether I stick 4BG or 8GB in there but might as well go with more. How fast RAM can I put in there though? I'm assuming the newest hotness isn't compatible with my old bucket.

 

Have to research compatibility a bit  

[phillpower2]

Best Answer

1066MHz is the only RAM listed on the Mac homepage here so I would suggest that you have the Crucial system scanner tool for Mac check out your computer, see here or US here

[Lokhe]

Yes, it would seem my only options are 4GB/8GB @ 1066 MHz. I'm not sure how much of an upgrade it would be but I did upgrade to the latest OS and it might be that some extra RAM would help out a bit. I don't think I have any real need to upgrade, however. It's more the tinkerer in me that wants to hehe.

 

Maybe I should just get a new battery and be content as is. It's not like it runs poorly by any means, considering it's 7 years old at this point. Still runs better than a brand new budget laptop.

Edited by Lokhe, 19 August 2016 - 10:13 AM.

[phillpower2]

Never upgrade anything that I don`t need to, even the notebook battery as I run the comp off the AC adaptor most of the time and only insert the power brick once every couple of months to run it down and recharge it.

[Lokhe]

Yeah you're probably right. I should just buy more games instead! After all, the rig I built back in Jan turned out mighty fine =) I think we can consider the case closed though, seeing as my original problem was easily fixed.

 

As always, the help has been greatly appreciated!

 

Cheers.

[phillpower2]

You are most welcome Lokhe and thank you for the follow up 

 

More games is good as most of the time they are less stressful than tinkering