Apple macbook pro 15 inch late 2008 User Manual

							MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Symptom Charts — Startup and Power Issues 41 2010-06-15
3. Adjust Brightness 
Power-on unit , attempt to 
adjust brightness to maximum 
using brightness (F1/F2) 
keys and verify that video is 
displayed.
YesVideo displayed - Brightness 
set to minimum, panel 
backlight was inadvertently 
turned off. If backlight returns 
to low check for stuck F1 key 
on keyboard. 
NoGo to Step 4
4.  Reset SMC 
Reset SMC and verify that 
system video is displayed.
YesCorrupt SMC State preventing 
video.
NoGo to Step 5
5. Reset PRAM. 
If no action, use external 
keyboard with same sequence. 
Verify that system video is 
displayed.
YesInvalid or Corrupt PRAM 
contents affecting video 
output 
NoGo to step 6
6.  Connect External video 
Connect known-good VGA/
DVI adapter to known-good 
display, press power button 
and close display to force main 
screen startup on external 
video. Verify that video is 
correct when displayed from 
external display.
YesVideo correct on external 
display. Research available 
firmware and software 
updates, retest.  
 
If returning with software 
already updated, go to Step 7 
NoReplace logic board with 
according symptom code: 
-no video 
-bad/distorted video
 
 
M03
M04  
						

							MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Symptom Charts — Startup and Power Issues 42 2010-06-15
7. Isolate LCD display detection 
Disconnect external monitor 
and reopen display and restart 
unit. Verify that sleep LED 
indicator goes off after internal 
LCD has been detected. 
YesSleep LED goes off when LCD 
detected.  
-If still no video then Go to 
step 8,  
-If video present, but with 
defect, go to step 9
NoInternal LCD not detected. 
Run Clamshell Service 
Diagnostic utility and check 
for LCD panel presence. If 
not found, reseat LVDS cable 
connection on logic board 
and retest. If sleep led does 
not go off after cable is 
reseated, go to step 10
8.  Check for sleep sensor 
condition 
If display assembly sleep 
sensor is stuck in a closed state, 
video will appear on internal 
display temporarily, until the 
OS sleeps the system. 
Disconnect IR/sleep cable and 
restart unit without external 
display. Verify that system 
starts up with video on internal 
display stays on and does not 
go into sleep mode.
YesSleep sensor was stuck or had 
shorted cable. Replace IR/
sleep cable (or enclosing top 
case)
 
X13
NoSymptoms unchanged - Go 
to Step 9
9. Check for No Backlight 
Condition. 
Power on unit. 
Using a lamp or bright light 
source, inspect for faint image, 
and verify that any faint image 
appears.
YesLogo image visible - check 
and reseat LVDS cable 
connector on logic board. 
Inspect cables for damage 
near clutches: 
. if damaged, replace display 
assembly  and go to step 11 
. if cable is not damaged, run 
Clamshell Service Diagnostic 
utility and check for LCD 
panel presence. If not found, 
reseat  it and retest, then go 
to step 11
 
 
 
 
 
 
L09
NoIf symptom continues, go to 
step 10.  
						

							MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Symptom Charts — Startup and Power Issues 43 2010-06-15
10. Verify with Known good 
display assembly 
Connect known-good display 
assembly to system.
YesSystem is functioning with 
known-good display assembly 
Replace display assembly if 
following symptom reporting: 
- had no power issue 
- had incorrect/missing colors 
- had blank video 
- had distorted / blurred video 
- had vertical/horizontal lines 
- had noise/unstable flickering 
- had dim backlight 
- had bad spot(s)/pixels 
- had no backlight 
- could not change resolution 
 
 
 
 
L01 
L02 
L03 
L04 
L05 
L06 
L07 
L08 
L09 
L10
NoSymptoms unchanged - 
replace logic board
M03
11. Verify with reseated backlight 
cable or replaced display 
assembly 
Verify that unit now  has video 
and backlight.
YesIssue was only due to 
damaged display assembly or 
unseated cable.
NoDisplay cable damaged the 
logic board. Replace logic 
board.
M25
Battery Isn’t Recognized or Won’t Charge
Unlikely cause:  display assembly, speakers, optical drive, hard drive, trackpad
Quick Check
SymptomQuick Check
Battery isn’t recognized or won’t 
charge
• AC adapter 
• No MagSafe LED indicator
• No orange charge indication
• Battery status LEDs: 
- single chase 
- all flash 
- no LED
1. Check battery level and test AC power.
2.  Refer to Deep Dive table for battery diagnostic 
testing.  
						

							MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Symptom Charts — Startup and Power Issues 44 2010-06-15
Deep Dive 
CheckResultActionCode
1. Does the MagSafe LED 
go green to amber when 
connected to the system?  
YesBattery is recognized and 
charging. Go to step 6
NoLED is green, Battery may be 
full or not recognized.  Go to 
step 2
LED was on momentarily then 
went out.  Go to No Power for 
system (M01)
2.  When the Battery status 
button is pressed, did any of 
the lights come on?
YesGo to step 3
No Go to step 11
3. Does battery status indicate 
a fully charge battery with all 
LEDs on?
YesCustomer battery charged, 
check health.   Go to step 13.
NoGo to step 4
4.  Does battery status indicate 
the battery is not recognized 
with a single LED on that 
chases back and forth 5 times?
YesGo to step 8 and tag battery 
as a possible P11 candidate.
(P11)
NoGo to step 5
5. Does battery status indicate 
the battery is recognized but 
not charging  with all LEDs 
blinking?
YesGo to step 8 and tag battery 
as a possible P10 candidate
(P10)
NoGo to step 6
6.  Does battery status indicate 
battery charge and flash the 
next level 5 times?
YesCustomer battery charging, 
check battery condition.   Go 
to step 13
NoFlashing first LED only, go to 
step 7
No battery status LEDs on, go 
to step 11
7. Does battery status indicate a 
low battery with a LED flashing 
rapidly indicating initial 
charging of battery?
YesAllow customer battery to 
charge to 1 LED on before 
checking battery condition.  
Go to step 13.
NoGo to step 8  
						

							MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Symptom Charts — Startup and Power Issues 45 2010-06-15
8. Test with a known-good 
battery.   Is battery recognized 
and charging?
YesReplace customer battery  
(P10 not charging or P11 not 
recognized)
P10 or     
P11
NoGo to step 9
9. Inspect customer battery cable 
connector for corrosion or 
obstructions.  
YesClear obstructions and 
replace battery if corroded 
and recheck. (P10 not 
charging or P11 not 
recognized)
P10 or     
P11
NoGo to step 10
10.  Reseat battery harness at  logic 
board connector, and retest.  
Is battery recognized and 
charging?
YesIssue resolved by cable reseat.  
Check battery condition, go 
to step 13
NoReplace logic board M20
11. Battery status LEDs not 
working - inspect button stuck 
or cable disconnect at logic 
board and reset SMC.
YesLED status now working. Go 
to step 3.
NoGo to step 12.
12.  Remove system battery and 
connect and test a known-
good battery status indicator 
assembly.   Do LEDs indicate a 
battery not recognized chase 
pattern? 
YesReplace customer battery 
LED indicator assembly. Go to 
step 3
X03
NoReplace customer logic board.M20
13. Open Apple System Profiler 
and click on the Power Tab on 
the left. Is the battery over 300 
cycle counts?
YesBattery has been consumed, 
and customer will need to 
purchase a replacement.
NoGo to step 14.
14.  Is battery less than a year old?YesGo to step 16
NoBattery warranty expired, go 
to step 15  
						

							MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Symptom Charts — Startup and Power Issues 46 2010-06-15
15. Considering the age of the 
battery greater than one year 
old,  is the health of the battery 
“Good” according to system 
profiler?   
YesBattery is in good health 
and out of 1 year warranty 
coverage.  Battery should 
continue to function until 
consumed.  
NoBattery is consumed after 
warranty coverage. Customer 
to purchase a new battery.
16.  For batteries still covered by 
warranty, is the health of the 
battery “Good?”   
YesBattery functioning normal. 
Go to step 17.
NoBattery has premature 
capacity loss.  Replace 
customer battery.
P08
17. With battery charge greater 
than 20% does battery support 
system operation without AC 
connected?
YesCustomer battery is good 
NoGo to step 18
18.  Test with a known-good 
battery.   Does known-good 
battery support battery only 
operation?
YesReplace customer battery for  
will not run system on battery 
alone
P12
NoReplace logic board M20
Kernel Panic/System Crashes
Unlikely cause:  Battery, Power Adapter
Quick Check
SymptomQuick Check
Memory Issues/Kernel panic and 
freezes
• Display notice of system kernel 
panic during start up and 
desktop use.
• System freeze during use.
• System freeze upon wake from 
sleep.
1. Reset SMC and clear PRAM
2.  Remove suspect external devices.
3. Verify user memory is Apple-approved memory, 
and memory configuration matches memory 
installed.
4.  Start up with shift key down for safe mode.
5. Startup from known-good bootable device
6.  Check panic.log info for crash cause
7. Run AHT for sensors test  
						

							MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Symptom Charts — Startup and Power Issues 47 2010-06-15
Deep Dive 
CheckResultActionCode
1. Isolate Peripherals as cause. 
Disconnect all peripherals, 
external devices, and display 
adapters if present
YesSuspect peripherals as cause. 
Reconnect one at a time, 
verifying unit operation at 
each stage
NoGo to Step 2
2.  Reset SMC and clear PRAM 
then verify that unit starts 
without panic issues.
YesIssue resolved with default 
startup settings.
NoGo to step 3
3. Boot in Safe Mode with Shift 
key down, and check for recent 
kernel panic data in panic log.    
 
Open Panic.log file on hard 
drive and check for affected 
interface that crashed. If unit 
still crashes during startup, you 
will need to take out disk to 
a good system to access the 
file. Verify that kernel panic 
dependency is not with an I/O 
interface. 
YesKernel Panic is not a system 
I/O related device. Go to step 
5 
 
 
NoI/O device related crash, go to 
step 4  
						

							MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Symptom Charts — Startup and Power Issues 48 2010-06-15
4.  Remove I/O device where 
possible to pinpoint faulty 
device:   
 
- Disconnect camera cable 
from display assembly (for 
AirPort, Bluetooth, camera, and 
ambient light sensor). Camera 
cable can be disconnected 
without affecting startup and 
test. 
 
- Bluetooth card to isolate 
Bluetooth. 
 
- optical drive cable to isolate 
optical drive. 
 
- hard drive cable to isolate 
hard drive. 
 
Memory cards can be removed, 
relocated, or tested with 
known-good memory. Because 
system will run on one card, 
this is a useful test for finding 
bad memory or bad memory 
slot.
 
If issue remains after testing 
I/O device, replace with known-
good part(s) to confirm issue 
resolved. 
YesSystem starts up when I/O 
device removed, replace 
affected I/O device or module 
containing it. 
 
If AirPort card presence is 
crashing system, replace 
AirPort card. If still issue, 
replace display assembly (for 
Bluetooth, camera, or cable 
damage). 
 
If Bluetooth card presence 
is crashing system, replace 
Bluetooth. If issue remains, 
replace display assembly for 
damaged Bluetooth (camera) 
cable.
 
If optical drive presence is 
crashing system, replace 
optical drive cable and retest. 
If issue remains try with 
known-good optical drive. 
If still issue, replace optical 
drive. 
 
If hard drive presence is 
crashing system, replace hard 
drive cable and retest. If issue 
remains, try with known-good 
hard drive. If still issue, replace 
hard drive. 
 
Reseat memory or replace 
suspect memory with known-
good memory.
 
 
 
 
 
N13
L14
 
 
 
N15 or
L16
 
 
 
 
X03
J03
 
 
 
 
X03
H01
 
 
 
 
X01
NoSymptoms unchanged, go to 
step 5
5. Start up from optical drive or 
known-good OS. 
Attempt to start up with 
original or product install disc, 
or from an external hard drive 
with product OS installed, 
and verify that system starts 
without kernal panic.
YesKernel panics cease running 
alternate  OS. Run ASD/
DiskUtility to repair and test 
hard drive. If repair attempts 
fail, repartition hard drive 
and reinstall OS. Replace hard 
drive if restore fails. 
 
H03
NoSymptoms unchanged, go to 
Step 6  
						

							MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Symptom Charts — Startup and Power Issues 49 2010-06-15
6. Disconnect display assembly 
and test with known-good 
display assembly. Verify that 
system now starts up without 
kernel panic/freeze.
YesReplace display assembly.  L14
No Go to step 7
7. Check for thermal values and 
fan running speed 
Run ASD to check for fan 
and sensors test, and verify 
that ASD does not report any 
overtemp, failing sensor, or fan.
YesNo thermal fail detected - 
Replace logic board with 
matching symptom: 
 
- If hang or freeze 
 
- If Kernel Panic/system 
crashes
 
 
 
M05 
 
M06
NoIf sensor test failed, reseat 
sensor connections on logic 
board and retest. If still failing, 
replace sensor or part where 
it is located (top case, display, 
other) : 
If top case sensor failed 
If display sensor failed 
If logic board sensor failed 
If fan test failed, replace fan.  
If overtemp , replace heatsink.   
 
 
 
 
 
X99
L14
M18
X03
X10
Battery Run Time Too Short
Quick Check
SymptomQuick Check
Battery Run Time Too Short
Battery runs out of power very 
quickly (less than two hours)
1.  Check if the battery is covered under a repair 
extension program. Use the “Portable Computer 
Battery Screening Process for Apple Service 
Providers” (Knowledge Base CP165). 
2.  Verify no applications have runaway processes 
with the CPU. See “Runaway applications can 
shorten battery runtime” (Knowedge Base 
TS1473).
3. Run battery diagnostic testing..  
						

							MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Symptom Charts — Startup and Power Issues 50 2010-06-15
Won’t Run on Power Adapter Alone
Unlikely cause: RAM, display assembly, hard drive, optical drive, top case, speakers, camera, 
microphone
Quick Check
SymptomQuick Check
Won’t Run on Power Adapter 
Alone
Runs on battery but not on power 
adapter only.
1. Verify proper wattage adapter is being used.
2.  Check for dirty or stuck pins on the MagSafe 
connectors, both on the adapter and the 
computer.  
3. Connect the AC adapter to known-good power 
source.
4.  Verify power cord or plug is properly attached to 
AC adapter and MagSafe cable is not damaged.
Deep Dive
CheckResultActionCode
1. With battery removed, will a 
known-good AC adapter start 
up and run the system and 
show MagSafe LED status?
YesConfirm user’s AC adapter as 
bad and replace.  
P14
NoVerify MagSafe board cable 
seating to logic board. Go to 
step 2
2.  Does a known-good power 
adapter’s LED light up either 
green or amber?
YesSMC on logic board senses AC 
power adapter. Go to step 3 
NoReplace the MagSafe board. 
Go to step 3.
3. Does the unit run on known-
good power adapter alone?
YesIssued resolved.X03
NoReplace logic board..M01