Keep Your Stapler Away From Your MacBook’s MagSafe Power Connector

Don’t forget that the magnet inside the MagSafe connector on your MacBook or MacBook Pro is very strong.

It WILL pull metal objects into it, and as you can see in this picture a staple is the perfect size. This is a “used” staple, but an “unused” stable also fits into the MagSafe port perfectly.

This unit was working, but even after some other seeming unrelated damage it stopped working. We’re wondering if this staple had anything to do with it.

There have also been reports of certain type of “sand” being picked up and stuck inside the MagSafe connector. It’s a good idea to keep and eye on it, and be sure to promptly remove anything you find.

Don’t Beat Up Your MacBook Pro Unibody – Your Hard Drive Is Directly Under Your Right Hand!

A client brought us his MacBook Pro Unibody 15” yesterday. He got mad at his Mac and smashed his fist down onto the palm rest.

Sadly, this was a not a good thing for the health of the MacBook.

Here’s the carnage report:

1. Dented Palm rest (We did our best to bang the dent out)

2. Dead hard drive (It’s no longer spinning)

3. Lost hard drive data (Since the drive is not spinning, we can’t recover the data)

4. Voided Apple/AppleCare warranty. (Because the damage was due to abuse the repair could not be handled under warranty, and the client had to pay for a new hard drive)

If you spill coffee into your MacBook or MacBook Pro, the trick is to get it to MacMedics fast. Don’t try to fix it yourself, and just because it seems to be working OK, does NOT mean you’re out of the woods. Best thing to do is try to mop up excess liquid, remove the battery, then get it to us a quickly as possible.

Here are some Do-It-Yourself procedures to avoid:

1. Don’t try to turn the unit on NO MATTER WHAT. If there is liquid in the unit, and it’s making a connection between anything, then that could very well be the end of your laptop.

2. Don’t try to take the unit apart yourself. It’s not that hard to take off most MacBook’s top case, but to ensure the liquid is gone, the logic board needs to be removed in almost every case.

3. Don’t try to clean your logic board or any other part of your computer with “distilled” water. In fact, we don’t recommend you even try to clean it at all.

4. If moisture gets in, it’s usually not going to go away on it’s own. If your computer seems to be working after a spill, then that means you most likely got lucky and we might be able to fix/save your MacBook or MacBook Pro. But, in order to do so, turn the unit off and remove the battery. The liquid problem almost never goes away on it’s own.

5. If you have something like coffee, orange juice, soda, and many other type of acidic liquids, two things, 1. the acid will cause more corrosion than just water, and 2. Anything that has sugars in it won’t totally evaporate, it will just turn in a syrup which can cause it’s own set of problems. If you are growing a corrosion “science fair” project inside your laptop, you’ll end up with something that looks like mold that we call “creeping crud“. This stuff is nasty, because as long as it’s inside your unit, it can sort of “grow” and “creep” to reach other parts of your computer and cause more damage along the way. Anything it touches and then grows on will get get fried if power is applied (even well after the liquid is long gone). It’s also very brittle and it can crack off and then “float” around inside of your unit causing more issues as it “pinballs” its way around the inside of your computer.

6. Do us a big favor, don’t put your Apple laptop into an oven to dry it out. This can cause a whole new set of problems. We just wrapped up writing an estimate on a Unibody MacBook Pro that the owner tried to take it apart, then tried to clean the keyboard with water, and then baked the whole thing in the oven. Total repair $1700. New computer $1200.

One other thing to think about: Your hard drive. If your data is NOT backed up, your liquid soaked laptop could be putting your data at risk. This is the first thing we look a when working on a liquid spill case. We remove the hard drive and check to ensure that your data is safe. Most DIY repairs don’t take this into account, and most won’t take the controller off the hard drive to ensure there’s no liquid under it. When making a back up plan, you should take into account laptop damage as a possible way for your data to get in harm’s way. Please ensure you have a back up (tested and working) at all times.

Here’s a testimonial for one that we fixed a while back. This client was smart and he got the unit to us quickly, so we could get the coffee out while it was still wet.

“Well I’ve received my MacBook delivered back to me via your courier; and, I have to tell you that it was like getting a member of the family home from the hospital. Five days after buying my MacBook, I spilled coffee across the open laptop: I was certain that I had just spent $1,200 for coffee I wouldn’t get to enjoy. I never dreamed you could have saved my files– much less the entire computer. I am in awe of the dedication and skill it must have taken to disassemble my laptop, clean it piece by piece, and then return it to me as good as new. Thank you for the attention, the care, and the professionalism you demonstrated in far exceeding my expectations in quality of service and affordability. I highly recommend MacMedics, and would encourage any Mac user who drinks coffee to put your number on speed dial.”

Shane Townsend
Baltimore, Maryland

Sending your MacBook or MacBook Pro off to one of the “Nationwide” Mac repair shops, might sound like a good idea.

Here’s a couple of things to consider.

Are their techs Apple Certified with many years of Mac hardware experience?

Are they advertising the “lowest price” on the Internet? If they are, they maybe going for the quantity vs. the quality business model. Since 1989 MacMedics has worked extremely hard to provide excellent workmanship, efficient service, and an accurate Macintosh service diagnosis.

Because of our promise of quality and workmanship, we’ll also reinstall all screws in their correct locations, and ensure that the Apple Macintosh case tolerances are as close to the original factory fit as humanly possible. (This holds true for Macintosh, iPhone, and iPhone repairs.)

Today, a Black MacBook came in for repair. It had previously been sent to a “mail-in” Internet Mac repair business. When we took the unit apart we were appalled to see that the unit had been improperly serviced elsewhere before.

In this MacBook’s case we were able to see five items right away that tipped us off.

1. Unabated liquid damage on top case near battery
2. Damaged temperature sensor cable for optical drive
3. Missing optical drive screw
4. Misplaced screw in optical drive (a large size screw forced into incorrect location)
5. Two missing top case screws.

See this picture large size here.

In this case the screw securing the optical drive was too large for the screw hole it was in. It was causing a pressure spot on the bottom case to burp out.

See this picture large size here.

Ripped temperature sensor for the optical drive. The temperature sensor is suppose to be attached to a cable and is meant to be in this plastic carriage.

See this picture large size here.

While this liquid damage is in a spot that might not cause an issue, it’s always a good idea to completely clean this corrosion out of a computer as it can break off and move to other parts of the computer.

The saddest part of this story is that the Black MacBook was coming into to MacMedics for “backlight” or “inverter” issues. This was due to the fact that the replacement LCD that had been installed elsewhere had failed and was no longer under warranty. This is another item to carefully consider. MacMedics offers a full one-year warranty on all of our Macintosh repairs. While other Internet based mac repair places come and go, MacMedics has been in business since 1989, so if your unit has issues in the future, we’ll be here to help (and to honor our warranty). Also, as Apple Authorized Service Providers, our shop floor has been inspected by Apple and exceeds their requirements for anti-static measures.

Are You Snowed In Baltimore Or Washington DC Today? This Would Be An Excellent Time To Check Your Time Machine Or Other Macintosh Backup System.

Are you snowed in the Baltimore-Washington area? A snow day is an excellent time to review your Mac’s back up plan, add an extra layer of protection, or test the back up you already have running! Don’t forget, there’s no such thing a set-it-and-forget it backup plan! (This post has links to all my other posts on this topic. Read, learn, and protect your data.)

We also see a rise in data loss that can be attributed to folks moving data or computers around during bad weather. If you are moving your data, switching back ups, or upgrading to a new computer, or doing ANY type of data housekeeping, please read this Blog post first.

MacMedics Case File: White MacBook With Spectacularly Broken LCD.

This white, plastic Macbook came into the MacMedics shop via one of our institutional Macintosh repair contracts. It looks like someone dropped something on the top of the unit to puncture the screen back (the part with the Apple logo on it) and broke the LCD hard enough that a convex lump is visible on the front of the LCD.

See this picture large size here.

See this picture large size here.

See this picture large size here.

No problem! We have the parts to fix it in-stock so we had it fixed same-day.

If your MacBook or MacBook Pro has a broken LCD, MacMedics can fix your laptop! The Apple Store charges as much as $1200 in some cases to fix this problem. We can usually fix most LCDs from $349 to $549. All commonly used LCD are in stock. WE stock over a dozen different types and sizes.

MacMedics has also become quite well know for our MacBook and MacBook Pro Uni-Body glass repair. We can fix this issue as well, and again for hundreds of dollars less the Apple Store.

If you are in the Baltimore or Washington DC area, just stop by our Millersville or Lanham office and we can get your Apple laptop repaired and back to you very quickly (most cases are handled in 24 hours). If that’s not fast enough, MacMedics does offer low-cost MacBook rental units to keep you up and running is you’re headed out of town or on a deadline.

Getting An Accurate Macintosh Repair Diagnosis Is Important. You’ll Always Get One At MacMedics, And Never For More Than $49

Recently, a MacMedics client showed me an on-line review of another Apple Authorized Service Provider that shares the Metro area with one of the MacMedics offices. To keep things as fair as possible I won’t name names or locations.

Here’s a copy of the review that was marked 1 out of 5 stars:

“Let me fill you in on my story. I’m a sophomore in college, and I own a MacBook Pro. One day the display just stops working. External displays don’t even work. So I bring it to an Apple store nearby. They tell me they can’t cover it under the warranty because of the “external damage” (really nothing more than a few scratches and a small bump or two). So, they want to charge me $1300 for repairs. I figured I’d just take it to an Authorized Service Provider, and have them fix only the parts that aren’t working. Little did I know that about a week later I’d get a call saying they couldn’t do anything for me and that they’d have to charge me $125 for “Diagnostics” when they can’t even tell me what’s wrong with the thing. Overall, if it’s a hardware problem, I’m not even sure if it would be worth trying to save the computer. You may as well just buy another one?”

Let me tell you why this type of situation never happens at MacMedics:

1. If you bring in a unit that is obviously beyond our help, we won’t try to entice you to check it in for a diagnostic if we don’t think it’s going to be worth fixing. In many cases, if you stop by with your sick Mac, we’ll be able to tell pretty quick if we think it’s worth fixing or even worth looking into. We’ll often plug a unit to see what’s up while-you-wait if we have open bench space when you stop by. We know that nobody wants to be without their computer, and in many cases we find out your issue might be a simple problem like a bad power adapter, corrupt power manager, or a bad stick of RAM (all which can often be fixed on the spot).

2. If we have to open up your MacBook or MacBook Pro to look inside for trouble, and we deem that it needs a repair that is either too much for you, or just to expensive in general the fee is only $49. That fee is only charged IF you decide NOT to fix the unit.

3. If you bring us a Macintosh computer for service, we will usually have an answer for you within 24 hours. Never a week or more as was the case in the review mentioned here.

4. If your unit is super sick (like it needs a $1200 repair) it may still have salvage value. A. We’ll help move you into a new Mac and transfer all of your data (if your data is healthy) for a flat fee of $99. B. If you unit has any value to us, we’ll offer a trade-in value for it. (That’s not something Apple does or anyone else we know of.)

5. Our in-shop techs will be honest with you. We will try to find the cause of your computer’s issue, and report back to you with ALL of your options.

In some cases of a major hardware failure, MacMedics, might be able to move you into a pre-owned Mac. We often can move over your upgraded hard drive and/or RAM to try and maximize the value of what you have already paid for.

We really do love what we do, and no matter what your situation is, we would LOVE to talk to you about your problem. Give us call, send us an e-mail, or just stop by either of two Apple Certified Mac Labs in Millersville or Lanham, Maryland.

A new client in our Washington DC office, brought us a MacBook that had a dying hard drive. He needed the data, so Mike H, one of the talented MacMedics in Lanham was able to recover it all.

Folks, this would be so much easier if everyone had data back ups. I promise you that even without countless “Data Recovery” cases coming in every day, we’ll still be able to stay in business. If you don’t have a tested, working, and automatic backup working for, it’s TIME to get one. We can help if you need guidance.

If you have a back up, then test it, and please consider a clone back up and an off-site back up to boot. You can never have TOO MANY back ups.

Our client in Washington DC sent this:

“Dear Mr Stibolt

Steven S.”

We Fix Macs! MacMedics Can Fix Or Service Any Macintosh Ever Made.

MacMedics can fix Macs. Of course all of the recent Macs are no problem, even the last few generations are no problem for us. If the Apple Store or anyone else has turned you away because they say your Mac is too old to work on, then come see us!

This week we worked on two pretty old Macintosh systems.

Case #1: Replacing the hard drive in a Titanium PowerBook G4. Some people really love old Macs, we sure do. The old Ti-Book had been serving it’s owner’s needs since 2001, but the hard drive died. He saw no reason to retire the machine, so he asked us to replace the hard drive.

No problem. Even though PATA hard drives in the 2.5” form factor are getting harder and harder to find, we still have them. Old hard drive comes out, new hard drive goes in, and we transfer all of the data over to the new hard drive.

See this image large size here.

Case #2: Macintosh Classic (from 1990) that is dead, but it’s owners want the data off it. This one is still a work on progress. We’ve worked on this form factor Mac countless times, but in this case one of the case screws is fused in place, so thus far, we’ve not been able to get the Mac Classic apart. We will drill out the screw on Monday to get to the hard drive. This unit has a SCSI hard drive, something that MacMedics is familiar with. We have to pull data off old SCSI drives on a regular basis, so we’ll hook it up to one of our custom rigs to grab the data.

We love helping Mac Medics clients get their iPhones and iPods back to them quickly. We repair dozens of iPhones and iPods every week, and in the majority of the cases, the unit is fixed within a few hours of being dropped off here in our Millersville, Maryland Mac Lab.

There’e no need to send your iPod away to the West Coast or anywhere else (we hope it’s not some fly-by-night basement repair place) for that matter when you have a local, reliable, and trustworthy iPod/iPhone/Macintosh repair center right here in Central Anne Arundel County right near Arundel Mills Mall and BWI Airport.

Don’t forget that Facebook “Fans” of MacMedics get $10 off iPhone and $25 off Macintosh repairs. Make yourself a “Fan” right here and find out what all the buzz is about!

Here’s a testimonial that a nice guy who was heading to Afghanistan sent us. Nothing better than getting an iPhone back in the hands of a member of the Armed Forces.

“Mr. Stibolt,
 
I don’t know if you will remember me or not, but I am the U.S. Military member whose iPhone your company fixed the day before I left for deployment. Having my iPhone fixed same day was very helpful! I just wanted to thank you and your company personally again. Having my iPhone with me here overseas allows me to communicate with my family back home without worrying about big phone bills. I will be sure to mention MacMedics to every Mac or iPod/iPhone owner I see! So, thanks again and I look forward to doing more business with you in the future.

Sincerely,
Damu M.”