MacBook Pro Problems and Do-it-Yourself Solutions
When you are working on a MacBook, the chances of facing technical problems that affect your performance are sporadic. But these issues, even if they occur often, create nuisance and frustrate users. Even the most common problems such as batter drainage, missing files or backup, and failing logic board can cost you hours of productivity.
In this article, you will learn about some of the common MacBook Pro problems, along with their solutions. These resolutions apply to all MacBook Pro models, including MacBook Pro 13″, MacBook Pro 15″, and MacBook Pro 17″.
Problem 1: Laptop Doesn’t Turn On
If your MacBook turns off all of a sudden and it fails to reboot or turn on, there can be multiple reasons behind it. Your hard drive might have reached its stipulated storage limit, particularly if you are using resource-heavy apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.
- RAM Issues: Listen carefully and check if your MacBook beeps thrice in a single go. If so, then there might be a RAM problem such as faulty RAM or bootup issue. Access the RAM slots and make sure that it is properly installed in the right manner.
If you have two RAM chips, reset both of them and try again. If this doesn’t seem to work, try using one chip at a time to identify if any of the chips is stopping the Mac from booting. If nothing seems to work, check your logic board.
Scratch Disk Error: Scratch Disks are temporary storage drives that Photoshop creates to store temp files of the projects. While working on graphic-heavy projects, these disks fill up rapidly, creating an error that says, “Could not initialize Photoshop because the scratch disks are full.”
Clearing the scratch disk can be the possible solution to the error explained above and helps resume the functionality.
- Damaged Power Adapter: Faulty power adapter or power outlet will not let the laptop’s battery charge properly. If the battery is not charging appropriately or at all, your laptop won’t turn on. Sometimes there might be a problem with the wall outlet, so make sure to identify the actual cause.
You can borrow a battery adapter or a power adapter to check if it can charge your device. If your computer is still not charging after connecting another charger, the problem might be the left I/O board.
- Thermal Sensor Issues: If your Mac is running at high RPM, but the computer fails to boot, you might need to check the thermal sensor. Make sure that the thermal sensors are attached properly, else replace them as soon as possible.
If it doesn’t seem to fix the “MacBook Pro doesn’t turn on” error, you may need to replace the logic board to resolve the issue.
Problem 2: MacBook Pro Flashes Question Mark:
When you start your MacBook but aren’t able to see anything on the screen except the flashing question mark, your system might fail to boot properly.
- Operating System Error: If you try to turn your MacBook laptop on but it ends up flashing a question mark, it indicates that that system fails to locate the bootable operating system. Alternatively, the OS may have turned corrupt, the hard drive has failed, or there might be a lack of RAM.
Try to boot the operating system from a CD or run Apple’s Disk Utility to repair the damaged hard drive or reinstall the operating system. If possible, try to erase the hard drive before reinstalling the operating system.
- Faulty Hard Drive: The solid-state drive or the hard drive in your computer might have been erased, deleted, or corrupted. If the hard disk in your MacBook Pro is deleted, format it as HFS+ and then reinstall the operating system.
Before failing completely, the hard drive displays fragmentary data corruption. Slowly, you will notice that the hard drive will turn louder and start displaying clicking noise. If it still works, back up the entire data before it fails permanently and replace it.
Problem 3: Faint LCD Display
The unclear display of the MacBook Pro screen is another common issue that seems annoying. Usually, the screen blacks out completely, but you might be able to see giant graphics that hampers productivity.
Display Error: Though the symptoms of this issue can be recognized with a black or a darker screen, it’s quite difficult to identify the reason. The only thing that creates a problem is the black screen; everything seems to be working properly. There can be a display issue.
Screen Issue: If you use a flashlight on the screen, you might be able to see the fainted text and graphics. If this happens, restart your MacBook Pro to check if the screen is visible. If nothing seems to help, you may need to contact Apple support.
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