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Released October 2008 / 2.4, 2.53, 2.66, 2.8 or 2.93 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor

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Why does my power on button not work?

My MacBook Pro (late 2008) increasingly refuses to switch on - ie as if battery removed. I have tried every tip going. Sometimes it works sometimes not. Generally if used daily or put to sleep it’s fine, but if shut down overnight it’s dead. I have removed the keyboard connector from the motherboard and refitted, which worked yesterday. Did a clean install and it hung, rebooting at start up screen. Had to force shut down as it got too late. Today nothing. Tried removing the keyboard truck but no. Any thoughts? I’ve successfully powered up from power up terminals on the motherboard yesterday so not sure where the issue is. Maybe it’s just died! Got a new battery and replaced hard drive a couple of years ago. Backed up before I started.

Answer this question I have this problem too

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Lets' see if your MageSafe charger & battery are in good shape. Download this great free app: CoconutBattery and paste a screen capture of the main app window in your question so we can see what it tells us.

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That’s not the issue. Charging is fine and so is the battery, so are the indicator lights. Am I replying to a product promo?

Is there a way to test the power on button (not the MagSafe charger)?

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I'm not a product promo person, I have no interests in the product. What I do have is the willingness to help others save their systems.

Given the problem your stated this is an important diagnostic process to remove possible issues. More often than not power problems can be the root issue.

Did you have a liquid spill or sit your system down on a wet surface?

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@danj isn't a promo person. Coconut battery has helped many others with battery issues. what it does is gives you the number of charge cycles on the battery, the current health of the battery and other stuff. also a promo person would not have 200,000+ reputation. just click on this-----> @danj for info about him.

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Apologies guys, this is my first post so not familiar with contributors. I’ll download the app and try. Not possible if I can’t switch it on the laptop and I need the app on that machine. Also it is a wiped hard drive waiting for an OS! Appreciate the help.

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@clive_d - If your wiped your system's drive then we do have a problem ;-{

Do you have a spare USB thumb drive? If you do follow this guide to create a OS installer drive: How to create a bootable macOS Sierra installer drive from your iMac. Then boot up under it on your MacBook Pro so you can install a fresh copy of OS onto it.

Let us know how it goes.

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I was on Mavericks with this and I'm in the process of creating a bootable El Capitan usb, which is as far as I can go with this model. Currently it is booting after removing battery and holding the powerbutton for five seconds, then attach power cord (saw this on another thread). It randomly worked after replacing battery, but reboots part way thru startup.

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If your really convinced its your power button then try a keyboard/powerbutton replacement

MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Teardown

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Thanks - this is my last resort... was going to be sooner but I was put off by the 140(?) or so keyboard screws that needed removing in the process. I've had the motherboard out without problems.

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Your very right those 65 or so screws are a pain in my but crack.

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Also i would mention I have done this operation about a dozen or more times and I have reverted to a mini ryobi drill and ifixit bits. It helps reduce the blisters. If they strip just drill them out.

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Clive Dorman will be eternally grateful.
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