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Late 2011 model, A1278 / 2.4 GHz i5 or 2.8 GHz i7 processor.

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restarts itself in a loop

upon start up, the loading bar doesn't go all the way to the end. It stops about 1/4 of the way and restarts, then restarts itself, then says your computer shut down due to a problem, over and over again.

a youtube video shows the same problem. so, the guy opens the computer and discovers inside that the power button keeps being pressed. he then proceeds to put some scotch tape somewhere, which I guess gets the power button unstuck.

I attempted to start up from an external SSD - by pressing alt at power on - and the SSD was recognized, so I chose it and the loading bar started moving along, but then, splat, restart in a loop once again, over and over again.

what tools do I need to fix this?

is the problem a stuck power button on the inside?

I have never opened a computer in my life, so please explain it to me like I’m a three-year-old. Thank you.

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Lets do this restart your system and press the D key that will enter into the onboard diagnostics, run it and tell us if you got any errors and what they where.

Reference: Mac startup key combinations

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Thank you for responding. It's currently testing (Apple Hardware Test.) It has been “testing in progress” for about two hours now. I’m going to just leave it to do its thing. I’ll update later when a new screen comes up with any info.

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@bloated1 - 2 Hours! That's way to long!

It's hung on something!

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Time for a new logic board ;-{

Here’s the guide: MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011 Logic Board Replacement

And here’s the 2011 boards:

  • 13” Macbook Pro Logic Board 2.3GHz i5, Apple P/N 661-5869
  • 13” Macbook Pro Logic Board 2.4Ghz i5, Apple P/N 661-6158
  • 13” Macbook Pro Logic Board 2.7GHz i7, Apple P/N 661-5870
  • 13” MacBook Pro Logic Board 2.8Ghz i7, Apple P/N 661-6159

Here’s the 2012 boards:

  • 13” MacBook Pro Logic Board, 2.5GHz i5, Apple P/N 661-6588
  • 13” MacBook Pro Logic Board, 2.9GHz i7, Apple P/N 661-6589

The 2012 boards need a few modifications to fit but maybe the best option as the 2011 boards are hard to come by these days.

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ok. thank you. more than 12 hours later, the progress bar on that Apple Hardware Test was close to the end, but not quite at the end. The next thing I knew, after another four hours or so, the screen just went black, while before then the Apple Hardware Test was always on the screen. It’s still on, I can hear it, but nothing is on the screen. Powered off. On to figure out this logic board replacement. Thanks

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bloated1 will be eternally grateful.
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