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In June 2017 Apple updated its 13" MacBook Air with a newer Broadwell Intel Core i5 processor, resulting in slightly increased performance and battery life.

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Laptop stopped working after battery replacement

My previous battery's capacity was getting too low, so I ordered one from ifixit and changed it. However this battery could not be charged at all. I could use my laptop only when the charger was on - indicated battery level was 93 percent though.

I tried SMC reset a several times which did not work as well. So I tried SMC reset with replaceable battery method (shut off the laptop -> remove the battery -> hold power key for 10 secs -> insert the battery and turn on the laptop). But after I did this, I was not able to turn my laptop on again. Still, I can only see the dark screen...

Update: tried a hard SMC reset three times. Each time I did this, my laptop would turn on very dimly, load for a few seconds with loud fan noises, and suddenly turn off back to blank. I honestly don't know what to try anymore...

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With the MagSafe charger plugged in what is it’s color? Amber, Green or not lit.

Is it able to boot with the charger plugged in? If it is download this gem of an app so you can see what’s happening CoconutBattery take a snapshot of the apps main window with the battery tab opened up an post it here so we can see it too.

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@danj Unfortunately with this laptop not even turning on, downloading an app is not an option.. the charger plugged in has been amber color

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Hi Elizabeth,

There are a lot of very smart people on this site who know a lot about MacBooks, so hopefully you'll get some authoritative answers, but in the meantime if that was my computer, here's what I'd try.

First off, it doesn't sound like the battery is working right, does it? I'd be really curious if it behaves the same with the battery unplugged; obviously you'll have to have the power cord connected. If it does, I'd say the replacement battery is defective; iFixit seems to have a pretty good one year warranty on batteries, so they should be able to help.

If that doesn't help, the next thing I'd try would be to put the old battery back in and see if it goes back to working the way it used to. Again, if that works then the new battery has problems and you should be able to get it replaced.

If neither of those suggestions helps, get yourself a magnifying glass and a bright light and look carefully at the battery connectors; both those on the cable and the one on the motherboard. Look for any dirt or dust in the connector and check for any bent or missing pins. If you find anything bent you might be able to straighten it with fine tip tweezers. Also, clean both of them with 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol (not the 70% stuff we all have around the house), reassemble and see if anything changes.

Assuming you followed the iFixit guide, you shouldn't have had to unplug anything else in order to replace the battery, but while you're in there it wouldn't hurt to check any connectors near the battery in case they got bumped in the process of swapping batteries.

That's all I got for ya at the moment. Let us know if any of those ideas help; if not, we'll see what else we can do to help you figure out what's going on with your MacBook.

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Thanks for your detailed guide! I'll try it in a few days and let you know how it went)) (I'm just too exhausted right now after spending 5+ hours trying to revive that laptop)

Update: I tried plugging in the power cord without the battery -> nothing happened. Just a black screen.

Then I did the isopropyl wipe -> again, it didn't fix anything.

I didn't attempt to reconnect my old battery though.

Also, every time after I reconnect battery, the laptop turns on when I plug in the power. It would make very loud noises with super faint screen with an apple logo and a loading bar, but it would turn off again before the loading is done - then it can't be turned on again..

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Elizabeth Lee will be eternally grateful.
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