Please Help! Interruption in firmware update for Boot Camp killed my MacBook Pro!

[YKK]

My MacBook has not been able to boot since I turned off the system by mistake while the screen was showing the progress bar during the firmware update and then I inserted the installation disc into the drive.

 

The screen remains black, and there is no startup chime.

Also, my MacBook cannot eject a disc.

 

When I called Apple, I was foolish enough to tell the representative the whole story.

The representative told me that this cannot be covered by the warranty, because I attempted the firmware upgrade on my own responsibility and it failed due to my carelessness.

 

Desperately, I took my MBP apart (http://www.ifixit.com/).

I made sure that the superdrive and the hard drive are working fine on my sister's MBP.

 

I tried the following, but none of them have worked:

- pressing the eject button at startup

- holding down the track ball at startup

- holding down command and option at startup

- PRAM reset

- PRAM reset after changing RAM size

- PRAM reset after disconnecting the internal hard disk

- removing the battery and pressing the power button for 10 seconds

- erasing, reformatting, and installing OS X on the hard drive on another MBP

- holding down C and booting with the installation disc (the superdrive tries to read the disc for about 45 seconds or so, but nothing happens after that)

- the Firmware Restoration CD (the superdrive tries to read the disc for about a minute, but nothing happens after that)

 

What I would like to know are:

1) What is the most likely to be wrong? logic board, or inverter?

2) Is there any way I can fix this problem by myself?

3) How much should I expect I would have to pay if I have Apple fix this? Is there any other company that can fix this at a lower cost?

 

There is no Apple store nearby, and I don't want to travel a long distance for this.

Also, I am very poor. I don't know if I can afford the repair cost.

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Yuko

[Swad]

Hey YKK.

 

Check out this thread for a similar issue:

http://forum.osx86project.org/index.php?showtopic=10882

 

The end solution (maybe - we never heard back) can be found here:

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/fir...ationcdv10.html

 

Let us know how this goes!

[moksha]

But he can't eject the disk, so he couldn't use that...

[Swad]

Sorry, I should have read it better than that.

 

Hmm... I'm at a loss (of course, I don't have a macintel yet.)

 

Other ideas?

[Colonel]

Take the Macbook Pro apart, take out the superdrive, open the superdrive, take the disk out manually, put the firmware disk in, put the computer back together.

[YKK]

I transplanted the superdrive from my Macbook to my sister's Macbook, and took the disk out.

 

After that, I created Firmware Restoration CD, and put it in my MBP, but nothing happens -- the disc is stuck there again, though the superdrive tries to read the disc for about a minute.

 

I also followed the steps described at

 

http://forum.osx86project.org/index.php?showtopic=10882

 

but there's still nothing on the screen.

 

Thanks for your help in advance!!!

[Swad]

Hmmm...

 

Well at least you and your sister have the same laptop. That helps. I think.

[YKK]

 

Any ideas?

[Ouch]

The firmware restore CD should work, it's designed for this eventuality, but if you can't boot off the CD then there's not much way of fixing it. What happens if you switch on the macbook and hold down the power key as if you were going to do a firmware update?

[YKK]

If I hold down the power button, right after I turn on my MacBook, the CD drive makes the noise it usually makes, but no chime rings.

 

Then, the LED blinks rapidly followed immediately by a successive series of blinks (3 quick blinks, 3 slow blinks, 3 quick blinks).

 

But nothing happens after that.

 

Only the hard drive makes a faint sound, and there is nothing at all coming from any other place.

[U.C.]

Take it to another Apple store, I have gotten so much stuff from Apple replaced that was previously opened/screwed by me. They dont bother opening it. Act as if you are dumb, or give it to computer dumb person and make something like that i was working on Word an my comp just crashed etc etc.....

[YKK]

As I said above, there is no Apple store nearby.

Also, AppleCare has already recorded how the problem was caused.

 

Please let me know if anybody knows any solution.

[Pantalaimon]

tell your sister to go, other name, other problem, get warranty . _.

[Swad]

Yeah, I'd agree - I think playing dumb is going to be your best bet on this one.

 

I wouldn't support you lying, but if you can play dumb (something I do all too well) it might help ya out.

 

Keep us updated on the situation!

[YKK]

Thanks for your responses.

 

I will act dumb,

and use

another name

and

maybe

a different keyboard with a different SN (... but the problem is that my sister's is a couple of weeks newer than mine ... and her logic board has a color different from mine).

 

If it doesn't work, I will try laptoprescuer.com (Has anyone tried this company?).

 

I will post the results later.

[iFrodo]

The restore CD has been specifically designed to restore the firmware in the eventuality that a firmware update process has been interrupted:

 

"The Firmware Restoration CD can restore the firmware of an Intel-based iMac (Early 2006), Mac mini (Early 2006), or MacBook Pro to original factory condition.

 

You can only use this to restore the Firmware after an interrupted or failed update. If your computer is already in this state, you'll need to download the software and create the CD on another Macintosh computer, or you can take your computer to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider to restore your firmware. This CD can be created on both PowerPC and Intel-based Macintosh computers."

 

So it's specifically designed to solve a problem like yours, and so it MUST works. You probably didn't follow the instructions strictly.

 

Follow the instruction for the restore CD exactly as stated on the Apple page. It's important that you follow the instruction strictly!:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303469

 

To restore your computer's firmware, first create a CD using the disk image named "FirmwareRestorationCD.dmg":

1) Launch Disk Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities).

 

2) Click on the Burn icon or select the "Burn..."menu from the Images menu.

 

3) Navigate to where FirmwareRestorationCD.dmg is located and click the Burn button.

 

4) Insert a blank recordable CD or DVD.

 

5) Click the Burn button to create the Firmware Restoration CD.

 

The files are burned to the disc.

 

Using the Firmware Restoration CD, restore your Firmware back to factory condition:

 

6) Insure that the machine you are trying to restore is plugged into an AC outlet.

 

7) Power on the computer and hold down the power button until the LED blinks rapidly followed immediately by a successive series of blinks (3 quick blinks, 3 slow blinks, 3 quick blinks), then release the Power button.

 

8) Insert the Firmware Restoration CD into the optical drive.

 

After 30-60 seconds, the startup beep sound is played and a progress bar appears beneath the Apple logo on a gray screen.

The progress bar indicates the firmware is being updated.

DO NOT unplug, shut down, or restart the computer during the update or you will need to restart the restoration process beginning with step 6.

 

9) The computer will restart automatically after the firmware is updated.

 

 

It's important that you follow the instruction strictly!

 

So important points are:

 

- Burn the CD with Disk Utility and NOTHING ELSE!

 

- Plug your MBP to AC power

 

- Release the power button ONLY when the successive series of blinks appear.

 

Power on the computer and hold down the power button until the LED blinks rapidly followed immediately by a successive series of blinks (3 quick blinks, 3 slow blinks, 3 quick blinks), then release the Power button.

 

- Once you got the sequence of blinks and that you've inserted the restore CD, wait some minutes that something happens, there will be no reaction before 30 to 60 seconds according to Apple doc, and only after this amount of time you should hear a startup sound (so it's normal you don't get startup sound before, there will be no startup sound before this very point) and then the firmware update progress bar appears.

Of course DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING during this process. The computer will restart automatically after the update anyway.

 

 

The fact that your MacBook Pro have the successive series of blinks, as you apparently indeed have, indicates that your computer works enough to process a firmware restore from the restore CD, but of course this require that you burnt the CD correctly (using Disk Utility and nothing else) and followed the instructions correctly.

 

 

Btw, if you prefer to let an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider do the restore of the firmware, just find some time one day to go to one of them, they can do it for you (according to the documentation on the Restore CD: "you can take your computer to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider to restore your firmware.").

[YKK]

Thank you very much, iFrodo.

 

I had done before exactly what you described above, and I did it again twice today, but the situation is the same.

 

After I insert the CD into my MBP, the superdrive tries to read it for 1 minute and 45 seconds, it gets quiet for one minute, and then it starts to sound like the CD is stuck there though the drive is trying to read the CD.

 

The screen is still black, and there is no progress bar or Apple logo.

And there is no startup beep sound, either.

 

I waited for an hour after that, but nothing happened except that the superdrive makes a faint noise every 6 seconds when trying to read the CD and that my MBP gets very hot.

 

The CD couldn't be ejected, and I had to take my MBP apart to take it out.

 

I wonder if I damaged my MBP when I inserted the installation disc into the drive right after I terminated the firmware update.

[Shimms]

Just because AppleCare wont cover it under warranty doesn't mean the service department wont fix it, it will just cost your a little bit.

 

Personally for a $4000 laptop I'd prefer to spend some money and get it fixed by the OEM rather than take it apart and try home surgury. Probably end up costing you a couple of hundred bucks.

[iFrodo]

After I insert the CD into my MBP, the superdrive tries to read it for 1 minute and 45 seconds, it gets quiet for one minute, and then it starts to sound like the CD is stuck there though the drive is trying to read the CD.

 

Are you sure the CD is correctly burnt (Have you burnt it using Disk Utility? Have you verified it?)

[YKK]

Yes. I used Disc Utility when I made the CD, and also I verified it. I don't think there's anything wrong with the CD.