Problem 6: Faulty CD Drive

Problem: My MacBook's CD Drive sometimes fails to work. DVDs work fine, but sometimes it doesn't work with a CD. It would start spinning and stop 3 times and then eject the CD. It takes 2~5 times before the MacBook can read the CD. At times, there's a clicking noise made as well.

Cause of Problem: Faulty CD Drive

Time needed: 5 days

Model: 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook with Snow Leopard

First noticed on: My MacBook

Solution:
I called Apple Support, and they offered a free replacement (I had the Apple Care Protection Plan). They got a delivery man to me in 2 days, and it got back to me on the 5th day. Also, during diagnostics, the Apple Repair Center also noticed that my LCD was failing, so they replaced the LCD, the connector, and also the bezel.

Result: Parts replaced without charge

Problem 5: Failed Hard Drive

Problem: My LaCie drive no longer mounted, and disk utility said that I did not have permission to write on the disk. The hard drive was spinning properly.

Cause of Problem: Bad Harddrive

Time needed: 10 minutes ~ 1 week

Model: LaCie Rugged Drive 500gb 5200rpm

First noticed on: My MacBook

Solution:
1. Go to disk utility, select te hard drive and attempt to repair the disk

2. If repair fails, try to erase the disk

3. If erasing fails, or the hard drive still does not mount after erasing, contact LaCie support

Result: Your Hard Drive now works, or is replaced by LaCie

Project 19: Replacing my External LaCie Hard Drive

Project Description: To get a replacement for my External LaCie Hard Drive

Cause of Project: My MacBook recognizes the Hard Drive, but can not mount it.

Difficulty: Very easy. Much better than my Apple Support experience.

Length of Project: 20 minutes

What I did: I mailed LaCie Support and told them my problem and attached the picture above to the mail.

I got a mail the next day, and unlike my Apple Support experience, no further questions was asked and instead immediate action was taken. I was told that my hard drive could have a fault, and that if I wanted to, they could send a deliver man in 4 days (December 16th) to pickup my drive for repairs or a replacement. They also said that this was the last day they could pickup the hard drive before the holidays. As a side note, they also added a link to their warranty agreement.

I replied on the 15th of December (my mail filter thought it was junk mail) with my address. I thought that I would have to wait for next year as I doubt that I could get an express delivery. I was wrong.

They replied saying that if it's alright with me, they can pickup my hard drive the next day. I should place the hard drive in a package with some protection (although my type of hard drive was made to survive falls of 2.2 meters), along with my cables. As a precaution, I added exaggerated amounts of Styrofoam into the box.

As promised, on December 17th the delivery man picked up the hard drive. I had to pay nothing.

LaCie contacted me 3 days later saying that a replacement will arrive on the 21st or 22nd of December.

Challenges:

1. Understanding why Apple (who also has the best customer satisfaction in the US at the time I wrote this) can't replace a battery which they stated themselves was defective without arguing with me about it for 2 hours.

2. my 3 year old 80GB Toshiba Hard Drive that I took out of my MacBook and placed in a cheap USB enclosure (which I have dropped countless times) seems to be more reliable than a never-been-dropped 500GB LaCie rugged drive which survives falls of 2 meters.

What Apple Should Learn from LaCie: Apple has the highest customer satisfaction in the US at the time I wrote this, and yet, it takes 2 hours of arguing just to replace a battery for a customer who purchased the unbelievably expensive extended warranty. Apple has to change the mindset of Call Centers from lose as less money to lose as less potential-customers in the future.

What LaCie should learn from Apple: Neither companies produce hard drives, but instead make enclosures that make the hard drive useful. Problem is, it seems like LaCie is choosing the wrong company (Western Digital?) for their hard drives, and is therefore losing money by risking the reliability of their hard drives even though their enclosures are beautifully built.

Status: Waiting for delivery

Project 18: Cleaning the inside of a MacBook

Project Description: Internal MacBook Cleaning

Cause of Project: 2 year old MacBook constantly runs at a high temperature, 55°C+, during basic web browsing and 89°C+ during video conversion or intensive gaming.

Difficulty: Medium

Items Used: #00 Phillips Screw Driver, Kitchen Knife, Magnet, Can of Air (compressed air in a can), Cotton Swabs, Tooth Picks

Length of Project: 2 hours

What I did: Followed this guide to get to the Logic Board of the MacBook. When I got there, it looked like this:

Looks fine? Take a closer look:

I used a can of air to spray all the dust off the CPU, then kept a tooth pick jammed in the fan while I sprayed it, so that the fan wouldn't rotate (rotating the fan faster than it was made to be can damage it). Even after spraying it, there was still dust on it, so I used cotton swabs in between each blade (you can also use a tooth brush if you have a spare). After cleaning the logic board, it looked like this:

If you were wondering where all this dust went, well, keep looking:

I then went on to spray the inside of the keyboard with the can of air:

The connector that connected the keyboard to the logic board had a beard of dust growing on it:

Also, there was some "brown substance" that was found on the edges of the MacBook that I removed using a couple of tooth picks:

After that, just put it back together. Unfortunately, it was not as simple as that.

Challenges - Removal: As said so in the manual, the screws on the back on the MacBook do not come off easily, so the manual suggests to magnetize the screw driver to attract the screw out. Unfortunately, the force of magnet attraction was not strong enough, so I was forced to use physical force to pry out the screw - using a kitchen knife once used to slice fine slices of sashimi, and degrading it to removing screws.

As said again in the manual, when removing the keyboard it "might" stick to the connection at the above the optical drive. The manual suggested removing all other sides first, then removing it. Though effective, degrading the Kitchen Knife helped me once again.

Challenges - Cleaning: The can of air became very cold after excessive use. This is something more than just annoying to hold, but it allows condensation to occur, leaving water on the outside of the can. This not only makes it more annoying to hold since it makes your hand wet, but if one drop of that lands on the logic board, you'll need to get a new $500 logic board. Which is bad for those who can't afford that, but a great excuse for people who want a new Unibody MacBook Pro.

Challenges - Putting it back together: There were small, loose plastic bits on the right side of the MacBook that easily slide out. This happened to me twice, when I was spraying it with the can of air, and when I was tilting the MacBook to screw the screws back in:

The Magnet on the right side of the MacBook that is used to put it automatically to sleep when the lid is closed, now being unscrewed, is free to unite with it's opposite bond:

This time, it seems like the force of magnetic attraction was a lot stronger than I expected it to be, but I had no problem removing the magnet and putting it back where it belonged, without degrading the kitchen knife once again. But be warned - this is some thing you do not want to be on, or any where close to, your hard drive.

Status: Completed, my MacBook now runs 4°C cooler

Summer Projects Overview

I must begin by expressing my appreciation for the opportunity to complete the work I have done over this past year with the ICT Department. It has been an incredible experience for me, and the knowledge I have gained from it is something I highly value. I would like to continue gaining more experience, not only for the next school year, but also over this summer.

 

The knowledge I gain from volunteering is great enough, but I believe that I can make my time even more valuable – not only to me, but to the school, and most importantly, to those less fortunate. I propose that in exchange for my volunteer hours, spent within the ICT Department this summer, voluntary sponsors would give charitable donations for the 1yen drive. This way, the school receives my services. I gain knowledge, and those less fortunate in our community might benefit from our combined efforts.

 

In the past, I have contributed in the following ways:

1.     Set up multiple video adapters, audio cables, and video cables

2.     Counted the number of video tapes in each department, and took note of their publishers

3.     Installed drivers for a scanner

4.     Started up a wiki

5.     Live Streamed school events

6.     Replaced defective batteries

7.     Successfully convinced Apple Support to replace an out-of-warranty battery

8.     Transferred files from an internal hard drive to an external hard drive

9.     Assessed how iPhones would effect a student’s learning experience

10.  Manipulated my iPhone to make it more flexible

11.  Transported multiple computers

12.  Re-imaged multiple computers

13.  Re-installed multiple computers

14.  Installed multiple RAM chips into both laptops and desktops

15.  Replaced a SuperDrive

16.  Made a functional MacBook from two nonfunctional ones

 

Other than above, I have leadership and accounting skills that I have gained through Student Council. As I have already spent the past year in both helping the IT, and worked effectively in Student Council, I am said to be a responsible person. In addition to that, I am always looking to challenges, as they are the things that teach me the most.

 

I look forward over the summer to contribute in the following ways:

 

1.     Update computers via Software Update after the computer is unfrozen, then refrozen after the installation of the updates.

2.     Collect, assess, clean, record, and redistribute computers and their accessories

3.     Re-image new computers (120)

 

Here is the proposal in more detail:

 

Dates Free: June 20~25, August 11~15 (unconfirmed, will notify later about availability between these dates when further details are available)

 

Wage (100% to Charity): Chosen by sponsor

 

Any one can sponsor me by agreeing to donate a set amount of money per hour. There is no minimum to this, as every little donation will make a difference for Charity. Records will be kept on an Excel worksheet, and will be posted on my blog, and can be distributed freely. The final copy of the record will be printed out as well. There is no deadline for sponsorship applications, but it is highly recommended to get them in before the first working day (June 20^th).

 

With a look to the future, I envision having a team of summer interns either contributing directly to meet YIS needs, or that of the community, on behalf of YIS. I would like to organize corporate sponsorships of volunteers to perform or contribute to set goals, with the time contributed reimbursed by these companies as charitable donations to either pre determined charities or YIS.

 

Thank you for your consideration,

 

Matthias De Ruyver