You see the store look for the usual Apple issues with that heat sink compound and plastic strip issue from years ago. Then they get the vents and heatsinks cleaned up but beyond that they swap in a motherboard and send us on our way. And yes they may update some flash or OS just in case. In other words, things an owner might not do.
Bob
Hi there, I've got a MacBook (a black one) three years old and bought in Chile (long story) but being used in the UK. It's given me a bit of grief in the past but nothing too serious.
Now, when I start it, I get a message in three languages telling me to restart the system - when I do this, I just get the same message.
I've tried restarting with the 'T' key held down, which does take me to the transfer screen, but nothing else I've tried (restarting with option, cmd, 'O' and 'P' held down, for example) seems to work. This problem has come out of nowhere - I've not installed any RAM, downloaded anything new or dropped it - so I'm worried that it might be a hardware problem. Pretty sure it's running 10.4.
When I took a look at the computer physically, I noticed that one of the three screws on the back is missing, and that one of the screws on the inside of the computer, where the battery slots in, was loose. I tightened the battery one, but obviously nothing I can do in the short term for the one on the back - don't see how this would affect the computer but you never know...
Anyone have any ideas? My thanks in advance to anyone who might have been through this before and can shed some light, or anyone who's just smart enough to know how to fix these things. Feel free to let me know if you need further info.
Many thanks,
Luke

Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic