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Question

[MBP] Booting clamshell + External boot...

Apr 4, 2012 12:02AM PDT

Hello
I have an MBP A1226 running OS X 10.6.8

I just had my screen break on me and have it running in clamshell. Is it possible to have the computer ALWAYS boot with clamshell without having to close it while it's booting?

Furthermore, I would like to run a disk utility that requires an external drive boot (disk warrior). I've had some major problems with disk speed lately, and I just wanted to do some tests. I guess my question there is: with this busted monitor, how could i booth from the external drive AND clamshell mode at the same time?

The first question would probably answer the second as well, but I thought I would just lay out all my queries at once all the same.

Thanks in advance!
A

Discussion is locked

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Answer
What you can do
Apr 4, 2012 12:28AM PDT

What you can do, if you're daring enough, is to open the case and disconnect the LVDS cable from the MLB. Then just wrap it in some electrical tape or something to keep it from accidentally completing a circuit, and close things back up with the LVDS cable just floating loose inside the case. That way, the EFI won't find an internal display, broken or otherwise, and will automatically default to external video. It's a trick most techs learn pretty quickly, not that Apple ever bothers putting it into the ACMT training material.

As for your other issue, I wouldn't be surprised if your HDD is on its way out. In any event, if you can get video on the external display, you should be able to just hold option down to get the boot menu.

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thanks
Apr 4, 2012 1:20AM PDT

not quite that daring right now
i've opened up my previous mbp to replace a fan, and while i got it closed again, it was pretty darn sloppy at best haha
i'd like to avoid doing that.

i dont think the HD is on the way out, it's not THAT horrible, but its definitely not as fast as it should be. i just freed up some space and i wouldn't mind just running a couple utils to see whats up if anything

either way i'm gonna upgrade soon to a new HDD and replace the optical with an SSD for os/apps
but for now i'd like to just do some tests/tweaks

thanks! i appreciate your time and knowledge Happy
a

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Yes
Apr 4, 2012 3:37AM PDT

Yes, those older style models are a bit of a pain if you don't know what you're doing. There is a trick to getting the top case off, but you need to be careful doing it or you could damage the flex cable that connects it to the MLB. Of course the other methods have you risking bending the crap out of the bottom case, so it's kind of a situation where the design was aimed more at being aesthetically pleasing than functional repair wise. And just hope your keyboard never goes out. Good lord is that a lot of work to replace on those things. It rivals the newer unibody models where you just rebuild the entire laptop inside a new top case.

If you're going to upgrade the HDD, you may as well do the LVDS cable at the same time, since both require removing the top case.

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"it's not THAT horrible"
Apr 4, 2012 3:40AM PDT

Any dodgy drive is DODGY. I can only guess you have to learn this one first hand.

After a few years you'll know that any DODGY drive is something you never want around.

Kinda funny story. Years ago our shop had collected dozens of bad drives. We had lucked out and fixed a few to recover data using boards and parts but it was time to move on. I took the entire lot to a swap meet and put out a sign "Dead Drives, 5$ each" and they sold out in minutes. Only one person looked at me, then the drives and said "If you can't fix them I know I can't." They knew my shop and me so I took that as a compliment. They didn't buy one.

Bob

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drives
Apr 4, 2012 4:19AM PDT

yeah you're right. and my career depends on my computer so no sense waiting around.
all in the works Happy

thanks for the answers Happy

a