[lizardgator]

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1916

[mduell]

And if you look at the date created, they've known since at least February.

[sharkie]

I went to the apple store today. I explained I had the noise/buzz, and the geniuses know of the problem. They sent it in for a new logic board. So if you have the processor noise/buzz/whine, then take your MBP in and ask for it to be fixed. Remember to deauthorize your iTunes.

Some people on the apple discussion boards report success. It seems the buzz is reduced to a point where you wouldn't notice.

There is no pattern regarding the heat in the discussions, but perhaps it will run cooler. My fingers are crossed.

Good luck!

[drpepper]

I have a high pitched squeal buggin the f#%$ out of me (so, I guess it's the "whine").

I've never had to send in for repair before. Do they wipe your hard drive regardless of the procedure, or are there some repairs where you could get your disk back intact?

I recognize that you are warned and have to back up and expect or at least be prepared, but I'm wondering as a practical matter, what usually happens with the hard drive when units are sent in.

I gather my whole OS X can be backed up to another drive pretty easily, but my XP partition has installs and activations that will be a real hassle to get going again.

Also, is there a ballpark experience of how long do these kinds of things take?

[onlykaria]

Originally Posted by mduell

And if you look at the date created, they've known since at least February.

thats when the units where first shipped.... did they ship even the first units knowing this was a problem

[MacBookProJoE]

Originally Posted by drpepper

I have a high pitched squeal buggin the f#%$ out of me (so, I guess it's the "whine").

I've never had to send in for repair before. Do they wipe your hard drive regardless of the procedure, or are there some repairs where you could get your disk back intact?

I recognize that you are warned and have to back up and expect or at least be prepared, but I'm wondering as a practical matter, what usually happens with the hard drive when units are sent in.

I gather my whole OS X can be backed up to another drive pretty easily, but my XP partition has installs and activations that will be a real hassle to get going again.

Also, is there a ballpark experience of how long do these kinds of things take?

Usually these repairs take at most a week. At least thats what apple has told me. lol

-JoE

[PeterKG]

There is a fix and you need to contact Apple Care to send it in. The fix, whatever it is, has been nothing short of amazing for my unit, which I never thought made much noise. But it is like a completely different machine now. No noise, heat, and it runs perfect. Here is what they replaced...

612-0020 ASSY, INVERTER, NCC, MBPRO15"
659-0290 ASSY, KYBD, M1
630-7685 SVC, MLB,2 16GHZ, 256VRAM (M1-CAP) MBP15"
616-0260 BAT, LITHION, 60WHR, PLYMR, SMPLO/ATL, MBP

I received the letter and new install disks. I had sent this in to them because of clunk noise near hard drive, and keyboard issues. Keyboard works perfectly now. Also came back without any cosmetic damage.

[drpepper]

So, how about the chances of getting a hard drive back that has not been erased?

Was yours cleared, or did you do that before you sent it in?

I'll prepare for losing it, but I'm looking for the chance that I might get my disk back without having to go through a complete reinstallation. Does that happen? Is it rare or common?

One of the things I'm concerned about is that I have software that has a reativation policy of no more than 3 per year and at least 120 days apart. They can make exceptions, but I first installed it on my previous computer about 2 months ago, had to reactivate on the MBP, and if I send this in and have to do it again, that will be 3 activations within 120 days. They'd be within their rights and policy to assume that I was up to something and decline me.

[PeterKG]

Originally Posted by drpepper

So, how about the chances of getting a hard drive back that has not been erased?

Was yours cleared, or did you do that before you sent it in?

I'll prepare for losing it, but I'm looking for the chance that I might get my disk back without having to go through a complete reinstallation. Does that happen? Is it rare or common?

One of the things I'm concerned about is that I have software that has a reativation policy of no more than 3 per year and at least 120 days apart. They can make exceptions, but I first installed it on my previous computer about 2 months ago, had to reactivate on the MBP, and if I send this in and have to do it again, that will be 3 activations within 120 days. They'd be within their rights and policy to assume that I was up to something and decline me.

You should always perform a backup, before sending in, and deauthorize iTunes, but the letter that came with the new disks, stated that if you were already up to date (10.4.6 or higher), then they did not erase the drive. Mine came back exactly as I sent it.

[mac128k-1984]

I wonder what they'll do about the moo

[shabbasuraj]

Time for all WHINERS of the whine to unite.

[PeterKG]

Originally Posted by mac128k-1984

I wonder what they'll do about the moo

If you have a MBP, you should not have the Moo, if you applied the SMC Firmware update. Did you?

[drpepper]

Originally Posted by PeterKG

You should always perform a backup, before sending in, and deauthorize iTunes, but the letter that came with the new disks, stated that if you were already up to date (10.4.6 or higher), then they did not erase the drive. Mine came back exactly as I sent it.

Yes, I have recognized all along that I need to prepare as though it would be erased. But your anecdote is the kind of thing I was looking for. That shows me a real world instance where the drive was not erased. I don't know if it's commonplace or if it will happen to me, but I know that it can happen. It's hope.

[PeterKG]

Originally Posted by drpepper

Yes, I have recognized all along that I need to prepare as though it would be erased. But your anecdote is the kind of thing I was looking for. That shows me a real world instance where the drive was not erased. I don't know if it's commonplace or if it will happen to me, but I know that it can happen. It's hope.

The letter that came back with the repair says:

If your Macbook Pro did not have the latest Mac OSX version installed when you sent it in for repair, Apple has installed it for you.

Mine was up to date with 10.4.7, and it came back exactly has I sent it in, even though I did back up just in case.

[MacBookProJoE]

Originally Posted by PeterKG

There is a fix and you need to contact Apple Care to send it in. The fix, whatever it is, has been nothing short of amazing for my unit, which I never thought made much noise. But it is like a completely different machine now. No noise, heat, and it runs perfect. Here is what they replaced...

612-0020 ASSY, INVERTER, NCC, MBPRO15"
659-0290 ASSY, KYBD, M1
630-7685 SVC, MLB,2 16GHZ, 256VRAM (M1-CAP) MBP15"
616-0260 BAT, LITHION, 60WHR, PLYMR, SMPLO/ATL, MBP

I received the letter and new install disks. I had sent this in to them because of clunk noise near hard drive, and keyboard issues. Keyboard works perfectly now. Also came back without any cosmetic damage.

How long did apple have your laptop for?

-JoE

[PeterKG]

Originally Posted by MacBookProJoE

How long did apple have your laptop for?

-JoE

I received the box on a Friday, sent it in on Monday, and got it back on Friday. Super fast service.

[Timetheus]

I had my logic board replaced in a non-related issue (it died) and they didn't touch my hard drive, so I wouldn't worry too much.


At that time they overnighted me the box, I overnighted the MBP back (at Apple's expense) and they had it too me the very next day - so Applecare is capable of being pretty quick, at very least.

[cold aspiration]

Yes they are capable of doing it very quick ... unless there is a part on order. My freakin repair has been sitting on some desk for the past 5 days with "part on order" . The part is a logic board. WTH ? The Apple repair center doesn't have any Logic Boards ????!! Anyway, mine is a 17" MBP and I had to push a bit for them to take it. The issue is only recognized for the 15" because I think not enough 17" complained ... Apple trying to cover their ass...

Sorry guys, just grumpy without my MBP for the last week. All my ibook repairs have had excellent turnaround times. Received, repaired, and shipped out on the same day.. sigh.

[Busemann]

The MBP's sure have had its fair share of issues. Mine has had these probs:

Whine
Excessive heat
Battery that needs to be replaced (https://support.apple.com/macbookpro15/batteryexchange/)
Clicking sound right before any audio is played through headphones
Dead/stuck pixels

But other than that, great machine!

[n8236]

I had an extra gig of ram installed, should I remove that and keep it w/ me for safety reasons? My issues include the whine, cosmetic dmg, a noisy right speaker fan, latch, and heat.

I sure hope they fix all this when I send this one, but i'm afraid the rep might think I'm bsing and give me an attitude. How is their customer service like? Thanks

[PeterKG]

Originally Posted by n8236

I had an extra gig of ram installed, should I remove that and keep it w/ me for safety reasons? Mine issues include the whine, cosmetic dmg, a noisy right speaker fan, latch, and heat.

I sure hope they fix all this when I send this one, but i'm afraid the rep might think I'm bsing and give me an attitude. How is their customer service like? Thanks

When you receive your box for sending it in, it specifically says if you have installed extra ram, to leave it in. They will do a complete diagnostics that will include testing the ram. They know by your serial number if your logic board should be replaced. Just call them and get it sent in.

[drpepper]

Thanks for all the insights, Peter.

Another question for you or anyone else with "the whine." Was your whine constant?

Mine comes and goes. Or I should say, at least, its intensity seems to decrease to the point that I don't notice it at times. Does this match with what others are seeing...err hearing.

[PeterKG]

Originally Posted by drpepper

Thanks for all the insights, Peter.

Another question for you or anyone else with "the whine." Was your whine constant?

Mine comes and goes. Or I should say, at least, its intensity seems to decrease to the point that I don't notice it at times. Does this match with what others are seeing...err hearing.

To be honest with you I rarely heard the whine. If I put my ear up to the keyboard I could hear it, but it hardly bothered me. I sent it in for keyboard replacement, but did tell Apple Care it whined and got hot. As I have said I think the MLB replacement is based on the serial number. They are determining automatic replacement, I think, based on that.

[fallingman]

Hi all, I'm in the UK.

I get a faint but noticable whine when using battery (it disappears when I scroll up or down a webpage/document - but as soon as I stop, it starts again) so I assume that this is the whine and although it doesnt distract me too much I may as well see if I can get it replaced. Do I have to take it in to a shop, or is there a number I can call?

Everytime I try to look on the apple site, it thinks I'm looking to buy something...

Any help appreciated.

FM

[PeterKG]

Originally Posted by fallingman

Hi all, I'm in the UK.

I get a faint but noticable whine when using battery (it disappears when I scroll up or down a webpage/document - but as soon as I stop, it starts again) so I assume that this is the whine and although it doesnt distract me too much I may as well see if I can get it replaced. Do I have to take it in to a shop, or is there a number I can call?

Everytime I try to look on the apple site, it thinks I'm looking to buy something...

Any help appreciated.

FM

Here is the contact information for you in the UK.....

http://www.apple.com/uk/contact/

[fallingman]

Wow, that was embarrassingly simple… thanks for that ;-)

[jvicinanza]

Im very interested to know if the replacement of the mother board affected the temp. of the machine.
Any experance here?

[PeterKG]

Originally Posted by jvicinanza

Im very interested to know if the replacement of the mother board affected the temp. of the machine.
Any experance here?

On mine it has reduced heat by quite a lot. No longer an issue at all.

[kafoochy]

Originally Posted by drpepper

Yes, I have recognized all along that I need to prepare as though it would be erased. But your anecdote is the kind of thing I was looking for. That shows me a real world instance where the drive was not erased. I don't know if it's commonplace or if it will happen to me, but I know that it can happen. It's hope.

drpepper, ask yourself why AppleCare would inexplicably erase your hard drive! Seriously?! I had my powerbook in for repair four times before they gave me a new one and never once did they touch my data. Think about it, why would they want to create a head-ache for themselves and erase everyone's data? Can it happen? Yes, of course and as was mentioned, it is very important to backup your data in case AppleCare decides there is a problem with the hard drive or with your operating system installation. However those are really the only times your hard drive would be reformatted baring an accident. If the logicboard is replaced, the display inverter, the battery, the keyboard, or anything not the hard drive... Guess what, those have no effect on the hard drive.

Should you back up your data? Yes. Should you post the same question over and over again without thinking about it? No.

[drpepper]

Originally Posted by kafoochy

ask yourself why AppleCare would inexplicably erase your hard drive! Seriously?!

I'm not sure what you're adding here or why you have a problem with me seeking out experiences and information about repairs

The first thing I said is that I do not have any personal experience with repair service. Prior to asking, I had not heard one way or the other what happens with the hard drive. The instruction and frequent warnings I've seen about backup, i-tunes deauthorization, and rumors about removing added RAM caused me to wonder what, as a practical matter, usually happens with the hard drive when units are sent in.

As you seem to be suggesting, I could silently speculate and guess at the answer, but since I don't know what reason there might be for Apple to clear the hard drive, I would be hard pressed to anything more than guess. If I came to the conclusion that "There is no reason," I could be wrong.

You do know that "inexplicable" means something can't be explained? To ask myself why someone else might do something in a process that I don't have any specific information about, that can't be explained would not be very fruitful.

[Barefoot Matt]

I'm not very familiar with a laptop's internal anatomy. Is the logic board attached to the processor? If so, do you think sending in my 1.83 GHz MBP will get me a 2.0 GHz replacement? That would sure be nifty, and it would certainly make the repair worth losing my 'book for a while (I'm not sure getting rid of the whine would be worth it on its own).

With regards to the creation date of that article, notice that it was updated this week. I'm guessing that it was formerly the article that said the whine was within normal spec.

[Javizun]

recieved mine came back like new-heat went down dramatically no whine i love it and now is up for sale

[kafoochy]

drpepper,

I apologize for my terse, verging on snide comments; I have been dealing with my nephew's inability to contact Microsoft to get his Xbox 360 fixed, my feelings of which bleed into my post. The gist of what I was trying to say was if it takes multiple forum posts to receive some semblance of an answer to your question, maybe you should simply call AppleCare and ask them what their policies are.

AppleCare works similarly to other repair services. Once you send in your computer for repair, it is still your property but is under the responsibility of Apple. With this reasoning, you grant Apple the right to replace any part which needs to be replaced. However, with thousands of repairs, do you think they are going to replace a hard drive or reformat it if it has absolutely no bearing on the repair? They have neither the money nor time to do so. Nor would they want to deal with the headache of destroying a person's intellectual property. Accidents and unexpected problems arise and backing up is always important whether you are sending your computer in or not.

In regards to third-party memory, if you have it, its your property and thus Apple is obligated to return it to you. They don't have the right to take away your property. If your memory is not up to Apple's specifications, they'll tell you and send the memory back externally from the computer, but it is still your property. If they loose it, it is their responsibility to replace it. This isn't speculation or guessing, it's thinking. If you were at all unsure, more research would have brought you to Apple's repair policy webpage http://www.apple.com/legal/terms/rep...inerepair.html which explains Apple's responsibilities as well as yours.

My point is that Apple's policies are logical and thus explicable. Your original question was based upon a fear that you may loose your data and thus can not be well accounted for. Data loss can occur at any time, whether you're walking down the street or siting in a café but when someone is repairing your computer and venturing around its insides, it's more likely that data loss could occur. This is deduction, not speculation. Apple does not purposely erase hard drives without reason. Logically what purpose would this accomplish in the repair, if the data is not the source of the problem? An analogy: when you bring your car in for service at your dealership to have the tires rotated, do you pick it up without oil or gasoline that you had when you brought it in? The MacBook Pro service page goes over what is or isn't done http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro/service/ and specifies that some repairs will require the hard drive to be erased. This is obvious, however it is not a policy to erase hard drives unless it is necessary. You asked "what usually happens with the hard drive when the unit is sent in?" nothing unless there is a problem with it or the data. I hope these links help.

[kafoochy]

Originally Posted by Barefoot Matt

I'm not very familiar with a laptop's internal anatomy. Is the logic board attached to the processor? If so, do you think sending in my 1.83 GHz MBP will get me a 2.0 GHz replacement? That would sure be nifty, and it would certainly make the repair worth losing my 'book for a while (I'm not sure getting rid of the whine would be worth it on its own).

With regards to the creation date of that article, notice that it was updated this week. I'm guessing that it was formerly the article that said the whine was within normal spec.

Yes, on the laptops the CPU is soldered onto the logic board, only on the Mac minis and iMacs is it in a socket and replaceable. If your logic board needs to be replaced on your MBP, the chip on the board will be replaced as well. I doubt they'll upgrade you as most companies keep parts in inventory for years but I suppose it is a possibility.

[JKT]

Originally Posted by fallingman

Hi all, I'm in the UK.

I get a faint but noticable whine when using battery (it disappears when I scroll up or down a webpage/document - but as soon as I stop, it starts again) so I assume that this is the whine and although it doesnt distract me too much I may as well see if I can get it replaced. Do I have to take it in to a shop, or is there a number I can call?

Everytime I try to look on the apple site, it thinks I'm looking to buy something...

Any help appreciated.

FM

Last month Apple Store London took three weeks to replace my PowerBook's screen when I had been told it would take 10 days - two weeks of that were spent waiting for someone to assemble it (I know because I was told after 10 days that the parts had arrived). I was NOT happy. If you need a repair, don't go to the Regent Street Apple Store. They are seriously understaffed and have to spend far too much time dealing with idiot iPod people who can't RTFM.

[jreades]

Just as an aside, this wasn't a dumb question -- I had an IBM ThinkPad from work that had a dead video card. Sent it in for replacement to an IBM-certified dealer and it came back with a wiped hard drive and without having been properly set up (it was still in that weird diagnostic mode). I'm still wondering why the best answer to a dead video card is to erase the OS completely. Maybe it's a Windows thing, I've heard that Dell often does the same thing... (I guess it enables them to rule out DLL problems or other stuff self-installed by the user, but what a user-friendly approach!)

All this is a long-winded way of saying that it does mean that asking whether the default action is a complete wipeout is hardly a dumb question.

jon

[pheonixash]

Originally Posted by jreades

Just as an aside, this wasn't a dumb question -- I had an IBM ThinkPad from work that had a dead video card. Sent it in for replacement to an IBM-certified dealer and it came back with a wiped hard drive and without having been properly set up (it was still in that weird diagnostic mode). I'm still wondering why the best answer to a dead video card is to erase the OS completely. Maybe it's a Windows thing, I've heard that Dell often does the same thing... (I guess it enables them to rule out DLL problems or other stuff self-installed by the user, but what a user-friendly approach!)

All this is a long-winded way of saying that it does mean that asking whether the default action is a complete wipeout is hardly a dumb question.

jon

Hehe, I think IBM's policy is to first erase the hard drive. I had sent in my ThinkPad for a broken speaker and it came back with a wiped hard drive, but the speaker was still dead! Same thing when i sent it in for an unresponsive trackpad....which was clearly a hardware issue. It's probably a Windows thing I guess. (the source of MOST problems?!)

[ValkRaider]

I had my hard drive fail on my PowerBook 15. I sent it in to AppleCare and because I am in a tight deadline at work I could not be without a computer for 7 to 10 business days. So I had to buy a new MacBook Pro (which I was planning on doing this winter anyway).

Well, that was July 11. Today is August 2. They still have my PowerBook, waiting for a part. The part is not expected until Friday at best - August 4. Which means best case scenerio I will have my PowerBook back just a day or two shy of one month.

Which is terrible.

And my MacBook Pro has the whine and runs hot, and will need to be replaced. But there is no way that I can wait a month to get it back, or even a week... So I am kind of screwed...

My first bad experiences with Apple since 2000.

[cold aspiration]

That is ridiculus, did you ask them what part??? My MBP is stll there since July 26 waiting for a part. How can thhey not have a main logic board? Does that mean every single computer that needed a logic board now must wait?? They also refuse to give me an estimated arrival time of the part, how did you get yours?? They actually told me that the manufacturer doesnt even give it out. I've called them twice already, now i'm going to give another call ... they just keep having the same monotonous response, "its still within our 5-7 days for repair" blah blah blah. Repairs for me have NEVER taken this long.

[ValkRaider]

Originally Posted by cold aspiration

That is ridiculus, did you ask them what part??? My MBP is stll there since July 26 waiting for a part. How can thhey not have a main logic board? Does that mean every single computer that needed a logic board now must wait?? They also refuse to give me an estimated arrival time of the part, how did you get yours?? They actually told me that the manufacturer doesnt even give it out. I've called them twice already, now i'm going to give another call ... they just keep having the same monotonous response, "its still within our 5-7 days for repair" blah blah blah. Repairs for me have NEVER taken this long.

According to the repair notes it is an "optical drive mount", although they admit that they have sometimes had incorrect part listings in the status... But there were 40 machines in front of mine on the list for the part.

After the computer has been at their site for longer than a certain number of days - I forget what it was, maybe 10? They are authorized to initiate a "global part search" which takes two days. If the part is not found within that time your status gets bumped up in priority.

I don't know how they got the estimated arrival date for the part, but they got it sometime last week. I have been calling in about every 3rd business day. I have been polite but have voiced my concern each time.

This last week I expressed concern that I am the only Mac guy in our whole company and I always am trying to justify my Mac - while our Dell machines if they have a part failure tehy have a 4 day turnaround - regardless of part. Seriously - that is what they do, and we have had screens replaced and hard drives replaced. But my AppleCare is taking a month for a hard drive... How can I justify Macs when the Dell notebook with comparable hardware to the MacBook Pro is $1000 less expensive?

The customer service people have agreed with me that the repair was taking far too long, and have thrown me a bone or two. I will not mention what they are, but I will just suggest that people be polite and understanding - but still be firm about the fact that we pay good money for Applecare and that we should not have to wait more than 10 business days for anything. They could rebuild the entire computer in 10 business days...

But always be polite no matte how mad you get, make your points logically and calmly - and they seem like they will help you out... They will do their best to make it up to you.

[cold aspiration]

Yeah I've been the same, I always point out things like that about me being one of the only mac guys here. My previous post I was just venting, I know that politenes + assertiveness takes you longer than screaming. Anyway, the last time I called the guy, he finally put out that search you spoke of ... its been past two days but no change. Does the search mean two days to complete the search or two days to receive the part and repair?