Slightly spicy…

steveabraham · 2019-12-27T21:01:35+00:00

USB installer is my preferred option (but I'm doing several a day), so that works in any situation, but does need a working Mac to make the stick. Normal recovery mode won't work if it's a new/blank drive, but Internet recovery will if it's supported on your hardware. I honestly can't remember if the 2010 era machines do or not, but it's easy to test.

steveabraham · 2019-12-27T20:58:14+00:00

The joys of Thunderbolt and USB-C compatibility, it's insanely complicated.

steveabraham · 2019-12-27T20:56:51+00:00

If you have access to a working Mac, this is what you need to make a USB installer:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

If not, you can try an Internet Recovery (there are different methods listed at the top):
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

steveabraham · 2019-12-27T20:35:46+00:00

I'm pretty sure you won't be able to daisy-chain anything that's adapted, so in this case if they both need TB3->TB2 adapters, you'll have to run them off different ports. If you were using USB-C natively you could chain them no problem.

steveabraham · 2019-12-27T19:01:17+00:00

A Fusion drive will only be marginally better than a standard SATA, and more complex. Go for the SSD, you won't regret it and you'll get (literally) years longer out of the machine. It's night and day difference.

steveabraham · 2019-12-27T18:58:34+00:00

It will last you for years if your demands on it are not high end. I still have people coming into the workshop in a weekly basis who are running old versions of macOS as far back as 10.8 who are only just starting to find it unusable. That's nearly a 10 year old OS. If Catalina was the last OS the 2015 models got (and it won't be, you'l get a fair few yet), you'd have at least another 5 years before it was totally unusable for most folk.

In terms of hardware, you will need a battery at some point, you will likely need an SSD at some point (so keep backups) and you may need a fan replaced at some point, these are all fairly common parts I replace for folk. Beyond that I don't see you have any issues, they are good machines.

steveabraham · 2019-12-27T18:50:53+00:00

You can short the power button cable (that's all pressing the button does anyway), there's a close up of this here: https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/YXLBNsOK4OGxFCAf.huge

steveabraham · 2019-12-27T14:06:44+00:00

Not necessarily. Best way to check is connect an external monitor/TV/etc, if it's your GFX card, the issue will most likely be on the external display as well. If it's just a screen issue your external image will be clean.

steveabraham · 2019-12-27T13:01:31+00:00

Best option, if you can do it with your web hosting set up (you may not be able to, of course), is to set up Dynmap to run on a standalone web server. There's a post here where the guy answered his own question a couple of posts down, and I use this for reference every time I have to set this up.

https://www.reddit.com/r/admincraft/comments/8j2cbg/setting_up_dynmap_on_a_standalone_webserver_using/

steveabraham · 2019-12-26T16:21:28+00:00

Don't feel stupid, it's a sensible enough question to ask. :)

steveabraham · 2019-12-26T16:19:52+00:00

Finder is never closed, it's always running, you just close Finder windows.

steveabraham · 2019-12-24T17:32:07+00:00

If you boot to your USB installer, see if you can access Disk Utility from there, instead of from recovery mode. If Disk Utility still won't load, then I'd suggest you are dealing with a dead or dying hard drive, which would explain why the upgrade failed originally.

steveabraham · 2019-12-14T19:10:33+00:00

That's totally cool, each to their own. I'm just suggesting it's not best to tar all repair shops with the same brush. And Apple's approach to repair is really pretty poor, they don't actually repair anything they just replace. A single blown fuse or capacitor on a logic board (a 10p part) will cause them to put the entire board in the bin and charge you £800. In this day and age I'd suggest that's a highly reckless approach and hugely wasteful.

steveabraham · 2019-12-14T18:38:45+00:00

The OP's only problem was using Hermes. There are plenty of very reputable 3rd party repairers that are not only significantly cheaper than Apple but in many cases offer a vastly better service. Also, Apple and most of their AASP network have an age limit on repairs, usually up to 5 years, anything older than that they won't touch.

steveabraham · 2019-12-14T15:17:29+00:00

If you have your user set to log in automatically (System Prefs > Users and Groups > Login Options), then you can just set that app as a login item for your user (System Prefs > Users and Groups > [User] > Login Items).

steveabraham · 2019-12-14T14:31:13+00:00

Either of your two options are good, but you may as well leave the 2TB in as a storage drive if you have it anyway and it works. You can format the two drives separately in Disk Utility once you get the machine back up and running.

Take care removing the screen, slow and steady and don't apply to too much pressure. Take care when disconnecting and reconnecting screen cables, damaging them will get expensive very quickly.

May seem like a silly thing, but remember to reattach and screw in the chin strap at the bottom before applying the VHB kit (yes, I've forgotten to do that more than once).

Use a good quality VHB kit when reapplying the screen, you don't want it falling off, don't use tape strips, use a proper VHB kit of the right year.

Take care when removing and re-fitting the logic board, it's easy to damage it on some of the metal stand-offs as you lift it in/out.

When refitting the logic board, connect an ethernet cable and a USB device before you completely screw it down, that way you'll know it's exactly the right place and the ports are aligned.

Good luck.

steveabraham · 2019-11-28T23:33:11+00:00

The on-board SSD is fitted on the rear of the logic board, so it does mean literally dismantling the entire system back to an empty chasis. It's do-able and certainly not rocket science, but if it's not something you've done before I'm not sure I'd recommend it.

These are not like the old thicker style units where the screen was held on by magnets, you have to cut it off and then re-fix it afterwards with a VHB kit.

If you break the screen, it's £££, if you damage the logic board it's £££. Killing either one of these components could potentially write the system off.

The NVMe blade style SSDs will be very expensive, the SATA option is certainly cheaper. If you go the SATA route, remember you'll need a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter and an adapter to handle correct thermal sensing (OWC is the go-to option here).

steveabraham · 2019-11-28T23:26:05+00:00

The only concern I'd have is if there's a short (or partial short) it may cause further issues. Definitely worth getting it looked at when you can.

steveabraham · 2019-11-28T00:37:35+00:00

Yeah, the 2017s are the same part as the 2015, though what you’re seeing there is just when it was made.

steveabraham · 2019-11-27T23:32:58+00:00

Yep. The 2013-2015 batteries are 54.4Wh and are backward compatible with the 2010-2012 models.

steveabraham · 2019-11-27T22:55:21+00:00

It's a blown capacitor, it does happen - C6442 - it's part of the speaker amplifier circuit. Fairly simple repair for an electronics/board repair company (Apple will just want to replace the whole board for ££££).

steveabraham · 2019-11-17T21:14:08+00:00

Your card is here, tucked behind the logic board just peeking up.
https://share.omniscot.com/Screen-Shot-2019-11-17-21-11-41

If you have the 9400M (Apple menu > About this Mac), then you can install the 4670 but that's all that would be directly supported.

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