Flashing question mark folder, HDD okay. Bad logic board?

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MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011

Late 2011 model, A1278 / 2.4 GHz i5 or 2.8 GHz i7 processor.

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marcleonti @marcleonti

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Flashing question mark folder, HDD okay. Bad logic board?

MacBook Pro 13.3" - Late 2011 (Macbook Pro 8,1)

2.8GHz Core i7 (2640M)
4 MB PC3-10600 SODIMM
Model #: A1278 Sales number: MD314LL/A
OSX Lion 10.7

So, over a year ago my computer froze up while I was using it a few times over several days, every time I had to do a hard reset.

The last time it happened, it never started up again. I only get the flashing question mark folder.

My research made me think I needed a new hard drive. I brought the computer to a "professional" repair shop in my neighborhood and paid for a diagnosis and to test my hard drive just in case I wasn't correct.

Next day he says I need a new hard drive and everything on my old drive is unsalvageable. So I purchase a new 1TB SSHD from him and install it myself. I still get the flashing question mark folder. I go back to the "professional" and after some unpleasant interrogation he admits he didn't actually test anything, but just assumed I needed a hard drive because of my symptoms.

He offers to test my old hard drive for free (free? I actually paid for it the first time!) and he now says he was mistaken, my old drive is just fine, and I need a new logic board. Of course, at this point I don't trust him, so my question is...

How can I determine whether or not I need a new logic board?

I have reset NVRAM and tried internet recovery. I am able to open Disk Utility, and my hard drive is not listed in the left hand column. Same results with the old drive or the new drive. I basically cannot get the computer to recognize any internal hard drive I install. If I plug in a thumb drive or a flash card they are recognized and I can format and partition them without issue.

Oh, I bought a case and the wire for my old hard drive so I could use it as an external drive. It worked just fine on my other computer and I was able to copy all of my data onto my other computer. So I know for sure the old hard drive works just fine. I gave the new drive to my son, and he uses it as an external drive for his computer, so I know there was nothing wrong with that drive either.

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My MacBook Pro is showing folder with question mark I have changed the hard disk also

Any suggestions

8 de out de 2019 por Abdul rahmanamoodi

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Dan @danj

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Postado: 2 de dez de 2016

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You'll hitting a known issue. Sorry ;-{

Your problem is the SATA cable has failed. Here is the IFIXIT guide to replace it: MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011 Hard Drive Cable Replacement.

To prove it you could use your external case with your original HD in it and then boot up the system holding the Option key to get to the boot manager. At that point you could select your external drive to boot the system thus, bypassing the bad SATA cable.

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You're saying there is a known issue with the SATA cables in these computers? I specifically asked the "professional" if maybe it might be a bad connection or cable, and he said "no, it's gotta be the logic board. So frustrating.

2 de dez de 2016 por marcleonti

The problem with professional is kind of like doctors. They all get the same degree one finished first in his class and one finished last and you don't don't know which one finished where.

I replace about three to five of these a week, and have had for the last three years. Now, in my experience, about 50% of the time the bad cable will destroy the hard drive. When you replace the cable go with the 2012 cable rather than the 2011. Put small pads on either side of the cable where it comes over the ledge on the optical drive to prevent the bottom from hitting the cable. Next time come to see us first ;-). The price is much better.

2 de dez de 2016 por mayer

@marcleonti obviously that "professional" is actually an idiot, I'm 12 and know more than them.

2 de dez de 2016 por Gigabit87898

Oh man the hard drive cable on these MacBook are a common point of failure.

2 de dez de 2016 por Ben

What can I say ;-}

The 'Pro' you went to needs to do a bit of reading. Apple has it listed as an issue in their support news and repair documentation.

You'll also see many others encountering the issue here in IFIXIT if you take the time to look, all of them have a hallelujah moment when it works!

2 de dez de 2016 por Dan

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My MacBook Pro is showing folder with question mark I have changed the hard disk also

Any suggestions — Abdul rahmanamoodi
You're saying there is a known issue with the SATA cables in these computers? I specifically asked the "professional" if maybe it might be a bad connection or cable, and he said "no, it's gotta be the logic board. So frustrating. — marcleonti
The problem with professional is kind of like doctors. They all get the same degree one finished first in his class and one finished last and you don't don't know which one finished where.

I replace about three to five of these a week, and have had for the last three years. Now, in my experience, about 50% of the time the bad cable will destroy the hard drive. When you replace the cable go with the 2012 cable rather than the 2011. Put small pads on either side of the cable where it comes over the ledge on the optical drive to prevent the bottom from hitting the cable. Next time come to see us first ;-). The price is much better. — mayer
@marcleonti obviously that "professional" is actually an idiot, I'm 12 and know more than them. — Gigabit87898
Oh man the hard drive cable on these MacBook are a common point of failure. — Ben
What can I say ;-}

The 'Pro' you went to needs to do a bit of reading. Apple has it listed as an issue in their support news and repair documentation.

You'll also see many others encountering the issue here in IFIXIT if you take the time to look, all of them have a hallelujah moment when it works! — Dan

buy @buy77950 Rep: 1 2 · Answer 1 · 2018-02-24T17:13:33-07:00

buy @buy77950

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I too had this problem and it was indeed the cable. Now some time later I’m getting the same problem me thinks now the logic board is faulty as the hard drive is fine and cable is new.

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It was the cable in my case. I installed a New cable two or three years ago so these cables don’t last that long so just remember that or you’ll be throwing away a perfect good MBP - if you take it to a genius as they will tell you it’s the drive controller - they don’t have anyway to distinguish a bad cable I’m afraid.

26 de ago de 2020 por buy

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Gary H. Patterson @garyhpatterson Rep: 1 · Answer 2 · 2018-07-28T06:34:09-07:00

Gary H. Patterson @garyhpatterson

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Postado: 28 de jul de 2018

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It can be the logic board. After replacing HDD and cable, the problem is not resolved on MacBook Pro 8,1

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Oliver Sierra @oliversierra Rep: 1 1 · Answer 3 · 2018-08-05T14:05:19-07:00

Oliver Sierra @oliversierra

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In my case, after replacing the cable, it was the HDD. Got a new one and done.

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BandyGail Mattox @bandygailmattox Rep: 1 · Answer 4 · 2018-11-16T08:17:54-07:00

BandyGail Mattox @bandygailmattox

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I’ve replaced 3 cables in the last year and my hard drive is running perfect on another MAC and via usb. I still have the issue no matter how I connect the drive on the original computer. I’m wondering if it’s the logic board? Any advice?

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did you manage to fix this? im also getting the same issue, tried 3 different flex cables, issue comes and goes. I have a Kingston Savage SSD, that is fully functional as an external drive, tested with a SATA-USB 3.0 Adapter

10 de set de 2019 por Robert G

I use a Second Hdd caddy replacing the optical drive. I put de SDD into the Caddy and select the SDD to boot. I already used it with the original MBP HDD, so I just swapped them. It has worked so far, just until I buy new cables.

6 de mar de 2021 por Marco

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Evan Shortiss @evanshortiss Rep: 1 · Answer 5 · 2020-08-13T12:34:07-07:00

Evan Shortiss @evanshortiss

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Postado: 13 de ago de 2020

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It appears it can be something on the board too. Maybe a SATA controller problem? I have replaced the drive and cable in the same 2011 MacBook Pro and it gets the question mark issue.

Interestingly, there’s a workaround for me. I leave it sit at the question mark for a ~2 minutes, then I reboot. On the reboot it works. My guess is something needs to be “warmed up” in my specific scenario.

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Your PRAM battery maybe dead so it forgets the drives identification. Restart your system and press the Option (⌥) key to enable the Startup Manager. Select your drive and it should boot up.

If that works you'll need to replace the battery. Follow this guide to get to it iMac Intel 27" EMC 2429 Display Replacement you'll see the large silver coin cell just above the chin plate the display sits on the main logic board.

Reference: Mac startup key combinations

13 de ago de 2020 por Dan

That wasn't it unfortunately. No drive is displayed when trying to manually choose either. The only time it appears is after the machine is left sit for a few minutes (on the icon), then the drive can be found manually or will be found automatically on a reboot.

21 de fev de 2021 por Evan Shortiss

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Marco @nisiide Rep: 13 4 1 1 · Answer 6 · 2021-03-03T19:24:46-07:00

Marco @nisiide

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I am having the same issue.

I have installed for some time a second HDD (the old original MBP HDD) on a Caddy at the superdrive slot. The Caddy didn’t fit that well, it stayed a little larger, just like a stuffed battery. Could it have contributed to damage de cable? Is it better to take the caddy off if I replace successfully the cable?? Or use the caddy to boot the system?

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MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011

Flashing question mark folder, HDD okay. Bad logic board?

Update (12/02/2016)

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