Macbook light flashing but not turning on

SophieLoui23

I've got a Macbook 2008 model (white one) which hasn't been used for a while.

I've got a few documents that I need to get off it, so I plugged it in to charge as I assumed the battery is flat. I've left it for a while on charge, but it still won't turn on.

The charger light is orange. The first light (of the five) on the bottom of the laptop is continuously flashing.

Does anyone have any ideas what it could be? The screen etc should all be fine. It doesn't even sound like it's attempting to turn on when I try it....

TIA

knightstyle

OK, The battery is probably kaput and not taking a charge! Remove it, clean the contacts and replace it just to be sure.
You can get a decent replacement for under £20 on Ebay, I did this for my 2008 Macbook last year before passing it on. In my opinion it is not worth paying more for an Apple battery.
Add, PM me if you like and I will lend you my battery to download your stuff, but if you buy the battery as above you will be able to sell the Macbook.

SophieLoui23

knightstyle wrote: »

OK, The battery is probably kaput and not taking a charge! Remove it, clean the contacts and replace it just to be sure.
You can get a decent replacement for under £20 on Ebay, I did this for my 2008 Macbook last year before passing it on. In my opinion it is not worth paying more for an Apple battery.
Add, PM me if you like and I will lend you my battery to download your stuff, but if you buy the battery as above you will be able to sell the Macbook.

Thank you so much for your help and for your offer! I was thinking about selling it on (could probably do with the cash too!) so will have a look on eBay.

Massive thanks again

SophieLoui23

knightstyle wrote: »

OK, The battery is probably kaput and not taking a charge! Remove it, clean the contacts and replace it just to be sure.
You can get a decent replacement for under £20 on Ebay, I did this for my 2008 Macbook last year before passing it on. In my opinion it is not worth paying more for an Apple battery.
Add, PM me if you like and I will lend you my battery to download your stuff, but if you buy the battery as above you will be able to sell the Macbook.

SophieLoui23 wrote: »

Thank you so much for your help and for your offer! I was thinking about selling it on (could probably do with the cash too!) so will have a look on eBay.

Massive thanks again

I've just taken the battery out, cleaned it and it works. So pleased! Thanks for your advice.

knightstyle

Great, this is the one I bought from this supplier DD is now using the Macbook and the battery is fine. 151264233730.
Plus if you sell follow these instructions from Apple. https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201065

almillar

I've been dealing with a couple of these. Very simple answer, if the battery is causing issues, is to take it out. Plug the Mac in, and it'll work fine without the battery. Just don't trip on the cable!
If the battery is really low, you'll get the flashing light at the front - this tells you to wait a few minutes until the battery has a minimum charge. You may also get it if the battery is done or faulty.
I've got a battery that was new last year, and sat in a cupboard, and now it just sits in the Mac at 56%, which the lights at the bottom also indicate. It won't charge or discharge...
Just ordered a £15 replacement on Amazon, so we'll see how that goes...

paddyrg

Just want to flag up that you should be cautious with aftermarket batteries - supervise them when charging. In the unlikely event they overheat, they /really/ go.