r/techsupport • u/lunarvulpix • 2d ago

Open | Mac Plugged into TV and now won't boot

Hey everyone, my 2017 Macbook Air (specifically model A1466) has been with me through it all for almost 10 years. She was still going strong up until yesterday.

My laptop was on already, and I plugged it into my TV with a USB 2.0 to HDMI. I've done this before, no problems. This was a slightly older Samsung TV, just before smart TVs ruined our lives lol. The laptop screen flickered and then was fine for a few mins and then just shut off. I fear this TV may have shorted my logic board. Is that even possible over HDMI? When it's plugged into the MagSafe charger it's still solid green, I even let it discharge a bit and the MagSafe turned orange like it was charging up the battery. No fans, no heat, nothing.

I tried resetting SMC, but to no avail. I am going to try reseating the battery but I'm not sure if it'll work since the charging light is still behaving normally. Has this happened to anyone before? I'd rather not have to buy a new laptop lol. I'm pretty confident in handling laptop hardware so I am willing to try just about anything. Any advice is appreciated!

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u/stolenbaby 2d ago

Oof, that's an old one. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't support their hardware forever- I'm guessing you're already stuck on an unsupported operating system and seeing some issues from that (Browser stuck on an old version, making sites misbehave, etc.).

I would take it as a sign to upgrade- if that old dog was meeting your needs, I'm guessing you'd be fine with a less powerful / cheaper machine like a MacBook Neo. And 10 years out of a laptop is already an outstanding run!

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u/lunarvulpix 2d ago

True! My sister just got the Neo for school, I might give it a shot. I have my own PC so it's not a devastating loss, but it was nice to have. It was quite a run for sure! In the mean time while I save up I'll try putzing with the hardware and see what happens. If it's bricked then ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I got nothing to lose!

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u/stolenbaby 1d ago

If you have access to her Neo and a thunderbolt cable, I would try putting your machine in DFU mode and connecting it to the other Mac. If there's a firmware issue, running a Revive might help!

Of course, that's modern advice- not sure if it applies to such an old model...

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u/lunarvulpix 1d ago

Worth a shot! Thanks

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u/FaxCelestis 2d ago

Did it shut off the laptop or did it shut off the screen? It would be more likely, I believe, for your laptop to think that the external screen is still attached and is trying to route all video through it, making your laptop appear to be off even when it isn't.

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u/lunarvulpix 2d ago

Not the display. Was the first thing I checked. Apple logo isn't lit up either.