Sunday, May 29, 2011

[ battle of the bulge ]

I'VE BEEN A bit MIA lately all due to a problem I've been having with my laptop. I've got a MacBook Pro and love it and up until now haven't had problems at all - no viruses or software issues - nothing. It's a real workhorse and I can't imagine life without it (sad, I know).

Last week it all started with a slight tingling feeling all across my keyboard and trackpad. Kind of like it was slightly charged in some way. Then gradually my trackpad stopped working and I could no longer control my cursor on the screen - it started behaving erratically and I could no longer click on anything at all. Then a few days later I noticed that my laptop was rocking a bit on the table - I thought maybe it was sitting on something making it unbalanced. Until I flipped it over.


The battery was bulging in its slot, causing the uneven surface underneath. Hmmm.... strange. So I removed the battery and upon closer examination, it was exploding inside! The metal cover could no longer contain what's inside. It was expanding like The Incredible Hulk!


Have you ever seen such a thing?! I have no idea what has made it explode like that. With the battery removed, I plugged the laptop in and the tingling was gone and my trackpad was back! I guess the pressure of the battery expanding underneath had been pushing on the trackpad, causing it to stop behaving properly.

And so now I have to try to source out a new battery somewhere here in Dubai. Although I have the Apple Care warranty, it does say that it doesn't cover batteries so I may be out of luck there. And being across the world doesn't help. But at least I can still use my laptop as long as it stays plugged in. Whew! The panic of thinking I may lose everything was putting me in a frenzy!
I'm back baby!!

lisa

15 comments:

All things nice... said...

Oh how annoying, my laptop is playing up too, every so often it just turns itself off. The battery is also gone too so have to keep it plugged in all the time. Hope you get a battery for it

All things nice...

Tricia said...

I had that happen with my MacBook. I called Apple and found out that there are a bunch of faulty batteries out there. (If you Google it you will read other horror stories.) They sent me a new battery, free of charge since it is a manufacturing problem, but the damage was done, and despite the Apple people repeatedly trying to fix my computer, it never worked right. They ended up sending me a brand new computer. Ahhh the beauty of Apple Care.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's wild... I've never seen anything like that. xo

Formerly known as Frau said...

I'm glad you are okay.....life without these babies and all the info they all is just too much to bare! I have never in my life seen a battery do such a thing....could it be the heat of Dubai!! Good luck finding one can you do online?

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Paul said...

That's really annoying. Macs have a reputation for being more reliable but I have never been sure how much that is warranted. At least you have identified the problem and it seems like you can fix it easily, provided you can get hold of a new battery.

I am having laptop problems too. Mine is overheating and keeps shutting down. According to the internet, I probably need to open it up and clean it out as it's probably a problem caused by the fan being clogged up.

Paul
http://fromsheeptoalligators.blogspot.com/

Emily@VitaNostra said...

You are not going to believe this, but I am having the EXACT same problem with mine. Started last week with the crazy cursor. Typing anything took a gazillion minutes because it keeps skipping. I suspected the battery and now that I read this, I'm convinced. Ugh. So frustrating. Meeting with the Apple folks this week. Good luck and stay plugged in!

Lynda @ Happenstance Home said...

Wow! I'm thinking Apple needs to give you a new computer. No telling what could happen.

Unknown said...

That is really scary... yikes! My daughter just took her AC adapter back because it heated up so hot it could have started a fire.

Carol@TheDesignPages said...

Same thing happened to a friend recently. I guess it's not so rare a problem, huh? Good luck getting it dealt with in Dubai.

flowers on my table said...

Ooh er, sounds a bit dangerous, hope you didn't touch this oozing hulk? Love Linda x

Barbara Matson said...

Good to know, I have a Mac Book Pro too, now I know if mine starts acting strangely!

LuLu said...

Yikes, Im glad it's working plugged in! Wishing you a wonderful day,
xo,
LuLu

Meeling said...

how strange!!! I would think apple would do something for you...they certainly should in my opinion. Glad at least you've figured out a way to get back online. :)

Pinecone Camp said...

I'm on my MacBook Pro right now! I'm in love with mine too. It's my second. I've never had the scary problem you just experienced. Wow. That could have been pretty serious. Where did you buy your computer? Oh, my logic board went on the first one. After sobbing, I collected myself and found that it had been a problem with many MacBooks so they repaired it for free. Good luck!!

quintessence said...

I'm on my MacBook Pro as well - no problems so far!! And like Pincone Camp it's my second as well. As a matter of fact, I've been on Macs for DECADES!! So rarely are there problems. But it does make you realize how dependent we are on technology!!

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