⟐ Commented April 13, 2026 at 16:54 MST

Recently bought an early 2015 MacBook Pro 13" which had light water damage.

Opened it up and gave it a quick clean (rice everywhere...)

Only problem I can see is the MacBook can see the battery but wont charge and says it needs replacing (only 17 cycles)

The MacBook only works when connected to the charger.

Now I have a 2014 MacBook Pro 13" which functions normally.

Can I plug that battery into the 2015 model to test that it definitely is a problem with the battery before buying a replacement?

Don't want to waste money buying a replacement battery if that wont fix the issue.

Cheers!

*Update*

Info from coconutBattery

⟐ Commented April 10, 2026 at 2:55 MST

The battery icon in the menu bar says 'Service Recommended' and shows 0% even after charging overnight.

What I’ve checked so far:

*The MagSafe light stays orange.

*I performed an SMC reset, but it didn't change the status.

*I checked the cycle count in System Report, and it's at 950 cycles.

Is it definitely time for a battery replacement, or could this be an issue with the DC-In board or the logic board charging circuit?

If I replace the battery, are there any specific tips for removing the adhesive safely?

Thanks!"

⟐ Edited April 06, 2026 at 14:32 MST

⟐ Answer edited April 01, 2026 at 4:01 MST

None will allow me to format them (8TB & 16TB).

I formated one of the 16TB on a PC but when I connected to my early 2015 13" MacBook Pro Retina it first saw the external SSD, but then was lost and cannot write to it.

Is the MacBook Pro (A1502) compatible with external MSATA SSD drives?

If not, is there anything I can do so that my MacBook Pro can read and write to these drives?

Thanks.

⟐ Commented March 26, 2026 at 20:29 MST

⟐ Commented March 26, 2026 at 8:23 MST

⟐ Answer accepted March 22, 2026 at 13:48 MST

UPDATE - New picture:

Thanks in advance!

⟐ Answer accepted March 22, 2026 at 0:29 MST

⟐ Edited March 19, 2026 at 3:53 MST

Powers on OK, I arrive at the set up to screen (High Sierra) and no keys are responding exceptthe function keys & there is no click function from the track pad but the cursor is moving. Connections are clean & cables are undamaged & fully seated & latched. The volume, KB backlight level indicator & the display brightness indicator the level bar is in reverse (Black 1st white 2nd)! weird.

Everything 'Was' working before..... Track pad has been swapped out 3x with no difference in actions. Whats going on?

We have replaced the LCD connector which was damaged with a 2012 LCD connector on a 2011 A1278 and replaced the LVDS cable and we now have a picture, but this shouldn't cause odd behavior with the KB & TP? But it might be the cause of reversed colors on the display but we cannot fully varify until we can get past the set up screen.

UPDATE 11/03/26 - Replaced the keyboard and now everything is working well except there is no click on the track pad, having swapped over numbers track pads and their cables and cleaning and swapping over tension screws, it is still without the click function. I am truly baffled.

⟐ Commented March 11, 2026 at 19:35 MST

Observations:
macOS (all versions) detects and recognises the monitors, as in the screen flickers and recognises the brand and supported modes (within adapter limits)
Same goes to the pre-boot environment
Windows does not see the external display even after manual detection. Sometimes after reboot the integrated graphics in Windows is disabled due to a problem, re-enabling it brings back proper graphics but external monitor output is still not working or being detected.
All the adapters I've bought show the MacBook Air, not the MacBook Pro, although I've seen a review of someone using it on a 2012 Unibody MacBook Pro
A while back I had a different MacBook Pro model, still 2011 but the Early 2011 one, with the Core i5 instead of the Core i7. I was given a mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter and same symptoms, macOS and preboot environment sees it, but no display out. I was told by the person that gave the adapter to me that they use it on their 2015 MacBook Air just fine with no problems.

Is there like a common fault or difference with these Unibody MacBook Pros with how they handle that specific port and why it seems to be temperamental with cheap adapters? I haven't tried the adapters I've had since other than specific Lenovo ThinkPad laptops and MacBook Airs, I haven't had the opportunity to try them.

I want to try one of the more expensive adapters but I don't want to spend money on something that is not guaranteed to work.

Let me know if there's anything I could do.

⟐ Commented March 10, 2026 at 17:23 MST

⟐ Answered March 10, 2026 at 13:36 MST

⟐ Answer accepted March 10, 2026 at 7:19 MST

Is the locking tab required? Would this prevent the laptop from turning on? I tried using the power adapter and the laptop still did not turn on. Should it not at least turn on if the power adapter is connected?

As I have the clip, is it possible to somehow fix it back to the connector or is it not repairable once it pops off?

Please see the photo to get a better idea of the locking tab.

⟐ Answered March 09, 2026 at 14:18 MST

⟐ Answered March 07, 2026 at 16:41 MST

It originally came with 2x4gb DDR3, and I replaced with 2x8gb DDR3L, as advised by a friend and after checking several online foruns.

About 6 months later the macbook died and I had to get the logic board replaced.

The thing is: "the guy" at the repair shop said the ram was probably the cause, because using a low-voltage ram on the system originally designed to use DDR3 ram caused the system to have "extra energy running around" and it fried the logic board.

I checked around online in all kinds of foruns and didn't find anyone talking about it. Lots of posts says it's fine to replace DDR3 with DDR3L. My friend still uses his macbook and nothing happened.

Has anyone heard about this?

The macbook is currently using its original DDR3 ram, but I still have the 2xDDR3L with me and I don't know if I should replace it again.

⟐ Commented March 07, 2026 at 15:03 MST

Any Ideas?

After further troubleshooting, I’m convinced it’s the IFIX it new battery.

Disconnecting the spring battery connection from the macbook to the new battery circuit board (above the pack) it boots from the AC adapter.

Now, as soon as I reconnect the spring battery connection, it will not boot. Additionally, when booted off the power adapter and no battery connected via the spring connection…. If I close the connection of the battery to the macbook (push the spring connection down)

it immediately shuts down the macbook and turns it into a MacBookEnd. So, I’m 96% convinced it’s the Ifix it new battery.

⟐ Answered March 07, 2026 at 11:03 MST

⟐ Commented March 07, 2026 at 7:42 MST

I make it Headless and use it, and there is no problem. But the lower plate has quite a lot of lifting, so what should I do?

⟐ Answered March 07, 2026 at 7:17 MST