Chosen Solution
Hi i got a 2010 macbook pro 13" that is not booting. i have tested ram and hdd and can confirm they are not the issue. what’s happening is the macbook will be stuck at boot screen, about half way through the loading bar on normal boot and if i try safemode, it will be stuck at 3/4 of the bar. if that doens’t happen, the mac will shut itself off while loading. i can also confirm that the keyboard is not causing this as i tried powering macbook up without keyboard connected through powerpad and still get the same result. anyone got a fix for this? i am leaning towards to graphics card issue.
Very likely the GPU or some other logic board issue. You’ll need to decide if you want to keep this puppy going or get a newer system. Keep in mind this is one of the last Core Duo Apple still supports with their OS (High Sierra). If you haven’t already upgraded your RAM to 8 MB or more as well replace the HD with either a SSHD or SSD then you’ll need to consider these costs to keep it running smoothly. Here’s the IFIXIT guide to replace the logic board: MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2010 Logic Board Replacement and here’s the logic board I recommend: MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2010) 2.66 GHz Logic Board
Pretty much all the A1278 models have a bad harddrive cables which cause this booting issue. But doesn’t explain why it’s turning off.
