Electronics

[jackthebear]

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@Susic wrote:

I would get estimate before doing any repair anywhere. I don't know what Apple would charge, will see if any place nearby. Nearest Apple store an hour away... maybe local authorized repair.

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call apple 

they wll call you back and try to figure out the problem 

[gardenman]

I would recommend getting multiple repair opinions. Apple's Genius Bar and Best Buy's Geek Squad aren't always the most reliable or accurate in their diagnosis of issues. (They like replacing motherboards at great expense even if the motherboard isn't the issue.) An independent repair shop, if there are any nearby, would be a good third option to consider. Your description of it turning off and on with a half white screen and one side "scrolling" is kind of intriguing. The "scrolling" makes me wonder if it might be a simple touchpad issue where the touchpad has become damaged. Replacing that could be pretty affordable. It could be a display issue of some sort also and replacing the display isn't terribly expensive. You can buy replacement displays for $50-$400 but if you have it done by an Apple certified dealer, you're probably better off just replacing it as the cost would be pretty high ($500+). An independent repair shop might do it for as little as $100. 

I like desktop computers as they're typically more reliable and easier for me to fix. I don't trust most repair firms to fix things right. There's just too much fraud in the field. 

[Susic]

Thank you Gardenman, that is another good option, taking it to local repair place. I don't want to spend a lot to repair it. I am hoping he will be happy with an IPad, because he doesn't need or use all the things a laptop does, plus the keyboard was a mess of crumbs. I think that contributed to problem. Thank you again for your advice! Susi.

[Susic]

Just to let everyone who was kind enough to offer advice. The screen is broken, from maybe shutting it closed with a foreign object , I am thinking crumbs! New screen from Apple is $450.00, so will just get a cheap replacement laptop. MacBook too nice for what he uses it for .  Thank you all for responding, I always get so much help on this forum!