2017 MB Pro no display

[MrConcrete04]

Hello world,

my friend's macbook pro's display stopped outputting a signal. Even when plugged in, the only sign of life is the green indicator LED on the keyboard...

What could be causing this?

It is pretty urgent cos he has everything on it. Any help is appreciated!

(I have conducted countless disassemblies on pcs, laptops, even phones but this is my first macbook)

 

Thank you so much

e.

[Zando_]

Tried a reboot and NVRAM/SMC reset? Can it output to an external display? 

[MrConcrete04]

5 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Tried a reboot and NVRAM/SMC reset? Can it output to an external display? 

It can output to a external display

I have a suspision that it might be a loose connector since he carries the laptop a lot and throws the bag around but Im not sure

what is a NVRAM / SMC reset and how do I do it?

just some side info, the battery is in poor condition

[Zando_]

1 minute ago, MrConcrete04 said:

It can output to a external display

I have a suspision that it might be a loose connector since he carries the laptop a lot and throws the bag around but Im not sure

what is a NVRAM / SMC reset and how do I do it?

just some side info, the battery is in poor condition

Resetting the SMC: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295
Resetting NVRAM: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063

There aren't many connectors to come loose inside Macs, but it could be worth opening it up to check the display connector if you have the appropriate pentalobe bits (they're not torx, it's 5 points vs 6). 

If it can currently output to an external display though, I'd be sure to back it up ASAP so if it gets worse he'll still have all his stuff. Recommend doing a SuperDuper clone. If you're running Big Sur, apparently the beta in the latest post here works for it: https://www.shirt-pocket.com/blog/. Otherwise you download an older version as per here, and just clone the data apfs container, which you can import to any mac during the setup process, or browse through and manually move stuff.