My old A1342 MacBook

My old A1342 MacBook - new model!

I've needed to do some Mac work lately, so I ended up migrating to an older Mac!

This is yet another A1342 MacBook, this time a "late 2009" model. It's a "Frankenmac" that was partially disassembled when I picked up for free.

I'm posting about this Mac because it is VERY sad looking, yet totally usable.

First, the good:

8 GB of RAM (upgraded from 2 GB)
1 TB SSD drive (upgraded from 250 GB Hard drive)
Runs MacOS High Sierra just great

Note that the very cheapest MacBook you can buy new today with matching storage specs costs an incredible $2100... and by design can NEVER be upgraded. OUCH! Planned obsolescence in action!

Now, the ugly:

The LCD enclosure has stress cracks at the hinges (a common issue with these Macs). It looks like some epoxy was used to prevent the cracks from getting worse.
The LCD is wonky, and temporarily freezes if moved the "wrong" way. It isn't the cable. I think it's a problem with the LCD's electronics located near the hinge. I don't mind.
The LCD has a one-inch scratch on the glass.
There are two big "notches" on the top case by the trackpad, where a prior battery swelled up and pushed the trackpad through the top case (somewhat common).
Given the trackpad notches, some scotch tape holds the trackpad in place.
The bottom rubber has fallen off (a common issue that was an free repair at one time)
The large, structural "vent bracket" is missing, along with it's four screws, and so the bottom panel can't be screwed in place.
The bottom panel is taped on due to the missing vent bracket.
The DVD drive is dead, and the DVD's SATA cable is missing.
The Hard Drive retaining bracket is missing.
The installed battery is "normal", but has 1563 recharge cycles on it.
The MagSafe adapter works fine, but the cord's insulation near the MagSafe is failing. Some Plasti-Dip is holding it on.
I need to adjust the trackpad via the adjustment screw, which I'll likely get to next week.

Wow! But you know what? This Mac still works great. It holds all my content and is completely reliable.

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The Lance J. Technoweb

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