Ananthnag

Q: Macbook Keyboard - Shut down issue

Hi,

I am writing from India. I have a Macbook Mid-2010 model (Unibody).

I am facing an auto shut down issue with it.

The Macbook runs well when i press any key.

Once the key is released, it automatically shuts down at any point, either in boot up or in running state.

I have even formatted the Hard drive and Loaded with OSX Snow Leopard (10.6), which came along with the Macbook.

There is no issue with the Logic board or Hard drive or RAM as the system runs perfect when any key in the keyboard is pressed.

Regards,

Ananth

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.3)

Posted on Mar 13, 2016 10:50 PM

Close

Q: Macbook Keyboard - Shut down issue

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Page 1 of 4 last Next
  • by SBeattie2,Apple recommended

    SBeattie2 SBeattie2 Mar 13, 2016 11:49 PM in response to Ananthnag
    Level 2 (184 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Mar 13, 2016 11:49 PM in response to Ananthnag

    Does this problem occur if you perform a Safe Boot?  (restart the Mac - press and hold the left shift key after the boot chime - keep holding the left shift key until there is indication of boot progress on the screen).

     

    Have you attempted to do an SMC reset?

    Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support

     

    Have you attempted to reset PRAM/NVRAM  (restart the Mac - press and hold COMMAND+OPTION+P+R after the boot chime)  keep holding all 4 keys through 2 additional chimes - release the keys.

     

    Have you checked the status of the battery?  What is the cycle count of the battery?

     

    ~Scott

  • by Ananthnag ,

    Ananthnag Ananthnag Mar 14, 2016 12:04 AM in response to SBeattie2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 12:04 AM in response to SBeattie2

    Hi Scott,

    This problem occurs in Safe mode as well as in Recovery mode also.

    I tried SMC reset and also reset PRAM/NVRAM.

    Nothing is helping out.

    How to check cycle count of the battery?

    ~ Ananth.

  • by SBeattie2,

    SBeattie2 SBeattie2 Mar 14, 2016 12:39 AM in response to Ananthnag
    Level 2 (184 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Mar 14, 2016 12:39 AM in response to Ananthnag

    Since you are on 10.6 (snow leopard) you steps might be slightly different.

     

    Click on the apple menu - then click About this Mac - then look for an option to see additional information  (I'm on El Capitan - so for me the option is System Report.  You can also use Spotlight Search to open System Profiler.  In either case find the option to show more information.  In the Hardware section - click on Power.  It will show you information about AC power and Battery Power.  In the Battery Power area - there will be a cycle count and a condition.  The "condition" should indicate "normal" and the cycle count should be less than 1000.  If the cycle count is approaching or exceeding 1000 - then there is a good chance that the battery needs to be replaced.

     

    Does this problem occur only if you are running on battery power - or does it happen when you are running on AC power as well?

     

    Have you had this MacBook for a while - or did you recently acquire it from somebody else?

     

    ~Scott

  • by SBeattie2,Apple recommended

    SBeattie2 SBeattie2 Mar 14, 2016 1:15 AM in response to Ananthnag
    Level 2 (184 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Mar 14, 2016 1:15 AM in response to Ananthnag

    Hi Ananth - You might also want to take a look at this article.  OS X: When your computer spontaneously restarts or displays "Your computer restarted because of a problem." - Apple Supp…

     

    You could be encountering a kernel panic that is not necessarily displaying the typical grey screen (the kernel panic screen).

     

    12.5 hour time difference here (middle of the night) - so I won't be able respond for another 6 hours or so.

    ~Scott

  • by Ananthnag ,

    Ananthnag Ananthnag Mar 14, 2016 1:25 AM in response to SBeattie2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 1:25 AM in response to SBeattie2

    Hi Scott

       1. Does this problem occur only if you are running on battery power - or does it happen when you are running on AC power as well? : It happens while running on battery Power and AC power as well.

       2. Have you had this MacBook for a while - or did you recently acquire it from somebody else? : I am having this Mac since 2011.


    ~ Ananth

  • by Ananthnag ,

    Ananthnag Ananthnag Mar 14, 2016 1:28 AM in response to SBeattie2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 1:28 AM in response to SBeattie2

    Hi Scott,

         There couldn't be a Kernel Panic since i have formatted all the drives and freshly installed OSX from the Installation DVD that came along with the Macbook when it was purchased.

    ~Ananth

  • by SBeattie2,

    SBeattie2 SBeattie2 Mar 14, 2016 1:51 AM in response to Ananthnag
    Level 2 (184 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Mar 14, 2016 1:51 AM in response to Ananthnag

    Reformatting and clean installing definitely eliminates a lot of possibilities of the cause of the problem - but - a hardware problem could still cause a kernel panic. Have you checked the console logs - or tried to have console open when this problem occurs. Obviously - since the problem results in a shutdown - there would not be much opportunity to view the console right at the time the shutdown occurs.  It does seem like a very unusual problem.

     

    You could also try to run the Apple Hardware Test (insert the application DVD that came with the Mac. Press and hold the D key at the boot chime. Run the quick diagnostics to see if it reports an issue.  Historically I have never seen the hardware test report any problems - even on a Mac that did in-fact have a logic board problem.

     

    ~Scott

  • by Ananthnag ,

    Ananthnag Ananthnag Mar 14, 2016 1:55 AM in response to SBeattie2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 1:55 AM in response to SBeattie2

    Hi Scott,

    What could be the possible Hardware problem?

    I did diagnostics (command + D).

    It did not show any problem.

    Also i removed the RAM and cleaned it. No signs of a component Burn / damage in the Logic board too.

    ~Ananth

  • by SBeattie2,

    SBeattie2 SBeattie2 Mar 14, 2016 1:57 AM in response to Ananthnag
    Level 2 (184 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Mar 14, 2016 1:57 AM in response to Ananthnag

    Is the Mac actually shutting down and remaining shut down or is is restarting when the problem occurs?  If it's staying off - then it's probably not a kernel panic - since a kernel panic restarts the Mac.

  • by Ananthnag ,

    Ananthnag Ananthnag Mar 14, 2016 2:01 AM in response to SBeattie2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 2:01 AM in response to SBeattie2

    It remains Shut Down.

  • by SBeattie2,

    SBeattie2 SBeattie2 Mar 14, 2016 7:47 AM in response to Ananthnag
    Level 2 (184 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Mar 14, 2016 7:47 AM in response to Ananthnag

    The keyboard shortcut to shutdown the Mac is CMD+OPT+CTRL+EJECT.  Just out of curiosity - have you tried pressing these particular keys repeatedly (with the Mac powered off) - to see if there may be something stuck under them.  It seems as if your Mac is behaving as if you are pressing these keys all the time.  Have you tried using a can of compressed air to spray around and under all of the keys on the keyboard?  I realize that this sounds very basic - but it does appear that something is failing with the keyboard itself.

     

    Are you anywhere near an Apple Store or a trusted Mac repair shop.  An Apple Store would typically have more advanced diagnostic tools than what can be achieved with the Apple Hardware Test on the Application DVD.

     

    Since you have had this MacBook all along - when did this problem start happening?

     

    Does the behavior change if you plug an actual USB keyboard into the MacBook (it could be any USB keyboard - such as a PC keyboard) - just to cause the Mac to think that another keyboard is installed.  Might be worth a try.

     

    ~Scott

  • by my ginger,

    my ginger my ginger Mar 14, 2016 9:08 AM in response to Ananthnag
    Level 4 (2,472 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 9:08 AM in response to Ananthnag

    On the one had you say that if you press down any key and then let up the laptop shuts down. Then you also say, no problem with logic board, hard drive or ram and runs perfect when any key on keyboard is pressed. That has me confused. Have you tried using an external keyboard to see if the problem goes away?

  • by Ananthnag ,

    Ananthnag Ananthnag Mar 14, 2016 10:01 PM in response to SBeattie2
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 10:01 PM in response to SBeattie2

    Hi Scott

    I did not try that combinations (cmd-opt-ctrl-eject).

    The problem started just 15 days ago. I updated it with Yosemite 3 months back. It was working well. But all of the sudden while working on it, the shut down screen appeared. As i was running on battery power i thought it could be a battery problem ( May be aging). I plugged in Magsafe adaptor and started working again. In the beginning, the Shut down screen appeared only after an hour of powering up. But, after few days, the problem became frequent and the shut down started during booting itself. When i started to try to narrow down which could be the fault, i ended up finding that the Mac does not shut down when press and holding any key.

    I will try with an external keyboard and let you know. And, should i disable the Macbook's Keyboard when i connect the new keyboard?

  • by Ananthnag ,

    Ananthnag Ananthnag Mar 14, 2016 10:02 PM in response to my ginger
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 10:02 PM in response to my ginger

    No, I did not try with an external Keyboard.

Page 1 of 4 last Next