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macbook won't go to sleep

my six months old macbook will not go to sleep after closing the screen. it will make a noise similar to the noise when the computer is being turned on. will i need to take it in for service?

macbook, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Aug 5, 2007 6:08 PM

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13 replies

Sep 9, 2007 2:46 AM in response to jshon112

Hi

I too have been having this problem on and off with my MacBook. I first discovered it when the battery was draining really quickly, due to it not sleeping.

It has occurred on numerous occasions. I close the lid, the light doesn't start blinking and the machine keeps making the sound it should do when it wakes. When I do try opening the lid I have trouble logging back in - either no log-in box or just a blank screen.

I have solved this every time by resetting the SMC (shutdown, remove battery, hold down power button for about 6-10 seconds, then replace battery and switch on). Just for good measure I also reset the PRAM (hold Option-Command-P-R when starting up).

This is a bit of a workaround but seems to solve it for me.

I have 3yr AppleCare and spoke to a Genius when I was in my local store the other day. He said to bring it in. Also, I have the common problem of bluetooth becoming unavailable intermittently - which Apple thought they had fixed by replacing the bluetooth module. I think these two issues are linked and I am really going to push that to the Genius when I take it in this week (for both issues).

I will post back what, if any, results I get.

Cheers!

Glanv

Sep 12, 2007 7:18 PM in response to Glanv

I am also having this problem, and called Apple Care yesterday about it. They told me to trash the Cache folder, and this fixed it for a day and now it has started up again. He also told me that this was an unusual problem, but it looks like others are having the same difficulties. Has anyone found any solutions?

Sep 23, 2007 10:18 AM in response to jshon112

I have been having the same problem for the last week or so. My macbook is a year old, but this only started happening recently, so I wonder if it is related to a recent update of itunes or something else?
When I put it to sleep, or let it go to sleep on its own, it wakes it self up after only a few seconds, making the restart noise that other have described. It doesn't matter if it is open or closed, it does it either way.

Sep 23, 2007 10:27 PM in response to ssdunbar

I had this problem with my PowerBook and now with my MacBook. There is no pattern to it. Just one example of what I have encountered is when I close my MacBook while it is running and the little white pulsing light does not go on. I open the MacBook and press the space bar or click the touchpad and nothing. I can hear slight noises from the hard drive, but not like when it is in its normal sleep mode. I always end up having to force it to restart. Frustrating!!

Oct 10, 2007 12:05 PM in response to ssdunbar

my macbook core duo has a similar problem. Last week it decided it would not go to sleep. And by not going to sleep I don't mean once or twice it didn't sleep, I mean that no matter what I do I can't get it to sleep.

I've been talking to applecare all week, they've wasted at least 4 or 5 hours of my time. Had me check my disk 50 times, reset the pram and SMC etc. Then they had me reinstall OSX. After doing that and it still not working they had me reformat and reinstall OSX. Now I have a fully updated tiger install that was just installed a few days ago, and it still won't sleep.

Apparently apple is waiting on what some engineers say after they had me run some tests, but this is truely annoying. My machine isn't even a year and a half old (I purchased extended applecare), and apple's already replaced the logic board twice (once random shutdown problem, once magic smoke problem), replaced the hard drive (the logic board on the hard drive died), and replaced the power cord. Additionally I've had the DVD-RW replaced (and apple has replaced my screen once when performing one of the repairs).

this is getting a little ridiculous. I just want apple to take back my machine (it's obviously a lemon), and send me a new one. I can't take having a machine break every few months like this, and definitely don't want to be apple's errand boy running tests for the engineers. Give them the machine and let them do their job.

As my machine is reformatted, it's basically useless. I don't want to spend the hours required to get all my applications and settings right again, as they're likely going to take my machine away soon.

this is just extremely frustrating. Does anyone know a good way to act in a position like this, and what would be the best way to go about demanding a new machine?

Phil

Nov 16, 2007 3:12 AM in response to jshon112

Hi all

Thought I'd get this thread going again with an update on my situation. My MacBook still doesn't sleep properly and the problem has gone from being occasional to frequent. The bluetooth not available issue has also been more frequent.

However, after upgrading to 10.4.11 both problems seem to have been resolved (for the time being). I am going to give this a week or so of testing - restarting, leaving in sleep and checking for both problems regularly. I am studying for my final accountancy exams over the next week so don't want to lose my MacBook to Applecare. If the problem is still there next week I shall be visiting the Apple Store in Southampton and taking advantage of my 3yr care plan. If this is the case I will exagerate the problem to them so there is the best chance of a definitive solution.

Updates from others with this problem would be appreciated.

Cheers!

Nov 19, 2007 4:52 AM in response to Glanv

Well, the fix that I perceived 10.4.11 had performed was just that - a perception!

I have noticed there seems to be a direct relationship between bluetooth not being recognised and the sleep issues. I have read another thread where someone else has identified the same.

Once my exams are over this week I shall be taking my MacBook to the Southampton Apple store and putting it in for repair again (last time they replaced the Bluetooth module). I think that if the problem still occurs after whatever fix they apply (if any), I will start going down the route of the product not being fit for purpose. After all, the bluetooth is a feature that should work properly and the sleep issue could be viewed as major flaw given the temperature the MacBook gets to when not sleeping correctly (danger of damage to the product due to manufacturing fault or even risk of fire).

I will be sure to update this thread with what happens.

Cheers!

Jan 10, 2008 5:20 AM in response to jshon112

The problem has everything to do with a faulty bluetooth component.

I was having exactly the same problem. My Macbook refused to go to sleep. It would immediately wake up after a few seconds every time I tried to put it to sleep. Resetting the PMU and the PRAM made no difference. I have even done an erase and re-install of Leopard with some initial success, but the problem returned after allowing software updates to install beyond the initial DVD installation.

Then I noticed the Bluetooth icon was missing in the system preferences. I had an old Bluetooth USB dongle lying around, so I plugged it in. The Bluetooth icon appeared. But the really interesting thing is that the MacBook was able to go to sleep again. It would even sleep successfully after removing the Bluetooth adaptor ( at least until the next reboot ). So there definitely is a link between a faulty built-in bluetooth component and the machine refusing to sleep.

Thinking back, I do remember the bluetooth icon in the menu bar occasionally had a line through it, indicating that it was recognised at some point but had gone offline. So perhaps it was on it's way to permanent failure over the previous months.

To make sure it isn't something about the Leopard updates, I'm erasing and installing from the DVD again to see if the Bluetooth component comes back.

OK, I have just done a clean install of Leopard from the DVD and the bluetooth icon is back in the menu bar! I have successfully paired it with my mobile phone so it's all working as it should so far. I didn't do this last time, so maybe this will keep it working after the software update. Here's hoping.

So now I'm updating Leopard to 10.5.1. There is also Remote Desktop Client 3.2.1, iTunes 7.5 and Quicktime 7.3.1. It's still there after the update-and-reboot. So far so good. I hope it stays that way, but I'm not optimistic that it will.

Now I know why the battery would be totally drained after just a few hours with the machine apparently asleep. I suspect the bluetooth module would spontaneously go offline at some point and then the MacBook would wake up and stay awake even with the lid closed.

Jan 10, 2008 3:58 PM in response to jshon112

Well I have come back to the Macbook after a night. I had put the machine to sleep before going to bed - confirmed by the pulsating light. The Bluetooth icon was active. This morning the screen was blank but the light was not pulsating. As I suspected the Bluetooth icon had disappeared from both the menu and the preferences. However on rebooting the Bluetooth icon has re-appeared again.

Looking at the console logs for last night the system was awaken from sleep by the internal USB port connecting the Bluetooth device.

USB caused wake event (EHCI)
BT_USB Controller: SuspendDevice(0) failed with error e00002c0
and a whole lot more errors related to the USBHubPort


The system apparently shows the login window but since no one is around it eventually tries to hibernate again. But then there are more Bluetooth-related errors.

Failed to open /dev/cu.Bluetooth-Modem: Resource busy
kernel AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController::SendHCIRequest on suspended device
kernel E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][setupHardware] WriteBufferSize Failed. status = 0xe00002d8
kernel [AppleUSBHCIController][hardwareSetupComplete] Failed setup: 0xe00002d8 resetting
kernel [HCIController][hardwareSetupComplete] Failed setup: 0xe00002d8
kernel IOBluetoothHCIController::terminateWL .. done
kernel AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController::SendHCIRequest on suspended device
kernel [AppleUSBHCIController][hardwareSetupComplete] Failed setup: 0xe0000001 resetting
kernel [HCIController][hardwareSetupComplete] Failed setup: 0xe0000001
kernel AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController::SendHCIRequest on suspended device


Wow then it actually reboots itself and again after no login is tries to hibernate, but the Bluetooth USB controller immediately wakes it up. The errors are a little different this time, and it looks like it eventually hibernates about an hour after I left, although the light was not pulsating when I returned in the morning. When I activate the display there is a run of errors

kernel USBF: 2348.381 AppleUSBHubPort: Port 1 of Hub at 0x7d000000 reported error 0xe00002ed while doing set feature (resetting port)


There are several screens of these errors over a few minutes of realtime then eventually

kernel E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][initHardware] BROADCOM DEVICE 2033 - NO FIRMWARE PRESENT. Bailing now...


At this point I rebooted and got the Bluetooth icon back. I have now disabled sleep entirely ( while on mains power ) to see if the Bluetooth controller drops out again by itself. I suspect the problem is not in the Bluetooth device itself but in the bit that does the power management stuff during the sleep and wake preparation. I therefore expect that Bluetooth will work indefinitely in a no-sleep configuration.

From what I have read, having the logic board replaced has not always fixed this. So perhaps there is a problem with the design of the circuit that Apple hasn't discovered yet and the replacement boards have the same tendency to fail? Maybe there is a dodgy series of controllers out there that play up intermittently?

So I hope this helps others.

The error logs can be accessed from the Console Application. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Macbook has a freshly installed copy of Leopard on a reformatted drive. Absolutely no other software has been installed.

Mar 24, 2008 8:57 AM in response to jshon112

I was having a simular problem, what fixed it for me was deleting the image file in /var/vm. Then checking the hibernate mode. Somehow things got set to custom on mine. You can do this on the command line:

pmset -g | grep hibernatemode

* 0 - Old style sleep mode, with RAM powered on while sleeping, safe sleep disabled, and super-fast wake.
* 1 - Hibernation mode, with RAM contents written to disk, system totally shut down while “sleeping,” and slower wake up, due to reading the contents of RAM off the hard drive.
* 3 - The default mode on machines introduced since about fall 2005. RAM is powered on while sleeping, but RAM contents are also written to disk before sleeping. In the event of total power loss, the system enters hibernation mode automatically.
* 5 - This is the same as mode 1, but it’s for those using secure virtual memory (in System Preferences -> Security).
* 7 - This is the same as mode 3, but it’s for those using secure virtual memory.


I got this info from here: http://www.windley.com/archives/2007/10/fixingmacbook_pro_sleepproblems.shtml

Still worked for regular Macbook. In this case mine had gotten set to 1 somehow. I set it to 0. And sleep worked fine. Then I went it to the powersaving control pannel, and made sure everything wasn't set to custom, which it was in my case. After that, it had set my hibernate mode to 3, but still slept like it was supposed to after that. BTW when I manually set it like that, I had to reboot first.

macbook won't go to sleep

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