Mac Pro sudden shutdown

Question

Level 1

33 points

Mac Pro sudden shutdown

Hello,
anyone with a similar problem? I found related threads but in most reports nothing was solved. My MacPro is completely unusable now.

Description:
After initial startup the machine runs for 20 minutes (+/-), shuts down without warning then reboots. Typically does that again then just dies. Power LED remains on but machine must be unplugged from mains then plugged in again before the power button will work. Nothing in the console log points to failure, just the standard startup first entry 'hi mem tramps at 0xffe00000'. No crash logs are found related to the shutdown.

My local service provider has been trying to fix it for nearly a month. They replaced the hard drive, the PSU and memory sticks with no result. Now they think one of the memory risers is faulty and are waiting on a replacement. They cannot give me a clear reason for any of these "solutions", they're just trying things to see what sticks. So if you had a similar problem with shutdowns please pass on the details!

Spec:
Machine Model: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon, 2.66 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MP11.005C.B04
SMC Version: 1.7f8

Related threads:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4699492&#4699492
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5154970&#5154970

MacPro Dual 2.66GHz, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Jan 16, 2008 11:53 AM

Reply

Answer 1

canimus

Level 1

2 points

Feb 4, 2008 8:22 AM in response to TM100

I have experienced the same problem with my brand new Mac and I'm really dissapointed to face various issues when I was expecting a robust workstation. The only thing I have extrange in my configuration is a mix of Memory Dimms. I made a mistake and bought in advance 2 dimms of 2 GB last december for the old model of Mac Pro, but I acquired mine this late January with a new set of Dimms faster than the older ones. Initially in the Apple Store, located in Alicante, Spain they told me that there was no problem, and after multiple attemps we were able to see the 6 GB of memory in the Mac Pro but displayed only with the minimum speed.

I'm not sure if this is causing the problem but after editing video in iMovie or navigating using Safari, my Mac Pro suddenly shutdowns, I am using an apple display 30" and I don't have other software apart of Office 2004 installed on it.

Really extrange...

Herminio

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Answer 2

Feb 4, 2008 11:18 AM in response to canimus

I have learned that it is not good mix your ram, either put in the 667Mhz Dims or the 800Mhz.
It is the best to use the same dimms right through, do not mix and match them.

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Answer 3

Feb 4, 2008 11:50 AM in response to TM100

Hi! It's time to demand a new machine since they can't fix it. You may have to press your case through a few layers of management but for what you paid for the machine you deserve a solution sooner than later. Tom

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Answer 4

islk350

Level 1

65 points

Feb 6, 2008 5:44 PM in response to TM100

Only two reasons I can think of why it might suddenly shut down.

1. Overheating. Check to make sure the system isn't clogged with dust. If it is new, then a processor or heat sink could have come loose. Look for anything that feels loose with heatsinks.

2. Power cables that are loose. Also in shipment cables that tie power to the boards can work loose. They then become intermittent.

A good service provider can look for all of these things. Sometimes just reseating the cables and looking for loose items can fix things.

A really bad software bug can reset the system as well but I'd doubt that from what you're reporting. To check that, re-boot with the DVD s/w install disk. Then just let it sit. It should never crash and you can see if it is stable.

Also, try one of the s/w programs that reads the sensors in the system. They can look for temperature problems at the various sensors and point out a problem just before they cause shut downs.

Hope this helps!

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Answer 5

TM100 Author

Level 1

33 points

Feb 7, 2008 3:43 AM in response to TM100

The last try at fixing my Mac Pro stuck! Looks like the tech was right and one of the memory risers really was faulty. He removed it and put all 4 DIMMS on the remaining riser. Right then the random shutdowns stopped. The broken riser was replaced, DIMMS were redistributed and since then it has worked without problems. But I will leave the question 'unanswered' for a couple more weeks to be sure.

To canimus - have you tried using only one kind of DIMM?

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Answer 6

necronym

Level 4

1,434 points

Feb 7, 2008 4:34 AM in response to TM100

You don't mention what graphics card you are using.

When I had the ATI X1900XT installed in my system I had all sorts of problems, black veils of death, random shutdowns, system freeze, amongst other things.

Had the card changed to nVidia Quadro FX 4500, system works beautifully (as it should).

Interestingly, the new 8 core Mac Pro's with the ATI graphics card installed are randomly freezing, restart issues etc. Same things happened with the X1900XT installed on my system. It took the nVidia card to sort it out in my case.

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Answer 7

canimus

Level 1

2 points

Feb 14, 2008 4:10 AM in response to TM100

I haven't removed my DIMMs but I have extremely odd behavior on my Mac Pro. I already had to re-install Leopard because downloading a file from Skype caused my Dock to dissapear. I tried to remove the .cplist from my preferences folder as highlighted in another discussion and suddenly after reboot I had another unexpected shutdown, then I turn on my Mac Pro again but still with No Dock displayed. I tried the Hide Dock, Switching Desks, Create another user, and no luck. What worries me is the fact of the unexpected shutdown. I want to know if Apple can state they support the usage of 2 different types of memory Dimms or if I would have to change to the newest ones just to get the right answers saying that is not my machine but the configuration on it.

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