Level 1

9 points

An ALARM goes off every day at 2 a.m. - don't know why, please help

Over a month ago an alarm started going off everyday at 2 a.m.. I have exhausted dif. avenues to try to determine why. The alarm sounds similar to an alarm clock, but starts out slow and then reaches a frantic crescendo...and I almost swear its length of time is increasing. The alarm lasts around a minute. I used the app. to check the system and it found no errors. During the alarm, I can perform any function, so it's not affecting usage, but am desperate to find out its cause "and" cure, plus I'm tired of it making me up in the middle of night. Thanks for any help.

iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on May 20, 2008 6:49 PM

107 replies

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

May 31, 2008 12:46 PM in response to Clea Rees

Since some of the previous dialogue has been erased, the records are now incomplete...

One reply so far, and it seems quite the likely scenario, as the thread could appear quite peculiar if you come in at the wrong place...

Posts generally get removed because some L3 or L4 or L5 has notified on the posts.

I suspect an over zealous member of the community notifying on what they viewed as an off-topic post as they hadn't read the whole thread...

Clea Rees

Level 4

1,245 points

May 31, 2008 2:02 PM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua wrote:

Since some of the previous dialogue has been erased, the records are now incomplete...

One reply so far, and it seems quite the likely scenario, as the thread could appear quite peculiar if you come in at the wrong place...

I can certainly see this about some of the deleted material - taken out of context. But some of the posts deleted were clearly highly relevant - I had found a bunch of links in the iBook forum and listed them. (I did say they were not exactly the same issue but also that they were the closest I found after a lot of searching.) And what's off topic about comparing the output of nvram -p on two machines?!

I don't mean this to sound as though I'm aiming the questions at you - I'm only exasperated. As if this case wasn't frustrating enough already! (Intriguing, too, of course...)

Thanks very much for asking, anyway. I appreciate that - and knowing that it was drawn to somebody's attention. 🙂

Actually, over-zealous L2s can also report posts inappropriately. (Unless they have a way of disallowing reports from all but non-overly zealous L2s, anyway!)

- cfr

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

May 31, 2008 2:45 PM in response to Clea Rees

I don't mean this to sound as though I'm aiming the questions at you - I'm only exasperated. As if this case wasn't frustrating enough already! (Intriguing, too, of course...)

Completely understood & 100% same here. 🙂

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 1, 2008 12:39 PM in response to andyBall_uk

Hi,

It looks like I'm back. Couldn't get past page 5 before. Just for the heck of it, opened Apple Discussions and behold there was a page 6. Browsed thru this page, a lot going on. Am going to copy page 6, read it offline, absorb all the info., and get back to all.

Did, or should say with the help of my niece, reset the pram late last night. Either it worked or I slept thru the alarm. Guess I will again have to set my alarm clock to wake me shortly before the computer's alarm is scheduled to go off. Will let you know what happens.

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Jun 1, 2008 1:55 PM in response to shiptoshirl

Page 6 of Apple Discussions has disappeared. I can only go up to page 5. What do I do?
If I can't get past 5, I probably won't get your answer

If you are trying to find this thread again, click on My Posts on the right side of the discussions page. It will show only your posts in the forums.

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 1, 2008 1:56 PM in response to Clea Rees

To: Clea, Chris Ca, BDAqua, Andy Ball

Hope this is going through!!

Re:

I know I'd said to be careful about backing up because some of the posts I'd found linked alarm sounds with failing HDs. I had hoped you would be able to read them to see if the sounds you're hearing relate to the sounds reported there - which is why I asked if you'd ever described it. I know you said it sounded like your alarm clock. What does your alarm clock sound like? E.g. does it beep, sound siren-like, sound like a smoke alarm...?

......I did backup, took a long time as I've been very, very bad about backing up.

......Although it's very hard to describe a sound, I guess I would have to put it in the beep category, something like: beep-beep-beep... beep-beep-beep... beep-beep-beep, etc. it starts slow and accelerates into a frantic beep-beep-beep. It appears to be a common beep, as now I hear it everywhere...my alarm clock, my microwave (notifying me my dish is ready), and on TV.

......Also, so sorry you went thru all that researching only for it to be deleted.

......The posting, as I understand it, that caused the problem/deletions, was mine... I'm the villian!! I posted: ooops! ..... I did this because, embarrassingly, I found myself responding to myself....which, believe it or not, I did it again by accident.

As to:

If computer did not power up, (it "stayed in shut down") the alarm is not on the computer.

....It's coming from the computer, unless I have some weird alarm ghost trying to communicate thru it.

....Again, after resetting pram yesterday, I will up before 2 a.m. (it's actually 1:55 a.m.) to see if alarm is still going off. I am surprised I didn't hear it last night as I had reconnected speakers and put volume to loud.

Shirl

Clea Rees

Level 4

1,245 points

Jun 1, 2008 5:06 PM in response to shiptoshirl

shiptoshirl wrote:
Hi,

Have you seen any of my new posts, dated June 1....not getting any feedback. Please let me know. I may be spinning my wheels. Shirl of ShiptoShirl

Just! (Have been posting own issues in another forum and amusing myself by reading secure.log and trying to persuade Firefox I don't want Cyrillic fonts...)

Certainly not your fault about the deletes.

Will wait to hear if the reset of PRAM fixed the computer. (Metaphorical fingers crossed for you!)

- cfr

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 2, 2008 9:29 AM in response to Clea Rees

Hi,

I was very hopeful that resetting pram would work, but I woke up by my alarm around 1:30 and at 1:54 the alarm went off....I know in the past it has gone off at 1:55, another mystery; is it's 24 hr. cycle off. The alarm lasted a minute, or close to. I did do another save of Activity Monitor....before and during alarm. There was a slight spike in during, but nothing new registered...it's hiding behind the scenes.

Clea Rees

Level 4

1,245 points

Jun 2, 2008 12:18 PM in response to shiptoshirl

Remember, it isn't using the computer's clock - not, at any rate, the obvious one. If it was, setting the clock to 01:45 would trigger the alarm shortly afterwards but it doesn't. So whatever it is going by might not be quite in sync - maybe it gains or loses time a little.

Did you ever try shutting down, disconnecting the AC and removing the battery? I think I'd try that next. See if it still alarms. If it still goes off that will be... well, interesting. (It is possible it will still go off.) If not, maybe "making it miss its appointment" as BDAqua put it earlier will give the computer the idea that 2 am is part of "quiet time"!

- cfr

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 2, 2008 1:57 PM in response to Clea Rees

Hi,

Re: Did you ever try shutting down, disconnecting the AC and removing the battery? I think I'd try that next. See if it still alarms. If it still goes off that will be... well, interesting. (It is possible it will still go off.) If not, maybe "making it miss its appointment" as BDAqua put it earlier will give the computer the idea that 2 am is part of "quiet time"!

....No, not yet. I actually thought that if anything was going to work, it would have been resetting the pram. I'm losing hope.

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 2, 2008 2:32 PM in response to Clea Rees

Hi,

A thought. I'm going on vacation beginning June 8 and won't be taking my computer with me, it's too heavy to lug around. What if I disconnect from power and remove the battery and leave it in that state the whole time I'm gone. Is this a good idea, or am I just going to create new problems?

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 2, 2008 4:32 PM in response to Clea Rees

Hi,

I would try starving it of power first and seeing whether it alarms even with no AC, no connexions and no battery.

....Okay.

Failing that there is also this. Unfortunately, this may be another contortionist's trick - depends on the model of iBook. (Why is it that older models come with a specific reset button requiring only a bent paperclip but newer, more advanced models have innovated this away?)

....this is very scary. Something I would have to give great thought. My alarm has now been going off for 6 weeks or more and other than being most annoying and perplexing, it doesn't seem to have caused any harm, so far. Also, resetting PMU is not highly recommended....a last, last resort.

I can't remember - did you ever run hardware tests on the Mac? If not, I would definitely try that. The tests are on a disk supplied with the computer. In some cases, there might be a specific disk of tests; in others, the tests are on the install disk and there should be instructions on the disk which tell you how to run them. Run the extended set of tests.

....Yes, with Tech Tool Deluxe and Disk Utility. Each showed no problems.

Clea Rees

Level 4

1,245 points

Jun 2, 2008 5:22 PM in response to shiptoshirl

shiptoshirl wrote:
....this is very scary. Something I would have to give great thought. My alarm has now been going off for 6 weeks or more and other than being most annoying and perplexing, it doesn't seem to have caused any harm, so far. Also, resetting PMU is not highly recommended....a last, last resort.

Agreed. I bring it up now only because I'm running out of other ideas (and nobody else is chiming in with inspiration!) - not because I am wild about the idea.

On the other hand, I have done it to a Mac and it did solve a problem when nothing else would. On the first hand again, that was an iBook with, basically, no usable display so drastic measures seemed quite reasonable. (Also, I didn't know that's what I was doing until just now when I read through the link! I was on the phone to Apple...)

I can't remember - did you ever run hardware tests on the Mac? If not, I would definitely try that. The tests are on a disk supplied with the computer. In some cases, there might be a specific disk of tests; in others, the tests are on the install disk and there should be instructions on the disk which tell you how to run them. Run the extended set of tests.

....Yes, with Tech Tool Deluxe and Disk Utility. Each showed no problems.

No. Those will have tested the file system, basically. The hardware tests are different. If you have the original install disks for the iBook, one should either be a hardware test disk or the first install disk should have a note about it on it. I think if your iBook came with Panther or earlier, you'll have a separate disk. If it came with Tiger, you'll have a note about the tests on the first Tiger install disk. Presumably this is because of the difference in size between CDs and DVDs. Disk Utility will verify the SMART status of the disk but it doesn't check for any other hardware issues. I don't think Tech Tool would be checking for any either because the hardware tests are (I think) specific to particular models of Mac. They don't check everything but they can find some hardware problems. If you've got a specific disk, I think you just start from that with the 'c' key. If you've got a Tiger install disk with the hardware tests on, the instructions are written on the disk itself. (On the right side of the disk, if I remember correctly.)

- cfr

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 2, 2008 8:02 PM in response to Clea Rees

Hi,

Re: Instructions from Resetting PMU

===Warning: Resetting the Power Manager on any PowerBook or iBook will permanently remove a RAM disk, if present, and all of its contents.

I don't know if I have a RAM disk or what its contents would be.

===Resetting the PMU is not intended for resolution of a stall or situation in which the computer is unresponsive. A PMU reset should not be necessary except as a last resort in cases where a hardware failure of the power management system is suspected. Performing a PMU reset returns the iBook and PowerBook hardware, including NVRAM, to default settings and forces the computer to shut down.
Going back to default settings sounds very undesirable and ominous.
===For most situations, a restart is sufficient. If the computer has stopped responding, try these steps, in order, until the computer responds:
1. Force Quit (Option-Command-Escape)
2. Restart (Control-Command-Power)
3. Force Shut Down (press the power button for 10 seconds)

Should I try this and if so, question: Do I do step 1 AND 3, or just one or the other?

Re: tests

...with Tech Tool Deluxe and Disk Utility. Each showed no problems.

No. Those will have tested the file system, basically. The hardware tests are different. If you have the original install disks for the iBook, one should either be a hardware test disk or the first install disk should have a note about it on it.

...Learned something new again! Will have to find disks; think I put them in my back room.

...Will get back to you tomorrow....thanks for all the info.

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

Jun 2, 2008 11:04 PM in response to shiptoshirl

Hi Shirl & Clea

wow, apple do make resetting the pmu (they seem to call it smu with much the same info on desktops...) sound a desperate & dangerous measure don't they?

for what it's worth, I wouldn't worry about it one bit. Sure, it's not the first thing you do when a mac won't start or has some problem or other, but far from being very risky imo.

again fwiw, you can find various user reports & 'expert' types saying that more is better with resetting the pram - meaning hold the awkward key combo until 3 or 5 'extra' startup chimes have been heard.

I

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An ALARM goes off every day at 2 a.m. - don't know why, please help