I've tried everything I can think of to get my MacBook to turn off. Holding down the power button does not work. Going to the Apple Menu and selecting "Shut down" does not work. I've repaired permissions. This just started last night. Don't know what else to do. Any suggestions?
I've done all the things suggested before resetting the SMC. I can't follow the resetting directions because they start with "Turn off the computer" and that's my problem.
If you disconnect the AC adapter and pull the battery (I know the computer is on) it will shutdown....hold down the power button for at least 5 seconds after that...replace the battery and AC adapter and hopefully it will be back to normal...
If all goes well open Disk Utility after it restarts and Verify the hard disk with First Aid...
The more I think about it...just disconnect the AC adapter let the MacBook run out of battery power and shut down on it's own...then pull the battery and follow the instructions in the link...