My 2017 iMac turns itself off without warning. I have un- and reinstalled MacOS and Office for Mac. If I erase the hard drive, could I use the Migration app to restore from my MacBook to iMac?

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My 2017 iMac turns itself off without warning. I have un- and reinstalled MacOS and Office for Mac. If I erase the hard drive, could I use the Migration app to restore from my MacBook to iMac?

My 2017 iMac turns itself off without warning. I have un- and reinstalled MacOS and Office for Mac. I'm told it is not a hardware problem because it does not happen in a guest user account and my next option is to erase the hard drive and start from scratch.

If I erase the hard drive, what is the easiest way to restore the iMac? Could I use my MacBook with the Migration app?

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 11.2

Posted on Mar 15, 2021 2:46 PM

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Answer 1

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padams35

Level 4

3,445 points

Mar 16, 2021 11:53 AM in response to Bvasf

Migration Assistant is indeed the easiest way.

Migration Assistant from a Time Machine backup is the usual recommendation, but if your iMac user account is crashing then migrating from your MacBook may be safer.

When the iMac shut down where you getting any 'Your mac restarted because of a problem' type messages? If so they should provide a clue, and if not that would suggest power issues.

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Answer 2

Old Toad

Level 10

210,771 points

Mar 22, 2021 3:11 PM in response to Bvasf

Bvasf wrote:

There is no error message. The iMac just shuts off. I have to unplug the machine in the back for at least 5 minutes before it will restart. It will open to the last pages that were on the desktop.

Had the same problem with an iMac and it turned out to be a failing power supply. However, I didn't need to wait 5 minutes before plugging it back in and booting up again.

Apple had me make a current and full backup and then erase the drive and reinstall the system without migrating any of my files. This proved it was not software related.

I recommend erasing and reinstalling just the system and run it for a while to see if the problem persists. If it does then it's time to contact the nearest Genius Bar or for a diagnostic check and a new power supply.

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Answer 3

Bvasf Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 16, 2021 1:44 PM in response to padams35

There is no error message. The iMac just shuts off. I have to unplug the machine in the back for at least 5 minutes before it will restart. It will open to the last pages that were on the desktop.

This has been happening for about 6 months, before Big Sur came out. It has also happened in Recovery Mode.

The local apple repair shop had it for 2 weeks, and could not recreate the problem in a test account or in my regular account.

I cannot pin it to a certain application, but it usually happens when multiple windows are open.

Sometimes if I try to save an article or email by highlighting, print, then save as PDF, it will shut off.

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Answer 4

padams35

Level 4

3,445 points

Mar 16, 2021 2:41 PM in response to Bvasf

No-message shutdowns are usually power related. If the crashes couldn't be reproduced either the shop didn't test it long enough or they had cleaner power on their outlets.

I'd suggest connecting the iMac to a new or different surge protector, preferably with EMI/RFI noise filtering, to see if that solves your issue.

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Answer 5

Bvasf Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 22, 2021 5:38 AM in response to Bvasf

I received my new surge protector. The computer turned itself off, after an hour long Zoom meeting with mail app, photos app and Safari on the desktop. It would not reboot until I unplugged it from the back. After plugging it back in, the mail app and photos opened on the desktop.

Do you have any other suggestions?

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