My MacBook randomly shuts off even when plugged in

check the crash reporter log at
Macintosh HD > User (your name?) > Library > Logs > Crash Reporter; post back!

Oh, well, if you are so brave as to look at the logs, then this will help: from Applications > Utilities > Console.app, double click Console and run that.

Talk about having way too much fun and information: I like to look around in there, it is very intuitive. The diagnostic Reports; oh my! But the coolest is to peer into FILES > /private/var/log > fsck_hfs.log, and see what is ailing, lately. The logs come up scolled down already to the most current crash yah.

Regarding Adobe Reader: I do not use it. For any file that looks for it I do the "get info" (command and "i" key, or when the file is selected click on File in the menu bar and pull down to "get info"), and then in the "get info" box click on Preview, under "Open with," and yes to "Use this applications to open all documents like this one." I personally prefer Preview for opening .pdf files etc., so I have ditched Adobe Reader, no offense. And I do not have on board any MS Office; prefer NeoWriter: less in the bloatware cpu hogging VM-swapping syndrome imho.

I recently had some System hangs with what turned out to be Adobe Updater (on my Mac Mini, not the MBP). That is a separate app! Click on the magnifying glass at the far right of the top of the screen, and type into the Spotlight search bar "Adobe Updater" ... mouse-over (don't click yet) on a file name that appears under the spotlight search bar and in a couple seconds the Path will display, so you will know where it lives ... I dragged mine off, screaming, (me screaming, not the inert inanimate (who knows though: it is Adobe and MS) files and apps to the trash and emptied them, and never yet (knock on wooden head) have had to rue that moment of assertion of independence ...

I'm having a similar problem - my macbook pro switches off intermittently (RSD) whether on charge or battery. The problem seems to have started since recently upgrading to OSX 10.6.5.

I've tried removing adobe updater but it appears i don't have any adobe applications at all. battery health is good (282 cycles), but i realise it's getting toward the end of it's life.

I've been wading through every console log but can't find any errors that coincide with the exact time of shutdown. There also seems to be no recurring pattern to the errors.

my feeling is faulty thermal sensors (bad logic board?). how can check this?
any other thoughts?
cheers

I also have similar problems but my macbook pro shuts down when its on battery power. Even the date and time changed when i restart my macbook pro. i have to manually change back the time and date.

How can i solve this problem ?



Thank you! (:

i don't think we can conclude anything, especially since your genius couldn't explain why he thought it was your battery - certainly doesn't sound like a battery issue to me if it still happens whilst plugged in.

i read elsewhere about thermal sensors going haywire - i think this is much more plausible.

but for me, the problem seems to have been a bad hard drive - some sectors got scrambled doing the update from 10.6 to 10.6.5. i'm back at 10.6 now and repaired my hard disc and everything has been working fine for a week now.

so check your hard drives before you hand over your wallet to some genius who can't explain why but just has a gut feeling you need a new battery or logic board 🙂

I'm having a similar problem that has only recently started. I have a macbook pro that will launch the screen saver (like it is set up to do), and sometime when I return to the computer and try to wake it up, it refreshes immediately to the login screen. That is, it has rebooted in the background while it looks like the screen saver is running. This happens while it is plugged in.

I can't figure out any patterns to the problem. I did have a bad battery over a year ago, but it was replaced under warranty.