Randomly Turns Off

I've had my MB for 2 weeks. Three days ago the problem started; after booting into OS X somewhere towards the end of the startup procedure, the machine will turn off -every time i bootup. It then takes ~3 presses of the power button to make the machine power on.

No issues prior to three days ago. No recent updates. Only when starting, never when running. Nothnig to do with heat (max. observed 89 deg. C with h/ware mon.)

When it's running.... it's a dream 🙂

4H624, 10.4.7

Macbook 1.83, 2GB Mac OS X (10.4.7) previous mac: 1GHz TiBook

7 attempts to start this morning, spoke to applecare UK; reset PRAM can't get it to reproduce the event.. until tomorrow morning when i turn it on!

"I haven't reset the PRAM etc as reading the discussion board this appears to be fruitless"

Q. "I understand this may be a logic board issue"?
A. "There are no known issues with the hardware"

Q. "Are you receiving many calls for this issue with the MacBook"?
A. "Not really, no".

Advice is:
reset PRAM
If doesn't fix problem.... (why am I not confident!?)
Insert install disk, hold down 'C' when starting, is it staying alive? (test for stability of HDD). If no, perform Archive and Install (test for content stability of HDD).

Does apple check their own discussion board? do they not link their support databases worldwide? how pathetic that we have to endure the standard troubleshooting when there is quite clearly a large number of reported problems.

This is my first encounter with applecare, i was expecting service like that experienced from Oakley.

Add me to the club. Happened for the first time last night and I hoped it would be a one time thing. Nope. Happened again this morning. I can only assume it will get worse from here. And I'm worried that if I take it to apple they will say it's fine because the problem doesn't happen regularly enough (yet) to necessarily reproduce in-store.

My macbook now has the following defects:
- whine (fairly loud)
- moo
- discoloration (repaired by apple)
- random shut downs.

I'm really sick of this. Even if Apple believes me/I can reproduce the problem in-store, I do not want to be without my macbook for weeks while they fix it (I need it for work). And to be honest, I don't even really want a replacement at this point. 4 rather serious defects on a 2 month old computer is unacceptable. I just want my money back. And I miss my ibook G4. 😟

Go to the apple store and have it replaced. That's what I ended up having to do. Alternatively, you can try the PMU reset procedure:

Take out the battery and remove the AC adapter, then hold down the power button for 5-10 seconds. Reinsert the battery and reconnect the AC adapter. Power back on.

This ended up fixing my issue for a day or so before I took it back to the Apple store and had it replaced.

Note the time it shuts down, look at your system logs in your Console application and see if there are any clues in there. It may be thermal related.

- Bmer
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This seems to be an issue, as there are about 5 posts on this board about it. It has been happening to me too. I suspect a recent software update may have caused it, cause this all seems to be only recent..

Another possibility is improperly seated ram. Yesterday, on nothing but a hunch, i removed both ram chips and placed them firmly in the opposite slots. I havent had a random shutdown since.

My gut tells me its software related, but the ram thing might be worth a shot

Did you try any of the suggestions mentioned here...?

I'd say take it in as a last resort.

The ram is easy, just make sure to follow the instructions on apples website, use plenty of even pressure to place the ram firmly in its slot (dont be afraid, it wont break) and dont forget to tuck in the cushy part when closing the ram door.

I havent had any shutdowns since doing it and im convinced now it was the ram. If you must, get someone else to replace the ram, just put each in the other slot.

I have a Macbook and this has also happened to me. I took it back to the Apple store where I purchased it and they said tests indicated there was no problem. But it continues to shut down automatically. In fact, it happened again a few minutes ago. It just happens.

It wont void the warrenty. Its a user-servicable part

PDF intructions: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/MacBook13inch_MEMORYDIY.pdf

I'm still shutdown-free since messing with the ram

Mine has started turning off more or less randomly as well. It started a day or two after I installed 10.4.7. It hasn't turned off every day, but today it has done it 7 or 8 times, enough to get me very frustrated... I don't know if it has anything to do with the 10.4.7 update, but since it has only occurred since then it's at least one possibility. What maybe goes against that theory, is that a couple of times when it had shutdown and I then tried to start it again, it simply shut off again without getting so far as to actually turn on the screen. If it's software related, it seems unlikely (though not impossible) that it persists after a shutdown...

It does seem to happen more often (or only?) when I run this Java program that uses plenty of processing power (100% of one core). I monitored the CPU temperature while waiting for it to shutdown - it usually stayed below 70C so I don't think it's the CPU temperature. The laptop case didn't seem very hot neither, at least I've felt it hotter, so I doubt it's temperature related at all...

Very annoying!