Randomly Turns Off

I've had the same problem. I called AppleCare, and they set me up for a Logic Board replacement. It was taken care of quickly; however, the random shut downs started happening again today.

Couple that with my MacBook discoloration, and I am not very happy. I'm calling AppleCare tomorrow and am going to argue for a replacement machine. I've given Apple a good chunk of my change in the past. I hope they treat me the way a good customer should be treated.

Macbook (1 gig RAM; 120 gig HD); 20" iMac Core Duo (1 gig RAM; 250 gig HD) Mac OS X (10.4.7)

No, I was way past the 14-day return window. I purchased my macbook on May 26th.

However, While I can't say "yes, they will replace your macbook". I can say that they should be able to take care of you in some way shape or form. Hopefully Apple has good customer service in ALL of their retail stores.

interesting. i tried the PRam reset before, but i guess i did it wrong. the first time, the computer restarted twice. this time, i held option + apple + P+ R + the power button, and held all keys until i heard a loud "strange beep"... well, i havent had a shut down now for a good 5 hours, and i been on my computer non stop... i hope this works because i would dislike the hassle of even going to the apple store...

It could also be to much heat.

Its not heat. Mine only does it when its cold. It has never shut down suddenly when hot.

Mine is now in for a new logic board - luckily it
will be done by our in cities apple authorized repair
center and should only take a few days - I had very
positive support from all applecare representatives I
spoke too....there is a problem but they are fixing
it as quickly as they can (how impatient everyone is
show how cool the mackbook is - noone wants to loose
a minute...)

A logic board replacement is a major repair. You need to examine it closely to see it has not suffered other damage in the repair process. Last year I had an iBook that was badly damaged during a logic board replacement by an Apple store.

interesting. i tried the PRam reset before, but i
guess i did it wrong. the first time, the computer
restarted twice. this time, i held option + apple +
P+ R + the power button, and held all keys until i
heard a loud "strange beep"... well, i havent had a
shut down now for a good 5 hours, and i been on my
computer non stop... i hope this works because i
would dislike the hassle of even going to the apple
store...

I gather you have to hold the keys down until repeats the whole process THREE times. That said, it did not cure the sudden shutdown problem on my MacBook.

Well , it s not the ram, not the system, not the power supply, not the battery. And with this symptom, i really think it s the logic board.
Anyone can look at the "system.log" file in /var/log/system.log ??? (invisible files and folders)
I've the same code eatch time my MacBook turn off :
"Previous Shutdown Cause : -82"

More informations : i ve tried just after my last message to connect with WIFI, and the MacBook turned off, 4 times consecutively (when i try to restart it).
Now it have restart, and i can see others error code:
"Previous Shutdown Cause : 0"
"Previous Shutdown Cause : 3"

to be continued...

Hello from another uphappy Macbook user. I have the same random shutoff issue. I have a white 2Ghz Macbook running 10.4.6. My machine is week 21 (4H621).

Here's background info on my issue:

* Exhibits the random shutoff after a deep sleep or from boot after the machine has been off overnight. BUT, it sometimes happens randomly when the machine has been used all day, though this is much less frequent.

* The problem started within the first 2 weeks. I purchased it June 4.

* The Macbook will continue shutting off randomly until I press and hold the startup button for 10 seconds (until the loud beeping), then release for startup. It seems to keep the machine stable for a while, until much later in the day, the next deep sleep, or overnight shutdown.

* My logs always have the "Previous Shutdown Cause: -82" *** does this mean? Is there a decoder ring for these shutdown codes?

* I opened an Apple case number and plan to take this to the genius bar, but it's very inconvenient to drive 45 min. to get there across town in usually heavy traffic. I'll try to do this soon.

* The problem first started with the stock 512mb Hynix ram. I thought the problem was caused because I needed more ram so I bought 2GB of Gskill from NewEgg. The ram did not solve the shutdown problem (though I doubt this problem is ram related). I'll bet it's either firmware or hardware.

* I get random shutoffs running from the OS X disks too.

Boy am I angry about this issue. I have used Mac's for over 15 years and have purchased many macines over the years, both as a consumer at work as an IT Professional. I have NEVER EVER seen such a widely reported critical defect like this in a Mac, nor anything so stupidly difficult to diagnose and replicate on demand. If Apple doesn't figure this out soon, I may have purchased my last Mac. Several other forums are posting of this issue too. Google away.

Forgot to add:

I tried PMU reset, PRAM reset, battery, no battery, etc.

My Macbook was doing the same thing, randomly shutting down...no obvious pattern. I thought it might be the 10.4.7 upgrade but 3 days after the random shutdowns started, it went belly up (over the July 4 holiday weekend). Gray screen at startup, vertical lines....in other words, bad news.

Took it to my local Apple Store in southern California and the genius there said it was most likely the logic board. He said he had seen a couple of other MacBooks with the same problem. So, my MacBook is off for repair and I will get it back mid-July.

A side note, before this major problem I was perfectly happy with my MacBook, no mooing, no excessive heat, no yellow discoloration, etc.

So, the random shutdowns might be a sign of impending doom....at least from my experience.

Good luck

well, mine is still shutting off randomly also.. urrggh, gotta take it in to the apple store, i didnt want to do this because its a GREAT inconvenience not having my computer for work...

I'm a long time Mac tech, so I knew the "job" was dangerous when I decided to purchase my own laptop, particularly what some of us call "Rev 1" systems (I've normally the privilege of using a laptop from business).

The thread here definitely indicates that Apple had a busted series of logic boards, and better news that it has found the issue and repaired it. My laptop (a white 1.83 "plain vanilla" model) received Boot Camp, then later a 2GB RAM update and the 10.4.6 "delta" update (non-combo). From there, things got weird. My display would suddenly stop working as if the system suddenly were told to sleep. Later, the sleep command (menu or otherwise) failed, forcing me to shutdown my 'Book as closing the lid will cause overheating.

Suspecting that the new RAM was the issue, I removed it and returned it to original configuration. That's when the 'Book decided never to start again. I'm sure I received one of the original bad boards. The Genius did the same things I did, declared it DOA and shipped it to the Memphis shop. I'm hoping to see it by the end of the week, but I don't have a lot of hope in that. At least I know it will likely be a permanent fix. I already have withdrawal symptoms.

As someone on Macintouch noted, RAM thickness is a problem when upgrading. 1GB modules have chips on both sides (as opposed to the 256MB stock chips) and appear to fit so tightly that the removal levers have a hard time grasping them. I had to press down (or up) to add a bit more "grip" to the tongue that pushed the RAM up. I was quite worried that I would cause the lever to break as I wiggled and jiggled the lever. Once a corner did lift, I needed to use something to push the lower corner to compell the RAM to pop free enough for my fingers to grasp the corners. If an experienced tech gets the willies doing this, I really recommend that average computer Joes take their Macs in to do a RAM upgrade. It might save you a lot of frustration.

At least I have my trusty (although loud) Windtunnel 867 to keep me busy until, albeit without internet access.

Power Mac G4-D867/MacBook 1.83GHz/2GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Well mines doing it to, tried all the reset stuff and no good. My ibook did the same thing but affter then new tiger update it stoped. it had 100% the same symptoms as my macbook. I really dont want to take it in yet, but they have a case file for me

macbook Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Well mines doing it to, tried all the reset stuff and
no good. My ibook did the same thing but affter then
new tiger update it stoped. it had 100% the same
symptoms as my macbook. I really dont want to take
it in yet, but they have a case file for
me

macbook Mac OS
X (10.4.7)

Thats actually good to hear, about your ibook having the same problem, but getting it fixed through a software update

Im not gonna send mine in for repair or replacement, cause im almost certain its software/firmware related. I mean this all started after the recent updates (service pack/ipod software update/quicktime update/flip4mac update etc)..

Given all these recent software updates and the sudden apperance of this problem, its hard to believe that all these logic boards are just failing simultainiously...