Rollincoal02

Q: Early iMac 2009 shuts down unexpectedly Yosemite only

So i have been having this problem ever since Yosemite released. I would be browsing the internet and the computer just powers off...I turn it back on and browse again, it could be an hour, it could be 10 mins before it does it again..

 

I wiped the Hard Drive and tried a Clean install of Yosemite. Same exact problem.

 

Wiped the drive again and Installed Snow Leopard and updated it to Mavericks. I have been on Mavericks for a few months No issues. So i decided i would try a clean install of Yosemite again. Fire it up do all the updates, start to browse and off it goes within the first 5 mins on a clean install.

 

I have replaced my HD and one stick of memory (before Yosemite came out) after i had this problem i replaced the power supply. I have ran the memory test and it passes. I tried the stress tests and the computer stays running. it seems like its only when i browse the internet, I haven't tried any other browsers except safari right now.

I cannot run the AHT as i do not have the original install disc.

 

Any help would be appreciated!

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Mar 18, 2015 7:39 AM

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Q: Early iMac 2009 shuts down unexpectedly Yosemite only

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 18, 2015 8:24 AM in response to Rollincoal02
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Mar 18, 2015 8:24 AM in response to Rollincoal02

    If you reproduced the problem with a clean installation, no other software installed, then it's caused either by a hardware fault or by a bug so obscure that no one else seems to have reported it. I would tell you to take the machine to an Apple Store for testing, but Apple would probably decline to service it because of its age. An independent authorized service provider might be able to help you. Otherwise, just stay with Mavericks.

  • by Rollincoal02,

    Rollincoal02 Rollincoal02 Mar 18, 2015 10:02 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 18, 2015 10:02 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks for the reply.  I have done a lot of searching on this, it seems there are others with the early '09 mac that have the same shutdown symptoms. Although i have not found anyone that had it shut off  specifically from browsing, only when the computer was under heavy load. I can run Photo Shop for an extended period of time with out issue. Right after i posted 2 hours ago, my computer shut off. I have been browsing ever since.  I did an ETreCheck I'm sure theres nothing out of the ordinary since this is a clean install of Yosemite. but ill post it anyways.  Im just hoping someone else had a similar issue and resolved it. I like the new features of Yosemite and would prefer it over Mavericks...

    EtreCheck version: 2.1.8 (121)

    Report generated March 18, 2015 at 11:57:15 AM CDT

    Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck

     

    Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.

    Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.

     

    Hardware Information: ℹ️

        iMac (24-inch, Early 2009) (Verified)

        iMac - model: iMac9,1

        1 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core

        6 GB RAM Upgradeable

            BANK 0/DIMM0

                2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

            BANK 1/DIMM0

                4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

        Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

        Wireless:  en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

     

    Video Information: ℹ️

        NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 - VRAM: 512 MB

            iMac 1920 x 1200

     

    System Software: ℹ️

        OS X 10.10.2 (14C1510) - Time since boot: 1:54:50

     

    Disk Information: ℹ️

        WDC WD2002FAEX-007BA0 disk0 : (2 TB)

            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            MacIntosh HD (disk0s2) / : 999.55 GB (981.35 GB free)

            Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB

            Storage (disk0s4) /Volumes/Storage : 999.72 GB (872.47 GB free)

     

        PIONEER DVD-RW  DVRTS08 disk1 : (8.1 GB)

            disk1s1 (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 31 KB

            disk1s2 (disk1s2) <not mounted> : 827 MB

            Mac OS X Install DVD (disk1s3) /Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD : 7.27 GB (84 MB free)

     

    USB Information: ℹ️

        Apple Inc. Built-in iSight

        Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub

            Apple, Inc Apple Keyboard

        Fitbit Inc. Fitbit Base Station

        Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

        Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

     

    Gatekeeper: ℹ️

        Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Launch Daemons: ℹ️

        [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]

     

    User Launch Agents: ℹ️

        [running]    com.bittorrent.uTorrent.plist [Click for support]

     

    User Login Items: ℹ️

        uTorrent    Application  (/Applications/uTorrent.app)

     

    Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

        FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 17.0.0.134 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        Flash Player: Version: 17.0.0.134 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

        Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10

     

    Safari Extensions: ℹ️

        Adblock Plus

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

        Flash Player  [Click for support]

     

    Time Machine: ℹ️

        Time Machine not configured!

     

    Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

            11%    WindowServer

            10%    Safari

             4%    com.apple.WebKit.Networking

             2%    uTorrent

             1%    hidd

     

    Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

        760 MB    firefox

        174 MB    mds_stores

        174 MB    Safari

        161 MB    Mail

        116 MB    uTorrent

     

    Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

        805 MB    Free RAM

        2.67 GB    Active RAM

        2.31 GB    Inactive RAM

        656 MB    Wired RAM

        1.81 GB    Page-ins

        754 KB    Page-outs

     

    Diagnostics Information: ℹ️

        Mar 18, 2015, 10:02:10 AM    Self test - passed

        Mar 18, 2015, 12:40:05 AM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/mbpluginhost_2015-03-18-004005_[redacted].crash

  • by Eddie Jasmine,

    Eddie Jasmine Eddie Jasmine Mar 19, 2015 2:04 AM in response to Rollincoal02
    Level 1 (63 points)
    Mar 19, 2015 2:04 AM in response to Rollincoal02

    Hi Rollin.  Unfortunately, the random shutdown problem is a known issue among many with iMac 9,1's with the Nvidia GT 130 512 MB.  I know because I have one.


    I'm currently on the latest 10.10.3 public beta 2 but for the last two Yosemite official updates (10.10.1 and 10.10.2) I have also been experiencing shutdowns while browsing.  The site BBCnews.com will crash me immediately in Chrome and Safari.  The problem is more pronounced when using a graphics-intensive program, like Adobe Premier or a World of Warcraft-type game.  In Safe Mode, I have no problems.  The browsers will open any site and there are no random crashes.


    While using 10.10.2, I mitigated some of the shutdown problems by moving AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext and AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient.kext from /System/Library/Extensions to my desktop, issuing the command:  sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions and restarting.  Chrome seemed to operate better.  However, really graphics intensive apps eventually succumbed although they lasted a little longer.


    Many people think it's a heat-related problem but the shutdowns have occurred when the machine has booted cold.  And my temperatures have never been way out of the norm.


    If you scour the net, you will see the sudden shutdown issue among various flavors of iMacs and MacBooks dating back to 2009 (maybe even before).  I had 5 good years with my iMac 9,1 until the later versions of Mavericks and, now, Yosemite (which has made it worse).  In my case, I have a revision B logic board which has had less problems over the years than the revision A. 


    The long and short of it is…I think Yosemite is pushing systems harder than previous OS releases…and I think it's not as polished as the previous ones.  I've also noticed that for all the developer updates for Yosemite, not ONE has asked any one to look at graphics issues.  But if you look through the Adobe forums, you'll find that Adobe, Apple, and nVidia have acknowledged that there are graphics problem that is affecting many machines, not just iMacs.  My bet (or fervent hope) is that they are preparing a huge standalone graphics update to rectify all these problems.  Until then, I fear that the sudden shutdown syndrome will have no solution soon.


    Btw…do your graphics pixelate at all?  And…do you have shutdowns in Safe Mode?

  • by Eddie Jasmine,

    Eddie Jasmine Eddie Jasmine Jul 25, 2015 4:37 AM in response to Eddie Jasmine
    Level 1 (63 points)
    Jul 25, 2015 4:37 AM in response to Eddie Jasmine

    Well...I found out what my problem was...the graphics card (GeForce GT 130 512 MB)

     

    Although I managed to decrease the random shutdowns by manipulating the profile of my graphics card in AppleGraphicsPowerManagement.kext (AGPM), I still couldn't use any graphics-intensive apps.  Because my card wasn't artifacting and I was able to mitigate things through AGPM, I was convinced it was a software problem, namely nVidia drivers.  Well...my frustration finally got to me and I wanted to try a Hail Mary.

     

    I currently live in a country where computer parts and service are not all that great but I didn't want to buy a new card unless I really had to.  So...I broke open the machine, removed the graphics card from the cooling apparatus, cleaned off any thermal pad remnants and the thermal paste on the graphics chip...and baked it off in the oven at 385 degrees F for about 10 minutes.  I let it cool for about 45 minutes.  I put on a fresh coat of Arctic thermal grease and thermal pads.  I also took the time to clean the card with some 99% rubbing alcohol, q-tips, and a clean cloth.  I put my iMac back together and hoped for the best..

     

    Much to my delight, not only do I have a machine that is running much cooler...I can now use graphics-intensive apps...no problem...no shutdowns!  It's been about 2.5 weeks and so far so good.  However, I do know that reflowing a graphics card is not a permanent fix but a life-extension...but I'll take what I have.

     

    And just to add...if anyone sees in their console log "Previous Shutdown Cause: -128", I think the graphics card is the culprit.