MacBook Pro Random Restarts w/no error message

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MacBook Pro Random Restarts w/no error message

I've been having an issue with my mid 2010 MacBook Pro where it will restart for what seems to be no reason. It gives no error message when it boots back up. The system simply powers off, shows me the apple logo, and brings me right back to where I was. The screen I get after the apple logo is the same gray screen with loading bar you get if the MacBook dies and you plug it in to boot back up. At first I was fairly sure this was software related so I uninstalled anything 3rd party and restored all my settings back to defaults, etc. When this didn't help, I went for a clean install. I was looking for more speed anyway so I purchased a solid state drive, installed it, and installed a fresh copy of Yosemite 10.10.5. All software is up to date, and just to be safe I have not installed any third party programs or moved back files from the old hard drive. This is the 15" model with the core i5 and 4gb of ram. All hardware is OEM aside from the new SSD.

At this point I have two possible theories which I was hoping to get some feedback on. My main concern at this point is the possibility of a GPU issue. The only commom denominator I've seen so far is generally when this happens seems to be the GPU being worked somehow wheather it be something like an online game, having multiple tabs open on the web, watching Netflix, etc. I also installed the sims on it a few months ago and stopped trying to play it after a few tries because it made the laptop go insane. All fans at max speed, lagging, glitching, which seemed a little strange to me for such a simple game but I just shrugged my shoulders and moved on. The only other common factor seems to be safari, but I'm not really sure how that could be a problem on a fresh installation with all updates installed. I use the Adblock plus browser extension but iirc the problem started before I began using that.

Hoping for some advice on where to look from here. Thanks everyone!

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Sep 27, 2015 6:24 PM

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Answer 1

kaz-k

Level 8

49,014 points

Sep 27, 2015 6:43 PM in response to bwolf137

OS X: When your computer spontaneously restarts or displays "Your computer restarted because of a problem." - Apple Supp…

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Answer 2

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,535 points

Sep 27, 2015 6:56 PM in response to bwolf137

You have the MacBookPro6,2—the Edsel of Macs. It may have the logic-board defect that was covered by a recall program that has now ended.

Residents of the EU may be entitled to warranty service for up to six years after purchase.

Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider, to have the machine tested. The routine hardware diagnostics used by service providers do not detect the fault. There is a specific test for this issue that Apple calls "VST" (for "Video Switching Test.") Ask for it. A "Failed" result means that the fault is present.

You may be quoted a price of about $350 (in the U.S.) for a "depot repair," which involves shipping the unit to a central repair facility and takes about two weeks. For that flat fee, anything found wrong with it should be fixed, not just the logic board.

Sometimes the replacement part is also defective, so be prepared for that possibility. If you decide to pay for a new logic board, test thoroughly during the 90-day warranty period on the repair. Some owners have reported that they went through as many as three replacement boards before getting one that worked.

If you don't want to pay for the repair, you may (or may not) be able to work around the problem by disabling automatic graphics switching. To use the discrete graphics processor, you'll need a third-party utility to switch to it manually.

Often the problems start after an OS upgrade. If the upgrade was recent, and you have backups, then you can revert to a previous OS X version.

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Answer 3

bwolf137 Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 27, 2015 6:58 PM in response to kaz-k

I've already read through this one and unfortunately it got me nowhere. Again no error message at all displays, not even the your computer restarted because of a problem message. It just shuts off, shows the apple logo, goes back to where I was. RAM is OEM apple and reseating did not solve the problem. HDD is a brand new solid state with a fresh install.

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