Brian&Lee
Level 1 (4 points)
Desktops

Q: My MacBook Pro with El Capitan 10.6.11 won't shut down from drop down menu. I have to switch off the power

The shut down and restart options no longer work in El Capitan 10.6.11 on my mid 2012 MacBook Pro. I have to press the power button to shut down.  When shutdown or restart are selected, the ribbon at the top of the screen disappears and Finder is no longer available but other aps in the Dock are still available. When I restart after shutting off the power, the system is back to normal until I need to close down again.

IMac, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Aug 27, 2016 2:23 PM

by Kappy,Solvedanswer
Kappy Kappy
Level 10 (270,411 points)
Desktops
A:

Usually, this is the result of having one or more running processes refuse to shutdown because they have crashed or became hung.

 

Next time you go to shutdown the computer open Activity Monitor to look for these uncooperative processes. Crashed or hung processes usually show up in red.

Use Activity Monitor to Kill Runaway Processes

 

     Use Activity Monitor on your Mac

     Runaway applications can shorten battery runtime, affect performance, and increase heat and fan activity.

Most often the cause is one of your running applications that you opened when using the computer. So, quit all of them then try a normal shutdown.

 

Repairing the drive with Disk Utility may work, but usually not because the problem isn't typically caused by an unprepared drive unless the guilty program has a corrupted directory entry. Disk Utility will not fix a runaway process or a hung or crashed program/process.

Posted on Aug 27, 2016 2:56 PM

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Brian&Lee

Q: My MacBook Pro with El Capitan 10.6.11 won't shut down from drop down menu. I have to switch off the power

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Carolyn Samit,Helpful

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit Aug 27, 2016 2:55 PM in response to Brian&Lee
    Level 10 (120,875 points)
    Apple Music
    Aug 27, 2016 2:55 PM in response to Brian&Lee

    Hi,

     

    Just in case, run Disk Utility.

     

    Open Disk Utility located in   /Applications/Utilities

     

    Then select the startup disk on the left then select the First Aid tab then click Run.

     

    If Disk Utility reports that the disk appears to be OK, you’re done. Otherwise, you need to repair the disk.

  • by Kappy,Solvedanswer

    Kappy Kappy Aug 27, 2016 2:56 PM in response to Brian&Lee
    Level 10 (270,411 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 27, 2016 2:56 PM in response to Brian&Lee

    Usually, this is the result of having one or more running processes refuse to shutdown because they have crashed or became hung.

     

    Next time you go to shutdown the computer open Activity Monitor to look for these uncooperative processes. Crashed or hung processes usually show up in red.

    Use Activity Monitor to Kill Runaway Processes

     

         Use Activity Monitor on your Mac

         Runaway applications can shorten battery runtime, affect performance, and increase heat and fan activity.

    Most often the cause is one of your running applications that you opened when using the computer. So, quit all of them then try a normal shutdown.

     

    Repairing the drive with Disk Utility may work, but usually not because the problem isn't typically caused by an unprepared drive unless the guilty program has a corrupted directory entry. Disk Utility will not fix a runaway process or a hung or crashed program/process.

  • by Brian&Lee,

    Brian&Lee Brian&Lee Aug 27, 2016 2:58 PM in response to Brian&Lee
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 27, 2016 2:58 PM in response to Brian&Lee

    Thank you folks.  I ran the first aid but it made no difference and the activity log didn't select a problem.  The Force Quit tab shows only the Finder ap running.

  • by Brian&Lee,

    Brian&Lee Brian&Lee Aug 27, 2016 3:05 PM in response to Brian&Lee
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 27, 2016 3:05 PM in response to Brian&Lee

    I've just checked what happens if I log out first and then try the restart to shot down from the log-on screen.  These functions then work but still don't work when I am logged in.