MacBook Pro froze trying to access iCloud and now I can't turn off my computer

Question

MacBook Pro froze trying to access iCloud and now I can't turn off my computer

I am currently writing this note on a computer that has locked me out of Restart or Cold Button Poweroff. My system preferences have asked for my password, I entered it, hit "Sign In", and it has currently been "trying to connect" for about 15 minutes now. I tried clicking Apple -> Restart, ctrl+alt+delete, and the power button. The computer refuses to reboot, saying that System Preferences has interrupted shut down. But I can't Quit System preferences. My questions are two fold:

1) How do I turn off my computer and restart it?

2) How do I remove iCloud from this computer? Or at least prevent it from connecting to iCloud? It has never worked and it just bugs the heck out of me.

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), iOS 10

Posted on Sep 17, 2016 2:50 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 17, 2016 3:03 PM in response to IfthismesseswithmyAppleID...

To force shut down, hold the power button down until the screen goes black. You may well find that the attempt to sign in doesn't reappear on a restart; you should if you wish be able to go to System Preferences>iCloud and click Sign Out.

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Answer 2

Sep 17, 2016 3:05 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Thank you, I got it to reboot!

But... the first message is "error" connecting to iCloud. I can't sign out because the sign out screen is 'blocked/grayed out' by the sign in screen. Is there a way to bypass this?

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Answer 3

Sep 17, 2016 3:09 PM in response to IfthismesseswithmyAppleID...

OK, I managed to sign in, but if I "Sign out" then I get repeated "You need to sign in to connect to iCloud" pop ups. I'm talking four in a row. If I hit 'ignore' on them, then they just pop up again 15-30 minutes later. Is there any way I can prevent these pop ups? What I would really like is a 'do not connect unless I tell you to connect' option. Since I'm on monthly data plan, I don't want all that data being used unless I'm connected to Wifi instead of my hotspot.

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Answer 4

Sep 17, 2016 3:22 PM in response to IfthismesseswithmyAppleID...

Reboot, holding the Shift key down as you do so and until booting up finishes. This will cause a number of facilities not to load, including your internet connection. I don't know how this will affect your issue, but it's the next thing to try.

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Answer 5

Sep 17, 2016 3:26 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Thanks Mr. Wilmut. This is an excellent tip that I did not know about. I will try it.

Also, I think I'm just going to prevent all sharing of files, this seems like the easiest option for now. I might come back if the popups drive me crazy again.

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