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Mac shuts down randomly

Hi,

I have the problem, that my Mac is randomly shutting down without knowing what it causes.

First of all I have a MacBook Pro Retina 15" Late 2013. Processor 2GHz intel Core i7, 8 GB RAM, Graphics: Intel iris Pro and macOS Sierra 10.12.3. Currently there are two portions running on the computer. The second one uses Bootcamp with Win 10


This Problem appeared first since I erased my MacOS partition and reinstalled macOS (I did not erase the whole disk only the first partition). Once it happens the screen turns black (the backlight stays on) & the ventilators start to get really noisy for 5-10 seconds until the Power goes off. Once I restart the computer sometimes there is a message that the computer unexpectedly shut down, sometimes not. Furthermore the message does not look like a typical Kernel Panic message more like if someone cut off the power.


What I could figure out so far:

  • If the power adapter is plugged in it normally doesn't happen, unless it just happened (while it was unplugged) if I plug it in now it might happen again even if its now plugged in.
  • Disabling the Wifi reduces the probability of shutting down randomly
  • Most of the times it shuts down while using a Browser (but not always!)
  • While playing for example CSGO (heavy using) it never has shut down
  • erasing the partition again didnt help (no extra programs where installed after reset but it still happened)
  • Using Windows on the BootCamp partition works perfectly fine
  • the Hardware Diagnostics did not find any error
  • reseting the SMC didn't help
  • it normally shuts around 90 % of battery
  • sometimes if it shuts down once I restart it it shuts down again within one minute after login


I hope you can help me, I am really frustrated right now because you normaly don't expect something like that from such a device after 3 Years. Does anyone know if the Reseting without flushing the BootCamp partition can cause problems? I didnt want to wipe the whole disk so far because currently I can't reinstall Bootcamp and its sometimes the only way to use my Mac while I don't have power without being interrupted the whole time.


Oh and as the device ist 3 Years old I guess I don't have any warranty anymore.


If you guys have any other Idea what else could cause this problem or more questions I would be glad to hear. Btw. I know a lot of technical /computer science stuff so if you need me to do try anything just tell me

MacBook Pro with Retina display, iOS 10.2.1, Late 2013

Posted on Mar 11, 2017 10:01 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jul 20, 2017 12:50 PM

Upon further, further research, (and I have the same problem with my notebook) I found this, and I'll just quote:

"I bet you leave your system plugged in most of the time.

What is happening here is SMC thinks the power level is below the set threshold so it needs to power down the system into deep sleep mode. So how to fix? It's quite simple you need to do a SMC reset and cycle the battery a few times by fully discharging it and recharging it. That way the setpoint is memorized correctly."

I had previously done some fake SMC resets, according to bad instructions.

Please note that my first instructions above on resetting the SMC are BAD INSTRUCTIONS. And they're not what Apple says to do. Apple says to unplug the MacBook before, then hold those buttons for 10 seconds, my first reply above says to plug it in, and doesn't say anything about holding the buttons!!!!! Sorry about that!!!!

So I did a proper SMC reset, after I charged my battery to 100% with the original charger, and followed Apple's instructions exactly, on the link above. Please note that your late 2013 MacBook Pro does NOT have a removable battery. So far my MBP (mid 2014 retina 15") hasn't gone into deep sleep spontaneously. Now I just have to discharge the battery fully a few times.

Also I want to recommend Hardware Monitor (or Hardware Monitor Lite) instead of Temperature Gauge Pro. Hardware Monitor is free, and will work on all but the very newest MacBooks. You can't get it on the App Store, but it is a reputable company.

8 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Jul 20, 2017 12:50 PM in response to macsnotgnu

Upon further, further research, (and I have the same problem with my notebook) I found this, and I'll just quote:

"I bet you leave your system plugged in most of the time.

What is happening here is SMC thinks the power level is below the set threshold so it needs to power down the system into deep sleep mode. So how to fix? It's quite simple you need to do a SMC reset and cycle the battery a few times by fully discharging it and recharging it. That way the setpoint is memorized correctly."

I had previously done some fake SMC resets, according to bad instructions.

Please note that my first instructions above on resetting the SMC are BAD INSTRUCTIONS. And they're not what Apple says to do. Apple says to unplug the MacBook before, then hold those buttons for 10 seconds, my first reply above says to plug it in, and doesn't say anything about holding the buttons!!!!! Sorry about that!!!!

So I did a proper SMC reset, after I charged my battery to 100% with the original charger, and followed Apple's instructions exactly, on the link above. Please note that your late 2013 MacBook Pro does NOT have a removable battery. So far my MBP (mid 2014 retina 15") hasn't gone into deep sleep spontaneously. Now I just have to discharge the battery fully a few times.

Also I want to recommend Hardware Monitor (or Hardware Monitor Lite) instead of Temperature Gauge Pro. Hardware Monitor is free, and will work on all but the very newest MacBooks. You can't get it on the App Store, but it is a reputable company.

Jul 19, 2017 10:16 PM in response to macsnotgnu

Upon further research, an expert has recommended:

Use an original Apple power supply of the correct wattage for your computer. Reset the SMC properly:

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support

if that doesn't work,

try some better diagnostic software, like coconutBattery and also Temperature Gauge Pro from TunaBelly.

See if you notice anything abnormal.

To fix your problem without replacing the motherboard, you may need to take the heat sink off from the CPU and (if you have one) GPU and reapply the thermal paste, and while you have it open, clean all the dust out from everywhere.

Jul 19, 2017 9:51 PM in response to pBockGER

Did you reset the SMC properly? There are a few different ways to do it, according to the interwebz. This method looks like it applies to your computer, since a late 2013 retina 15" MacBook Pro does _not_ have a battery that you are supposed to be able to remove (ha laugh ha, so ridiculous, and actually, yes you CAN replace it without Apple's help)

If you don’t have a removable battery:

  • Shut down your MacBook Pro
  • Plug in the original power adapter
  • Press (not hold) Shift-Control-Option (alt) and the power button at the same time and release all at the same time
  • Press the power button to turn on your MacBook Pro

Mac shuts down randomly

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