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2011 MBA constant reboot problem

milesdavis

milesdavis

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 17, 2007
104
0
Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone is having this problem or if my unit is defective.

Basically, randomly my MBA will reboot/reset itself. You suddenly are working , see a flash and then a slightly transparent 'loading' wheel . Suddenly, all your software is re-starting. Non-apple software closes thus causing you to lose your work. Apple software [ mail, etc. ] re-open with the auto-save feature.

I find this happens when I am listening to Spotify and using Adobe Illustrator CS3 . It generally occurs when I try to move an element or do even a screen capture. I use Illustrator a lot so I'm not sure if it would happen in other software programs or if it's AI related.

I am not doing anything complicated. very small files mostly text and vectors.

SO weird and annoying. This never happened to me before... I've lost work so many times as it is completely random.

Any news that this is a problem others have or do you think I have some memory issue?

Thank you for your insights! MD
 
K

KPOM

macrumors P6
Oct 23, 2010
18,026
7,868
It could be having Kernel Panics, which are normally caused by a hardware issue. Open up the Console to see if there are any error messages. Also, go into the Diagnostic Reports folder within the Library to see if there are any error reports there. To do that, go into Finder, hold down the option key, and click on the Go menu (I'm doing this from memory). You should see the Library as one of the options.
 
A

accessoriesguy

macrumors 6502a
Jul 8, 2011
891
0
Sounds like possibly bad RAM. it's having difficulties sending things over to the hard drive. if the RAM loses power it will lose all of its information and restart. It could also be the motherboard failing to give enough power.

It's hard to tell, but your device sounds defective, so now is the time to hit up apple care!
 
milesdavis

milesdavis

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 17, 2007
104
0
Hey Everyone,

Thanks for all your replies! I took it into Apple and I think it is a hardware issue as they may replace the unit. I'm going to look at the logs as suggested above to see if I can find anything. The memory issue seems highly likely to me -- it also does something where it gets hot and blacks on when in 'sleep' mode.

I will post this elsewhere I guess, but any of you geniuses have a suggestion for me on restoring my replacement? Apple recommends I do not restore from a time machine rather reinstall all -- but the prospect of reinstalling ALL my software seems like such a major pain.

Anyway to have my cake and eat it too? Thanks! MD
 
Doctor Q

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
39,782
7,514
Los Angeles
milesdavis,

If you get an exact replacement and want to restore from the entire Time Machine backup start by reading Apple's article about it.

But if you get a replacement unit from Apple won't they help you do the restore? That way you can have your cake with extra icing and eat it too.
 
milesdavis

milesdavis

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 17, 2007
104
0
haha --

Well, sort of Doctor -- basically, they told me not to restore from a time machine because they didn't want any of my existing settings to carry over. So, I'm a bit stubborn and would rather not re-install all of my apps dry [ I haven't done that forever thanks to migration assistant! ] otherwise, it's a snap.

I'm debating if I should just do the time machine and take my chances ?

Thanks! MD
 
Doctor Q

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
39,782
7,514
Los Angeles
You can always try the Time Machine restore. If it doesn't work you can do a clean install and use Migration Assistant or as a last resort reinstall apps individually.

One way I take some of the risk out when migrating among machines is by trashing files in the Preferences folders that might have settings that apply to the old machine but not the new one.
 
milesdavis

milesdavis

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 17, 2007
104
0
Doctor Q -- Would it be a smart idea to rename the preferences folder in the time machine back-up ? I'm assuming all programs will re-create those preference files automatically if they are not detected?

That seems like a smart idea. I just would rather try this first and then perhaps do a clean install . Just path of least resistance I guess. :)

Just FYI tonight while I was backing up the system just mysteriously shut down again. So weird -- first time i've had a defective mac.

Thanks for all your help all ! MD
 
Doctor Q

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
39,782
7,514
Los Angeles
milesdavis said:
Doctor Q -- Would it be a smart idea to rename the preferences folder in the time machine back-up ? I'm assuming all programs will re-create those preference files automatically if they are not detected?

That seems like a smart idea. I just would rather try this first and then perhaps do a clean install . Just path of least resistance I guess. :)
Click to expand...
That does seem clever, although it's rare that you'd want to touch a Time Machine backup directly. I can't think of why it would be a problem but I don't have enough experience with this to know if your suggested trick would be safe and effective.
 
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