Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Releases MacBook SMC Firmware Update 1.1
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I had my HeatSink replaced a few weeks ago. I'd had random shutdowns every few hours, to then every few minutes, to then within a minute of booting. I took the MacBook into the Stanford Apple Store & they immediately knew what the issue was. It sounded like they'd seen it a lot. They had it overnight & returned it. Problem seems to be totally gone.
Question though: it says that this firmware fix is even for people who've had their heatsinks replaced. That seems odd, doesn't it? Either they put a better (sized) heatsink in, or they didn't. I'm hesitant to mess with it again & install this "fix". It ain't broke!
Question though: it says that this firmware fix is even for people who've had their heatsinks replaced. That seems odd, doesn't it? Either they put a better (sized) heatsink in, or they didn't. I'm hesitant to mess with it again & install this "fix". It ain't broke!
That's my concern too... Mine developed random shutdowns a week ago and it is truly random - it's happened on occasions when I wasn't even pushing the cpu much. I'm afraid the Mac will shutdown as I'm applying the firmware fix...
I have an appt at a genius bar later tonight to send my MacBook in for the random shutdown issue. I'll install this first and see how it goes. And if I brick it... well that's another thing I can tell the Apple employee
I have an appt at a genius bar later tonight to send my MacBook in for the random shutdown issue. I'll install this first and see how it goes. And if I brick it... well that's another thing I can tell the Apple employee
It works!
the key issue in my case was that my macbook couldn't go to sleep or be closed, everytime it woke up, it wouldn't last longer than 3 seconds and then shut down and all of the other known symptoms.
I ran the firmware upgrade and it works fine now, it's not hot or anything and the fans seem to be working at a normal pace.
Well, I am grateful for the fact that I don't have to turn in the mac for 5 days or more for servicing... I make a living out of this thingy...
the key issue in my case was that my macbook couldn't go to sleep or be closed, everytime it woke up, it wouldn't last longer than 3 seconds and then shut down and all of the other known symptoms.
I ran the firmware upgrade and it works fine now, it's not hot or anything and the fans seem to be working at a normal pace.
Well, I am grateful for the fact that I don't have to turn in the mac for 5 days or more for servicing... I make a living out of this thingy...
Some firmware engineer is going to get a very good performance review if this truly does fix the problem. There is nothing a company loves more then finding a way in software to fix a hardware problem and saving the company millions of dollars in repair costs.instantdan said:the key issue in my case was that my macbook couldn't go to sleep or be closed, everytime it woke up, it wouldn't last longer than 3 seconds and then shut down and all of the other known symptoms.
I ran the firmware upgrade and it works fine now, it's not hot or anything and the fans seem to be working at a normal pace.
Well, I am grateful for the fact that I don't have to turn in the mac for 5 days or more for servicing... I make a living out of this thingy...
i would fall of my chair laughing if apple did some notification that you shouldn't shut down your macbook during the firmware update... hhehehe
metooplease said:i would fall of my chair laughing if apple did some notification that you shouldn't shut down your macbook during the firmware update... hhehehe
they did. check the article. pretty ironic.
but i just installed it on my blackbook without a hitch. mid-summer mine was shutting down, then after the 1.0 firmware update it worked fine, and it just started again this week. i've been using it for 30 mins since the 1.1 update with no shutdowns.
i wonder if it just ignores that temp sensor shorting out? there's bound to be other temp sensors in the case, they could just completely ignore that one.
Here's a question to ponder...How are people suppose to install this firmware if there macbooks keep shutting down?
Anyways, I reccomend people use this firmware instead of geting their heatsink replaced. The later option involves an ugly screw in the middle of your macbook.
Anyways, I reccomend people use this firmware instead of geting their heatsink replaced. The later option involves an ugly screw in the middle of your macbook.
I hope Apple releases a OSX update that enables that feature on my MBP... like the two finger click.kainjow said:
I cant believe they would put an extra feature on a consumer machine and leave out all us pro users!!
chairguru22 said:
I have a question; I run istat nano widget, but have never gotten the temperature readout to work (everything else works fine). Is there something I need to do/can do to get it to register, or does this mean something is messed up on my computer?
I've been very disappointed with these MacBooks. All of the problems I've had and all of the problems I've heard about have proven, in my opinion, that Apple's quality is no longer what it used to be.
Apple charges a nice premium for their machines, one which I am willing to pay, assuming I get a better quality computer, but I don't believe this is the case.
Apple's reluctance to replace problematic MacBooks just adds to the issue.
I would suggest that Apple implement some quality control for their MacBook line, but we all know what happens when they do.
Apple charges a nice premium for their machines, one which I am willing to pay, assuming I get a better quality computer, but I don't believe this is the case.
Apple's reluctance to replace problematic MacBooks just adds to the issue.
I would suggest that Apple implement some quality control for their MacBook line, but we all know what happens when they do.
New Motherboard
We bought seven MacBooks shortly after they were released and three of them started having problems (random shutdown) almost immediately. When the third one started acting up I called our vendor to ask if there were any know problems. It was obvious that they had answered that question before it came from me (and interesting that they never mentioned it when I sent in the first two). We sent all three of them back to Apple for new motherboards, no cost and no questions. The down side is that the kept each machine for 10 business days because of their backlog.
We bought seven MacBooks shortly after they were released and three of them started having problems (random shutdown) almost immediately. When the third one started acting up I called our vendor to ask if there were any know problems. It was obvious that they had answered that question before it came from me (and interesting that they never mentioned it when I sent in the first two). We sent all three of them back to Apple for new motherboards, no cost and no questions. The down side is that the kept each machine for 10 business days because of their backlog.
WillMak said:
I just had my heatsink replaced last weekend, and I just now noticed the screw. Oh well...
This is a classic. Also, he clicked that option on.kainjow said:Well my MB was bought the day they were announced - my local Apple store didn't have them on display yet
I thought this pic Engadget posted is pretty funny:
At the next RSD, press the power button and don't let go until you hear a musical sound (maybe holding the button 4-5 second). Then when it reboots, it'll force the CUP to operate at 1GHz. And you won't get the shut down problem. This would probably be the best condition under which to do this firmware update. Good luck!WillMak said:
They ADDED a screw?? I mean, they drilled a new hole in the casing???williamsonrg said:I just had my heatsink replaced last weekend, and I just now noticed the screw. Oh well...
That seems like a crazy repair job if ever I've heard one.