Macbook Pro Shutdown

[igmgentry]

I have a 17" 2009 Macbook Pro that is very frustrating. It starts everytime you press the power button, however only say one out of 100 times will complete booting. It will just shut down usually just after the desktop loads, but sometimes before. If you wait long enough eventually it will fully boot and you can use it like normal for as long as you like, days, weeks etc. Can play games, watch movies, surf the internet whatever everything working perfectly. But if you shut if off for any reason, you have to deal with this all over again.

I've tried, a new hardrive, new memory, and all of the hot keys resetting shortcuts. I'm starting to think it's some sort of board level issue and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on where I should look. SMC maybe?

 

[grahamperrin]

I have a 17" early 2009 MacBookPro5,2. If I recall correctly, it came with DVDs.

If you have the original discs that came with yours: use Apple Hardware Test.

 

[keysofanxiety]

SMC/PRAM reset is always helpful to try. Regardless it sounds like an odd issue. It might be worth trying a new HDD cable?

 

[igmgentry]

I already tried to do SMC/PRAM reset and it didn't make any difference. I could try a new HDD cable although I don't have super high hopes for that being the issue. I think I have one I can try just for the heck of it.

Also I'm pretty sure I don't have the original discs for this thing anymore unfortunately. I wonder if I can find those somewhere used. That might be worth pursuing.

It's just so bizzare to me that it works perfectly whenever it successfully boots, seems to imply whatever the issue is that it is not involved in the normal operation of the laptop. That's why I don't have high hopes for the HD cable since that is in use when it is booted and works fine. I've also tried an SSD and switching to a variety of different OSX flavors and it hasn't made a lick of difference.

 

[MacInTO]

Also I'm pretty sure I don't have the original discs for this thing anymore unfortunately. I wonder if I can find those somewhere used. That might be worth pursuing.

I might have a set of those discs kicking around. If you want I might be able to zip them and upload them or even mail them to you.

 

[igmgentry]

I might have a set of those discs kicking around. If you want I might be able to zip them and upload them or even mail them to you.

That would be awesome! I'd pay for them to be shipped or if you can find a way to share them digitally that works too.

 

[grahamperrin]

… don't have the original discs …

Any Apple Authorised Service Provider nearby? https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/23261827

 

[MacInTO]

That would be awesome! I'd pay for them to be shipped or if you can find a way to share them digitally that works too.

I found the discs and zipped them. When I tried to put it on Dropbox, but it said it would take 35 hours to sync. Might be better if I mail it to you.

I'm in Canada and we have a postal strike/slowdown going on atm, but I'll be in WA on Wednesday and can mail it USPS to you. If you PM me your name/address, I'll send it then via USPS.

 

[igmgentry]

I found the discs and zipped them. When I tried to put it on Dropbox, but it said it would take 35 hours to sync. Might be better if I mail it to you.

I'm in Canada and we have a postal strike/slowdown going on atm, but I'll be in WA on Wednesday and can mail it USPS to you. If you PM me your name/address, I'll send it then via USPS.

Done! Thanks so much!

 

[LucniKonik]

random shutdowns with same symptoms (sometimes normal boot, sometimes it freezed at work) were syptoms of dead GPU in my case, cca six months after first random freeze or shutdown before desktop my GPU went bad, so i had to let it repaired (price for the repair was better than buying replacement machine), but mine is 15" Late 2007 with Geforce 8600GT, in Your system should be 9400 or 9600; somewhere on the internet i have read that every Geforce 8xxx/9xxx chip, manufactured before end of 2009 was faulty - don't know if it is reality, but sounds like truth (why else would Apple had opened exchange program till 2013 for my model ?)

 

[MacInTO]

Done! Thanks so much!

I was just about to pack them up and I realized they are for a 13-inch MacBook Pro.

I'm wondering if anyone knows if this will also work on a 17" or only the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

It's the 13-inch MacBook Pro Applications Install DVD

AHT version 3A174
Disc version 1.0
2Z691-6458-A

EDIT:

Actually, never mind, while looking to see if it would work, I found this like with all of the AHT software online,

https://github.com/upekkha/AppleHardwareTest

The 17" is 5,2.

Saved you some money/time!

Good luck!