MacBook screen turns off

[samh004]

I was using my MacBook this evening and navigated to a webpage that wouldn't load (perhaps due to excessive load) when my screen turned off and refused to turn back on. The white "sleep" light remained constant. I shut the screen and the light started to blink after the optical drive made it's noise and then I opened the screen again. The display turned on for a few seconds turning back off and the light on the front reverted to it's constant state.

I repeated pressing keys, the mouse and closing and opening the screen a few times before holding the power button down and forcing it to shut down. It's working fine now.

I am wondering what caused this sudden behaviour though and how to best stop it from happening again, if I was working on something that needed to be saved, I'd be buggered. Perhaps it's an issue Apple needs to service, but how do I reproduce the effect then ?

At the time I had a few applications open:

• Mail
• Safari
• Mercury Messenger
• iTunes (not playing)
• Last.fm helper app (but no songs were currently playing)

I was thinking it could possibly be related to the Last.fm app, but why would it turn my screen off and then cause it to continue to not respond/turn off ?

Should I be looking in the Console for a log before shutting down tonight, would that reveal something ?

Any help much appreciated.

 

[elmo151]

wait for it to happen again, document everything, and report it to apple. or try the genius desk at your local apple store

 

[samh004]

Thanks, but what am I meant to document that I didn't document this time ? And if you'd have noticed my location, we don't have an Apple-owned Apple store here. So no geniuses.

 

[idonotliketostu]

I was using nytimes.com and the screen goes blank, turns off for no reason

pressing any key would not turn the screen back on, i closed the lid and open the lid and it was okay

 

[mcdeusa19808]

Did you ever get it fixed? My macbook pro i bought last october (2009) has randomly started going to sleep and refusing to come back. I have to hold the power button and force it to shut down. Earlier today, during a skype video call, the screen went click and then black. the light said it was on and minute later blinked as if asleep. Went to MAC before and they had no idea and said "we will document the problem" and did nothing to fix the problem... Funny thing is I am on my old macbook writing this b/c my new one doesn't work =(