MBP just keeps stopping

[Jeffking]

MBP 13 inch (mid 2010) IOS 10.9.1 Mavericks 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3. So here's the problem: I'm working away in Pages or Numbers and I suddenly get a message saying 'this document could not be auto saved' and I lose whatever I was doing since reopening the document. Other applications just stop working whilst I'm working in them and I have to resort to holding down the power button in order to turn the machine off because I can't do anything else. I can't force close, shut down, restart etc. (After restarting machine I can then use re start, shut down etc). So I start working again and same thing happens all over again. I do notice that when I reboot the screen is white, the gear whirs away, then the screen goes grey, the cursor arrow automatically goes up to the top left corner of the screen for a few seconds before the desktop reveals itself and I can't remember if this is what it normally does.
Here's a list of what I've done:
Verified disk
First aided disk
Erased disk
Reinstalled OS
Started in safe mode
Reset NVRAM
Upgraded HDD to 500GB
Installed Mavericks
Used safe mode
Booted from recovery
Reinstalled Mavericks
Reset SMC
Whilst I'm in an application everything operates quickly and smoothly and then all of a sudden stops.
I'm hoping one of you clever technicians have seen this type of behaviour before and can offer me some advice.
Thank you in advance.

 

[DeltaMac]

Does "just keeps stopping" mean that the system freezes completely?
No mouse movement, and the clock stops updating? Give the system a few minutes to watch for a running clock.

Have you checked for any relevant entries in the system.log? The log is listed by time and date, so go to the approximate time that your system freezes.

Have you tried testing the RAM? Your MacBook Pro can run on a single chip, so remove one, the use for a while to see if your system has a typical freeze. If so, swap chips to the other position, and test again. It may also be good if you have access to a known good memory chip to swap a completely different chip in for testing.
Have you booted to your Hardware test to see if there are any failures reported? Run both the standard and extended tests. (you can restart to that test while holding the D key. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14291 )

 

[durruti]

Check the fans. It might be overheating.

 

[Jeffking]

Thanks for that. I've done what you suggested; RAM is fine; previous AHT showed no problems, but I ran it again and this time it stopped testing at 1 hour 54 mins 46 secs twice, don't know why?
Regarding your question about "just stopping" the mouse moves,and the clock works.
One thing I have noticed is that when I use the laptop on my desk or table it works fine, but as soon as I move it, all apps stop functioning properly.
So I wonder if there is a loose part or the shock system is at fault, any ideas?
I very much appreciate your input.

Does "just keeps stopping" mean that the system freezes completely?
No mouse movement, and the clock stops updating? Give the system a few minutes to watch for a running clock.

Have you checked for any relevant entries in the system.log? The log is listed by time and date, so go to the approximate time that your system freezes.

Have you tried testing the RAM? Your MacBook Pro can run on a single chip, so remove one, the use for a while to see if your system has a typical freeze. If so, swap chips to the other position, and test again. It may also be good if you have access to a known good memory chip to swap a completely different chip in for testing.
Have you booted to your Hardware test to see if there are any failures reported? Run both the standard and extended tests. (you can restart to that test while holding the D key. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14291 )

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Is this something I can do myself or do I have to submit to the professionals?

Check the fans. It might be overheating.

 

[DeltaMac]

... it stopped testing at 1 hour 54 mins 46 secs twice, don't know why?
Regarding your question about "just stopping" the mouse moves,and the clock works.
One thing I have noticed is that when I use the laptop on my desk or table it works fine, but as soon as I move it, all apps stop functioning properly.
So I wonder if there is a loose part or the shock system is at fault, any ideas?
I very much appreciate your input.
….
Is this something I can do myself or do I have to submit to the professionals?

A spinning hard drive in your MBPro will stop nearly instantly, when movement is sensed (it's the sudden motion sensor!) That's how it's supposed to work. Some operations will stop at that point.
But, it would recover nearly as fast, when the laptop has stopped moving. Might be as much as a couple of seconds lag, I suppose - no more than that...

 

[Jeffking]

A spinning hard drive in your MBPro will stop nearly instantly, when movement is sensed (it's the sudden motion sensor!) That's how it's supposed to work. Some operations will stop at that point.
But, it would recover nearly as fast, when the laptop has stopped moving. Might be as much as a couple of seconds lag, I suppose - no more than that...

No it's worse than that, for example in Safari I can't surf, Pages & Numbers sends a message saying document can't be auto saved. I then have to manually turn off at the power button, as the restart option won't work from Finder and although I can Force Close, when I restart the machine what I previously Forced Closed comes back at the last point I was using it, but won't allow me to save. This is driving me nuts!!

 

[DeltaMac]

Good…
Monitor the temps and fan speed for a while. Check for high temps causing the freezes (yeah, that makes sense, but high temps can stop the system, or shut off without warning.)
iStat menu is good, and you can force a change in fan speeds with something like smcFanControl.

You've already tried replacing the hard drive, so if the fans/temps don't really show anything - then could be something like a faulty hard drive cable (pretty common, actually)

 

[Jeffking]

Thanks you so much

Hey DeltaMac,
Thanks very much for your advice; I ran the various tests on fans, cpu etc., and found them all to be within tolerance. This led me to your final comment which was a potential fault with the HDD cable, and you were right. So, I fitted the replacement and all is well.
I just wanted to say that the experience of DIY was a valuable one for me and has helped me learn more about my equipment and given me confidence to tackle things myself. Thanks again for your valued advice.
Take care.