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Ambrosia7177

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Feb 6, 2016
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On my 2012 MBP, I have noticed a handful of times where I come back to my computer after an hour or so, and there is a weird login screen. (Trying to remember this exactly.)

After logging in, I see this horizontal bar that fills from left to right - almost like an old equalizer display - and the screen is kind of "frosted" then I get a second login prompt.

It sort of reminds me of when your computer dies due to a low battery and after dying you immediately plug it in and get that weird sequence as OS-X tries to recover.

My laptop is plugged in during this, though.

Last night I was editing a music file, was plugged in, and all of a sudden my screen went blank - black I think. I forget what I did next, but suffice to say it was as if someone shut off my computer. (Thank God I had just save the file I was editing so I didn't lose 30 minutes of work.)

I had to reboot my computer like it was turned off.

What happened last night is very concerning to me, because I can't afford to have my computer randomly die or turn off!!

I install a SSD into this old laptop about 6 weeks ago and it has been running fine so far.

As some of you may recall, I melted my HDD cable back last summer in the HOT Texas heat. And I also had a thread on here where I was getting all of this strange shutdown behavior when trying to run this old laptop from an external USB hard-drive. (I gave up on that and bought and installed a an internal hard-drive cable and new SSD because I am pretty sure my USB ports are also fried...)

What are the chances that this weird shutdown behavior is caused from a faulty SSD?

And what are the chances this issue is caused by fried and failing internals on this aging 2012 MBP?

I hope it is the latter and not the former, because I have never had a SSD before, and I don't trust them as much as traditional HDDs.

What do you think??
 
High heat is never good for sensitive computer components.

At this point, there may be several culprits and the only way to really tell would be to replace one component at a time.

Maybe take it to the Apple store for diagnosis?
 
High heat is never good for sensitive computer components.

At this point, there may be several culprits and the only way to really tell would be to replace one component at a time.

Maybe take it to the Apple store for diagnosis?

I know this old MBP is on its last legs. What I am trying to figure out is whether my SSD could cause it.

As is, what are the chances that a new SSD that has never been exposed to more than 80F would exhibit those symptoms?

(That is, suddenly shutting down your computer.)
 
I have been using SSDs in my own laptops and for many years and I've never had a ssd cause sudden shutdowns. Same is true for SSDs that I have used in the laptops and desktops as replacements for mechanical drives.
 
I have been using SSDs in my own laptops and for many years and I've never had a ssd cause sudden shutdowns. Same is true for SSDs that I have used in the laptops and desktops as replacements for mechanical drives.

I am glad to hear that.

Looks like it is time to retire my old MBP...

Thanks!
 
Don't give up yet. I'm still rocking an early 2011 13" mbp with 8 GB and ssd. It's not retina but it's plenty fast for my needs.

Maybe it is related after all? Blow out any dust and replace the thermal paste?
 
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And, in keeping with Audit13's post, I, too, have a 2012 MBP. Mine is 15.4", non-retina (1680x1050) and even after it was dropped on its clamshell about 4 or 5 feet, it continues to perform like a champ. The machine I'm on right now is a 2011 MBA I bought as a refurb in late 2011. It's still completely original and runs great. It sounds like a problem on the motherboard more than the SSD.

And, forgive the chastisement here, but you've got to keep the machine away from such high heat. I've lived in Texas in the summer and it gets nasty hot, but if you can't keep it cool, you should shut it down.
 
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