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Sudden shutdown

O

osama.mansour

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi all,

I have experienced in the last few days a sudden shut down on my MacBook Pro. I've searched the web and found something about RSS (Random Sudden Shutdown) but I still can't find a solution.

Do you have any idea on how can I fix this problem?

Thanks
 
Usually a sudden shut down, without a message saying 'this mac must be restarted' (which is a kernal error) as in the computer just turns itself is usually either a processor overheating, or some sort of lose connection.

We do need more info though.
 
Hi stridemat and moel,

I was actually doing nothing except the doing normal stuff with the computer such as writing an email, writing a word document, browsing the web..

It just shuts down without any messages..
 
More than one shut down? Kernel Panic? Lack of power and 0% battery? More details can help us help you 🙂
 
Mine shutdown suddenly with no warning on bootcamp last week, but the thing was roasting hot (was gaming on it). Let it cool for a few mins and it started up again just fine.

The only other time I've had a shutdown without any message (sometime I get a you must restart grey screen) was when I had battery problems. Removing the battery solved it until I bought a new one..

Edit:

Actually I did have another time like that which I solved by removing part of the lead. I now still only have the short part to plug into the mains, not the longer extension part. (Too cheap to buy a new bit)
 
@ t0mat0 yes more than one shutdown in the last week I could say. The battery wasn't empty and I think its working very well.

@ I guess you made me think about heat! Because I think my laptop gets too hot sometimes, but I can't remember if it was so when it shutdown before a few hours. I always feel the laptop too hot when I open Farmville on Facebook!!!

So what do you think now?? How can I fix this problem?

Thanks all
 
Hi guys,

The laptop shut down few minutes ago 🙁

I can now monitor the CPU temperature and it is 61 C. I am currently downloading a movie from thepiratebay and starting a video call on Skype. With these activities is it a normal thing to have 61 C?

Why it keeps shutting down?? How can I fix it?
 
osama.mansour said:
Hi guys,

The laptop shut down few minutes ago 🙁

I can now monitor the CPU temperature and it is 61 C. I am currently downloading a movie from thepiratebay and starting a video call on Skype. With these activities is it a normal thing to have 61 C?

Why it keeps shutting down?? How can I fix it?
Click to expand...

lol might not want to go announcing that first activity.

Where do you have the laptop physically when the shutdowns occur? On a hard surface, on your lap, on a bed or blanket?
 
I have experienced this recently. However, it restarts as opposed to shutting down.

My Macbook Pro (signature below) randomly restarts while it is doing nothing. When no apps are running but the computer is on, I would keep returning to the login screen. As far as I know it was not hot. I do not have timeout or anything set, and only require a password on startup, so it must be restarting itself.

Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions as to what it might be, and how I could fix it?

Thanks is advance for any help.
 
I have had a few recent experiences on shutdown of my Macbook Pro. It only happens when I do not have the power cord connected, but there has been as much as 1:45 of battery time remaining. When I encounter the shutdown, if I plug the machine in it does restart without issue and continues to run without shutting down. I have experienced this a half dozen times (all without the plug). Any idea what is going on? As I recall the only times it has ever shut down was during games (Zynga Poker on Facebook). Thanks.
 
Probably means your battery is failing

Look in System Profiler under the Power setting.

Your full charge capacity should be >4000 mAhr or some number like that (new is around 5000 mAhr depending on the model of computer, 17" have more)
Your battery status should be "Good" or "Normal"
If it is "Check battery" or "Replace battery" you need a new battery
 
Thanks Pax. The full battery setting is 1073 mAhr and condition is "poor." So I believe that will solve my issue. Is it common for a battery to do that in about 15 months? I am assuming the cover on the bottom of the unit is where the battery is, and is easily replaced. Cost? Thanks again.
 
I just checked again while charging the unit and the battery condition is now "good" and the full-charge capacity is now 4603 mAhr, so I guess my question is still open as to why the computer essentially goes dark while in use. It's not really a complete shutdown as it starts back up once I reconnect the power and press the on button. The difference between this and sleep mode is that I must plug it back in to get the screen to turn back on. Thought we had it figured out, but I guess not.
 
@chucksi

Batteries are funny things, if you look around on this site you'll see some batteries failing after 4-6 months and some still going strong after 3-4 years. I don't think it correlates with how you use the computer though there are many flame wars about it.

If you have the newest "unibody" MacBook Pro the battery is supposed to do 1000 cycles and still have 80% capacity. See the bottom right of this page....
http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

But it's not clear whether it's WARRANTED to last that long, ie does the battery warranty last for 12 months, or 1000 cycles, or something else. Worth talking to Apple, I bet I know what they will say.

If you have the newest model unibody with the single large panel in the base, it has funny screws holding it in to make it hard for a DIY replacement. You are supposed to let Apple do it to preserve your warranty, but I guess you are out of warranty now unless you have Applecare. Apparently it's not hard to do yourself but you will need (a) a new battery and (b) a special screwdriver. Google will tell you how. IIRC battery replacement is $100 plus, again Google.

If you have an older model MacBook Pro you can just drop a battery in yourself. Similar prices from Apple, much cheaper clones from eBay etc but I don't know what the quality is like.

Re battery capacity jumping up and down, I dunno. How many cycles does your battery have??
 
@Pax
Cycle count is only 318. I do have the newer unibody construction. And charging capacity is now stable at 4603 mAhr. Since this only seems to happen during game play mode, I'm not going to worry too much about it unless I see it replicated in other uses. Ultimately, if I need a new battery I'll just take it to my Apple store.

Besides, I'm too busy right now trying to talk myself out of an iPad. 🙂

Thanks for weighing in. Much appreciated.
 
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