Screen flickering, computer/programs randomly shut down

Hey everyone,
I purchased a mid-2012 MacBook Pro Laptop from Apple about 1.5 years ago with AppleCare. Recently, the computer screen has started to flicker back, as if the screen is cutting out, and programs/entire computer randomly shuts down.
I've done their online chat of which they asked me to do two resets
-non-volitile random access memory
- cannot remember the second one. (CSS??)
It still continued to behave poorly.
I also took it to Apple and they did diagositics of which apparently the hardware checked out and they said it must be a software issue. So we formatted the computer about 6 days ago. For those 5 days everything seems to work perfectly. There was no flickering and no shutting down of programs or my computer.. no lost work !!! Then is occurs again on the 6th day the same things occurred.
Whats my next logical step? Anyone have any suggesting for when I go back to apple?

The problem with Microsoft word is it is not Universal Binary so it does not run well on an intel machine. The new version Microsoft is coming out with should run better since it will be universal binary.
You might consider using NeoOffice
or Open Office as a more reliable replacement for Word. They both can open word documents and save as word.

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My computer will randomly shut down.

Hello. I am using a 2006 model macbook pro, running 10.6.8 OS X. My Computer will randomly shut down with no prompt or closing any programs, as if someone held down the power button. When i go to the console application and look under system.log the last message i recieve before my computer shuts down is this:
Dec 8 22:10:44 kieran-hooks-computer [0x0-0x16016].com.apple.appstore[170]: This isn't a bitmap context. Forcing destination format to ARGB_8 for CGContext.
this message is repeated over 15 times in a few seconds. I know quite a bit about computers so dont be afraid to get technical.
please help,
-Kieran Hook

I know that it only does this when I do something computer intensive. And also the fans run 6000rpm constantly from startup.

Certain programs randomly shut down

i will be using my computer and it will seem like everything is fine and then a program will randomly shut down, usually it is microsoft word, and i will constantly have to send a report to apple (which i dont think does anything). when i reopen microsoft word it won't have saved any of my previous work, which is really frustrating when i am using my laptop for notes in a lecture!! can anyone help, PLEASE?

The problem with Microsoft word is it is not Universal Binary so it does not run well on an intel machine. The new version Microsoft is coming out with should run better since it will be universal binary.
You might consider using NeoOffice
or Open Office as a more reliable replacement for Word. They both can open word documents and save as word.

Computer just randomly shuts down, is sluggish

Hi all,
Been having a problem with my HP Pavillion 774e (runs Windows XP) for the past month or so now. . .it just shuts down at the most random times. Typically I will start the machine, get going on the internet, and then foom. . .it just shuts off and restarts itself. There are no error messages when this happens. It also seems very sluggish when I start it; it doesn't have the typical whir that it usually has; it's just slower and seems to catch and click a lot more than usual. Sometimes when it restarts, it seems like it's trying to catch, like an engine that you are trying to start with a key, clicking and buzzing over and over.
I've tried a number of things to try to get it to not do this. I've opened up the computer, and cleaned it out thoroughly, I've run a malware scan, virus scan, run my copy of AVG PC Tuneup and cleaned things up, so I'm fairly certain it's not a virus/malware. I've also set the computer to not shut down on system failure in the control panel, and it doesn't help. I just can't figure it out. I've looked on many different forums for advice on what to do and I've seen advice about replacing motherboards, the power supply, etc.
I've also thought about doing a system restore (it seems to have begun when I had a windows update not install properly), but I'm concerned because if I go back that far, it would be before I ran the AVG PC Tuneup and downloaded a newer version of AVG 2012 (not sure if that would affect things, but it's why I'm concerned). I also worry because the thing doesn't stay on long enough to do anything; I just started it again and it shuts down in about two minutes. Safe mode also doesn't seem to help; it shuts down in there too.
Any advice on what to do with this machine? I don't want to junk it; it worked OK until just recently. But now, it's completely unreliable. By the way, I'm not an online gamer at all; I just want to use this thing for simple wordprocessing, powerpoints, and internet surfing.

seems like your power supply has started to show signs of it failing. Seeing that your computer is an older hp computer, its about time for something to show signs of getting wore out.
HP Elite h8-1070T Intel Core i7 2600 12GB RAM AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB Windows 8 Professional 64-bit (Gaming)
HP DC7900CMT Intel Core 2 Duo 3Ghz 4GB RAM Windows 8 Professional 64-bit (Workstation)
HP XW4200 Intel Pentium 4 HT 3.6GHz 4GB RAM Windows XP Professional (Home File Server)

T410 randomly shutting down

I've had plenty of issues with the T410 already. Got a key stuck error which forced support to change the main board AND keyboard.
Shortly after that the computer started randomly shutting down. Wether on power cord or battery the PC just suddenly dies. in a split second disk and fan stop spinning, screen goes black, so do all lights. Only the green light by the FPR lights up.
Now nothing makes the computer boot. Not pressing the power button or sweeping my finger (which does turn the green light off).
In order to bring the foul thing back to life I need to unplug the power cable, remove the battery and only then does it respond to pressing the power button. Main problem is that it is now off warranty, and even if it was under warranty, I'm not willing to drop the thing on the depot for 60 days like last time around.
So, here goes a long shot hoping that someone has a magic bullet to solve this.
OS: windows 7 pro, 64 bit
type: 2516-cto

Blown capacitors on the motherboard can sometimes cause a problem like this allow they usually make the machine shut down much quicker than 4 hours..If you open the machine you will the tops of the capicitors bulging if this is the problem.
regards,
al.
“Don't find fault, find a remedy; anybody can complain”
Henry Ford
logbook loans

Macbook randomly shuts down while in use. still has batter power.

About six weeks ago I posted this same problem. It seemed to go away on its own but now has happened again (once today and once just two days ago). I couldn't find any thread that had the same problem as mine.
I have a Macbook that I bought in January, 2007 and I've had very few problems with it. Starting last early spring, after a little over a year, the battery started taking less time to run out. It also occasionally took a longer time to come out of sleep mode, usually only a few extra seconds but a few times it took nearly a minute, and once it was nearly ten minutes). I know I need to replace it, but overall, it isn't drastic. It just runs out maybe 25% faster than it used to (and hasn't really increased since), and rarely has problems with coming out of sleep mode.
Three times now my computer has randomly shut down for no reason while I was doing things. Once in August and twice in the last couple of days. It isn't related to a particular program, as I was never always using the same thing. The last two times (today and the other day. And I think the first time, too, though I can't remember), I had my computer unplugged and it had been being used for some time unplugged (once it was around 50%, once around 40%, when it shut off). When I try to turn it back on, it just shuts off again and only stays on when I plug it in again.
I am UP TO DATE on all programs. Is this a common symptom of a battery dying? I'm wondering if maybe the gauge that tells me my battery power is screwed up somehow and isn't giving me accurate numbers (though when this happens, the lights on the bottom still appear as if to say I have battery power left).
Basically I'm wondering if this is a simple battery problem I can solve by buying a new one or if there is a more serious problem with my computer. IS THIS NORMAL? Please help. I love my Macbook.

Mine does that. Around 40-45% battery life it just dies.

Photoshop & Illustrator CS6 randomly shuts down

Photoshop cs6 32bit
Illustrator cs6 32bit & 64bit
when I working in these programs randomly shuts down. I don't know why.
I tried remove, install and update. but still randomly shuts down.
I have 2 computers
- photoshop
1. OS : windows 7 pro 32bit
memory : 4 GB
VGM : GeForce 330
- illustrator
2. OS : windows 7 pro 64 bit
memory : 8 GB
VGM : GeForce 310
I tried these solutions
1. removed any special fonts.
2. removed plug-ins
3. start -> %appdata% -> roaming -> Adobe -> Adobe photoshop(illustrator) CS6 -> end process all of adobe
-> renamed Adobe photoshop(illustrator) CS6 settings to Adobe photoshop(illustrator) CS6 settingsold -> restart the CS6

"Random" doesn't exist in the computer world. There's always a specific cause. Find the exact crash info:
Working with your Operating System’s Tools
Mylenium

G5 randomly shuts down

lately my computer has randomly shut down. i just moved from boston to nebraska. i moved my computer in its original box and thought it was pretty safe. everything seems to be working fine except for this. the computer can be on for hours or not even minutes and just shuts down. there doesn't seem to be any other power issues in the room or apartment. can anyone please offer and idea as to what has started happening? thank you for your time.

Hello and Welcome to Apple Discussions.
Is your iMac an iMac (Flat Panel) or an iMac G5? It's well known that some iMac G5s suffered power issues.
iMac G4 (aka "iMac (Flat Panel)"): iMac G5:
Let us know.
cheers
mrtotes

Random Shut Down & Wont Start Up

For some reason, my computer has randomly shut down 2 times and has been unable to start up 2 times as well. I just bought this MacBook Pro a few days ago and previously had a PC. Is there something I might be doing wrong to cause this or does anyone know if there is a fix /problem I am unaware with. Any help/advice would be extremely appreciated!

That isn't really a shutdown. That is more of a crash. There are problems that cause a complete shutdown of the computer.
When this happens, is the latch LED on?
The console application is in the Utilities folder found in your /Applications folder. Or you can use the Finder menu, Go->Utilities. To make sure you are looking at the console log, click on the Logs button and choose console.log in the left side panel. The system.log can also have useful information about the problem.

Random Shut down & norton??

Hi All,
it sounds like my macbook is affected by this too!! I'm just glad I found this discussion board and realized what is going on. My laptop is from week 22 and it the random shut down just started about a week or so ago and it is getting worse. Sniff!!
At first I thought it was because I installed Norton Anti virus but now I realize I should just get it dealt with through Apple.
question:
1- does anyone else have norton? are there any issues at all with Mac that anyone out there knows about?
2- am i better off going to an apple store or calling the apple care people?
I can get to a store but is apple care better? I bought my computer via the internet because I got more RAM and a bigger hardrive and all that good stuff. It's white and stores don't carry it as stock.
Advice is greatly appreciated!! Thanks to all for the posts already in existence. I have learned a lot just from reading these. I didn't even know about the manufacturing week etc.

Norton is not the reason your computer is randomly shutting down. As far as we (the consumers) know right now, it is the result of faulty logic boards.
Also, since your computer has upgrades, you will have no choice but to send it in to get repaired. Call Apple Care as soon as possible and have them send you a box to ship it in.
Once again: Another case where it would have been best if Apple came out and said what the randomly shutting down issue is a result of and have a recall of some sort, and cut out the speculation of customers.

Random shut down issue

So I have a Macbook 13" 1.83 Ghz Core Duo, running 10.6.2 with 2gb of (user installed) RAM. Minus a defective battery issue last year (the battery swelled to the point where my trackpad wouldn't work) which apple replaced for free out of warrantee, I have had no issues.
Out of the blue, I've been experiencing random shut down issues of sorts. If I have the computer plugged in it works fine. Sometimes though, the computer will randomly shut down after being unplugged. I tried reseting the SMU but it didn't seem to do anything.
Another odd thing - I calibrated the battery with the computer on an incline on my desk to keep it cool in case it was an issue of over heating. The computer charged fully, and then drained it's charge to 0% and went to sleep as it should.
But once I charged it up about halfway again, unplugged it, and put it on my lap, it shut off within 2 minutes. I'm well out of my warrantee so any user suggested diagnostic tips would be appreciated! I've included the battery info for good measure (btw the battery is not even a year old).
Battery/power info:
Model Information:
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB016
Pack Lot Code: 0002
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0110
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0200
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 3610
Fully charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full charge capacity (mAh): 4310
Health Information:
Cycle count: 247
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 783
Voltage (mV): 12406
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 4
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 4
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: No
Current Power Source: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: No
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 6
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: No
Reduce Brightness: Yes
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed: No
AC Charger Information:
Connected: Yes
ID: 0x0100
Wattage (W): 60
Revision: 0x0000
Family: 0x00ba
Serial Number: 0x002afaac
Charging: Yes

Hmm, your battery is fairly healthy.
Is your fan running?
You can get the iStat Pro widget here:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/status/istatpro.html
The iStat widget measures various parts of your computer, including the fan speed.
~Lyssa

Random shut down and whole screen flickers

Today my Mac Book Pro started to act really strange. It randomly shut down on me with over two hours of battery life left. A complete shut down, not into sleep mode or anything. Turning it back on it seemed the desktop and everything on it flickered to black for a full second before going back in. The screen is doing that on and off and I'm half expecting it to shut down on me again.
I have used it intensively for the last few days with gaming. World of Warcraft to be specific. My desktop is down and my laptop was the only thing I had to use to distract myself from things so... meh.
Could it have just begun over heating? Its worth noting that I hadn't had a intensive application like a game running for at least an hour before it began acting up.
So.. what's going on with my laptop, any idea?

Those of you who have 15" MBP's from early 2006 should have a look at the battery replacement program outlined at https://support.apple.com/macbookpro15/batteryexchange/
Some others may need to install the MacBookPro battery update - see http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/
Finally, in some cases , if the above programs don't apply to you, it is possible that your battery is failing for other reasons, and therefore needs replacing, or that the computer's SMC needs resetting - see http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303319
As a general "first step" when confronted with problems like these it is often worth a glance at the general MBP support page at http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro/
Cheers
Rod

My computer keeps on shutting down randomly

My computer keeps on shutting down randomly. What can I do?

Welcome to Apple Discussions
Help us help you. The more complete the description of your problem is (what OS you're using, what Application you're using, recent software installs or updates, a full or screen shot or the text of any error messages) the more assistance we can provide, and, the sooner we can provide it.
Under your profile there's no data about the age of your MBA, the OS it's using. This is helpful for us to know because there's a phenomena with machines recently updated to Mavericks that have unusual sleep/wake behavior. There are other issues particular to certain combinations of machines and software.
Is this happening when the computer is on battery or plugged into the mains (wall outlet)?
How long has it been happening?

Hi. I recently got a new computer and transferred all my files across using TimeMachine. Whenever I try to sign into any CC program (including CC) the program instantly shuts down and an Apple error message comes up. I have uninstalled and reinstalled CC

Hi. I recently got a new computer and transferred all my files across using TimeMachine. Whenever I try to sign into any CC program (including CC) the program instantly shuts down and an Apple error message comes up. I have uninstalled and reinstalled CC twice with no avail and deleted every Adobe product on my computer and nothing is working.

I have seen similar discussions before... transferring does not work, you must install
Discussions of RE-installing
-http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1408331?tstart=0
-http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1398961?tstart=0
-and http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/install-apps.html
-using the cleaner after uninstalling and before reinstalling will usually help
-http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/cs5-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

As of late, my COMPUTER has been shutting down Randomly.....

Ok here is what is happening. I am on the compuer, and all of a sudden the whole screen goes black and the computer sort of shuts down. but not completely. i can't see anything or do anything, but when i hold down the power buttton and push it, after man tries, it eventually shuts all the way down. and then it takes a couple more pushes to turn the computer BACK on. the fan comes on, and it restarts. i am using Tiger, its a 1.2ghz ibok g4. and i'm about to cry.

Hi, Brenda. You have found the G3 Dual USB iBook Forum, but don't cry. The iBook G4 Forum can be found here:
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=131
Maybe someone there can help you out.
Good luck!

Screen flickering, computer/programs randomly shut down

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