G3 Powerbook shutting down!

Recently my G3 powerbook firewire has started to shut down at random moments. I can't figure out whats wrong. I've repared the disk permissions and such but that didn't help. When I re-start my computer I get a message saying that I need to change the date & time. Any ideas on why my laptop is randomly shutting?
Its running 10.4.2 and has been working fine until a few days ago.

David:
Have you checked the condition of your main battery? Date/Time resetting is often a battery/power failure issue.
When the computer shuts down are you running of the battery, or off the power adapter, or does it matter?
Does it make any difference if you reset the date time either manually or online?
THe good news is that you are able to restart your computer.

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Powerbook Shuts Down When Unplugged

My Powerbook shuts down when I unplug my notebook. It won't power back on unless I plug it back in. The battery is brand new from Apple (part of the battery replacement program) It first happened a month ago while using the notebook on battery for 20 minutes, it shut off. I was able to power it back on with the batttery but HAD TO RESET THE CLOCK and the iWeb document I had opened wasn't saved.
Now, when I unplug the notebook, it shuts off and won't power back on unless plugged back in and I still have to reset the clock.
Even though the battery is somewhat new, I'm confused because the notebook has to have the battery reset when the notebook turns off when removed from the power adapter.
Any answers?

try running it with the battery removed completely.
if it runs ok, could be bad battery.
if possible, try your battery on another machine and different battery on your machine.
if different battery does not work on your machine, it could be hardware problem with PowerBook.

My PowerBook shuts down on its own (persists when RAM is changed)

Hi all,
My PowerBook shuts down on its own. It will display the "Are you sure you want to shut down your computer now?", and even with me clicking Cancel, it will just shut off immediately after displaying the sign, as if I pressed and held the Power Button.
I've sinced change the RAM back to the default piece, but the problem persists.
Moreover it's a random, although frequent and frustrating, occurance, so I'm not sure if the service centre will take it in since I cannot reproduce the problem.
I'm using it on a 1920x1200 display.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449
first you can try resetting Power Manager.
the rpoblem may be caused by some software bug, try making new user, then log in as new user and work for a while - if it works ok it's something in the original user software.
then you can try "archive and install" of the OS.
also, problem maybe caused by bad keyboard, top case (where the power button is) or logic board.
anyways keep files backed up and maybe get it diagnosed by service shop.

PowerBook shuts down before sleeping

I've tried to find similar post on the forum but none of the answers I found worked for my particular case... hence this post !!
I've just bought a brand new battery for my Power Book. This battery is not Apple branded.
The battery seems to work fine as I can use my PB for 3-4 hours without any particular issue.
I've got the low battery warning message but when the battery is nearly empty, my PB doesn't go to sleep and shut down directly.
I've already done twice the calibrating of my new battery, reset the PMU several times,rerun the latest battery updater, checked the power savings settings ...
None of the above seems to have a positive effect as the PB is still shuting down instead of going to sleep when battery is very low.
Does anyone have an idea of what I could do else ?
Is it possible that the issue comes from the battery itself and not the settings of the PB ?
Thanks for any answer that could help me.
If anyone

Hi, brastoin. Was this one of the $40-60 counterfeit Apple-branded batteries one finds advertised in lots of places online? If so, I suspect the maker just left out some control circuitry to save money, hoping the buyer wouldn't notice or wouldn't mind. You don't always get what you pay for in a Powerbook battery, but if you pay little enough, you always get junk.

Powerbook shuts down when running on battery

I got this problem only lately int these lasts months... my powerbook g4 15" is almost 3 years old.
I first noticed that the battery endurance is more and more reducing...it lasts more or less 20 minutes from when I unplug it form the power-net.
And that's only "the bright side" of the problem: because more and more often I'm getting the powerbook (always when it is running on battery alone) shutting down without any warning with battery indicator still full...
that's really wired.. it is really running me mad...
I found some other topic on the forum... but none of them helped me getting the clue on what's happening to my powerbook
do you think that doing a reset to the battery will sort things out?
thanks you very much in advance I hope someone can help me...
powerbook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Sadly I think the last coment is right. After so many charges (500-1,000) the battery dies. I had the exact same thing happen to another brand of laptop when its battery died. Replaced it and it works great again. Sorry to say but rechargable batteries don't last forever.

Powerbook shuts down when power adaptor isn't plugged

I bought my powerbook G4 about 3 years ago and I've been having alot of problem with it in the past few months (yeah I know it's old lol).
When I first got it my friend told me not to use the battery while I'm working with the laptop, instead use the power adapter by removing the battery from the laptop and use the adapter instead. I tried to do that, and it didn't work.
Even now when I tried to remove the battery and just use the adapter, it's just doesn't want to start up.
I also got this problem whenever I'm using my laptop I always have to have the adapter plugged in or else it will shut down without any warning.
I checked the battery level with the button on the battery cover, it's always on 100% charged. BUT it won't turn up unless I plug the adapter in back.
I can't afford a new macbook pro so yeah =(
thank you!

There is another battery involved: the backup battery or PRAM battery. It resides to the right and under the optical drive (see image from iFixit.com guide) and remembers startup configurations when there is no AC or main battery power connected.
My PB's backup battery is dead and, If I let the main battery run down, I have to reset the computer to get a valid restart even after reattaching the AC power adaptor. If the backup battery is dead, then what little life is left in your main battery will be doing the work to hold the system parameters when you are off AC power.
The backup battery looks like this:
http://www.ifixit.com/Parts/images/products/155/155035s.jpg
It's a difficult install unless you are familiar with the inner workings of the Powerbook and how to get to them. It's also hard to find these that are new. And who wants a "Used" battery.

Powerbook shuts down immediately after startup

Hi
Our PowerBook has started to automatically sleep immediately after starting up or being woken from its sleep.
For some reason prior to starting up it has always run through a black screen with code similar to the initial DOS code that you'd see on a Windows PC.
This code stays on screen just long enough to read a message that indicates temperature issues, however the mac is not hot in any way.
We also find that if it is shut down for a long period, it will start and run some time before giving up and going back to sleep.
Our guess is that there is a temperature sensor malfunction of some kind. If this is so, what can we do to resolve this.
Craig

There have been many discussions about this problem in these forums, but unfortunately the search feature is currently disabled. However, if you feed Google with the appropriate keywords (e.g. PowerBook narcolepsy temperature sensor) you will find lots of material on this topic including potential cures.

G4 HiRes Powerbook shuts down after having closed the lid

I own a less then 6 months old 15" 1.67 GHz HiRes Alu Powerbook. Every now and, after having closed the lid, I have observed that when I reopen the pb it has shut down. The battery is still fully charged, so it can't be the case that the pb has not gone to sleep and it has thus discharged the battery. I also think it has happend with both the power adapter connected and disconnected.
In the past I deleted power managment pref files (can't remember the details) as advised by Apple in their tech papers, which resolved sleeping problems (not mine though :-))
All tips appreciated.
Thanks, Robert
Powerbook 15" HiRes Mac OS X (10.4.6) Powerbook 15" 1.67
Mac OS X (10.4.6) Powerbook 15" 1.67
Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Occasionally with mine, it only appears to have shut down.
I close the lid, and there is no pulsing light. the light is off as though its shutdown.
then if I open the lid, hit a key or two, wait, then close it again, and wait, the pulsing light will appear and if I then open it, it will wake from sleep.
Weird, but you might give it a go. This seems to happen often when running video-related applications, but I have no real data here and do not know what causes it. After I discovered this problem, I use it now to prevent having to lose my work and restart.

PowerBook shuts down when iPhone is connected

I just got an iPhone S 3.0.1, and noticed that whenever I connect it to my 15" PowerBook 10.4.11, it will shut down.
So far, the computer stays on if I'm using it, but if I leave it inactive for about 5-10 minutes, it completely shuts down.
When I go to restart it, it takes a bit longer than usual to have anything come up on the screen.
Any thoughts?

OK, that's a little different - it sounded like the computer would shut down immediately upon connecting the iPhone.
I have no great answer. I use the Touch myself. Try posting to the iPhone forum, too.
In case it helps someone, does this happen whether the power cable is attached or not? What timeout do you have set for the Mac to sleep ordinarily? Got an Apple Store nearby?

PowerBook shuts down even with new battery

My mom has a 12" PowerBook that she recently purchased a new battery for. Even with this new battery, the laptop shuts down seemingly randomly before the battery gets even down to 20%. They sent a new battery, and the laptop still does it.
Any ideas?

Sounds like the power manager needs replacing. See these sources which may be able to fix it for less than Apple:
http://www.dttservice.com/
http://www.powerbookresq.com/
http://www.microdocusa.com/
http://www.macspecialist.com/
http://www.techrestore.com/
Or find one at a parts store, and fix it yourself:
http://www.ifixit.com/

Powerbook shuts down for no reason then opens again

hi, i am experiencing a rather bizarre problem with my newly purchased powerbook. i can be working away when all of a sudden it appears to shut down. nothing i can do will turn it back on including holding down power button, then all of a sudden it will turn itself back on again and the screen will show exactly what it was showing before the apparent shutdown. it normally takes a couple of minutes to come back on. in itself it's not too worrying but is it indicative of a more serious fault? anyone any thoughts?
thanks

Hi,
I had a similar problem.
After downloading a utility called "Temperature Monitor" (available on Version Tracker), I found out that now and then, the track pad temperature sensor all of a sudden would record extremely low or high temperatures and hence start an emergency procedure (i.e. force the sleep mode) to protect the Powerbook.
Clearly, the sensor is defective and has to be replaced (still under warranty) but I haven't contacted Apple yet.
In your case, it might be an other sensor. Easy to find out with the history graphing capability of Temperature Monitor.
Hope this helps
Michel
ALPB 1.5G (2) 512MB Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Powerbook shuts down

My PB G4 15" 1.67 2GB ram will suddenly shut down for no reason, about twice a day. The only way I can restart is by re-setting the PMU. This works every time, but I am fearful that the time will come when it won't, and I'm left with a dead PB. It usually happens when I open a new application such as Mail.
My battery is good. This problem started occurring after the last Security and Quick Time updates. Having read a post about this, I tried to follow the suggested route to reinstall the SEC Update, but was unsuccessful.
Does anyone think this problem is due to the above updates, or might it be a hardware problem? Internal battery? When I reset the PMU, I get the message about date & time having reset backwards, but in fact they are OK. Only once have I had to re-set it.
The problem can occur whether I am plugged in to the mains, or running on battery.
I've also read about removing the RAM from the lower socket - should I try this?
I am worried about threads I read about the Logic Board. Might this be going?
Any help much appreciated. Sue

so i followed the recalibration steps BUT when I was letting the battery drain - it was down to like almost empty, and it stead of turning the screen black and sleeping until you plug it in (which I did just as the screen went black) it completely shuts down and then I have to restart it (I waited the 5hrs like the instructions said) and it did the changing of the date again . it won't automatically go to sleep.

Powerbook shuts down without warning

Lately, when I am running on battery, the Powerbook will shut-off without warning. This happens anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. The battery is showing fully charged when plugged into an ac adapter. When the shutdown occurs, I can not restart from the battery only by plugging back into the ac adapter. Once the restart has occurred, I get an warning that the internal date and time has been set back to a date in 1969 after the system loads. I have tried to reset the "pram", etc... Any suggestions on what might be failing? Is it the main battery, internal battery? This has become a bit frustrating as it has taken the portable out of the portable.
Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the Apple discussions.
What you've described sounds like your primary battery and internal battery need replacing. It's not unusual for a lithium battery, near the end of it's life, to drop to zero power, which shuts the system down. No warning, just bam, no power. If you look at your battery status (click blue apple, about this mac, more info, power) it should show a fairly high number of charge cycles (assuming the count is valid. A failing battery can sometimes generate bizarre capacity and cycle stats).
When power goes and the internal date resets, that means you need to replace the internal battery. You can see what one looks like here: http://www.pbparts.com/shop.php//a15bb.html . http://www.ifixit.com has used ones for around $40.

Powerbook shuts down/also hard to wake up when sleeping

This is driving my wife nuts. Several times when opening up the powerbook she finds it has cut itself off. Other times it is sleeping and really hard to wake up. I have gone so far as to take the battery out and then reboot. Running 10.4.5 and have done the battery update and calibrated twice. She has had this for about a month now. I guess she lucked out and got a problem free screen but this is kinda wacky. I did notice nothing was said about this problem in the 10.4.6 update. Also noticed problems of this sort, though not exactly, on the discussions. Any ideas folks? Thanks

My PB 1.67 (c. June 2005 model) crashes whenever I actively put it to sleep (on AC Power adaptor). I've tried switching Bluetooth on & off, and repaired permissions, but it still does it every time.
I then have to hold down the power button for a good 30 seconds before it will reboot.
It wakes up just fine if I just let it go to sleep on its own though, so I guess that's what I'll do for now.
I still may try zapping PRAM, turning firewall off, deleting energy saver preferences, etc.
Does anyone have any other solutions, or has anyone even found a commonality among all the diferent scenarios under which this problem seems to be arising?
Many thanks!

Wont shut down completely

I have a powerbook g4 1.67. And it wont shut down all the way when I try to. It just goes to my desktop screen and the little timer thing goes in circles in the middle of the screen. Tried hitting shut down today and it said it will shut down in 60 seconds if I do nothing. So I walked away and came back about 5 hours later and it still was doing that (screen had turned off but when I hit the enter button it went back to that screen).
Does anyone know whats wrong with my machine?

First off make sure that you force power down as Klayman42 did by pressing and holding down the power button until the Good Ol' Powerbook shuts down. Then try the suggestions that I made for Klayman42 in this thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2096194&tstart=15

G3 Powerbook shutting down!

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