IMac overheating and unusually loud

For about a week, my iMac has been strangely overheating and loud. The only reason for this I can think of is that I recently moved my iMac to a different location, but still there is really no reason for this to be happening. My mac has adequate space where it is right now, and I'm not doing anything on the computer to make this happen. Before I moved my mac, this never happened. It was always silent (except maybe when I was downloading something or watching videos) and really cool even when the computer was running. Now, even when my mac is sleeping, it is warm and when it's running, it is extremely hot. What is causing this? I was thinking that where the iMac was plugged in may have an effect, but that's just a what-if. Help!

Try resetting the SMU, if that doesn't work you probably have some swollen or leaking capacitors. If you can, take the back off and check for swelling or leaking caps, their tops should be absolutely flat.

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IMac overheating and shutting down when running XP?

I'm using my iMac to play games in Windows, which stresses the processor a lot-- it heats up like crazy. If it gets too hot, it either locks up or the graphics cut out altogether and I'm left with things still running and responding (I can tell from the sound) and a black screen.
I don't have these problems when running equally graphics-intensive games OSX-side.
Anything I can do for my iMac to cool it down a bit, short of playing in a meat locker? (I have a fan blowing directly at the vent on the back, and it mitigates it somewhat.)

Hi Melissa,
use either SpeedFan http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php or InputRemapper http://www.olofsson.info/index.html?inputremapper.html for fan control when running Windows.
Regards
Stefan

My iMac freezes and makes loud bleeps!

Hello
Having major problems - my iMac keeps freezing and plays beeps (3 at a time) so I have to force shut down.
Is it anything to do with Lion? I installed it recently.
It's an iMac 3.6 core i5 with 8gb or ram, around 8 months old.
Hope you can help!
Thanks

Contact Apple or your local AASP immediately, it's covered by a one year warranty and sounds like you may be experiencing a hardware failure. My best guess is it may be RAM related. If you purchased AppleCare call them ASAP and they can help you run it through some diagnostics, if you haven't purchased AppleCare yet you can still can while it's covered by the original 1 year warranty, AppleCare will extend the warranty to 3 full years from the original date of purchase and also provides telephone support.

Imac freezes on startup grey screen and really loud fans

My Imac G5 non intel 20" freezes on startup grey screen and really loud fans start and it won't boot. just have the logo on the grey screen.
I've tried resetting Pram - think that was the right thing to do?
I've tried disk utility, but it won't settle for me to choose the hard drive, it kind of sticks and keeps rotating the wheel.
any ideas anyone?
please help.

Lots of things you can try - first, try resetting the SMU. Next, boot from your install disc, go to Disk Utility and try to verify and repair your hard drive. If that doesn't work, try running the Apple Hardware Test on one of your install discs.
Also, depending on which model you have, you may be eligible for Apple's power supply or video and power issues.
Please post back with results,
Miriam

HT3964 IMac, Mountain Lion- overheating and putting itself to sleep when it gets too hot.

I've tried re-setting the SMC on my intel core i5-2.66 GHz Imac 27" to stop the fan from running all the time. It started when I first upgraded to snow lepeard. I thought maybe Moutnain Lion would help this issue, but now it's overheating and putting itself to sleep when it gets too hot. Any suggestions? This happens after about two hours of working. Using Adobe Suite only and still overheats.

The Apple Support Communities are an international user to user technical support forum. As a man from Mexico, Spanish is my native tongue. I do not speak English very well, however, I do write in English with the aid of the Mac OS X spelling and grammar checks. I also live in a culture perhaps very very different from your own. When offering advice in the ASC, my comments are not meant to be anything more than helpful and certainly not to be taken as insults.
First off, there is nothing wrong with the fans running all of the time, they are the Macs cooling system and they would not run under normal conditions if the Mac didn't need them to run. So unless they are racing and your Mac sounds like a jet ready for take off, the fans are just doing their job.
That said, I think Apple's idea of how mcuh and how fast they should run does not always match the iMac's real needs. I, like many others, use SMC Fan Control and I set the speed at which my Mac's fans run.
http://www.eidac.de/?cat=4

I turned my iMac on and the fan is so loud...never heard this before. any ideas?

I turned my iMac on and the fan is so loud...never heard this before. any ideas?

An SMC reset may fix it, although it may not prove to be a permanent solution:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
If it re-occurs I'd suspect a failed sensor.

My macbook pro is overheating and the fan is really loud. How can I fix this?

My mackbook is overheating and really loud

Try an SMC reset.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
If that does not solve the problem, what temperatures are you experiencing in your MBP and what applications are you using?
Ciao.

I purchased a used 2008 iMac. And although the previous owner said he deleted all of his information his iCloud account is still the primary. I don't have a clue about what to do about it. I signed him out and logged in with my info, but still no go.

I purchased a used 2008 iMac. And although the previous owner said he deleted all of his information, his iCloud account is still the primary. I don't have a clue about what to do about it. I signed him out and logged in with my info, but still no go. Is there any way to eliminate his iCloud account and make mine the primary without rebooting it back to factory settings? There was an update, I believe, that I couldn't install because i didn't have his password that is what made me aware that his acct. was still active. I don't know what to do. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Before buying a second-hand computer, you should have run Apple Diagnostics or the Apple Hardware Test, whichever is applicable.
The first thing to do after buying the computer is to erase the internal drive and install a clean copy of OS X. You—not the original owner—must do that. Changes made by Apple over the years have made this seemingly straightforward task very complex.
How you go about it depends on the model, and on whether you already own another Mac. If you're not sure of the model, enter the serial number on this page. Then find the model on this page to see what OS version was originally installed.
It's unsafe, and may be unlawful, to use a computer with software installed by a previous owner.
1. If you don't own another Mac
a. If the machine shipped with OS X 10.4 or 10.5, you need a boxed and shrink-wrapped retail Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6) installation disc from the Apple Store or a reputable reseller—not from eBay or anything of the kind. If the machine is very old and has less than 1 GB of memory, you'll need to add more in order to install 10.6. Preferably, install as much memory as it can take, according to the technical specifications.
b. If the machine shipped with OS X 10.6, you need the installation media that came with it: gray installation discs, or a USB flash drive for a MacBook Air. You should have received the media from the original owner, but if you didn't, order replacements from Apple. A retail disc, or the gray discs from another model, will not work.
To start up from an optical disc or a flash drive, insert it, then restart the computer and hold down the C key at the startup chime. Release the key when you see the gray Apple logo on the screen.
c. If the machine shipped with OS X 10.7 or later, you don't need media. It should start up in Internet Recovery mode when you hold down the key combination option-command-R at the startup chime. Release the keys when you see a spinning globe.
d. Some 2010-2011 models shipped with OS X 10.6 and received a firmware update after 10.7 was released, enabling them to use Internet Recovery. If you have one of those models, you can't reinstall 10.6 even from the original media, and Internet Recovery will not work either without the original owner's Apple ID. In that case, contact Apple Support, or take the machine to an Apple Store or another authorized service provider to have the OS installed.
2. If you do own another Mac
If you already own another Mac that was upgraded in the App Store to the version of OS X that you want to install, and if the new Mac is compatible with it, then you can install it. Use Recovery Disk Assistant to prepare a USB device, then start up the new Mac from it by holding down the C key at the startup chime. Alternatively, if you have a Time Machine backup of OS X 10.7.3 or later on an external hard drive (not a Time Capsule or other network device), you can start from that by holding down the option key and selecting it from the row of icons that appears. Note that if your other Mac was never upgraded in the App Store, you can't use this method.
3. Partition and install OS X
a. If you see a lock screen when trying to start up from installation media or in Recovery mode, then a firmware password was set by the previous owner, or the machine was remotely locked via iCloud. You'll either have to contact the owner or take the machine to an Apple Store or another service provider to be unlocked. You may be asked for proof of ownership.
b. Launch Disk Utility and select the icon of the internal drive—not any of the volume icons nested beneath it. In the Partition tab, select the default options: a GUID partition table with one data volume in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. This operation will permanently remove all existing data on the drive.
c. An unusual problem may arise if all the following conditions apply:
          OS X 10.7 or later was installed by the previous owner
          The startup volume was encrypted with FileVault
          You're booted in Recovery mode (that is, not from a 10.6 installation disc)
In that case, you won't be able to unlock the volume or partition the drive without the FileVault password. Ask for guidance or see this discussion.
d. After partitioning, quit Disk Utility and run the OS X Installer. If you're installing a version of OS X acquired from the App Store, you will need the Apple ID and password that you used. When the installation is done, the system will automatically restart into the Setup Assistant, which will prompt you to transfer the data from another Mac, its backups, or from a Windows computer. If you have any data to transfer, this is usually the best time to do it.
e. Run Software Update and install all available system updates from Apple. To upgrade to a major version of OS X newer than 10.6, get it from the Mac App Store. Note that you can't keep an upgraded version that was installed by the original owner. He or she can't legally transfer it to you, and without the Apple ID you won't be able to update it in Software Update or reinstall, if that becomes necessary. The same goes for any App Store products that the previous owner installed—you have to repurchase them.
4. Other issues
a. If the original owner "accepted" the bundled iLife applications (iPhoto, iMovie, and Garage Band) in the App Store so that he or she could update them, then they're irrevocably linked to that Apple ID and you won't be able to download them without buying them. Reportedly, Mac App Store Customer Service has sometimes issued redemption codes for these apps to second owners who asked.
b. If the previous owner didn't deauthorize the computer in the iTunes Store under his Apple ID, you wont be able to authorize it immediately under your ID. In that case, you'll either have to wait up to 90 days or contact iTunes Support.
c. When trying to create a new iCloud account, you might get a failure message: "Account limit reached." Apple imposes a lifetime limit of three iCloud account setups per device. Erasing the device does not reset the limit. You can still use an iCloud account that was created on another device, but you won't be able to create a new one. Contact iCloud Support for more information. The setup limit doesn't apply to Apple ID accounts used for other services, such as the iTunes and Mac App Stores, or iMessage. You can create as many of those accounts as you like.

24" imac overheating problem

This 24" Apple imac computer is fantastic in all ways that I've used it, yet my 24" imac has been recently overheating and shutting down without notice. As a mechanical engineer looking over the design of this flat screen PC at the back I note the cooling fins are the wrong way round for maximum cooling, so assume this is a manufacturing defect because heat rises upwards not downwards.
So do Apple management accept the flaw in the design of the imac 24" with the direction of the cooling ducts and rectify the problem as soon as possible, or do they ignore this problem in the cooling system of many imacs distributed around the world?
The imac 24" is a fantastic machine to use, and by Apple tech turning around the cooling vents by 180 degrees the venting problem will probably disappear.
Sometimes the simplest of solutions are blindingly obvious!!!
Message was edited by: richvid

i get what u mean about the vent, i was thinking the same thing BUT;
i was reading something on wiki a while ago about the OLD apples, i mean real old like the SE (i think)...
- they initially didn't have fans and they used to overheat (more so when people rested papers on top blocking the vents) - but their design was to allow the heated components situated towards the top to actually draw cold air through the bottom of the machine and up inside - past other components and out the top and hence cool it effectively, then apple started using fans...
- i think apple still use a combination of fans and the radiated heat to cool the imacs of today, the components that get hot are situated at the top of the aluminum macs and the aluminum itself heats up allot which makes it radiate the heat outwards like a heatsink and then fan kicks up to help it along when needed, maybe the design of the vent helps this process? i.e. the vent causes the aluminum to heat up more and radiate more heat than if it were the opposite way - perhaps if it were the other way, the fans would have to run a tiny bit higher and possibly over time suck more dust in and create more problems?
couldn't find the article on the apple computers to what im trying to communicate here - dont remember the right terminology to explain it all properly but try researching heatsinks on wiki - heatsinks work on the same sort of process

Imac problems and Apple Genius

Hi All,
I posted a thread about my new iMac freezing and not responding and many of the people from the Apple discussion gave me great advice and support. Unfortunately, even though we repaired the permissions the computer froze up again and a call to Apple support had me doing a reinstall and archive to try and resolve the problem.
After talking to the Apple care tech, he said that it was not normal for the iMac to be freezing the way it was, I requested to I take the computer back to the Apple store that I bought it from. The tech connected me to the store and I made an appointment for Tue. at 10am.
After explaning to the Apple Genius what was going on he ran some diagnostics and told me that the hardware passed all the tests and as far as he could tell. When I questioned him as to why we were having so many problems and all the Mac owners I talked to on the discussion forum said this was very unusual and Macs are extremely reliable.
His reply was that the people on the forum didn't know what they were talking about because they are not Apple employees and didn't have any training. I was amazed by his comment and when I asked him if he was suggesting that it's common for Macs to freeze up and not work properly he started back peddling and said it was uncommon.
I left the computer for more extensive testing but I'm not at all impressed with the Apple Genius that I met and I'm even less confident that my iMac will be fixed properly. I've never had a computer that crapped out when it wasn't even two months old and after dealing with the Mac genius I'm less than pleased with my foray into the Apple computer experience.
Roger9070

Hi Boece,
Here are the specs 20" iMac, Core 2 Dou proc 2.16 GHZ, 1 gig ram, 250 gig HDD, 8X Superdrive, Airport wireless, wireless keyboard and mouse, and I'm not sure what videocard is in it.
It has OS X 10.4.9, standard programs that are installed iLife, iWorks, Toast 8, and Mac Office, plus I just re-downloaded software updates from Apple due to the reinstall and archive.
As for how the computer was dealt with during the freezes and lockups my wife called Applecare and they walked her through powering down the computer via the on and off switch no other method would work.
As the computer was rebooting they had her hold down a key combination that included R and P and she verified and repaired the disk permissions. My wife asked if having to many programs opened could cause this because the computer was running very sluggish if she was working in word and opened Safari, he said no.
After repairing the permissions and checking the HDD my wife asked what permissions were and why they would do that he told her what they were, she still doesn't understand exactly what they are, he said he didn't know why but that it was uncommon on such a new Mac and said if it continued we might have to reinstall OS X.
The following two weeks we had occasional freezes ups and a reboot or force quit would normally resolve the issue but then this past Saturday the Mac locked up and again we could not login in shutdown, or restarted. She waited until I got home and then we again called Applecare and they had me put the OS install disk #1 and power down the system with the on off switch unplug the power cord plug it back in and then turn the system on holding down the C key. After the mouse and keyboard were recognized we walked through a couple of setup screens and then went to options and did a install and archive keeping the network settings.
While doing this I explained to the Applecare tech that we had been experiencing problems from the beginning and they were getting progressively worse and asked him if it would be possible to bring it in to the store for a full checkup I felt that something was definitely wrong with the Mac and wanted to resolve it quickly and get our Mac back up and running.
If you check my other posts you'll find another one about the Mac freezing and locking up which I posted after the first major problem. Dealing with and building Windows PC's I've found many times that forums and discussion groups are great places to research a problem because many times someone else has experienced the same or similar problems and a fix or work around can be found.
What I learned from this was that this is not a common problem and other users felt it "could be" a hardware or software issue but was most definitely not a normal thing for any Mac. I've also found that people in these forums are more inclined to give an unbiased and honest opinion based on "their real world use of the product" than someone who is involved in the business.
Being new Mac users we have very little "real world" experience with a Mac but according to the few people we know and those that responded on this forum our problems were not something that is to be expected from any Mac let alone a brand new one and as far as I'm concerned it is something that should be resolved swiftly and to our satisfaction. A brand new product that is not functioning properly is unacceptable no matter who makes it or what it is and the company should fix or replace it without question.
I have only been on this forum for a very short while but so far all the users have been helpful and encouraging and I'm hoping to learn from those who have much more experience than me with OS X and Apple computers in general. Unfortunately, my experience so far hasn't been quite what I'd hoped for with my iMac and my wife and I are concerned that this matter isn't being handled the way it should be so far and this is very disappointing to us given the excellent reputation that Apple has with many others.
Thank You, Roger

IMAC fan and software misbehaviour

I've seen the discussions about loud fans, but would be pleased to describe a somewhat different situation with my iMAC (used and a couple of years old but Intel and 4GB RAM).
Sometimes I try to start the machine, and when it doesn't start, I hold the button. When I do that and the iMAC finally starts up, there is the loud fan.
I can live with loud fans, except that in this case a disaster occurs if I try to go into Bootcamp. Windows gets stuck. The only solution is forced switching off of the iMAC - Win ctrl + alt + del won't do it, so I simply have to use the Mac system to shut down the machine.
After several attempts to start up in Bootcamp, Windows finally appears.
This anomaly seems directly associated with going into Bootcamp when the fan is howling.
To start up in MAC mode, now, if it doesn't respond immediately to the button, I switch off the current, wait 5 seconds and try again. Eventually it comes to its senses.
Could this be associated with the phenomena of loud fans described elsewhere?
Please excuse me if I don't reply immediately (for other reasons)... and thanks,
philolog

banjaxed wrote:
The fan running constantly at around 4500rpm
Welcome to Apple's discussion groups.
It may be that something is consuming a lot of CPU time. I'd launch the Activity Monitor utility, set the list at the top to "All Processes", then click on the "% CPU" heading until the top CPU users are at the top of the list. That may show you the culprit. You can also click on the "CPU" tab near the bottom to see an overview of CPU use.

Blank Screen And Really Loud Beep On Startup..

Hi,
2 days ago I formated my iMac and installed fresh Snow leopard, after finishing installing and going through the software update, machine restart, then i got Blank Screen and Really Loud Beep then after 20 second got the gray screen and mac start normally, but this happening now each time i start up my iMac, and it is really irratating..... I start up from snowleopard disk and check Hard disk and permission; It is ok, then I did hardware test; and result is OK,
Please Please anyone know How to get red of this....

Hi Eric,
No i didnt install anyhing or add anything; i checked Diagnostics:
Apple Hardware Test:
Last Run:          01/08/4011 21:08
Version:          3A157
Result:          Passed
Power On Self-Test:
Last Run:          02/08/2011 00:14
Result:          Passed

I have a an iMac 27" and am trying to import some videos of a friends wedding into iMovie however one of the movies won't import. It doesn't say why or give any error message or codes. All of the other movies on the card download with out a problem.

I have an iMac 27" and am trying to import some videos of a friends wedding into iMovie however one of the movies won't import. It doesn't say why or give any error message or codes.
All of the other movies on the card download with out a problem. The movie in question is not 'corrupt' as you can watch it in iMovie direct from the SD card but as soon as you try to import it, it just says 'error'. iIve tried moving the file to an external drive ( and other variations on this theme) then importing but have had no luck.
Can anyone please help me.

The mystery remains....
Thanks for the pointers. The file type is .mts (a proprietry sony one).
I have now found some video converter software (Wondershare and iSkysoft) at a cost. Either will convert this file for me into .mp4. This I can then import into iMovie without any problems. I've checked this on the trial versions and it worked well but without paying am left with a giant watermark in the video
The mystery (which I still havent solved) is why did 20 other .mts files import fine and then this one not?
If you could point me in the direction of some free .mts converter software that would be the cherry on the cake.
Thanks

We have an older IMac (preIcloud) and just purchased a new Macbook Air. Our Iphones are set-up to synch with the IMAC and my calendars on the IMac & the phone look the same. But when I open ICal on the MacBook Air my calendar is missing items? Help..

We have an older IMac (preIcloud) and just purchased a new Macbook Air. Our Iphones are set-up to synch with the IMAC and my calendars on the IMac & the phone look the same. But when I open ICal on the MacBook Air my calendar is missing items? Help.

Are you wanting to import iCal to the MacBook Air. Since iCloud doesn't work with 10.6 OSX you probably don't have any data in iCloud yet?

My mail app on I phone 4s crashes every time when i try to open, and i can see it thru the setting general. also phone is overheating and spending battery fast. does any one has some answer on this or same issue? what to do didi any has same issue?

my mail app on I phone 4s crashes every time when i try to open, and i can see it thru the setting>general. also phone is overheating and spending battery fast. does any one has some answer on this or same issue? what to do did any has same issue? if i do an complete phone restore what will hapend ?

You can call Verizon to replace it or go to an applestore to replace it since it won't even power on with multiple chargers.

IMac overheating and unusually loud

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