Imac power issue - randomly shuts down & won't turn on again

Hello
Just wondering if anybody could help us with this issue as the Apple Genius's failed to...
Our early 2006 Intel Imac has recently started to switch off at random times. There doesn't seem to be any particular point at which it will do this and no warning either. It's as if somebody has pulled the plug out but the power supply has not been touched! It then often won't allow you to switch it on again until you have left it over night - or sometimes it will switch on after a few minutes.
It is very frustrating as you never know when it might happen, it has been ok for a couple of weeks but now it has done it twice in the last two days.
We did take it to the Apple Store, who said they had kept it on for a day and could not replicate the issue so therefore there is nothing they can do...
If anybody can shed any light on this mystery it would be VERY much appreciated.
Thank you!

Hello and welcome to the club of "random shut down".
Since 8 days I am also having this problem on an early 2006 2 GHz intel core duo with OS 10.4.11 After approx. 5-10 minutes it shuts down and the only way to wake up again is to disconnect the plug, wait 10 sec and connect it again and push the start button on the back.
There a many discussions ongoing and also many suggestions (SMC reset, memory replacement, change the power cord etc.). Nothing really worked in my situation. My assumption is something with overheating, but the widget "istatpro" or "tempmonitor" are showing not more than 35°C on the CPU at a max.
I found a little tool called "smcFanControl" to adjust the minimum speed of the fans (my settings: ODD 2850 rpm, HDD 3150 and the CPU fan at 2160 rpm) and since that adjustment the working period seems to be much longer. Sure, there is an annoying noise now, but I can use the imac again.
Hope that there will be a better solution soon.

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Hi, 3 weeks ago i just got my iphone4 for and then i upgraded it to iOS5..am just wondrin', does changing of the iOS causes the phone to shuts down automatically and turn on again? thanks.. =)

hi, 3 weeks ago i just got my iphone4 for and then i upgraded it to iOS5..am just wondrin', does changing or upgrading the OS causes the phone to shuts down automatically and turn on again? thanks.. =)

How long are you leaving it on the charger?
Are you connecting it directly to an electrical outlet or trying to charge via USB? USB may not provide enough power to adequately charge the device if the battery is that low.
If none of that helps, then the only option would be a warranty replacement as either the battery or system board is bad.

IMac mid-2011 randomly shuts down.

Hello,
My iMac was fine until yesterday. It all of a sudden started randomly shutting down. It looks like a power loss. As if i just pulled the power out of the wall outlet.
After it shuts down, the fans start up again but the screen does not come on. (so it's just the fans blowing) I have to "force shutdown" it from this state by holding the power button in order for the computer to start up again.
Things I have already done:
1. Reset PRAM
2. Reset SMC (by unplugging it for an hour)
3. Run disk utility, fix the disk permissions etc.
4. Run the extended apple hardware check. (all checks out fine.)
5. remove my Kensington RAM (leaving just the samsung ram in there)
6. Remove the samsung RAM (leaving just the Kensington ram in there)
7. Use another wall outlet, does not change anything.
8. I ran a program called memTest to check the RAM. It all checks out fine.
The RAM that i have bought has been in there for at least a year... So I don't think that that is the problem. It was the specially for iMac RAM. So it's not just some random RAM.
I have unplugged all external peripherals. Still does the same thing. If I look into the folder where kernel logs are saved there are none that match the times of shutdown. (also none close to it)
My model is the:
21.5 inch 2.7 GHz Intel i5 with Radeon HD6770M graphics card.
As it's a pretty old pc i no longer have warranty or anything like it...

The machine is as clean as it can be. I even cleaned out the RAM ports (while replacing the RAM) Of course I did not check INSIDE the computer, but there is no way to get in without voiding warranty as far as I know. The environment is just regular room. Normal humidity, normal everything.
As for how old. Its the Mid-2011 21.5 inch model bought in october 2011-ish.
I have some new interesting findings. I reset the PRAM for the gazillionth time and the temperature sensors were back. So everything seemed ok again. The weird thing is though... It booted once with the PRAM messed up (fans blowing on max) and I decided to leave it that way to see if it was doing anything. It stayed on for an hour. Then I decided to turn it off and reset the PRAM. After the reset the problem was back. Within 5 minutes of booting it shut down again.
I'm really baffled by this. The temperature sensors all check out normal. (they're all 30-40 degrees) But the fact that it stayed on so long with messed up PRAM makes me believe the problem doesnt have anything to do with power supply or something like that... It might be in the PRAM itself. Would a reinstall of OS X fix anything? (I will be having a hard time getting my data off of the pc tho...)
Rogier

IMac seems to randomly shut down

This is very strange...my 2.0GHz iMac G5 (May 2005) appears to be randomly shutting down. I don't know much about the problem because it usually happens during the day when I am at school. I checked the Power Saver settings and I have it to never sleep, never shut down, etc.
Any other possible causes for this problem? It's minor but frustrating. Thanks!

Actually....I read the article a little more thoroughly....
"The program is available for certain first generation iMac G5 models that were sold between approximately September 2004 and June 2005 featuring 17- and 20-inch displays with 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz G5 processors.
The affected iMac G5 computers have serial numbers where the first 5 digits fall into the ranges noted below.
Serial Number ranges:
W8435xxxxxx - W8522xxxxxx
QP435xxxxxx - QP522xxxxxx
CK435xxxxxx - CK522xxxxxx
YD435xxxxxx - YD522xxxxxx
Some second generation iMac G5 computers have serial numbers that fall within the upper band of the ranges listed below. Only first generation iMac G5 computers are affected by this program."
It seems my iMac is a second generation. Luckily, it's still under the one-year warranty. I'll have to look into this.

24" iMac mid 2009 random shut downs

I am really struggling with my machine, since several months it crashes/shutdown repeatedly.
It is always the same behaviour, the power just goes out, no program crashes, no spinning beach balls, no nothing, just a blank screen and of course no power. It can happen while browsing or while watching Youtube or just while creating a simple document. It really is random.
I have done everything I possibly could including:
1. Full re-install after clearing the HDD and overwriting it several times with "0"
2. Booting and running from an external drive with same OS
3. Running both the small and big hardware tests without any indication of errors
4. Running memory-tests and also replacing the old 2x2 GB with 2x4 GB of RAM
4. Have had it plugged in directly to the wall outlet and together with other machines in a plug board
5. Left the machine a service shop and they did the same things but could not get the machine to crash in two weeks(ARGH!)
6. Went back to the service shop and they had the machine running for a month straight without any crash/shutdown.
None of the above has made any difference at all. I collected my machine from the shop again recently and the first random shut down appeared afte les then 24 hours, it has crashed 3 times since then.
The system log does not show anything that can give it away.
It seems like I can induce the crash by multitasking and having a lot of tabs open running flash in the browser, but I get no errors in the logs to indicate that I am right, but the crashes mostly happen when I browse (but that is also what the machine is used for 90% of the time) I use Chrome, Safari and Firefox randomly.
I have found numerous posts on different forums from people stating the exact same thing, I really like Apple but this is unbearable to say the least, there is officially nothing wrong with my machine since it happens randomly, without any error messages, but I can not use my computer since it can shut down at any given time.
What to do?
Thanks in advance
Andreas

Andreas ...
Have you tried Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
From that link:
Power
The computer doesn't respond to the power button when pressed.
A portable Mac doesn't appear to respond properly when you close or open the lid.
The computer sleeps or shuts down unexpectedly.
The battery does not appear to be charging properly.
The MagSafe power adaptor LED doesn't appear to indicate the correct activity.

My Macbook Pro (early 2011, 15") randomly shuts down after being turned on from sleep mode?

-So over the past week, I find that my macbook pro will randomly shut down within 1 minute of being turned on from sleep mode. Within the first few days of this, I figured out that it will only happen if I move my mac around before its completely into sleep mode. BUT now it shuts down regardless or preparation before sleep mode and everytime I turn my computer back on, I log in, and then have restore my chrome window tabs and stuff. What is going on??
-Do I need to replace my drive??
*PLEASE help me, thanks!
P.S. - I am runnng OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5

austine38,
if you boot into Safe mode, and then immediately restart into normal mode, log in, and put it to sleep, does it still exhibit the same random shutdowns afterwards?

Battery issue, random shut downs for no reason

Okay, so I've had a MacBook for about 3 1/2 years now. The old battery I had that came with it had clearly run out of cycles because the computer could only last for five minutes without being plugged in. But when plugged in, it worked fine.
So, about a week ago, I ordered a new battery and got a generic one off Ebay b/c the "official" Apple batteries are $120, whereas generics are around $40. I'd rather buy the Apple part, but frankly, the amount that Apple charges for replacement parts is completely ridiculous.
In any case, the battery worked fine for several days and then in the last three days, the computer just shuts off randomly with no warning. It can be plugged in or not plugged in, it doesn't seem to matter. Sometimes I turn it on and it's fine for two hours before this happens and other times it turns off in 5 or 10 minutes. It seems like it must be the battery since that is the only thing that has changed in the last couple weeks. And the display is always telling me I have plenty of juice (between 80% and 98% when it shuts off). It recognizes the battery, calculates the time left, and does not give me an "x" but shows it to be charging when plugged in.
To test to see if it was the battery, I put back in the original MacBook battery. Even though it has no juice, I could previously use my MacBook without issue as long as it was plugged in. But again, I encountered the same issues with sudden and unexplained shut downs at seemingly random intervals whether it was plugged in or not. Just a sudden click, my screen goes black, and the power is off.
Does anyone have any idea how to fix this or approach fixing it? I thought it might be an issue of a dud battery, but that wouldn't explain why the original battery doesn't work now. Any solutions? Anyone else had this problem?
Any help or pointers would be invaluable. Thanks so much.

Hi Eloco,
Smart idea to try putting the old battery back into the machine, that was going to be my first recommendation in component isolation. Next step... reset the SMC.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
I'd say reset the PRAM but I given what is that the PRAM controls, I don't see any change in system performance as a result of resetting it.
It's possible, that the issue is with the machine (the battery is just coincidental). With that being said, given the age of the machine you're outside of any AppleCare coverage... even if you had it.
There are three areas I'd consider further troubleshooting, whether you decide to do it yourself or go the route of a service center:
1.) The battery connector (sleep switch adapter)
2.) The MagSafe board/DC-In board
3.) The logic board
I'd recommend in that order, as well, ironically the service parts also go from less to significantly more as you move down the list.
Good luck!

Macbook Pro retina (2012) randomly shuts down, won't wake

My Macbook Pro retina display mid 2012 with OS 10.9 has been acting more and more erratically.
When I close it to sleep, it often won't wake. Space bar does nothing. Sometimes after a minute the power button will wake it. Other times one has to push the power button for over thirty seconds and then it will restart. Also when leaving it to back up to a time capsule overnight it often will try to shut itself down. I checked the power saver and automatic shut down panels and those are not set to do that.
Any ideas or do I have to take it to the genius bar?

montanarama wrote:
My Macbook Pro retina display mid 2012 with OS 10.9 has been acting more and more erratically.
When I close it to sleep, it often won't wake. Space bar does nothing. Sometimes after a minute the power button will wake it. Other times one has to push the power button for over thirty seconds and then it will restart. Also when leaving it to back up to a time capsule overnight it often will try to shut itself down. I checked the power saver and automatic shut down panels and those are not set to do that.
Any ideas or do I have to take it to the genius bar?
Yes, especially if you are still under warranty or have AC. Let Apple deal w/it.

IMac (Early 2008) Randomly Shutting Down

In the last two days my iMac has shut down three times for no apparent reason. Reset SMC per article HT1543 earlier today and it hasn't happened again. Anyone know of any problems with this model iMac?

Hi,
I'm not aware of any issues with your iMac. Have you used the restore disk that came with your iMac to check the drive? If not, you should check the hard disk for errors.
Open Disk Utility, in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.
Insert your Mac OS X Install disc in your computer’s optical drive or an optical drive connected to your computer, and then restart your computer. When you hear the startup tone, hold down the C key until you see the progress indicator, which looks like a spinning gear.
Follow the onscreen instructions until the menu bar appears with the Utilities menu in it, choose Utilities > Disk Utility, click First Aid, and then click Repair Disk. When it's finished, from the Menu Bar, select Utilities/Startup Disk. In the Startup Disk window select MacintoshHD 10.x.x and click Restart.
Something to keep in mind. A Mac needs about 15% free drive space to boot so keeping an eye on available space is important. Right click or Control + Click your MacintoshHD icon on your Desktop, click; Get Info Where is says: General, click the black arrow so it faces down. You will see Capacity and Available.
Sometimes it's necessary to reset the SMC. Unless this starts happening constantly, I think you're ok. If it the computer keeps shutting down regardless of doing the SMC, then you might want to take it in for service.
Carolyn

Iphone 4 shut down, won't turn on, won't charge and heating

I have the iPhone 4 only for 3 weeks now, the first day I bought it, the phone restart automatically every 3-5 minutes when I plugged it in into the computer, did a hard reset, restore to original setting and upgrade and didn't work. So I send it back to the distributor to fix it - so there go my 1st week of iphone 4 purchase. After a week got the unit back, it was ok for about 10 days or so until 2 days ago, I noticed that the phone won't charge over the night when I plug it into the wall charger. And yesterday I placed it for a charge over the night, this morning I noticed the battery is only 22% and when i pulled out the charger it shuts down. When I plug it back in, it came back on again, however not charging, and shuts down again after I pulled it out. Same thing with the computer plug. Tried to hard reset, but won't work, won't even turn on. So I plug it in and ran the BatteryDoctor app, it seems to fix the problem as it start chargin again, although my Iphone got quite warm in this process. That was morning. Now, the thing shuts down automatically, though the battery was still 40%, did a hard reset and won't work. So plugging it into the computer, it came back on, and again shuts down when it is pulled out, however this time hard reset works. This is starting to worry me. Is this a hardware problem?? I some threads that people are having a shut down problem also. HELPPP!

Ok, so I went to try that and run the program it said I needed .Net Framework 4.0 installed, so I was on my way to update that so I could try to run the program.
Anyway, before I did that, a coworker comes by and I show her that my phone is dead. I unplug it from my computer (it's not charging or anything) and I start pressing the power button rapidly to show her it's dead. All of a sudden the screen turns on and shows me that the battery is drained and needs to be recharged. I quickly connect my phone back to the computer and it begins charging. After a few minutes the Apple logo appear and it is detected on my computer! It is currently charging and is seen in iTunes. All is well again.
What's weird is that I know for a FACT that the battery was not dead when the update was done. In fact the phone showed FULL battery right before I unplugged it the first time.
I don't know if it was a combination of the steps above or what, but whatever it was, I appreciate everyone's input.

Phone shut down & won't turn back on

I was talking on my phone this morning for about 5 minutes and when I took the phone away from my ear to end the call, the screen was just black. I charged my phone overnight so it had a full battery. However, now it will not turn back on even when it's been on the charger for 30+ minutes. I've tried plugging it into my computer and still...nothing. I could see if the battery had died and the charger was faulty, but like I said it had a FULL battery when I took it off the charger not even an hour before the 5 minute phone call was made. I've even held the power button for 2 minutes, taken out the SD card and chip, pressed the volume up/down buttons, anything I can think of and nothing has helped. Has anyone else had this issue before? I plan to stop by a Verizon store today to see if they can help and will post whatever results in case it will be helpful to someone else, but it'd be nice if anyone had a suggestion before I venture there! Thanks!

Please Do not Plug that Phone into the Computer it Worthless Me an Jim have been telling ones to Use the Charger that Comes with Phone It's specified for it to Charge it Properly. I just hope you didn't damage your Razr By charging it on the Computer.
I wished Motorola would Quite Sending those ---- U.S.B Cable type Chargers in with the Phones all they Do is Screw things Up..
They need go back to Putting the old traditional type Chargers back in the Box..
<-Like this one Here!

My MBP randomly shuts down after I turn it on.

After I turn on my macbook pro, a few minutes later it shuts itself down and restarts. This happens every time I turn it on. I've tried plugging it in because I thought it might be the battery, but the same thing happens.
My MBP is a mid-2010 13 in.

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

HT1430 iPhone randomly shut off, won't turn on even when charged?

So my phone was about 30% and it died when I was using it. My iPhone has a stuck sleep/wake button, so I can't reset it normally. I've had it plugged in overnight with my charger (which DOES work), but the screen is still black. Is there any way to fix this? :/ I currently have it plugged into my Macbook, but iTunes won't recognize the phone.

ONly way is to do a reset. hold down the home/sleep button together until you see the apple logo and then release, then wait for the phone to boot back up.
You'l just to have to keep trying until it works.

Computer randomly shut off, won't turn back on

Ok so a basic run down of what happened.
I was using my email (I had itunes, transmission, ichat, safari running) and my computer (purchased december of last year) turned off. I waited 5 minutes wondering what happened, thought the outlet might be faulty or something, unplugged and plugged it into the outlet above it.
Pressed the power button, turned on, worked fine.
For three hours. Then it did it again, surfing safari; same programs running. Unplugged it, thinking it blew out or something (I live in an older house). Plugged it in to another outlet 3 feet away. Turned on, worked fine - Continued on my merry way.
3-5 Hours later, same deal. Only this time, I'd run out of nearby outlets. Double checking, and a bit confused I tried plugging something else into the outlet and... It works. Retried plugging in the computer... It doesn't work. It does however make the disc-sound when I press the power button. Nothing afterwards.
The only trouble I've had thus far is with Boot Camp/Vista. I had Vista installed via Boot Camp and it worked fine but no longer needing it, I unistalled the partition. Upon restarting the computer I go straight to a black screen that tells me to insert the windows disc, but that could be avoided by using option on start up.
I appreciate any help or advice offered, I'm calling apple right after this is posted and I realize I will likely have to take it in to a store.
Worth a shot though, just in case.

The problem you describe is reportedly caused by a bad power supply, in which case you will need to have it repaired. You should contact AppleCare or take it to an Apple Store.

What can i do if my phone just randomly shuts down and wont turn back on?

what can i do if it wont turn back on?

Try resetting it:
Press the sleep/wake button & home button at the same time, keep pressing until you see the Apple logo, then release.

Imac power issue - randomly shuts down & won't turn on again

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