IMac random power failure

HI all - Help!
i Have a 2012 iMac.
Once or twice in the last few days it shut off on me randomly while I used it without warning. I thought it was a quick power outage but by the 3rd time it happened I looked at everything else plugged into the same power strip and it was staying powered. I plugged the imac directly into the outlet and same result. As well as plugging it into another outlet on another circuit. The issue is the computer - not the power its feeding from. We havent had any thunderstorms in the area for a week now so it wasnt caused by a storm. There were no tell-tail signs of strange happenings before this happened either. I DO use boot camp on it and PC game regularly but I have made sure the computer never overheats. So I couldn't have fried anything to the best of my knowledge.
Now here I am a few days later and i cant even get the computer to finish booting up before it will lose power. Any clue on how to fix this? I dont have apple care (Ive never once had an issue with an apple product) and I dont have the money to just go buy a new iMac. Has anyone had this issue before?

It could be a more serious problem, but it kind of sounds like maybe a bad, loose or partially seated RAM module.
If you have upgraded or added RAM, do and test each of the following steps.
1. Check to make sure that all the modules are firmly seated in there slots.
2. Check for a bad module, install the modules one at a time in the top slot.
3. Install the original modules in the original slot that they came in.
If you did not upgraded or added RAM, you can do step 1 before making a Service Appointment.
1. Check to make sure that all the modules are firmly seated in there slots.

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Random power failure / shutdown?

Hey all,
I recently purchased the 20" 2.4 GHz and have been experiencing random power failures. Right in the middle of typing an essay or watching a movie, my computer turns off unexpectedly. Has anyone else experienced this problem or know what might be going on? The only things I could think of are static buildup/discharge in the power supply or overheating...
Thanks!

iRocket wrote:
I have a iMac G5 (purchased 5/05) and I never had an issue with it other than having to manually connect to my home network) Recently (last week) I called Apple Support about my network issue and we did a commandoption+PR during powerup. This is the first time it was ever performed. Since then My iMac turns off (completely) randomly. It doesnt matter if I am surfing the web, watching a movie, or the machine is idle doing nothing, and BAM no power. I'm glad I bought the 3 year Apple iCare package, because it seems that Apple knows in about 3 years, the machines begin failing.
I performed the SMC procedure about 30 minutes ago. I will update this post if I no longer have the loss of power issue again.
That vintage of iMac (and eMac) had a problem with bad capacitors (the problem hit other manufactureres than Apple, too.) If you open up the case and look at the logic board, see if any capacitors (the little barrel-shaped doodahs) are swollen or leaking brown fuzz. If so, Apple had an extended repair program for that, although you're lucky you have Applecare. If you're not comfortable opening the computer (that model is easy, just 3 torx screws along the bottom edge, though it's a little tricky getting the cover back on when you're done), definitely take it to a Mac tech ASAP, as this gets worse with time.
Message was edited by: cavenewt

IMac i7 random power failure?

Hey there, my iMac 21,5 i7 has a random "sudden power failure", which has been diagnosed by an apple maintenance centre as a 'Logic board" problem. It was bought in Jan 2012 and it is plugged into a power surge/no break protection.
I've reset the SMC, changed power chord, power outlet and in the end took to one Apple maintenance centre in Rio, where I live, and the dignose was a deffective Logic Board, the solution being a replacement... which means it might be better to buy a new one... An apple computer that lasts ONLY ONE YEAR???
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Thanks in advance!

Hello, sad case, but Macs aren't what they used to be, & yes, without AppleCare, a Logic board replacement will be terribly expensive.
Can only say that everybody needs to get the 3 year extended Applecare when getting an iMac or Laptop.
https://locate.apple.com/br/pt/service/?pt=4&lat=-22.9035393&lon=-43.20958689999 998

IMac and power failure, now new startup screen and abrupt shutoff

Had a power failure, iMac kept turning on and off, finally unplugged and after 8 hours, I try to start and I get a screen that has the apple logo and spinning load animation, but also a new bar that shows something is being worked on. It reaches the end and abruptly shuts off.

What version of OS X was your Mac running?

2 questions: iMac after power failure & Lacie firewire drive keeps spooling

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Hi John
You don't say or show in your profile, but for the Intel iMac's first reset the SMC (System Management Controller) exactly following all the instructions in the link below.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303446-en
Dennis

Random power failure.

sorry i am a noob, i have recently been having a problem with my mac just turning itself off. i happens out of the blue when i am only running menial tasks such as watching videos or browsing the internet. its not a problem with it restarting it just plain turns off as if someone has pulled the plug. if anyone has any suggestions or is experiencing the same thing please help.
thank you in advance.
jambon

Hi again,
We all need a little more info. How long has this been going on, did it just start, has it always done this since you purchased the iMac, does it happen around the same time each day, does it happen after a certain amount of time using the Mac, have you recently moved it, does it only happen when you watch videos and surf the net, etc etc etc...
If this has been an ongoing problem, I would try a new outlet. If this just started recently, I would make sure the power cord is firmly seated. If recent and you have not changed your normal routine, I would suspect a possible power supply problem. It's hard to tell until you tell us more details...
When you're watching videos or even surfing the net and watching youtube or something like that, your Mac uses a little more CPU power which will make it run a bit warmer, when a Mac reaches continuous and unusually high operating temps, it will shut off for self protection... *but watching videos and/or surfing the net should not normally cause this.
Rick
iMac G5 iSight 20" - 30G iPOD in Slimming Black - WD 500G FW - Mac OS X (10.4.8) - HP Pav 15" WS and Toshiba Sat 17" WS LP's - Canon 20D & A620 Kodak P880

Imac will not boot up after power failure

Does anyone know why i have to unplug the power cable from the back of my imac after every power failure at my home to get the imac to boot up. I've tried resetting the surge protecter and unplugging there. However, the only option is to unplug the cord from the back of the monitor/imac before it will boot up. Any ideas or is this a known bug.

You're effectively resetting the SMC.
If you're getting that many power outages you need to be using a UPS (Uninteruptible Power supply), not just a surge protecter.
Power interruptions at the wrong time can cause directory damage or even physical damage to the Hard Drive if the heads were reading or wriing at the time.

Problem with iMacs loading web pages slowly after a power failure

We have 3 intel Macs (2 iMacs and a MB) on our network.
Today we had a power failure, and now we are having problems with both iMacs loading some web pages slowly (in Safari and Firefox both). I have shutdown and restarted both iMacs to no avail. As you will notice, I have not experienced any problems with my MB probably because the battery never allowed it to shut down completely.
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Thank you in advance.

It does sound like it could be a WiFi issue. You can try rebooting your router and that might help. It just might your Internet connection or the router itself. If the router is bad, you can replace it. If its the Internet connection - you can only do what you ISP allows you to do.

Does iMac shutdown nicely on power failure?

I have heard that the iMac 5K 2014 shuts down automatically on detecting mains power fluctuation. Great if this shuts down the 128GB SSD in an orderly fashion. If not I may have to get a UPS, though one I can afford could be unreliable! How paranoid should I be about this?
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Tim Durbridge wrote:
That's reassuring.
But does the iMac shut down automatically on power failure?
Does that protect the system well enough for practical purposes?
Would that be why you operate a computer without a UPS?
The iMac does not have an internal battery or UPS. It will NOT shut down automatically or otherwise when power is lost. If you lose the mains the computer immediately stops working and serious corruption can and has indeed happened. Think about what you said. You lose main power to the machine. It has no power of its own, no internal reserve supply (and I know of no personal computer that does). It may or may not recover when power is restored and it depends on what was going on at the time the power failed.
If data loss or corruption is is unacceptable then a UPS is a must have. A UPS will allow the machine to shut down properly. OS X has built-in UPS power management software. You can set the computer to properly shut down when the UPS reaches say 20% reserve power.
Buy the best UPS you can possibly afford.

IMac Power Failure

Just wondering if i could get some ideas on what could be happening with my iMac. I seems to loose power when I'm in the middle of using an application like iTunes or Safari or any application that has heavy CPU usage or HDD Read/Write like installing something from a CD/DVD or even on a mouse click or a key pressed on the keyboard. When it's idle it doesn't usually do this. When it does loose power, it will restart after about 7 seconds since i have reboot after a power failure checked in System Prefs. I can replicate this using any power outlet w/ or w/o a surge suppressor in my house but I can't seem to replicate it at work or at the Apple Store (annoying), suggesting it would be something in my house but i can't seem to pinpoint it. Could it be the iMac's power supply just being picky or something else?
Some Info: iMac 7,1 late 2007 (First Gen Aluminium). The power supply was already replaced in early 2008 oddly enough from the same problem but Apple was able to replicate the problem and replace it. The only upgrades done to it was the memory from 1gb to 4gb a while ago. I already put back in the original memory to see if this was it but the power issues continued.
Thanks for helping me out!
-jake

Jake,
I think what the previous poster was trying to say is he thinks it might be your power supply again. That was the first thought I had by the way your described the issue. If the iMac is still covered by AppleCare contact them immediately and open a case before your warranty runs out. If it's not covered follow this link to make an appointment at your local Apple Store to have it looked at.
Regards,
Roger

Imac's sudden crash, like power failure. starts again 30min later

Hi all,
my imac crashes sometimes very suddenly, like in a power failure. it doesn't force quit or shut down, it just goes like somebody pulled the plug.
it's usually possible to start it up again after 30minutes or an hour.
the plug and lead seem to be fine. i tested it on another mac.
the obvious suspicion would be overheating, but how can that be caused so suddenly (and how can i fix it)?
thanks for reading
i appreciate any advice

Get a temperature monitor.
There's a free widget, +iStat Nano,+ that a lot of folks use. There's also an inexpensive app, +Hardware Monitor,+ a much more comprehensive and customizable version, including a 7-day history with all sorts of fancy graphs, etc. There's a free version, called +Temperature Monitor,+ that may do enough, too: http://www.bresink.com/osx/HardwareMonitor.html
Having the history may help you figure out what's happening.

IMac randomly losing power

My 2006 Intel CoreDuo iMac has started randomly losing power. Without warning it will just power off as if someone has switched the wall socket off.
I've managed to power it back up again about 4 times after which it just does it again.
Once power is lost the only way I can get it to work again is to keep taking the memory out, putting it back in, try to switch it on, take it out again, put it back in, try to switch it on again, etc. until randomly it works again!
I've tried resetting PRAM by unpluging everything leaving it 15 seconds and then nothing... I've also managed to do a CTRLCOMMAND+PR when it was working.
Now it's gone again
Anyone any idea what might be the problem here?
I have no AppleCare so the iMac is out of warranty and the internal DVD drive no longer burns properly either. Should I give up on this Mac and put the money towards a new iMac (with AppleCare this time!) or is it going to be worth trying to get it fixed. My thoughts are that the local Apple Service Centre might take ages to determine the problem and try various things and then might not even be able to fix it.
Could it be the logic board? Power supply?
How much is a new logic board and DVD burner?
Thanks,
Neil

There are a number of threads on the iMAC loosing power. Check these:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1088454&tstart=0
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7355735&#7355735
My iMAC was doing the same; it finally died and wouldn't power at all. The tech at the apple store stated they have seen a few bad power supply cables that are the cause of the issue.

Imac wont start up after power failure

i moved the table my imac was on and i accidentally took off the power cable.the imac was on so when i took the cable off it shut off. then i put the cable back and tried to turn it on but nothing happened..it is like dead. any suggestions?

Also, there is a small battery or capacitor on the logic board that may need to be replaced, as this has been the cause of a similar issue over many generations of Mac computer hardware. Of course there are other causes of failure, and that is why the help of an expert to troubleshoot and diagnose issues to attempt to resolve them can take time.
And it may not be resolved after the first attempt if the actual problem is deeper than first best educated guess arrived by troubleshooting. Part of some repairs requires replacement of suspect parts, even if they may not be the cause, to eliminate their being within the realm of possibility. A good read is among the original Apple Technical Service Manuals, those aren't often available to the general public. I used one to self-troublehoot an iMac under AppleCare after the nearby 200+ miles one-way distant 'specialist' could not fix my new iMac, four times. So I am a bit cool on newer Macs; the way I see it one new headache lasting 10 months and requiring 3,000 miles travel, to not be resolved by experts (and under warranty, so I can't touch it!?!) is enough.
The best cure for main power failure, is to have a good high quality battery backup system in place with automatic voltage regulation, that also works as a power filter; and can step in to isolate the Mac from mains high-or-low power fluctuation. This can save many products from bad power sources; do not rely on these, either. Make copies of your work ahead of time. This saves your computer from issues you can prevent.
PS: my Macs seldom are shut off, for up to 11 months, some of mine only get to sleep when not in use. When the main power goes offline, during a storm or extended utility failure of their own making, I will have to shut them off as a choice. There is software in the UPS unit that can help shut down automatically, and that is a choice, too. I usually find their software problematic on occasion; and the battery backup is not very long in duration, so one with a few hours runtime and a method of rationing the power if you are present when the mains fail, is helpful in performing a normal shutdown after a power failure.
Good luck & happy computing!

After power failure iMac wont start up

I had an unexpected power outage yesterday and since that happened, I cannot get my iMac G5 to start up. I can only get as far as the gray screen. I've tried the command option P R and holding down the power button for 10 seconds and several other things, and I cant get beyond that gray screen. Im currently running Tiger on it and thought maybe I could reinstall the operating system? Ive had other power failures before and have never experienced anything like this that I couldnt start the computer. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Hi Kelly,
Do you have your data backed up? If not, do this as soon as possible.
Have you disconnected your Mac from the wall plug and let it sit about 10 or 15 minutes?
Have you tried starting in safe mode?
Have you tried booting from your install disks and running DIsk Utility "Repair Disk"?
There is always the possibility of a power outage taking out a hard drive. Especially if it is writing at the time, I recently lost one the same way. Mine had bad blocks that could not be formatted out, so I had to replace it.
Hopefully your situation is not as bad. Let us know.

1st gen. iMac G5 power supply failure

Hi, all!
My 20" iMac G5 here at work collapsed and died on me about a week ago. The computer just deactivated abruptly; I actually had thought that I had kicked the plug or stepped on the power bar by mistake. I restarted it, and it worked for twenty minutes before dying again. Now it's entirely unresponsive. Having read up on the matter here and in the Mac support pages, I'm quite sure the power supply has failed. I'm in the process of finding out whether the computer is still covered under Apple's Repair Extension Program. (http://www.apple.com/support/imac/repairextensionprogram/ - I know the iMac model is correct, my serial number matches the range, I'm just not sure if the computer is less than three years old.)
Anyway, the important thing for me is the hard drive, not the machine itself. We're entirely Mac-based here at work, so there is no shortage of machines for me to work on (I've already replaced my old machine with a much newer Intel-based iMac), but I would very much like to retrieve my data from my old hard disk. I've downloaded the DIY guide for opening the 20" iMac G5 and removing the hard drive, but I need some advice on the best plan of action. Should I then open another, working G5, remove its hard drive, insert my old hard drive and transfer my files off to my new iMac through our company server? Or is there another way to approach it? Is the hard drive on my 20" first gen G5 compatible with newer mac models, or am I going to run into problems with connectors, physical disk size, etc.? Or, should I just leave well enough alone and leave the entire operation to a Mac Genius?
This will be my first time opening an iMac. I believe that I can open the machines and remove-replace the hard drives without voiding any warranties, correct?
Thanks so much in advance for your help and advice!
Adam

I am on the phone right now with a product specialist about my iMac G5 power supply issues. Kind of ***** because he has, in so many words, said that the Genius is the Alpha and Omega and can extend the 3 year coverage. For me that is great except that the Apple store is over an hour away. I don't understand why the dude on the phone can't pull the switch and make it happen as well.
Factor in:
Unplugging iMac G5 and all peripherals
Loading it in the car
Driving an hour
Carrying it into the Mall (apple store)
Waiting for my Genius appointment
More than likely getting it fixed for free (from the sounds of things)
Driving back after it is fixed
Doing everything listed in reverse.
Would it just be easier to pay the $108 for a new power supply, wait a few days, undo some screws, and BAM! it works again?
Update. Off the phone now. The product specialist flexed his muscles, back handed the Genius to gain authority, and basically stated that they WILL DEFINITELY repair either the power supply or the logic board or both if needed. I have already had them replace the logic board once. BUT, I still have to load it up and take it to the Apple Store. Boo.

IMac random power failure

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