Mac not restarting, logging out, or shutting down?

My mac that I got back in August is no longer restarting, shutting down, or logging off. The only thing I can do is hold down the power button. This becomes a problem when I get software updates that require restarting. Help?

Aly,
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411?viewlocale=en_US
More or less it says:
The System Management Controller is an integrated circuit (computer chip) that is on the logic board of the computer. As the name implies, it is responsible for power management of the computer. It controls backlighting, hard disk spin down, sleep and wake, some charging aspects, trackpad control, and some input/output as it relates to the computer sleeping.
To reset:
MacBook, MacBook Pro except MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
1. If the computer is on, turn it off.
2. Disconnect the AC adapter and remove the computer's battery.
3. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds and then release the button.
4. Reconnect the battery and AC Adapter.
5. Press the power button to restart the computer
Note: Starting with MacBook Pro (Late 2008) and MacBook (Late 2008) models, you may instead use the reset method for MacBook Air (below) to reset the SMC. All earlier models of MacBook and MacBook Pro must use the method described above, which involves removing the battery.
MacBook Air (Original), MacBook Air (Late 2008) and MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
1. If the computer is on, turn it off by choosing Shutdown from the Apple () menu.
2. Connect the power adapter to a working power source.
3. On the built-in keyboard, press (left) Shift-Control-Option along with the power button once.
4. Wait 5 seconds and press the power button to start the computer.
Note: You must use the keys on the left side of the built-in keyboard.
You should only perform an SMC reset when the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009) has been properly shutdown. This prevents issues from occurring to the file system.
While the power adapter does not need to be connected to reset the SMC, it may be necessary in situations where the battery needs charging or if the computer has been without power for an extended period of time.
Let us know if a reset helps.
Bob

Similar Messages

Cannot restart - log out or shut down...VERY FRUSTRATING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi
I can't restart, log out or shut down my power book g4. I have always done it through the apple display cinema to which is connected but when I hit the side button on the apple display, nothing happens the light on the bottom-right corner dims but no window pops up with the usual shut down/sleep/log out options.
Even if I try directly from the menu...nothing works except the sleep option.
I tried as well directly from the power book after having it disconnected from the display, does not work.
Disk permissions are repaired, but it did not help.
PLEASE HELP HELP!
Many thanks in advance.
Max
PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Hmm, sounds to me like a software issue. Maybe something is installed which prevents the shutdown. It could be harware (peripherals) too. Try without any connected peripheral (display, usb/firewire-devices, etc.). If that does not work try adding a new user account (you can call it "test") via System Preferences and see if the problem is the same with this user.
Good luck!
Björn

I can't log out or shut down my iMac as it says the mail is not working, I can't log out or shut down my iMac as it says the mail is not working

I can't log out or shut down my mac as the mail isn't working. I can't open the mail and when I try to shut down so that I can open the computer again, it says I cannot log out as the application mail cancelled the logout.

This worked for me too, by the way, for anyone wondering if it does.

Cannot Log Out or Shut Down

After extended sleep mode, I cannot log out and computer will not shut down.
The first symptom of a problem that I noticed was that after waking from an extended sleep (i.e. overnight), the screen saver no longer worked and would not auto-start. I thought this was a problem with the screen saver and called Apple support. During the troubleshooting process, I was instructed to shut down the computer, but could not do so. I was forced to hold power button to force shut down. We ran disk utility and repair permission in an attempt to correct the screen saver issue. After rebooting the screen saver worked, but this issue remained a watch item.
The next day, after the computer awakened from auto sleep mode (overnight), same problem. Screen saver failed to start, I could not start it from the assigned hot corner, and I could not log out or shut down. When selecting log out or shut down, error messages would appear to the effect "log out timed out because Mail would not quit." The Mail program was not active in the dock, and when I tried to Force Quit, it would not display in the list of programs to force quit. I also noticed that Time Machine could not find the external drive. I had to hold down power button and reboot to resume normal operation.
I cannot resolve these problems.
Here is my configuration: Mac Mini G4 1.5GHz with 1GB memory. Upgraded from Tiger to Leopard. I have an Admin account & parental controlled account. Power save is set to sleep automatically after 1 hour, and screen saver is set to auto-start after 5 minutes. Computer wakes daily at 5:30 am. I have set a password for screen saver. Time Machine is set to "On" to backup to 250GB LaCie Firewire external hard drive. No content barrier software installed. I have removed all programs from Startup folder.
I plan to call Apple support again, but in the meantime, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi there EEP1 - I have had the same problem with my Mac Mini for years and cannot solve it either. When my Mac comes awake from sleep Mail usually looks for new mail and hangs indefinitely. I try and quit or force quit and this will stay in the dock. I'm not sure whether Mail is the problem or not, but it seems to take out actions associated with file control in the Finder [saving, quitting, shutting down, force quitting etc.]. It's really frustrating and I'm sure it's not healthy to force restart each time it does this.
Did you manage to call Apple again? Or find any other soloutions? It's a tricky search term to define when looking for advice from forums!
Many thanks, Ben

Safely Dismounting External Drive before Log Out or Shut Down?

Hi folks!
Just recently set up Time Machine with a Western Digital USB 320 GB My Passport Essential portable external HDD. Back ups are working just fine, but, should I decide to keep the drive permanently connected to the computer, does each user on our Mac need to dismount (eject) the drive before logging out or shutting down?
Thanks in advance for any help offered! Much appreciated.

I have a similar problem with an OWC mercury 2 tb exhd, though I am not using it for time machine. just video production back up.
When the MacPro is put to sleep, the OWC exhd stays on and running, then when the MacPro is awakened, the drive dismounts itself with a warning. Spent 6 months (no exaggeration) sending it to OWC 3 times and also running tests, sending system reports, swapping everything one could think of. Older LaCie drives humming along throughout, no problem. The exhd does not do this when used with a macbook, or an older powerbook.
OWC finally concluded it must be something the macpro is doing or did to the drive.
This of course makes me uneasy about buying more drives, but I need them.
I have found discussions on line now describing similar issues with a Gtech drive.
So Apple! what do you say? can you help? can you reply with a copy to my email so that i am aware of it?
Thanks!
Page

The restart, log off, and shut down icons have quit responding.

I have a HP desktoop computer model sw5705f. It is not allowing me to restart, log off ,or shut down by clicking on them proper icon. The only way I can shut down is to manually turn off the tower. What could have happened and how do I solve the3m problem?

How long (days) have you hade this problem? Have you tried a restore point prior to that date?
Is your computer part of an network with Group Policies? It's either Yes or No. You would know if it's your system.
I am a volunteer. I am not an HP employee.
To say THANK YOU, press the "thumbs up symbol" to render a KUDO. Please click Accept as Solution, if your problem is solved. You can render both Solution and KUDO.
The Law of Effect states that positive reinforcement increases the probability of a behavior being repeated. (B.F.Skinner). You toss me KUDO and/or Solution, and I perform better.
(2) HP DV7t i7 3160QM 2.3Ghz 8GB
HP m9200t E8400,Win7 Pro 32 bit. 4GB RAM, ASUS 550Ti 2GB, Rosewill 630W. 1T HD SATA 3Gb/s
Custom Asus P8P67, I7-2600k, 16GB RAM, WIN7 Pro 64bit, EVGA GTX660 2GB, 750W OCZ, 1T HD SATA 6Gb/s
Custom Asus P8Z77, I7-3770k, 16GB RAM, WIN7 Pro 64bit, EVGA GTX670 2GB, 750W OCZ, 1T HD SATA 6Gb/s
Both Customs use Rosewill Blackhawk case.
Printer -- HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Plus

Finder will not let me log out or shut down. just updated to Lion 10.7.5 Says programs still running

I have just updated my Macbook(late 2009) to Lion OS X 10.7.5 and when I go to logout or shut down the Finder icon starts jumping. I click on it and a popup window says, "The Finder can't quit because some operations are still in progress" - "You can cancel or stop the operations, and then try again". I go to the Dock and everything is closed. Wait! I go to Mac App Store and iTunes Stores. I log out of both of them. I try to log out and shut gown again and Finder still won't let me. Same message.
Is anyone else out there experiencing this. Can anyone help me? What is still running? How to find out what is still running? I dreaded this ever since the announcement of ML.

Do a PRAM reset.
Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Immediately press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.Continue holding the keys down until the computer restarts, and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

KDE4 Cannot log out ,reboot, shut down

I using kde from svn and xorg from git. Before updating xorg all works fine.Now when I click on logout/reboot/shut down button nothing happen. What log should I attach to give more information ?

Hi there EEP1 - I have had the same problem with my Mac Mini for years and cannot solve it either. When my Mac comes awake from sleep Mail usually looks for new mail and hangs indefinitely. I try and quit or force quit and this will stay in the dock. I'm not sure whether Mail is the problem or not, but it seems to take out actions associated with file control in the Finder [saving, quitting, shutting down, force quitting etc.]. It's really frustrating and I'm sure it's not healthy to force restart each time it does this.
Did you manage to call Apple again? Or find any other soloutions? It's a tricky search term to define when looking for advice from forums!
Many thanks, Ben

What can I try next? Adobe Reader on Mac not working. Repair installation/"shut down running..."

I am trying to fill out a form online which will not open and it says that I should install the latest version of Adobe Reader.
I have downloaded and tried to install Adobe Reader 9.4 on my Mac Book Pro. (computer software including Safari have been updated)
The form still does not appear on the screen, so I tried have been looking into what is wrong with Reader. One issue is when I select "about Adobe Plug-Ins" it seems that most of them have not been loaded. i.e. "Acrobat Accessibility"
Not sure what to do so I selected to "Repair Adobe Reader Installation" and this is what comes up:
"Select the optional components you would like to repair..."
This is what comes up:
"Adobe PDFViewer Safari Plugin View, fill-in and collaborate on Adobe PDFs within Safari"
I select that and then this message appears:
"Please shut down running applications
Adobe Reader requires Safari to be closed before it can install or remove the selected components. If you are running Safari, please close the application and then click OK to install selected components or remove unselected components. You may also press Cancel to install the selected components at a later time."
I have closed all running applications that I can think of and the message will not go away after I press "ok".
What can I try next?

I tried this:
Manually uninstalling a plugin
If you can't use an uninstaller program to remove a plugin, you can remove it manually:
In the Location bar, type about:config and press Return.
The about:config "This might void your warranty!" warning page may appear. Click I'll be careful, I promise!, to continue to the about:config page.
Search for the preference: plugin.expose_full_path.
Double-click on the plugin.expose_full_path preference in the list to change the value to true.
''''''''''' '''''Enter about:plugins into the Location bar to display the About Plugins page.
Each entry in the About Plugins page will have "File name:" followed by a path. Navigate to the folder shown for the plugin you want to remove.
Rename the file to something other than its normal name - e.g. npswf32 becomes Xnpswf32''''''''''''''''
Double-click on the plugin.expose_full_path preference in the list on the about:config page to change the value back to false to avoid exposing the plugin path to websites.
The plugin will be removed.
I can't select the file name to change it. It's just a list.

My desktop picture keeps changing after each log-out or shut down. How do I fix this?

I have a new MacPro, and I would like to stop my desktop photo from changing every time I shut down, or lock my computer. It's truly annoying.

Close all windows and quit all applications.
Hold the option key down and click the "Go" menu in the Finder menubar.
Select "Library" from the dropdown, then "Preferences" folder.
Look for these three files.
com.apple.screensaver.plist
com.apple.desktop.plist
com.apple.systempreferences.plist
Right click each one of those and select " Move To Trash" from the contextual menu.
Restart the computer.

Setting log out at shut down?

I'm wondering if there is a way to have my MacBook shutdown at logout or logout at shutdown. When I shutdown, the computer is accessible to anyone at startup. When I logout, I can't shutdown without allowing restart of the computer with full access. Thanks for your help.
Mike

Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
In the Accounts System Preferences, click the "Login Options" under the list of users. (You may need to put in your password to do this.) Uncheck the option to "Automatically log in as:". After this, you will need to put your password in to log in each time after you startup.
You can also check an option in the Security System Preferences to require a password to disable the screen saver or wake from sleep. Then, each time you close and open the MacBook, it will ask you for your password. That might save you from logging out sometimes.
-Doug

Sometimes the function keys stop working (can't adjust volume, screen brightness, keyboard backlighting), and at the same time I'm unable to restart, log off, or shut down in any way.

It's quite inexplicable, as I'm not able to access some system functions — I can't even open the force quit dialog to see if something has crashed. I can't open my Mac information (via "About this Mac"), but I can open System Preferences. Maybe all these functions share a common underlying process, I don't know.
I haven't found a way to fix this other than to hard restart the MacBook Pro by holding down the power button. I don't like doing that! I wish there was a workaround. Anyone have an idea?

This entire thing is a hair over four months old, I don't think it should be acting up this much. Plus, this problem happens only once out of every 40 or 50 times I start this thing up. It's very infrequent, but it's there, and it just bothers me, I guess.
That said, I would try reinstalling, but I wouldn't be able to tell if it'd worked unless the problem never cropped up again in a long, long time. Sadly I also don't have access to my OSX discs at the moment (I'm out of the country).

Firefox has taken over my computer to the extent that I can't get out of firefox back to my regular homepage and moreover I can't even log out or shut down.

When I try to log on as I have usually done I get a small window
stating that an error has occurred and when I click on what should solve the problem a larger white window appears stating
I should not close the window...although several times I have
not close the window all I get is 2 blue spinning circles.
I feel like Firefox has taken over my heretofore routine
usage of my computer and I have lost control. HELP!!!!!

That file could be set as a Launch Agent or Daemon in your ~/Library or /Library, You could try to look for it or Safeboot your computer and then empty the trash. Safebooting disables Launch Agents/Daemon and Third Party Kernal extensions. Here's the article to Safeboot OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode? - Apple Support

Satellite L300 PSLB8A doesn't reconnect to net after log off or shut down

My son has the L300 which connects to the net via wireless to the router in another room.
When he logs out or shuts down, the next time he starts up he loses connectivity.
I am been able to get him reconnected by logging into the router and reconfirming the setting but this is tedious and quite often does not work.
His laptop often shows that he is connected but slow. I cannot find any sensible solution to all this.
It is not a problem with the signal as I have placed the laptop right next to the router but still get the same problem.
Any clues help you can give will be greatly appreciated

Hi
Did you try a new Wlan driver?
You should definitely update the driver
I have no idea what WLan card you have but this Toshiba WLan driver page provides all possible WLan drivers for Atheros and Intel cards
http://aps2.toshiba-tro.de/wlan/
You can also try to update the BIOS is one is available
Just one hint: my notebook has Atheros WLan card and Im using the Atheros WLan configuration tool in order to establish the connection
It connects my notebook automatically to Wlan

Migration from PC with MA did not end. Had to shut down MacBookPro. After restart no new user was created. Can't find the transferred data (35 GB). Would like to delete it.

Migration from PC with MA did not end. Had to shut down MacBookPro. After restart no new user was created. Can't find the transferred data (35 GB). Would like to delete it.

iTunes is required to initially activate the phone. Back when the iPhone 3G was sold, you would take it out of the box and see a "Connect to iTunes" screen. She HAD to connect to a computer in order to begin using the phone. Does she remember what computer this was?

Mac not restarting, logging out, or shutting down?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for