Macbook Pro goes black while I am using it

Hi,
My macbook pro sometimes goes black suddenly, even while I am using it, as if it were going to sleep.
Tapping any key then wakes the macbook up and I can use it as per normal again.
Anyone knows why it goes to sleep just like that?
Thanks!

Any device with magnets nearby?
RAM modules working properly?
Reset SMC. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Choose the method for:
"Resetting SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own".
If this does not help, contact Apple.

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I recently bought a macbook pro retina and while I'm using it a yellow triangle pops up then disappears. I don't know what it says. How do I find out whats wrong?

I recently bought a macbook pro retina and while I'm using it a yellow triangle pops up then disappears. I don't know what it says. How do I find out whats wrong?

Oh, by all means. Uninstall it using its uninstaller if you have one. Do not install any anti-malware software as it's unneeded with OS X Lion or Mountain Lion.
Uninstalling Software: The Basics
Most OS X applications are completely self-contained "packages" that can be uninstalled by simply dragging the application to the Trash. Applications may create preference files that are stored in the /Home/Library/Preferences/ folder. Although they do nothing once you delete the associated application, they do take up some disk space. If you want you can look for them in the above location and delete them, too.
Some applications may install an uninstaller program that can be used to remove the application. In some cases the uninstaller may be part of the application's installer, and is invoked by clicking on a Customize button that will appear during the install process.
Some applications may install components in the /Home/Library/Applications Support/ folder. You can also check there to see if the application has created a folder. You can also delete the folder that's in the Applications Support folder. Again, they don't do anything but take up disk space once the application is trashed.
Some applications may install a startupitem or a Log In item. Startupitems are usually installed in the /Library/StartupItems/ folder and less often in the /Home/Library/StartupItems/ folder. Log In Items are set in the Accounts preferences. Open System Preferences, click on the Accounts icon, then click on the LogIn Items tab. Locate the item in the list for the application you want to remove and click on the "-" button to delete it from the list.
Some software use startup daemons or agents that are a new feature of the OS. Look for them in /Library/LaunchAgents/ and /Library/LaunchDaemons/ or in /Home/Library/LaunchAgents/.
If an application installs any other files the best way to track them down is to do a Finder search using the application name or the developer name as the search term. Unfortunately Spotlight will not look in certain folders by default. You can modify Spotlight's behavior or use a third-party search utility, EasyFind, instead.
Some applications install a receipt in the /Library/Receipts/ folder. Usually with the same name as the program or the developer. The item generally has a ".pkg" extension. Be sure you also delete this item as some programs use it to determine if it's already installed.
There are many utilities that can uninstall applications. Here is a selection:
    1. AppZapper 2.0.1
    2. AppDelete 3.2.6
    3. Automaton 1.50
    4. Hazel
    5. AppCleaner 2.1.0
    6. CleanApp
    7. iTrash 1.8.2
    8. Amnesia
    9. Uninstaller 1.15.1
10. Spring Cleaning 11.0.1
For more information visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on removing software.

MacBook Pro goes black, shows low battery even when battery is fully charged

Since updating last night via the App Store Software Update, my MacBook Pro Retina screen has been fading to black. Power is fully charged but when I press the power button, the battery-plugin to power source icon appears. I'm like, what??? My battery is charged! I plugged in my battery charger just to get the machine back to working again. It's never done this before. I'm blaming this new software update!

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While browsing on safari earlier today I had about 10 tabs open some with YouTube.
I was on a flash website browsing and the system froze and the spinning wheel came Up on the mouse.
I tried to move the mouse to get to the force quit in safari but then the mouse froze too, after a minute I held down the power button and turned off the laptop.
Now I tried to turn it back on, it turns on and loads up as far as the white screen with the grey apple logo and goes no further?
What does this mean, how can I solve it? I'm in panic as all of my school notes are on it, any help or advice would be muh appreciated!

Do you have backups of all the data on the startup drive? If not, do nothing else until you've backed up that data, if you still can.

The battery in my mid 2010 Macbook Pro goes dead while plugged in to

I tend to use my lap top alot with the cord plugged in. Sometimes the indicstor glows red and doesn't charge. Sometimes it glows green and the battery is draining and sometimes it seems to be working properly. I have an app called battery health which gives a more detailed picture. If I do not notice that it's draining, I never get a warning about low battery power. It will just shut down. I wil unplug and plug in the charger a couple of times and set it asaide for a while to recharge. When I restart the date reverts to some time in 2008 and the battery health app saws to trash and redownload it. Any ideas what is causing this?

You need to stick with RAM spec'd to your computer. You won't receive the benefit of the 1333 RAM as your computer will default to 1066. Not to mention, the 1333 may not even work. Stick with what's spec'd for your computer...Mac's are very picky about RAM.

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I have a 15-inch, Mid 2010 MacBook Pro and recently while I am using it it goes to sleep/screensaver as if I wasn't using it at all. As soon as I move my mouse it goes back to normal, it does this once every 10 mins approx. As you can probably tell this is quite annoying. No idea what could be causing this.
If anyone has an idea what it could be or how I can fix this please let me know.

Yes you can contact AppleCare but I not sure if they'll do anything or not. Unless you can show a manufacturing defect then Apple tend to be reluctant to replace batteries, especially outside of a few months old. No harm in asking though.
As for your problem, it sounds like you have a cell or two having a problem maintianing charge/staying active. However, given your battery is being used so little it's hard to say if this is through a lack of use. For the best battery performance you should look to accrue around 150 cycles per year, a figure you're well short of. Low battery usage is harmful to Li-based batteries.
These Apple pages should help…
http://www.apple.com/batteries/
http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

I am trying to hook my macbook pro to a projector, which has a VGA cable. I bought a VGA to HDMI adapter, but whenever I hook it up, the screen on my macbook just goes black and I can't make it do anything else or even show up on the projector.

I am trying to hook my macbook pro to a projector, which has a VGA cable. I bought a VGA to HDMI adapter, but whenever I hook it up, the screen on my macbook just goes black and I can't make it do anything else or even show up on the projector.
My laptop is still on; it just has a black screen that I can't get rid of without shutting down the computer by holding the power button.

Hey there lynmrigg,
It sounds like have an HDMI to VGA adapter connecting your MacBook Pro and your projector but the screen on your computer goes black and no image appears on the projector. I would use the troubleshooting in the following article to help resolve or isolate the issue here, named:
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
Try unplugging the video adapter or cable and then plug it back in.
If more than one video adapter is in use (or "daisy-chained"), troubleshoot by using only one adapter.
Example: A mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter connected to a DVI to HDMI adapter is an unsupported configuration because there is a series of adapters in use.
If available, try using a different display and or adapter (or use a different connector by using DVI instead of VGA, for instance).
Reset the system
You can reset the Mac's parameter RAM and SMC.
Reset the resolution
Start by resetting the Mac's parameter RAM. If the display does not come up, was previously set to an unsupported resolution, and still results in no video:
Start up in Safe Mode.
From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
Choose Displays from the View menu to open the preferences pane.
Select any resolution and refresh rate that your display supports.
Restart your computer.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Take care,
Sterling

Hi, my macbook screen goes black at random points when I am using it. I know it is still running as music continues to play and I can vaguely make out the content of what is on the screen. Sometimes the screen will flicker between black and normal. Can I

Hi,
my macbook screen goes black at random points when I am using it. I know it is still running as music continues to play and I can vaguely make out the content of what is on the screen. Sometimes the screen will flicker between black and normal. Can I fix this?

Emily..
Could be the graphics card, run the Apple Hardware Test
If the hardware test doesn't reveal any problems, use Lion Recovery.

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Hello, Gaganpreetfromnz.
Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.
Here are a couple troubleshooting articles that I would recommend going through when experiencing this issue.
Troubleshooting: My computer won't turn on
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1367
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Cheers,
Jason H.

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you are welcome

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Why does my macbook pro "goes to sleep" when charging? It is working fine without charging but once I attach the charger to my laptop, it just blacks out or goes to sleep mode and I can't wake it up unless I unpluck the charger.
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Try an SMC reset. Follow the method for "a battery you should not remove yourself."
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

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To bring my MacBook Pro to service will slow down my work. This is why I am posting this message, in the hope to be able to run a diagnostic test myself.
Thanks a lot, in advance.

Hello Aminetti,
It sounds like your computer goes to sleep, and will not wake up, so you must manually restart your computer. I recommend the troubleshooting in the following article:
OS X: When your Mac doesn't sleep or wake
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5357
Reset SMC
Reset NVRAM/PRAM
Test with external devices disconnected
Try Safe Mode
Try another user account
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
All the best,
Sterling

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My new Macbook Air (Core i5 - mid 2011) Build 11A2063 doesn't have the same problem where the screen goes black while working, but I DO have the major issue of it not waking properly after sleep.
Mainly with the lid open on battery after leaving it for 20 mins, I come back and the thing won't wake. It just sits on a black screen. I'll have to either shut the computer down by holding the power button or close the lid and wait 5 to 10 seconds and then open it back up and THEN the login screen will come on.
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Dear Community,
I've just taken delivery of a used MacBook Pro. It's pristine, hardly used.
It has a 750Gb hard drive with 500Gb free. Does this sound about right or could there be hidden files lurking unseen? The previous user had installed Microsoft Windows but I can't find any sign of a partition for that and the previous owner said he'd erased everything except Lion, iLife and system files, etc.
I looked in System Info which it isn't showing a large partition. I also looked in Disk Utiliy under Partition which seems to show un "current" a single drive with no partitions and around 200Gb used. It just seems a lot for the basic files.
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Thanks everyone for your help with this.
After hours of trying to figure this out I located around 150Gb in total but found there was no way of removing references to the original owner whose "Home" file in Finder remained prominent.
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When the download was complete I was able to input fresh details so all trace of the original owner has been removed.
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Here's the state of the hard drive now:
Thanks again and what a great resource the community forum's are:-)
K

Macbook Pro goes black while I am using it

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