Random shut down issue ignored: lessons learned.

Hi guys,
I have a rather serious trouble here:
My friend's white MacBook (basic configuration; purchsed more than a year ago, so warranty is void) refused to boot after I run the Software Update. It had not seen the internet for a while, so I guess there were a few Security Updates and a System one. I paid no attention presuming it to be a rutine maintenance operation.
After installing everything it asked for a restart. After hitting the OK button it spent some time thinking and then powered off. That's it. When you push the power button, the white LED comes on, but there is no sound, nothing. I tried to zap PRAM, reset the PMU, everything. It just does not work.
I took it to an authorized service provider in Nice and they say that the motherboard has to be replaced and charge a little less than 1000 euros for it. Basically it means I have to buy my friend a new MacBook. Isn't that insane?
Has anyone fixed a Mac with a similar problem without replacing the whole computer? Any ideas why this happened? The MacBook was known to have the random switch-off problem, but since it did not happen too often, nothing was done about it.
I've been a faithful Mac user since 1992 and nothing like this has ever happened to me before.
Thanks beforehead,
w
[Post edited by Host]

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Software Update never caused this issue. Rather it was lurking in your system all along. Just happened after Software Update you noticed it the most, because each time you update your software, you drastically can change what is on the system. You are confusing cause and effect.
The warranty would not have been void had your friend purchased AppleCare anytime in the first year. This is a good lesson to always purchase AppleCare for at least notebooks. It needn't be purchased immediately upon purchasing the machine, but it has to be purchased sometime in the first year.
Currently Apple offers only one out of warranty program for the MacBook which is this one:
http://www.apple.com/fr/support/exchange_repair/macbook.html
The MacBook was known to have the random switch-off problem, but since it did not happen too often, nothing was done about it.
Therein lies your problem. You chose to ignore a power manager issue in your machine which was well documented on:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304308
And are now paying the price for it.
In the future never ignore issues like this that are not normal behavior. The update did not cause your problem. Your ignoring a prevalent issue only exacerbated it, and not bothering to purchase AppleCare when you had the chance.

Similar Messages

Random shut down issue

So I have a Macbook 13" 1.83 Ghz Core Duo, running 10.6.2 with 2gb of (user installed) RAM. Minus a defective battery issue last year (the battery swelled to the point where my trackpad wouldn't work) which apple replaced for free out of warrantee, I have had no issues.
Out of the blue, I've been experiencing random shut down issues of sorts. If I have the computer plugged in it works fine. Sometimes though, the computer will randomly shut down after being unplugged. I tried reseting the SMU but it didn't seem to do anything.
Another odd thing - I calibrated the battery with the computer on an incline on my desk to keep it cool in case it was an issue of over heating. The computer charged fully, and then drained it's charge to 0% and went to sleep as it should.
But once I charged it up about halfway again, unplugged it, and put it on my lap, it shut off within 2 minutes. I'm well out of my warrantee so any user suggested diagnostic tips would be appreciated! I've included the battery info for good measure (btw the battery is not even a year old).
Battery/power info:
Model Information:
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB016
Pack Lot Code: 0002
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0110
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0200
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 3610
Fully charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full charge capacity (mAh): 4310
Health Information:
Cycle count: 247
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 783
Voltage (mV): 12406
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 4
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 4
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: No
Current Power Source: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: No
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 6
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 5
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: No
Reduce Brightness: Yes
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed: No
AC Charger Information:
Connected: Yes
ID: 0x0100
Wattage (W): 60
Revision: 0x0000
Family: 0x00ba
Serial Number: 0x002afaac
Charging: Yes

Hmm, your battery is fairly healthy.
Is your fan running?
You can get the iStat Pro widget here:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/status/istatpro.html
The iStat widget measures various parts of your computer, including the fan speed.
~Lyssa

Powerbook 12 Random shut down issue

Hello, I have a 12" PB with 1Ghz G4 and 752 RAM installed, and OSX 10.4.8. Lately I have been experiencing serious problem with random shut down. Also the battery is not holding its charge properly. Here are the summary of the problems, I am wondering if others also have this issue.
1. Battery problem. The battery can no longer hold its charge, when it is 100% full, I can only use it for 30 mnts at most. I bought the computer refurbished from Apple in Dec 2003. It has performed flawlessly until a couple months ago. The battery cycle is only 85, but the amount of charge is around 500 ish. I have been trying to discharge it and use it, but it has not helped at all. I zapped the PRAM of the laptop, and it helped a little by making it last 1 hour-ish with 1200 amount of charge. (In comparison my latest macbook pro holds 5500 and last around 3 hours). Unfortunately this battery serial number is not eligible for the exchange program for a new battery.
Is the battery old, and need to be replaced? even when its cycle is only 85?
2. The second issue I am having is random shutdown. Occasionaly the computer will shut down randomly right after I start it or restart. After I restart it, the desktop will give me a message that the date of the computer was set back, to 1969. I would be able to work for a couple minutes before it shutting down again. I suspect this has something to do with the battery? If I take the battery out, I don't have this problem again. Or is it a motherboard issue? that something is a bit loose inside that I am not aware of?
I still have my Apple Care warranty, should I take the computer to the Apple Genius Bar to have them fix it? Thank you for your help and input, I really appreciate it.

I am thinking about the same thing, I should just get it fixed while it is still under the warranty. Does anyone know if the battery is also under the warranty and they will replace it?

Random shut down issues and more, apple recieved puter today, on hold

Ok so i have all the signs of a bad logic board or messed up puter. Mooing, random shut downs, dies during screen saver, and dies when lid is closed. I sent unit in yesterday, they got it today. Website sai on hold for infomation. So I gave them a call. They said they reseated the ram and its working and what else was wrong. I told then the mac genius did this twice and did all the other reset, then i got it home and it died again. There gonna start running more tests on it, i told her to tell the tech of the terminal thing to do to cause shut downs. ANd i told her of this post. She was extreamly nice to me and said there going to take care of me. they have had it for one afternoon, so i cant yell yet. I did ask that they replace the unit and send me a new one, she said they will run a more tests and go from there. I pointed her towards this forum as im sure many of you have and she said there going to and have been checking it out. So I guess there ontop of the issue. My bigest fear was getting the unit back andhaveing same problems. But hey thats what customer service is for so ill give applecare there fair chance first. Ill keep ya updated.

here another scientist.
Firmware is reversible by reflashing it ... it just
need another set of istruction in binary package.
My ISSUE is related ONLY with firmware,
mathematically.
Actually that's only partially true. It's only reversible by reflashing if someone has released the "reflash" package, which Apple has not. And so long as the changes it made allow a rollback of sorts. Many firmware updates will very clearly state that they can not be removed or undone. So... in your case, the previous poster was correct... it is impossible, through software to reflash your MacBook firmware
Go ahead and try to even reload the firmware, your MacBook knows it is already updated and will not allow the firmware to be reflashed.
Please, put your energy towards some other project, the SMC Firmware update, no matter how "coincidental" the timing of your RSD was, is not the root cause of the RSD.
BTW - I will echo the same comments about your experience with the so called Apple Genius, he's a tool
Call Apple or go to the Store and speak with someone else, in fact ask the Apple Genius if he is familar with the MacBook Random Shutdown. If he is not, ask to speak with one that is. The Apple Genius I spoke with was indeed familar with the problem and was simply great in processing my repair. Every instance so far has been related to a hardware problem.
Good luck
Greg

13' MacBook Pro Sleep/Random Shut Down Issues

I purchased a new 13' MacBook Pro about 7 months ago before my first semester of college. Until last week, everything has run at a squeaky clean pace, with no technical issues. Last week, I noticed that my MBP was going into sleep mode and simply shutting down after a about half an hour of sleeping. I dont recall it ever doing this before. If I leave the screen closed, I can open the computer and hit the power button and I will be restored back to the screen I was originally working on, however, if my MBP falls asleep while open, it shuts down eventually and when I hit the power button, it completely reboots the system with no saved position. I thought this was strange, but my MBP has now formed the habit of shutting down without my promting at various occasions. This shutting down is not occurring at very frequent intervals but it is still a problem.
Any assistance would be appreciated!

Try this:
Reset the PRAM:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379?viewlocale=en_US
It's been recommended you wait for the third chime.
There are also a couple of plists you can try removing. These are in Finder in Macintosh HD:
/Library/Preferences/System Configuration/com.apple.PowerManagement.plist
/Library/Preferences/System Configuration/com.apple.Autowake.plist
Good luck!

Who HASNT experienced the random shut downs?

anyone out there have a macbook that has NOT experienced the random shut down issue?? if so, what week is your macbook and for how long have you had your computer??
thanks- paul : )

penguin first:
It's not that apple isn't telling us what's wrong wih our MacBooks, it's that they look at us like we have two heads when we tell them that there IS a problem, as if they don't already know it! I just figure that if there 869 people registered with RSD issues at www.macbookrandomshutdown.com, then statistically speaking it's not unreasonably to say that there might be more than twice that with the problem. I'd say Apple could stop treating us all like we're silly kids who broke our toys. <<<<<</div>
1)i think that's just a service issue (the lower level staff not being informed)
2)ok, lets double 869 (ill even say ten times that, because realistically 1 in 10 probably knows of this forum/mrsd.com) so 8,690 macbooks with the issue. apple has sold over 1 million macbooks so far. statistically thats still insignificant (less than 1%) these numbers are guestimations, as are yours. but please dont over state the issue, as statistically it doesnt make sense for a widespread recall or any of the other sensationalist claims people are making because they are upset with their macbook problems.
ghunarsdad- my thing with the number of posts on the different forums is that everyone who has the issue is perturbed, and if they are online i doubt they are only ranting on this forum, so alot of that has to be repeat postings for people to vent their frustrations.
i agree about the cloud, and it should be cleared up for both the affected users and potential buyers as well as apple's sake because this is severely hurting their credibility
i doubt they are ignoring this issue for the C2D (since the c2d is supposed to be hotter, if they dont get this issue fixed on this, it will definitely rear its ugly head on the next generation)
p.s. how much do the mac commercials **** you off? i personally cant stand that kid whos on there, but coming from a person experiencing RSDs i cant imagine how infuriating they must be

Random Shut down & norton??

Hi All,
it sounds like my macbook is affected by this too!! I'm just glad I found this discussion board and realized what is going on. My laptop is from week 22 and it the random shut down just started about a week or so ago and it is getting worse. Sniff!!
At first I thought it was because I installed Norton Anti virus but now I realize I should just get it dealt with through Apple.
question:
1- does anyone else have norton? are there any issues at all with Mac that anyone out there knows about?
2- am i better off going to an apple store or calling the apple care people?
I can get to a store but is apple care better? I bought my computer via the internet because I got more RAM and a bigger hardrive and all that good stuff. It's white and stores don't carry it as stock.
Advice is greatly appreciated!! Thanks to all for the posts already in existence. I have learned a lot just from reading these. I didn't even know about the manufacturing week etc.

Norton is not the reason your computer is randomly shutting down. As far as we (the consumers) know right now, it is the result of faulty logic boards.
Also, since your computer has upgrades, you will have no choice but to send it in to get repaired. Call Apple Care as soon as possible and have them send you a box to ship it in.
Once again: Another case where it would have been best if Apple came out and said what the randomly shutting down issue is a result of and have a recall of some sort, and cut out the speculation of customers.

MacBook randomly shutting down

My mac will shut down without warning when Im using battery power. Sometimes it won't turn back on until I attach it to the power cord. My battery is always charged when this happens.
Whats wrong with it?!?

Hi there,
I have had battery and random shut down issues as well.
Got my Macbook last July and loved it until about April, then...
It started with the battery light switching from orange to green repeatedly. I tried re-calibrating the battery (which I do every couple of month as instructed in the user manual)and noticed that it would just shut down when the battery got low rather than give me a warning.
I took it in to an apple technician store in Montréal Canada to see what was up, they changed the logic board. They did nothing to the battery. They said it was a logic board problem. I brought my repaired macbook back home and everything was fine for a few days.
I started to experience random shutdowns in the following days, and the battery problem re-appeared. I brought it back in and they replaced the logic board again. They did nothing about the battery. I brought my repaired macbook home and everything was fine for a few days... And then it started random shutting down and doing all sorts of weird battery stuff again.
Is it odd that the apple store just kept replacing the logic board, eventhough it seems quite obvious that this is a battery problem?
Would calling AppleCare be wiser than going back to the technicians (I subscribed to apple care recently as I don't see an close end to the problems that I am having)?

My MacBook randomly shuts down.

Hi there:
My 13" MacBook (2009?) keeps shutting down at random intervals, but very frequently.
I followed instructions to reset SMC - no change
The battery is fully charged, and retains it's charge.
The Energy save modes are at 15 mins computer/display sleep
The odd thing is, if i keep moving the mouse/trackpad or keep typing, the laptop stays functioning. As soon as I stop working or turn my back, it shuts itself down.
My next step is to start looking for Gremlins!
Any support or advice you can provide would be much appreciated.
Kind regards,
Jo

Try using the Console app for diagnosing the random shut down issue.
Go to HD > Applications > Utilities.
Open the Console app then follow the instructions here > Mac OS X: Using Console to Troubleshoot Problems

Logic Board replaced after randomly shutting down

I know there are a lot of posts on the randomly shutting down issue...
My MacBook started randomly shutting down after a month since I got it. Apple replaced the logic board and I got it back today. I read on some posts that people got their logic boards replaced and the problem continued. Is this likely to happen with my MacBook?
This seems to be a big issue. My friend got a MacBook last week and it started randomly shutting off within the first hour of use. He had it exchanged, and it's fine now... but for how long?

I don't think it would do any good to yell at the store manager/technician. Still, I do understand you since I got the same problem here. However, since my logic board was replaced, I got fewer RSD, which is a start...
Personnaly, I know that my MB is guaranted 1 year, so I won't hesitate to have it repaired, or exchanged if needed (after 3 repairs for the same problem usually). As a matter of fact, other than some RSD, my fan has started making noises when I power up my MB, when it is cool. I wait because there is no solution out there yet (for RSD, and my problems are not that bad.
By the way, reading many of the threads around here, we can almost state for sure that:
-the logic board
-the RAM
-the hard drive
-the heat sink
-the battery
are not the (direct) sources of RSD. This has to be proved for the processor and the fan.
To be followed...

Discolouration and random shut downs - help!

Hello,
I am having serious problems with my MacBook and right now I am losing faith in Apple, frankly. I am not a troll, and I recently posted a very reasonable post asking for advice which was deleted by the admins without any explanation. What really angers me is that I develop software for this platform, and I have a best-selling novellist calling my application "the biggest advance in writing software since the word processor". Despite this, when I post my grievances (in a very reasonable and calm way) and ask for advice here, my post is deleted.
I bought a MacBook when they first came out. Whithin three weeks, it suffered from discolouration, so I phoned AppleCare and the very helpful folks there agreed to take it in for repair. So, it went in, and three days later (great!), I received it back. Whilst it was in for repair, the engineers also replaced the hard drive, as apparently during their standard tests it was revealed that the one that came with the machine was about to fail - even though it was only two weeks old. I was also disappointed to see that the engineers had chipped the polycarbonate whilst replacing the top-casing and that they had failed to replace the screen bezel, which was also discolouring. On top of this, the new top-casing wasn't fitted properly. Still, I decided to see how things went, as I did not want to be without my computer again.
Three weeks later, my machine was discoloured again, so I phoned AppleCare again. Again, they took it in and I was without my machine for nearly two weeks this time. When I got it back, they had replaced the top-casing (again), the screen bezel and the polycarbonate bottom casing. It looked brand new, so I was happy.
Happy for three weeks, that is. After that, the discolouration returned. Am I the only one who has suffered discolouration repeatedly? Is this still an issue for anyone else? Or have I just been particularly unlucky? I wash my hands, and I don't see that it can be some weird Ph problem, given that my 3-year-old white iBook has no such problems.
Anyway, after two "repairs" with no resolution, I decided to give up and put up with the discolouration. My new machine may look old and dirty, but at least it worked and was generally a joy to use... Until a couple of days ago, that is. Two days ago, I switched on my machine and three minutes later it shut itself down for now reason. I only had Mail and Camino running, nothing else. After that, every time I tried to boot up, it shut down within seconds - it barely even got to the Apple logo.
Is this the random shut down issue I am hearing about?
The only way I could get it up and running was to hold down the power button until it beeped. Once I did that, I verified the hard drive and it did have errors. So I fixed it using the install disk and hoped for the best. But two days later, upon booting up, it shut back down again. So I called AppleCare (who are always brilliant and helpful), and they walked me through resetting my PRAM. I then left my machine on, and other than the fan running more than usual, it seemed okay.
But then, when I booted up my machine this morning, it did nothing. It got to the grey screen, and then I just got lots of coloured vertical lines, nothing more. I tried restarting several times, holding down the power button etc, but nothing helped. Eventually, I just reset the PRAM again, and this managed to get the computer booted.
So now, obviously I am very worried. I thought these shut down issues only happened after start up, but about half an hour ago it happened after having the machine running for three hours. I tried calling AppleCare today but I was on hold for one hour, after which I had to hang up as I had an appointment. Frankly, I have paid £300 for AppleCare, and whilst the AppleCare reps are always great and more than helpful, it is just not good enough to pay this amount of money and then be put on hold for an hour. I have spent my savings on this machine and it looks dirty and old despite being only four months' old, and now it is shutting down randomly on me. I have lost all faith in it. I am upset, and now, to add insult to injury, mods on this forum deleted a post in which I was, if anything, over-complimentary about the way AppleCare have dealt with my issues, and they did so with no explanation. On reflection, perhaps it was the title of that post, so I hope this one will fare better, as checking the terms of agreement I believe I am abiding by them.
I would just like to know if others have suffered from similar issues with their MacBooks, and how they have dealt with them. I would really like a new machine, right now, but I will be reasonable, of course. I think this is a valid question for this forum, and if the mods feel they need to remove this post, I would be very grateful if they could e-mail me and tell me why rather than leaving me feeling like I am being silenced.
Has anybody been able to fix this random shutdown issue without sending it for repair? Have repairs been successful? Is anybody else still suffering from discolouration?
Many thanks in advance for any help and advice. Please let me reiterate: I have spent the past two years dedicating all of my spare time developing a program for OS X, so I am committed to this platform. I am not a troll, just a customer with genuine problems.
Thank you in advance for any advice,
Keith

I was in the middle of replying to your previous post when your post disappeared. That was interesting.
Two
days ago, I switched on my machine and three minutes
later it shut itself down for now reason. I only had
Mail and Camino running, nothing else. After that,
every time I tried to boot up, it shut down within
seconds - it barely even got to the Apple logo.
Is this the random shut down issue I am hearing
about?
I would say yes.
The only way I could get it up and running was to
hold down the power button until it beeped.
This throttles the CPUs to 1 GHz. Heat is somehow integral to the problem.
Once I
did that, I verified the hard drive and it did have
errors. So I fixed it using the install disk and
hoped for the best. But two days later, upon booting
up, it shut back down again. So I called AppleCare
(who are always brilliant and helpful), and they
walked me through resetting my PRAM. I then left my
machine on, and other than the fan running more than
usual, it seemed okay.
If the fan is running excessively often and loudly, try resetting the PMU:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303319
(This also resets PRAM.)
But then, when I booted up my machine this morning,
it did nothing. It got to the grey screen, and then I
just got lots of coloured vertical lines, nothing
more. I tried restarting several times, holding down
the power button etc, but nothing helped. Eventually,
I just reset the PRAM again, and this managed to get
the computer booted.
There is a bug in 10.4.7 that causes the vertical line problem after PRAM is reset. Once you have reset PRAM, go to Displays, set the screen resolution to anything else, then change it back. This trick writes to PRAM and makes the fix "stick".
Has anybody been able to fix this random shutdown
issue without sending it for repair?
Not that I know of. Some have postponed repair with repeated workarounds like the 1 GHz throttle.
Have repairs
been successful?
Apparently yes. My machine had the heat sink replaced and has not had a problem in the intervening month. Rumor has it that current repairs entail replacing the logic board and heat sink with a newly redesigned combination.

Latest Release Week with Random Shut Down

Well, though I have been following this board and the random shut down issue, I went ahead and purchased my first mac. Got the White Macbook 2.0, with 2 Gigs of ram waiting to be installed. It's on its way from China as we speak and should arrive Friday. I was wondering what the most recent release week is that people are having the random shut down with. Has it stopped with later weeks or does it continue? Mine shipped Friday. Any idea what week mine will be?

Hi Andrew,
I've taken in two other MacBooks for the same reason. The first time I brought the laptop in, I couldn't make it shut down and the Genius sent me home. The second time I brought it in, I left it shutdown with the white light frozen on. The laptop was also very hot. They replaced it without asking any further questions. The second time I brought it in to the Genius Bar, I just told them the whole situation, explained that I was a long-time Mac user and really didn't want to ruin my mac experience by having to try to "proove" a problem that was already happening with my previous book. They took me at my word and replaced it without any further testing. (I mean, frankly, why would I be interested in randomly replacing a perfectly new MacBook if it wasn't acting up?)
Hope that helps. I have not called in the tech support line, but have always brought it into an Apple Store.

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.

Random shut down and Start up disk issues

My MacBook has started spontaneously shutting down. It's happened while running iDVD, Safari and iPhoto. I am also gettign messages that my start up disk is nearly full and to delete files. Could the two issues be related, is there anyway to increase memory, and how do I fix the random shut off issue?

How full is the disk?
Reset the SMC
Memory and disk space are different. Memory is RAM and disk space would be your hard drive. Sorry if I can't make that clear enough. Google it for more info.
Chris

Another iMac Randomly Shutting Down!!

Hey Everyone. I'm new to the forums, though i've always used them as a resource over the years to learn more or troubleshoot issues. Hopefully, now, someone can help me with mine personally.. :-/
I have an intel 2.8gH Aluminum iMac that I purchased fall of 2007. Only now, almost 2 years later is it suddenly (just started yesterday) turning off randomly. Everytime it will not allow me to turn it back on until a minute or so has passed. I have reset the SMC as well as the PRAM several times. This afternoon, it is now to the point where I cannot even keep it running long enough to download an app to up the fan speeds. Although, I don't think it is overheating in the first place.
I'm really hoping it is just the power supply, as I've seen that be the fix for SOME iMacs i've found at other online forums. Though, the upper corner of my iMac is not hot or smelling burnt out at all. I have found more than several online forums of people complaining about their iMacs randomly shutting down, and am praying it is not the logic board, as that is a $900+ fix.
please, someone give me insight to how i can check if its the power supply or something else? I use this iMac for recording all of my music, editing video, and (of course) playing WoW lol. Currently using my 1st gen macbook.

I bought my iMac 20" in May 2006. I had been very impressed with it until one day I shut it down to move it to another room. I could not get it to turn back on. I had to leave it unplugged for a few hours. Since then it has started randomly shutting itself down, turning itself off and not starting up again until I unplug and leave it unplugged for a few hours. I had purchased the Apple Care? Extended Warranty, and the fault occurred during this three year period, though I failed to take the fault seriously and did not phone during the period. It was just after the three year warranty that I phoned Apple Care? about it and everyone I spoke to said they had not heard of this problem occurring. I wonder now, why the Apple Customer Service Team don't visit the discussions.apple.com where they will find quite a significant number of like problems occurring with the iMac sold in 2006.
My reason for paying the nearly triple price point for an Apple Computer was the quality of the build and my expectation that I would get far longer life out of my purchase. I don't like buying throw away products and I gladly save and wait longer to buy better quality products. Just as an example and point of reference. In 2000 I purchased a second hand Dell with 8GB HDD and 256Mb RAM. I paid $1000 for it and I gave it to my father when I got this iMac and he still has it running today. It has not had a single hardware issue in nine years. Good luck I suppose. However, after spending around $3000 on this iMac, and Apple now telling me the Logic Board is generically, non specifically 'failing', it goes against my pure desire for non disposable, throw away products to buy another Logic Board for AUS $1064. For one, I don't believe it has given me anywhere near the life that I expected from a product with such a high price point and solid reputation for quality, nor do I feel confidence in buying anything more 'Apple' after the dealings I have had with them over this problem. I am amazed that Apple would sell a 'failing' Computer to their customers and then expect that the customer will spend more money, considerably more, on a product that may be equally faulty and that they will not stand behind either.

Random shut down issue ignored: lessons learned.

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