Sudden shutdown on battery requires SMC reset

MacBook Pro 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 8 GB RAM. I mostly use this at home with a power cord. When I use it with the battery (Newer Tech with 131 charge cycles), the computer regularly shuts down after about 10 minutes of use without warning and will not restart without an SMC reset. Seems a little hot with fan running fast even when outside in a cool environment. Hardware Monitor says all temps are within normal ranges. Is this a sign of battery failure?
Thanks.

Seems like it, take it in for a eval/battery replacement.
You also can hold option/alt and click on the battery icon to see the condition.

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13" Air has required SMC reset twice due to weird behavior (fan, backlight)

Note: MacOS version is really 10.6.7 plus Supplemental Update for the 13.3" MacBook Air.
My MacBook Air 13.3" 2.13 GHz/4GB/256GB, purchased in late November 2010, has twice now started acting weirdly after I installed MacOS 10.6.7 Supplemental Update. Resetting the SMC ( http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964 ) solves the problem, but I'm getting worried because it's happened twice now in a few days.
Symptoms:
Even though I closed the lid with MacOS running, putting the machine to sleep, it either refuses to wake from sleep, forcing me to hold the power button to force it to reset, or it automatically performs a cold start and boot when I open the lid.
When I turn the machine on, the screen backlight is turned to maximum, regardless of previous setting.
When I turn the machine on, the fan(s) start running at full speed, regardless of temperature or load.
When I turn the machine on, it lingers for a long time at the gray screen before the screen turns blue and MacOS loads.
When MacOS has booted, the menu bar displays a battery icon with an X inside it. When I enter System Profiler and click Power, it reports that there is no battery installed. It also reports that the machine is connected to an external power source, even if that's not the case. It does not identify the external power source.
When I connect the external power adapter to the machine, the light on the connector does not come on (no light at all, neither amber nor green).
When I perform a shutdown, the machine will power off. However, handling the machine (with the lid closed the entire time) will repeatedly cause the fan to come on for a few seconds at full speed, then stop.
Resetting the SMC will fix these problems and cause the machine to perform normally after the reset. However, after leaving the machine sleeping for approx. 12 hours after a few hours' use after the first reset, the problem reappeared and the machine cold booted when I opened the lid, forcing me to shut it down and perform another SMC reset.
I'm worried this problem was either caused by the Update to 10.6.7, the Supplemental Update to 10.6.7 for the 13.3" MacBook Air, by an unrelated firmware bug or of course by hardware problems.
Anyone else out there with the same problem/symptoms? Anyone care to venture a guess as to what the problem is?
Thanks,
Gunnar

Hi,
I have an update so I thought I would share in case any other users are experiencing a similar problem.
I made an appointment with the Genius Bar at the Apple Store.
I went in and they ran a thorough diagnostic check on my Macbook Air and determined that the sensors were indeed faulty - several were providing no information "No reading" instead of providing a temperature. Thus, the Air was unaware of the temperature across multiple components.
Despite the laptop being outside the 12 Month Manufacturer Warranty, the Apple Store determined that it was covered under warranty through Australian Consumer Law - the laptop is now in for a complete repair under warranty at no cost to myself.
I couldn't be happier.

No Battery; Power Source: Battery. SMC Reset didn't work.

Hey guys,
Ok, so I spilled a small amount of water on my macbook on Halloween. I didn't know what to as usually I am very careful and this has never happened before. The MB continued to act normally, so I cleaned it up and turned it upside down and tried to get all the water out. I also sprayed ino the vent with compressed air (later found out that was a stupid idea). Anyways, I turned it off then closed it up and went back to it about 5 hours later. There was condensation on the screen and it wasn't turning on except with the battery cable removed from the logic board and the magsafe plugged in. Even then, the keys weren't working. So I took the MB completely apart and replaced the keyboard after finding no water evidence or corrosion. Once reassembled, I plugged in the magsafe (which had a dim light) and tried turning it on by pressing the power button, just like regular.The battery indicator lights on the side of the computer also were not working. The fan turned on on high speed and the startup noise sounded, and the screen started to light up, but then it would almost instantly stop. It did this twice. I then started it into disk utility, which said there were no disk issues, so naturally I didn't repair anything. I then shut it back off and started it in safe verbose mode. It started up (fan still running high speed) and went completely to the regular desktop screen after letting me log in and everything. Everything on the startup screen was normal and nothin was wrong with the display as far as flickering or anything, except that the battery icon had an X in it and when clicked on, said "no battery available", and then "power source: battery." Since the fan was still running full speed though, I shut it down again and did the SMC reset, which fixed the issue with the fan and the Magsafe indicator light, but not the battery indicator lights or the battery icon issue(battery not being recognized?) When I option click on the battery icon also, it says the condition is normal, however it still says the whole no battery available/power source: battery. I'm curious to know if I should try perhaps resetting the SMC again since it helped the first time, or if I need to buy a replacement battery. The Mac Chat person also said that it might be the battery sensor on the logic board, which I'm extremely worried about because I cannot afford to replace the logic board. Is there any kind of test that I can do/run (besides trying to see if a new battery works) to see if the logic board is working properly? I'm not very well versed in computers, so it seems to me since everything else was working fine, the logic board might be ok? I suppose that specific sensor might be messed up and nothing else, but I would just think that other things might not be working also if it was a logic board issue. Also, does anyone know where this sensor might be located on the LB? Perhaps I can check it out? Thanks in advance everyone.

I'm sorry, I think I left out that I took the computer apart after it wouldn't turn on the first time (about 5 hours post spill) and specifically when I put everything back together.
I took it apart about five hours post spill and cleaned it thoroughly and found no water except for a few small drops sitting on the optical drive. They were on the plastic housing of the optical drive (the side facing the bottom of the MB) and didn't not infiltrate the drive itself. There was absolutely no water elsewhere. There was evidence of liquid in the form of corrosion on the inside portion of the ir sensor near the hard drive, which was quickly cleaned with alcohol. There was no corrosion elsewhere. Again, each and every component (LB, OD, HD, battery, backlight & keyboard assembly, speakers, microphone, wireless card, etc) was dismantled about five hours post spill and cleaned/inspected for water damage and was left in the dismantled state in an aerated area until I received the replacement keyboard today and put it back together (which was today). So taken apart/cleaned on 10/31 and put back together on 11/15.
The closest Genius Bar to me is about four hours away and I cannot afford to send it in or drive there only to hear them give me an astronomical charge primarily just because they are the ones servicing it and I cannot afford a new LB if that is also the case, so I'm hoping that someone may know any answers based on the information provided that perhaps I didn't seat the battery correctly, or that I need to redo the SMC reset, or buy a new battery, or that there is some sort of test I can run through the computer that can show me how the LB is working. If there is such a test, then I can find out if I need to give up hope or not and stop trying all these other things or if it is reasonable to perhaps buy a battery or try the SMC reset again. I really don't want to go straight to it being the LB if hopefully that isn't the case.
If it makes any difference, I almost always kept the MB plugged in for the two years I have owned it and hardly ever let the battery die. I did not know about battery calibration prior to research for this matter and therefore never did it unless by accident (i.e., didn't have my charger with me and it died).
TIA everyone.

Sudden shut down battery problem, factory reset and SW update/repair did NOT help

Hello everyone, i have a "sudden shut down problem" with my Xperia Z1 C6903 too. Sudden Shutdown always happens at about 70% for the first time, after been fully charged. I cant turn it on right afterwards but if i wait 1 min. it works. However sooner or later the phone, somewhere between the remaining battery, will repeatedly shut down again. I couldnt find out what triggers it and android battery test show that the battery is ok. I am not an expert with these devices, but i hope it is a software or calibration problem? There is a similar threat which points to the solution of using Sony PC Companion Software repair, i tryed it twice and it did NOT help! edit:I havent changed the device after PC Companion repair step, thus no other Apps are running and no energy managment has been configured (stamina mode) edit 2:hidden battery info * # * # 4 6 3 6 # * # * shows:...battery health: goodbattery voltage: 3969 mVbattery temperature: 36.6° C...is there a way which gives me more details than just "good"? And what does that even mean?

Hi, I have exactly the same problem after upgtading my phone to lollipop. I tried repair from PC companion and facfory rest, but no luck.
Do you think it is Because of the battery? Never had this problem before upgrading to lollipop. The other thing I notice is when the phone suddenly shutdown (baterry jump from 50-60% to 0%), I just need to plug in my charger and wait a moment before turning it on, then here is the problem.
1. Sometimes the battery indicator shows 50% or slightly lower than before shutting down.
2. The other times, it will show accordingly that the baterry is out (1% because it's charging)
3. Most of the times, there is a message "android is upgrading...", when turning it on.
Any idea how to solve this problem?

New battery, did SMC reset - still not recognizing battery

I have a black 13" macbook - about 4-5 yrs. old. Original battery died and swelled. Got a new battery. Macbook was not recognizing it. Did SMC reset. Solved problem temporarily. For a few days everything worked fine, I charged fully, allowed to drain fully, and used normally. After a few days, X over battery icon, no battery found in system profiler. Did SMC reset again, this time with Option key pressed per a post on this forum. Worked for a few days. Keeps happening. I do the SMC reset, the system works fine for anywhere from a few minutes to a few days, but inevitably the X appears and macbook does not recognize the battery. I have read posts all over the internet of similar problems. Is there a design flaw in the hardware? What is going on, and how do I fix it?

Where did you get the new battery? It seems likely that it's defective. Return it and get another one.

No battery available, smc reset didn't help

I have a MacBook Air running 10.6.8 with 1.6 Ghz core duo 2 and 2Gb SDRAM (2011 model I believe)
It is way out of warranty, it belongs to my son, who got given it from a friend at school who was just going to chuck it out cos he had recently got a newer model. So it was inherited. After a while he noticed the battery expanding... and then one day the battery no longer worked, although it still worked on power supply. With it being way out of warranty, we bought him a replacement battery for the MacBook Air and had it installed by one of our IT friends. Now however when switched on the battery is not showing up on the battery meter top right. it has an 'x' in the battery icon.
I did some reading around and figured that the SMC reset seemed to do the trick for many who reported this issue. I did an SMC reset following the guidelines on the apple support pages. With the macbook powered off, The power supply went off while the shift + control + option + power buttons were pressed. ON powering up again after the SMC reset, the battery is still coming up as 'x' no battery available. It has been plugged in and connected to the electric supply for a couple of hours. I have tried and retried the SMC reset a number of times. I know the rest was actually woerking because I saw the power light on the maglite adapter go off and back on again.
so in summary, it has had its battery replaced
but now the battery shows up with 'x'
SMC reset has no positive effect on the problem.
I am fully aware that I have no warranty, no free support from apple (they wanted £35 for an online chat a few minutes ago), I have invalidated any warranty (which I didnt have anyway) by having the battery replaced, but since the Macbook Air was given to him....??
The battery was purchased on Amazon from Oneworldexpress, and its the correct A1245 37Wh battery. It was fitted by someone who works in an IT department (not mine) and someone who knows what they are doing opening something like this up.
What should be my next move? Why do I still have no charging, why is the battery not being recognised?

Open System Information>Power and post this:
(Make certain that the charger is connected)
Ciao.

2011 Macbook Pro (non-retina) low FPS requires SMC reset every few hours

Like the title says - I have to reset the SMC every fews hours because the FPS (frames per second) during games crashes down to an unplayable 20-30fps. Once I reset the SMC it jumps back up to 120fps but it won't go back up, even if I stop playing, until I SMC reset. Additioanlly, I don't even have to be playing games for the fps to die out. I can reset and walk away, come back later, and the fps will be down again.
An update for the retina Macbook Pros has come out - can we have one for non-retinas?

I'm having a similar issue. Not sure if this is related though. I used to plug in an external monitor and close the mac so I have only the external monitor. But then whenever I needed to unplug the monitor and open the mac, sometimes it wouldn't wake up, or other times the brightness of the screen is messed so the meter was showing the brightness at half but the screen was without brightness at all and by increasing it to the max, the screen would top until half its brightness.
So I read and looked for, and some possible solutions were to reset the SCM, PRAM and reinstalling the system, I've done all, the last was reinstalling the OS and it seemed to work (actually I can't be fully sure because I stop using an external monitor, and have pluged in only a couple of times after the reinstall). However, today suddenly my mac froze and the console shows that error code "npvhash=4095". Also I've tried with the fonts validation and nothing...
As I said, not sure if this is related but hope a little of more information helps.
As a side note, while reading about the external monitor issue, it seems that thunderbolt port doesn't play nice with DVI.

2008 iMac, display not coming back after sleep, requiring SMC reset and more.

I have a 24" 2008 iMac that's recently started giving me migranes starting a couple weeks ago. It's the kids' shared computer in the bonus room, and one of them comes in and tells me it's not working. I go in, and it seems like it's off, but I can hear the fans going. Won't respond to mouse, keyboard, even hitting the power button that usually pops something up warning that I'm about to shut it down with people still logged in. So I hold the power button down to force it off, wait a minute, and turn it back on. I hear the superdrive sounding like it's trying to load a disc, but there's nothing in there . . . keeps making that noise again and again. No startup chime, no display, nothing, just the superdrive sound. Can't get it to boot. I come to the support site and go through resetting the SMC - unplugging it for 15 seconds. That at least takes care of the superdrive sound, and I get the startup chime, but no video.
I go a step further, unplugging it and plugging it back in while holding the power button down for 10 sec. When I hit the power button after that, it comes on, display nice and bright, but the fans are now running full speed. Another article tells me to reset the SMC for that, which I do, and now the fans are working properly and the system is working again.
Problem is, I wind up having to go through this whole thing every other day. If I follow the steps of unplugging it, holding the power button down while I plug it back in, turning it on and booting up, shutting down and resetting the SMC to make the fans slow down, it will work. But it's random as to when it happens, and I'd really like to know why it could be happening and what I can do to fix it for good and not have to go through the whole thing to get it back up and running. Is it simply on its last legs? Do I need to restore the OS (Snow Leopard upgrade)? Do I need to take it to the Genius Bar and pay them to look at it and diagnose it, and God knows how much to fix?
Or, do I recycle it and just bite the bullet and get a new one? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
Andy

the first thing to try is resetting the pram/nvram
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379
if this doesnt work it could be a loose display cable.

Powerbook won't run off of battery - requires PMU reset to power up with AC

Like everyone else posting here, my powerbook won't run from the battery. I have two batteries, one that came with the computer 3 - 4 years ago and a newer one that I purchased about 1 year ago. When I am plugged into AC using iStat Nano the newer battery shows cycles 173, health 89%. The older battery show cycles 0 and health 100% (go figure!). Both batteries just say 'calculating' on the tool bar battery meter. The light around the AC adapter plug always shows green as if the batteries are fully charged.
Here is where my post differs from the others. Once I shut down the computer I can't power it up again with reseting the PMU. I've tried reseting NVRAM and deleting and re-establishing the powermanagement plist as suggested elsewhere on this forum to no avail.
Is the PMU something that can be replaced? How is it related to DC-IN? I've read elsewhere here that is another problem that could cause these symptoms. Has anyone had these two components repaired and did it fix the problem? How much did it cost?
Thanks in advance for any information you can give men.

I had the same experience. I have 10.4.10 on the cloned drive but the battery is still not charging. I decided to take a closer look at the battery updater instructions and discovered that even though I am at 10.4.11 on my Powerbook the BatteryUpdater.bundle was at revision 1.1.3 and hadn't been updated since Jan 6, 2006. So I downloaded the BatteryUpdate that is posted at the top of this forum and installed it. It has made no difference in the operation of the computer. The AC adapter still isn't charging the battery although the green ring light is on which usually indicates the battery is charged. furthermore, when I go back and look at the date and version number on the BatteryUpdater.bundle they haven't changed. Who knows what the update actually changed! There is no mention of it running in the software update log. My system profiler says:
The battery is installed
Full charge Capacity 3890
Remaining Capacity 0
Cycle Count 173
AC adapter cannot charge battery: YES
By the way, my battery is a replacement battery.
I have just about exhausted all my option other than taking it into an Apple repair store and I'm not sure at this point I want to give Apple any more of my money. I am going to live with it the way it is for a while in the hopes that someone will post a fix for the problem. Good luck with your investigation. If you find out anything else please post it here as I will check back on a regular basis. If I find out anything else I will do the same. Nice working with you.

Having problem with sudden shutdown on battery...

Is there a way to test the battery? I can stay on the battery for about an hour and the "plug in warning" no longer appears, the screen just goes blank. Once I plug in and restart I haven't had the same issue yet. So I assume it's the battery. Could it be a software issue?
MacBook Pro 1.83 1 gig Mac OS X (10.4.8)

The same here... Yesterday my MBP instantly stopped. Without any reason and/or message with 30% battery level. Only with the adapter connected he was starting up. When running it on battery and starting up i hear the HD start running and the dvdplayer get initialized. After that it goes off again.
I just came back from the apple store and they gave me a new battery.. now its working all fine again. They will inform me.
Ps. i did exchange the old battery before and this was the new one...

27 iMac (2012) crashes and requires smc reset to turn on

My late 2012 iMac, i7 16gig RAM 27 inches keeps shutting down. It looks like as if it was unplugged. Happens randomly. Sometimes while playing Diablo 3, surfing facebook or using iphotos or other apps. Seems to not crash if just left on overnight and not been used.
In order to turn it on again I have to unplug it from the power line for like 30 seconds, only then it starts.
I have the settings set to restart on power failure, but it does not.
Happened a few times a few months back. I have installed a surge protector and it worked fine for like a month or two. However last 2 days it has shut down like 10 times...
Help would be greatly appreciated. I suspect hardware failure.

Hey guys,
hate to say it, but nothing you will do will fix this problem.
I have had it for more than a year, along with corrupting graphics. Random crashes. Try this. . . .When it happens next, when you first turn your computer on, try a PRAM Reset when it boots for the first time after the crash. I bet it crashes for you again before it can complete the PRAM reset.
I have had my logic board replaced twice and my power supply once. Now the most recent fix, (logic board and power supply) has failed too and it's now crashing again after a month and half of being stable since the repair.
I just called Apple and they are replacing with a current model imac with same upgrades, honouring the upgraded processor and video card I had in there.n
The tech said on the phone that my call was pretty much going to make this become a "known issue". Get your replacement and don't put up with a buggy build.

Sudden shutdown when working on battery mode, clock reset

Hi
i am running windows 7 32 bit on an HP dv6970ej (dv6000) and my problem is sudden power failures when working on battery.
my first battery was worn out a few months ago and so I replaced it (with an HP original). it worked fine for a while but lately when I am working on battery mode the system shuts down with no warning.
the thing is that when I plug it back to the AC the battery is almost full - 85%-90% charged.
also - the last few times the power went down the clock was reset. i replaced the BIOS little battery but that didn't seem to make much difference.
i also tried to update the BIOS, didn't change anything.
the main issue of course is the system shutting down unexpectedly, while the battery is obviously still holding charge.
any suggestions?

the clock reset is just a side effect of the main issue - system power failure. as long as there are no sudden shutdowns the clock is saved. plus i guess i am not gonna replace the whole motherboard so that's why i am less concerned about that.
what really bugs me is not having the ability to disconnect the computer from the AC for more that a few minutes. sometimes it shuts down after two minutes, sometimes after 10-15 min.
i am thinking- maybe it has anything to do with voltage drops or something like that or incorrect reading of the battery, because as i said - when i plug it back in - in indicates 80%-90% charge level.
I also ran a diagnostic on the battery's wear level. the old battery was definitely worn out, but the current one seems to be OK on that aspect.

Sudden shutdown of MBP while on battery power

I have started experiencing sudden shutdowns after being on battery power for 15 minutes. So far this has occurred while using Safari and Photoshop CS3. When I have checked the system log file, it has indicated "Previous shutdown cause: -103"
I have searched the web for this code and not found it yet - does anyone have an idea as to what this could refer to or what the issue might me? this is a 2008 MBP (purchased in August, 2008)

Those figures actually look fine, ze red baron.
At a maximum capacity of 5315mAh it is still at around 95% of original maximum capacity. Very different from what I expected when I wrote my earlier post!
It is possible that the figures are somewhat misleading if you haven't calibrated it in recent times, though. See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490 for the process.
You should also reset the SMC - see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964.
Remove and replace the battery, too.
I am wondering, though, if the battery is as good as the figures currently indicate, whether something else may be involved here. Has it ONLY shut down when using the programs you refer to, or is happening generally, regardless of what is running?
Cheers
Rod

My MacBook Pro 2009 won't turn on. It suddenly won't charge and when it did I shut it down and now it won't turn back on. Charging shows green and the green little dots are showing on the side. I tried smc reset, command p r, what else?

My MacBook Pro 2009 won't turn on. It suddenly won't charge and when it did, I shut it down and now it won't turn back on. Charging shows green and the green little dots are showing on the side. I tried smc reset, command+p+r. Any other suggestions before i take it to apple service center?

A four year battery could be dead. I'd contact an Apple Service Center.

External Display Problem - SMC Reset Required After EVERY Restart

I have a mid-2010 macbook pro that I often use in Clamshell mode with an external display (an ASUS VS239H-P 23-Inch Full-HD LED IPS monitor). I connect to my monitor with an Amazon brand HDMi cable via a Monoprice Mini Display Port to HDMI adapter. I'm running OS X 10.8.4.
Here's the problem... whenever I go "mobile" and disconnect my macbook pro from the external display, my macbook seems to work fine at first, but if I ever need to restart my macbook, it thinks it is still in clamshell mode upon reboot. The built in display stays dark, and if I close the lid, the power indicator lights up and stays lit up; if I open the lid, the light disappears. It doesn't even matter if the power cord is plugged in or not, the computer thinks it is in clamshell mode. This occurs ANY time I restart my computer, whether I'm booting into bootcamp or OS X. If I do an SMC reset, I can successfully restart my computer. But if I ever need restart my computer again, and I haven't reconnected to my external display, the problem happens all over again. The only other way to fix the problem is if I plug my external display back in, then unplug it, which seems to remind my macbook that the display has been disconected. Unfortunatley I can't do this if I'm out for business and my display is not near me.
What gives? What can I tweak to fix this? I'd rather not have to wipe the HD and do a fresh install of the OS.

It might be the CMOS battery has failed. That battery supplies power to holds all the firmware data, the system management controller data. So on a restart it is losing all that stored data for the SMC. You need to take the system to apple and have it fixed.

Sudden shutdown on battery requires SMC reset

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