To Everyone with Random Shutdowns! (Solved! REALLY!)

Hey all,
I had posted about a week back about my Macbook (Core duo white, late 2006), it was having the same symptoms as some of the others with the known random shutdown syndrome (RSS). Like many others I had thought it was the end of my macbook and the logicboard needed replacing because that is what the 'genius' people do, but I was still wondering what would cause it. It would randomly shut off! (or so I thought) I'd be typing in Safari, watching a youtube video, and even playing games, it would just shut off and I could hear the hard drive spin down. I'd restart and it would do it again sometimes right away, sometimes hours later.
This got me to thinking (like others have said) that it must be an issue with over heating. To test my theory I backed up my HD, and tried to reinstall Snow Leopard after zeroing the HD (as a fresh install). During the install process the Macbook's fan started to get loud and then it happened, it died again! So, this proved to me that it is NOT a software/OS issue at all, which means the said efforts in other posts of changing screen saver and energy saver settings had nothing to do with the cause! Aha moment!
I thought to myself... something is making it shutdown, obviously, and has to do with too much heat as the fan was going crazy even while reinstalling the OS. After reading many posts on different support forums I came accross the possibility that it could be the heatsink and/or sensor that is attached to it. I also found out that this "RSS" only applies to the non-unibody, core duo, and core 2 duo macbooks... you know what that means?
These models are the only ones with the shared memory and GPU on the same heatsink! GAH! A possible solution presents itself? To make a long post even longer... I removed the keyboard, carefully unscrewed the heatsink and fan and what did I see? Cracked and dried out thermal paste on the CPU AND GPU, they are both under the same heatsink after all, this was bad, really bad.
Luckily I had some Arctic Silver thermal paste in a tube from years ago when I upgraded my PowerMac CPU. Using some rubbing alcohol and a soft cloth I removed the crud on the heatsink, processor, and GPU (I might add that there was way too much paste on there in the first place). I waited an extra few minutes to make sure the alcohol evaporated, and then I applied a small (dime sized) amount of thermal past directly onto the two chips, I aligned the heatsink carefully and gave it a very small gentle push down onto the chips, reattached the sensor wire to the mainboard, and screwed the heatsink back in.
After putting the keyboard back on and making sure all screws were in... I immediately turned on the laptop and reinstalled the OS. The OS install took approximately 10 mintues! (crazy!) The last time I did that it took over 30 mins to install! I was stunned!
After the OS installed I let the computer idle and shut down, I let it sit for about an hour to allow the paste to contract as it cooled. After starting up again I immediately downloaded Temperature Monitor and installed it (I did have it running when my mac had RSS by the way), here are the results to prove my theory:
My Macbook with RSS:
CPU1 and CPU2 Idle temp - 114 degrees (F)
Heatsink temp - 128 degrees (F)
Approximate over heating temp - 184 degrees (F) (causing the heatsink sensor to shutdown the laptop)
My Macbook with new high quality thermal paste:
Idle temp of CPU1, CPU2, and GPU - 77 degrees (F)
Heatsink temp - 84 degrees (F)
Running temp with adobe CS4, youtube, and typing this message - 103 degrees (F)
Pretty amazing if you ask me!
Before I applied the thermal paste my Macbook took at least a minute to start up with a fresh OS install, now it only takes about 15 seconds! I have not heard the fan spin up and go crazy since! And I can't even explain to you how much fast it is now!
This does prove that Random shutdown syndrome (RSS) is caused ONLY by your GPU over heating due to old thermal paste between the chips and heatsink! A design flaw by Apple? probably not because thermal paste will crack and dry over time.
This also proves that energy conversion to data in the chips can decrease because of over heating, causing the computer performance to dramatically drop!
So before you take your out-of-warranty macbook to Apple or a repair shop, see what your internal temp readings are and try to replicate the problem with over heating your CPU/GPU! This was a 10 minute fix! I am still amazed at how much faster everything is, and haven't had a random shutdown since! I hope this helps alot of people that think they are out of luck and have to pay to get it fixed!
- Cory -

I too have this problem as well and it has been getting worse lately, I don't know what to do anymore. Here is a little info about my macbookPro. I have the late 2008 unibody model, i bought it in late 2009 Refurbished from Apple. Recently my mac has been turning off out of nowhere. I may be doing something and all of a sudden it just shuts off, it usually happens faster when i start to open up more programs like Photoshop or Final Cut Pro. My mac is out of warranty now and i dont know how much apple is going to charge me to fix it. i mean they want 50 bucks just to talk to them on the phone (ridiculous if you ask me)!.
    I have a temperature sensor installed and here is my data
CPU A Proximity: 126F
CPU A Temperature Diode: 133F
Graphics Processor Chip 1: 122F
Graphics Processor Heatsink 1: 113F
Graphics Processor Heatsink 2: 126F
Graphics Processor Temperature Diode: 131F
Left Palm Rest: 91F
Main Heatsink 3: 122F
Main Logic Board: 118F
Northbridge Chip: 127F
Northbridge Position: 124F
Here is more data from the Power
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Manufacturer:          GSA-1281
Device Name:          ASMB016
Pack Lot Code:          0
PCB Lot Code:          0
Firmware Version:          0
Hardware Revision:          0
Cell Revision:          0
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh):          3739
Fully Charged:          No
Charging:          No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh):          4610
Health Information:
Cycle Count:          68
Condition:          Normal
Battery Installed:          Yes
Amperage (mA):          -1766
Voltage (mV):          11793
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          90
Automatic Restart on Power Loss:          No
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Wake on LAN:          No
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
GPUSwitch:          2
PrioritizeNetworkReachabilityOverSleep:          0
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          60
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          2
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Current Power Source:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
GPUSwitch:          2
Reduce Brightness:          Yes
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed:          No
AC Charger Information:
Connected:          No
Charging:          No
PLEASE HELP ME, I CAN NO LONGER TRUST MY MAC FOR WORK. any replies will be appreciated. thanks

Similar Messages

White Macbook 2006 random shutdown solved removed cpu heatsink and more

I picked up a cheap macbook from a secondhand retailer for $300 and it regularly shutdown, froze, restarted as well as the grey kernel panic screen completely random no real pattern. I set about trying to solve the problem swapping ram and hard drive with my identical 2006 macbook (which I had similar problems with last year, fixed that one with a new battery connector cable). The ram and hard drive made no difference so I downloaded istat menus to see if any combination of cpu voltage, current and temperature were causing the random shutdowns. It seemed when the temperature reached certain values the computer would shutdown or freeze(around 30 to 50 degrees). I'd read on other forums about faulty cpu temperature diodes so I reapplied heatsink compound to the cpu heatsink and checked all the wiring for shorts but nothing seemed to solve the problem. I was ready to retire the computer and use it for spares for my other macbook when needed but I pulled the keyboard off one more time and tried something completely radical. This fix requires some forward planning and software installation but it has completely solved my Random shutdowns completely.
for instructions see my next post *Fix for random shutdowns white macbook*

Ok this is not for the non technical person but it is quite a simple process with the right instructions.
This first step is very important install the software coolbook($10) and fan control (Free)( not smc fan control). Set up coolbook to operate the cpu at the lowest speed and voltage for both power adapter and battery(1002MHz and .95Volts). Remove the keyboard to access the computer logic board (instructions can be found at iFixit). Remove the four screws and two connectors holding the heatsink to the logicboard and gently lift the heatsink out (very important that you leave the fan screwed in and connected). Close the computer back up if you wish to test just gently connect the keyboard and loosly sit the keyboard back in. Restart and reset the pram immediately. Let the computer boot up and then open system preferences and configure Fan Control to your liking. So far no random shutdowns for over a week (was getting many a day previously.

Random Shutdown SOLVED

This just DUGG'd
http://maba.wordpress.com/2006/09/01/macbook-shutdown-solved-at-last-hopefully/
"The heat sink expands during operation and gets into contact with the sensor cable and melts the cable’s isolation. This in turn causes a short circuit and, thus, the immediate shutdown of the Macbook. As the heat sink is cooling down, the heat sink contracts to the point that it looses its contact with the cable and breaks up the short circuit."

I am experiencing random shutdown with my black MacBook, but suspect that it is a firmware issue rather than hardware issue for the following reasons:
1. When the MacBook shutdown to the point that it will not boot up, I immediately remove the battery and adapter, press the power button for a few seconds, replace the battery, and it will start up and operate normally.
2. The MacBook will operate normally by pressing the power button until the long beep, even when it has shutdown and refuse to boot up with a single press of the power button.
3. It could soon shutdown suddenly after a long period of power off or sleep (which means the CPU temperature is still low).
4. The shutdown could also happen after quitting an application with high CPU load with the fan running, which seems to be a case of sudden drop in CPU temperature.
I hope that Apple can update the SMC firmware quickly to address this issue.

Problems with random shutdown after replacing a swollen battery

Hello all,
Perhaps one of you can help with this issue.
I'm using a Macbook Pro 17" mid-2007 model. A few months ago, the power disconnected from the machine when the battery had already run down and the machine did a hard shutdown. When I booted it back up there were serious problems with the display. Eventually it stopped working altogether. I took it for service and it was determined to by the NVIDIA graphics processor problem, so Apple replaced my motherboard.
When I got the machine back from servicing, there was a rattle in the right fan that gradually got worse. After a while the touchpad button stopped depressing in the center. I also experienced several random shutdowns while operating on battery power. I learned about the swelling battery issue with macbooks and ordered a replacement. By the time the replacement battery arrived my original battery was quite swollen. I'm concerned that the swelling battery may have warped the case a bit, leading to the fan noise.
I have now replaced the battery, but I'm still experiencing random shutdowns after 20+ minutes of use on battery power. I have done the RSS tests that were recommended in other forums and there doesn't seem to be any random shutdown problems when I'm plugged in -- only under battery power. My understanding is that a swelling battery can sometimes cause the battery to disengage from the electrical contacts on the MB, causing a sudden shutdown. I'm wondering why the problem is persisting now with a new battery? After one random shutdown, I tried to power up again using the battery, while pushing the battery into place at various angles, but I couldn't find any angle that would give power to the machine. The fan noise is also still present.
Can anyone offer an explanation or advise on any methods to overcome these random shutdowns? I have checked the console and the machine isn't registering any error when it shuts down, although when it restarts it says "DirectoryService[35] Improper shutdown detected"

Yep, it is video (or: or audio for video) so unless you're sure you need it (because you work or will work with the DVC Pro HD video/audio codec), you can remove the plug from its' folder and put it in your documents folder (don't trash it, I have no idea if it is necessary for non-DVC Pro HD users to have it installed too).
The WWW is littered with posts from people encountering bugs and crashreports with DVCPROHDAudio.plugin as the main suspect. Most of those posts seem to be from video people rather than audio folks.
http://www.google.nl/search?q=DVCPROHDAudio.plugin&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=or g.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
But, if you get crashes and you see this one mentioned in the report, disable it, restart, and see if the problem's gone.

Whats next if all else fails with random shutdowns

Hi, having random shutdown on battery power on my 'macbook intel 1.83 core duo' no warning of low battery etc always ample battery power available.
Have installed battery update 1.2 twice
Have reset the SMC twice to no avail
Next stop apple repair centre, but what's the most likely outcome has anyone had this issue resolved by repair, and if so, what was the cause.

I am in the same situation, save that I have not yet tried re-setting the SMC. My MacBook is still under guarantee, but the local Apple shop can suggest nothing more creative than that l leave the notebook with them for a week plus. That is impossible for me -- any more than half a day, and I need to have a stand-by replacement into which I can slot my hard drive, but that is most certainly not on offer. It is the more irritating in that it is now apparent to me that Random Shutdown Syndrome been the subject of complaints literally for years, and comes as no surprise to Apple. I am beginning to wonder whether the AppleCare Protection-Plan was worth what I paid for it.

MacBook Pro Core Duo 15" Random Shutdown worsening

Have had my MBP for over 18 months now, and any glitches have been software so far.
Two nights ago, I was working on my MBP and suddenly went into an unwakeable sleep. After resetting, I could start up intermittently up to 5 minutes, but it seems to have gotten worse, to where I'm at a point where I can only manage a few seconds of startup before it blacks out again, either off or again, into an unwakeable darkness.
It's the same with just battery, battery & AC, or just AC. It wont stay on long enough for me to start from CD, neither will it stay on to let me Firewire my info/account to another Mac.
At times when I cannot start at all, I can hear a small 'electrical snap' (best description I can give) when pressing the power button, whichever combination of power source I use. I guess this is normal, but I wouldn't notice it usually.
For anyone who've had their MacBook Pro with "Random Shutdown" fixed by Apple out of warranty, could you give an example of cost?
Thanks
Sion Joyce

i dread to think how much it would cost, but i was having random shutdown problems as of last week. completely out of the blue
but, the latest Firmware update seems to have solved it! not before i went and bought another battery of course
one thing i have noticed though is the eta on the battery fullness is completely random now, it'll go from having about a minute left to having an hour and 30mins

MacBook random shutdown w/10.6.7 update

I installed the 10.6.7 combo update this morning, and now I have a problem with random shutdowns. The problem persists even after a PRAM reset. When I run Apple Hardware Test, the short test reports no problem. The extended test...shuts down before completion (before the PRAM reset, it ran for about 18 minutes; afterward, it ran for about 90 minutes).
When I ran AHT, I did so with the system "stripped" (nothing but the MacBook), so it's not a peripheral problem.
As long as I'm active (that is, using the mouse or keyboard), it won't shut down. I did have this problem with 10.6.6, but that was related to EyeTV recording and was not a system-wide issue.

I spent a couple days off and on at the apple store. Had a brand new early 2011 macbook pro 8G I7 2.3... all the best.
It was randomly shutting down, sometimes 2-3 times a day.
After replacing everything, literally, including the entire machine, it was still doing the same thing.
Finally, a genius at the gilbet, az, apparently the genius boss, started looking at it.
The first thing he tried was turning off sharing.
It worked instantly.
So, here's one of the major causes of the random shutdown - Sharing
If you share any directory that contains operating system information - the main disk, your user account, etc. OSX will die, usually with a Kernal panic (or several of them).
It turns out that you should only share folders that have data, never anything that has OS or App information.
I shared everything because it was easiest for me on my MS network to get to and from the machine. It was always problematic to decide what to share, or to create multiple shares on the mac and then get to them from the PC side of my network. Now that is what I must do.
As soon as sharing was turned off on my main drive and on the user accounts, the random shutdowns ceased. I haven't had any since.
Now all I have left is an issue with the mouse not responding after I close the lid and reopen it. Everything appears to work, but the mouse just won't move.

Random Shutdown of MacBook Pro

I have had a problem with random shutdowns. For my computer, it will randomly shut down when I am running off the batter power, even when the battery is fully charged. It will only turn on again if I connect the charger and then press the power button. I went to the apple store and they archived and reinstalled leopard, and this seemed to fix the problem for a few days, but now, 4 days later, I have the same problem. Is it a hardware problem or just a power management software glitch?

Hiya,
I had a similar problem, that is, my macbookpro would shut down when the laptop was not switched on, at first when the battery was ~20%-30% and then later on even at ~70%-80%.
It was giving me no warnings whatsoever and after the improper shutdowns the machine would take ages to boot up to the OS.
Prior to that happening, my laptop would never wake up after a sleep, especially when it wasn't plugged in. Safe sleep wasn't working, clamshell mode was causing the laptop to wake up intermittently, the "Automatically adjust brightness when light conditions changes" kept resetting itself and a lot more which I cant honestly remember. After being so impatient, I took the mac to the genius bar. It was about a month before its warranty would expire. The guy there, thankfully a very helpful guy had dealt with the same problem before and he said that it is most likely that the logic board/battery need to be replaced.
They said I would ve had a replacement brand new laptop if it was bought from the same country, but as I had bought it from the States and took it to an Apple Store in London this was not possible under Apple's policy.
About a week later, one of their technicians called me to go pick it up. Half an hour later, he calls again telling me not to go as they had found some problems when they were running their Diagnostic Tests. Eventually after having changed the logic board, the battery the I/O power unit, and installing a brand new hard disk, the laptop was causing problems.
The result : I was offered a new laptop.
Hope this helps.
P.S this all happened about two weeks ago.
Andreas

Random shutdowns: my experience, and a suggestion

I own a BlackBook whose random shutdowns began a couple of weeks ago.
During my first trip to my local Genius Bar, the guy behind the counter reset the PMU and PRAM, and was unable to reproduce the problem, and sent me on my way.
The random shutdowns continued.
During my second trip to the Genius Bar, the guy was able to boot the machine from another drive, and was able to reproduce the problem. The machine was sent to the repair center for servicing. I got it back a few days later.
Random shutdowns have still occurred, but I find that if I reset the PRAM as the machine is booting, and wait for at least three startup chimes before letting go of the key combination (control-option-P-R), the machine seems to stabilize and not shut down on its own, at least so far.
Before repair, the machine was also exhibiting the "vertical colored lines at startup" problem. Before that, it needed a replacement power adapter and a replacement battery (the battery was refusing to take a charge or even be recognized by the computer).
Various theories for the cause or causes of the problem with random shutdowns have been suggested -- along with a number of magic-bullet solutions from different sources. My guess is that even Apple isn't sure what's causing the issue, and there's certainly no foolproof solution that the user can apply. We'll just have to wait and see what comes of the investigations.
Despite these problems, I still love the BlackBook and think it's perhaps the most beautifully designed computer ever made. I assume that once these growing pains subside, Apple will have a total winner on its hands.
MacBook (black) 13" Mac OS X (10.4.7)

I have a whitebook bought in June, shutdowns started about 6 weeks after I got it. Did the whole tech support line thing several times resetting various things etc. No change. Sent it in for repair with a strong encouragement that it would only take 48 hours. It is now 10 days later and repair is still on hold. Sent in several "why is this dragging on" and got nice automatic reponse saying they would respond in a day or two. No real responses yet. Called today the helpful tech said they would check and see what was holding things up and let me know when I called back in 48 hours. Assured me I would not be without my Macbook more than a week longer. Have missed work and have a presentation on Friday that I will have to do without it. Had I known it would take this long I would have taken my chance that it would not shut down mid stream in the presentation. I am very disapointed with Apple at this point. Have been a long time user and own stock etc. This is the worse customer service I have gotten on a computer problem, personal or business. Apple needs to realize they have a batch of lemons on their hands and bite the bullet and replace them. I am not encouraged to hear others are getting their books back repaired only to find the problem on going.

Help - Thermal or Random Shutdowns

My MBP 15” is outside the warranty and developed what appears to be a thermal shutdown issue. After a period of time it just shuts down. When I restart, it shuts down again very quickly. Each restart results in a shutdown sooner than the last. If the MBP is left off for a longer period of time it will restart, but shuts down after 10 or so minutes.
Being out of warranty and being brave I dismantled it and found nothing outwardly wrong. However, the heat sink compound was pretty dried and cake-like. So I cleaned and replaced the compound and fired it up only to have the problem once again. The compound may have helped a little, but it is not statistically significant. I also pulled the battery backup wire while I dismantled the MBP. I am not sure if that erases the non-volatile memory or not.
The problem shutdowns occur with and without the battery installed. The only way I have been able to work around this problem was to install a third-party fan control program. I set the minimum fan speed to 2500 – 3000 RPMs and life is fine. I have not had a shutdown in the last two weeks since I installed the fan control program. That tells me that the thermal sensors are probably initiating the shutdown. I can’t say what they are measuring is real or not.
However, I can’t recall ever hearing the fans before the MBP shuts down. I hear them now with the fan program running, but I can’t ever recall hearing them before the install. Any thoughts?

Have you run something like iStat Pro... just to get an idea of what the temp sensor readings are? It's possible you may have just a faulty sensor... Something like iStat Pro:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/status/istatpro.html
or Temperature Monitor:
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/19994
... will give you the reported temps of a number of components. If you have a faulty sensor... it should be easy to detect (for example, if your heat sink shows 120 C but both your processors show around 60 C and your other heatsink slightly lower... you'll know the first heat sink probably has a bad sensor). The first generation MacBooks had a problem with random shutdowns due to a faulty heatsink sensor. Apple was able to put out a firmware update that basically ignored the faulty sensor... but for those that had the problem, if they run one of the above programs... they can still see the faulty readings... only their machines no longer shut down as they are now ignored.
You should first determine your processor and heatsink temps... just to make sure you actually are not experiencing an overheat problem vs. just a faulty sensor.

2006 model Random Shutdown

Here's some of the details:
My computer was purchased in May 2006. Since then it has crashed twice because of overheating. The power cord has been replaced, CPU fans and the HD x2. I have never had any problems with random shut down except 3 years ago it would shut down immediately after the power cord was disconnected.
A few days ago I noticed that whenever I returned from classes the computer would be shut off. The problem: I never shut it down.
I'm unsure if this is somehow connected or not, but a few years ago the cd burner suddenly quit working and then today I tried uncessfully to eject a dvd. It made the sound to eject, even began to eject the dvd but didn't make it out even 1cm before the computer decided jk, and stole it back.
Now the unit is shutting down while I only have firefox running. I restarted the computer and now the light on the power supply is absent, along with the battery % which is normally present.
I know it's 4 years old but nothing quite like this has happened before.
Also, when the unit shuts down, it is not even remotely hot. I've read several places that the heat sink expands (or maybe it was something else) which then causes a short circuit.
Does anyone have any ideas?

Do you have all of your firmware updates installed? A firmware update is a little different than a regular update. You would get the firmware update via Software Update, but you would have to manually install it after it downloads... going through a process involving holding down the power button when you start it up... and getting some loud beeps. Have you ever done that?
There was a known problem with random shutdowns in those machines related to a faulty heat sensor... the update was basically to ignore the faulty sensor.

[solved?] possible reasons for random shutdowns

Several months ago, my laptop started to suddenly shutdown for no apparent reason. Initially, I assumed it was overheating. Lenovo had a look, found nothing but replaced the thermal paste anyway, gave it back.
The issue continued so somebody from IT stuck my laptop in a server room on top of a hot computer and stress tested it for a few hours. Conclusion: can find nothing wrong, definitely not a heat problem! (Laptop never went above 65.) They ran a bunch of hardware tests as part of this, got my cable and adaptor tested etc.
Next theory: issue had only ever occurred on one level of the building (in my office) and it turned out there had been another issue with another laptop in that area and it turned out to be shutting down to protect itself due to spikes in the power supply. A UPS solved that issue. One is currently on order for me.
Meanwhile, last weekend I had the issue occur twice in a friend's house in Birmingham. Even more worrying, however, I just had it happen here at home even though I use the machine extensively here and have never seen this happen here before.
I'm guessing this rules out the environmental hypothesis although I'm by no means certain of this.
That leaves: hardware or software.
Hardware is a pain - Lenovo already ran it for 48 hours straight and found nothing. Moreover, although I have paid to extend the warranty and although they've taken my money, I've so far been entirely unsuccessful in getting Lenovo's system to recognise the extension. In any case, with the holidays and everything I'd rather be sure of what I'm dealing with before giving the machine up for an extended period of time. I cannot reliably reproduce the issue so it is hard to troubleshoot.
So I would like to know what possible software issues might trigger apparently random shutdowns.
The shutdowns are immediate. One minute I am working on some document or whatever. The next the machine is off. journalctl shows nothing except:
-- Reboot --
If it was a hardware protection feature, would this get logged?
It does not reboot - it powers off - but I always have issues with reboot since I switched to systemd. Generally, it just powers off instead. [Oh, and before anybody tries to blame systemd, the random shutdowns started before I switched to systemd.]
I've checked the RAM.
Any suggestions, however unlikely, are welcome at this point.
Last edited by cfr (2013-04-13 23:42:03)

Thanks. The adaptor, cable etc. was "PAT tested" by the electricals person in our building and they checked the fuse etc. in the plug as well. Moreover, the laptop never usually has a problem switching from AC to battery and back. My battery is more than adequate for this sort of purpose and, if the battery did run low, the laptop would automatically suspend to RAM. Also, I know if this happens because, among other things, the display is set to dim on switch to battery. When the power supply has disappeared due to a power cut or just unplugging it, the switch has always been flawless.
I've just been jiggling and shaking and rotating the laptop itself as suggested above with no effect whatsoever. I've also tried pressing around the edges of the casing just in case I'm somehow putting pressure somewhere and that's affecting things. (I assume if it was pressure due to typing or touchpad, it would be happening all the time.)
I've also just spent a while jiggling the adaptor and both parts of the cable - also with no effect.
The one thing which makes me reluctant to test sans battery is that I've read that the batteries in ThinkPads serve some sort of protective function in case of issues with the power supply and that you shouldn't use them without the battery for that reason. (Somewhere on Lenovo's site but it was months ago so I can't remember where to check the details.) In case there is an issue with the power, I'd obviously rather not fry the laptop. (But it seems weird if it happens in several places in that case...)
I'm not sure about the cold boot comment. Do you think a cold boot might help? If so, I already performed one yesterday as I opened the back to look for loose connections. So if a cold boot might help, I'll just have to see. I've done cold boots before, though, after opening it up to look for issues following shutdowns.
These issues appeared several months ago and I've reproduced the issue with the LTS kernel a while back. So if it is a regression, it has been around for a bit. I might try a live Ubuntu USB. (I don't have an optical drive.) The problem is that a negative result won't really prove anything because the issue is so random. Given that yesterday is the first time it has ever happened to me at home and that even in my office I've sometimes gone three or four days without problem, a couple of days testing won't cut it. (And will make it difficult for me to get stuff done!) It might be best to wait and try it in my office after the holidays - if it worked for, say, a week there without issue, that would strongly suggest something in my Arch setup. (Or something about the hdd, I guess.)
Somebody suggested modules so, for the record, here's output from lsmod:
Module Size Used by
usb_storage 47385 0
uas 11120 0
efivars 12441 1
fuse 69213 3
hid_generic 1114 0
usbhid 37036 0
hid 85974 2 hid_generic,usbhid
rfcomm 33792 8
bnep 8858 2
ipt_REJECT 2282 2
ip6t_REJECT 2797 2
xt_LOG 12055 6
xt_limit 1978 6
xt_tcpudp 2472 4
nf_conntrack_ipv4 7799 5
nf_defrag_ipv4 1340 1 nf_conntrack_ipv4
nf_conntrack_ipv6 7512 5
nf_defrag_ipv6 6318 1 nf_conntrack_ipv6
xt_recent 8603 12
xt_conntrack 3298 10
nf_conntrack 64101 3 xt_conntrack,nf_conntrack_ipv4,nf_conntrack_ipv6
iptable_filter 1457 1
ip_tables 16947 1 iptable_filter
ip6table_filter 1397 1
ip6_tables 18519 1 ip6table_filter
x_tables 17000 11 ip6table_filter,xt_recent,ip_tables,xt_tcpudp,xt_limit,xt_conntrack,xt_LOG,iptable_filter,ipt_REJECT,ip6_tables,ip6t_REJECT
nls_cp437 5954 1
vfat 10120 1
fat 48403 1 vfat
uvcvideo 72788 0
videobuf2_vmalloc 2469 1 uvcvideo
videobuf2_memops 2283 1 videobuf2_vmalloc
coretemp 6071 0
kvm_intel 124718 0
snd_hda_codec_hdmi 24529 1
videobuf2_core 24073 1 uvcvideo
videodev 100860 2 uvcvideo,videobuf2_core
snd_hda_codec_conexant 47159 1
btusb 12373 0
kvm 374014 1 kvm_intel
media 10406 2 uvcvideo,videodev
joydev 9992 0
arc4 2040 2
bluetooth 192234 22 bnep,btusb,rfcomm
iwldvm 171052 0
mac80211 426350 1 iwldvm
snd_hda_intel 26181 2
snd_hda_codec 98034 3 snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_conexant,snd_hda_intel
thinkpad_acpi 62562 0
snd_hwdep 6429 1 snd_hda_codec
snd_pcm 75735 3 snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_intel
snd_page_alloc 7218 2 snd_pcm,snd_hda_intel
microcode 12346 0
snd_timer 18935 1 snd_pcm
nvram 5907 1 thinkpad_acpi
snd 60189 12 snd_hwdep,snd_timer,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_conexant,snd_pcm,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_intel,thinkpad_acpi
rts_pstor 401665 0
atl1c 33647 0
psmouse 71952 0
iwlwifi 125182 1 iwldvm
iTCO_wdt 5256 0
iTCO_vendor_support 1930 1 iTCO_wdt
cfg80211 177109 3 iwlwifi,mac80211,iwldvm
rfkill 15605 5 cfg80211,thinkpad_acpi,bluetooth
soundcore 5443 1 snd
i2c_i801 9572 0
evdev 10267 25
serio_raw 4690 0
pcspkr 1900 0
mei 32666 0
lpc_ich 10610 0
ac 2537 0
thermal 8120 0
battery 6774 0
wmi 8380 0
nfs 127008 0
lockd 64905 1 nfs
sunrpc 186134 2 nfs,lockd
fscache 40996 1 nfs
acpi_cpufreq 5934 0
mperf 1300 1 acpi_cpufreq
processor 26856 1 acpi_cpufreq
ext4 440435 10
crc16 1360 2 ext4,bluetooth
jbd2 78802 1 ext4
mbcache 6027 1 ext4
sha256_generic 10262 2
ablk_helper 1973 0
aes_x86_64 7556 5
aes_generic 26139 1 aes_x86_64
cbc 2737 1
dm_crypt 15800 1
dm_mod 72106 35 dm_crypt
sd_mod 29560 4
crc32c_intel 1988 0
ghash_clmulni_intel 4278 0
cryptd 8742 2 ghash_clmulni_intel,ablk_helper
ahci 21361 3
libahci 20024 1 ahci
libata 167757 2 ahci,libahci
scsi_mod 133434 5 uas,usb_storage,libata,rts_pstor,sd_mod
ehci_hcd 41817 0
usbcore 150472 6 uas,btusb,uvcvideo,usb_storage,ehci_hcd,usbhid
usb_common 955 1 usbcore
i915 496012 3
video 11277 1 i915
button 4663 1 i915
i2c_algo_bit 5392 1 i915
intel_agp 10745 1 i915
intel_gtt 15660 2 i915,intel_agp
drm_kms_helper 32878 1 i915
drm 218903 4 i915,drm_kms_helper
i2c_core 20708 6 drm,i915,i2c_i801,drm_kms_helper,i2c_algo_bit,videodev
I did wonder about the watchdogs and whether I should try turning (any of?) them off. But I suspect this thought just shows my ignorance of these things.
I don't think there's a fan in my power supply - it is just a brick type adaptor between the AC and the laptop. If it is the battery, it would be odd that it only ever happens when I'm plugged into AC. (Again, I use it a lot more on AC and the problem is random so this need not mean much.) One difference between battery and AC is that laptop-mode tools is configured to disable the NMI watchdog on battery. But again, I don't understand enough of what this means to know whether this is even vaguely relevant.
My graphics is intel so I'm not using any closed source drivers from Nvidia or ATI. The driver is currently set to use the default acceleration. QT is using default rendering (X11/XRender) rather than Raster or the experimental OpenGL.

I have searched for solutions to the error 13019, but everyone with the problem doe'st manually manage their music like I do. I really don't want to have to sync and gothrough that mess. Help? solution for manually managing videos and music!!

I have searched for solutions to the error 13019, but everyone with the problem doesn't manually manage their music like I do. I really don't want to have to sync and go through that mess. Please Help! solution for manually managing videos and music!!

- Make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store and hear what they hae to say. It is free.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar
you can turn on Assistive Touch it adds the Power and other buttons to the iPods screen. Settings>General>Accessibility>Assistive Touch

Random shutdown then fixed?

well like alot of other users i got the random shutdown on my macbook the other night. i've been a long time windows user and finally got around to getting myself one of these nice new macbooks just last friday. (my pervious mac being a powerbook 190cs about 9yrs ago now) anyways all was going well till it randomly shut down on me. so i unplugged it and turned it on again this time it took alot less time to just shut itself down without my input. after this it wouldn't even make mac OS so i held the power button for 15 secs and it booted and didn't shut down for the rest of the night (except for when i reset it).
i had had boot camp installed and while i was in the city today i went into next byte and talked to the guy in there who said that some people had solved it with a software fix. i had a look through these forums and saw that bootcamp didn't seem to play a part in most cases of this happening.
i ended up deleting bootcamp off the hard drive as i was no longer using it after finding replacements for all bar VS 2005 and Access and was using them in parallels. after deleting bootcamp i haven't had a problem however in trying to work out what it was i noticed that instead of displaying the apple logo first up when i booted the machine it held the folder with ? on it for a minute. after getting rid of bootcamp this no longer happened.
i dunno how or why but it no longer seems to be randomly resetting and not turning on. i'm hoping that its fixed becuase i really don't wanna have to send it in to apple for some of the fixes other people have had to do.
anyways i just thought i'd post it incase it helps someone.

Anybody have any ideas?
I shut it down for a couple days. Just tried starting it up last night and it only made it to the login screen before it shut down again. This time it didn't try to turn back on.

Random Shutdown: Locked Clockspeed, Processor Voltage Correlation?

I use Hardware Monitor to keep track of more sensor readouts than just temps. I recommend everyone install it. Using it, I've discovered some weird behavior in the processor clockspeed and voltage that correlates in a predictable with my typical macbook random shutdown problem. I wonder if others witness the same correlation.
Normally, according to my sensor readings, the clockspeed and cpu voltage fluctuate frequently and continually, presumably according to the demands on the processor. Clockspeed typically runs between 1333Mhz and 2000Mhz, voltage between 1.00 and 1.30V.
When running like this, it is subject to random shutdowns at any time, but most especially — indeed with absolute reliability, so to speak — within ten minutes of waking from sleep — regardless of whether i'm using mail, surfing, playing music, or running intense calculations and (so far as i can tell), regardless of how many or few processes are running simultaneously, and regardless of temperature readings. Indeed, now with the new firmware update my temps are quite low. In fact, since the computer most reliably shuts down soon after waking up, it's temp at shutdown often registers no more than the mid-50s (it'll shut down at 47).
After the macbook shuts down, it refuses to restart reliably with a simple press of the power button. Like many others, I have to hold down the power button for about ten seconds, until I hear the pained protracted beep, before the computer will enter into the normal booting process.
After it boots up like this from a shutdown — and this is what I haven't seen enough commentary on — the processor speed remains locked at 1000Mhz and the voltage at .99V until the computer goes to sleep again.
While the computer is locked into this slow-clockspeed-low-voltage mode, it is absolutely reliable. It never shuts down randomly. It runs much slower. Which is really noticeable and frustrating when using any graphics-intense or movie app.
So my questions are:
Does anyone else experience this sort of locking processor behavior?
Why would the processor lock like this?
Is it possible that the sensors are wrong? That in fact the processor is fluctuating normally but now the computer doesn't "know" it?
How would the processor's ability to vary its clockspeed and the voltage it draws affect its propensity to shutdown randomly?
I would be grateful for the observations of others regarding clockspeed and voltage at shutdown and after rebooting.
Thanks.
macbook 2.0 Ghz, 1.25GB, 80GB, week 20 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

hi
I have exactly same problems and symptoms.
It was a refurbished week 20 unit from apple uk it arrived in excellent condition and worked perfectly for two weeks without the fan comeing on at all it was perfectly quiet but hot.
As this was my first mac I was unaware that this was abnormal I had heard that they ran hot but being new to mac I was on a learning curve. Then two days after the remorse return period it began to shut down the first time was after a period of sleep just after I opened the lid. It then was and still is impossible to start it from warm or cold in the normal way, but only by holding the power down until beep. Then it will work for days at 27 deg c without a problem all be it at the 1 gig reduced speed which as you say is frustrating to say the least. Applecare UK don't acknowledge the problem at all they just want to treat it as a normal warrenty repair at my inconvenience. I am at present awaiting a more generous response from apple. I'm demanding a replacement unit but they just want we to fill out their standard web questionaire. (with non relavant tick boxs) If only one could speak to a real knowledgeable individual at apple I'm sure I'd get some satisfaction. But in this age of executive big bonuses what can one expect.
I hope Apple get real with this soon because the disscussion forums are getting overloaded with this issue its getting harder to login have you noticed.
yours unhappy customer.

To Everyone with Random Shutdowns! (Solved! REALLY!)

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