August 9th, 2006
MacBook problems continued: spontaneous shutdowns and boot issue
Well, I’m actually starting to doubt the best operating system in the world.
Or, to be correct, it’s not the operating system I’m having a feud with – it’s the MacBook. Apple still are extremely quiet and extremely tight-assed about both admitting there is a wide-spread problem with the MacBooks shutting down when they should not, and even though it’s only (…) happened to me eight times in the past three days, I’m freaked out when it happens. Even though I’m a person who saves often and backs up everything (when I remember to), I hate it. And, of course, every professional maker of computers should make damn sure it doesn’t happen.
And today, I booted my Mac. Or, wait, I didn’t. The thing made the starting-the-Mac-sound, and the screen went a bit more luminated than if it were turned off, but nothing more happened. I think the hard-disk rattled, but I’m not sure. I held down the power-button, and it turned off. I pressed it, the turned-on-sound came, and same thing: a slightly greyish screen dawned, with nothing more. I tried this once more, before resetting the PMU on the blasted thing. No effect. I switched words with Peter, who said his MacBook (which also likes to shut down and is currently in the shops for repairs) did the same thing, and you can solve it temporarily by pressing Cmd+Alt+T+R Cmd+Alt+P+R before you press the power-button. It worked! Temporarily, and, I may add, until the next spontaneous shutdown.
I really, really hope Apple fix this shit as soon as possible. Vista 2.0 or not, if this goes on after the repairs, if their very latest laptop shuts down as I’m working on important stuff, and this happens out of the blue, as often as the computer cares for it and killing my portal to the digital world in the process – I will get rid of Apple and Macintosh computers for fucking good.
By the way, check this previous post for my happy (yet problem-heaving) ranting on the MacBook. I need a fucking time-travel-gizmo so I can sort shit like this out before I get to eat it. I just wish for a happy ending as the MacBook, when it works, is the best laptop I’ve ever had. And OSX is the best OS I’ve ever tried. Fuck.
August 10th, 2006 at 13:19
Cmd+Alt+P+R. P and R!
August 10th, 2006 at 15:10
[...] Giddup-a! Geddondown-a! « MacBook problems continued: spontaneous shutdowns and boot issue [...]
August 12th, 2006 at 22:24
no sad mac icon??? I remember the time I moved something from the system folder on somebody else’s computer and then couldn’t restart it again!!! What an idiot I was.
Sad mac icons are the worst.
August 13th, 2006 at 01:58
I guess Steve Jobs keeps quoting Paris Hilton while playing Apples’-mouths-are-shut-about-this-whole-thing:
August 22nd, 2006 at 05:04
My MacBook freezes during shutdown. I will select shut down, hit enter, the screen turns blue, then I will close it. At this time the sleep light turns on. The machine looks like it is now in sleep mode so I open it back up and the damn thing is froze. It’s not in sleep mode nor is it shut off. I must hold down the power button to turn it on. Then I get an error message stating that Mac OSX was shut down incorrectly.
This is essentially my third MacBook with this ploblem?????????
August 22nd, 2006 at 07:24
Dear Bassdad, have you tried PMU’ing (=pressing Cmd+Alt+P+R before you press the power-button) and firmware-flashing it?
August 24th, 2006 at 11:19
I have had the same problem with my MacBook. Three weeks after purchase, it started shutting down. It was shut down randomly, and I know a lot of other MacBook owners has hade the same problem. I called AppleCare UK and it ended up with the computer being booked for repair. Gave it to local repair unit, they replaced the MLB (think it is main logic board).
When I got computer back, I played one movie and then rebooted it. When booting up, the screen was lit by the backlight, but there was nothing at all on it. I could hear it working for a couple of seconds, but then it went quiet. That was it. Had to press-n-hold power button to shut down, and ever since that it was the same thing when trying to start it: Full backlight, nothing on screen, and there it stood. Nothing happened.
I called the shop that did my repair (KRCS, authorized Apple retailer) and they just said “bring it in”. I gave it to them yesterday, so now just hoping for the best.
I really love the computer, but all this is making me doubt Apple computers and the way they put new products on the market.