MacBook Pro shutdown problem
I’ve been having a problem with my MacBook Pro shutting down at random time whenever it is attached to an Apple Cinema Display. The shutdown usually happened when I leave my desk and the screensaver activates, it will take a few minutes after the screensaver is activated for the computer to shutdown. The MacBook Pro is very stable when it’s not connected to the display.
After repairing the permission using Disk Utility and resetting the Power Management Unit (PMU) the problem continue to exist. I called Apple Technical Support and the technician told me to create a new account on Mac OS X and use it.
Today, the notebook would shutdown without the need to wait for the screensaver to activate. All I did was watch a quicktime movie and the MacBook Pro would shutdown automatically. So, for the third time this week, I called Apple again and the technician recommend me to reinstall Mac OS X and see if the problem persist.
I will reinstall Mac OS X on the weekend so I can backup my hard disk and do a clean install. If the problem continue after the reinstall then I should take my MacBook Pro to a service center for further investigation. It could be a problem with the video card since the shutdown happened when I watch quicktime videos or the screensaver activate (OpenGL)?
Does any MacBook Pro attached to a cinema display experience this? Please let me know, and let Apple know about it!
1. Juha 4 Sep 2006
Hi William.
Have a look at this blog which has some details about why the shutdown occurs.
Cheers - Juha
2. Johan Malmstrom 4 Sep 2006
I’ve the same problem but not with a Cinema Display but an Sony-display.
3. William Pramana 5 Sep 2006
The problem seems to come from the MacBook Pro. I connected a PowerBook G4 to the display and it ran very well. I’m going to take the MacBook Pro to a service center next week.
4. Nik Cubrilovic 18 Sep 2006
Hey. I am writing a post about crap Macs at the moment. The problem you have is that the CPU overheats, and the thermostat kicks in ‘early’. No level of software formatting will fix the issue for you, so don’t bother - it even happens for me while WinXP is running. For a temporary fix, don’t keep the CPU loaded for long periods and lift your laptop up on a stand so it gets good ventilation.
Macbooks suck - 39% of them suffer the problem you describe
5. William Pramana 18 Sep 2006
Hey Nik, I reinstalled Mac OS X and you are right it did not fix the issues. I am going to take it to Apple service center and it will take 2 - 3 weeks to fix the damn thing.
6. bCrtwrght 22 Sep 2006
Take a look at the link http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/macbookpro/topic4139.html (or) above to see even more reports flooding in about this restarting issue. My MBP has been doing this since I first tried to connect to my old mac and pull my files over to this new one. I have an extended warranty from compusa (bad Idea) and my computer is out of the Apple standard warranty. I spoke with applecare when my machine was covered though, and they acted like this was a new issue to them and no fixes they suggested worked. On my most recent call I had the apple rep look at the link I posted above so that he could pass this on. If it is true that apple reps don’t know about the problem, then that is rediculous communication. If the DO know about it and aren’t letting on, that is a rediculous deception. I’ll have 2 weeks minimum to ship my computer out for repair through compusa. That is a death sentence to my job as a graphic designer who relies on this machine for everything. I believe this is a HUGE issue for MBP users and it is unrelated to your monitor- but rather a faulty hardware design. I will check back earnestly to see what is going on on this thread- I encourage readers to report these issues as publicly as possible to encourage some corrective action. They are wasting your time with these reinstall procedures as it is a hardware issue.
7. Mark Abouzeid 28 Oct 2006
Thank god this blog exists! I thought was going insane! Using a cinema screen and Aperture, my macbook pro crashes reboots several times a day. I am a photographer and am pulling my hair out. All my client work is weeks behind…forget about business development!
8. flying pumpkin 3 Feb 2007
I have a powerbook G4 and this happens frequently. Usually the shutdown dialog appears and then if I don’t hit cancel within a couple of seconds it shuts down. Sometimes it shuts down without warning. This only occurs when hooked up to the cinema display. The problem is occuring with annoying frequency. I don’t know if it coincides with Tiger or something else. I had the problem before. It would happen like twice a day. Now it is every minute or two. Help!
9. Steph Gallant 13 Apr 2007
my MBP doesn’t actually shutdown, but it freezes and gives me window with the power button in the background and indicates that I must restart my computer. it seems to happen when i wake it from sleep mode. This has happened 4 or 5 times since I got it 2 months ago.
10. john 25 Apr 2007
i’m having the same problem with a mac pro that i just purchased at the beginning of the month. only happens when the screensaver is up though .. and i’m not using cinema displays, but two dell monitors. i have figured out how to foil the reboot though .. just open a text document and type a couple of characters … the mac won’t reboot if there is a document with un-saved changes. still sucks though… any thoughts?
-j
11. Matt 30 Apr 2007
I’m positive this all stems from the video card. It only happens when I do something 3D or video-intensive. For instance, working in iMovie HD or playing Warcraft III.
Just yesterday I was in my XP partition (Boot Camp) playing Rise of Nations with some buddies and twice it rebooted.
I installed a program that reduces CPU usage in XP by monitoring voltages and the reboot went away for a good 2-3 hours but then happened again (in the middle of a game no less).
I’m 100% positive it’s the video processor or video-related hardware that is causing this. I used to have a very 3D-based screen saver and it would happen. I changed to a blank screen and it doesn’t happen.
I can’t go without this machine long enough for them to look at it and go “Ya there’s nothing wrong with it”. What are my options?!