Random Acts of Shut Down
It’s been two months since I proudly carried my new MacBook home. I love this machine. It’s crazy fast, it’s light-weight, the keyboard rocks, and the glossy screen is much better than I could ever have hoped. I’m rocking it with 2gbs of RAM (is there any other way?) and a 100gb 7200rpm disk. Boot-up takes just around a half minute with ALL the background apps running – compared to my old G4 PowerBook, that’s really fast! Everytime it boots up I’m tickled by how quick it is.
What I’m not thrilled about is that I get to appreciate this boot-up speed ALL THE TIME. The Mac savvy reading this probably know already, that you don’t boot a Mac all that often. Generally a software update is the main reason, so uptime on these lovely machines is /weeks/months at a time. It just so happens that the “Random Shut Down” problem is one that now plagues my dear MacBook.
If you’re not familiar with the phenomenon, here’s sort of how it goes:
While typing away on my MacBook, downloading photos from my camera, surfing the internet, or any other number of things, the Macbook just shuts down. Like, it’s on it’s on it’s on, and BOOM! Off. Look away a moment and you’re staring back at a black screen.
There seems to be no correllation between random shut down events. Plugged-in. Running on AC power. Minutes after boot-up, while still cool as a cucumber. After hours of hot and heavy use. Like I said, random.
In reading the discussion boards, and talking to a couple local friends with MacBooks, the symptoms all seem very similar.
- It happened once or twice a week or two ago, but seemed more like a strange one time deal.
- Then in the past few days to a week, it’s happened more and more frequently.
The fact that everywhere I’ve read, and those I’ve talked to, put these events in the same timeframe leads me to believe it’s from some software push – how do several different hardware units all go bad around the same point in time??
Yet when I dropped it off at the local Apple Store to be shipped out to AppleCare (Saves you a couple days waiting for packaging to be shipped out) today, it’s predictably going for a new Main Logic Board. I sincerely hope this takes care of my MacBook’s problem. However, I am doubtful. I can only wait and see for now.
What other problems have I had? Well, I had an Invisible Shield for my MacBook before I even owned it. Before starting it up, I applied the Invisible Shield in hopes of avoiding any yellowing of the palm rests. Yet the right side and the trackpad button show faint yellowish areas. It wasn’t enough on its own that I was going to send it off for repair, but it’ll get a new shell on this trip too.
It runs hot. Pretty darn hot. I use Photoshop a lot, and it seems when Rosetta kicks in, so do the afterburners, but this is to be expected with emulation processes. Plus, you cram that kind of speedy processor into a small package, and what do you expect? I keep the MacBook away from my precious bits and I’m a happy guy.
I suppose it all comes down to, “Don’t ever buy Revision A products.” Words of wisdom. And if you’re the type who makes snap judgements, probably words to live by. Yes, I’m dismayed at having to send my notebook in. The problem was jarring, and quite frankly a huge hassle. But at the end of the day, I’m not about to make a rash decision and work off of my Dell fulltime – the idea makes me queasy. Live without my OS X, Quicksilver, or the portable speed that I’m now accustomed to? Not on your life.
John Kopanas on August 29th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
Same thing happens to me with my new MacBook Pro. This really sucks. Especially when it happens a couple times a day. Not always… but sometimes!
Gareth Potter on August 29th, 2006 at 4:17 pm
Sounds like a software issue to me, but then one wonders why Apple would go to the expense of replacing the motherboards if that were the case.
Hmmm, not good.
*sighs deeply and wonders how much worse Apple build quality is going to get*
(I have two old clamshell iBooks and iMac DV still running fine, a 2G iPod likewise; yet my iBook G3 died of logic board failure 3 times, my PBG4’s hard disk died within two weeks of me getting it (though all has been well since)…)
Perhaps better to wait for Revision C? :P
Hope it gets well soon, so to speak.
Ross on August 29th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
While I’m certainly not happy that this is happening to ANYONE, I suppose I have to admit I’m a bit relieved it’s not just me. I too was trying to figure out some kind of pattern, and the one that I *thought* might be the culprit was that it only happens (to me) when it’s running on battery. So much for that theory.
My “new” theory is to agree w/ your assessment – its got to be software related, somehow. The ‘random’ power-offs started sometime around a week ago, and have become a bit more frequent.
Please do let us (your readers) know the results of having the main logic board replaced. My Macbook Pro is my (so far) only OS X machine, and it’ll be an annoying few days/weeks while it’s off for repairs :)
Ross
Rod on August 29th, 2006 at 5:15 pm
My week21 black macbook has had this problem, and it’s been waiting for a new logic board for over two weeks, because the things are out of stock. Having read discussion forums on apple.com, I’m doubtful this will fix it, it appears to be a heat sink problem.
David on August 29th, 2006 at 5:29 pm
My brother just called me this afternoon complaining about the very same thing. I didn’t know this was a problem the MacBooks were having. I wonder if Kevin Rose was experiencing the same thing, as shown on some recent diggnation episodes.
Todd on August 29th, 2006 at 5:30 pm
It’s not software – it’s hardware. My Macbook started doing this as well, and after several days of testing scenarios with applecare, it was put in for a logic board repair. I had to pay a $60 express fee to have the repair facility look at it within a week, or they would sit on it until then.
After the logic board was replaced, things seemed fine, and then last night, two weeks later, it started to happen again. 8 shut downs in under 12 hours, 8 or which I was sleeping. Apple refuses to replace the unit, and instead wants to now change the logic board and the power supply. From what they told me they will keep replacing every single part and never replace it. Thanks a lot.
I lose about $1000 a week that I don’t have this computer to do work, but that’s what I get for trusting Apple to have a good 1.0 release.
Vinny on August 29th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
I’m starting to think that buying a refurb was the smartest move I’ve ever made…
Ronald Heft on August 29th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
I had a RSD roughly about a month ago. I was in the middle of presenting a slide show to about 60 people. Not the best time for something like that to happen. I recovered quickly and was showing the slide show again about 30 seconds later.
So far, this has not reoccurred. I’m hoping it stays that way because my MacBook is perfect. No discoloration, and it doesn’t run too hot. I’ve tested for the RSD by running the Terminal command thing which heats up the MacBook and so far it’s passed without any problems.
However, reading that you get one RSD and then it starts up a few weeks later is worrying me. School starts later this week and I can’t afford to be without a computer for even one day. I’m just crossing my fingers that, that one RSD was a fluke.
Jay on August 29th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
Same problem here. I just sent my MacBook in for repair and hope it comes back corrected. Sounds like it is a pretty big issue.
Codie Westphall on August 29th, 2006 at 8:59 pm
Heres my 2 cents worth of knowledge
If you NEEEEEED and i emphisize the need in need, a laptop get one but if u dont i really do sufgest going with a desktop, i havnt heard of anyproblems about the new imacs (shoot me down if im wrong), i am currently new to the mac world so im not really up to date with how the 1st models are crap etc etc, im more of a guy who updates just at the very end of a line (gotta imac g5 like a week b4 the core duo came out, but i wanted the G5)
Joel on August 29th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
Only problem I had I mentioned here: http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2616903#2616903
Mantiz on August 30th, 2006 at 2:45 am
Ugh, and this a few months after the crashing windows ad.
Better to have some bad hardware, than having some bad hardware and “lie” about it. Few people will ever trust their ads again.
Lazyllama on August 30th, 2006 at 4:20 am
I have a refurbed black MacBook (week 21). Had it for just over a month without problems but on Saturday it started doing the shutdowns. Sunday I didn’t use the machine much, Monday it shutdown about 4 times . It shutdown 17 times yesterday.
It shutdown running the Hardware Diagnostics, it shutdown trying to boot into a fresh OS install, it shutdown doing backups. Definitely a hardware problem.
It’s a thermal issue of some kind, possibly caused by both high temp when the machine is busy and also when there’s a rapid change (from cool to hot). It can be reproduced using “yes > /dev/null &” twice in Terminal which forced both cores to 100% busy.
I’ve called Apple who after the usual suggestions (reset PRAM, PMU, re-seat RAM, run Diagnostics) agreed that the machine needs a repair, but their returns system was down when I called so I have to call back.
Seems to be a VERY common problem given the number of people reporting it. New MLBs sometimes fix it, but new heatsinks and “lollipops” (whatever they are) seem to work better from the reports I’ve read.
Tek on August 30th, 2006 at 7:56 am
Well, this alone certainly makes me not want to get a MacBook before 2007. =/
The commercials ARE very misleading. :(
I guess I’ll just buy the iMac 20″ desktop and an HP laptop instead.
Alan on August 30th, 2006 at 9:32 am
My RSD-afflicted MacBook came back from repair after a four-day turnaround time and has been problem-free for about ten days now, so my fingers are crossed that they took care of the problem. When I called in and mentioned having read about resetting the PRAM and such, the tech chuckled and said, “Well that won’t work.” (Service replaced the heatsink and a couple of other components.) There certainly is an issue, but from my perspective Apple are doing what they can.
As far as I was able to tell, it was *not* a software problem: At the height of the problem, my machine was shutting down repeatedly immediately after my press of the power buttom. And it happened both warm and cold, in my case.
itsanaddams on August 30th, 2006 at 11:27 am
Believe it or not, I had this problem early on with my 17″ Powerbook (circa 2002). Since it was my main computer, there was NO WAY, I was giving it up for repairs without a fight. To make along story short, it was NOT logic board or software related at all… it was due to faulty memory…
The fact that so many people are having this issue, makes me suspect that the root cause is the same one I struggled with years ago. For my new MacBookPro, (Mar 2006), I went through a couple of different brands, but all seems stable now.
IMHO.
Michael on August 30th, 2006 at 11:55 am
Hello,
I had RSD with my MBP. My reseller replaced the battery. No shutdows since then.
I really haven’t figured out why and how the battery had anything to do with it, but it solved the problem…
ursula2k on August 30th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
Although I am talking about the Powerbook G4, and not the MacBook, maybe the issue I had has some corelation.
I had not random shutdown but random sleep problems. Every 3 seconds to every few hours, the computer would go to sleep and awaking it would be quite difficult. I narrowed it down to a faulty trackpad sensor that was sending overheat data to the system. Since my powerbook was out of warranty, I did not want to spend $1200 to replace the motherboard and the top case… so i did some experimenting taking out kernel extensions ect. nothing worked until i reset the p-ram (option, command p and r at boot until you head the chime) twice and exhanged the battery from another machine. All the problems stopped, and that was 2 months ago. It lead me to think that perhaps a power surge might have caused the problem, and somehow i cleared. Anyway, hope this helps anyone.
arno on August 30th, 2006 at 6:14 pm
new heat sink fixed my macbook. seems to be the key from what i read on apple discussion boards. they also change the inside frame of the screen and around the keyboard (which was not yellow at all). not sure why. good luck! [a]
Ronald Heft on August 30th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
The latest I’ve heard is the RSDs are related to a short in the case. By replacing the heatsink and case, they are eliminating the location of the short.
Joshua on August 31st, 2006 at 12:55 am
I just purchased my MacBook yesterday and I am already experiencing random shutdowns. What a drag. Tomorrow morning I’m headed to the Mac store to return my MacBook. There is no way I will be told that I need it sent back for a logic board. Everywhere I have read this diagnosis does NOT fix the problem. I think my best bet is to return the bunk laptop and then wait a couple months until Apple straightens out the problem to purchase a new one. As much as I love Mac this random shut down, lemon extravaganza is unacceptable.
Ed on August 31st, 2006 at 9:46 am
Well for what it’s worth, my Macbook (which I’ve had since June) has never once shut down randomly, hasn’t doscoloured, and has been an absolute joy to own.
leon on August 31st, 2006 at 10:18 am
There´s an artikle on macnews.de
http://www.macnews.de/news/79194.html
A Guy said, that he found the reason for the RSS Syndrome.
The cable of the heat-sensor seems to be to short.
If it gets hot in the mac-book the heatpipe expands and contacts with the
cable. After a few times the cable-Isolation is melt away and every contact
leeds to a short-circuit.
That´s what he said.
If it´s like that, i think its fixable.
Bye
Todd on August 31st, 2006 at 11:33 am
Ed, I’m jealous, but glad your macbook is working for you :)
I do have to say that AppleCare is the most mis-named service based on my own experience. The quality of this machine is terrible, and the service has been an awful expereince as well. If they would replace it, I’d have some of my faith restored, but for now I won’t be advocating for Apple anymore.
bside on August 31st, 2006 at 12:59 pm
I too has the RSD and returned my MacBook for a refund since it was within the two week window that you can return. I then got another one that had a faulty optical drive. I am typing on my third Macbook in one month(exchanged the second for this one) and I think I am a fool for allowing myself to get another. I will return this one for a final refund at the first hint of a problem in the “first” two weeks of this latest MacBook. Good luck to all!
Nadia on August 31st, 2006 at 6:10 pm
I’ve had the same problem on my iBook purchased a year ago. But I wonder with the heat issues mentioned here if it was sensors shutting down the system because the battery was getting too warm.
Mike A on August 31st, 2006 at 7:21 pm
I am using a revision A mac mini since february 2005…
no problem at all and I am a power user in all senses…
lots of hardcore apps running at the same time while tweeking the macos x to death.
misterbond on September 1st, 2006 at 2:18 pm
I was have the random shut downs as well. I, however, found that when i take out the battery and reset the p-ram, the macbook works just fine. The only problem is that it now becomes more of a desktop then a laptop and I’m almost too embarassed to try to take it out in public and let everyone watch it shut down on me. Thanx apple. ;)
Rod on September 1st, 2006 at 9:24 pm
Ok, following up on my comment near the top…
I got my macbook back today after having the MLB swapped out at a local authorized service provider. They told me that they also found that the thermal compound on the cpu was dry, and not thick enough.
So far so good, although it’s only been a couple hours, and it’s running at about 24 C on battery (it was idling at about 54 C before the swap out, so my nuts are much more comfortable now).
The only irritant is that now the system profiler reports my system serial number as “SystemSerialNumb” instead of what it should be, which invalidated my hardware-locked VPN client license… so i’ve gotta get that reset.
Anyone have any ideas on how to go about modifying the system serial number to be what I expect?
-rod
Peter on September 2nd, 2006 at 7:07 am
Has anyone asked if it’s the intel chip? Maybe it’s not software at all? Maybe microsoft sucks not just because of the software, but because of the intel chip. My macbook is my third mac and I haven’t had any of these probelms on my powerpc. Maybe intel is the problem and not Mac?
Mantiz on September 2nd, 2006 at 11:10 am
Wahahahaha @ Peter
You do know that pc’s also have other choises than intel right? It’s good to know that mac users made their choise following a good search to the alternatives.
But in any case the problems are(as far as i know) only with the Macbook, so no it’s got nothing to do with the intel chip. If that was the case the rest of the intel mac series would have the same problem.
Also apple would not be able to repair it, and by the reactions i read it has been repaired for many people!
We could simply accept that for once apple made a mistake right?
It is a company you know, their goal is to make money, not make the computing world a better place, so they are bound to make a mistake in their effort to save production money.
Aashish on September 4th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
look here http://maba.wordpress.com/2006/09/01/macbook-shutdown-solved-at-last-hopefully/
Todd Sieling on September 4th, 2006 at 11:13 pm
> Maybe intel is the problem and not Mac?
The way I think of it Peter is that Apple is the gatekeeper of what goes in the Mac. If that means they made a poor choice of vendor or model, or that they engineered the introduction of new hardware into a Mac, it’s still their mistake and Apple is to blame. When Macs work, they work so freaking awesome – the 12″ powerbook that has kept me working and online while my lemon Macbook goes through a merry go round of repairs is a testament to that. A big reason that powerbook works so well is that Apple made great choices about the hardware and how to put them together. So in the end, no matter what component is causing Macbooks to suddenly shut off, it’s Apple’s call, and I think Apple has to accept the blame.
Mr. K. on September 6th, 2006 at 7:54 pm
Hmmm, I’ve had my MacBook since week one and I haven’t noticed many random shut downs if any. I had one instance where I thought I had shut it down, and it was actually asleep, during which time it got super, super hot. After that, I rarely put it to sleep intentionally and instead choose to shut it down if I’m not using it for an extended period of time. So, although I’m sure you’re experiencing problems, just thought I’d add that this Macbook user hasn’t been experiencing the issue…
Walter Cordier on September 8th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
Today is Friday, September 8. My MacBook has been waiting at Apple repair for 8 days for a replacement part to fix the same problem discussed above (mine began immediately upon downloading 10.4.7). According to “Danny,” a customer service manager in Austin, Texas, if the part isn’t in and the machine ready to ship by Wed, Sept. 13, a new machine will be sent to me. In order to get this to happen I first had to wait on hold for a total of 1 hour and 37 minutes and then furiously demand a refund. “Danny” advised me that a refund was not an option because the 14-day return period had expired. (Yeah, we’ll see what my lawyer has to say about that.)
I recommend that everyone with the problem demand a new MacBook, one that is guaranteed not to fail in this same way.
(And to think I’ve been an Apple user since Steve Jobs was still in short pants. Has he no sense of decency?)
Jay on September 8th, 2006 at 12:37 pm
I feel your pain… my MacBook has been at the repair center for over a week not waiting on a part for the Random Shut Down as well. I just checked the web site and it still says waiting for part.
mjgg6 on September 11th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Hello to all,
thats not a problem only in MacBook, I have a iMac 20″ intel coreduo that is a nightmare to work with. It´s sick of RSD i see no exit than demand a new one or refund…
Greetings to all.
ANA on September 21st, 2006 at 7:50 am
It’s my 1st time to buy MAC, and i am soooo disappointed after several shut down’s. I thought it was just me. Will be going back to singapore next week (where i bought it). Will have it checked. I am really disappointed. I guess in some way, i am glad to know it’s not just me!
misterbond on September 21st, 2006 at 8:37 am
I FIXED MINE!!! i have a black macbook and all the problem was was the heat sensor next to the cpu. i just opened it up and put a little peace of tape around the melted part of the sensor and inbetween the heatsensor and heatsink. it has been almost a week and no shut downs since, it used to be about 8 shutdowns a day. i dont know if it voided the warantee but i know that it worx!
rennie foster on September 23rd, 2006 at 12:10 am
i am having big problems with random shut doown on my imac g5. just started doing it.. ive had this machine more than a year and no probs.
if anyone knows what i should do.. please tell me.
Weavel on October 6th, 2006 at 1:38 am
Really good to see the last message left by rennie foster as we too have an iMac G5 which has run fine for over a year with no problems and then a couple of months ago just started intermittently shutting down for no reason – sometimes in the middle of running applications and sometimes on start-up. At the moment it won’t even turn on at all! Trying to find out why and how to resolve this at the moment…..any ideas appreciated
Regina on October 11th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
I have had my iMac G5 since August and it has been running great. But in the last month it has been randoming shutting down. I have run Tech Tool Deluxe and it passed everything. Today I ran the Apple Hardware test and it passed as well. And this checked the hardware. So if any of discover anything…please share!
Todd on October 11th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
After two repair cycles I finally got Apple to agree to replacing my Macbook. They fight this a lot but you must insist on a replacement and tell them that you no longer have confidence in the repair service.
But, they will punish you for getting the exchange by forcing you to first send the defective machine back before they will send you a replacement. This means you have no computer for two weeks. Oh, and your applecare? If you bought extended applecare you are responsible for writing in to get it refunded and repurchased, or transferred to the new machine and lose some time on your warranty.
Apple makes fantastic products, and I regret that they had problems with Macbook production, but where they are real failures is in the service. Absolutely terrible post-sales support, so buyer beware of Apple Canada.
Weavel on October 12th, 2006 at 4:41 am
Just to update on the random shutdown of our iMac G5 (and I know this is probably different to the Macbooks) but got the power unit changed and it’s been running fine for the last couple of days – fingers crossed!
Ryan on October 17th, 2006 at 9:04 pm
My iMac G5 also just started randomly shutting down. It only started 3 days ago but is happening more and more ever since. Has anyone yet found a solution?
rennie foster on October 17th, 2006 at 9:12 pm
well. its good to know i am not alone in this problem with my imacG5, ryan , weavel, regina. i wonder if replacing the heatsync might work> similar to the notebook troubles?
i know if i send my mac in .. they will of course replace the logic board.. seems to be thier cure all for everything. unfortunately it creates mass havok for me.
i will also change the power unit first.. please let me know , weavel, if its still a successful solution.
RF
Weavel on October 18th, 2006 at 12:52 am
Hi rennie foster – so far so good with the change of power unit – the iMac has been running fine (but saying that it hasn’t been used as frequently as it was before) – will post a new comment if anything changes
Regina on October 18th, 2006 at 4:52 pm
Tuesday night I called AppleCare and the girl had me completely shut down everything. Unplug everything that goes into the computer. Unplug the computer itself. Wait a couple minutes. Then I plugged the computer back in the very same time I hit the power button twice. She told me that reset the power unit. She also had me zap the PRAM. It has been running good since… although it has only been 24 hours! So I am praying that does the trick.
Nick Santilli on October 19th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
Regina -
yeah, when I originally brought mine into the Genius Bar they did the same thing – zapped it like 12 times in a row in fact. Started it up, and 1 minute later, BOOM! they sent it to applecare and I got it back 3 weeks later and it’s been working like a champ since.
Of course this was almost 2 months ago now. There’s been so much hooplah about all of this, that most people shouldn’t experience the 3 week turn around that I did. Most of the parts are on hand now to make things all better…
Hope it gets rectified quickly for all those still dealing with this.
Regina on October 19th, 2006 at 4:50 pm
Nick,
Did they say what they fixed? Just curious – others have had the power unit replaced, heatsync etc…
Regina
Jeff on December 1st, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Having the shutdown issue with my IMAC G5. Initially had the logic board replaced by Apple authorized service center(took a month and a half before getting mac back!) After getting back, the fan is so loud(infamous “jet engine” noise).
3 weeks later my mac starts shutting down on me on its own again. Took to Apple Store, they replaced power supply. Still noise as hell and the machine still shutting down. Going to call them tomorrow morning.
David on February 2nd, 2007 at 3:15 pm
I’ve had a G5 IMac (Power PC processor) flatscreen running well for over a year and it has in the last month developed the random shutoff problem. A techie talked me through resetting power management and PRAM, but my IMac did a random shutdown a couple of hours later, so that didn’t solve the problem. It feels like a power switching problem, actually. Any news about this problem? February 2, 2007.
Lukas on February 6th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Same thing on my iMac G5 20 inch 2 GHz :P
The problem emerged about one month ago shortly after my guarantee passed. A few days ago i called the apple-hotline after i found this (http://www.apple.com/support/imac/powersupply/repairextension/) on the apple homepage. they told me, that my Serial-No. is slightly out of the supported area. Though the symptoms are as described on the page and the EMC-No. is right. After screening lots of blogs and forums i have to say, that the wave is HUGE, man, it’s growing from day to day! It’s not only the MacBooks and iMac G5, it’s the Desktop G5, too! Seems that a hole year of production (2005) is suffering from this problem.
But reading the comments it seems that for a lot of people it was the power unit replacement that helped. But not for all :( I called the appleservice here in Berlin, and if you have to pay it by yourself, it’s FUCKIN’ EXPENSIVE: 150-250 Euros for power unit replacement, 800 Euros for Logic Board.
I’m VERY ANGRY about Apple, because it’s not the customers fault, that they build in a not properly working piece of electronics. And their service is shite (at least for me, who called their hotline for the first time). But – on the other hand – it would be really expensive for them, if they would give a recall for a whole year of production. February 6, 2007
Jim Conroy on February 8th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Same as Lukas. My iMac 20″ G5 suffers from random shutdown. It’s out of warranty (Sept 05 purchase) and Apple have washed their hands of it as the serial number is out of their range for a warranty extension. Recomendation from an independent repair shop is to replace the logic board/trad-in for a. refurb (£500 up). After 15 years building PCs and installing Windows I did not switch to a Mac to be crapped on from a great height. I’ve reset the PMU, hoovered the insides, reinstalled Tiger etc etc. I am now pinning my hopes on improving the power supply as per this discussion:
http://macosg.com/group/viewtopic.php?t=3557&highlight=122
Lukas on May 19th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Lukas, again :)
A week ago i got my imac G5 (2nd gen., right before those with supplied remote-control) back from repair. Because the callcenter of Apple Germany refused to accept my SN for the exended repair-program, i decided to pay for repair. I couldn’t work with it no more, no chance.
There are no Apple Stores here in Germany (yet), but i brought it to an authorized service provider here in Berlin. And you know what: after 11 workdays i got it back with a new powerunit and it works till then nicely. No problems, no hardcloses, nothing. And the best: they managed to get it into the repair-program, so it didn’t cost me nothing at all :)
For those of you, whose computers suffer from the same problems my experiences in short:
- the first gen. imacs G5 had the motherboard to be changed
- for the following generations the powerunit was the failure
- as i could read in several discussion forums the german Apple-Support is known for it’s poor service towards private customers, and it’s unfriendlyness
- inspite of the risk to pay it for yourself, it seems to be quite a chance that a service provider gets you in.
I’m glad that it work out for me this way.
Greez from Germany
L.
Brian from the Philippines on July 16th, 2007 at 2:23 am
this is getting to be really annoying. i’ve noticed that most of the random shutdowns are happening with the intel macbooks and macbook pros. its also happening with the imac g5s, but guess what fellas? its happening on my intel imac 2ghz 20″.
any ideas on how to resolve this problem?
Ahmed on September 2nd, 2007 at 6:27 am
I bought my first ever iMac G5 20″ thinking that this is da machine to have. no previous experience with apple and guess what? total disappointment. after a couple of months of very light usage the iMac had to quit. was told its a manufactures’ fault so i replaced the power supply unit and it worked fine. Now the iMac shuts down every 30 – 45 mins without warnings. put in mind that i dont use it that much may be 30 mins a week. I am about to throw it from the roof as am happy with my windows xp hp laptop.
iMac! ya right piece of crap.
rat on September 26th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
well, interestingly I found this blog looking for answers to RSD problems with a 17″ G4 Aluminum PowerBook.
The symptoms y’all have described fit my situation exactly. The system has a brand new drive, fresh install and all subsequent updates of Tiger and virtually no other software.(OK, Firefox) I’ve done all the apple voodoo of resetting the power manager and PRAM, running from only AC or only battery. Still seems to be happening. Another poster mentioned that it could be RAM related, and indeed I just upgrade to 2GB. I “inherited” this machine so I don’t know how stable it was previously. I’m going to put the old RAM back in and see how that goes.
The RAM issue seems pretty likely given the symptoms and range of systems on which it’s occurring. Although, I would expect RAM problems to lead to system crashes (of which I had 2 or 3 before the RSD started) rather than a complete shutdown.
Anyone having this problem still on Panther or an earlier version of Tiger? It sure would be interesting if everyone here were on the same system rev.
John Koetsier on October 4th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Just started having this random shutdown problem with our 17″ iMac G5 that is now about 2-3 years old.
Not cool!
Will try the power reset solution that someone mentioned, but I am not looking forward to have to replace the power unit or main logic board to get rid of this issue.
Regina on October 5th, 2007 at 5:51 am
I feel for ya! I had that happen to me last year to my 20″ iMac G5. I did end up having to take it to my local Mac service place (1 hour away) BUT I have not had a problem since. They replaced the power supply. And fortunately I have the extended warranty so it didn’t cost but the gas to go down there.
Casey on June 17th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I’m just now starting to have RSD problems with my 17″ PowerBook G4. These problems didn’t begin until I took it in to have the logic board replaced. The second I brought it home, it immediately began to shutdown. After about 2-3 days, the problem became more frequent, and I had to take it in again.
I was wondering if anyone thought this could be a result of having the logic board replaced or if it’s more likely that there was a problem with my computer before I took it in. I had my hard drive replaced about 7 months ago.
octarock on February 19th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I had the same problem and for me it turned out to be the power supply. cost me 119 dollars to fix at Springboard Media in Philadelphia.