MacBook just powering off during use...

[GavinBKK]

Twice in the last 24 hours, this macBook has just plain switched off when I have been in the middle of doing something.

This is not a shut down, this is the same as pulling the power cable out if no battery was fitted. I have not tried a PMU reset yet - does anyone think that may be worthwhile?

Anyone else had this?

TIA
Gavin

[GavinBKK]

I now have a completely dead MacBook. I call one of my kids to use her MacBook to install the HD and get my email off it and she tells me hers died this morning!

We own 3 MacBooks in this family and they are all now dead. Words absolutely fail me.

:-((
Gavin

[ThreeBKK]

Man, that's horrible. My condolences to the family. I assume your MacBook is still at the shop waiting for the 3rd logic board. Am I correct? So, now both of your daughters books are dead/dying as well?

[Is there some option on this forum to be alerted when other members post? I want to keep up to date on your story, but you keep creating new posts and I don't always notice them.]

[dm3]

Quote: [Is there some option on this forum to be alerted when other members post? I want to keep up to date on your story, but you keep creating new posts and I don't always notice them.]

At the top of the page theres a link, "Thread tools". Click on that, there's a choice to subscribe to this thread. That can send you an email whenever someone responds.

3 Macbooks failed? Seems highly unlikely unless they were all involved in the same incident. Could your house have been hit by lightning?

[ThreeBKK]

I know about subscribing to individual threads, but for example if I wanted to be notified by e-mail every time hayne posted something new, would that be possible?

Actually, GavinBKK's MacBook story is very interesting because he lives in BKK just like me. I am trying to get a better feel for how the AppleCare service is working down here in the Big Mango. I want to track his posts, but when he creates new threads I may not see them.

It looks to me like this is just a case of the Apple 1st gen. gremlins. I am not really surprised, but I am kind of shocked. I also have to wonder if "B" quality products end up getting sent to secondary markets like Thailand. I suspect that "A" quality products are reserved for more important markets like the USA and Japan where consumers are more persnickety and demanding.

[GavinBKK]

Quote: Originally Posted by dm3 3 Macbooks failed? Seems highly unlikely unless they were all involved in the same incident. Could your house have been hit by lightning?

No, they failed at different times. But two in one day is hard to stomach. We have no lightening at this time of year.

Apple have a completely effed batch of mobos - they will fix it. I am pissed off but confident. Am I naiive?

Don't answer that!!
:-)
Gavin

[GavinBKK]

Quote: Originally Posted by ThreeBKK It looks to me like this is just a case of the Apple 1st gen. gremlins. I am not really surprised, but I am kind of shocked. I also have to wonder if "B" quality products end up getting sent to secondary markets like Thailand. I suspect that "A" quality products are reserved for more important markets like the USA and Japan where consumers are more persnickety and demanding.

I see where you are coming from but I am not sure I buy it. Industriallycommercially, doing that does not make sense. A failure is a failure. No-one will live with that.

We really should meet for a wet one day.

Cheers,

Gavin

[ThreeBKK]

Quote: We really should meet for a wet one day.

I hope you are referring to having a beverage.

[mark hunte]

Quote: Originally Posted by ThreeBKK I know about subscribing to individual threads, but for example if I wanted to be notified by e-mail every time hayne posted something new, would that be possible? Actually, GavinBKK's MacBook story is very interesting because he lives in BKK just like me. I am trying to get a better feel for how the AppleCare service is working down here in the Big Mango. I want to track his posts, but when he creates new threads I may not see them.

I just worked out a way to do this.

If you want it still
** just wrote it up **

I wondered if it could be done after reading you post.

It dawned on me that you should be able to target the members Pubic profile
page and compare the total post number.

Problem is the way I wanted to do this was with applescript and curl.

The pages here use cookies so I figured out all I need to do is get a cookie file that curl can read for the forums and then make it write its own from then on.

Safari stores its cookies in a plist file so that was no good.
But camino stores them in a.txt file, Perfect.

I logged into the forums using camino. ticking the remember me check box.

Quit camino and copied its cookie file found here /Users/UserName/Library/Application Support/Camino/cookies.txt to a folder I called BKK in my documents folder.

I ran some test and all worked.

so here is the example script, in the if then parts of the script add your own type of Notifications, like sending a mail to your self...
Mine are only for testing
Save as a application,Stay open...

property the_count : ""
on idle
	set the target_URL to "http://forums.macosxhints.com/member.php?u=47762"
	set the_Grep to "Total Posts: <strong>"
	tell application "Finder"
		set desk_path_folder to path to documents folder from user domain as string
		set the_path to folder "BKK" of folder desk_path_folder as string
	end tell
	
	set the_html to do shell script "curl -b /Users/UserName/Documents/BKK/cookies.txt -c /Users/UserName/Documents/BKK/cookies.txt " & quoted form of target_URL & " | grep -i " & quoted form of the_Grep
	
	
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {"<strong>"} --sets new dilm
	
	set file_name to text item -1 of the_html as string ---
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {"</strong>"}
	set file_name to text item 1 of file_name as string
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to "" -- resets dilm
	file_name
	
	if file_name is equal to the_count then
		say "no change. posts still at " & the_count
		return 120 -- make sure not to short as osxhints has a timer for requests.
	else
		say "New post. Post was  " & the_count & " now " & file_name
		set the_count to file_name
		return 120
	end if
end idle

[GavinBKK]

Quote: Originally Posted by ThreeBKK I hope you are referring to having a beverage.

Er, yes, a "wet" is a beer where I come from. Academic now as I am off the booze for a few weeks in an effort to trim up the waistline. Too much time behind a desk, then in a pub.

Too much time in AASCs these days. :-(
GB

[voldenuit]

It seems to be a wide-spread problem not limited to "secondary markets":

http://www.macbookrandomshutdown.com/

[ThreeBKK]

Quote: I just worked out a way to do this.

Wow, that's very impressive. I'm at a loss for words… so I'll just say thanks!

[mark hunte]

No problem.
Heres an Update.
This will send an email to you with a link to the Last post the User posted
When you first run it you will get a post regardless of new post. just Ignore it.

fill in the user name and user ID properties and also the email ones to.
Also set you cookie Path

property the_name : "ThreeBKK" as string -- Put  Poster Name here
property uid_number : "47762" as string --  Put Poster User id here
property theAddress : "MailTO@mac.com" -- PUT email address to send too
property theSender : "From@mac.com" -- -- PUT email address to send from



property the_count : ""
property forums : "http://forums.macosxhints.com/"
property target_URL : forums & "member.php?u=" & uid_number
property the_Grep : "Total Posts: <strong>"
property Line_the_Grep : "a href=\"showthread.php?t="
property search_usid : forums & "search.php?do=finduser&u=" & uid_number

on idle
	tell application "Finder"
		set desk_path_folder to path to documents folder from user domain as string
		set the_path to folder "BKK" of folder desk_path_folder as string
	end tell
	
	set the_html to do shell script "curl -b /Users/UserName/Documents/BKK/cookies.txt -c /Users/UserName/Documents/BKK/cookies.txt " & quoted form of target_URL & " | grep -i " & quoted form of the_Grep
	
	
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {"<strong>"} --sets new dilm
	
	set file_name to text item -1 of the_html as string ---
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {"</strong>"}
	set file_name to text item 1 of file_name as string
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to "" -- resets dilm
	file_name
	
	if file_name is equal to the_count or "" then
		beep
		return 120
	else
set the_count to file_name
		set theSer_html to do shell script "curl -b /Users/UserName/Documents/BKK/cookies.txt -c /Users/UserName/Documents/BKK/cookies.txt -L " & quoted form of search_usid & " | grep -i " & quoted form of Line_the_Grep
		set theSer_html to paragraph 1 of theSer_html
		set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {"<strong>"} --sets new dilm
		
		set list_line to text item -1 of theSer_html as string ---
		set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {"</strong>"}
		set list_line to text item 1 of list_line as string
		set AppleScript's text item delimiters to "" -- resets dilm
		
		
		set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {"href=\""} --sets new dilm
		set thead_number to text item -1 of theSer_html as string ---
		set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {"\"><strong>"}
		set thead_number to text item 1 of thead_number as string
		set AppleScript's text item delimiters to "" -- resets dilm
		
		set theSubject to "New Post  Posted by  " & the_name & " post count now " & the_count
		set theBody to the_name & ", Has posted a New post in thread ( " & list_line & " )" & return & return & forums & thead_number
		
		
		tell application "Mail"
			set newMessage to make new outgoing message with properties {subject:theSubject, content:theBody & return & return}
			tell newMessage
				set visible to false
				set sender to theSender
				make new to recipient at end of to recipients with properties {address:theAddress}
				send
			end tell
		end tell
		
		return 120
	end if
end idle

Hope this helps. And sorry for the mini hijack.

[ThreeBKK]

This is interesting, there is another theory about why the MacBooks are shutting down. http://maba.wordpress.com/2006/09/01...ast-hopefully/

To summarize: Somebody has noticed that when certain components heat up inside of the MacBook, they touch and cause a short circuit. Then the MacBook shuts down and things cool down, so it is able to restart.

If the theory is true it looks like an easy fix.

[GavinBKK]

Well, the BlackMac is out of hospital and has been in use for (wow!) 6 hours.

Nothing heavy, just sat on my desk, doing some email, browsing and document work.

Two Daughters' Machines:

Neither have shutdown since Sunday. That said, I think they both have to go in to Apple. If they have done it at all, it is not acceptable.

Do we know if Apple are doing anything about the possible insulation issue?

TIA
Gavin

[MBHockey]

I don't know if you saw this yet Gavin, but Apple has acknowledged the problem and it is being covered under AppleCare.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304308

[voldenuit]

Wow, the URL is nearly longer than the actual text and it's not clear about the policy for people who didn't buy AppleCare, here's the full text of the link above, what an acknowledgement :

"MacBook: Shuts down intermittently
If your MacBook is shutting down intermittently, please contact AppleCare for service."

Let's hope that signifies they've come up with a dependable solution to fix the affected machines, that would indeed be news.

[MBHockey]

Yeah, but no MacBook is over the 1 year standard warranty...so everyone should be covered right?

[flippo]

That's true, Apple will replace logic board and heatsink assembly at the same time however if you are not in US which usually required you to send the unit back to Apple for repair (i.e. Canada) then you will have to wait longer for repair because Apple has not released official part number for Service Provider to order combo (logic board and heatsink assembly) parts.
We still have about 6 macbook in our store waiting for part number to order the correct part. I feel bad for our customer who own macbook.

Flippo