MacBook just shutting off unexpectedly?

[jeejeebu]

I have a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook purchased just about a year ago (so if this is a hardware issue, I need to get it in to the Genius Bar STAT, I should have about a week or two left to my warranty). I upgraded to Leopard last week (thank god, actually, because that got me to back everything up if this is dead) and since then the fan on my laptop has been going crazy. My battery usually lasts a good three hours, but now it barely lasts 1.5, because the fan is going non-stop. This is plugged in or not plugged in.

Just now, the fan actually wasn't going, and though it felt a bit hot, I wasn't concerned. My computer was functioning perfectly normal. Nothing was hanging up or anything. And then, with zero warning, the screen went black. I turned the computer back on and opened two applications (iChat and Safari, though Microsoft Auto Update did update Word). It was fine for about five minutes, and then it went black again.

Any ideas about what's wrong with it?

On a possibly related note, when updating to Leopard, I noticed that my 667 MHz memory was only running at 533, which, according to my research, is a defect common with Patriot memory purchased through Newegg. I am getting this taken care of, but I have no way to know if it's at all related. Just figured I should mention it in case that could have something to do with it. Though I ran Tiger with that memory since June, so I doubt it.

 

[ebel3003]

Did you apply the Battery Update 1.2? I did and it bricked my battery (which Apple exchanged for free).

See this post: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/4554241/

 

[jeejeebu]

Did you apply the Battery Update 1.2? I did and it bricked my battery (which Apple exchanged for free).

See this post: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/4554241/

I don't know if I installed the update. If it didn't show up in software update, I didn't do it. But I had it plugged in at the time, so would this be the problem?

 

[ebel3003]

You tell me, does this seem like the problem? I would just call Apple and explain to them the issue and if this sounds like the problem, blame it on the update. They sent me a new battery within 48 hours and I sent the bad one back. My MBP is 11 months old, so there's no reason why the battery should have gone from good to bad within a month. It was immediately after the update and switch to leopard that I noticed this.

If it doesn't show up under Software Update, it's probably been installed.

 

[jeejeebu]

But why would the battery going bad have any effect on the computer while it's plugged in? The problem with the battery draining is a result of the fan going at all times, I believe.

 

[ebel3003]

Ah my bad, didn't see that you said it was plugged in. Check your running processes then. Also, do you use Last.fm?

 

[jeejeebu]

I uninstalled it after installing Leopard. It refused to open.

 

[ebel3003]

Run activity monitor to see if there are any unusual processes taking up CPU. The reason I asked about Last.fm is that it seemed to leave processes in the background for me, and kept my fans pinned at 6000rpm.

 

[jeejeebu]

I don't see anything unusual. The ones using the most CPU are Safari and Activity Monitor.

 

[ebel3003]

Another thing you might want to try is to reset the SMC (which controls fans and power). To do that you can check out: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303319

 

[jeejeebu]

I just asked my friend who is a PC guy and he said it sounds like the fan is not working properly. The fact that it was not running at the time and got very hot may mean it has died. Does this sound plausible?

 

[Consultant]

I don't see anything unusual. The ones using the most CPU are Safari and Activity Monitor.

Sometimes Safari goes and take 100% processor power, maybe once a month for me. Just quit it (you can relauch the app after you quit) when you hear the loud fan. But it shouldn't be happening all the time, so it might be some other issue.

 

[GuardBoy98]

MBP fans are known to have issues. I've had mine replaced once, but now one of them is making lots of noise, so it needs to go back again.

I had battery issues that caused the computer to turn off after a few minutes of use, but only heat issues when it was plugged in.

 

[ebel3003]

I just asked my friend who is a PC guy and he said it sounds like the fan is not working properly. The fact that it was not running at the time and got very hot may mean it has died. Does this sound plausible?

It does. It sounds to me that it's possible that either the fan died, or the SMC is not working properly. If that's the case then it's probably just overheating. Get that thing checked out before your warranty is done.

 

[jeejeebu]

I was really hoping I wouldn't have to take it in to the Genius Bar. It's absolutely impossible to get an appointment in Miami Beach or Aventura, the two stores I'm ever anywhere near. Does anyone know if I can talk to Apple Care to get them to take my computer for repairs if I don't actually have Apple Care, or will I have to pay $80 just to talk to someone at all?