Macbook Pro being weird

[Will79]

A few weeks ago my Macbook Pro started being weird - it kept shutting itself off unless the charger was plugged in and it said the internal clock was incorrect.

After a few days, this stopped happening. But now it has returned.

About an hour ago, I was in the middle of doing something and it turned itself off. When I turned it back on again, the internal clock was set to 5:30 AM at 19 January 2004.

Also, the internet is rather slow; when I first open a web page, it doesn't load the CSS or images.

1. What could be the cause of this? A virus, perhaps? (that's probably considered blasphemy around these parts though; I'm well aware that super Apple fans like to label Macs as immune to viruses)

2. This is rather unrelated, but why doesn't my mac like Java very much? Every time I get the "new update available" pop-up, I click install and it says there was a problem with the install. Whenever I try to download it from the Java website, it gets stuck on 56.7/56.8 MB every time. I currently have some build of Java 7 and I'm aware that the current version is Java 8 Update 35.

 

[johnhurley]

Try running hardware diagnostics?

 

[Will79]

Done that and it says "No problem found". I did the extended test as well.

 

[Will79]

Here's an update: now it shorts out every time I plug the headphones in. When it does that, it sometimes won't turn on until I plug in the charger. When I turned it on again, all my cookies had been cleared. Also, all of a sudden my Final Cut Pro X keeps crashing, whereas before it was running flawlessly. I need it to run flawlessly for my video making. My mac is going senile.

 

[Dubdrifter]

I know this won't help in the short term ..... but is your house built on an Indian Reservation graveyard and have you noticed any paranormal activity in the house? Check Yellow Pages and put your local exorcist on speed dial!

 

[GGJstudios]

A few weeks ago my Macbook Pro started being weird - it kept shutting itself off unless the charger was plugged in and it said the internal clock was incorrect.

For power or charging issues, try resetting the SMC.

1. What could be the cause of this? A virus, perhaps? (that's probably considered blasphemy around these parts though; I'm well aware that super Apple fans like to label Macs as immune to viruses)

Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 12 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). 3rd party antivirus apps are not necessary to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as a user practices safe computing, as described in the following link.

​

Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for tips on practicing safe computing.

2. This is rather unrelated, but why doesn't my mac like Java very much? Every time I get the "new update available" pop-up, I click install and it says there was a problem with the install. Whenever I try to download it from the Java website, it gets stuck on 56.7/56.8 MB every time. I currently have some build of Java 7 and I'm aware that the current version is Java 8 Update 35.

Do you have a specific need for Java? If not, you can simply uninstall it. OS X no longer ships with Java preinstalled, and unless you have an application that requires it, it's best to remove it. If you do have it installed, make sure Java remains disabled in your browser, except for the duration of visits to trusted sites that require it.

Here's an update: now it shorts out every time I plug the headphones in. When it does that, it sometimes won't turn on until I plug in the charger. When I turned it on again, all my cookies had been cleared. Also, all of a sudden my Final Cut Pro X keeps crashing, whereas before it was running flawlessly. I need it to run flawlessly for my video making. My mac is going senile.

You may have a combination of hardware and software issues. If you continue having random problems, you may want to reinstall OS X.