PB thinks "overheat"...goes to sleep.

[DaveinJapan]

Okay, I've been having some complicated troubles with my powerbook the past few days. Basically, it's been either shutting down completely OR going to sleep during start-up (either during the "starting OS X", or shortly after reaching the desktop).

I managed to restart it using the reinstall disk, and then restarting using the powerbook (that only worked out once in a while, often it shut down then too!).

I managed to read the system log, and it read something like "emergency overtemp, going to sleep" (this was from a TOTALLY cold start). Called AppleCare Japan, and they suggested taking out the battery (and power cable, obviously) and hitting the power button for 5 seconds. So, I guess, to reset the system or something? (sorry, I'm an amateur when it comes to this stuff!)

That worked fine yesterday, but today when I tried to power up the computer it immediately went to sleep again! After a lot of restarts, I managed to get it working again. A friend of mine suggested that maybe it's a short circuit or something, and needs a new motherboard (yikes! ).

Anyway, I decided to carry it home from work today in sleep mode, hoping to get online and solve the problem. Then, when I tried to start up again (from sleep mode) it was sluggish and I thought it was the same old thing over again (though it did manage to wake up after 10-15 seconds or so).

ANY help or advice would be GREATLY appreciated! Should I bring it into the Apple store for repairs or what?

Thanks!

 

[DaveinJapan]

My main question really is...is it going to necessary for me to bring the machine in (it's pretty expensive to travel downtown to the Apple store from where I live in Japan)??

 

[mad jew]

Okay, it's not sounding promising. Have you installed any RAM recently that could upset the system somehow? Having said that, I doubt new RAM would be the problem (although it could be). The auto-sleep thing isn't part of the system but rather inbuilt into the logic board from memory. Sorry, but it's sounding like an Apple Store fix/replacement.

 

[DaveinJapan]

Installed 1 gig of ram when I bought it (4-5 months ago), bought from the place that was recommended here on macrumors (the name escapes me at the moment), but haven't had a problem til now...

I assume I should REMOVE that 1 gig of ram before bringing it back to the store?

I'm also thinking a trip in to repair the machine is in order, but that sucks cause I need this computer for my work and it's HARD to live without it for 1-2 weeks or more that I'd need to leave it there for repairs.

 

[mad jew]

Well, run it for a while without the 1GB chip. Even the reputable companies sometimes make mistakes and ship faulty RAM and it doesn't necessarily play up instantly. I'm still thinking it'll probably need to be taken in though. I doubt taking the RAM out will work but it's worth a try. Sorry.

 

[DaveinJapan]

Thanks. I'll try that.

Any other suggestions?

 

[rob42]

bad temp sensors!

Thanks. I'll try that.

Any other suggestions?

I'm having this exact problem on my 15" Aluminum G4.

I got a program called "temperature monitor". (Google for it!) This program will show you the values on all of the temperature sensors on your PB. (On my PB, it only shows what the values are at boot time, so I had to reboot several times to get different readings.)

The test I ran was to reboot, immediately run "temperature sensor", collect the readings, then reboot again.

All of the settings were believable, except for the trackpad sensor, which was 117 degress centigrade, then 196, then 4.5, all within 5 minutes. I printed them out for "evidence".

So, with my computer, clearly the output of that sensor is random. Whenever the random number exceeds 48 degrees centigrade (the set "high limit"), down she comes, over and over again.

No avoiding the hardware repair, but at least if you get some facts together, you can at least make sure the guy has the right replacement sensors before you go in.

I'm hoping I can get mine fixed over the counter! I'll report back.

/// Rob