Fix Your Stuff Community Store

Question Closed

Options

Randomly shuts down and resets clock

My Macbook Pro randomly shuts down (plugged in and unplugged) and when i turn it on again it resets the clock to 2001 and loads of popups come up asking for permissions etc.

Before this week it happened a couple of times in the last few months but i never really thought anything of it. Then last week i dropped it off the end of my bed and it's been happening a lot more (tonight for instance it's happened over 5 times when i've tried moving it or unplugging the charger). Now, nothing happens when i move it or unplug it but i guarantee it will do it again sometime in the near future.

Also before i reset the SMC, when i clicked on the battery health at the top of my screen, it said that "Condition: replace now". I reset the SMC and now it says "Condition: Normal".

Anyway, what i'm here to ask is...is it something to do with the battery (84% health, 541 cycles) or something more serious, i.e some hardware damaged when i dropped it? Why would it shut down randomly when picking the macbook up (whilst still on charge)? Why would it shut down when unplugging it?

Any help would be really appreciated as it's not under warranty anymore :) If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask!

Update

Hey,

I took it to an apple store and they had a look and couldn't find anything wrong with it hardware-wise. They suggested reinstalling the OS as a last resort as they couldn't see anything wrong with it, so they did and it's been fine ever since. No idea why this would make it shut down when moved/unplugged...

I'd suggest backing everything up before you go to them incase they do it there and then.

Sorry i couldn't be of much help, but i'm sure the people in your local apple store will be much more helpful (it's free to book an appointment btw).

Answer this question I have this problem too

Is this a good question?

Yes No
Score 1
Add a comment

2 Answers

Filter by:
Most Helpful Newest Oldest

Options

A drop to the floor is quite a sudden deceleration (think car hitting a wall). You likely have loosened or tore connectors on the logic board (only a physical examination can discover that).

The calendar reset tells me that all power is being lost (these units have no cmos/backup battery - they use the "normal" battery for that function) Therefore when the laptop is reseting flat all current/battery connections are good. When you pick it up torsion shorts or cuts off the power from the main and from the battery.

FWIW laptops were not really meant to be used while walking around. They include hardware/software to detect movement and attempt to park HDD heads to stop physical damage (read/write heads striking platters-ever seen/heard about scratches on a record?-similar sort of thing). SSD drives don't involve physical components but sudden loss of power through case torsion or dropping can cause damage even to an SSD.

So your problem is not most likely your battery, but a hardware flaw (maybe even a cracked solder joint) that interrupts power. You might be able find the problem easily and quickly OR need to get it fixed for a DEPOT repair price from Apple.

Good Luck,

If this Answer is helpful please remember to return and mark it Accepted.

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 0

2 Comments:

Thanks for your reply :)

The way your describing it, it should be doing this all the time when i move it etc...however it's been fine all day?

You said: "You might be able find the problem easily and quickly OR need to get it fixed for a DEPOT repair price from Apple."

How would i go about finding the problem easily and quickly? Opening it up perhaps? Also does it cost to book an appointment in an Apple store?

Thanks, again.

by

Yes - this is a DIY repair sight, so opening the laptop and DIY is the expectation. You would examine the connectors and logic board. I don't work for Apple - contact your nearest store.

by

Add a comment

Options

Hello, my macbook pro 13" is doing the same...did you find the solution? If so, can you post an update please?

Was this answer helpful?

Yes No
Score 0

1 Comment:

Adam, thanks, good to know. I took it to Apple once already but everything worked perfectly during their inspection, Then a couple of days later at home, same problem. Sigh.

by

Add a comment
View Statistics:

Past 24 Hours: 0

Past 7 Days: 0

Past 30 Days: 0

All Time: 14,827