Mac insisting on rebooting....
Discussion
Sorry 
New MacBook Pro - the screen keeps shading over and a black pop box in 4 languages says "you need to restart your computer. Hold down the Power button for several seconds or press the Restart button".
If I hold down the power button the machine complains after booting up about an unexpected reboot. And where the
is the Restart button?!?!? The user guide doesn't mention it... 
And I thought Macs were all sexy and didn't need reboots?!
New MacBook Pro - the screen keeps shading over and a black pop box in 4 languages says "you need to restart your computer. Hold down the Power button for several seconds or press the Restart button".
If I hold down the power button the machine complains after booting up about an unexpected reboot. And where the
is the Restart button?!?!? The user guide doesn't mention it... And I thought Macs were all sexy and didn't need reboots?!
This is called a 'kernel panic'. Something is very amiss with your system - kernel panics are usually caused by bad hardware, though can be sometimes caused by a corrupted system.
First port of call is to ensure RAM is seated properly (have you installed more RAM?). Next test is to boot from the Hardware Test DVD (i.e. the install DVD that came with the MBP) - hold down the option key when booting and select 'hardware test' or hold down the D key when booting. Run the 'extended' test a couple of times - if there are any hardware faults then it will highlight them.
Single biggest cause of these issues is normally duff RAM. The Hardware Test will pick this up.
There have been plenty of issues with MBPs - Apple's quality control has been poor with this model - mine has already been returned to Apple for running at 100˚C and 1 GHz rather than the 2.16 GHz I paid for
but my black MacBook runs fine 
If the hardware tests come up OK, then you could try the Repair Permissions voodoo (though kernel panics are rare from duff unix permissions) - this in in the Disk Utility app.
Last non-hardware solution is to archive and reinstall the OS. It's rare for OS X to get spectacularly screwed up like this though. I've only had kernel panics (since 10.0) in about 12 different Mac models due to bad RAM. Any other questions?
First port of call is to ensure RAM is seated properly (have you installed more RAM?). Next test is to boot from the Hardware Test DVD (i.e. the install DVD that came with the MBP) - hold down the option key when booting and select 'hardware test' or hold down the D key when booting. Run the 'extended' test a couple of times - if there are any hardware faults then it will highlight them.
Single biggest cause of these issues is normally duff RAM. The Hardware Test will pick this up.
There have been plenty of issues with MBPs - Apple's quality control has been poor with this model - mine has already been returned to Apple for running at 100˚C and 1 GHz rather than the 2.16 GHz I paid for
but my black MacBook runs fine If the hardware tests come up OK, then you could try the Repair Permissions voodoo (though kernel panics are rare from duff unix permissions) - this in in the Disk Utility app.
Last non-hardware solution is to archive and reinstall the OS. It's rare for OS X to get spectacularly screwed up like this though. I've only had kernel panics (since 10.0) in about 12 different Mac models due to bad RAM. Any other questions?
Run the Installer discs through - choosing the option to Archive and Install - this will preserve your User account.
Actually, just a thought before doing that, check the RAM is seated fully, in case it has lossened in transit.
Also, boot from the Installer disc and go to the Menubar along the top of the screen - choose Disk Utility from the File sub-menu (IIRC) and select the HDD icon on the left panel. Now, Repair Permissions and Repair Disk.
When these run through - RD showing green text rather than red, then reboot by quitting DU and then the Installer (File sub-menu), then hold the trackpad button down at the boot chime to eject the disc.
See if this helps - if not, then try the A&I option, before resigning yourself and the Mac to repair.
Hopefully this should remedy the situation.
Finally, do you have any USB device plugged in whilst this problem occurs - if so, remove it, as this is often a cause for the KPs.
Actually, just a thought before doing that, check the RAM is seated fully, in case it has lossened in transit.
Also, boot from the Installer disc and go to the Menubar along the top of the screen - choose Disk Utility from the File sub-menu (IIRC) and select the HDD icon on the left panel. Now, Repair Permissions and Repair Disk.
When these run through - RD showing green text rather than red, then reboot by quitting DU and then the Installer (File sub-menu), then hold the trackpad button down at the boot chime to eject the disc.
See if this helps - if not, then try the A&I option, before resigning yourself and the Mac to repair.
Hopefully this should remedy the situation.
Finally, do you have any USB device plugged in whilst this problem occurs - if so, remove it, as this is often a cause for the KPs.
The MBP's a bit of an arse to dismantle (I did mine to sort out the thermal paste in the hope it'd cool down, and there were around 5927362 screws to remove), however the Airport and Bluetooth module is a separate module connected to the logic board with a press-connector.
There's the off chance that it wasn't connected correctly, this particular model appears to have a greater incidence of poor assembly faults given the number of reports I'm seeing...
If you feel lucky, pull it apart and check the seating of the connector. It's almost certainly a better idea to get the work done under warranty, but I guess it depends how much of a geek you are
There's the off chance that it wasn't connected correctly, this particular model appears to have a greater incidence of poor assembly faults given the number of reports I'm seeing...
If you feel lucky, pull it apart and check the seating of the connector. It's almost certainly a better idea to get the work done under warranty, but I guess it depends how much of a geek you are
magic torch said:
5927362 screws to remove
That's what ice cube trays are for.
If you want an official Apple take-apart PDF let me know.
Many thanks, is it better than the PBFixit one? To be honest I found it a damn sight easier than my previous 15" PB and the 12" PB. Hopefully the new one Apple are sending me won't overheat!
cyberface said:
5927362 screws to remove
That's what ice cube trays are for.
If you want an official Apple take-apart PDF let me know.
Many thanks, is it better than the PBFixit one? To be honest I found it a damn sight easier than my previous 15" PB and the 12" PB. Hopefully the new one Apple are sending me won't overheat!
Yes, but they're fairly large PDFs.
Early 12" PB was the worse one to work on, keyboard was nightmare! Must have repaired hundreds, never got any easier.
magic torch said:
5927362 screws to remove
That's what ice cube trays are for.
If you want an official Apple take-apart PDF let me know.
Many thanks, is it better than the PBFixit one? To be honest I found it a damn sight easier than my previous 15" PB and the 12" PB. Hopefully the new one Apple are sending me won't overheat!
Yes, but they're fairly large PDFs.
Early 12" PB was the worse one to work on, keyboard was nightmare! Must have repaired hundreds, never got any easier.
No worries then, I won't waste your bandwidth
Unless the new MBP has issues, in which case I may take you up on it...Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff