Macbook Random Shutdown

My 2 and a half months old black MacBook started to have the random shutdown problem about two weeks ago. I bought it in Paris but for work am travelling here and there a lot. I went with the machine to the MacHouse in Amsterdam. They were very helpful, seemed to know about the problem, and did a heatsink replacement on the spot. That was yesterday.
This morning the random shutting down started again. Worse than ever …. (three times in two hours, and one ‘kernel panic’ on top of that, while reading mail …) Then shut down again in the middle of writing this, I had to start this post over again, now taking care to save …
Meanwhile I am also no longer in Amsterdam. I phoned of course the mac service at MacHouse. Friendly and helpful as before. Asked me to bring in again the machine, so they could take time to study the problems …
Which I will not be able to do earlier than next tuesday …
Will keep you updated (and maybe add some lines about the many problems I had over the past couple of years with the Titanium Powerbook that I had before I bought the MacBook earlier this year … actually my bad Mac laptop experiences just continue …)
I WANT A NEW, WORKING, MACBOOK!

I had the random shutdown issue with my 2nd 6 month old macbook (had the same issue with the first one actually but since it was within 3 weeks of buying it John Lewis just gave me a new one). Took it in to my local applecare centre and they replaced the logic board (as directed by apple for problems of this sort) and tested everything else inc battery and power cord - no problems found. But it kept doing it. It really stumped them - mine was the only one they hadn’t been able to sort out. Then on about the 7th time of me taking it in, they tightened up a slight loose connection between the battery and the power cord and it’s been 2 weeks with no shutdowns!! Worth a try - they can do it in about 10 mins while you wait and it might just fix the problem!

Hope that helps

Apple has to replace my computer do to RSS. I know that they will son release a new Macbook Pro in the nxt couple of weeks. I want to give them mine and pay the difference for the Pro which they said is fine. question is should i wait for update or not? apple may think im trying to stall or something any advice?

After taking my laptop in following what I said earlier posts below I had to deal with an annoying “genious” who was trying to convince me that my computer didn’t even have this problem and that all i needed was the Firmware (which I already had). After he finally looked in some type of log he saw that it was shutting down and he said that if they couldn’t watch it shut down then they coudln’t do anything at all (ok? when they know its a common problem) Anyway later that day a guy calls me from repair and asks if they coudl keep my laptop to replace the heat sink and logic board. they said this would take 3 to 4 days and so I said Sure go for it I want it fixed. A week and a half later the website still said in repair so i called apple to see what was taking so long. turns out they had no logic boards and they had 14 other computers that needed new logic boards. they had no clue when they were gettting them. luckily i live by the store so the nxt day i went over and talked to manager and demanded they get me a logic board. after complaining a little they found one in some suburb and they had it fedexed to them nxt day air. they said they replaced everything two days later so i went to pick her up.. when i picked it up everything was great running soomthly and i was quite happy. ………… 2 weeks later…… shutdown shutdown…..After two weeks of flawless activity it shut down again so i though id give it a couple more chances so another week passed 4 more random shutdowns GREAT! I dont know what to do know i might go in and demand a refund or exchange because im fedup with this…. tell me if u have any suggestions for talkking to apple

The running joke at my creative agency is the number of powerbooks I have and until recently the reasons for upgrading were always my lust for new hardware or my ability to smash good machines in random accidents.

My Wallstreet G3 runs nicely after 9 years, though the power card is wasted and it can’t run from new batteries — only from a cord. My clamshell G3 iBook runs beautifully. My G4 Titanium has sadly been harvested for parts after my twins danced on the keyboard, but it lives on in another Titanium in the office. A smashed 17 inch G4 that got projectile launched across a Costco parking lot runs nicely with a separate keyboard, monitor and mouse connected to its shattered screen and case and is in daily use by one of my copy writers (Never set your Powerbook on the truck canopy of a home tinkerer who has installed high powered springs to flip his entire truck canopy sideways when he wants in to the back of the bed — I never could have imagined such craziness until I watched the machine do a graceful screen open arc through the air). My G4 1.33 Powerbook runs nicely now after a powercord tip snapped off inside it (if you don’t have Apple Care, find an Apple Tech who will work on the side and do this in an hour. The guides out there showing a need for a complete tear down call for more work than is needed and Apple will charge like $500 if you send this in for a $69 dollar part replacement).

The problem for me is my last two iBooks and my Macbook. Both of the iBooks sit dead on my desk from logic board problems. We’ve run all the updates, replaced drives, changed out ram and everything else under the sun and they’re just terminal. Goodbye to an otherwise nice G3 900 and G4 900 or 933 (?).

Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of performance issues with flash programs and switching over to the Macbook with an Intel processor proved to be an AMAZING, almost unbelieveable, performance boost when compared to the G4.

But a month in I started to have random shutdowns. I spoke with Apple Care, re-seated ram, ran all of my repair utilities, discharged power completely with the battery out, zapped PRAM and basically did everything else I could come up with, as I was experienceing up to 30 random shutdowns per day.

Apple Care staff were always friendly, but I have a strong feeling that I’m not talking with people who actually work on computers or know much about them. Sometimes they’ll get a tech to chat them or speak to them on the phone, but the techs aren’t listening very well to the problems.

Whatever issue software they’re using isn’t very good, as I was sent back again and again to install a firmware update only to eventually read on the Apple site that “Note: This update is only or the original MacBook, and will not install on a MacBook (Late 2006).” See www.apple.com/support/downloads/macbooksmcfirmwareupdate11.html

After a week or more of tests where I repeatedly asked for service on the machine I finally convinced Apple Care staff to send a shipping box to collect the machine (Did I pay a high price for Apple Care so I could argue with otherwise nice people about whether to take the machine in for repairs?).

The box was sent by DHL and they failed to deliver for five business days as they had some confusion over my main street, ground level, business address. From there, the machine has disappeared into a black hole. I was told that I should have it back in three to five days. I’m 13 days in from Apple’s receipt of the machine and they are still waiting on a new logic board and now hoping to ship tomorrow.

I’m blown away by this. This is not what I expect from Apple. I’ve dealt with this kind of incompetency from different Windows PC manufacturers on our other machines, but Apple has never seemed so incapable of dealing with bad product.