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CJ0223

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 10, 2019
5
0
Davidson, NC
I have a 2010 MacBook Pro laptop that in the last year or so was crashing up to 2 or 3 times daily (sometimes more depending on how many times I tried to use it) and typically this would happen when I was in one of the following apps:
-Apple email (it would happen the most in this app)
-Safari
-Spotify (2nd most)
Last week I took it to a PC/Mac Repair shop and - per their recommendation had the old hard drive replaced with an SSD drive and upgraded the 8 MB of RAM that was already in there. While it was not a cheap fix it was much cheaper than getting a new Mac which is why I did it.
Got the laptop back and while it was much, much faster it is still crashing. Contacted the repair guy and he told me that he would order me a new battery. The first time it crashed it was running off the battery and the percentage was low, so maybe that could be an issue??
However yesterday I had it plugged in, full power, and within the space of an hour same problem: Open mail, mail would be fine for a few minutes and then crash. Restart. Try Spotify and the same thing. Needless to say I am over this.
The IT guy at work is stumped about this as are a few other friends who are Apple people.
Thanks.
 

akash.nu

macrumors G4
May 26, 2016
10,824
16,931
Sounds like the repair shop guy ripped you off without testing anything. It could very well be a heating issue by the sound of it. Do you see a pattern in terms of how long it takes to crash the system since powered on?!
 

CJ0223

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 10, 2019
5
0
Davidson, NC
Is this a 15" or 13"?

Do you have crash logs?

When you say crash, do you mean the program would just quit? MacBook would freeze? Grey screen? Restart on its own?

15".
When I say crash I mean it would restart on it's own and show a panic report which I would then send to Apple.

Don't have crash logs - at least not that I am aware of. Where would they be??

Thanks.
[doublepost=1552326389][/doublepost]
Sounds like the repair shop guy ripped you off without testing anything. It could very well be a heating issue by the sound of it. Do you see a pattern in terms of how long it takes to crash the system since powered on?!

Not really. It can be anywhere from a few minutes to longer before it restarts. Lately though (as in the last year or so) it is usually within a few minutes of mail or Spotify being open.
 

Audit13

macrumors 604
Apr 19, 2017
6,812
1,810
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
15".
When I say crash I mean it would restart on it's own and show a panic report which I would then send to Apple.

Don't have crash logs - at least not that I am aware of. Where would they be??

Thanks.
Since it's a 15", it may be producing a grey screen before it restarts. This sounds like a c9560 capacitor problem as previously mentioned. To be sure, run the Cinebench OpenGL test: https://www.maxon.net/en/products/cinebench-r20-overview/

If it crashes when running the test, best thing would be to replace the capacitor.
 

CJ0223

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 10, 2019
5
0
Davidson, NC
Since it's a 15", it may be producing a grey screen before it restarts. This sounds like a c9560 capacitor problem as previously mentioned. To be sure, run the Cinebench OpenGL test: https://www.maxon.net/en/products/cinebench-r20-overview/

If it crashes when running the test, best thing would be to replace the capacitor.

Now that you mention it there is a grey screen every now and then if that makes sense?
 

leman

macrumors Core
Oct 14, 2008
19,302
19,284
Last week I took it to a PC/Mac Repair shop and - per their recommendation had the old hard drive replaced with an SSD drive and upgraded the 8 MB of RAM that was already in there. While it was not a cheap fix it was much cheaper than getting a new Mac which is why I did it.

I agree with @akash.nu that you got ripped off. Frequent crashes like you describe are indicative of a hardware failure, and putting some basic performance upgrades are unlikely to solve the issue. Assuming you have warranty on the performed repair, I'd suggest you to go back to the shop and demand a fix free of charge, since they have botched the job.
 
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CJ0223

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 10, 2019
5
0
Davidson, NC
These have all been very helpful and I even sent this page to the repair guy. I don't want to say he ripped me off since he's doing everything he can to fix the problem - starting with getting a new battery - and I also have a 30 day warranty which is a plus.
 

akash.nu

macrumors G4
May 26, 2016
10,824
16,931
These have all been very helpful and I even sent this page to the repair guy. I don't want to say he ripped me off since he's doing everything he can to fix the problem - starting with getting a new battery - and I also have a 30 day warranty which is a plus.

If that’s how he approaches hardware issues then I’m sorry I can’t hold high opinion about his skill set.
 

Ruggy

macrumors 6502a
Jan 11, 2017
980
639
If I were you I'd run the Apple diagnostics program ( called hardware test on older systems) and see what it finds.I've found it to be very useful.
You don't say what version of OS you are running and the technique you use to find it depends on the version.
On some older systems , you have to use the installation disks (thats the full ones which will have pretty pictures on them not the grey upgrade ones). You should still be able to use a full installation disk anyway if you have one as long as you have a disk drive. I used it on a copy of Tiger when I was running High Sierra as the OS
On systems where the OS was downloaded, it's usually on the drive in a hidden partition and you have to press a key combination at start up. You will have to do a search to find which is appropriate for your system I'm afraid.
Timing is very important and you don't always get it to work first time. You might hold the key too long or not long enough.
If you get the option to run it in 'extended mode' or something similar (sorry forget the exact term but you get the idea) definitely go for that. It will take a lot longer to run but it's definitely worth it.
It checks loads of things in the hardware and will tell you if your mother board is failing, graphics card, HD etc. Once, it told me something along the lines of ' your HD has a problem and you need to back up everything and change it as it will fail soon'. It's a brilliant set of tools
It comes with every Mac and frankly, you should always run it before you have anything changed rather than someone guessing that it's this or that.
If you have a graphics card problem, or other hardware problem, it'll most likely tell you what the problem is.
Also, if you still have a system that has the chimes on start up, the chimes are also a hardware test, each note representing a test. If there's a note missing or if the sound is off somehow, then there's a hardware problem.
Good luck.
[doublepost=1552409787][/doublepost]
If I were you I'd run the Apple diagnostics program ( called hardware test on older systems) and see what it finds.I've found it to be very useful.
You don't say what version of OS you are running and the technique you use to find it depends on the version.
On some older systems , you have to use the installation disks (thats the full ones which will have pretty pictures on them not the grey upgrade ones). You should still be able to use a full installation disk anyway if you have one as long as you have a disk drive. I used it on a copy of Tiger when I was running High Sierra as the OS
On systems where the OS was downloaded, it's usually on the drive in a hidden partition and you have to press a key combination at start up. You will have to do a search to find which is appropriate for your system I'm afraid.
Timing is very important and you don't always get it to work first time. You might hold the key too long or not long enough.
If you get the option to run it in 'extended mode' or something similar (sorry forget the exact term but you get the idea) definitely go for that. It will take a lot longer to run but it's definitely worth it.
It checks loads of things in the hardware and will tell you if your mother board is failing, graphics card, HD etc. Once, it told me something along the lines of ' your HD has a problem and you need to back up everything and change it as it will fail soon'. It's a brilliant set of tools
It comes with every Mac and frankly, you should always run it before you have anything changed rather than someone guessing that it's this or that.
If you have a graphics card problem, or other hardware problem, it'll most likely tell you what the problem is.
Also, if you still have a system that has the chimes on start up, the chimes are also a hardware test, each note representing a test. If there's a note missing or if the sound is off somehow, then there's a hardware problem.
Good luck.

Additionally as an afterthought. Sudden shutdown and restart is very often associated with overheating.Not sop common in Macs it's true, and as the repair guy has had the machine open, he's probably cleaned all the dust out but it could still be clogged with dust inside the and otherwise a failing power supply.
You can download a program which will load a tray icon and keep an eye on the temperatures inside for you (sorry don't remember what it's called but there will be more than one). If you are performing a high intensity task, watch the temperature and if you see it's getting really hot and then it shuts down, then that could be a clue. You can also get info about what temp your CPU etc should run at.
Your guy has changed a few things and although putting in an SSD and changing the battery hasn't solved the problem, it will still be very useful and will improve the machine when you get the problem finally fixed.
You haven't really wasted your money- as long as you get it working again.
 

CJ0223

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 10, 2019
5
0
Davidson, NC
I just received this text from the repair guy today. I would like to think that all the input from the members on this thread helped him along with this decision. So thanks to you all. I also now have a new battery. Winning.

”I have ordered the capacitor from that chip but also a BIOS chip as one of the third party vendors we use said he has had some issue with the BIOS Chip causing that.


Parts should be in within 3 days fingers crossed. No cost to you”.
 
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