If You Have An iMac ...

[bayswater]

There was a thread recently about a Mac spontaneously shutting down. That started happening to me today. I reviewed the console messages and couldn't see any hints there. But later, I noticed that the power button on the back of the iMac was not perfectly flush with the read casing. It turns out that it was stuck partially in, far enough that every 20 minutes or so, it was powering down the system. I freed up the button, and the problem disappeared.

[Guitar Gaz]

Not had this problem yet but thanks for the warning.

[stubbsonic]

Good catch!! Not often does an apparent software problem have a physical cause (loose plug, stuck button, pinched wire, etc.) Pheeeew!

There'd be that weird mixture of relief at discovering the problem and rage at the years shaved off your lifespan-- and the bad QC where Apple's QC is generally pretty good.

[mikehalloran]

How old is that iMac?

[bayswater]

How old is that iMac?

It's the model just before yours.

[mikehalloran]

Good catch!! Not often does an apparent software problem have a physical cause (loose plug, stuck button, pinched wire, etc.) Pheeeew!

There'd be that weird mixture of relief at discovering the problem and rage at the years shaved off your lifespan-- and the bad QC where Apple's QC is generally pretty good.

Something this can be a real hair pulling experience - like bad RAM.

It's the model just before yours.

I'm familiar with the 2009 and take care of a few so I will spread the word.

The button is different on my 2010 and 2011. It travels such a short distance with so light a feel that I often wonder, 'did I hit it?' then I hear the chime. I don't see how these could have this problem - that's why I asked.

When I started reading the OP, I was wondering if it is time to start replacing the NV RAM batteries on these. Like replacing drives, it's an involved process using suction cups and other tools. While I'm debating replacing the hard drive with an SSD or replacing my iMac completely, I do know that if I replace the drive, a new C2032 will be part of the installation. Being the one-armed guy, I'll pay to have it done - I've found a company locally who will make a service call for $99.

[bayswater]

I thought about battery and RAM too. But the system has been up now for about 48 hours without incident since I freed up the power button. At some point it will need a new battery and then I'll take it to a local Mac shop and have them do a SSD, etc at the same time. Maybe I can keep it going until we can run DP on Apple wearable devices.

[mikehalloran]

Maybe I can keep it going until we can run DP on Apple wearable devices.

I like that!

One of my concerns is the heat. Yours is five years old; mine is four. An SSD should make these good machines last a very long time. A 1T 840 is now down to $438 or so. With SATA II being the max these can do, I'm seeing no reason to wait for the 850.

[bayswater]

One of my concerns is the heat. Yours is five years old; mine is four. An SSD should make these good machines last a very long time. A 1T 840 is now down to $438 or so. With SATA II being the max these can do, I'm seeing no reason to wait for the 850.

Five years! I still think of it as new. Heat is not as bad as the old G5, but it is a factor. Thanks for the tip on the SSD.

[mikehalloran]

Here is a shootout between the Samsung 1T 840 EVO and the Crucial 960 M500. What I like is that they also include a WD Caviar Black and a Seagate SHD for comparison.

http://techreport.com/review/25763/clas ... 40-evo-1tb

It looks like the Crucial used to have an edge on price but as I shop, it seems to be just a little more expensive. Either will kick big time over what we have installed now.

The M550 appears to be a little faster but, our iMacs limited to SATA II, we will never see the difference. It does have a larger usable capacity than either of the above for about $20 more. Hmmmm...
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7864/cruc ... els-tested

[bayswater]

Locally, the price for Crucial seems to be a lot less than any other brand, including OWC. E.g. Crucial C$499 for ~1T, versus 600-700 for most others, and up to around $2K for Intel and IBM. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Also it looks like there are still a lot of competing technologies in SSDs. That makes me wonder too.

Anyway, it will be next year before I'm ready to do this.