DssW - Mac computers

Cooling Stands - Opinions - Experiences - Comments

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:10:27 -0500

I'm wanting to purchase a cooling stand, one with fans, to place under my
MacBook Pro when I'm "on the road". i'm interested in the positive and
negative experiences people have had with any of the various stands
available.

--
James Leo Ryan ..... Austin, Texas ..... taliesinsoft@me.com

Sleep-wake

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:39:45 -0500

My iMac (C2D latest OS etc) seems to wake at random and then fail to
sleep after the period set in Preferences. The wake event is recorded as:

Oct 22 21:06:42 upstairs-2 configd[14]: AppleTalk shutdown
Oct 22 21:06:43 upstairs-2 kernel[0]: System Sleep
Oct 22 21:06:42 upstairs-2 configd[14]: AppleTalk shutdown complete
Oct 23 04:40:01 upstairs-2 kernel[0]: System Wake
Oct 23 04:39:53 upstairs-2 airportd[3855]: FastFinder scanning channels
again

The computer will stay switched on with this system.log message every
two minutes or so:

Oct 23 10:00:33 upstairs-2 ntpd[27]: sendto(17.72.255.12) (fd=23): No
route to host

Any idea why it might wake/fail to sleep?

Thanks, Rob

Battery lifespan on PowerBook?

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:54:27 -0500

How long is it reasonable to expect a battery to last? (15" PowerBook G4.)
My first battery started to show signs of aging after about a year and a
half (the computer no longer gave a "low battery" warning but just quit most
unceremoniously after a couple of hours of use). My second battery is now
showing the same signs after about year -- it says it's gone through 128
cycles. The machine is plugged in most of the time but tends to be used a
couple of hours a day on just the battery -- I have to admit I don't
remember the last time I intentionally fully discharged it, but it certainly
doesn't feel to me like it's happened a couple of times a week, which is
what that cycle count says. Right now it's fully charged but if I pull the
plug it says I only have 2.5 hours of battery usage left (full brightness,
wifi on, bluetooth off, doing nothing.) Says full charge capacity 3287mAh,
but remaining capacity (right after unplugging) 3263.

--
Ted Lee
Minnetonka, MN

Scheduled Shutdown and External Hard Drives

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:52:19 -0500

I have my iMac scheduled (via Energy Saver prefs) to shut down at 3 AM and
start up at 8 AM. I'm not sure if I should adhere to such a routine, or
simply leave the machine running 24 X 7 (both alternatives have their vocal
supporters, and I'd welcome your opinions. :) ).

I also have Time Machine backing up to an external drive, and will be
running SuperDuper! to a second, daisy-chained external.

Prior to getting this machine, I'd only connect an external drive when I
wanted to perform a manual backup; I'd then dismount it and turn it off,
_especially_ prior to shutting down the computer to which it was connected.
As I understood it, that was the recommended way of connecting/disconnecting
an external drive.

But now that the externals are always connected and "on" to enable automatic
backups, I'm unsure what happens when the Energy Saver schedule kicks in to
shut down the iMac: Does it shut down the system "gracefully," by first
dismounting the external drives?

--
iMac (24", 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 320 GB HDD) OS X (10.5.4)

Not sleeping

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:58:24 -0500

My iMac (late 2007) running 10.5.5 (and previously 10.5.4) seems not to
sleep unless I make it do so manually.

The Energy Saver setting doesn't seem to work, but on the other hand
display sleep does work. This suggests that something unexpected is
accessing the hard drive.

Is there a known bug regarding this? If not, is there anything I should
do to find out what is stopping sleep.

--
http://www.decohen.com
Send e-mail to the Reply-To address;
mail to the From address is never read

PB G4 Ti Battery evaluation ?

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:15:57 -0500

Is there a way to determine if a PowerBook G4 Ti's battery is gone or if
it is another problem?

Battery percentage stays at 0%.

If battery is gone, is there a "best" place to purchase a replacement?

Thanks in advance.

iBook battery dying...

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:23:02 -0500

Just over two years old as well :-(

I'm pretty sure it's dead anyway, I'm just trying a calibration, but
it's flattening at the rate of about 1% charge every minute or so. I'll
see how it does after the calibration, but I'm not too hopeful.

If it does, any ideas where the best (i.e. cheapest) place to get one?

--
Andy Hewitt
<http://web.me.com/andrewhewitt1/>

iMac C2Ds won't power up

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:51:35 -0500

I recently purchased 29 new iMac C2Ds and then went to Europe for 24
days. When I recently returned, I found two iMacs which won't start
up upon pressing the power button. Having seen similar behavior on an
iBook, I'm wondering if there is a trick to get the circuit's 5V of
standby voltage to actually do something.

G5 iMac Sleep Setting Won't Work

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:25:16 -0500

I can manually make it sleep by hitting command-option eject, or by
using the Apple menu sleep command. It is set for sleep after 10
minutes in the Energy pref. pane, but it won't sleep. When I
troubleshoot this issue, I am making sure there are no apps running that
require a confirm command to shut down. Also making sure no wonky games
are running that interfere.

This machine is the last G5 iMac...it has the Eyesight camera, 1 gig of
RAM, and the latest version of Leopard. The Apple forums talk about a
sleep issue with some G5 iMacs, but they appear to be earlier models.

Any suggestions? Thanks, as always.

Strange power problem

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:08:08 -0500

Since the last security update I installed, my iMac's power settings (for
turning the screen off) have been reversed.

They're still set correctly in System Preferences: turn screen off after 3
minutes. However, since the update, the screen now turns *on* after 3 minutes.

Normally, I switch the screen off by moving the mouse to the corner of the
screen, but I'm now finding the screen comes on *exactly* 3 minutes after
doing this! I've tried rebooting, and changing the settings before changing
them back, but it still does the same thing.

deKay
--
Lofi Gaming - http://lofi-gaming.org.uk
Gaming Diary - http://lofi-gaming.org.uk/diary
Blog - http://lofi-gaming.org.uk/blog
My computer runs at 3.5MHz and I'm proud of that

iBook G4 replacement power adapter and battery

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:51:41 -0500

Hi all!
I have an old iBook G4 12" that needs a new power adapter and a new
battery.
I'd like to know if either of you have purchased what's to be found on
ebay?
Is it reliable harware (seems so anyway)?
Then what reference should I take?
Apple only sells 65W adapters now so should I go for a 65W adapter? Or
stick to the 45W (as it came out of the box)?
As for the battery, I guess I'll just follow whatever fits the
desciption...
Best regards,

MacBook battery replacement

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:41:58 -0500

I'm looking for a non-Apple (to save $) MacBook battery replacement.
I've so far found only http://store.fastmac.com/product_info.php?cPath=10_4&products_id=151
from FastMac. I don't know anything about them, and they're $99
instead of the $129 that Apple is currently asking, so I'm not sure if
slightly smaller price makes up the uncertainty of buying this
product. Does anyone have any advice or other recommendations? Thanks

Sleep/Restart shortcuts for non-Apple kb's?

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:03:11 -0500

Is there a keyboard shortcut that can put this Mac Mini to sleep if I'm
not using an Apple keyboard? (I don't have an Eject key.)

MacBook screen dimming

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:02:13 -0500

How does dimming work when you poke the keys with the little "suns" on
them?

Does the fluorescent tube actually get dimmer (thereby possibly
extending its life), or is the dimming done by the LCD while leaving the
lamp at full brightness?

Isaac

MacBook Pro battery hot-swapping

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:22:26 -0500

Hello all,

I recently was working on a project on my MBP using battery power, and
had just bought a new battery so I was going to try hot-swapping the
new battery in during sleep mode. I closed the lid and waited for the
Safe Sleep image to be created, then, when the light started
"breathing" to show sleep mode, I pulled out the old battery. The
sleep light went off, and after putting in the new battery, the MBP
woke up using safe sleep.

I was given the impression that the MBP had an internal "backup"
battery for this purpose, to allow hot-swapping without having to
restore with Safe Sleep. Have they removed this feature? I'm using
the June 5, 2007 revision 15" MBP.

Thanks,
Sam

Hot New MBP battery

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:50:34 -0500

A couple of months ago Apple replaced my 18-month old MacBook Pro
battery for free under their battery replacement scheme. At the time I
was only getting about an hour-and-a-half from the battery.

The relevant thread is there:

<http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.comp.sys.mac/browse_thread/thread/4
8eddd1a02016c6b/50191f5efebe1747?hl=en&lnk=gst&q=battery+danny#50191f5ef
ebe1747>

I'm not happy with the replacement battery though.

Unlike the old one it runs *extremely* hot all the time. SMC FanControl
reports it as between 81-88 degrees C. That's under no real load at all
- with the machine idling, and nothing running to speak of.

I'm getting about an hour's battery life.

Activity Monitor shows nothing unusual.

Propping the back of the MBP up with a pencil or similar to increase
ventilation makes bugger all difference.

But when I take the battery out the temperature drops to 60-70 degrees C
within about 10 seconds.

I'd never experienced temperatures like these with the old battery. With
that one the fans barely used to activate. Now they are on *all* the
time.

Coconut Battery reports it as having 93% of original capacity, but 38
load cycles after only two months. This is probably a result of the fact
that I keep having to remove the damn thing - something I'd *never* had
to do before.

Before I call Apple can others tell me whether these temperatures are
"normal"?

Oh - MBP 15" 2.16 Intel Core 2 Duo. 2Gb. 10.5.3

Thanks

Danny

Sleep issues

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:13:05 -0500

My MacBook Pro (OS 10.4.11) seems to be developing sleep problems.
When I open the lid, sometimes the screen stays dark for up to five
minutes and perhaps longer (I give up). Other times if I don't enter
my password within a couple of seconds the screen goes black and stays
black too. Occasionally, if I shut the lid and wait for the light to
blink slowly (as it does when asleep) and open it then, then all's
well. Other times (like today) the light stayed fully bright (no
blinking) when the lid closed. The problem seems to be worsening.

Any ideas as to what I need to do?

Thanks

MacBook sleep

Tue, 20 May 2008 23:40:26 -0500

Anyone else have the same problem? I'm using my MacBook on battery & let
it sleep then I can not get it to wake without connecting the power
supply, after connecting it says there is plenty of power in the
battery, over 2 hours after the last sleep.

Pete H

wake up iMac

Mon, 19 May 2008 07:44:56 -0500

Does anyone know of a way to program an iMac to come out of hibernation at
a certain time each day? Like a digital thermostat, programmable for M-F
and S-S?
Thanks!

Power-Button on PowerBook G4 FW800

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:20:58 -0500

Hi NG,
i have wall-mounted a headless powerbook to become my home server.
I have added a new power button on the outside.
Is there a possibility to change the switch-off behavior in osx?
I want a direct shutdown (shutdown now -h) instead off the finders
shutdown dialog. I run os 10.4.11 on this machine.

Thank you for your time and help.

Florian

MacBook Pro Charger Light

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:13:09 -0500

Frequently, when my MacBook Pro is fully charged, the green light on the
plug goes out. Re-plugging turns it back on, but why does it go off?
Help says it should either be amber or green. Could one of the
connectors be oxidized and should I worry about this?

--
Robert B. Peirce, Venetia, PA 724-941-6883
bob AT peirce-family.com [Mac]
rbp AT cooksonpeirce.com [Office]

USB mouse wake from sleep

Sat, 10 May 2008 04:39:15 -0500

Is there a way to stop a USB mouse from waking a sleeping Late 2007 MacBook
using Leopard?

TIA

sleep indicator light on MacBook

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:11:32 -0500

What does it means when the sleep indicator light is glowing steady (not
pulsing) on a Late 2007 MacBook?

TIA

Drive spins up every 15 minutes

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:56:22 -0500

I'm running 10.5.2 on a Core 2 Duo iMac.

Every 15 minutes I hear my Firewire drive spin up for some reason. It's
not on even 15-minute boundaries, so I assume it's tied to my boot or
login times.

It's not Time Machine, it only runs hourly.

I never noticed this happening with the iBook G4 running 10.4.11 that
this machine replaced.

Some third-party utilities I'm running that might be suspects are
SMARTReporter and Compost. But I was running them on the iBook, too.

I tried running fs_usage, to see if I could catch any unusual process
running when I hear it spin up, but nothing really stood out. I saw
Compost, but not at the times of the spin-ups.

I tried using the Energy Saver option not to spin down drives. This is
a little less annoying, since there's no spin-up whine, but I still hear
the sudden buzzing of the drive as it's being accessed.

--
Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group ***

Question about iBook (A1055) Batteries ---- OEM or not?

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:13:58 -0500

I am a pc guy trying to help a friend replace their mac g4 iBook A1005
notebook battery.

What I am not sure of is how much to trust non-genuine apple replacements.
Does anyone have any trusted supplier of genuine and/or non-genuine
batteries? I am not at all sure whether to trust the "compatible with aaa,
bbb, ccc..." business, even when genuine apple.

Further, "all things being equal", what mA rating should is recommended?
4400ish? I just am not sure in the mac world.

Thanks!

G5 iMac likes to sleep

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:11:42 -0500

Dear All

This one just in.....

"We have a problem with a G5 iMac, the mac keeps turning itself off (as if
there was a power cut), we have checked connections and changed the power
cable but it still keeps doing it every now and then."

On-board power supply transformers failing?

Or tsetse fly infestation locally?

Your thoughts?

TIA

--
regards
hugh
hugh at clarity point uk point co
(by the sea) (using Hogwasher)

Time for a new .sig tagline

Airport not working after sleep?

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:17:06 -0500

Intel iMac, OS 10.4.11.

After waking the thing up from sleep, Airport seems to be taking a long
time to re-acquire the signal from the wireless point that I've got
plugged into the DG814 modem/router.

(Still running a non-wireless enabled old G4 on the system, so just
plugged a wireless point into the router a couple of years ago).

Other wireless Macs on the system don't have the problem, so it's an
iMac issue, not a modem/router or wirelss point issue.

Tried restarting, turning the router off and on and ditto the wireless
point, but no real joy. It always comes up in the end; just takes time.

I suppose I could just plug an ethernat cable in, but does anyone have
any ideas what might be the problem?

--
BMW K1100LT Ducati 750SS Honda CB400F, SL125 & SH50
chateau dot murray at idnet dot com
"What you're proposing to do will involve a lot of time
and hassle for no tangible benefit."

MacBook Pro fan keeps running (Noisily)

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:08:24 -0500

In the past couple of months, it seemed to me that I was hearing the
fan on my 1 year old MacBook Pro running more and more. Now, it is
seldom quiet.

Just to make sure it was the fan I was hearing, I sat the computer on
one of those freezer beanbags and, sure enough, within about 30
seconds, the fan quieted down almost to (not quite) silence.

Anybody know the reason and remedy for this? I have a feeling that the
MacBook is running hot but don't know why this began to happen.

ANYONE have problems with MacBook Pro and sleep?

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:52:56 -0500

I have a fairly recent "Santa Rosa" Mac, the one about
a year old, an Intel Core 2 Duo with 4 GB of ram.

Suddenly did not want to come out of sleep, black screen
when I pressed the shift key, repeatedly.

Finally came out of sleep all by itself 5 minutes later.

I made certain that all my applications were closed
before I put the Mac to sleep, about 20 minutes before
I tried to wake it.

This a fairly common problem with MacBook pros?

Have not checked the macfixit forum yet.

Mark-

New iMac sleep problems

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:05:45 -0500

On 13/3/08 08:54, deKay wrote:
> I'm having some trouble with scheduling my iMac's sleep patterns. I want to
> put it to sleep at 23:30 and wake at 7:00. This was OK and worked, until I
> realised that the thing was going to sleep after half an hour's non-use
> anyway.
>
> This is no good, as I need access to it remotely during the day, so don't want
> it going to sleep then. So I switched "Put the computer to sleep when it is
> inactive for:" to "Never". And now it doesn't go to sleep at the scheduled
> time :/
>
> Is this normal behaviour? Is there a setting I'm missing?

It should sleep on schedule. However, when I had a similar problem it
was due to an application not allowing it to sleep. Try a scheduled
sleep while you're around - with your normal app set up running and see
if it obeys. I forget now exactly what it was that prevented the sleep
but I know it does work as it did it to me yesterday - went to sleep at
the scheduled time which I'd forgotten to wipe - and slept half way
through encoding a dvd... It started encoding again when I woke it and
seems to have picked up again where it left off but I haven't played the
finished product yet...

--
David Kennedy

http://www.anindianinexile.com