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Barefoot Matt · Oct 13, 2006, 11:46 PM

I realise this has already been discussed to some extent, but I haven't seen the problem described exactly like this, nor have I found a solution that worked for me. If I missed something, feel free to point it out and call me an idiot

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I have a MacBook Pro 1.83, 1.5 GB RAM (.5 stock, 1 aftermarket). I use an external firewire hard drive for most of my windows files, including my games, but the OS lives on the internal HD. I've had the battery replaced under the recall, but not the logic board. I'm using bootcamp 1.1 and its accompanying windows drivers, installed over 1.0 (or maybe 1.0.x something).

I can start games fine. They run well for a while. Then, inevitably, after playing for 10-20 minutes or so, the computer turns off. I get no error messages or blue screens of death, and the computer doesn't hang or restart, it just turns off.

I tried limiting the clock speeds of the video card using AtiTool, as described in this thread. No luck. Based on this thread, I didn't try installing ATI's drivers. Any other suggestions? Should I try reinstalling windows? (I'd rather not if I can help it)

C.A.T.S. CEO · Oct 14, 2006, 02:01 AM

It might be the use of the FireWire HD. I'm not a expert in Windows, but I'd figured I add my 2 cents....

ghporter · Oct 14, 2006, 09:34 AM

Games tend to be the least "well behaved" of all Windows apps. It's quite possible that they just don't like running off an external drive, or that they are just cranky and quit for no reason at all. What games are you playing and do ALL games shut down the computer or just the ones you're most interested in?

Barefoot Matt · Oct 15, 2006, 01:26 AM

I can now rule some things out. I've done the following:

a) upgraded from Bootcamp 1.1 to 1.1.1
b) reformatted the windows partition and reinstalled windows
c) installed a game on the internal drive and left the external one unlugged
d) let windows download a whole bunch of updates before I tried playing

None of those things helped; the problem is still happening. The game I've tried most recently, and the one I tried installing on the internal drive, is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The problem also happened with Mafia and Stolen (geeze, from that list you'd think I'm a kleptomaniac). I was previously playing Fable on this computer, and I made it through the whole game without a crash like this, but I think that was before I upgraded to Bootcamp 1.1. Maybe that's the problem, and I should try to downgrade to a previous version of bootcamp. If that was it, though, I'd think other people would be having the same problem. If I can find my disc for Fable, I'll try installing it again and see if it still works. Since I started having the problem, I haven't played any games that didn't shut off the computer, but I haven't tried the game that worked for me before.

ghporter · 07:54 AM

If anything the newer drivers should be better and NOT cause any problems. I think GTA is less well-behaved than a lot of XP games, but my only experience with it is on X-Box so I can't say for sure. Checking on Fable (also only experienced here on X-Box) is a good idea.

Fixed glaring spelling error.

Spliffdaddy · Oct 15, 2006, 07:33 PM

If the computer just turns off it sounds more like a power supply / hardware issue. Did you check the error logs to see if there were any software or OS problems?

By default, WinXP should write to an error log, do a memory dump, then reboot if it encounters a fatal error.

Don't know about Macs, but most modern PCs will have some sort of system to shutdown the power if the processor temp exceeds a preset threshhold. Just a thought.

Barefoot Matt · Oct 16, 2006, 12:16 AM

My first thought was a power supply problem, but I don't see how that would happen... I've got two power sources, the battery and the AC adapter. I've tried using both the new battery, the old recalled one that I haven't gotten around to shipping back to Apple yet, and no battery at all, so it's not the battery, and if it were the AC adapter you'd think it would fall back on battery power when the adapter fails.

I can't find any error logs. Do you know where they're stored?

I don't think it's a temperature issue, as it hasn't been running particularly hot, but I'll try giving it more ventilation and see if that helps.

Barefoot Matt · Oct 23, 2006, 04:15 PM

FYI, in case anyone else experiences the same problem, it was a temperature problem. After my last post, I tried propping the computer up to give it more air underneath, and put an ice pack underneath it. It only crashed once all night, and that was after about an hour of playing. The key is frequent turning/changing of the ice pack.

This seems excessive, and I wonder if I have a fan problem, but at least it's working now!

Big Mac · Oct 23, 2006, 04:55 PM

Have you tried the minimum fan speed modification tool for the MB and MBP?

Barefoot Matt · Oct 24, 2006, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

Have you tried the minimum fan speed modification tool for the MB and MBP?

No, I haven't heard about that. Where can I find it? And does it work in Windows? That would be perfect.

C.A.T.S. CEO · Oct 24, 2006, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by Barefoot Matt

No, I haven't heard about that. Where can I find it? And does it work in Windows? That would be perfect.

It won't work with windows.

Helmling · Oct 26, 2006, 12:09 AM

Well...it IS Windows!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Barefoot Matt · Oct 27, 2006, 02:28 AM

Originally Posted by Helmling

Well...it IS Windows!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I know... Windows makes me sad

As soon as I boot up, I notice that the computer is significantly hotter in windows than in OS X. And I need cooling even more in Windows, cause that's where most of my games live! Not fair.