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kapkorn · Oct 26, 2006, 05:09 PM

It is supposed to correct the Random Shutdowns.

pat++ · 01:55 AM

No. It fixes the fan noise. The MacBook needs to be serviced by Apple so that they replace the heatsink to fix the random shutdowns.

Edit: my mistake, I thought it was the previous update. So yes hopefully.

Peter · Oct 26, 2006, 07:08 PM

The SMC Update improves the MacBook's internal monitoring system and addresses issues with unexpected shutdowns. This update is recommended for all MacBook systems, including those that received warranty repair. The updater application will be installed in the /Applications/Utilities folder. Please follow the instructions in the updater application to complete the process.

hmm

hookem2oo7 · Oct 26, 2006, 07:10 PM

as seen here - MacBook: Shuts down intermittently

kapkorn · Oct 26, 2006, 07:18 PM

Apple - Support - Downloads - MacBook SMC Firmware Update 1.1

MacBook SMC Firmware Update 1.1

About this update

The SMC Update improves the MacBook’s internal monitoring system and addresses issues with unexpected shutdowns. This update is recommended for all MacBook systems, including those that received warranty repair.

Note:
If your MacBook is running Mac OS X 10.4.6, you won’t be able to install the SMC Update until you update to Mac OS X 10.4.8.

MacBooks running Mac OS X 10.4.7 will be able to download and install the SMC Update, so it is not essential that you update your system software, although Apple always recommends updating to the latest version of the system software.

After this update has completed successfully, your SMC Version will be: 1.4f12.

Installation:
The updater application will be installed in the /Applications/Utilities folder.

Please follow the instructions in the updater application to complete the update process.

Here are the instructions within the updater:

To update the SMC firmware on your MacBook:
Your computer’s power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source.
1. Quit all other open applications.
2. Click Restart in the MacBook SMC Firmware Update window and wait for your computer to restart.

The SMC firmware update starts automatically. A status bar indicates the progress of the update. During the update your computer fans will run at full speed, but will return to normal once the update completes.

Important: Do not interrupt the update.

Your computer restarts automatically when the update is completed and opens the MacBook SMC Firmware Update.

3. Click OK. The SMC firmware is now up-to-date.

If these instructions appear on your screen again, the SMC firmware update was not successful. Repeat steps 2 and 3.

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: MacBook: Shuts down intermittently.

Bobby · 08:15 PM

It'll be nice if this illiminates the problem... After getting my MacBook back from repair for the problem a couple weeks ago it's shudown twice...

If this does it then the only other current issue I have to worry about is the flickering brightness that occurs every once in a while...

moonmonkey · Oct 26, 2006, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by pat++

No. It fixes the fan noise. The MacBook needs to be serviced by Apple so that they replace the heatsink to fix the random shutdowns.

Are you one of those people who makes a point of disagreeing with everyone?

hookem2oo7 · Oct 26, 2006, 09:05 PM

idk, but i installed the update even though i had no random shutdowns on my week 33. local apple service shop is ready to do the repair if/when it does happen...

monkeybrain · Oct 26, 2006, 09:18 PM

I haven't had any shutdowns after running the update yet, but I'll run it through its paces later. I have noticed that is seems to be running hotter now. After the last firmware update it ran cooler but started to shutdown (literally a day after the update). Perhaps it was that last firmware update that started causing a problem, and this update puts us back before that one.

live18 · Oct 26, 2006, 09:24 PM

The Macbook does not need any repairs at the store for the shutdown problem to be fixed. I always knew it was a software issue and not a hardware one. I can't believe people thought it was a hardware issue, i mean come on i had my macbook for several months without any shutdown issues, then came a sioftware update and i started having that problem. And let me clarify that it was a Mac OSX problem because when i use XP on my macbook the shutdown issue never happen. Finally Apple fix the problem with this update, i was whiting for it. So all does people who took there Macbook for repair because of the shutdown issue was wasting there time.

Photo678 · Oct 26, 2006, 09:36 PM

All fixed here so far...used to happen after sleep for me.......all good!!!!.......whoohooo apple

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Oct 26, 2006, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by live18

The Macbook does not need any repairs at the store for the shutdown problem to be fixed. I always knew it was a software issue and not a hardware one. I can't believe people thought it was a hardware issue, i mean come on i had my macbook for several months without any shutdown issues, then came a sioftware update and i started having that problem. And let me clarify that it was a Mac OSX problem because when i use XP on my macbook the shutdown issue never happen. Finally Apple fix the problem with this update, i was whiting for it. So all does people who took there Macbook for repair because of the shutdown issue was wasting there time.

It is a hardware issue.

TheoCryst · 10:23 PM

Well I have never had the problem, and hopefully won't any time soon. However, at the moment my MacBook is running cooler than it ever has before (only 39º at the moment). I think I'll put it under some heavy load and report what happens.

EDIT: Interesting... after running under full load for several minutes, my lappy was a full ten degrees cooler (72 versus 82). I think I may like this update!

Legit · Oct 26, 2006, 10:48 PM

Mine seems to boot up much faster after this one. Don't know if it's just my imagination though.

ThisGuy · Oct 26, 2006, 11:43 PM

I believe that the volume on mine is louder than it used to be. in other words, the maximum volume isn't as shitty as before.

live18 · Oct 27, 2006, 12:07 AM

Holy crap i noticed the same thing, but i thought it was my imagination, but now that you say it, the volume is much louder then before. Very nice Apple.

pat++ · Oct 27, 2006, 01:53 AM

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

Are you one of those people who makes a point of disagreeing with everyone?

Sorry missed that one. I thought it was the previous update..

tomrock · Oct 27, 2006, 06:21 AM

Is it snappier™?

And who's downloading it now?

Parky · Oct 27, 2006, 07:03 AM

Did mine, no problems to report.

Ian

C.A.T.S. CEO · Oct 27, 2006, 08:30 AM

Everything is ok over here...

gametime10 · Oct 27, 2006, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by live18

The Macbook does not need any repairs at the store for the shutdown problem to be fixed. I always knew it was a software issue and not a hardware one. I can't believe people thought it was a hardware issue, i mean come on i had my macbook for several months without any shutdown issues, then came a sioftware update and i started having that problem. And let me clarify that it was a Mac OSX problem because when i use XP on my macbook the shutdown issue never happen. Finally Apple fix the problem with this update, i was whiting for it. So all does people who took there Macbook for repair because of the shutdown issue was wasting there time.

It was a hardware issue. I used to get RSS in XP along with OSX.

Photo678 · Oct 27, 2006, 09:28 AM

also running much much cooler here. Average temps around 58C.

tricha6 · Oct 27, 2006, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by gametime10

It was a hardware issue. I used to get RSS in XP along with OSX.

I have no idea what causes the RSS, however just because it happens in XP and OSX doesn't mean it can't be fixed with software.

Firmware is essentially software that controls hardware independent of the OS, and thus firmware that wasn't controlling the hardware correctly would exhibit problems in both OSX and XP (or any other OS on the machine).

I haven't installed the update yet, as my machine has never experienced RSS and I want to make sure the update doesn't FUBAR it all up before applying the update. MacFixIt and Apple Discussions seem to have only positive reviews - and the volume going up would be a nice touch since originally it was waaaayy too low.

gametime10 · Oct 27, 2006, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by tricha6

I have no idea what causes the RSS, however just because it happens in XP and OSX doesn't mean it can't be fixed with software.

Firmware is essentially software that controls hardware independent of the OS, and thus firmware that wasn't controlling the hardware correctly would exhibit problems in both OSX and XP (or any other OS on the machine).

I haven't installed the update yet, as my machine has never experienced RSS and I want to make sure the update doesn't FUBAR it all up before applying the update. MacFixIt and Apple Discussions seem to have only positive reviews - and the volume going up would be a nice touch since originally it was waaaayy too low.

From what I read, the old heatsink was expanding because of the heat and coming in contact w/ a temperature sensor, causing it to immediately shut down b/c of the heat. I'm guessing that the firmware somehow disables that function of the temperature sensor, while increasing fan speeds.

tricha6 · Oct 27, 2006, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by gametime10

From what I read, the old heatsink was expanding because of the heat and coming in contact w/ a temperature sensor, causing it to immediately shut down b/c of the heat. I'm guessing that the firmware somehow disables that function of the temperature sensor, while increasing fan speeds.

No, I agree. I've heard a couple of credible explanations for RSS and that is one of them. I was just disputing the idea of: It happens in Windows and OSX = Hardware problem (i.e. unfixable by software).

I don't know what causes RSS, and no one else does either. I say "no one else does either," because I think its obvious that Apple didn't (& maybe still doesn't) really know and they have qualified engineers with access to more (credible!) information than anyone. Its clear that there were at least two ways in which Apple was trying to fix the issue with hardware (1. a heatsink & logic board replacement and 2. A heatsink with repositioned wiring replacement) and now at least one way with software. I don't know if the problem requires both fixes, or if software is enough.

RSS is a mess and sucks if you have it. I hope this software solves the problem for those afflicted.

Dark Helmet · Oct 27, 2006, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by tricha6

I have no idea what causes the RSS, however just because it happens in XP and OSX doesn't mean it can't be fixed with software.

See there is your problem right there. You don't know what the problem is but you are sure it can be fixed with software.

Let me help you out as this is what the tech told me. The problem is the cable that runs to the heatsink would become faulty from hear from the heatsink and mess up the temp sensor. The Mac would think it was over heating and do an emergency shutdown. At first Apple thought the logic-board and heatsink were the problem and replaced both. Now they know it is just the heatsink so only replace that part.

What this ROM update probably did was make the Mac not freak out so easily and shut down instantly BUT that means the problem is still there just not showing symptoms as drastically.

If you had the shutdown problem before this update you should still get the unit serviced as apparently all but very recent macbooks have the hardware fault and it is more a matter of when not if you will have a problem. Apple still wants people to use this update though even if you had it serviced as it adjusts fan behavior in general and they don't want people to assume that if they had it serviced they don't need this update.

ANYWHO, after this update my MacBook seems to run HOTTER with the fans coming on more often, at least on AC power.

monkeybrain · Oct 27, 2006, 11:24 AM

Been running mine for a few hours now and it seems to be fixed! This is great news. It seems to wake from sleep just fine now too, it won't shutdown after waking and also starts up normally - not requiring me to hold down the power button anymore until the long chime puts it into 1 ghz mode.

I think it could be running hotter, but I assume that is because it now running at full speed.

ice_cold_irony · Oct 27, 2006, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Legit

Mine seems to boot up much faster after this one. Don't know if it's just my imagination though.

I don't know about booting<I rarely shut down my macbook, usually just close the lid> but mine seems o be running noticeably faster, esp. FF2.0. This along with louder volume seems like odd side-effects to a firmware update that is supposed to fix heatsink<or logic board or whatever> issues. Any ideas? Apple bundled more just to make people that little bit more pleased?
Cheers

mickael1 · Oct 27, 2006, 03:27 PM

The speakers do play much louder indeed. Another thing i've noticed is that my coreduotemp and istat pro widgets now consistently give me the correct temperature. Before, on occasion it would give me ridiculous values such as 16 degrees, but now everything seems to be in order.

Dark Helmet · Oct 27, 2006, 04:00 PM

I am really worried this update is just masking a hardware problem to get apple off the hook for doing all that service.

Luckily i just got mine serviced a week ago so this is perfect timing

Is Apple still doing the heatsink exchanges?

chadseld · Oct 27, 2006, 04:48 PM

Core duo temp now reports that my CPU stays clocked at 2GHz all the time. Before, it would usually hang out at 1.5GHz when the machine was idle and ramp up to 2GHz when under a load in order to save energy. Can anyone else verify this on their macbooks?

hutchy · Oct 27, 2006, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by chadseld

Core duo temp now reports that my CPU stays clocked at 2GHz all the time. Before, it would usually hang out at 1.5GHz when the machine was idle and ramp up to 2GHz when under a load in order to save energy. Can anyone else verify this on their macbooks?

Getting the same...

urzsite · Oct 27, 2006, 05:32 PM

How do you actually see what the processor speed is at ? I have a 2Ghz Macbook too.

hookem2oo7 · Oct 27, 2006, 06:12 PM

coreduotemp still doesn't work for my macbook. Its temp reading randomly darts back and forth between 27C and 34C, and the speed stays pegged on 2.0ghz. I restarted in 1ghz mode (by holding down the power button until the beep) and it still reported 2.0ghz.

volsung · Oct 27, 2006, 06:20 PM

I started experiencing a random shutdown problem with my MacBook 1.83 GHz several weeks ago, and after a few days dropped it off at the university computer store (which does Apple warranty repairs). It took them a week to fix it, but there was no explanation as to what was repaired. Everything works now, and I don't already have this firmware installed. (I thought for a moment Apple might have been installing this upgrade firmware on laptops that came in for repair, but that does not appear to be true.)

So it's hard to deduce what is going on here. Either there is one cause of the problem with both a hardware AND a firmware solution, or there are really multiple causes which necessitate different solutions.

mac128k-1984 · Oct 27, 2006, 06:31 PM

I'm out on vacation and that means I'm holding off on updating the macbook. I cannot afford to lose my pictures that are now stored on the laptop. I'll have to wait until I get home.

Dark Helmet · Oct 27, 2006, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by mac128k-1984

I'm out on vacation and that means I'm holding off on updating the macbook. I cannot afford to lose my pictures that are now stored on the laptop. I'll have to wait until I get home.

Well it is not like it will erase the hard drive.

mac128k-1984 · Oct 27, 2006, 09:13 PM

No, it won't erase the drive but it may cause my machine to be non-functioning and with my pictures on the drive and not my camera I'll be w/o them. Not worth the risk at the moment.

Tuoder · Oct 27, 2006, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by live18

Holy crap i noticed the same thing, but i thought it was my imagination, but now that you say it, the volume is much louder then before. Very nice Apple.

I also thought I was crazy. I guess the real question is, why was it turned down before?

C.A.T.S. CEO · Oct 27, 2006, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by Tuoder

I also thought I was crazy. I guess the real question is, why was it turned down before?

It wasn't. They incresed the speed so the old heat-sinks will not get to big (expand) to cause RSS. (The old heat-sinks were slightly too big so they caused RSS.)

hookem2oo7 · Oct 27, 2006, 09:40 PM

^^ that has nothing to do with the volume of the speakers

C.A.T.S. CEO · Oct 27, 2006, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by hookem2oo7

^^ that has nothing to do with the volume of the speakers

Oh I thought you were talking about the fan! I haven't noticed the speakers being any louder.

Tuoder · Oct 27, 2006, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by C.A.T.S. CEO

Oh I thought you were talking about the fan! I haven't noticed the speakers being any louder.

It isn't alot. I used headphones before because I just didn't think it wasn't quite loud enough. Now I just use the speakers. Maybe I am crazy.

acoustix · Oct 27, 2006, 11:34 PM

I wish people would get off this "expanding heatsink" crap....the problem with the heatsinks is/was/will be found in their two snap-on connectors losing connection to the MLB (main logic board) due to "baking" and/or the wires themselves getting fried. The heatsink's expansion (or lack thereof) has nothing to do with anything.
The real question is how does a firmware tweak address that...
(I am not saying that it's impossible...)

Simon · Oct 28, 2006, 04:18 AM

Originally Posted by C.A.T.S. CEO

They incresed the speed so the old heat-sinks will not get to big (expand) to cause RSS.

That makes no sense. If anything, something will expand more due to additional heat load.

The old heat-sinks were slightly too big so they caused RSS.

And this is baloney. It has nothing to do with expansion.

C.A.T.S. CEO · Oct 28, 2006, 04:48 AM

^^^When heat sinks get bigger from heat the fans move faster, right? When a heat sink was designed with a flaw (i.e. the original MacBook heat sink being 1 nanometer [or whatever scale] to big so the heat censor thought that it was overheating so it shut the computer down). People with the original MacBook heat sink needed the update to make the fans run a little bit faster so the machine doesn't RSS. (i.e. 1:1 ratio increased to a 1:1.5 or 1:2 ratio [the left side of the ratio being temp. and the right side being fan speed]).

(P.S. if you still don't understand, I've been up all night)

Simon · Oct 28, 2006, 06:05 AM

I understand what you're saying. But it's wrong.

seanc · Oct 28, 2006, 06:34 AM

The fans don't work on the size of the heatsink, they work on the TEMPERATURE.

RSS has been proven (yes there are pictures) to be caused by two wires running next to the heatsink getting too hot, melting together and shorting out causing the MacBook to think that it was overheating and shut down. Insulating these wires solved the problem.

IMO, this different colour plug business on the logic board is just because they've replaced the wires and maybe to signify the different type of wires.

typoon · Oct 28, 2006, 09:59 AM

I'm not sure about all this but from my personal usage of mine after the firmware upgrade my macbook DEFINITELY feels cooler than it did even just idle. whatever the problem is I'm glad apple is doing something about it wheather it is replacing the LB or releasing a firmware or both it's all good as long as it fixes your problem.

borgobello · Oct 29, 2006, 04:00 AM

Originally Posted by chadseld

Core duo temp now reports that my CPU stays clocked at 2GHz all the time. Before, it would usually hang out at 1.5GHz when the machine was idle and ramp up to 2GHz when under a load in order to save energy. Can anyone else verify this on their macbooks?

With my 1.83 MacBook I've noticed this since I've upgraded to 10.4.8. Before the upgrade it was normally running at 1.33Ghz or 1.5Ghz while only on heavy load increased to 1.83. After upgraded to 10.4.8, it seems to go very rarely under 1.83Ghz, and even it seems to run not hotter then before, I've the impression battery goes down much faster.
P.S. on my 3rd week MacBook never experienced inspected shutdowns.