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forumhound · Jul 19, 2008, 05:39 AM

Could it be? See this thread here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread....652660#7652660
9 pages of people having the same problem, I being one of them. I've already had the logic board replaced once, but now this board is about 1 year old I suppose and it's doing the same thing again. I am not a conspiracy theory nut (well, maybe I am) but what if some freak at Nvidea time bombed the GeForce 8600M GT chip, or likewise in Shanghai something was put into the logic board? Is this a breaking news story, or rantings of a paranoid schizophrenic?

Whatever the case may be, I rely on this MBP for a small business, and now I can't turn it off for fear of it never coming back on again. High Anxiety rains in this office that got rid of all PCs because of this kind of unreliability. I guess I'll try a macpro next time...which may be tomorrow...
coocoo

Randman · Jul 19, 2008, 05:46 AM

Applecare.

forumhound · Jul 19, 2008, 05:51 AM

Originally Posted by Randman

Applecare.

Does not exist in Nepal. Nearest repair center is Bangkok (that I would trust). And they replaced the logic board for this problem, which either was a mis-diagnosis or there are many bads.

Ps. Do u know if there is an internal replaceable battery for this box somewhere? Maybe that is what's going on...

seanc · Jul 19, 2008, 06:27 AM

It seems Nvidia had a manufacturing problem with mobile GPU chips. Some people argue it affects desktop GPUs as well. So I'm pretty sure it's not just an Apple or MBP thing. It's ALL over the place. I remember reading some Dell support threads about it where the M1330 Nvidia chip kept failing.

http://www.techspot.com/news/30904-n...-failures.html

Randman · Jul 19, 2008, 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by forumhound

Does not exist in Nepal..

Annual trips to Singapore for it then?

forumhound · Jul 19, 2008, 07:00 AM

Originally Posted by Randman

Annual trips to Singapore for it then?

Ha! If I get another MBP like this one I'd have to make the trips every two months...two magsafes, one superdrive, one logic board, and now this...what is it? the nvidia chip? it does seem heat related, as when the laptop is cool it does seem to boot okay...sometimes...dunno, afraid to turn it off now.

forumhound · Jul 19, 2008, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by seanc

It seems Nvidia had a manufacturing problem with mobile GPU chips. Some people argue it affects desktop GPUs as well. So I'm pretty sure it's not just an Apple or MBP thing. It's ALL over the place. I remember reading some Dell support threads about it where the M1330 Nvidia chip kept failing.

http://www.techspot.com/news/30904-n...-failures.html

sean, i read that article, and this may be the problem dunno. it does seem heat related. what to do?
coocoo

ghporter · Jul 19, 2008, 10:04 AM

Mine's two years old and still going strong. While I haven't been using it in the rarefied air of the Himalayan foothills, nor schlepped it on really demanding treks, I have used it almost daily throughout that time. The only issue I've had is the Mac-side cordon the power brick getting kind of twisty. Maybe I'm more delicate with it than many, and maybe the fact that it's not my only computer helps. But it doesn't look like a built in cyanide capsule conspiracy from where I sit.

For the record, I have one of the very last Core Duo (not C2D) MBPs, a 15", 2.0GHz model. My wife's 800MHz G4 iBook is going strong too, and it's almost 5 years old... So anyway, maybe it's the graphics system, maybe it's something else to do with the newer machines' logic boards, or maybe it's a nasty intersection between susceptibility to whatever and your (and others') exposure to that whatever... Sorry dude!

forumhound · 12:24 PM

hey glen, have i seem that thread? - http://discussions.apple.com/thread....652660#7652660 - Its a zoo and now I am caught up in it. I have it narrowed down to this:
If this file exists at boot time: Extensions.mkext the machine exhibits all the behaviors listed in the thread.To start the machine I have to put the MBP in firewire mode, then use my wifes' MB to delete the file, then unplug the cable and press power off then on for the MBP, then I can run until the next reboot. Does this make sense to u? I am doing some research now to figure out what this file does and how to not create one, if possible. I saw an inference to using the -f flag in the .Boot.plist but that did not work. This is really getting me down...12 hours now lost with deadline approaching! thx again for ur support i promise caligraphy is going to come someday soon.
coocoo

Ps. this machine type is MacBookPro3,1 with SMC Version 1.16f10 and Boot ROM Version: MBP31.0070.B07. I'm starting to think that some recent update, like Aluminum Keyboard or 10.5.4, has hosed things up. wondering if somehow resetting all the firmware would help, but not sure if that's even possible. arg!

forumhound · 06:32 AM

oh boy, another one:
"Seems the problem have reached pandemic proportions. The same thing happened to me. After mailing photos and articles to the newspaper I work for, I just closed the lid and spent some time in front of the tele. Two hours later I just opened the lid and found that everything was black as a coal pit. My MBP was by then one year and fourteen days old."

Over 100 folks and counting in that thread and now it's making national news blogs as Nvidia's stock plummets...uh oh...

ghporter · Jul 20, 2008, 07:21 AM

Sounds like something added a kext that doesn't play well, and it's causing all sorts of problems... But I have no idea what that something might be, or what kext is the problem, or how it's not playing well with others... What are the contents of that file?

seanc · Jul 20, 2008, 08:20 AM

All extensions.mkext is, is a cache of the kexts you have. It's safe to delete, but I'm not sure why it's causing issues. Do you have any strange hacks installed? Have you had any installed on previous Macs that may have gotten migrated over?

forumhound · Jul 20, 2008, 09:54 AM

Thanks guys but this part of the worldwide nvidea pandemic as confirmed here and everywhere:
http://discussions.apple.com/message...660341#7660341
It just so happens that for some unknown reason or fluke, you can resuscitate a dead display by booting in firewire mode and using another computer to delete the cached kexts and before it's recreated, hit power off and power on. Or heck, it could just be a miricle that the machine ever comes back to life with an intermittent fail of the nvidea chip.
Haven't u guys heard of this one yet? cheers!

Koralatov · Jul 20, 2008, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by forumhound

this machine type is MacBookPro3,1 with SMC Version 1.16f10 and Boot ROM Version: MBP31.0070.B07. I'm starting to think that some recent update, like Aluminum Keyboard or 10.5.4, has hosed things up. wondering if somehow resetting all the firmware would help, but not sure if that's even possible. arg!

Hooboy... That is not good; I have exactly the same model, SMC and boot ROM version. Thankfully, though, I haven’t had any of the same problems you’ve had (yet). Even more fortunately, I’ve got a two-year guarantee courtesy of John Lewis. My secret hope is that it’ll die a couple months before the two years is up, and they’ll give me a newer one instead of trying to fix it.

On the firmware front, I’ve updated to 10.5.4, and also applied the Aluminium Keyboard update without any problems. Did your updates go smoothly? The machine cutting out — due to lack of power or whatever — might be the reason you’ve got a hosed MBP…

This is quite an old article about resetting the PRAM, but it may help fix your problems. Let me know how it goes.

seanc · Jul 20, 2008, 05:10 PM

Well it seems it's dead now: http://forums.macnn.com/58/imac-emac...contents-dead/

forumhound · Jul 20, 2008, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by Koralatov

Hooboy... That is not good; I have exactly the same model, SMC and boot ROM version. Thankfully, though, I haven’t had any of the same problems you’ve had (yet). Even more fortunately, I’ve got a two-year guarantee courtesy of John Lewis. My secret hope is that it’ll die a couple months before the two years is up, and they’ll give me a newer one instead of trying to fix it.

On the firmware front, I’ve updated to 10.5.4, and also applied the Aluminium Keyboard update without any problems. Did your updates go smoothly? The machine cutting out — due to lack of power or whatever — might be the reason you’ve got a hosed MBP…

This is quite an old article about resetting the PRAM, but it may help fix your problems. Let me know how it goes.

Sorry to hear that Koral. u might consider running it while it's sitting in the fridge

That was one suggestion I heard alot...putting it in fridge if the nvidea chip starts acting up. I refuse to put computers in fridges or surround them with fans anymore, been there done that with Sonys and Dells.

Anyway, hows THIS for service. I called my apple dealer here in Kathmandu this morning and told him my plight. He rousted up the newest fastest iMac available here and loaded it with 4 gigs, delivered it to my home studio, set it up, and gave me a good price too. He also packed up the dead/dying/who knows mbp and sent it out for repairs. Only in Nepal...and now I am only 12 or so hours behind schedule on the job I was working on...I can catch up if I don't sleep tonight...I can't sleep anyway this new iMac is so exciting - like night and day from me trying to use the MBP as a desktop. There is nothing about the mbp that I miss. My wife was right...she told me to get one of these in the first place and just use her MB when I needed it.I should always listen to her.
Cheers!
FH

ps. nothing will fix the nvidia problem...i think i tried everything in 12 hours or so. putting another logic board in from the old stock wont do it either. apple will have to fix something in the supply chain or it will just keep happening over and over. I'll bet u the next gen of MBP will not have the nvidia chip, at least not anything that resembles the GT.ha!

mduell · Jul 21, 2008, 07:57 PM

The rumors are all over the place about the extent of the nVidia G84/86 problem, but IIRC nVidia has already taken a 9 figure charge related to it.

forumhound · Jul 21, 2008, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

The rumors are all over the place about the extent of the nVidia G84/86 problem, but IIRC nVidia has already taken a 9 figure charge related to it.

Gosh, I wish my biz could take a charge like that. I've lost thousands in delays and misc. expenses over this silly little thing. But no problem, I migrated to a new iMac and all is well...in fact better! cheers,
fh

msuper69 · Jul 21, 2008, 10:43 PM

What altitude above sea level are you using it at?