Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

SurfSkateJeep · Aug 28, 2007, 10:23 PM

Here is the problem, When I am not plugged into the wall the laptop will turn off randomly loosing all of my work and what so. When I am plugged in it works fine and will not shut off by itself. it usually will shut off between 70 and 90 percent of battery left, then when i go to turn it back on it turns on then shuts off before booting it up. Even after formatting the computer and starting from scratch it still does the same thing.I went in to the mac store to ask him the question and said it was the Limewire on my comp and I needed to reboot my system to fix it. So i format it and start from scratch(this was 4 months ago). I have not had time to take it in again b/c the problem is still going on and now my warranty is up i cant. What could cause this. My warranty is up by 2 months so i can not go in. I started school and it would be awesome if i can fix this and take notes on my computer.

O, its a 15inch Macbook Pro 2.16mhz and 1gb ram if that helps at all.

EndlessMac · Aug 28, 2007, 11:03 PM

Have you tried using a different or new battery? The battery meter is not always accurate on older batteries if yours is anything like mine. If your battery is dying then it won't hold a charge for that long so your battery life will be shorter than normal. It does sound like a battery problem considering you don't have the problem when you plug it in.

SurfSkateJeep · Aug 28, 2007, 11:11 PM

Well, it says 74 percent and it shuts off, I turn it on it shuts right down, then i plug it in and turn it on it boots up and says 72 percent, could it still be the battery. I read somewhere that there is alot of these problems. But the Apple Guy said It is not a hardware issue. Should i go in and tell him what i want him to do, will that work? And say I was in here not too long ago and it is still going on even after I did what the Genius said to. Will they understand or turn me down?

Cold Warrior · Aug 28, 2007, 11:31 PM

I'd call Apple directly. Be sure to have on hand the date, time, location, and genius's name from your earlier, still-warrantied trip -- if you have that info. It might help back up your claim that you were told one thing, it didn't help you, and you aren't satisfied with the current situation.

SurfSkateJeep · Aug 28, 2007, 11:43 PM

um, i have no idea what day it was, nor the time, nor the name of the guy. I remember it was an overweight guy and it was in the UTC shopping center. That is all i remember. along with his instructions. I will give it a shot tomorrow.

EndlessMac · Aug 28, 2007, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by SurfSkateJeep

Well, it says 74 percent and it shuts off, I turn it on it shuts right down, then i plug it in and turn it on it boots up and says 72 percent, could it still be the battery. I read somewhere that there is alot of these problems. But the Apple Guy said It is not a hardware issue. Should i go in and tell him what i want him to do, will that work? And say I was in here not too long ago and it is still going on even after I did what the Genius said to. Will they understand or turn me down?

My battery goes down to about 44% and then dies suddenly. It was a lot more accurate when it was new but not so much now. If your battery is dead then it should shut down right away if you try to turn it back on because you don't have any power.

What I would do is buy a new battery to see if the problem persists. Just keep the receipt and return the battery if you are still having problems.

SurfSkateJeep · Aug 29, 2007, 03:00 AM

Alright, i will try the new battery first, well i will buy one off of ebay. alot cheaper.

tmpilling · Aug 29, 2007, 06:41 AM

Have you tried using one of the battery health tools to find out how much charge your battery is retaining?

I think iStat Nano (which is available from apple site) has a feature that tells you the health.

SurfSkateJeep · Aug 30, 2007, 08:02 PM

Ya, I have 97 cycles, and 42%

cherry su · Aug 30, 2007, 08:52 PM

I believe Apple extended the warranties on new batteries to 3 years or something after the exploding battery saga

KeriVit · Aug 31, 2007, 07:19 PM

I have that happen randomly on my 15" PB as well. Let me know if you find anything out.

SurfSkateJeep · Aug 31, 2007, 09:08 PM

I just ordered a new extended life battery. I ran it all of the way some way without it turning off until 2%. It only lasted 40 minutes so i think it may be the battery. When I get a chance i will take it in . Still cant find time to go to the apple store since it is 20 minutes away

gen · Aug 31, 2007, 10:11 PM

Recently my battery was 72% max capacity at 60cyc. I went to Apple Store and then got a new battery in 5 min. Other gentleman had a new battery, too.
I felt that Apple might understand small number of defective battery and that they are more cautious for the defective battery.
Rather than trying to find a cause, I recommend to go to Apple Store.
I am enjoying a new battery now.

SurfSkateJeep · Sep 1, 2007, 05:58 PM

Alright I will have to sell the one i am getting up on here.

SurfSkateJeep · Sep 7, 2007, 10:15 PM

Ok i found time to take the laptop in today an i am 3 months past the warranty and i tell the guy the situation and he is really nice and cool with it. He replaced the battery. Looks like i will be selling the battery I got off of Ebay. I still havent received it, I will open up the box to see that it is legit and working then I will sell it on here.

SurfSkateJeep · Sep 7, 2007, 10:15 PM

o my battery was at 10% and 97 cycles when he took it

markponcelet · Sep 17, 2007, 03:46 PM

My Rev. A 17" MBP had this exact same problem. This was before the exploding battery warranty extension by Apple, but after my warranty period had expired. Essentially, the laptop would suddenly power off (without warnrings) usually with more than 70% of my battery charge remaining.

It wasn't till later that I noticed the tiniest bulge in the battery and decided to chance it and call Apple on the issue. The phone rep didn't even let me finish my sentence before he sent me a new battery.

I'd bet it's the battery. And it's possible that even Apple would replace it for free! Might as well try.