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iMac intermittent power down issues, anyone experience this before?


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Hey iMac users,

I have an iMac from about 2007 that just started shutting itself down randomly.

In the middle of normal operation it will just go black as if the power cord was yanked from the wall. Other electronics on the same surge protecting power strip continue to operate normally. After the crash pressing the power button starts up the iMac normally. No warning messages from the OS appeared either before or after the "crash".

The only other x-factor is that this behavior just started since I moved to a new apartment and i'm suspicious that the electrical system in the house is old and maybe causing the protective circuits built into the iMac's PSU to trip. Voltage fluctuations or something. A lot of the outlets in the apartment are the old two-prong style and a few even tested neutral reversed...

Maybe the iMac is just not made to last?

Anyone have any suggestions for testing the electrical system in the house so that I can confirm or deny that suspicion?

Thanks guys,

DH

And yes, I'll be contacting Apple tech support as well as my landlord regarding the electric but both of those will take some time. Just thought I'd ask you tech heads first

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Derek,

Does the display just go black, or does it act up before you loose picture? Macs of this vintage had occasional problems with the video cards and power supplies. It might be worth a quick look at Apple's iMac support pages. You can either ask a question or search the support section.

The power would have to be pretty flaky to cause a shutdown for that reason alone, iMacs have a universal 100 - 250 V., 50/60 Hz. power supply and other stuff will start to act up at 100 volts.

Best regards,

Jim

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Could be either a loose fitting power cord. (either end) which is shaken loose by vibration or someone walking across the floor.

Many apartments have outlets that are splayed out and when one of the hot or neutral leads intermittently separates due to vibration, the computer will go black or need to be restarted while other non-CPU operated electronics will just glitch and continue to operate. Also the Neutral Hot Reverse could be causing problems if you have a grounded outlet and a power strip plugged in.

The other thing is a heat problem causing the internal power supply to shut off. Internal regulator or Capacitor could be going. If the iMAC is in the Sun by a window this can cause the case to heat up and cause overheating.

That's my 2 cents without looking at the actual hardware.

-

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