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#1 2006-07-31 9:18 pm
- Father of the Bar Mitzvah
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- From: Olathe, KS
- Registered: 2001-02-24
- Posts: 1631
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iMac won't wake from sleep and reboots itself
Ever since I applied the Civ IV beta patch, my iMac G5 won't wake from sleep. It's a hard crash; the only way to awaken it is to unplug the computer! Once it's up and running I've got no problems. This problem started immediately after installing the patch. Maybe just a twisted coincidence or maybe not? It's locking up in general. Even if nothing is open but the Finder. I'm pointing a finger at the beta patch only because it started happening immediately after installing the patch. Actually it seems to be worse than just failing to wake from sleep: if you leave it sit, the iMac will restart as if there was a power outage. It was restarting randomly throughout the day so I turned off the "Restart on automatically on power failure" Preference. I ran the maintenance scripts and updated the prebinding, hoping that it might help. Guess I'd better get really serious about backing up stuff.
I posted this question at the Civ Fanatics forum and they said that there's no way this type of behavior is software related and that I'm doomed to an imminent hardware failure. 
Any thoughts or suggestions?
System: iMac G5 1.8 GHz/ 512 MB RAM/GeForce FX 5200 64 MB/ OS 10.3.6
If you can't say something nice, say it in Yiddish.
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#2 2006-07-31 9:49 pm
- Nefarious
- Tuning Fork
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- From: 45°22"N 84°57"W
- Registered: 2002-09-30
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Re: iMac won't wake from sleep and reboots itself
Is your powerbutton stuck on ?
Zap your PRAM ?
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#3 2006-08-01 12:16 am
- ckm
- f/k/a captkevman

- From: over here!
- Registered: 2001-03-13
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Re: iMac won't wake from sleep and reboots itself
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#4 2006-08-01 6:01 am
- Father of the Bar Mitzvah
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- From: Olathe, KS
- Registered: 2001-02-24
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Re: iMac won't wake from sleep and reboots itself
ckm wrote:
http://www.apple.com/support/imac/repairextensionprogram/
That's interesting. My iMac certainly qualifies and has the right serial number. Maybe it's time for an Apple Store visit.
As for the power button, while I don't think it's stuck, I do use it to put it to sleep at night. It may be worth opening the case for a closer look.
If you can't say something nice, say it in Yiddish.
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#5 2006-08-01 9:30 am
- alphanumeric
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- Registered: 2006-07-25
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Re: iMac won't wake from sleep and reboots itself
1st step (you may have already tried this) is to make sure all connections and cables are firm. Also, plug it into a different outlet, in case the current circuit you're on is overtaxed.
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#6 2006-08-01 10:01 pm
- Father of the Bar Mitzvah
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- From: Olathe, KS
- Registered: 2001-02-24
- Posts: 1631
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Re: iMac won't wake from sleep and reboots itself
Well, it's not Civ 4 (I uninstalled it), it's not the common maintenance stuff, it's not the outlet or plugs and the power button seems okay. And it still shuts its self off after going to sleep. I'm thinking my next stop is the Apple Store.
If you can't say something nice, say it in Yiddish.
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#7 2006-08-02 9:13 am
- alphanumeric
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- Registered: 2006-07-25
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Re: iMac won't wake from sleep and reboots itself
Father of the Bar Mitzvah wrote:
Well, it's not Civ 4 (I uninstalled it), it's not the common maintenance stuff, it's not the outlet or plugs and the power button seems okay. And it still shuts its self off after going to sleep. I'm thinking my next stop is the Apple Store.
Taking it in is certainly a good idea, especially if it's covered under the repair extension program which addresses power issues. Other things you might try:
1. Canned air, especially around the power button.
2. See if the problem persists with no components attached.
3. Replacing the 3.6 volt battery (not likely, just reaching)
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