Powerbook "Coma" "Sleep o' Death"

Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
I have a 1.25 G4 15" powerbook (10.3.5) that has intermittent but consistent problems waking from sleep. Basically, when I open the lid the computer starts to wake up but the screen never activates. The computer is still running but there is no way to resuscitate it without doing a restart. This problem was rare in the beginning but seems to be increasing with frequency (especially after the 10.3.5 update). This problem is not related to any peripherals, RAM, etc...



Further reports of this problem can be found at:



http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]



Although this forum reports numerous PB owners with the same problem, no one seems to be able to pinpoint the cause or find a solution.



I need some advice on what to do! People that have sent their powerbooks back to apple have had no luck getting repairs or even having apple acknowledge the problem. This problem is not severe enough for me to send the computer in for repairs but it is a very annoying glitch in an otherwise perfect computer.



Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    neutrino23neutrino23 Posts: 1,561member
    I've seen this only a few times. I just close the lid, wait till it sleeps, then wake it again. Every time I've tried this the screen started working normally again. It seems to happen if I kind of stutter when opening the lid. As if my finger slips a little so that it gets a mixed signal as to whether it is opening or closing. But as I said, I've only seen this two or three times in the past year so that is not much to go on.



    Perhaps this is a clue. If you leave the lid open and wake the computer by pressing the space bar (or some other key) does this happen?



    If we can identify the problem as associated with the lid opening then maybe it has something to do with the magnet sensor and electronics. Maybe the magnet or sensor is loosely mounted? Try opening the lid faster.
  • Reply 2 of 7
    The computer does not go back to sleep if you close the lid like it will when it the lid is opened incorrectly. Instead the computer actually wakes up but the screen is in a coma. The computer won't respond to anything except a manual restart.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    I have this too with a Pismo 400Mhz. It is rare, but it has to be a software thing. It's never done that before in OS 9 or before the last update.
  • Reply 4 of 7
    derevderev Posts: 64member
    Two things:



    Check your system preferences for Energy Saver. Try uncheckling the



    "Put display to sleep when computer is inactive for: "



    The other is when the sleeping screen occurs, try adjusting the brightness.

    This has helped when I had the problem on my Wallstreet (Pantherized).



    And of course the ever popular "fix permissions" - something that should be part of a monthly OS maintenace retinue.



    Two great tools for this are "Cocktail & OnyX" - both have free versions.



    rev
  • Reply 5 of 7
    Quote:

    Originally posted by derev

    Two things:



    Check your system preferences for Energy Saver. Try uncheckling the



    "Put display to sleep when computer is inactive for: "



    The other is when the sleeping screen occurs, try adjusting the brightness.

    This has helped when I had the problem on my Wallstreet (Pantherized).



    And of course the ever popular "fix permissions" - something that should be part of a monthly OS maintenace retinue.



    Two great tools for this are "Cocktail & OnyX" - both have free versions.



    rev




    ...maintain. Free of charge.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    I have also experienced this problem from time to time. It's the only true blemish on my otherwise wonderful PowerBook.



    What I have found as a pretty effective workaround is to open the lid to wake it BEFORE you hook up external power. This has worked 99% of the time for me.



    Hope this helps.
  • Reply 7 of 7
    I am getting "sleep of death" on my D2G G5. Repair permissions after booting off install CD worked once, then sleep of death again.

    No more sleep - Back to full shutdown for me until this gets resolved (assuming I get it working again - it won't even boot off the CD at the moment!)

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