Tipsy Mac, why do you crash when I pick you up?

November 19, 2007 12:40 PM

My laptop crashes about 80% of the time when I pick it up or put it down, even when I'm ultra-ginger. Why? Before you cry "Disable the sudden motion sensor!" as far as I can tell, I don't think it even has one.

Relevant details: It's a 12" PowerBook G4, circa 2004. 1GHz power PC G4, 1.25 GB DDR SDRAM running OS X 10.4.10. I have about 30 GB available. I used the instructions on this page from Apple Support to try to set/disable the motion sensor, but I don't even get a line item readout for SMS or AMS in Terminal. Perhaps relevant, in May I added more memory (this), but the crashing problem seemed to start about three months after that (though I'm hazy on exactly when). I changed batteries over the summer when a recall happened, and the machine gets warm but not as hot as it used to. Possibly related: about once every two or three hours of use, I hear a sound like a single piano hammer or ping pong ball "bounce" inside the computer to the left of the touchpad (where the heel of my hand rests).

The machine is very sensitive. I can pick it up gently from a couch and before I've lifted it a couple of feet, it's crashed (total lock-up of the screen requiring a restart). It also happens when I put it down, rock it side-to-side gently, or tip up one edge (for instance, it crashed about 10 minutes ago when I lifted it to slide a piece of paper out from underneath). Even something like lifting it gently to put in a USB cord or turning it to show someone the screen can crash it. It seems to do this no matter what program(s) I'm running (and that's usually only Firefox, Word and/or Mail). To be honest, my instinct tells me it's the screen - it seems sort of related to whether the screen angle shifts or "sags" under the g-force of my lifting, or jiggles when I shift the base (it's worse if the rubber feet have stuck to the table). Another odd thing is that there was a space of about three weeks where it seemed to clear up, but now it's back. I can't think of anything that changed in those three weeks. I'm very good about updating the OS, but I do not update stuff like iPhoto, iTunes, iWhatever because I don't use them. Ideas? I dislike Apple's suggestion of seeing someone with "genius" in their title for a machine that is supposed to "just work" but obviously I will if I have to.

posted by cocoagirl to Computers & Internet (16 answers total)

Its likely an issue with your hard drive as that should be the only thing on your laptop which uses moving parts and is sensitive to motion.

I am probably wrong though.
posted by BobbyDigital at 12:50 PM on November 19, 2007

It could very well be the hard drive, or a loose connection somewhere that gets jarred when you move the computer.
posted by Vorteks at 12:51 PM on November 19, 2007

I dislike Apple's suggestion of seeing someone with "genius" in their title for a machine that is supposed to "just work" but obviously I will if I have to.

If youre unwilling to go through Apples tech support process then perhaps youre better off with a Dell? I'm not sure why youre so hostile to dropping it off for service.

I think the only thing you can do at this point is pull out the ram you bought and see if it makes any difference.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:04 PM on November 19, 2007

I hate to say it, but it sounds like a logic board or cold solder joint issue. I'd love to be wrong.

Do you get a beachball, or is everything just frozen?

Are there anomalies (weird lines or patterns) being displayed when it crashes?

Does the screen just go black?

Can you still hear the hard drive spinning? It lives to left of the touchpad, and is the maker of the "pong" noise.
posted by -t at 1:11 PM on November 19, 2007

When you upgraded the memory, you might have knocked a critical component loose, or the memory might not be fully in the slot. Open it up again and make sure the RAM stick is properly seated, and that there's no obviously loose connector.
posted by spiderskull at 1:18 PM on November 19, 2007

Seconding trying to reseat the memory, that's pretty easy and a good first step. You really have to shove it in there, I'll bet a lot of people who aren't experienced installing memory don't fully insert it, but insert it enough to make contact and work.
posted by trevyn at 1:24 PM on November 19, 2007

Thirding the unseated simm theory. I've run into totally weird behavior when this happened.

Of course, I've also more often seen systems that will catch this in the BIOS and immediately bail, so maybe not.
posted by butterstick at 1:33 PM on November 19, 2007

left of the trackpad is your hard drive. I would check the RAM (try removing one of the sticks, even) because it was the last thing you changed and there have been issues with that on PBG4s (though on the 15" machines). however, I'd think it's likely your machine's hard drive is going out or the connection it has to the computer is bad (or it's loose), so now would be a good time to make a backup and take it in. if you don't want to take it to a store, either have AppleCare send you a box (if you're under warranty) or take it to an independent repair shop - there should be tons in your area. (if you're not under warranty, it may well be cheaper to fix through an independent apple authorized service person.)
posted by mrg at 1:39 PM on November 19, 2007

I had a ca.-2001 G3 iBook with this same problem. I, too, had added memory to it, but that was about two years before the problem occurred, and the first thing I did was take out my SIMM. It didn't do anything. So in the meantime, I encourage folks here to continue to suggest non-SIMM-related solutions (although hopefully that is your problem).
posted by shakespeherian at 1:47 PM on November 19, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far. Some clarifications...
If youre unwilling to go through Apples tech support process then perhaps youre better off with a Dell? I'm not sure why youre so hostile to dropping it off for service.

I just don't like their default mode of "bring it in." I don't have a lot of extra time in my life to get to the store, wait, leave it there, come back, etc., though at this point I've probably spent about as much time with a crashed computer :-)

Do you get a beachball, or is everything just frozen? No beachball, just everything frozen.

Are there anomalies (weird lines or patterns) being displayed when it crashes? No.

Does the screen just go black? No.

I'll bet a lot of people who aren't experienced installing memory don't fully insert it. Mr. Cocoa actually installed it and he builds computers from time to time, so this probably isn't the issue, but I will try taking the new bits out and reseating them again. After a backup.

And just to clarify, the ping pong "bounce" isn't temporally connected to the crashes, just another thing that seems a bit odd in general.
posted by cocoagirl at 2:23 PM on November 19, 2007

When you added more memory, were you absolutely scrupulous about avoiding touching the gold edge connector on the memory module? Finger residues cause progressive oxidation of those connectors.

If you weren't:

1. Power down the machine (including removing the battery), then pull the expansion RAM and store it wrapped in aluminium foil if you can't find the antistatic bag it came in (touch the foil and the computer chassis at the same time before transferring the RAM card from one to the other).

2. See if your sensitivity issue has gone away. If it hasn't, stop here; it's something else. If it has:

3. Peel back enough foil to expose the edge connector on the RAM card, and rub it over firmly with a pencil eraser. Don't use an ink eraser - too abrasive. Thoroughly blow off all the rubber crumbs before putting the card back in the computer, and this time, don't touch the edge connector as you do so.
posted by flabdablet at 2:45 PM on November 19, 2007

Occasional quiet "k'tck,tck,tck,tck,tck" noises from a hard disk are probably normal thermal recalibration cycles. An occasional louder, ping-pong-ball-like "t'chock" or "shhTUNK" noise could well be a hard re-seek after a data error, and coupled with the sensitivity to movement, could mean your hard disk is on the way out.
posted by flabdablet at 2:48 PM on November 19, 2007

Your airport card has become lose and whenever you move the machine it causes the OS to freak out and crash. Just turn off your computer, remove your battery, flip down the little flap inside the battery bay, push the airport card in so that it clicks into place, close the flap, put the battery back in, and boot it up.

If you need further guidance on this procedure just look at ifixit.com.
posted by J-Garr at 2:55 PM on November 19, 2007

It's either a loose component, or a failing hard drive. I'd guess the latter, since I've never had a laptop hard drive pre-motion sensor days last for more than a couple years, especially if you're moving it around a lot while it's working.

Can you run Disk Utility and view the SMART status of the drive? It might already be in 'Failing'.
posted by mikeh at 3:00 PM on November 19, 2007

post-preview: lose == loose, obviously
posted by J-Garr at 3:03 PM on November 19, 2007

The hard drive is old enough that it could be dying. But the symptoms really seem like a cracked board or cold solder joint. No matter how carefully you pick up or put down the box, the chassis will flex. If you have a hairline fracture somewhere, that flex is probably enough to break a circuit and *pop* down you go.

Have you tried booting from the original CD then gently moving the computer? Be careful as optical drives don't like to be moved when spinning. If it still crashes after booting from the CD, it's probably not the hard drive.
posted by chairface at 3:26 PM on November 19, 2007