PowerBook/iBook stays unresponsive after attempted wake-from-sleep (#2): Potential causes; Workarounds

We've received an overwhelming response to a report yesterday of problems waking various PowerBook and iBook models from sleep. The problem, when manifest, causes a PowerBook/iBook to remain with a blank screen, or deliver a kernel panic immediately after it is triggered to wake up.

Dozens of readers corroborated in the issue in varying forms. The majority report that it is a sporadically occurring problem not specific to any incremental Mac OS X update. In modal cases, the following traits are present:

• The PowerBook/iBook seems awake, yet screen is black. It is at least partially powered: there is a faint noise that may come from the disk drive. Screen brightness cannot be adjusted.
• The keyboard is not responsive. However, the caps lock and num lock lights can be switched on and off
• The afflicted machine does not react to a network ping.
• The CD works normally and will accept media, but the system does not react appropriately.
• The battery continues to drain
• The machine does not "Wake for network administrator access"

Closing the lid vs. manually sleeping For some readers, the issue occurs only when the PowerBook/iBook is put to sleep via losing of the lid. If the machine is manually put to sleep via the Apple menu or otherwise, it awakens properly.

MacFixIt reader Andreas writes "Opening the lid wakes the machine, sleep light goes out, hard drive makes noise, screen is blank. Always seems to happen when opening the lid - sleeping manually and waking the system up by a key-press never exhibited this problem."

External devices For others, the issue only occurs when external devices, such as displays, USB/FireWire devices, etc., are connected during sleep.

MacFixIt reader Liz beck writes "I also have had this wake from sleep problem. It appears to be related to HOW I wake up my 12" PowerBook. If I have just put it to sleep and then wake it up it does well. But when I hook it up to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse, I get the black screen and it is totally unresponsive. To the point where I have to unplug it and pull the battery sometimes."

How long the PowerBook/iBook has been sleeping In some cases the issue seems related to how long a PowerBook/iBook has been sleeping. Extended sleep periods trigger the problem, while shorter nap sessions do not.

Dave Leary writes "I have two Powerbooks, and 800 MHz and a 1 GHz . Both have the problem, but the 1 GHz model has it to a greater extent. For me, the issue is related to how long the Powerbook has been asleep. If I sign off and leave it asleep overnight, getting it to wake up is a major issue. I have tried opening and closing the lid several times (sometimes works), starting to type my password (sometimes works) and holding the power button down for 10 seconds and re-starting (always works, but not the way it should be.) If I leave it sleeping for only a few minutes it almost always wakes up."

Problematic RAM? Some users say they started experiencing this problem after adding third party RAM to their PowerBook/iBook. Reader Alex writes:

"I too suffer from the inability to wake from sleep as mentioned on your site today and which you asked readers to report. Powerbook G4 17" 1.33mhz - currently running 10.3.6. Pretty sure the problem is down to the extra (non Apple) RAM I installed as it did not happen before then Since introducing this RAM also started getting the odd kernel panic which I never had before."

Other users, however, are experiencing the problem regardless which RAM (Apple-supplied or after-market) is installed. Rob Hill writes:

"I have much the same issue as reported by Latker with my Titanium PB 500. I had two memory modules both supplied by Apple when I bought the PB. Later I replaced the 128MB module with a 512MB module with no noticeable difference in the problem. I even experimented with various combinations of modules/slots - again no noticeable difference. "

Energy Saver settings For some readers, including Pierre Bernard, setting processor performance to "Highest" in the Energy Saver pane of System Preferences seems to prevent the wake-from-sleep "coma". With "Automatic" or "Reduced" settings the problem occurs more frequently.

Disconnecting external devices As noted above, in some cases this issue only occurs when external devices are present at the time of wake-up. As such disconnecting all external hard drives, displays, and other devices prior to sleep has proved successful in eliminating the issue for a few readers.

James Stead writes "I had that problem frequently with my 15 inch Titanium until I realized it was related to my USB mouse. If I put the PB to sleep with the mouse connected and then disconnected it, the PB would then have trouble waking up. The solution for me is to disconnect the mouse before sleep."

Ending network sessions, turning AirPort off For some readers, ending network sessions by disconnecting any attached Ethernet cables, ending dial-up sessions, or turning off an AirPort card before putting the machine to sleep limits the problem.

MacFixIt reader Paul Conway writes "The wake from sleep does seem to work better if my network settings are turned off - especially Airport connections - before I close the screen to put it to sleep."

Avoid plugging in/unplugging power adapter during sleep Some have been able to avoid this issue by never plugging in or unplugging a power adapter while the PowerBook/iBook is asleep.

Roey Horns writes "I am working around this problem by making sure to never plug or unplug the power supply while the PowerBook is asleep. So far I have only seen this happening when I didn't follow this procedure."

Quitting all applications before sleeping MacFixIt reader Franco Furger reports that this problem only occurs when certain applications are running while the machine is put to sleep. He writes:

"Regarding the sleep problem with PBs, I had a somewhat similar experience. I used to have a Titanium PB, I now have an Aluminum PB. I experienced the sleep problem on both systems and with different versions of OS X. In my experience, the problem seems to correlate with what applications are open when the PB is put to sleep. Unfortunately I haven't been able to figure out which ones [...] What I can say is that my system always wakes up if no application is running when I put it to sleep."

Temporarily removing the battery In some cases, removing the battery for a period of time then re-inserting it will allow proper wake-up, though the process is more time-consuming than simply restarting.

Bob Guy writes "The only remedy that I have found workable is to remove the power supply and battery for about 60 seconds (shorter does not work) and then re-insert the battery. It may be necessary to do this twice.

"After re-insertion of the battery, there may still be no response to attempts to restart (using the power button) until the 5th or 6th attempt when the screen will light. There are frequently sounds of a mechanism engaging inside the computer for about 2 second and then silence or the machine will simply start up and the end of this sound sometimes 4 or 5 seconds after the start button is pressed."

Waiting it out I occasionally (more on the rare side) have a wake-from-sleep issue on my G4 15" 1Ghz PowerBook. I would open the lid, the sleep light would go out and I would be stuck with a black screen.

I would press keys, click the mouse and press the power button thinking that would do something. If I am patient and just wait it out, I would be prompted with my password login screen. Once I get back in, the "Are you sure you want to shutdown?" dialog box is waiting (obviously from when I hit the power button). I would assume this is a sign that the PowerBook is alive even though the screen isn't.

Other times I grow impatient and I just power down by holding the power button and restart the machine.

Apple repair centers not recognizing the problem Some readers have submitted their machines for repair after experiencing this problem, either through a standard Apple warranty or AppleCare. However, many are having problems getting repair centers to recognize the problem because it is not easily reproduced on a consistent basis.

MacFixIt reader Paul writes:

"I bought a 15" Aluminum Powerbook with an Apple RAM upgrade the first week they were introduced. No weird OS add on's, no other peripherals.

"About 2-3 times a week I get a black screen on wake up and the computer is completely unresponsive. I have to do a forced restart to get my computer back. I returned it to Apple and of course, they couldn't reproduce it, so I got the computer back. It still does it! I've reset the power manager and tried a few other things, all to no avail.

"I used to be an Apple Engineer, so I'm doubting operator error here."

Matthew Lee corroborates:

"I also have a 17" 1.3 Powerbook that does the same thing. You put the unit into deep sleep and will not come back. I have formatted the drive, tried different RAM to no avail. The unit was sent to Apple right before the warranty expired and they found nothing wrong with it -- even though when I got it home it would not wake from sleep!"

If you have any additional data regarding this issue, please drop us a line at late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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