| Author |
Topic: Mac Turns Itself On Once A Day |
b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 9 May 2008 12:37 pm |
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I have a Mac in my office that, if it's turned off, will turn itself back on at 5PM - every day! I've examined all of the settings, and I can't find anything that's causing it to do this.
This is a new PowerMac running Leopard. Any ideas?
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 9 May 2008 2:27 pm
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Do you have a daily task scheduled for that time? Look over all tasks to see if there is one that is set to wake the computer to run the task. Windows computers have that function and I imagine Macs do as well.
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Michael Maddex
From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
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Posted 9 May 2008 2:34 pm network services?
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I just noticed that Wiz weighted in with a similar idea while I've been working on this, but here goes. I'm still back on 10.2 when it comes to OS X, but here's a (wild) generic guess: Do you have some form of 'Wake on LAN' turned on in power management? And is there some network service, say a backup routine or a software updater, polling all the hosts on your LAN at the same time each day? It wouldn't have to be another MAC box, just another host scanning the network. Also, some PC BIOSes have a wake-up scheduler built in, but I've never seen such a thing on PowerPC MACs, but it sounds like yours might be Intel based.
I'd like to hear the outcome on this one. HTH. |
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Cal Sharp
From:
the farm in Kornfield Kounty, TN
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Posted 9 May 2008 3:51 pm
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A new PowerMac?? Have you checked System Prefs/Energy Saver?
(Edit) You could open Disk Utility, select your boot drive, and click on the Log icon in the upper right corner and see what the computer was doing when it woke up.
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 10 May 2008 2:44 am
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| My Dell and my new home built PC with an Intel motherboard both have an option in the BIOS to automatically power on at a selected time. Does the MAC have something similar? |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 10 May 2008 10:50 am
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I'll check these things when I'm back in the office on Monday. Thanks for the suggestions.
Jack, as far as I know there's no way to access the BIOS settings on a Mac.
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Dave Van Allen
From:
Souderton, PA , US , Earth
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Posted 12 May 2008 11:51 am
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| I think Cal nailed it... what's the word b0b? was that the setting? |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 13 May 2008 4:03 pm Re: network services?
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| Michael Maddex wrote: |
| I just noticed that Wiz weighted in with a similar idea while I've been working on this, but here goes. I'm still back on 10.2 when it comes to OS X, but here's a (wild) generic guess: Do you have some form of 'Wake on LAN' turned on in power management? And is there some network service, say a backup routine or a software updater, polling all the hosts on your LAN at the same time each day? It wouldn't have to be another MAC box, just another host scanning the network. ... |
Seemed plausible, so at 4:58 today I shut down the Mac and unplugged its LAN cable. At 5:00 it started up again, all by its lonesome. There's no Airport card installed. This signal is coming from within the box somewhere.
Thanks for the suggestion, Michael.
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-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 13 May 2008 4:23 pm
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| Cal Sharp wrote: |
| A new PowerMac?? Have you checked System Prefs/Energy Saver? |
Yes, I've checked that. I have a scheduled task to put the machine to sleep at 7:00 PM, but nothing to wake it up.
| Quote: |
(Edit) You could open Disk Utility, select your boot drive, and click on the Log icon in the upper right corner and see what the computer was doing when it woke up.
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That log doesn't show anything. 
The Console log shows a lot of interesting info. What should I be looking for?
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-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 14 May 2008 8:07 am
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I think I might have found it. In iTunes Preferences, Podcasts settings, it was set to check for new podcast episodes every day at 5 PM. I changed it to "Manual". Now all we have to do is wait and see.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Cal Sharp
From:
the farm in Kornfield Kounty, TN
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 14 May 2008 4:01 pm
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| b0b wrote: |
| I think I might have found it. In iTunes Preferences, Podcasts settings, it was set to check for new podcast episodes every day at 5 PM. I changed it to "Manual". Now all we have to do is wait and see. |
Ouch. It just turned itself on again. 
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Cal Sharp
From:
the farm in Kornfield Kounty, TN
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Cal Sharp
From:
the farm in Kornfield Kounty, TN
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Posted 14 May 2008 4:28 pm
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It could still be iTunes. If you move this file to some other location iTunes will generate a new .plist file which might solve the problem. If it doesn't work, and iTunes is FUBAR, move the original file back and replace the new one.
If you have any USB devices connected, unplug them. They can cause weird stuff.
If none of this works, create another admin account, log into it see if it still happens. If it doesn't, then you will know that it's some setting in your regular user account, not something with the computer.
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Rob Segal
From:
New York NY
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Posted 26 May 2008 5:34 pm Bob, Check Energy Saver.....
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| ..... in System preferences. In the 'Options' panel there is a button down on the lower right corner called 'Schedule'. In that you may have it set to turn on automatically .... oops I see you've done that already. never mind. |
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Randy Phelps
From:
California, USA
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Posted 26 May 2008 9:19 pm
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b0b, try something for me. log out of the computer, then click the shut down menu choice while at the log in screen.
does it still restart?
also, are you using time machine? |
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steve takacs
From:
beijing, china via pittsburgh (deceased)
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 28 May 2008 7:47 am
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| Randy Phelps wrote: |
b0b, try something for me. log out of the computer, then click the shut down menu choice while at the log in screen.
does it still restart?
also, are you using time machine? |
Time Machine is disabled.
I missed the opportunity to try your test yesterday. I'll try to remember today. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 28 May 2008 7:51 am Re: HAL RETURNS?
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| steve takacs wrote: |
| Hmmm, sounds like a sibling to Hal in 2001 A Space Odyssey. Might explain the recent computer crash problem. ME CAREFUL b0b |
This computer is not crashing at all. It's not connected to the forum server. It does have Cisco VPN Client and Lotus Notes installed - two fairly unusual apps for a Mac - but I don't see any scheduled tasks in them.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 28 May 2008 4:20 pm
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| Randy Phelps wrote: |
b0b, try something for me. log out of the computer, then click the shut down menu choice while at the log in screen.
does it still restart? |
Yes, it still turns itself on at 5:00 PM. |
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Jon Moen
From:
Canada
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Posted 28 May 2008 4:52 pm
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b0b, is there more than one user account on that computer? If more than one, could another user account be starting the computer, and the energy saver settings changed in each user account to stop it?
I don't have a Mac, so this is a guess.
Jon |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 28 May 2008 5:33 pm
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| There are two user accounts, but they appear to share most settings. I've checked them both. |
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Randy Phelps
From:
California, USA
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Posted 28 May 2008 6:14 pm
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okay, I'm intrigued now... I'm gonna try to replicate with a buddies lab...
gimme a day or two, I'll figure this out. |
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Jon Moen
From:
Canada
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Posted 28 May 2008 8:52 pm
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I was looking at this page and saw a reference to pmset; a command line access to the Power Management system. It is accessed from the Terminal.
Here is a page with the parameters for pmset.
Perhaps it will let you view the current settings or cancel the 5:00 problem. Hopefully it allows more control than the Energy Saver window.
Jon |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 29 May 2008 7:43 am
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Thanks for that link, Jon. I ran "pmset -g sched" under both user accounts and the only thing that shows is a sleep event that I have scheduled for every day at 7:00 PM. There are no startup events in the pmset scheduler.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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