Powerbook shuts down when I'm carrying it...

[bassguy]

Hi all
My PB G4 1.33 (10.4.8) has been giving me fine service but has come up with an annoying habit of shutting off surprisingly when I'm carrying it from place to place. Not every time, but at least 10 times in the last month or 2. When I do a ctrl/appl/restart it usually starts up again, not always right away. I get the message "OsX has unexpectedly shut down... " occasionally I get a screen in multiple languges telling me I need to restart my computer (again).
Any ideas - I thought it might be the sudden motion sensor but it turns out I don't have one of those (started in the 1.5 GhZ)
Oh - it has done it more when I'm carrying it open and running (the machine, not me) but also when it's asleep. I'm not bouncing it around, just gently carrying it from room to room.
Never does this when it's sitting happy and still. Which should probably tell me something, but still...
Thanks!
John

[M A V I C]

The multiple language thing is a kernel panic. That's a crash, not shutting down. If it's powering all the way down, you may have a loose battery.

[BigGuynRusty]

Flexing the PB will cause the battery to lose contact.
Carrying the PB open? Kinda foolish, easy way to break the hinges, muck up the HD too!

BGnR

[bassguy]

Thanks - The kernel panic screen happens after I succeed in restarting it...
The battery idea makes sense - any idea how to make it less loose? - seems to be seated properly and "locked"
John

[bassguy]

BGnR - you're right. Sometimes I'm working away and the room gets a bit more hectic - "move" is the first thought before "don't do something foolish..."

[chas_m]

As a Mac tech, this is a SURE sign that the thing has been dropped at least once.

Bad news: if that's true, you need to start thinking about how to pay for your next machine. You will NOT like the price on your options in terms of fixing it.

The "bottom case" on laptops is under HIGH pressure to stay in place. A drop or bang can change the moulding just enough to cause intermittent battery contact or other problems.

If you can reproduce the problem by flexing the case slightly while it's sitting normally, I'd say that's the beginning of the end for that machine. Backup your data.

[bassguy]

Well, that's no fun. Except for the thought of getting a new computer. Which I can't afford but drooling is always an option.
I've just started doing some onsite recording, meaning much more moving around of the beast. Ah, well...

[max]

I started having the same symptoms immediately after updating to OSX 10.4.8.

but mine has bounced of the floor more times than I can count, before the update and quite a few times after......