MacBook Pro running 10.11.6 loads half way then shuts down

[Jerry®]

I'm trying to troubleshoot a friends older MacBook Pro. After it gets to the login and I enter her admin password it loads halfway then shuts down the computer.

- fsck is OK
- Disk Utility and first aid says disk is ok
- she has FileVault on if that makes any difference

Can anyone help out?

[anonymouse1]

Sounds like an OS issue.

Try safe boot with shift key held down?

Is there another account to try?

[pRICE cUBE]

My MBP 17" 2.5ghz had a bad video card that caused restarts and shut downs. Check to make sure it isn't part of a recall.

[Onamuji]

Startup sequence with FileVault enabled: Initial login screen actually unlocks the disk. OS loads after this. So, the Mac is shutting itself down at som point while the OS loads. Without File Vault, the login screen appears at the end of the sequence rather than the beginning...

What version of the operating system?
What model MacBook Pro? (If you don't know, at least tell us whether it has a built-in optical drive.)
Is the Mac backed up? With Time Machine?

Have you got an external boot drive? If so, then run a SMART check. If the drive passes SMART then boot to Recovery, unlock the disk with the Disk Utility, and then quit the Disk Utility and re-install the operating system right over the existing install.

If this gets her booting then 1st thing I'd do after logging in is run a malware scan.

If it doesn't work then take it to the Apple Store (don't forget to make an appointment) and ask for an Apple Service Diagnostic check. NOT just "VST" which is what they'll want to do.

[modelamac]

Did you try booting from the external backup clone or a different OS bootable backup? That will tell you if it is software (OS) or hardware.