How do I resolve this kernel panic? Safe mode and verbose mode do not start.

[Hanamus]

Please, if anyone can assist me.

My 2011 MacBook Pro was last updated to OS X Yosemite. I get this message every time I try to boot up:

"Your computer restarted because of a problem. Press a key or wait a few seconds to continue starting up."

Then this script runs over the start-up screen (you know, the one with the Apple logo):

panic(cpu 4 caller 0xffffff888abbcae5):
Debugger called: <panic> Backtrace (CPU 4), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff889e52bdf0 : 0xffffff888a72ad21
0xffffff889e52be70 : 0xffffff888abbcae5
0xffffff889e52bef0 : 0xffffff888ab96b82
0xffffff889e52bf10 : 0xffffff888abd9811
0xffffff889e52bf50 : 0xffffff888a727256
0xffffff889e52bf80 : 0xffffff888a81756e
0xffffff889e52bfa0 : 0xffffff888a833c6f
BSD process name corresponding to current thread: init
Mac OS version: Not yet set

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel version 14.5.0: Wed July 29 02:26:53 PDT 2015; root:xnu-2782.40.9~1/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: 58F06365-45C7-3CA7-B80D-173AFD1A83C4
Kernel slide: 0x000000802ac00000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff802ae00000 __HIB text base: 0xffffff802ad00000
System model name: MacBookPro8,2 (Mac-94245A3948C91C80)
System uptime in nanseconds: 2930311782

Thank you in advance to whoever can help.

- Hanna

 

[DeltaMac]

Can you boot to your Recovery system? Restart holding Command-R
Run Disk Utility, and run Repair Disk on your hard drive.
If that passes, reinstall OS X.
If you already have a USB flash drive, or external drive with a Yosemite installer, then that's even quicker.
Boot to your Yosemite installer.
Check the hard drive in Disk Utility
Reinstall OS X. The reinstall will be much quicker, as you don't have to wait for the system files to download over your internet connection.

Or, if the hard drive is OK, and OS X reinstall doesn't help (or doesn't work), then you may simply have a graphics problem on your logic board - check here. Apple can help you with that, too.
Notice that one of the key symptoms is "computer restarting unexpectedly"

 

[Hanamus]

Thank you for replying. DeltaMac! I didn't anticipate such a quick response, so I'm sorry for not checking back sooner.

Disk Utility will not allow me to run Repair Disk. It's ghosted and tells me to backup as much as possible. My computer also won't let me reinstall OS X Lion because it's outdated, and it won't let me reinstall Yosemite either because the Macintosh HD is locked (for whatever reason).

As far as using a USB flash drive, I've tried to reinstall Yosemite from that. My 8 GB flash drive has been re-formatted to "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" and partitioned with "GUII Partition Table". But after I place a DMG file of Yosemite 10.10.3 onto the flash drive (with nothing else on it), the Installer says I don't have enough space to install Yosemite. It tells me the USB requires another 330+ MB. Very strange.

Is there something I've done wrong? Or is there another possible solution?

Thank you again,
Hanna

 

[JohnDS]

If you are getting the message to backup your drive from Disk Utility while booted from the Recovery Partition, you have major problems with your drive. Please confirm that you were booted from the recovery partition when you got that message.

If so, then you while you have disk utility open (while booted from the recovery partition), check to see what Disk Utility shows for the S.M.A.R.T status of your drive. If that shows as verified, you likely have disk directory corruption which can be repaired by backing up and reformatting the old drive. If it does not show as verified, your drive is physically failing and needs to be replaced.

In either case, get an external USB drive and use Disk Utility to reformat it as Apple Extended Format (Journalled). Set it to One partition and check the partition options to make sure the partition map is GUID.

Once that is done, use the Recover tab in Disk Utility to recover your existing internal drive to your external drive. Unless your internal drive is completely foozled, this should backup all your data to the external drive.

Once you have done that, reboot while holding down the Option key to bring up the boot picker and see if your external drive shows as bootable. If it does, try booting from it and make sure all your data is there.

If the external is bootable and the S.M.A.R.T. status of your old drive is Verified, then reboot into the recovery partition on the original drive (by holding down command-R) and this time reformat the internal drive and then restore back from the external drive.

If the S.M.A.R.T. status is not verified, post back and we will give you instructions on replacing your drive.

 

[Hanamus]

To be clear that I fully understand, the Disk Utility prompts me with this message from the Recovery Partition:

"Disk Utility stopped repairing "Macintosh HD". Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files."

If this is what you're referring to, JohnDS, then what you are telling me (as a solution) is exactly what Apple Support told me I couldn't do. The guy had no clue what I was talking about when I said I would back up, as a last ditch effort, the internal hard drive from Disk Utility. Crazy he had not encountered the option in his experience.

I say last ditch effort because I have two 500 GB drives which are filled to the brim with data. I would have to move around and delete thousands of files, a real sob story I'm sure. So I'm planning to start this effort or wait for the funds to purchase a new external hard drive. (That is, if this issue on my Mac is not time-sensitive.)

In the meantime, I'm wondering if there is a solution that keeps me from having to remove data from the internal drive, like with this idea to reinstall Yosemite from a USB, or some magical terminal command that I'm unaware of. But I'm starting to think that this is wishful thinking.

As a side note, the only thing I don't fully grasp from your reply is how to check the S.M.A.R.T. status. It would be good to know if and when I back everything up.

Thanks for sharing input,
Hanna

 

[JohnDS]

Unless your internal drive is an SSD, or you are running El Capitan, when you click on the hard drive icon in the upper left corner of the Disk Utility window, the S.M.A.R.T. status should be shown at the bottom right. See: http://pondini.org/OSX/DU9.html for a picture.

Regardless, if Disk Utility will not repair your drive, you have only two options:

1. Backup the drive and reformat, or
2. Buy a more powerful third party disk repair utility, like Disk Warrior (http://www.alsoft.com)

Assuming you do not want to buy Disk Warrior on the chance that it can repair the drive, your best bet is to buy an external USB hard drive as big or bigger than your internal drive and follow my instructions. You should be able buy one for $100 bucks or so. Another alternative is to buy a replacement 2.5" drive for the Mac Book Pro, together with an external case ($20). Restore to the external as I described, and if it is bootable, just physically swap the drives.

Instructions here: https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro

 

[Hanamus]

I will be sure to start the process of storing worthy data on one drive and reformatting the other. Before I do so, I'll check into the learning curve of Disk Warrior and weigh that option as well.

Thank you for the wisdom and guidance, JohnDS!

If you have anything noteworthy to add regarding the USB route or the continued conversation, DeltaMac, I will be sure to check back on the forum. You both have been great help.

- Hanna

 

[DeltaMac]

If you have the Yosemite installer app, which is the what you download through the App Store….
Use that to make the bootable installer on your 8 GB flash drive. You absolutely cannot do that my installing Yosemite on that flash drive. You don't have enough space on an 8GB flash drive, and you end up with an installed system, and not the installer….
So, if you have the downloaded installer for Yosemite, search for "creating bootable Yosemite installer" You will get several responses, which will mostly use a few terminal commands. Nothing too difficult.
But, if you don't care to use the terminal, then download the good DiskMakerX app, which makes the task simple.
Make sure that you leave your downloaded Yosemite installer in your Applications folder, where the App Store puts it. The DiskmakerX app will erase your flash drive, and set it up with the Yosemite installer files, and make that flash drive bootable. It takes quite some time, maybe more than 30 minutes, but just be patient, and it will work. DiskmakerX even places a custom icon on the flash drive for you.

If all of your external storage is pretty full - you may need to consider getting some more external space (500GB is not a lot of storage any more )
It's also possible that your hard drive will not respond to a format, and you might need to replace your internal hard drive too.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes...

 

[Riwam]

I will be sure to start the process of storing worthy data on one drive and reformatting the other. Before I do so, I'll check into the learning curve of Disk Warrior and weigh that option as well.

Thank you for the wisdom and guidance, JohnDS!

If you have anything noteworthy to add regarding the USB route or the continued conversation, DeltaMac, I will be sure to check back on the forum. You both have been great help.

- Hanna

**********
I am certainly for buying good tools, but just to try it, you will find with little effort DiskWarrior in the net.
Version 4.4 is as good as Version 5 to check your hard disk and rebuild it.
Version 5 just gives you right at the beginning a scale of the condition of any drive.
It must be run from another partition. Therefore in the web there is a large file of 4.4 although the tool itself is very small.
The large file is intended to be burnt to a DVD and it contains a complete OS (I think it is Snow Leopard), necessary to support the tool.
This of course needs an internal or external DVD drive.
The boot process from such a burnt DVD takes a lot of time, just for your information.
DiskWarrior is considered a very good tool. If you find it and it manages to rebuild your system, you will want to purchase it.
If you can boot from an external drive, you can of course run just the tool from it and rebuild your inner drive.
If that doesn't help, then follow the more radical advices you have already received.
Good luck.
Ed