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How to delete stubborn system Plist file..
- Thread starter Cho7
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RE reply 3 above:
Were you booted from an EXTERNAL DRIVE when you looked at this?
Something else to try (proceed EXACTLY as I describe):
1. Move the offending plist to the trash, but
2. DO NOT EMPTY THE TRASH
3. Power off (completely), then re-boot
4. When you get to the finder, NOW empty the trash.
Does this work?
Note: what this really does is create a NEW plist where the original was.
The old one (perhaps corrupted) in the trash can now be removed.
What is THE NAME of the plist you need to remove?
Were you booted from an EXTERNAL DRIVE when you looked at this?
Something else to try (proceed EXACTLY as I describe):
1. Move the offending plist to the trash, but
2. DO NOT EMPTY THE TRASH
3. Power off (completely), then re-boot
4. When you get to the finder, NOW empty the trash.
Does this work?
Note: what this really does is create a NEW plist where the original was.
The old one (perhaps corrupted) in the trash can now be removed.
What is THE NAME of the plist you need to remove?
Thank you for the reply Fisherman I really appreciate it.
I'm not able to drag the offending file anywhere, not even the desktop.
This is the file: Mac-42FD25EABCABB274.plist / iMac15,1
Path: /System/Library/Extensions/IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/X86PlatformPlugin.kext/Contents/Resources/Mac-42FD25EABCABB274.plist
Even with a root admin account and SIP disabled the system will not let me move or delete this file in Catalina or Big Sur...
But.. in High Sierra you can delete it quite easily as I did so on my older laptop.
I have an 11 year old Macbook Pro with High Sierra that was suffering from the dreaded Kernel Task CPU spikes especially when using any browser and simply watching Youtube would cause CPU use readings of over 3,000% making the laptop grind to a halt and become utterly useless.
I read on this forum that deleting the offending *.plist file from the system library resolved this the issue for many. So I did the same and now my 11 year old Macbook Pro runs as quick and as quiet as the day I bought it.
Now no matter what the Kernel Task never gets above 10%.
I have a 2nd Mac with Catalina, 6 years old that has developed the same Kernel Task going mental disease and I need to delete the same .plist file.. except this time it's locked. I am not even able to change the file attributes as I was on the other Mac. When I try I get: “The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have the necessary permission.”
Someone has suggested Single User mode which is a superuser but command line only which I am not at all familiar with.
But I am willing to try anything.
1. Boot to the recovery partition
Command-R
at boot.
2. Open terminal
3. Type in:
csrutil disable
(there is a single space character between the two words)
4. Hit enter.
5. You will be asked for your password. Enter it.
YOU WILL NOT SEE YOUR PASSWORD AS YOU TYPE IT IN
6. Quit terminal, reboot as you normally would.
7. Try moving the file now. Any different?
WHAT YOU HAVE DONE:
Doing the above disables "system integrity protection", which prevents you from manipulating some files. Disabling it can fix this (sometimes).
I routinely disable SIP on all my Macs.
I don't care for it, and don't need it.
Command-R
at boot.
2. Open terminal
3. Type in:
csrutil disable
(there is a single space character between the two words)
4. Hit enter.
5. You will be asked for your password. Enter it.
YOU WILL NOT SEE YOUR PASSWORD AS YOU TYPE IT IN
6. Quit terminal, reboot as you normally would.
7. Try moving the file now. Any different?
WHAT YOU HAVE DONE:
Doing the above disables "system integrity protection", which prevents you from manipulating some files. Disabling it can fix this (sometimes).
I routinely disable SIP on all my Macs.
I don't care for it, and don't need it.
Thanks for this suggestion Fisherman but I too have SIP disabled permanently on all my Macs.. The file is still locked.
I'm wondering if changes to the structure of the OS have brought this on?
This kext file you speak of (that's creating the plist)... is it a "user installed" file?
Something that YOU added?
What happens if you were to REMOVE the kext?
(assuming that's possible)...
This kext file you speak of (that's creating the plist)... is it a "user installed" file?
Something that YOU added?
What happens if you were to REMOVE the kext?
(assuming that's possible)...
Changes to the structure of the OS? there are no changes.. this was just a default Catalina installation. Now I just upgraded to Big Sur and that plist file is still locked.
It's not a user installed file.. it's installed with the OS...
You can read all about this "plist" file here in this thread and how many people including myself to resolve the KERNEL TASK using up t 3,000% CPU
I managed to get rid of it on my Macbook Pro which bow works like new almost. (High Sierra)
But am not able to delete this same file on my Imac (previously Catalina and now (BIG SUR)
How to solve kernel_task high CPU usage?
My MacBook Pro has been a bit of a problem the last couple of weeks. I started a thread called "MacBook Pro Randomly crashing. The threads a mess. Now it's a mid 2010 13inch MacBook Pro with a brand new battery, SSD hard drive. The problem pre-dates these two recent upgrades. The...
forums.macrumors.com
You should probably read the thread or none of this will make any sense to you.
Last edited:
8 pages?
Not going to read it.
But... how did OTHERS using Catalina get rid of the file?
What I would try (I don't think you'll be willing to do this):
You need to get an EXTERNAL USB3 drive.
You need to install a copy of the OS onto it, and set up a user account. Doesn't have to be the same name as you use now -- doesn't matter.
Then, boot from the EXTERNAL drive.
Now, you have to modify the INTERNAL drive, by doing a "get info" on it. Then go to the bottom of get info, click the lock, enter the password you're using on the external drive.
Then, put a checkmark into "ignore ownership on this volume".
Once you do this, you have "access" to much more than if you are booted from the internal drive.
It may now be possible to "get into" where the offending kext is, and delete both the kext and its plist file.
I'm not going to try this, not having any problems.
(I'm wondering if there's any way to put the Catalina Mac into "target disk mode", and then access it from your older Mac?)
Not going to read it.
But... how did OTHERS using Catalina get rid of the file?
What I would try (I don't think you'll be willing to do this):
You need to get an EXTERNAL USB3 drive.
You need to install a copy of the OS onto it, and set up a user account. Doesn't have to be the same name as you use now -- doesn't matter.
Then, boot from the EXTERNAL drive.
Now, you have to modify the INTERNAL drive, by doing a "get info" on it. Then go to the bottom of get info, click the lock, enter the password you're using on the external drive.
Then, put a checkmark into "ignore ownership on this volume".
Once you do this, you have "access" to much more than if you are booted from the internal drive.
It may now be possible to "get into" where the offending kext is, and delete both the kext and its plist file.
I'm not going to try this, not having any problems.
(I'm wondering if there's any way to put the Catalina Mac into "target disk mode", and then access it from your older Mac?)
"Not going to read it." Lol... if you had you would have seen that no one with Catalina onwards managed to do it.
"I don't think you'll be willing to do this"... I most definitely AM willing to do this..
That Catalina Mac has now been upgraded to Big Sur by the way. So I will intsal Big Sur on the a USB and report back when I'm done.
Thank you again for your time Fishrrman.
Hi Matthias..
Actually yes.. after huge rows with Apple senior level tech people it turns out that from Catalina onwards they permanently locked the offending plist files from any kind of ownership or modification and obviously deletion so that left me screwed.
So I had to revert back to High Sierra where it's still unlocked just to gain n actual functioning Imac and make a full backup.
After that I wiped my entire hard drive, took my entire iMac apart, gave it a good and thorough clean, replaced all the thermal paste to a far higher quality one, and did a jump 5 operating systems from High Sierra to Big Sur in one leap.
Now my iMac runs as fast and efficient as the day I bought it (8 years ago), I can throttle it hard and it never overheats any more.. in fact I barely ever even hear the van unless I'm whacking through 4K videos on Youtube which before would completely paralyse my entire system and force it to shut down..
Desite Apples endless denials that the plist thing is even a thing.. it seems they have sneakily addressed it in Big Sur.
Whatever the case my iMac which I was getting ready to trash, now behaves like a brand new Imac.
Maybe this is a path you could try?
Kind regards,
Cho
That's normal. The job of Kernel Task is to protect your machine from high temperatures. It's not something you should mess with. It's high CPU number is an indication that something else is making your machine work too hard.
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