Kernel panics… does Genius Bar have better hardware diagnostics?

[MikeDr206]

My wife is getting 2-5 kernel panics daily on her MBP (last Intel version). The last started/stopped kext is always UAudio, although I cannot find this extension anywhere.

Before the computer restarts, she hears clicking noises not coming from the speaker, but from inside the case (and not fan noises). The wrist area of the case gets really hot, and then within a minute or so the fans go high and the computer restarts.

The problem seems to have coincided with upgrading to Monterey (currently 12.3.1). But it may be a hardware issue. When we run Apple Diagnostics, no problems are detected. My questions…

1. does the Genius Bar have access to “better” diagnostics capability? This would be the only reason we’d go to the Store. I don’t need a young kid telling me to do a fresh install of the OS…

2. any other thoughts?

incredibly frustrating on a $4k machine purchased less than 2 years ago. We have another $4k(+) MBP (M1) on order, but won’t arrive until July.

 

[jav6454]

1. Apple Stores do have diagnostic software. They will help in that sense.

2. Seems like a driver and hardware fault. Can't be sure as to which exactly until you get a more direct look at it.

 

[MikeDr206]

Well, as an update, I set aside today to investigate. Tries to reinstall the OS, but it would restart at 23 minutes, go back to 29 minutes, count down to 23, rinse and repeat. Then I wiped the hard drive and tried the same thing, with the same result.

Its a bit sad, because this machine is less than 2 years old. We purchased it to replace a 15“ MBP that had to have its logic board replaced 2x under AppleCare, and while “free,” my wife was without a machine for 1-2 weeks each time. Now the new machine is also cr*p.

We have a new MBP 16 M1 on order, but it won’t come until July. Have to say, though, getting tired of dropping $3-4k every couple of years due to hardware issues.

 

[jav6454]

$3-4k every year in repairs?! What in the...

That said, it seems like hardware fault.

 

[Freeangel1]

most of the above saying hardware problem are guesses at this point.
you could have a bad memory stick.

But if I were you I would wipe the drive clean and do a FRESH install of Monterey 12.4 which has 50 plus security fixes alone

You may have a kext in your system that no longer needs to be there and left behind. Maybe a sound card that is no longer hooked up to your Mac? I dont know.

But a Fresh Install should Do. If the problem still exists then it definitely is a hardware issue .

Save and backup all your data first.

 

[MikeDr206]

$3-4k every year in repairs?! What in the...

That said, it seems like hardware fault.

No, $3-4k buying a new machine every couple of years.

 

[MikeDr206]

most of the above saying hardware problem are guesses at this point.
you could have a bad memory stick.

But if I were you I would wipe the drive clean and do a FRESH install of Monterey 12.4 which has 50 plus security fixes alone

You may have a kext in your system that no longer needs to be there and left behind. Maybe a sound card that is no longer hooked up to your Mac? I dont know.

But a Fresh Install should Do. If the problem still exists then it definitely is a hardware issue .

Save and backup all your data first.

Yeah, that’s the thing. I wiped the drive clean, but the fresh install at 23 minutes left will reboot, start at 29 minutes left, go down to 23 minutes, and then reboot again. Endless loop.

I‘m “happy” that it’s no longer an intermittent issue, because even if the Genius Bar hardware diagnostics don’t show a problem (they’re not infallible), it’s pretty clear that there is a hardware issue when you can’t do a fresh install of the OS.

 

[Webster's Mac]

My wife is getting 2-5 kernel panics daily on her MBP (last Intel version). The last started/stopped kext is always UAudio, although I cannot find this extension anywhere.

Before the computer restarts, she hears clicking noises not coming from the speaker, but from inside the case (and not fan noises). The wrist area of the case gets really hot, and then within a minute or so the fans go high and the computer restarts.

The problem seems to have coincided with upgrading to Monterey (currently 12.3.1). But it may be a hardware issue. When we run Apple Diagnostics, no problems are detected. My questions…

1. does the Genius Bar have access to “better” diagnostics capability? This would be the only reason we’d go to the Store. I don’t need a young kid telling me to do a fresh install of the OS…

2. any other thoughts?

incredibly frustrating on a $4k machine purchased less than 2 years ago. We have another $4k(+) MBP (M1) on order, but won’t arrive until July.

Perform a T2 restore (skip the Revive, go directly to the restore section!): https://support.apple.com/guide/app...r-restore-an-intel-based-mac-apdebea5be51/mac

I would try that before wasting your time with the Genius bar. The T2 system does NOT get reinstalled when you reinstall the OS. This will also downgrade it to Catalina most likely, which will be a good test to see if it's a software issue or a hardware one.

 

[MikeDr206]

I appreciate the replies. At this stage, after having essentially taken a day off messing with it, we’re just going to drop the issue in the hands of the Genius Bar. It’s under AppleCare.

 

[MikeDr206]

To kinda close the loop. We had a Genius appointment scheduled for today. This morning I tried to reinstall the OS one last time… and of course it worked. We nevertheless went to the Apple Store. No hardware issues detected, but the guy was impressed with my diary of everything I had done.

So he put in the notes to replace the logic board if we come back (or ship the MBP to Apple), regardless of whether they can reproduced the problem.

Overall, I though this was fair. I think the issue is still hardware, and is heat related. I‘m expecting that the problem will reoccur once we transition back to the computer. And on the chance that it’s not, great!

 

[Webster's Mac]

To kinda close the loop. We had a Genius appointment scheduled for today. This morning I tried to reinstall the OS one last time… and of course it worked. We nevertheless went to the Apple Store. No hardware issues detected, but the guy was impressed with my diary of everything I had done.

So he put in the notes to replace the logic board if we come back (or ship the MBP to Apple), regardless of whether they can reproduced the problem.

Overall, I though this was fair. I think the issue is still hardware, and is heat related. I‘m expecting that the problem will reoccur once we transition back to the computer. And on the chance that it’s not, great!

To rule out overheating, buy a can of compressed air, and clean the rear vents and the side vents with short bursts. You may be surprised how much dust flies out.

Keep in mind that apple logic board replacements are refurbished. So I would make 100% sure yours is bad before having them replace it. I would honestly try a DFU restore of the T2 chip. If it acts up after cleaning AND a DFU restore (especially with minimal software installed), it needs a logic board

 

[jav6454]

To kinda close the loop. We had a Genius appointment scheduled for today. This morning I tried to reinstall the OS one last time… and of course it worked. We nevertheless went to the Apple Store. No hardware issues detected, but the guy was impressed with my diary of everything I had done.

So he put in the notes to replace the logic board if we come back (or ship the MBP to Apple), regardless of whether they can reproduced the problem.

Overall, I though this was fair. I think the issue is still hardware, and is heat related. I‘m expecting that the problem will reoccur once we transition back to the computer. And on the chance that it’s not, great!

That's not a bad arrangement. In other words, the tech saw that everything they would have done, was performed, so the next step in their guide is to replace parts. Saves everyone time.