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Mac Users Reporting Widespread System Freezes With OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 Update
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Same with me! My MBP 13" Late 2013 is one of the best Windows 10 laptops I've ever used, almost no bugs at all and even fasten than OSX. The same cannot be said about El Cap..
It's definitely something with that computer. My 11.5 public beta had one period where it was losing bluetooth connections after sleep, but it's now stable as all hell.
well sadly the truth is that Mac hardware is a very small slice of the earnings pie. OSX is a loss leader at Apple, they give it away free! And Apple software is an even smaller slice of the pie. FCP is losing market share to Avid and Premiere, Logic is kind of moribund, pretty much only FMP is moving forward at this point.
I think we need to start getting used to the idea that Apple may just jerk the rug out from under us on this whole OS/desktop thing at any given moment.
YES! This problem is YEARS old! Safari and YouTube crash is VERY well documented! https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7282867
I'm SO glad to see this making big news...don't know if it's related, but it certainly opens the door to an issue too many of us have suffered with for years...not being able to use Safari for YouTube due to total GUI lockup.
4K display! Exotic accesory! I've had very similar problems, only with the freaking Apple Thunderbolt Display
I basically signed up to write post.
There's been a similar issue falling in this "random" genre that's been affecting Macbook Pro's since 2011. At least the ones carrying the SuperDrive circa 2011-2012 or earlier. There's been a vast amount of reports with gazillion users trying multiple fixes without success. This is happening to my Macbook Pro since the day i did my first update to the OS my computer came with, Mountain Lion. Whenever you access the Storage or anything that has to do with the optical drive you get freezes and spinning wheels and also here's the weird part, somehow the bug is interconnected with the trackpad's right-click option with users reporting this too without knowing these are being caused by the same bug. Maybe they share the same controller.
Console reports: kernel[0]: SerialATAPI device reconfiguration did not complete successfully. (failedCommandInfo = 0x1)
Recently i upgraded the HDD with a SSD. Same issue. I'm 100% sure it's a firmware/software issue.
You'll ask me why still use a 2012 Macbook Pro with a subjective "outdated" optical drive. Simple, still works perfectly and it's an incredible powerful machine. I consciously bought this and didn't wait for the first Retina model back in 2012 with it's proprietary hardware.
Users been replacing the optical drive with a HDD/SSD but they're falling short to report that by using a HDD it won't stop spin down due to software limitation and of course you end up using workarounds in the form of scripts etc.
I personally had the opportunity to try every way imaginable to resolve this with no success of course.
From the classics, NVRAM & SMC resets before or after formatting. Clean or overwrite installation of the OS from a bootable USB drive or using Internet Recovery, even a clean install with a Time Machine backup restore from the previous OS on the HDD the computer came with and on the SSD, AHT test and also changing the SATA connector for the optical drive. By the way i've tried it with a base OS of Mountain Lion and Mavericks besides Yosemite since i didn't have the opportunity to download it. Obviously physically unmounting the optical drive, works.
The only thing that hasn't changed on all these tryouts is the EFI ( Boot ROM & SMC firmware ).
Notice that the last EFI firmware version for this model in relevance to Apple's official spreadsheet is MBP91.00D3.B0C (2015-002). I couldn't find any specifics about the EFI version my computer has installed.
Macbook Pro 15-inch mid-2012 9,1
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2,6 GHz
Memory: 16 GB ( indeed i've upgraded it from the stock 8GB )
Boot ROM Version: MBP91.00D3.B0D
SMC Version (system): 2.1f175
Optical Drive: MATSHITADVD-R UJ-8A8
Revision: HB14
Last but not least, as the cherry on top the internet's been affected also. Speed is the same but here's the catch the latency ( ping ) is stuck on 30ish on WiFi and even on Ethernet. My internet connection is fast path, fiber and every other single device i tried even an iPhone 4S gives me 5 ping when pinging the ISP.
There's been a similar issue falling in this "random" genre that's been affecting Macbook Pro's since 2011. At least the ones carrying the SuperDrive circa 2011-2012 or earlier. There's been a vast amount of reports with gazillion users trying multiple fixes without success. This is happening to my Macbook Pro since the day i did my first update to the OS my computer came with, Mountain Lion. Whenever you access the Storage or anything that has to do with the optical drive you get freezes and spinning wheels and also here's the weird part, somehow the bug is interconnected with the trackpad's right-click option with users reporting this too without knowing these are being caused by the same bug. Maybe they share the same controller.
Console reports: kernel[0]: SerialATAPI device reconfiguration did not complete successfully. (failedCommandInfo = 0x1)
Recently i upgraded the HDD with a SSD. Same issue. I'm 100% sure it's a firmware/software issue.
You'll ask me why still use a 2012 Macbook Pro with a subjective "outdated" optical drive. Simple, still works perfectly and it's an incredible powerful machine. I consciously bought this and didn't wait for the first Retina model back in 2012 with it's proprietary hardware.
Users been replacing the optical drive with a HDD/SSD but they're falling short to report that by using a HDD it won't stop spin down due to software limitation and of course you end up using workarounds in the form of scripts etc.
I personally had the opportunity to try every way imaginable to resolve this with no success of course.
From the classics, NVRAM & SMC resets before or after formatting. Clean or overwrite installation of the OS from a bootable USB drive or using Internet Recovery, even a clean install with a Time Machine backup restore from the previous OS on the HDD the computer came with and on the SSD, AHT test and also changing the SATA connector for the optical drive. By the way i've tried it with a base OS of Mountain Lion and Mavericks besides Yosemite since i didn't have the opportunity to download it. Obviously physically unmounting the optical drive, works.
The only thing that hasn't changed on all these tryouts is the EFI ( Boot ROM & SMC firmware ).
Notice that the last EFI firmware version for this model in relevance to Apple's official spreadsheet is MBP91.00D3.B0C (2015-002). I couldn't find any specifics about the EFI version my computer has installed.
Macbook Pro 15-inch mid-2012 9,1
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2,6 GHz
Memory: 16 GB ( indeed i've upgraded it from the stock 8GB )
Boot ROM Version: MBP91.00D3.B0D
SMC Version (system): 2.1f175
Optical Drive: MATSHITADVD-R UJ-8A8
Revision: HB14
Last but not least, as the cherry on top the internet's been affected also. Speed is the same but here's the catch the latency ( ping ) is stuck on 30ish on WiFi and even on Ethernet. My internet connection is fast path, fiber and every other single device i tried even an iPhone 4S gives me 5 ping when pinging the ISP.
Glad I stumbled onto this thread. I was right in the middle of downloading the upgrade from Yosemite to El Capitan. Just canceled it in the App Store. Probably best to wait for them to put out a more stable version.
I don't have a MBP but a mid 2011 iMac that has similar issues. It started last week after 2+ hours, the computer gets really hot, then the rainbow colored ball and I have to force shut down the computer. I took it today to the shop and he's going to try and replicate the issues since all the diagnostics came up ok. Never had an issue with my computer until this. I wonder if it's related to what you guys are saying -- a software issue with El Capitan.
[doublepost=1463197321][/doublepost]
A large number of MacBook Pro owners running OS X El Capitan are reporting widespread system freezes since installing the 10.11.4 update to Apple's Mac OS.
Hundreds of MacRumors forum members have been posting to a dedicated thread to discuss the issue, which spans 20 pages at the time of writing. The problem appears to be concentrated on 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros (Early 2015) running 10.11.4. Users report that their system becomes totally unresponsive at seemingly random times, with no way to regain access to their Mac other than to force a hard reboot.
The issue was initially reported by MacRumors forum member Antonnn on March 25, four days after Apple released what is the third update to the Mac OS. In Antonnn's case, the freezes have been occurring "about once a week", first when browsing in Safari, but then also during the use of other Mac apps, including Adobe Photoshop and several third-party browsers. The freeze seems to affect not only the screen and mouse cursor but also the Mac's Force Touch trackpad, which completely loses feedback.
Many other users have since reported similar freezes after updating to 10.11.4, with some 15-inch MacBook Pro (Mid 2015) owners also experiencing issues. One potential cause has been identified from crash logs as a system framework or an Intel Graphics driver bug. The issue is also being reported after installing Safari Technology Preview Version 1 and OS X 10.11.5 Public Beta 1.
Video by MacRumors forum member appleofmy"i" experiencing the freeze issue.
Apple Support is apparently aware of the issue but have so far offered no concrete solution. Meanwhile, some users have resorted to downgrading their system to 10.11.3 by restoring from a Time Machine backup or performing a clean install.
We'll update this post throughout the day as we learn more.
Article Link: Mac Users Reporting Widespread System Freezes With OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 Update
A large number of MacBook Pro owners running OS X El Capitan are reporting widespread system freezes since installing the 10.11.4 update to Apple's Mac OS.
Hundreds of MacRumors forum members have been posting to a dedicated thread to discuss the issue, which spans 20 pages at the time of writing. The problem appears to be concentrated on 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros (Early 2015) running 10.11.4. Users report that their system becomes totally unresponsive at seemingly random times, with no way to regain access to their Mac other than to force a hard reboot.
The issue was initially reported by MacRumors forum member Antonnn on March 25, four days after Apple released what is the third update to the Mac OS. In Antonnn's case, the freezes have been occurring "about once a week", first when browsing in Safari, but then also during the use of other Mac apps, including Adobe Photoshop and several third-party browsers. The freeze seems to affect not only the screen and mouse cursor but also the Mac's Force Touch trackpad, which completely loses feedback.
Many other users have since reported similar freezes after updating to 10.11.4, with some 15-inch MacBook Pro (Mid 2015) owners also experiencing issues. One potential cause has been identified from crash logs as a system framework or an Intel Graphics driver bug. The issue is also being reported after installing Safari Technology Preview Version 1 and OS X 10.11.5 Public Beta 1.
Video by MacRumors forum member appleofmy"i" experiencing the freeze issue.
Apple Support is apparently aware of the issue but have so far offered no concrete solution. Meanwhile, some users have resorted to downgrading their system to 10.11.3 by restoring from a Time Machine backup or performing a clean install.
We'll update this post throughout the day as we learn more.
Article Link: Mac Users Reporting Widespread System Freezes With OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 Update
Apple's operating systems beginning with 10.7 "Lion," have really taken a nosedive in the stability department. From frequent hangups to printing issues and application crashes, it is becoming worrisome. El Capitan was supposed to be a "Snow Leopard"-esque tightening of the screws, but the screws still seem to be a bit loose.
Make no mistake, I am a fan of Apple hardware and software. I want very much to see more stable operating systems and application software. The yearly release schedule begun with 10.7 is revealing itself to not have been such a bright idea. Two or three years between major updates would give Apple the time it needs to get things right. We need to be patient, for patience is, after all, a virtue.
One of the Console reports here at macrumors.com, had this gem:
Possibly a related (Oct 26, 2015) report at an Apple Discussion (scroll down to forum member "Pressluft"):
I've looked over the many posts re El Capitan freezes, including all the Console (log) reports. I'm not an Apple Developer, nor expert.
The El Capitan freeze problem appears to probably be common among these:
It's not a hardware problem, though both hardware weaknesses and strengths may contribute ultimately to freezes.
Time constraints / time frames involved, for sending / receiving, for encoding / decoding, for encrypting / decrypting, and for compressing / de-compressing . . . data streams, have expectations, but can stumble over mixed bags of hardware-and-software combinations/configurations -and-setups.
The data-stream-connection/communication-processing seems to be getting jammed / stuck in exuberant/failed processing, causing CPU rates to rise and max-out, and some of the computers seem to be taking abrupt measures to bring the heat of all that, down, including freezing *you* (the user) out of activity.
Some computers might get cool enough, that they release control back to you, but others (particularly fanless) remain stuck.
I use Marcel Bresink's utility:
for monitoring temperatures.
I expect that the freeze problem may make more clear, that a few computers do have some kind of hardware problem(s) that become(s) more apparent.
Otherwise, the freeze problem is a data-communications turmoil that escalates to some panic level(s) that causes the Mac to reduce both heat and the roar of it all.
I use Northern Softworks (Lion | Mavericks | Yosemite | El Capitan) Cache Cleaner, in order to clean out the caches:
before updating the OS. This utility's activity causes a Restart, after which I run Repair Disk Permissions (Disk Utility) and then Restart again. I try to reduce the Mac's business to a peaceful state, before updating/upgrading.
I mention Cache Cleaner because some of the Console log reports point to some cache items, and it may be possible, that Northern Softworks' Cache Cleaning might help? (Safe Mode boot clears some of the cache items - such as "font caches, Kernel cache and other system cache files.")
Some Console tips. You can create your own log querys - New System Log Query - under the Console File menu.
An example of one that I've found handy:
LOWDISK will show results when you install some programs such as Adobe Flash Player. Don't let those bother you. But you do want to pay attention, because other LOWDISK reports might mean a troubled disk drive (I/O Error - recurring).
These System Log Querys may help you organize what you see in the Console. It helps you to concentrate/collect specific log reports, for your consideration/review.
You might want to create another System Log Query for the El Capitan freeze problem:
Using the System Log Query feature, may also help you to upload concise log reports to forums.
I have not posted to this forum in many years; it was older and worked a bit different; so, apologies if this does not appear as it should.
I agree that Apple has not been thorough at the work of making a more durable and stable Mac OS (and other Apple Mac applications).
04/04/16 15:32:50,638 com.apple.WebKit.WebContent[7769]: <<<< VT-DS >>>> VTDecompressionSessionWaitForAsynchronousFrames: WARNING: waited 10 seconds for video decoder to complete asynchronous frames; maybe it is stuck or has a buggy path that does not complete a frame?
Possibly a related (Oct 26, 2015) report at an Apple Discussion (scroll down to forum member "Pressluft"):
[Pressluft] "I'm streaming a bought video from iCloud and sometimes the movie is freezing and then this message pops up in the console."
26.10.15 11:30:36,550 iTunes[484]: <<<< FigByteStream >>>> FigByteStreamStatsLogOneRead: ByteStream read of 56858 bytes @ 967131672 took 0.966991 sec. to complete, 19 reads >= 0.5 sec.
[Pressluft] "Then it takes around a minute then the traffics spikes up to 10Mbyte/s and the movie goes on."
26.10.15 11:30:36,550 iTunes[484]: <<<< FigByteStream >>>> FigByteStreamStatsLogOneRead: ByteStream read of 56858 bytes @ 967131672 took 0.966991 sec. to complete, 19 reads >= 0.5 sec.
[Pressluft] "Then it takes around a minute then the traffics spikes up to 10Mbyte/s and the movie goes on."
I've looked over the many posts re El Capitan freezes, including all the Console (log) reports. I'm not an Apple Developer, nor expert.
The El Capitan freeze problem appears to probably be common among these:
- WebKit (component of, or used by, various Internet browsers and other applications)
- network connection (between a variety of nodes; also, AirPlay, iCloud, Internet, Wi-Fi)
- FigByteStream (secured stream byte [distribution?] difficulties and/or errors)
- stream data-compression / stream data-decompression
- stream data-encoding / stream data-decoding
- stream data-encryption / stream data-decryption
- codec troubles
- network connection (between a variety of nodes; also, AirPlay, iCloud, Internet, Wi-Fi)
- FigByteStream (secured stream byte [distribution?] difficulties and/or errors)
- stream data-compression / stream data-decompression
- stream data-encoding / stream data-decoding
- stream data-encryption / stream data-decryption
- codec troubles
It's not a hardware problem, though both hardware weaknesses and strengths may contribute ultimately to freezes.
Time constraints / time frames involved, for sending / receiving, for encoding / decoding, for encrypting / decrypting, and for compressing / de-compressing . . . data streams, have expectations, but can stumble over mixed bags of hardware-and-software combinations/configurations -and-setups.
The data-stream-connection/communication-processing seems to be getting jammed / stuck in exuberant/failed processing, causing CPU rates to rise and max-out, and some of the computers seem to be taking abrupt measures to bring the heat of all that, down, including freezing *you* (the user) out of activity.
Some computers might get cool enough, that they release control back to you, but others (particularly fanless) remain stuck.
I use Marcel Bresink's utility:
for monitoring temperatures.
I expect that the freeze problem may make more clear, that a few computers do have some kind of hardware problem(s) that become(s) more apparent.
Otherwise, the freeze problem is a data-communications turmoil that escalates to some panic level(s) that causes the Mac to reduce both heat and the roar of it all.
I use Northern Softworks (Lion | Mavericks | Yosemite | El Capitan) Cache Cleaner, in order to clean out the caches:
Cache Cleaning
Deep Cleaning
Clean Local Cache
Clean System Cache
Clean All Users Caches
Deep Cleaning
Clean Local Cache
Clean System Cache
Clean All Users Caches
before updating the OS. This utility's activity causes a Restart, after which I run Repair Disk Permissions (Disk Utility) and then Restart again. I try to reduce the Mac's business to a peaceful state, before updating/upgrading.
I mention Cache Cleaner because some of the Console log reports point to some cache items, and it may be possible, that Northern Softworks' Cache Cleaning might help? (Safe Mode boot clears some of the cache items - such as "font caches, Kernel cache and other system cache files.")
Some Console tips. You can create your own log querys - New System Log Query - under the Console File menu.
An example of one that I've found handy:
[New] System Log Query window
Search name: LOWDISK (you can make that any name that you want)
Find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains LOWDISK
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains KernelEventAgent
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains hdiejectd
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains Low Disk
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains danger
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains I/O Error
Search name: LOWDISK (you can make that any name that you want)
Find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains LOWDISK
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains KernelEventAgent
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains hdiejectd
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains Low Disk
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains danger
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains I/O Error
LOWDISK will show results when you install some programs such as Adobe Flash Player. Don't let those bother you. But you do want to pay attention, because other LOWDISK reports might mean a troubled disk drive (I/O Error - recurring).
These System Log Querys may help you organize what you see in the Console. It helps you to concentrate/collect specific log reports, for your consideration/review.
You might want to create another System Log Query for the El Capitan freeze problem:
[New] System Log Query window
Search name: FREEZE
Find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigByteStream
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigAudioQueue
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigRenderPipeline
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains figPlaybackBoss
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigAgglomerator
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigAsset
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigFile
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains VTDecompressionSession
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains vtDecompressionDuctCreate
Message contains signalled err
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains WebKit
Message contains signalled err
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains WebKit
Message contains is stuck
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains video decod (leave as is - no trailing "e")
Sender contains WebKit
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains coder
Message contains com.apple.xbs
Message contains Core
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains tcp_connection_tls_session_error
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains com.apple.xpc.launchd
Message contains key does not do anything
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains com.apple.xpc.launchd
Message contains unknown key for string
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains com.apple.xpc.launchd
Message contains key is no longer respected
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains com.apple.xpc.launchd
Message contains key is only available
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains com.apple.xpc.launchd
Message contains error = (include that equals symbol)
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains spindump
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains Invalid connection
Message contains com.apple.core
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains com.apple.WindowServer
Message contains unresponsive
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains go low power
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains kernel
Message contains reset
Message contains hang
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains spindump
Message contains failed
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains MediaValidator
Message contains codec
Message contains Unrecognized
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains WebKit
Message contains Decode
Message contains codec
Search name: FREEZE
Find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigByteStream
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigAudioQueue
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigRenderPipeline
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains figPlaybackBoss
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigAgglomerator
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigAsset
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains FigFile
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains VTDecompressionSession
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains vtDecompressionDuctCreate
Message contains signalled err
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains WebKit
Message contains signalled err
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains WebKit
Message contains is stuck
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains video decod (leave as is - no trailing "e")
Sender contains WebKit
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains coder
Message contains com.apple.xbs
Message contains Core
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains tcp_connection_tls_session_error
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains com.apple.xpc.launchd
Message contains key does not do anything
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains com.apple.xpc.launchd
Message contains unknown key for string
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains com.apple.xpc.launchd
Message contains key is no longer respected
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains com.apple.xpc.launchd
Message contains key is only available
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains com.apple.xpc.launchd
Message contains error = (include that equals symbol)
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains spindump
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains Invalid connection
Message contains com.apple.core
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains com.apple.WindowServer
Message contains unresponsive
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains go low power
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Sender contains kernel
Message contains reset
Message contains hang
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains spindump
Message contains failed
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains MediaValidator
Message contains codec
Message contains Unrecognized
or, find messages where all these conditions are true:
Message contains WebKit
Message contains Decode
Message contains codec
Using the System Log Query feature, may also help you to upload concise log reports to forums.
I have not posted to this forum in many years; it was older and worked a bit different; so, apologies if this does not appear as it should.
I agree that Apple has not been thorough at the work of making a more durable and stable Mac OS (and other Apple Mac applications).
Last edited:
In time maybe, though my opinion is that they will discontinue the Mac Pro first, followed by the iMac , though it will take a little while. I suspect the Mac Pro might go this year though. Expect an even bigger iPad Pro to "act" as the desktop going forward. They can make more money from an expansive iPad Pro with accessories that costs the same as a iMac.
Our 2010 iMac freezes when my wife is running a game, Words, from facebook.
This is one of the reasons I never upgrade past whatever OS came with my Mac/Phone. The PC and/or phone you're using was designed to run on the OS it was shipped with. Any new device will have specs to handle newer OS. Upgrading will likely give you access to new features but with a performance hit. Every new upgrade, that hit gets worse and in the case of phones, by the third upgrade, you're working with a chuggy, laggy POS. My early 2014 MBP is running Mavericks like butter. I intended to keep it this way until I upgrade.
Can I ask if you need a particular software or method to print to a new printer or use an updated cloud solution that NEEDS the new OS to work.
What do you do?
Cheers