Mac Users Reporting Widespread System Freezes With OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 Update

[Juicy Box]

Ran Hardware test on the MacBook Pro with no hardware problems.

Can still be that there's a hardware problem even if the test doesn't detect it.

This is true. It has happened to me atleast twice. One time, the ATV1 passed the extended hardware test at the Apple Store, only to fail it the next day.

The second time, my Late 2012 iMac with the 1TB fusion drive kept passing the built in hardware test, even though it kept displaying hard drive issues.

I kept taking it to the Apple Store, only to have it pass their tests. Finally, 12 days before the end of my warranty, the HDD went completely dead. So, of course it passed them.

Point is, even if your device passes Apple's HW test, it doesn't mean the HW is not broken.

 

[Grolubao]

After this update, my mid 2014 has the trackpad not reacting to clicks

 

[scs21690]

My MacBook Pro 13 " 8 gigs ram and samsung 250 SSD originally had a 2009 mid 2.26ghz motherboard using OSX 10.11.5 that had a over heating problem. That board didn't like any OSX past Snow Leopard. I recently exchange that board for a reconditioned 2010 mid 2.4 ghz board that has acted the same way on, not liking any OSX system pass Snow Leopard. Complete freeze up, only cursor would move sometimes. All browsers, apps would freeze. I also used the original Toshiba hard drive with same results. Did ram test on Crucial 8 gig ram it passed. I think it's a GPU video driver problem like you mentioned.
Recently loaded 10.11.6 beta. I've using it for a day now. Have not had a complete freeze up. It doesn't like chrome browser, itunes not working, mail has crashed but not whole system. More stable for not a completely freezing up. I noticed when restarting the computer the start screen paints the screen in slow sections but doesn't freeze.

What do you think?

 

[Timmo78]

Still happening for me on 10.11.5 (Mid 2015 MBP 13")

Amusingly, it happened while I was running sysdiagnose to assist Apple on an entirely seperate issue (which is yet more amusing, because that issue was a bug with their Feedback Assistant).

I'll note that I was *not* running safari at the time like many others. Though I did have Chrome and VLC idle in the background, along with sysdiagnose which was attempting to run 'footprint'.

So basically.. I hit a freeze bug, while running diagnostics for another bug, that I had encountered while reporting a bug, about their bug reporter.

Oh apple.

 

[pier]

Not sure if I'm suffering the same problem as others, but once or twice every day the trackpad and keyboard freeze.

Usually I close and reopen the lid to fix it, but sometimes I have to do a hard reboot.

This didn't happen before 10.11.5. I'm on a 13'' rMBP mid 2014.

Not sure if related, but in my experience the software quality of OSX has been going down the drain since Apple switched to yearly releases and free OSX.

 

[Juicy Box]

Not sure if related, but in my experience the software quality of OSX has been going down the drain since Apple switched to yearly releases and free OSX.

I never really thought about it until you mentioned it. But yeah, it seems like the OS X updates that you paid for seemed to be better quality.

Even Leopard, which was very buggy and took up a lot a space, seemed more stable than any recent version.

I think Snow Leopard was probably the most stable one, and I think it may have been the last one to cost money. Although I think it was $29. It basically was a fix to Leopard.

 

[scs21690]

I agree!


I ran ASD 3S138 software again with no error code, it passed. I went back to OS X 10.9.5 ( Maverick) clean install fully updated, also installed TotalFinder. Everything seems stable for now. I think TotalFinder did some good . I've been using my MacBook Pro all day, happy. It still maybe a GPU compatibility problem with newer Mac OS X systems running on older models??



(MacBook Pro 2010 13" mid year 2.4 Ghz intel core 2 Duo, 250 Samsung SSD V-Nand 850EVO drive, 8 gigs Crucial 1067 MHz DDR3 memory)

 

[akkers]

Not sure if I'm suffering the same problem as others, but once or twice every day the trackpad and keyboard freeze.

Usually I close and reopen the lid to fix it, but sometimes I have to do a hard reboot.

This didn't happen before 10.11.5. I'm on a 13'' rMBP mid 2014.

Not sure if related, but in my experience the software quality of OSX has been going down the drain since Apple switched to yearly releases and free OSX.

@pier

I have the same system. Could you do a nvram reset and let me know if the freezes persist?

Just curious.

Thanks

 

[scs21690]

I agree!


I ran ASD 3S138 software again with no error code, it passed. I went back to OS X 10.9.5 ( Maverick) clean install fully updated, also installed TotalFinder. Everything seems stable for now. I think TotalFinder did some good . I've been using my MacBook Pro all day, happy. It still maybe a GPU compatibility problem with newer Mac OS X systems running on older models??



(MacBook Pro 2010 13" mid year 2.4 Ghz intel core 2 Duo, 250 Samsung SSD V-Nand 850EVO drive, 8 gigs Crucial 1067 MHz DDR3 memory)

[doublepost=1464666263][/doublepost]I miss spoke, my Mac just froze up in either Chrome or Safari. I need at least 10.9 to run some applications.
Oh well! I'll just use this Laptop for light work.

Only stable in Snow Leopard

 

[akkers]

@pier

I have the same system. Could you do a nvram reset and let me know if the freezes persist?

Just curious.

Thanks

@pier

sorry , just ignore my previous message to you.

I just had a Safari and Youtube inflicted freeze for 15 -20 seconds on 10.11.05.(mouse cursor moving but no input being registered) This was the first instance of this happening since i updated to this version on El Cap about 12 days ago.
Clearly it has not been fixed!

My system Mid 2014 13" rMBP.

 

[Phoenixx]

What I'm saying is this.
OSX is no better or worse than any other operating system.

In my personal experience using a Mac for work and Windows for development. Crashes are becoming more frequent on the mac. Much more frequent.

I use both, and am finding that crashes on Mac OS X are far more frequent than those on Windows 10.

 

[scs21690]

@pier

sorry , just ignore my previous message to you.

I just had a Safari and Youtube inflicted freeze for 15 -20 seconds on 10.11.05.(mouse cursor moving but no input being registered) This was the first instance of this happening since i updated to this version on El Cap about 12 days ago.
Clearly it has not been fixed!

My system Mid 2014 13" rMBP.

[doublepost=1464676420][/doublepost]
Hi, I've tried every Mac OSX system passed Snow Leopard. Nothing is stable on my MacBook Pro . I've done command/option/P/R waited for three chimes, then restart. Seems to help for different periods of time. I've disconnect the battery and held the power button down for a few minutes. Then reconnect restart, no help.

This board in my Mac was reconditioned recently at DT&T Computer Service in Fremont ,Ca. This board was an exchanged board for the original. This place repairs only Apple products and they been in business for over 20 years. The owner told me to stay with Snow Leopard. I need to run at least 10.9 to run Chrome which I like. Believe me , I've tried loading clean versions OSX without installing any new applications and it still freezes up with Safari.

Recently tried the Beta OSX 10.11.6 and it didn't lock up but a lot of applications weren't working , USB not working, my iPOD was recognized.

I'm in a dilemma, I just spent 200 on a recondition board. I may just install Snow Leopard and leave it.
I think Apple doesn't really want support any thing pass 5 years old. They make money selling new stuff.

Just my opinion, Any thoughts?

 

[Neromancer]

Hi!
UPDATE: I upgraded from 10.10.5 to 10.11.5 and a short while after that to 10.11.6. The updates seems to have fixed the problem for me.

I also have this problem. The computer freezes and the keyboard and trackpad becomes completely unresponsive. I can feel that the “click” in the trackpad stops working. The only solution is to restart the computer by holding down the power button on the keyboard. The problem always occur when I use Safari and when there is some kind of embedded video on the web page.

I have a brand new Macbook Pro Retina 13¨, 8 GB RAM, 250GB SSD, Early 2015. The graphic card is Intel Iris Graphics 6100. The problem persists in Mac OS 10.11.4, but was solved by downgrading to 10.10.5 (More about that below).

When the problem occurred the first time I reacted immediately. I am a long time Mac user and have never encountered this kind of freeze in any of my computers. I started to search in forum for others who had this kind of problem. I immediately found hundreds of hits around 2013, when a similar problem was affecting the Macbook pro 13¨. That time Apple released a software update. But I also discovered this thread and some other discussions regarding the 2015 years’ model.

So my first question was if it was a hardware or software related problem. The last time the problem was reported back in 2013, Apple solved the problem with a software update. If the problem was related with the 2015 years’ model of Macbook pro, that would support the theory that it is in fact a software problem. The fact that not all Macbooks are affected would on the other hand support the idea that it is a hardware problem affecting only a small number of computers.

I started to follow every recommended fix for the problem: I reset NVRAM and SMC, I checked the permissions, reformatted the SSD and reinstalled El Capitan. Nothing worked. The problem came back in a couple of days. I also tried every setting for the trackpad, and for the graphic card and for Safari (i.e. shutting of the use of webGL).

Then I read about people that was complaining about the 10.11.4 upgrade. They said that they didn’t have this problem before they upgraded to 10.11.4. That was the preinstalled version on my computer. I then googled and found out that my computer model previously had been shipped with Yosemite. I then decided to reformat the SSD and downgrade to 10.10.5 (the last version of Yosemite). Once I installed Yosemite 10.11.5 my problems were gone. The computer just worked day out and day in. One very important conclusion was that the problem is software related. There’s nothing wrong with the hardware. When I use 10.11.5 the computer never freezes.

So after a couple of weeks I started wondering what would happen if I clicked on the button “Upgrade to El Capitan” that was popping up from App Store? I had a working computer, but could not let go of the thought that if I upgraded now the problem would not comeback (This is what you could call an example of magical thinking ;-) So I upgraded to El Capitan. In two days the problem was back.

So now I have downgraded to Yosemite 10.10.5 again. I have a working computer with no freezes. But I cannot upgrade to El Capitan. So am stuck with Yosemite until Apple solves the problem. What I have read in forums the newly released update 10.11.5 doesn't solve the problem. I hope Apple will fix it in a future update.

So what is my conclusion about the problem? I think it is a software problem (but probably connected to drivers/hardware of a certain model) and that Apple needs to fix it. I have reported the problem to Apples support channel twice, but have not heard back from them.

 

[scs21690]

I agree with your conclusion on driver/hardware conflict on some models. This not a good thing (no Bueno) for Apple ignoring this problem over the years .

Enjoy your day!

 

[tywebb13]

So now I have downgraded to Yosemite 10.10.5 again. I have a working computer with no freezes. But I cannot upgrade to El Capitan. So am stuck with Yosemite until Apple solves the problem.

Why don't you install 10.11.3 and stay there till apple solve the problem?

 

[Neromancer]

Why don't you install 10.11.3 and stay there till apple solve the problem?

Yes, that is a possibility. At the moment I am a bit tired of reinstalling operating systems. The reason I choose 10.10.5 is simply that I had that version ready on a separate drive. I´m not really sure how to get an installer for 10.11.3 so for the moment I think that I will just wait and see if Apple releases an update that fix the problem. But if that doesn’t happen any time soon, I will probably try to install 10.11.3 to see if that version works without problems.

 

[tywebb13]

You can restore from a backup or clean install from a full installer of 10.11.3.

You can't download it from apple anymore buy it is still available elsewhere on the net. We had a link here before for it but it got deleted. Just google it.

 

[Neromancer]

You can restore from a backup or clean install from a full installer of 10.11.3.

You can't download it from apple anymore buy it is still available elsewhere on the net. We had a link here before for it but it got deleted. Just google it.

Thanks!

 

[johnxw]

I did have system freeze when collecting to a thunderbolt display (mid 2015 15' macbook pro), have to hard restart the machine.

 

[Maicá]

Hi!
I also have this problem. The computer freezes and the keyboard and trackpad becomes completely unresponsive. I can feel that the “click” in the trackpad stops working. The only solution is to restart the computer by holding down the power button on the keyboard. The problem always occur when I use Safari and when there is some kind of embedded video on the web page.

I have a brand new Macbook Pro Retina 13¨, 8 GB RAM, 250GB SSD, Early 2015. The graphic card is Intel Iris Graphics 6100. The problem persists in Mac OS 10.11.4, but was solved by downgrading to 10.10.5 (More about that below).

When the problem occurred the first time I reacted immediately. I am a long time Mac user and have never encountered this kind of freeze in any of my computers. I started to search in forum for others who had this kind of problem. I immediately found hundreds of hits around 2013, when a similar problem was affecting the Macbook pro 13¨. That time Apple released a software update. But I also discovered this thread and some other discussions regarding the 2015 years’ model.

So my first question was if it was a hardware or software related problem. The last time the problem was reported back in 2013, Apple solved the problem with a software update. If the problem was related with the 2015 years’ model of Macbook pro, that would support the theory that it is in fact a software problem. The fact that not all Macbooks are affected would on the other hand support the idea that it is a hardware problem affecting only a small number of computers.

I started to follow every recommended fix for the problem: I reset NVRAM and SMC, I checked the permissions, reformatted the SSD and reinstalled El Capitan. Nothing worked. The problem came back in a couple of days. I also tried every setting for the trackpad, and for the graphic card and for Safari (i.e. shutting of the use of webGL).

Then I read about people that was complaining about the 10.11.4 upgrade. They said that they didn’t have this problem before they upgraded to 10.11.4. That was the preinstalled version on my computer. I then googled and found out that my computer model previously had been shipped with Yosemite. I then decided to reformat the SSD and downgrade to 10.10.5 (the last version of Yosemite). Once I installed Yosemite 10.11.5 my problems were gone. The computer just worked day out and day in. One very important conclusion was that the problem is software related. There’s nothing wrong with the hardware. When I use 10.11.5 the computer never freezes.

So after a couple of weeks I started wondering what would happen if I clicked on the button “Upgrade to El Capitan” that was popping up from App Store? I had a working computer, but could not let go of the thought that if I upgraded now the problem would not comeback (This is what you could call an example of magical thinking ;-) So I upgraded to El Capitan. In two days the problem was back.

So now I have downgraded to Yosemite 10.10.5 again. I have a working computer with no freezes. But I cannot upgrade to El Capitan. So am stuck with Yosemite until Apple solves the problem. What I have read in forums the newly released update 10.11.5 doesn't solve the problem. I hope Apple will fix it in a future update.

So what is my conclusion about the problem? I think it is a software problem (but probably connected to drivers/hardware of a certain model) and that Apple needs to fix it. I have reported the problem to Apples support channel twice, but have not heard back from them.

I had the same issue as yours. Have you checked the logs when this happened? Probably you found entries related to "video decoder is stuck for 20 seconds" or similar near the freeze time.

I updated it to 10.11.5 El Capitan and it's been ok for me and for a lot of people. Btw, I have the exactly same MBP model as yours.

Usually people that say it's not fixed are reporting a different behavior. They're probably having another issue (check the dedicated thread mentioned in the article).

 

[dschlosser15]

I am going to be honest. Tim Cook needs to man up and start cutting the fat. If there is one thing Apple was known for it was solid software and now its just gotten to the point of absurdity how many things they release with bugs that should have been discovered and fixed during the beta period

+1 on this, Tim Cook is going to run Apple into the ground.

 

[MacKyle]

Any update? I am still experiencing this issue with my mid/late MBPr 13. Occasionally, it crashes twice. I fresh installed the OS. If I go to Apple, they'll change some logic board and call it a fix..
The freeze usually triggered by random click on dropdown menu, icon, etc. Weird!!

 

[lbalk]

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

[doublepost=1465774984][/doublepost]Macbook Retina 2016 version doing the same locking up once a week.

 

[NXI]

Same problem with the beta version of Sierra. Some improvement with Safari and various browsers, but Photoshop and all Adobe CS6 softwares crash on startup. Swift (open source version of InDesign) also. Google Earth does not work either. Tried to turn off OpenGL with GLView but GLView also crashes. All crashes result in computer freezes -> need to restart from the start button. Fed up with this problem that started up from two versions of the system, and that Apple seems unable to solve.

 

[ItzJordan]

Same problem with the beta version of Sierra. Some improvement with Safari and various browsers, but Photoshop and all Adobe CS6 softwares crash on startup. Swift (open source version of InDesign) also. Google Earth does not work either. Tried to turn off OpenGL with GLView but GLView also crashes. All crashes result in computer freezes -> need to restart from the start button. Fed up with this problem that started up from two versions of the system, and that Apple seems unable to solve.

Oh my. Is this on the 2015 MacBook Pro? I use all those programs mentioned above that crash. Hopefully this is resolved in one of the next betas before the official public release