Kernel Panics on a 2010 Macbook Pro

grizzly

Yesterday when using my 15" Macbook Pro under a heavy load (watching a HD movie + several background tasks) the display froze on a still image, couldn't forse quit, so had to hold down power button to restart.

Now when I use it, it does the same a random intervals.

So far I've tried;

• Formatting the HD and reinstalling the OS.
• Booting from the CD and doing a HD repair/check. It comes up OK.
• I've tried to do a hardware test (holding "D" on the install disk), but it always freezes before it can fully boot.

I'm thinking that it's either a problem with the logic board or the RAM. Thinking it's not the RAM or I wouldn't be able to run it for any time.

Any ideas what I should do next? I'm tempted to try another HD in it just so I can rule it out.

Try a PRAM reset:

To reset your computer’s PRAM:

1. Shut down the computer.
2. Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
3. Turn on the computer.
4. Immediately press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
   Continue holding the keys down until the computer restarts, and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
5. Release the keys.

Sad Professor

Open the Console app and check the logs.

Oh and it's only a kernel panic if you get the restart your computer message in multiple languages.

grizzly

Thanks for the replies. I tried the PRAM reset and still get a crash.

Here's the start of the report. I think it may be a video card issue...

Interval Since Last Panic Report:  3 sec
Panics Since Last Report:          1
Anonymous UUID:                    B1E770EB-F045-4BD4-AB1B-FD38CFE55BDE

Tue Jun  5 18:57:16 2012
panic(cpu 0 caller 0x5b541dc6): NVRM[0/1:0:0]: Read Error 0x00000100: CFG 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0xffffffff, BAR0 0xd2000000 0x7e692000 0x0a5480a2, D0, P0/4
Backtrace (CPU 0), Frame : Return Address (4 potential args on stack)
0x5a7ebbd8 : 0x21b449 (0x5cf3c8 0x5a7ebc0c 0x2238a5 0x0) 
0x5a7ebc28 : 0x5b541dc6 (0x5b74931c 0x5b7b6d60 0x5b756b60 0x0) 
0x5a7ebcc8 : 0x5b65194b (0x7a82804 0x6dd7004 0x100 0x0) 
0x5a7ebd18 : 0x5b649623 (0x6dd7004 0x100 0x5a7ebd48 0x5b532c76) 
0x5a7ebd48 : 0x5bd6bb4e (0x6dd7004 0x100 0x438004ee 0x0) 
0x5a7ebe88 : 0x5b66f272 (0x6dd7004 0x81ef804 0x0 0x0) 
0x5a7ebec8 : 0x5b54ae70 (0x6dd7004 0x81ef804 0x0 0x0) 
0x5a7ebf08 : 0x548873 (0x0 0x8207700 0x1 0x29d54e) 
0x5a7ebf58 : 0x5478a4 (0x8207700 0x863ea0 0x0 0x2a1596) 
0x5a7ebf88 : 0x547cfe (0x7a1b540 0x7aaa680 0x85696944 0x2a7e5f) 
0x5a7ebfc8 : 0x29e6cc (0x7a1b540 0x0 0x10 0x77f2be4) 
      Kernel Extensions in backtrace (with dependencies):
         com.apple.nvidia.nv50hal(6.1.0)@0x5bc34000->0x5c051fff
            dependency: com.apple.NVDAResman(6.1.0)@0x5b4df000
         com.apple.NVDAResman(6.1.0)@0x5b4df000->0x5b7b7fff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.6)@0x5307b000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.1)@0x5a6ee000
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.1)@0x5a74e000

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task

Mac OS version:
10D2063a

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 10.3.1: Thu Feb 11 13:26:12 PST 2010; root:xnu-1504.3.51~4/RELEASE_I386
System model name: MacBookPro6,2 (Mac-F22586C8)

Janedoe10

Did u try SAFE mode at start . It's holding down shift key at start . It's a lot longer booting than normal .
Freeze crash with HW test could be HW alright ..
Do u use time machine to back up your stuff .. U could go back to before the time u had the freezes

Maybe energy saver settings need adjusting http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3311

grizzly

I think this is it;

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010): Intermittent black screen or loss of video

Symptoms
Apple has determined that a small number of MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) computers may intermittently freeze or stop displaying video on the built-in display or on an external display connected to the MacBook Pro. In this situation, you may also see a restart warning message before the video is lost or the display turns black or gray. Affected computers were manufactured between April 2010 and February 2011.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4088

Somecrimesitry

Ya Apple would just tell you to update to 10.6.8 so that all the various updates such as firmware or graphics updates were installed before they would do anything, so you might as well update it.

grizzly

I've talked to Apple and Compub where I bought it. Hopefully they'll replace for free if it tests positive for a bad graphics card.

grizzly

Got a call from Compub this morning saying that it passed all their hardware tests and that they couldn't replicate the fault, even after putting it under heavy tasks and leaving it on overnight. Said they applied all the updates and that that may have done it (I was running a full updated Lion before installing SL from the discs).

I'm not convinced

Sad Professor

What (if any) third party devices do you connect to it? External hard drives, USB hub, etc?

grizzly

Sad Professor wrote: »

What (if any) third party devices do you connect to it? External hard drives, USB hub, etc?

I've use nothing connected (not even a mouse) as it's not my main computer.

This got me thinking, a little while back I had trouble with kernel panics on a new iMac in work – disabling the WiFi fixed it. Only last week I received a new UPC modem (same time the panics started).

Could the wifi signal be causing the trouble? They couldn't replicate the fault in the shop, but they were using a ethernet cable. The log above has no mention of a WiFi problem.

conor.hogan.2

If you use up all of your ram (persistently) you will get many many kernel panics.

OSX handles memory like a 110 year old.

Sad Professor

conor.hogan.2 wrote: »

If you use up all of your ram (persistently) you will get many many kernel panics.

OSX handles memory like a 110 year old.

That's rubbish! If this happens to you then you've got a faulty RAM chip

Colonel Panic

Agreed. I frequently hit 100+ day uptimes on a machine that I use heavily for game development, movie encoding, VMWare and all the usual boring computer stuff. I often have a hundred megs of 8GB free and my one kernel panic ever on this machine was a terrible driver I wrote for a game controller.