Kopekemaster

Q: Macbook Pro Mid-2010 Crashing Problem

I've got a Macbook Pro 2010 currently running OS X 10.10 (not sure which sub-version, but it doesn't matter as you'll see in a moment). All of a sudden a few months ago it started having some major problems.

 

It will start up, I'll log in and use it for a little while just fine, then the screen will suddenly glitch up a few times, turn to white, then in a little bit turn off completely. The computer itself isn't actually off, though. The indicator light flashes for maybe 1/2 second with ~2 seconds between flashes. In this state it does nothing.

If I press and hold the power button until it turns off completely, then try turning it back on, a blank white screen will appear but nothing happens.

If I force-shut it off again and wait a while (like, until the following day), and try turning it on, the white screen appears for a bit but then the Apple logo comes up and the computer starts up normally (only to have the same problem happen a little bit longer).

 

Also, today I turned it on (booted up as I explained just now), but didn't touch it for about an hour. When I came back it was still up and running. I logged on and used it for a minute, then the same thing happened again. So for some reason it only seems to have a problem when I'm actively using it.

 

I don't think it's related to the RAM or HDD. Shortly after this problem first happened, I switched the RAM and HDD from it to my older Mac (2008 Unibody Macbook) and vice versa, just so I could still do everything I needed. The laptop still had the problem after I switched it all around, but the old one didn't (and hasn't) had a problem.

Before it all started the Macbook Pro had 8 GB of RAM (3rd party, installed it a few weeks before then, it came with 4 GB originally), 2.4 GHz (dual core) processor, 250 GB HDD, and was running 10.11 (10.11.4 specifically, I think). Right when it happened I tried PRAM and SMC resets, but it didn't help anything.

 

I'd be so thankful if any of you could help. I'm thinking of selling it for parts, but if there's a relatively easy fix for this I'll be glad to do it.

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Apr 5, 2016 1:14 PM

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Q: Macbook Pro Mid-2010 Crashing Problem

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  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Apr 5, 2016 1:26 PM in response to Kopekemaster
    Level 9 (52,516 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 5, 2016 1:26 PM in response to Kopekemaster

    If it is a 15" MBP, you may have a defective discrete GPU, a fairly common problem on those models.  Check to see if you have any kernel panics using these instructions, and if so post it:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201753

     

    Ciao.

  • by Kopekemaster,

    Kopekemaster Kopekemaster Apr 5, 2016 1:36 PM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 5, 2016 1:36 PM in response to OGELTHORPE

    Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention the screen size. Nope, it's a 13". Could that still be a problem for those models?

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Apr 5, 2016 1:45 PM in response to Kopekemaster
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Apr 5, 2016 1:45 PM in response to Kopekemaster

    These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.

    Please launch the Console application in any one of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

    In the Console window, select

              DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION System Diagnostic Reports

    (not Diagnostic and Usage Messages) from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

              View Show Log List

    from the menu bar.

    There is a disclosure triangle to the left of the list item. If the triangle is pointing to the right, click it so that it points down. You'll see a list of reports. A panic report has a name that begins with "Kernel" and ends in ".panic". Select the most recent one. The contents of the report will appear on the right. Use copy and paste to post the entire contents—the text, not a screenshot.

    If you don't see any reports listed, but you know there was a panic, you may have chosen Diagnostic and Usage Messages from the log list. Choose DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION instead.

    In the interest of privacy, I suggest that, before posting, you edit out the “Anonymous UUID,” a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes in the header of the report, if it’s present (it may not be.)

    Please don’t post other kinds of diagnostic report.

    I know the report is long, maybe several hundred lines. Please post all of it anyway.

    When you post the report, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the forum software. Please post the text on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

    If you have an account on Pastebin, please don't select Private from the Paste Exposure menu on the page, because then no one but you will be able to see it.

  • by Kopekemaster,

    Kopekemaster Kopekemaster Apr 5, 2016 2:20 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 5, 2016 2:20 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Had to switch out the hard drives to get access to the Console, but here's the most recent kernel panic:

    http://pastebin.com/fNuRVD7j

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Apr 5, 2016 2:45 PM in response to Kopekemaster
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Apr 5, 2016 2:45 PM in response to Kopekemaster

    That's not a complete panic report. It should be a few hundred lines. Are there any others that are longer?

  • by Kopekemaster,

    Kopekemaster Kopekemaster Apr 5, 2016 2:56 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 5, 2016 2:56 PM in response to Linc Davis

    It's all that was there for the newest one. I did copy an older one too, though, which is here:

    http://pastebin.com/a7jTMJEi

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Apr 5, 2016 3:10 PM in response to Kopekemaster
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Apr 5, 2016 3:10 PM in response to Kopekemaster

    Please remove "VodBurner" and see whether the panics stop. If they don't, also remove "LogMeIn," and either update or remove "VirtualBox."

    Any third-party software that doesn't install from the App Store or by drag-and-drop into the Applications folder, and uninstall by drag-and-drop to the Trash, is a system modification.

    Whenever you remove system modifications, they must be removed completely, and the only way to do that is to use the uninstallation tool, if any, provided by the developers, or to follow their instructions. If the software has been incompletely removed, you may have to re-download or even reinstall it in order to finish the job.

    I never install system modifications myself, and except as stated in this comment, I don't know how to uninstall them. You'll have to do your own research to find that information.

    Here are some general guidelines to get you started. Suppose you want to remove something called “BrickMyMac” (a hypothetical example.) First, consult the product's Help menu, if there is one, for instructions. Finding none there, look on the developer's website, say www.brickmymac.com. (That may not be the actual name of the site; if necessary, search the Web for the product name.) If you don’t find anything on the website or in your search, contact the developer. While you're waiting for a response, download BrickMyMac.dmg and open it. There may be an application in there such as “Uninstall BrickMyMac.” If not, open “BrickMyMac.pkg” and look for an Uninstall button. The uninstaller might also be accessed by clicking the Customize button, if there is one.

    Back up all data before making any changes.

    You will generally have to restart the computer in order to complete an uninstallation. Until you do that, there may be no effect, or unpredictable effects.

    If you can’t remove software in any other way, you’ll have to erase and install OS X. Never install any third-party software unless you're sure you know how to uninstall it; otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve.

    Trying to remove complex system modifications by hunting for files by name often will not work and may make the problem worse. The same goes for "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.

  • by Kopekemaster,

    Kopekemaster Kopekemaster Apr 5, 2016 3:14 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 5, 2016 3:14 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Alright, I'll try that. The hard drive that's in there right now doesn't have anything I need on it anyway, so I may just do a fresh install of OS X. Thanks for all your help.

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Apr 5, 2016 3:27 PM in response to Kopekemaster
    Level 9 (52,516 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 5, 2016 3:27 PM in response to Kopekemaster

    Kopekemaster wrote:

     

    Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention the screen size. Nope, it's a 13". Could that still be a problem for those models?

    Your 13" MBP does not have a discrete GPU, so the potential problem I was referring to is not applicable.

     

    Download and post an Etrecheck report:

     

    http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

     

    Ciao.

  • by Kopekemaster,

    Kopekemaster Kopekemaster Apr 5, 2016 6:07 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 5, 2016 6:07 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Well, I reformatted the drive and did a completely fresh install of OS X (10.6 from DVD), and it's still having the problem. I guess I'm just going to sell it for parts or repair.