Ben_a_

Q: Macbook pro freezes

I have a macbook pro with retina display 13-inch mid 2014 (before the spring update) and when i turn it on it starts to overheat for no reason and says your startup disk is full even though my "about this mac"  says I have 13 gb. About 1-3 min of using my computer it says your system has run out of application memory then pauses some applications and tells me to force quit them. After all this either the spinning beachball comes up and screen freezes including the beachball, the computer freezes but you can still move the mouse or it just reboots and the problem repeats itself. Please help me.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Sep 18, 2016 12:37 AM

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Q: Macbook pro freezes

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  • by becky_s22,

    becky_s22 becky_s22 Sep 19, 2016 11:05 AM in response to Ben_a_
    Community Specialists
    Sep 19, 2016 11:05 AM in response to Ben_a_

    Hello Ben_a_,
     

    Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.
     

    It looks like your MacBook Pro is exhibiting several symptoms and ultimately becomes unresponsive or restarts unexpectedly. We can help you get to the bottom of this.
     

    Let's start with a few steps to narrow down the cause of the symptoms you're seeing. I'd recommend taking a look at OS X: When your computer spontaneously restarts or displays "Your computer restarted because of a problem."
     

    Here are the steps we can try first:

    Isolate hardware or software as the cause of the issue

    To try to figure out if the issue is related to software or hardware, use the computer with a fresh installation of OS X on an external drive.

    1. Start the Mac from OS X Recovery
      If a kernel panic still occurs when started from Recovery, there is likely a hardware issue. See the "Hardware troubleshooting" section below for additional information.
    2. Open Disk Utility and use "Repair Disk" on your Mac's internal hard drive (named Macintosh HD by default).

      Important: If Disk Utility is unable to repair the internal drive, you should back up your important data immediately and if possible, reformat the drive. Consider bringing the Mac to a Genius at an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider for further diagnosis. Be sure to ask that, if the drive needs reformatting or replacing, they contact you about escalating your case to a special data recovery service. If you plan to visit an Apple Retail store, you can make a reservation (available in some countries only).
       
    3. Connect an external drive with at least 10 GB of free space. Note: Make sure the external drive does not cause kernel panics, and is the only device on its USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt port. Connecting the external drive and its cables to another Mac can help make sure the drive does not cause kernel panics. 
    4. Install OS X on the external drive.
    5. Start up from the external drive.
    6. Use Software Update to install all updates until it reports "Your software is up to date."
    7. Don't install additional software on the external drive, but instead use the Apple applications to surf the web, view QuickTime movies, email, print, scan, and/or other activities. Continue using your Mac for the amount of time it would usually take for the issue to occur.
    8. If a panic occurs, select the "Hardware troubleshooting" section below to further diagnose the issue.
      If a panic does not occur, select the "Software troubleshooting" section below article to further diagnose the issue.


    All the best.  

  • by Krazirob,

    Krazirob Krazirob Sep 19, 2016 11:09 AM in response to becky_s22
    Level 1 (53 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 19, 2016 11:09 AM in response to becky_s22

    do all of those steps......it may seem you have alot of memory left but when apps start to open and run in the background it uses up memory.......delete apps you don't need and clear caches also......if you have had this computer for two years and haven't done that maintenance then more than likely you need a good TLC for your macbook.