machinehead459

Q: Kernel_task high CPU

Hi All,

 

Started my MBP up this evening with it running very slow, high CPU and the fan running.

No dust, no heat.

 

EntreCheck below

 

Any help appreciated

 

EtreCheck version: 3.0.5 (309)

Report generated 2016-09-27 20:10:26

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime 5:48

Performance: Below Average

 

Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.

Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

 

Problem: Computer is too slow

 

Hardware Information:

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)

    [Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]

    MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro11,1

    1 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core

    8 GB RAM Not upgradeable

        BANK 0/DIMM0

            4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

        BANK 1/DIMM0

            4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

    Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

    Wireless:  en0: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

    Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 174

 

Video Information:

    Intel Iris

        Color LCD 2560 x 1600

        LG TV 1920 x 1080

 

System Software:

    OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 (15G1004) - Time since boot: less than an hour

 

Disk Information:

    APPLE SSD SM0256F disk0 : (251 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

        EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

        Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB

        Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 249.80 GB (79.26 GB free)

            Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked

            Core Storage: disk0s2 250.14 GB Online

 

USB Information:

    Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

    Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

 

Thunderbolt Information:

    Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

 

Gatekeeper:

    Mac App Store and identified developers

 

Kernel Extensions:

        /System/Library/Extensions

    [not loaded]    com.IKMultimedia.driver.StompIO1 (1.0.0 - 2016-09-18) [Support]

    [not loaded]    com.ikmultimedia.driver.StealthPedal (1.0.0 - 2016-09-18) [Support]

 

System Launch Agents:

    [not loaded]    7 Apple tasks

    [loaded]    157 Apple tasks

    [running]    75 Apple tasks

 

System Launch Daemons:

    [not loaded]    47 Apple tasks

    [loaded]    159 Apple tasks

    [running]    84 Apple tasks

 

Launch Agents:

    [failed]    com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a2 3d420d.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

 

Launch Daemons:

    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-08-30) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.microsoft.autoupdate.helpertool.plist (2016-09-10) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (2014-11-17) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (2016-09-10) [Support]

 

User Launch Agents:

    [loaded]    com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist (2016-09-19) [Support]

    [running]    com.nchsoftware.expressaccounts.agent.plist (2015-03-16) [Support]

    [not loaded]    com.nchsoftware.expressinvoice.agent.plist (2016-01-12) [Support]

 

User Login Items:

    iTunesHelper    Application  (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

    Dropbox    Application  (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

    HotspotShieldHelper    SMLoginItem  (/Applications/Hotspot Shield.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/HotspotShieldHelper.app)

 

Internet Plug-ins:

    FlashPlayer-10.6: 23.0.0.162 - SDK 10.9 (2016-09-20) [Support]

    QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-08-01)

    AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 15.017.20053 - SDK 10.11 (2016-08-04) [Support]

    AdobePDFViewer: 15.017.20053 - SDK 10.11 (2016-08-04) [Support]

    Flash Player: 23.0.0.162 - SDK 10.9 (2016-09-20) [Support]

    Default Browser: 601 - SDK 10.11 (2016-08-01)

    SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.5.7 - SDK 10.6 (2015-10-21) [Support]

    Silverlight: 5.1.41212.0 - SDK 10.6 (2016-04-03) [Support]

 

User internet Plug-ins:

    CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: 1.0.105 (2013-04-26) [Support]

 

3rd Party Preference Panes:

    Flash Player (2016-08-30) [Support]

 

Time Machine:

    Time Machine not configured!

 

Top Processes by CPU:

         8%    com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

         3%    kernel_task

         2%    hidd

         1%    AddressBookSourceSync

         1%    WindowServer

 

Top Processes by Memory:

    649 MB    kernel_task

    647 MB    com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

    156 MB    mds_stores

    147 MB    Activity Monitor

    131 MB    Safari

 

Virtual Memory Information:

    2.67 GB    Free RAM

    5.33 GB    Used RAM (1.69 GB Cached)

    0 B    Swap Used

 

Diagnostics Information:

    Sep 27, 2016, 07:53:34 PM    Self test - passed

    Sep 27, 2016, 05:38:57 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/revisiond_2016-09-27-173857_[redacted].crash

        /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/GenerationalStorage.framework/Versions/A/Supp ort/revisiond

    Sep 27, 2016, 05:34:56 PM    ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Microsoft Word_2016-09-27-173456_[redacted].crash

        com.microsoft.Word - /Applications/Microsoft Word.app/Contents/MacOS/Microsoft Word

    Sep 27, 2016, 05:26:38 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.apple.AmbientDisplayAgent_2016-09-27-172638 _[redacted].crash

        /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/AmbientDisplay.framework/Versions/A/XPCServic es/com.apple.AmbientDisplayAgent.xpc/Contents/MacOS/com.apple.AmbientDisplayAgen t

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014), OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Sep 27, 2016 12:18 PM

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Q: Kernel_task high CPU

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by machinehead459,

    machinehead459 machinehead459 Sep 27, 2016 1:27 PM in response to machinehead459
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 1:27 PM in response to machinehead459

    Also worth noting I have searched the various fixes on the community, and google, to no avail

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Sep 27, 2016 1:57 PM in response to machinehead459
    Level 8 (49,683 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 1:57 PM in response to machinehead459

    Please read and follow Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support.

     

    Excerpted from that document:

     

    Indicators that your SMC might need to be reset

     

    After you perform normal troubleshooting, these symptoms may indicate that an SMC reset could be necessary:

     

    • The computer fans run at high speed, though the computer is not experiencing heavy usage and is properly ventilated.
    • ...
  • by machinehead459,

    machinehead459 machinehead459 Sep 27, 2016 2:01 PM in response to John Galt
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 2:01 PM in response to John Galt

    Thanks, SMC reset. Still the not much change.

     

    The fan is now being intermittent, with the CPU dropping back down to a normal percentage then rising back up and staying high for a while whilst slowing my mac performance down

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Sep 27, 2016 2:28 PM in response to machinehead459
    Level 8 (49,683 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 2:28 PM in response to machinehead459

    Shut down your Mac and restart it in "Safe Mode". To learn how to do that please read: Try safe mode if your Mac doesn't finish starting up. Compare how your Mac works in Safe Mode to how it has been.

     

    Then, restart normally. If the same problem returns, please read the section If an issue doesn't happen in safe mode for Apple's recommended actions.

     

    Finally, you can temporarily create a new User Account, and log in to that account to determine if the problem also exists when logged in to that Account. To learn how to do that read How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac. When you are finished troubleshooting, you can remove the temporary User Account by following these instructions: macOS Sierra: Delete a user or group (the instructions are the same for El Capitan). Before removing it, confirm you don't need any of the files you might have created in that Account.

     

    Please let me know what you determine.

  • by BobHarris,

    BobHarris BobHarris Sep 27, 2016 4:07 PM in response to machinehead459
    Level 6 (19,609 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 4:07 PM in response to machinehead459

    When you took the EtreCheck report, was the kernel_task consuming lots of CPU?  I ask because EtreCheck only shows kernel_task using 3%

  • by machinehead459,

    machinehead459 machinehead459 Sep 28, 2016 2:56 AM in response to BobHarris
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 28, 2016 2:56 AM in response to BobHarris

    Yes it was consuming lots.

    Currently running 260%, yet when I rerun EtreCheck it still says 2% for kernel_task.

     

    It still happens in Safe Mode

     

    EtreCheck version: 3.0.5 (309)

    Report generated 2016-09-28 10:48:55

    Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

    Runtime 8:51

    Performance: Below Average

     

    Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.

    Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

     

    Problem: Computer is too slow

    Description:

    kernel_task running cpu high

     

    Hardware Information:

        MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)

        [Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]

        MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro11,1

        1 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core

        8 GB RAM Not upgradeable

            BANK 0/DIMM0

                4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

            BANK 1/DIMM0

                4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

        Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

        Wireless:  en0: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

        Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 175

     

    Video Information:

        Intel Iris

            Color LCD 2560 x 1600

     

    System Software:

        OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 (15G1004) - Time since boot: less than an hour

     

    Disk Information:

        APPLE SSD SM0256F disk0 : (251 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB

            Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 249.80 GB (79.37 GB free)

                Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked

                Core Storage: disk0s2 250.14 GB Online

     

    USB Information:

        Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

        Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

     

    Thunderbolt Information:

        Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

     

    Gatekeeper:

        Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Kernel Extensions:

            /System/Library/Extensions

        [not loaded]    com.IKMultimedia.driver.StompIO1 (1.0.0 - 2016-09-18) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.ikmultimedia.driver.StealthPedal (1.0.0 - 2016-09-18) [Support]

     

    System Launch Agents:

        [not loaded]    7 Apple tasks

        [loaded]    157 Apple tasks

        [running]    75 Apple tasks

     

    System Launch Daemons:

        [not loaded]    47 Apple tasks

        [loaded]    159 Apple tasks

        [running]    84 Apple tasks

     

    Launch Agents:

        [failed]    com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a2 3d420d.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

     

    Launch Daemons:

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-08-30) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.microsoft.autoupdate.helpertool.plist (2016-09-10) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (2014-11-17) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (2016-09-10) [Support]

     

    User Launch Agents:

        [loaded]    com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist (2016-09-19) [Support]

        [running]    com.nchsoftware.expressaccounts.agent.plist (2015-03-16) [Support]

        [running]    com.nchsoftware.expressinvoice.agent.plist (2016-01-12) [Support]

     

    User Login Items:

        iTunesHelper    Application  (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

        Dropbox    Application  (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

        HotspotShieldHelper    SMLoginItem  (/Applications/Hotspot Shield.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/HotspotShieldHelper.app)

     

    Internet Plug-ins:

        FlashPlayer-10.6: 23.0.0.162 - SDK 10.9 (2016-09-20) [Support]

        QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-08-01)

        AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 15.017.20053 - SDK 10.11 (2016-08-04) [Support]

        AdobePDFViewer: 15.017.20053 - SDK 10.11 (2016-08-04) [Support]

        Flash Player: 23.0.0.162 - SDK 10.9 (2016-09-20) [Support]

        Default Browser: 601 - SDK 10.11 (2016-08-01)

        SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.5.7 - SDK 10.6 (2015-10-21) [Support]

        Silverlight: 5.1.41212.0 - SDK 10.6 (2016-04-03) [Support]

     

    User internet Plug-ins:

        CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: 1.0.105 (2013-04-26) [Support]

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes:

        Flash Player (2016-08-30) [Support]

     

    Time Machine:

        Time Machine not configured!

     

    Top Processes by CPU:

            12%    spindump

             8%    WindowServer

             2%    kernel_task

             0%    Dropbox

             0%    cloudpaird

     

    Top Processes by Memory:

        617 MB    kernel_task

        213 MB    com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(3)

        172 MB    spindump

        164 MB    Dropbox

        131 MB    mdworker(9)

     

    Virtual Memory Information:

        3.99 GB    Free RAM

        4.01 GB    Used RAM (2.49 GB Cached)

        0 B    Swap Used

     

    Diagnostics Information:

        Sep 28, 2016, 10:36:45 AM    Self test - passed

        Sep 27, 2016, 08:46:24 PM    ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.apple.WebKit.Plugin.64_2016-09-27-204624_[ redacted].crash

            /System/Library/Frameworks/WebKit.framework/Versions/A/XPCServices/com.apple.We bKit.Plugin.64.xpc/Contents/MacOS/com.apple.WebKit.Plugin.64

        Sep 27, 2016, 05:38:57 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/revisiond_2016-09-27-173857_[redacted].crash

            /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/GenerationalStorage.framework/Versions/A/Supp ort/revisiond

        Sep 27, 2016, 05:34:56 PM    ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Microsoft Word_2016-09-27-173456_[redacted].crash

            com.microsoft.Word - /Applications/Microsoft Word.app/Contents/MacOS/Microsoft Word

        Sep 27, 2016, 05:26:38 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.apple.AmbientDisplayAgent_2016-09-27-172638 _[redacted].crash

            /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/AmbientDisplay.framework/Versions/A/XPCServic es/com.apple.AmbientDisplayAgent.xpc/Contents/MacOS/com.apple.AmbientDisplayAgen t

  • by BobHarris,

    BobHarris BobHarris Sep 28, 2016 6:27 AM in response to machinehead459
    Level 6 (19,609 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 28, 2016 6:27 AM in response to machinehead459

    OK, so EreCheck is not seeing the high kernel_task numbers.

     

    Try booting in Safe mode

    <http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1564>

    This will NOT load any of the few 3rd party additions you have.

     

    If the kernel_task behaves itself while running in Safe mode, then it is time to look at the 3rd party additions you do have.

  • by machinehead459,

    machinehead459 machinehead459 Sep 28, 2016 6:41 AM in response to BobHarris
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 28, 2016 6:41 AM in response to BobHarris

    No, seems like it does not.

     

    Booted in Safe Mode and it still continues as before.

     

    I've been on the phone to Apple Support today. Cleared Caches and any temp files. Reset SMC, and NVRAM. This solved the problem for around an hour until the CPU bolted high and the fan came on again.

     

    At the time only one application was being used (Excel with a few entries on it), everything else closed down. Still well ventilated, no heat on the bottom of the mac.

  • by BobHarris,

    BobHarris BobHarris Sep 28, 2016 7:20 AM in response to machinehead459
    Level 6 (19,609 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 28, 2016 7:20 AM in response to machinehead459

    In your 2nd EtreCheck spindump

            12%    spindump

    Is showing moderate activity.  spindump collects information on app crashes and such.  It is NOT present in your first EtreCheck, so this may be a false lead.

     

    And I'm leaning towards false lead, only because the snippet of log info in each EtreCheck report is not very much.  I would expect to see lots of log entries if spindump was being kept busy.

     

    A little background.  the kernel_task is the heart of the operating system.  It creates processes, allocates memory, schedules who gets to run and on what CPU core, controls I/O (storage, network, keyboard, mouse, display), etc...

     

    All kernel extensions become part of the kernel_task, which is why running in Safe mode is so useful, as 3rd party kernel extensions (and 3rd party launch agents/daemons) do not get loaded.  It is a quick way to eliminate 3rd party additions as the cause (although in many cases of performance issues, it points the finger of guilt at them ).

     

    In many instances of high kernel_task CPU it is a 3rd party kernel extensions (often an anti-virus package).  But again you still have the problem in Safe mode.

     

    There have been instances of applications making kernel requests that get the kernel busy.  Safari, backup utilities (lots of disk I/O with backup utilities), etc...

     

    If you boot into Safe mode, and run NOTHING except Applications -> Utilities -> Activity Monitor and still get high kernel_task CPU, then it is something with OS X itself.

     

    And I am at a loss as to what it is.

     

    Going back to John Galt's post.  You have tried his Safe mode.  You have tried the SMC and NVRAM resets.

     

    Did you try John's suggestion of creating a new test account?

     

    And John Galt, if you have any other suggestions, or anyone else that has been following along, I think machinehead459 could use some new ideas about now.

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Sep 28, 2016 9:46 AM in response to machinehead459
    Level 8 (49,683 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 28, 2016 9:46 AM in response to machinehead459

    Currently running 260%, yet when I rerun EtreCheck it still says 2% for kernel_task.

     

    I'm not seeing what you're seeing. Screenshots will help.

     

    Please reproduce the events that cause your Mac to exhibit that problem. During that time, capture two screenshots as shown below, and post them in a reply.

     

    Please refer to the CPU section in Use Activity Monitor on your Mac - Apple Support.

     

    In Activity Monitor's View menu, select Active Processes (not "My Processes" as shown in the screenshots).

     

    Click the CPU tab, and post a screenshot similar to the following, with the %CPU column sorted in decreasing order.

     

    yosemite-activity_monitor-cpu.png

     

    Then, click the Memory tab and post a screenshot similar to the following, with the Memory column sorted in decreasing order.

     

    yosemite-activity_monitor-memory.png

     

    To learn how to post a screenshot please read the Appendix in Writing an effective Apple Support Communities question.

     

    Please don't post any information that you might consider personal. The above User Tip includes a link explaining how to edit the screenshot, if needed.

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Sep 28, 2016 9:50 AM in response to machinehead459
    Level 8 (49,683 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 28, 2016 9:50 AM in response to machinehead459

    Excerpted from Apps can affect Mac performance, battery runtime, temperature, and fan activity - Apple Support:

     

    Activity Monitor may show that a process named kernel_task is using a large percentage of your CPU, and during this time you may notice a lot of fan activity. This process helps manage temperature by making the CPU less available to processes that are using the CPU intensely. In other words, kernel_task responds to conditions that cause your CPU to become too hot. When the temperature decreases, kernel_task automatically reduces its activity.


    In other words, excessive CPU use of kernel_task itself is a symptom of a problem, not a problem itself. That problem needs to be identified.