NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception!

Yup, Kevenly. It looks like what I typically get in the Console log too - loads of Kernel panics. I took my machine to the Apple Store and had a loooong discussion with them. Fortunately this error was able to be reproduced there and they've ended up replacing the motherboard and the ram together, have apparently run the Apple tests and they're all passing. I'm due to pick up my machine tomorrow, and will let the forum know if this resolved it.

I know various other people have replaced their logic boards without success, so here's hoping! I'll be running Mac OS X 10.6.8 for a bit. I don't plan on upgrading to Lion just yet!

Hi all

I was tearing my hair out with the kernel[0]: NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception! exception type=0xd = GR:SW Notify Error for months.

I took my machine to the Apple store and got them to look at it. After replacing both the motherboard and the memory, the issue *seems* to have been resolved. I haven't had one now for days and my machine seems to be rock solid on the Nvidia chipset - I have an external monitor connected through the display port at 2560x1440 without issue...

I know some people tried this and it didn't work for them, it did for me. I'm running 10.6.8 Mac OS x with a MacBook Pro 15' 2010 i7 dual core processor 2.66 MHz.

If anything changes, I'll let you know!

Another 2010 MBP user here with the dreaded SW Notify Error. Only started happening after upgrading to Lion.

Hello again,

Several months ago I reported a similar issue on my new MacMini.

First the machine would exhibit the same symptoms when the internaltemperature reached 60°C on both OSX and W7, which I managed toavoid using Fan Control software. After a few months it started to happen around 45°C.

As the machine was still under warranty, I finally managed togo to Apple Service Center, reproduced the issues for them, plus some crash logs.

After 2 days, they gave me back the machine with a brand newmain board (graphic card, network card, etc…)

And all I can says is that the problem is gone. Even whenreaching high temperatures, 70°C or more, not a single glitch.

For me it was definitely an hardware issue with the graphiccard, but it looks like this is not the case for everyone.

pep.

It's been 6 months since I've had this show up... I figured my graphics card was a gonner either way, so I figured I'd try a rad experiment other users reported fixing their gpu (other forums from google search)... anyway, I took out my graphics card, removed all the plastic pieces, the heatsink, so it was just the card, put it on a baking sheet and on a tray, and put it face up in a 400F preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

I guess it fixes any microfractures in the solder... anyway, left it to cool for about 45mins, reapplied thermal paste and reattached heatsink, put it back together and back into pc, haven't had this happen to me since.

Youtube has many many videos/guides on people doing this as a last resort and even resurrecting their GPUs, for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmzGnjJNZrM

Thank you all for your interesting replies. Its be a big moral booster since my 2006 24" iMac became afflicted with the opengl channel exception FIFO error. Can randomly boot to HD, CD. It hangs randomly too. Full screen video is a certain freeze. Safe Mode is my only reliable boot option. I don't dare do a clean instal lest it hang and not restore.

Since it hangs even when booting to my snow leopard disk I am inclined to side with hardware. Possibly firmware.

I really like the bake it in the oven approach but I haven't even asked Apple how much to fix it out of warranty.

I saw my nVidia GeForce 7600 GT asking $900 bucks used on eBay.

How much was Apple asking to fix this? When the power management module when out I only paid $120.

A GeForce 7600 wouldn't even be worth $90 today, $900 is just out of the question... $20-30 would be a fair price for it. Do you have a friend or anyone who you could borrow a graphics card from to see if it fixes the freeze? If it does you can get a much better card than 7600 for $50-$75

Here is the video I watched on changing the video card. It is really a long and involved job but considering the cash involved worth considering.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkE0yKgz-Jw

This is the circuit board on eBay asking the wildly high one grand. It is the board under the cooling assembly together part # 611-4180 selling more reasonably for $330 to $400 something.

I would like to know of any substitutes for this board that would work. As far as I know the iMac 6,1 only had two options.

I finally found my hardware test cd. No help the iMac passes with no problems detected. Strangely it did list Graphics : Unknown video.

I had the infamous channel exception problem on my macbookpro mid 2010,

after trying many workarounf I went in an apple store with kernel panics file saved and a couple of screenshoots showing artifacts on my screen.

Genius decided to change the whole logic board and now my macbook pro is rock steady 🙂

I guess the problem in my case is not a hardware issue, it is a software bug. cause I didn't suffer from any problems on 10.6.8 , it only showed up after 10.7. and here is the solution.

BSOD solved with the MacBook Pro video update 1.0, But then I had BBOD at login screen.

BBOD Solved ( Kernel Panic Login screen crash ) by disabling Automatic graphic Switching in system preferences.

All working now, on external and internal display.. All OK, but Auto Switching causes the problem.

Also you choose " Discrete Only " gfxcardstatus application ... it ensures that the integrated will not be switched on again...

Sorry, I didn't update the thread... Well for me it was one of my two graphic cards... Went to the store, replaced the graphic card... Problem Solved!

Last week I installed NVidia's CUDA 3.1 driver (I'm on 10.5.8) and so far my Mac hasn't shown any of the NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception! symptoms. Fingers crossed.

Here's the page with the various versions of the driver: http://www.nvidia.com/object/mac-driver-archive.html

It says 3.1 is for 10.6 but on another page I saw it was also 10.5 compatible.

Darn, I jinxed it! Froze again last night. Same NVDA(OpenGL): Channel exception! status = 0xffff info32 = 0x6 = Fifo: Parse Error

Sorry for the false hopes guys…

😢

Hello, I found the same problem. I passed first time under a lion when it was released and I had crashes. Isay it must be temporary and I did not try to understand until future versions of lion corrected.

I reinstalled snow leopard and no more crash. I recently re lion version 10.7.2 and did all the updates.Since I have the same problem as you:

- 25/12/11 10:07:44 p.m. kernel: NVDA (OpenGL): Channel exception! exception type = 0x6 = Fifo: ParseError

Often when I use safari. For cons I would like to upgrade my EFI firmware in 1.9 because I am still with the original (mid-2010), but this is not apparently because of a lion, the update is intended to settle only withSnow Leopard 10.6.4, after the Apple support site http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1098

My questions are:

- Given that I never have problems with Snow Leopard I think the problem can not be hardware when I reinstall lion?

- Is there a way to update the EFI firmware 1.9 with lion?

- Do you have solutions to fix this crash problem?

The only one I currently am reinstalling Snow Leopard ... by cons, icloud is not integrated and is a hassle to run iCal, Mail, Calendar etc ...

Thank you in advance and sorry for my bad English.

Hello,

Nvida Driver have been updatet from version 7.1.2 to 7.1.8 in OS X Lion 10.7.3, hope this solves the problem with

"Channel Exception, Channel Timeout, ..."

I had the problem from 10.7.0 to 10.7.2.