SMC Update killed my computer!!

Well, I for one, along with many (most?) others who've done the SMC update have experienced no issues as a result.
Perhaps your MBP had some pre-existing condition which predisposed it to problems after doing the update.

My MacBookPro is also currently inoperable after applying the update.

Initially I was able to get it booted though it would only show the screen on the external monitor I had connected.

Things were not quite right, however, as the battery showed as not being plugged in (it was x'ed out on the menu item) and iStat showed that not only the battery was not available, but most of the temp mods did not show up, and the one that did (power supply?) showed an odd number. Oddly, it was happy enough to run on Battery only...

In trying to fix this condition I tried resetting the SMC (unplugged, battery out, hold power 5 seconds), I tried zapping the pram, I tried leaving the battery out over night.

I can not get it to work on the built in LCD. It will boot up and show the screen fine until it gets to the login screen. At the point it will go Dim, then completely asleep. I can wake it up- but it only wakes to the dark dim state. I can't get it to log in- it gets stuck in a sleep/dim wake cycle of some sort.

I can boot into single user mode no problem. I was able to run Applejack with no major errors reported-- the dim/sleep issue still occurs upon reboot. I can boot into firewire target mode.


I currently don't have an external monitor handy so I'm not sure if that's still working.

It's a 2.4 ghz /256MB VRAM model.

Any ideas?

AnonyMouse wrote:
Well, I for one, along with many (most?) others who've done the SMC update have experienced no issues as a result.
Perhaps your MBP had some pre-existing condition which predisposed it to problems after doing the update.

Well obviously if this issue was affecting everyone then we'd be hearing a huge clamor. However, the fact remains that these machines were operating perfectly before the update.

It would be useful to determine if there is any common factor shared by the machines experiencing the issue. One thing that springs to mind is that there is a known and admitted issue with certain Nvidia graphics card. Perhaps this update has exposed this flaw in those cards that have issues.

Personally, I have experienced similar problems with my MacBook Pro in the past: when I first bought the machine it would intermittently fail to restart the screen when waking from sleep. This was solved by an earlier SMC update so it is clear that the SMC firmware has a major effect on the operation of the graphics card.

Apple should provide some mechanism of restoring the machine to an earlier firmware version without having to resort to the ridiculous step of replacing the motherboard.

my macbook pro is now stalling/freezing after the update, like it is a g3 trying to run photoshop...directly started running sloooow post smc update 1.3

A followup- I found an external monitor for testing.

It appears that my internal LCD is disabled. I can view and login with the external attached.

Currently iStat can now read all the settings for fans/temps it could prior to the update.

I am unable to get the MBP to detect the internal LCD in any way.

Could anyone else who has the blank/black screen try hooking up an external monitor/tv to see if the MBP will work with it?

With no external monitor attached I was able to wake the laptop and connect to it using Apple Remote Desktop. The screen looked like it was the size of the internal resolution, and I could see the cursor move, but there was nothing but a flat blue screen with no menu or anything. Odd. Once the external was connected, ARD flashed, the new screen took over with some initial video artifacts/corruption until it flashed again with a proper view of the external monitor.

It would be interesting to see if this is a random/coincidence unrelated (or secondarily related) to the SMC update.... I'd still like to get my internal monitor working again... 😟 It's odd that it works in single user mode.

Any ideas or coaborration would be appreciated...

Scott Nourse wrote:
A followup- I found an external monitor for testing.

It appears that my internal LCD is disabled. I can view and login with the external attached.

Currently iStat can now read all the settings for fans/temps it could prior to the update.

I am unable to get the MBP to detect the internal LCD in any way.

Could anyone else who has the blank/black screen try hooking up an external monitor/tv to see if the MBP will work with it?

With no external monitor attached I was able to wake the laptop and connect to it using Apple Remote Desktop. The screen looked like it was the size of the internal resolution, and I could see the cursor move, but there was nothing but a flat blue screen with no menu or anything. Odd. Once the external was connected, ARD flashed, the new screen took over with some initial video artifacts/corruption until it flashed again with a proper view of the external monitor.

It would be interesting to see if this is a random/coincidence unrelated (or secondarily related) to the SMC update.... I'd still like to get my internal monitor working again... 😟 It's odd that it works in single user mode.

Any ideas or coaborration would be appreciated...

Try restarting in Firewire Target mode - that works for me (well, at least for a while). To do this - hold down the T key while starting up the machine. After a few minutes my LCD display will come back and I can restart and it will work (for a while). It's not a real solution because eventually the screen goes black again.

Add me to the list. I put my MBP 17" to sleep last night before bed. Woke up this morning to use it and the screen never came on. I held down the power button to kill it and then turned it on. The hard drive spins up but then doesn't do anything else. I haven't tried disc mode, because I don't have another computer with firewire. I'll try resetting the PRAM and everything else and get back. This is really lame though. I need this computer for work on Monday and it's not looking good. Thanks Apple. 😟

Yeah, I can't do anything. I don't have the right firewire cable to see if it will even boot into target disc mode. An external display has no image. It won't boot from the install/rescue disc. It won't do anything except pretend like it might boot and then fail to do so.

Really lame.

I'm going to see a genius in London this afternoon. Hopefully there is some chance I'll get my computer back alive.

No firewire cable or second computer is required to put the laptop into firewire target mode. Just reboot it holding the 'T' key, or choose the Target Mode option in the Startup Disk system preference.

FYI- the target mode workaround did not fix it for me. The internal screen lights up fine until it gets near the login window stage.

It's not corrupted prefs as I've tried booting off the install DVD, a TechTool Emergency volume, etc... the internal lcd works (grey screen w/apple, spinning progress circle...) until it gets to the booted stage.

In that case. I can hold "T" for minutes and it does nothing. Same with "C" and trying to boot from the DVD. The DVD drive makes more noise, but nothing happens on the screen. It's just dead. I'll let everyone know what the Genius tells me, but it doesn't look good.

yeah, it's dead. The genius couldn't get to do anything. He even had his special boot device and ir wouldn't boot from that or the recovery dvd, which is stuck in the drive. He said that since it booted after the smc update that it's unlikely that and more likely related to the video card issue that macbookpros like mine have. The thing is if they can't prove that is the case I'm out 600£ for a logic board. I can't help but feel slighted. This is the second mac that I've owned that has done this.

Also, how am i supposed to trust a company that has an obvious out by blaming me instead of themselves?
If it comes back with a bill for more than the cost of diagnosis I will not be happy... at all.

Same problem here. MBP + SMC Update = black. Dead. No T, C or D are working. Boot DVD stuck inside. I guess apple should take responsibilty for this cause to me their update had the same result of a virus. Maybe they should do some sort of recall or some compensation for the damage.

It seems that the problem is common to several people but not "universal". The problem could be due to a lack of power connection during the firmware update. In my case, the magsafe power cord might have been disconnected during the update and according to MacFixIt, if this happens the risk is to have a dead computer. And this is what I (and others in this forum) have.
Now, what's the solution? How to reestablish the firmware?
This morning I had access to my iMac and connected my MacBook Pro (MBP) to it, using Firewire. Did start while pressing the T key. The MBP is still "dead" but now I can see the HardDisk (HD) in the iMac. I ran DiskUtility and the HD has no problem at all. So, it is really a Firmware problem.
I tried to start from the MBP by choosing it as StartUp disk in preferences. I did restart on the iMac and it now tries to start from the MBP. It manages to reach the Login and asks for my password. BUT I cannot enter the system password to Login because the keys on the MBP are not working. And this must be because the MBP is unable to "organize" its Power as the firmware is disrupted, I presume.
So, the question is How to go back to the anterior firmware version or How to reinstall the new version? This is needed to "reorganize" the Firmware and get the computer back at work.. Anyone knows if this is possible?

The genius in the Apple store mentioned that there is a CD with and SMC downgrader in it. Someone else mentioned it above as well. But, if yours is like mine then you couldn't get it to read a CD at all so having one wouldn't make a difference.

Regarding the power supply idea. My computer was attached to the power adapter the entire time. I rarely have it unplugged, and it specifically said to have the power supply attached during the firmware update.