Q: Firmware update and SATA II hard drive

Fishbert is gonna lose it.

many of us are working to get this issue fixed believe me with 52 pages Apple KNOWS somethings up. read the fishbert post sin this thread.

Really???

I give up.

Ella Price wrote:
Fishbert is gonna lose it.

Nope, I'm good. Bob picked up the slack there. =)

I don't jump on those sorts of things out of frustration or anger, so there's little chance of me "losing it" here. I just try to nip things in the bud so that the thread doesn't run off on a wild tangent. Sometimes that does involve attempts to make something more visible in the sea of text (bold, underline, caps, etc.), but it's not out of emotion.

I'd add to what Bob said with: a few people though this thread have said that Apple support employees they've talked with seem familiar with the issue, pushing them right away to someone more familiar with the problem, etc. And that Apple released a firmware downgrade tool is another clue that they know there's a problem here. But none of these constitute an "official" response, nor do they give any indication as to whether or not Apple intends to actually fix the problem.

I was just razzin' you. No ill will intended.

I've read all 54 pages of this post and I would like to ask a question. I bought my MBP on July 31st, it came with the 1.7 EFI firmware already installed. I've not had any beachball issues with the stock hard drive but the 3rd party Hitachi 320GB 7200 RPM drive I bought is not recognized when installed inside the case. Attached as a USB drive, it works fine. If I were able to find an Apple store/Genius bar with the firmware rollback ability, how likely would it be for them to roll it back for me if I'm not having any issues with the stock drive? I don't want to waste my time if they are going to troubleshoot it and tell me nothing is wrong.
Thanks!

trevgit wrote:
I've read all 54 pages of this post and I would like to ask a question. I bought my MBP on July 31st, it came with the 1.7 EFI firmware already installed. I've not had any beachball issues with the stock hard drive but the 3rd party Hitachi 320GB 7200 RPM drive I bought is not recognized when installed inside the case. Attached as a USB drive, it works fine. If I were able to find an Apple store/Genius bar with the firmware rollback ability, how likely would it be for them to roll it back for me if I'm not having any issues with the stock drive? I don't want to waste my time if they are going to troubleshoot it and tell me nothing is wrong.
Thanks!

When I had my firmware rolled back, the "genius" took my machine to the back... then came back to ask what my symptoms were.

"I updated the firmware, the hard drive locks up frequently for 30-60 seconds at a time. And..."
"And this is with a 3rd party drive."
"Yes, but..."
"Ok. I just wanted to make sure this was the right thing."

The issue happens to some with stock drives, but it seemed to me that Apple was specifically telling their techs that the rollback tool was for problems with 3rd party drives. (which makes sense, as they'd just replace a stock machine as a warranty service)

I don't think you'll have a problem... just make sure you talk with a supervisor if they don't seem to know what you're talking about with the rollback tool.

A quick Primer from being a Mac/PC consultant for almost 20 years and how to get stuff taken care of by a Tech who you NEED to give you what you know you need.

1. Make an appointment (this is mainly Apple store related) and in the notes field include any information you can to help him get up to speed with your issue. Nothing makes a tech happier than knowing what he needs to know to help you as fast as possible. Include links to the issues such as this forum/thread. Tell them what you expect them to do. Do not ask, tell, within reason.

2. When they ask if it is happening with the stock drive as well as your 3rd party drive always say yes. This may seem dishonest at first but when you know you are right then guiding the tech to help you get what you need to get done then it is not really dishonest. Especially when the company that made your device knows enough to actually make a downgrade tool to fix what they will not admit what they messed up. FYI, Apple is the biggest pain in the --- company to work with because of their secretive nature. I have worked with them from the SE days and they make some great products but good luck when trying to get them to admit they messed up. Also, do not lie if you are not sure about what you need. Only do this if you know, without a doubt, that it will get you what you need done.

3. Tell them you know what is going on and that you will accept no less than what you know will fix the issue. Printing up forum posts are a bonus. Someone at the store will know what is wrong, you just have to make sure they know you know what your are talking about. If the tech you are working with does not seem to understand always ask for supervisor. Never leave the store until you have talked to the highest authority.

4. Do not argue when they want to check other things out. I have learned in my long years that they may actually know something you do not. I look at every meet with another tech as a chance to learn new things. If you cut them off you both lose. We all stand to learn from each other. It may take a little more time but it is procedure. Sometimes there is a chance something else might be found out that can help resolve the issue.

5. Always be pleasant. Nothing burns a tech more than someone who thinks they know more than them. You may know more, you may not, lets figure it out together.Look at every meet as a teaching session for both of you. Techs learn the same way you do, by experience.

I think that is about it. Dunno why I typed this up but thought it would be useful for some folks.

Happy Fixing!

Cheers, John.

null

Does this issue still exist with the MacBooks Apple shipped today?

does someone know if intel SSD X-25 and X-25 postville are working correctly with MBP EF 1.7 ?

thx

Ella Price wrote:
A quick Primer from being a Mac/PC consultant for almost 20 years and how to get stuff taken care of by a Tech who you NEED to give you what you know you need.

1. Make an appointment (this is mainly Apple store related) and in the notes field include any information you can to help him get up to speed with your issue. Nothing makes a tech happier than knowing what he needs to know to help you as fast as possible. Include links to the issues such as this forum/thread. Tell them what you expect them to do. Do not ask, tell, within reason.

2. When they ask if it is happening with the stock drive as well as your 3rd party drive always say yes. This may seem dishonest at first but when you know you are right then guiding the tech to help you get what you need to get done then it is not really dishonest. Especially when the company that made your device knows enough to actually make a downgrade tool to fix what they will not admit what they messed up. FYI, Apple is the biggest pain in the --- company to work with because of their secretive nature. I have worked with them from the SE days and they make some great products but good luck when trying to get them to admit they messed up. Also, do not lie if you are not sure about what you need. Only do this if you know, without a doubt, that it will get you what you need done.

3. Tell them you know what is going on and that you will accept no less than what you know will fix the issue. Printing up forum posts are a bonus. Someone at the store will know what is wrong, you just have to make sure they know you know what your are talking about. If the tech you are working with does not seem to understand always ask for supervisor. Never leave the store until you have talked to the highest authority.

4. Do not argue when they want to check other things out. I have learned in my long years that they may actually know something you do not. I look at every meet with another tech as a chance to learn new things. If you cut them off you both lose. We all stand to learn from each other. It may take a little more time but it is procedure. Sometimes there is a chance something else might be found out that can help resolve the issue.

5. Always be pleasant. Nothing burns a tech more than someone who thinks they know more than them. You may know more, you may not, lets figure it out together.Look at every meet as a teaching session for both of you. Techs learn the same way you do, by experience.

I think that is about it. Dunno why I typed this up but thought it would be useful for some folks.

Happy Fixing!

Cheers, John.

null

Ella... I agree with all of your suggestions... except with saying that the problem exists with both stock and third party drives. Purely from a troubleshooting perspective, it's important to provide accurate info to the tech. If you get a technician who is well aware of the problem and you tell them it happens with both the stock and third party drive, they may very well think the problem is something else. While there have been a few comments here from people reporting problems with stock drives, they are anecdotal at best. There can be any number of issues that can cause beach-balling and they shouldn't all get dumped into the same category. Providing accurate information is key to a resolution. You don't want someone to go in asking to get their firmware rolled back when they may actually have a faulty drive... or a software issue causing problems.

{quote:title=JoeyR wrote:}
While there have been a few comments here from people reporting problems with stock drives, they are anecdotal at best. There can be any number of issues that can cause beach-balling and they shouldn't all get dumped into the same category. {quote}
Sorry, but I have to strongly disagree.

I have a stock drive. The new MBP 2.8 GHz 15", with the 500 GB 5400 rpm drive.

This problem started right after the 1.7 update. Before that it worked like a dream. No doubt in my mind what the issue is.... That bloody firmware 'upgrade'.

So, maybe it is the case that people who replace drives with 3rd party ones are more 'geeky' and technical and tend to visit these forums more, compared to people who 'just buy a MBP' and don't even know about forums. But still have these issues. Probably they call Apple tech support and get no real help because Apple still doesn't admit anything.

Luckily, I am technical and geeky. I just didn't care to upgrade to a 3rd party drive. But I am very sure this whole thing is due to that update.

Message was edited by: bliekp

This issue was mentioned in the latest MacCast podcast, hopefully Apple will soon be forced to respond on this specific issue.

I am a new owner of a Mac and I would like to add that I tried a
Samsung M6 500GB which is not a good choice but that is more the drive itself I would not say it is this firmware issue.
I do use a 500GB Hitachi 5K500.B which works fine. No issues at all.
Also no issues with the stock 160GB Hitachi.

can anyone let us know if they are getting the following message once or more in their console log (run the 'console' app) at or around the moment their system freezes?

"kernel /drv/ MacAsyncDevice.cpp:229 Wait for hostwait_work_complete_asyncdevice (02:00) finished with timeout. "

or this one

"/usr/libexec/hidd[30] IOHIDEventQueueEnqueue: Error enqueuing memory. (0xe00002e8)"

i've noticed at least one of these every time i have had the system lock up on me.