sherifhanna

Q: System Freezes Randomly after 10.6.3 Update

Hi,

I have seen other people post various other problems they have experienced after 10.6.3. But I want to dedicate this thread specifically to Macs freezing randomly during operation after applying the 10.6.3 update.

It has happened twice in the past 24 hours. While using my iMac, the system becomes unresponsive and exhibits the following symptoms:

1. Though the mouse pointer moves, I cannot click on icons, links, select text or interact with anything using the mouse.
2. The system is also unresponsive to key presses on the keyboard, whether they be individual key presses or pre-defined keyboard shortcuts.
3. The only way to make the system respond is by holding down the power button until the iMac shuts down.

I cannot tell if the problem is related to the specific activity I was performing on the Mac - the freezing may seem random to me but it could be caused by the same event (maybe Flash, Javascript, or some background program)

If you are having the same issue, please post here by copying and pasting the text below and entering your answers:

1. Problem started happening after 10.6.3 update? Yes/No
2. Did you get any errors during 10.6.3 update process? Yes/No
3. Mouse cursor moves? Yes/No
4. Mouse clicking does nothing? Yes/No
5. Keyboard key presses do nothing? Yes/No
6. Only way to re-animate system is by holding down power button? Yes/No
7. Mouse/Keyboard Model?

I'll fill in mine to start:
1. Problem started happening after 10.6.3 update? Yes
2. Did you get any errors during 10.6.3 update process? No
3. Mouse cursor moves? Yes
4. Can you click anything with the mouse? No
5. Does the system respond to keyboard key presses? No
6. Only way to re-animate system is by holding down power button? Yes
7. Mouse/Keyboard Model? Magic Mouse/Apple Aluminum KB w/number pad

iMac 24" (Late 2008), Mac OS X (10.6.3)

Posted on Mar 30, 2010 11:06 PM

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Q: System Freezes Randomly after 10.6.3 Update

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  • by TeamG23,

    TeamG23 TeamG23 Dec 31, 2011 5:34 PM in response to Pardalote
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 31, 2011 5:34 PM in response to Pardalote

    With Lion, it works well more consistently than when I was just using Snow Leopard, but there are times, about 6 times over 2 or 3 weeks.  That's annoying enough.  I'll take it in to the Genius Bar maybe on the 2nd and see what they can do.  Thanks for the thoughts, ideas & recommendations y'all.

  • by Pardalote,

    Pardalote Pardalote Mar 29, 2012 10:25 PM in response to TeamG23
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 29, 2012 10:25 PM in response to TeamG23

    My latest experience is that I have updated to OSX 10.7.3 and have now had no frezzing for the last five weeks. I am keeping the fingers crossed

  • by Phil_O_,

    Phil_O_ Phil_O_ Apr 14, 2012 6:04 AM in response to sherifhanna
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 14, 2012 6:04 AM in response to sherifhanna

    I'm still stuck on 10.6.6  so how other than disabling Java do I protect myself from this malware thats being reported to be hitting Mac Users.   I've just tried installing the update which said it was for all users of 10.6 Show Leopard but it requires 10.6.8  GREAT!

  • by Pardalote,

    Pardalote Pardalote Apr 16, 2012 11:03 PM in response to Phil_O_
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 16, 2012 11:03 PM in response to Phil_O_

    Why are you still stuck in 10.6.6? Why not go up to 10.6.8?

    To answer your question, you could install AV software such as Sophos, or in this specific instance (Flashback trojan) don't accept any unsolicited offers with links to install Flash Reader.

  • by Phil_O_,

    Phil_O_ Phil_O_ Apr 17, 2012 11:41 PM in response to Pardalote
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 17, 2012 11:41 PM in response to Pardalote

    From Paradalote "Why are you still stuck in 10.6.6? Why not go up to 10.6.8?"

     

    See the title of the thread.  "System Randomly Freezes after 10.6.3 update"

     

    My problems started at 10.6.3 with random freezes several times a night.  I rolled back to 10.6.2 and the problem went away.   At every update since 10.6.3 I've wrongly assumed Apple would fix the bug but they have not and I kept having to roll back to 10.6.2.      Eventually using the 10.6.2 ATI kext files patched into the later OS builds I was able to keep the iMac updated through to 10.6.6.  But susequent updates of 10.6.7, 10.6.8. and Lion have all failed to work and made matters worse including kernel panics at startup.

  • by Phil_O_,

    Phil_O_ Phil_O_ Apr 17, 2012 11:47 PM in response to Phil_O_
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 17, 2012 11:47 PM in response to Phil_O_

    I should also add that I haven't tried 10.7.3 but I doubt that I will. Life's to short to waste time continually beta testing for Apple.   If I liked that sort of thing I'd have stayed with Microsoft.

     

    My main reason for not trying it though is that my iMac is running sweet on 10.6.6 with a 2.0Ghz core 2 duo. Unlike my MacBook Pro and Mac Mini which have faster processor but the same ram and are very slow running Lion in comparison.   Given a choice of which machine I boot up I always go for the iMac as its up and running and online before the mini has even finished thinking about starting up and in subsequent use it's just so much more responsive running Snow Leopard.

  • by Pardalote,

    Pardalote Pardalote Apr 18, 2012 12:32 AM in response to Phil_O_
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 18, 2012 12:32 AM in response to Phil_O_

    I had the freezing issue post 10.6.3, but I was able to move progressively through the updates until I got to 10.7.3 at which stage the system appears to be quite stable after almost a couple of months. I didn't have a problem going past 10.6.6 (apart from the freezing).

    Have you tried the combo update http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1399 which will go from 10.6.6 to 10.6.8 in one step?

  • by Phil_O_,

    Phil_O_ Phil_O_ Apr 19, 2012 11:11 AM in response to Pardalote
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 19, 2012 11:11 AM in response to Pardalote

    Yes I've tried to do the updates right through to 10.7.2 but i'vegiven up now with Apple and won't be buying any newer hardware.   At each stage I had to patch in the 10.6.2 ATI kext files in order to stop the random freeze but Apple continue to turn a blind eye to this issue.  I've spoken to AppleCare, emailed support, posted on this this board.  I've tried doing progressive updates and combo's but neither approach worked.  I've now lost all faith in Apple, they are now only interested in the masses and that huge bank balance of there's. :(

  • by dmaude,

    dmaude dmaude Jun 21, 2012 1:42 AM in response to sherifhanna
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 21, 2012 1:42 AM in response to sherifhanna

    This thread, and others, would seem to link to a post by CarlaBlue here...

    https://discussions.apple.com/message/18706663#18706663

     

    Question I've raised there appears apposite here, too. Is Apple now too big to listen?

     

    If a proper fix is being worked on, it would be nice to know. If it isn't... well, we'll have to draw our own conclusions.

  • by TeamG23,

    TeamG23 TeamG23 Jun 21, 2012 7:06 AM in response to sherifhanna
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 21, 2012 7:06 AM in response to sherifhanna

    TeamG23 again. Since there still seem to be plenty of folks still dealing with this situation, I thought I'd follow up. After leaving my iMac with the store for a week where they weren't able to duplicate the issue, I duplicates it for them there at the Genius Bar. They then proceeded to tell me that it could be this (I forget at this point but I think it was the graphics card) or that (something to do with the SuperDrive) but that hey couldn't tell me definitively, that they read something in an article once & that it might be that. All I would need to do was to pay $300+ for them to fix that hardware issue & they were like 30% sure that would fix it. Well, I asked for the manager and they were unwilling to help, listen, or offer anything but a refund for everything I'd bought (Snow Leopard, Trackpad, Lion, not he 3rd party memory I'd bought though) and they called it a day. I restored everything I could, but the bAckups I'd done on Leopard & Lion wouldn't restore to Tiger, so I restored my music, photos, files from a manual backup, incidentally losing ALL settings, changes (music rankings, photo enhancements, etc. ) in the process. I also can no longer use the Backup (pre-TimeMachine backup/restore) application without paying for it. My iMac NEVER freezes now that I'm back with Tiger, but I'll never get the hundreds of hours I spent on the photos, music file organization, and trying to get Leopard/Lion to work back. I'll still buy Apples because it's still the best brand & product out there, but 8 months later, I'm still extremely disappointed. Oh yeah, Netflix no longer works after the Tiger restore. I can't get the Silverlight retro version back so I can't watch movies on that Mac any more. Would make a bigger issue out of this but I have zero expectation that anyone at Apple is capable of listening with the intent of providing a solution, even though I spent another $1500 there on a MacBook pro for my wife. I did fill out a honest but scathing customer service survey, I spoke with another manager & a different higher-up and they didn't care enough to do more than say they're sorry it didn't work out and that there's nothing else to do except gamble on the one techs wish-washy $300+ SuperDrive replacement suggestion. Still extremely disappointed. Thanks for bringing it up again, dmaude.  

  • by Pardalote,

    Pardalote Pardalote Jun 21, 2012 9:19 PM in response to TeamG23
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 21, 2012 9:19 PM in response to TeamG23

    Team G23, you have my sympathies. As I said in a recent post, my problems seemed to disappear after I bit the bullet and upgraded to Lion. Also, I have bought a Macbook Air and now only use the iMac when I need the larger screen, working on a task that needs more grunt, or running under Windows.

    It is ridiculous and illogical for Apple to tell you that your problems are hardware related. The very fact that the issue doesn't arise when using an earlier version of OS X, and that (in my case, at least) the hardware functions flawlessly when running Windows, indicates almost unequivocally that it is a software problem.

    Hang in there.

  • by jeephour,

    jeephour jeephour Jun 27, 2012 10:49 PM in response to sherifhanna
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 27, 2012 10:49 PM in response to sherifhanna

    More disappointment with Apple.

    Being the least worst in a competition with Microsoft seems to satisfy them.

    Low aspirations I say.

     

    Apologies if people feel I should have read the 150 pages or so on the subject I've found in this community.

    I have Apple computers to avoid technical stuff.

    Issues of bad graphics drivers, overheating fans, blah and blah easily intrigue me, but I can't afford the time

     

    1. Problem started happening after 10.6.3 update? Not really sure I think its in some 10.6.8 update for me

    2. Did you get any errors during 10.6.3 update process? No

    3. Mouse cursor moves? Sometimes mostly just black display - using a remote desktop is same

    4. Mouse clicking does nothing? Yes

    5. Keyboard key presses do nothing? Yes

    6. Only way to re-animate system is by holding down power button? Yes

    7. Mouse/Keyboard Model? - whatever came with my Late 2006 imac

     

    I followed the instructions posted here to fix graphics with no installation problems.

    Hung loading OS - repeatedly.

    I rolled it back (Time Machine)  to

    Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549)

    and am now pondering next steps.

  • by peterbehrens,

    peterbehrens peterbehrens Jul 16, 2012 8:05 AM in response to sherifhanna
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 16, 2012 8:05 AM in response to sherifhanna

    this time the kext-workaround worked on my iMac8,1 with ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro. I switched into 64bit mode first, updated to 10.6.8 and used kext-helper to change the ati drivers. since 5 days everything is still in good shape! last time (one year ago), the kext-change only cuases kernel panics. but on that point my cpu worked in 32bit mode. s

  • by swmaster,

    swmaster swmaster Oct 28, 2012 3:47 AM in response to peterbehrens
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 28, 2012 3:47 AM in response to peterbehrens

    just cross-posting this from the other 10.6.3 screenfreeze thread:

     

    hey,

    you may want to look into this deeper. after upgrading to 10.8.2 with both of my imac7,1s i do not see many ATI related kexts loaded:

     

    crowley:~ root$ uname -a

    Darwin crowley.local 12.2.0 Darwin Kernel Version 12.2.0: Sat Aug 25 00:48:52 PDT 2012; root:xnu-2050.18.24~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64

    crowley:~ root$ kextstat |grep ATI

       73    0 0xffffff7f81848000 0x2cc000   0x2cc000   com.apple.ATIRadeonX2000 (8.0.0) <72 69 10 7 6 5 4 3 1>

     

    so it seems it just doen't load them at all. checked the system log, nothing. and then it became clear:

    apple renamed them. and probably replaced them:

     

    sh-3.2# kextstat |grep AMD

       70    2 0xffffff7f8165e000 0x1d9000   0x1d9000   com.apple.kext.AMDSupport (8.0.0) <69 10 9 7 5 4 3 1>

       71    0 0xffffff7f81bf6000 0x41000    0x41000    com.apple.kext.AMD2400Controller (8.0.0) <70 69 10 9 5 4 3 1>

       74    0 0xffffff7f81bdb000 0x13000    0x13000    com.apple.kext.AMDFramebuffer (8.0.0) <70 69 10 9 7 5 4 3 1>

     

    i'm pretty curious now, but it is for sure, that the old kexts do not work anymore in their original format. e.g. if we get no GPU crashes anymore, then apple took its time and fixed it once for all.

     

    if not, w/o any additional hacks 10.8.1 will be the last OSX version for the "faulty" ATI2400/2600 equipped imacs.

  • by Phil_O_,

    Phil_O_ Phil_O_ Oct 28, 2012 4:43 AM in response to swmaster
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 28, 2012 4:43 AM in response to swmaster

    swmaster wrote:

     

    if not, w/o any additional hacks 10.8.1 will be the last OSX version for the "faulty" ATI2400/2600 equipped imacs.

     

    I'm still running with the 10.6.2 Ati kext files patched in and its working fine.  Mid 2007 iMac with Ati Radeon HD 2400 XT.  Its currently on 10.8.2.   I did try Mountain Lion as a fresh install but the freezing returned so I patched in the 10.6.2 files and its been ok since.  When I updated to 10.8.2 the freezing returned and I again applied the patch and its been running fine since.

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