Q: MacBook Pro (2010) Freeze

New Macbook Pro 13" with the following specs just had first freeze 8 days after purchase:
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor

250GB 5400-rpm hard drive

NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor

So...I have the base model. I was away from the computer and there were a few programs open (ical, mail) and it was going to sleep when it froze. I came back several hours later to a grey kind of screen (could still see the programs behind the screen) with the keyboard and mouse totally frozen. I had to do a hard reset (held down power key) to close it down. It was plugged in.

OK.....I'm within my 14 days so I guess I am going to wait a few days more and decide whether to turn it back in for a macbook. I'm a new mac owner.

Jan

I also have this issue new 17 i7 mbp

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro6,1
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Processor Interconnect Speed: 4.8 GT/s
Boot ROM Version: MBP61.0057.B09
SMC Version (system): 1.57f17

It has happened a few times. Last time I was rendering in FCP and watching a movie in vlc.. all of sudden the vlc video froze on a frame.. the audio kept going, i could move the mouse pointer and activate cap locks, I just couldnt click on anything, ie click a window in the background to select it, select a drop down menu like restart. Had to use power button to shut down.

I've installed gfxCardStatus this afternoon, and have been using nVidia-only since then. Right now it just froze on me again, and as usual: no input of any sort, static image (no artifacts, though), mouse cursor stops, no kernel/system panic log entries, not even caps lock, needs to be hard reset. Now I'm trying Intel-only to see what happens, but I'm not holding my breath..

I have exactly the same issues you showed in the video.

spot on,

thanks Michel

We now have 400+ posts on this issue. How do we know if we have got Apple's attention, or if they have a sense of what's going on? Returning my MBP for another with the same problem is pretty unappealing. What do our seasoned pros here advise?

People familiar with Mac OS X 10.6.4 test builds have leaked valuable information as to what the latest seed brings in terms of enhancements and fixes. Acting as a significant clue that development is coming along is the listing of no known issues, which makes build 10F58 the second OS X 10.6.4 testing iteration that seems bug free at first glance.

9to5Mac has been able to obtain the actual seed notes from MacRumors. The documentation reveals that developers have been tampering with Adobe Creative Suite compatibility, SBM file servers, VPN connections, DVD Player, iPhoto, Aperture, and more. The focus areas have remained almost unchanged for several seeds now, with 10F58 listing Graphics Drivers, SMB, USB, Voice Over, and VPN as the build’s “main attractions.” The seed notes for this week’s Mac OS X 10.6.4 test build have been reproduced below, courtesy of the aforementioned sources.

Included in this update

- Resolve an issue that causes the keyboard or trackpad to become unresponsive;
- Resolve an issue that may prevent some Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications from opening;
- Address issues copying, renaming, or deleting files on SMB file servers;
- Improve reliability of VPN connections;
- Resolve a playback issue in DVD Player when using Good Quality deinterlacing;
- Resolve an issue editing photos with iPhoto or Aperture in full screen view;
- Improve compatibility with some braille displays.

Known Issues
- None.

Focus Areas
- Graphics Drivers
- SMB
- USB
- Voice Over
- VPN

15" 2.66, i7 - New May 6th.

Freeze experienced in iTunes playback of videos or audio podcasts. Freeze lasts anywhere from 5 to 30 secs. Mac will not accept input from track-pad or mouse. When freeze releases, the video jumps ahead equal to the time of the freeze duration. Can happen numerous times during playback or not for a couple of hours. Does not matter if Mac is cool or hot, just turned on, or running for a long period. Other programs can be slow to load, i.e. LR 2. Tried other video playback software for testing avi's. Same problem.

In an effort to resolve the problem I've totally reinstalled the Operating System after erasing the drive etc. Installed no other software. Tested before updates, and after updates. Results still the same, random freezes.

Brought the Mac into the Service Center today. Called me this afternoon, they ran tests. Told me nothing could be found. Everything runs smooth. They will run more tests tomorrow (i.e. watch videos etc). Also was told that Apple is not aware of any freezing issues.

First Mac.
First time spending $2500 on a computer.
First doubt on my purchase, "think I may have made a very expensive mistake".

So after having my 2.4 i5 for weeks now, the only time I have experienced problems were at boot up which points to it being solely a driver / software issue, at least for me.

Yes, I have this same dreaded freeze on a daily basis. I am trying to save my work as often as possible as it seems to be unpredictable when it happens. I have the same issue where mouse can sometime move for a few seconds while nothing is responsive. Then the mouse usually freezes too. Powering off is the only solution.
Reading the crash log points to graphics card. I am always using Discreet graphics at time of crash (the apps I use for work require it). I've submitted my radar to Apple but i'm sure they are getting plenty of those based on the number reported in this thread. Let's hope 10.6.4 comes out asap and fixes our freezes!
It may be coincidental, but the crashes usually occur at the office when I'm connected to both SMB shares and an Exchange server. I notice slow performance on my Mac with the SMB server, though my Windows machine has no such issue. Likely unrelated.

crap dude, I have a 2.4ghz NOT the i7 and i experienced a freeze

Apple is aware of the complaints, and is investigating, per:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2407560&tstart=30

That's the thread I started. Having my hard drive replaced (with a Hitachi) solved the problem. Ultimately the tech said the HDD looked like it was experiencing mechanical failure. "


wrong
I have a 2.4 ghz macbook pro that came with a hitachi drive and my computer froze on me last night. I really doubt it is the hard drive.

Having the same issue here on a Macbook Pro 17 i7... Ordered the day they were available and have had the issue since the day I received it. I thought mine was faulty until I found this thread. I can almost always remote in through SSH from another machine and cleanly shut the laptop down. But what a pain!

I hope Apple is listening. We are an authorized Apple Service Center and I am sure we are going to start seeing these machines for repair on this issue....

Kurt

Certainly no harddisk issue. I am on a MBP2010 2.66Ghz with Solid State Drive and it still freezes from time to time. I have however not recognized any problems with the keyboard or trackpad as I am working with an external set of keyboard and mouse. The MBP just freezes without any warning or special events, if there was any audio playing, it repeats the last seconds like a CD-Player playing a damaged CD. The only thing that helps is a total shutdown via power button.

They really have to come up with a fix soon...

guys can you have a look at this video and confirm whether or not this is what you're experiencing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCO3SyIrkLw

This video is absolutely nothing like the freeze I am experiencing. The 2010 Macbook Pro freeze issue freezes the entire screen. Nothing updates. No painting whatsoever. Like you took a screenshot. Just showing the little moving graph in Activity Monitor shows this is not our issue.

Furthermore, I believe this thread is about the UI freezing issue and not a SATA timeout. The issue shown in this video should be moved to another thread.

I've now had a freeze 4 times.

17 inch i5, out of the box with very little added. No gfx util, no reinstall, plain vanilla. The only application that I'm using that might interface at a kext level is iStat Menus. Although, I don't use the sensor module.

Next time it happens, I'm getting in a car and driving to the Apple store as fast as I can.