Q: MacBook Pro (2010) Freeze

after the EFI update i indeed noticed big problems with the macbook pro now favouring the intel processor over the nvidia...so now in both quicktime and safari, the nvidia processor is NOT active anymore, which is a huge problem for watching youtube movies in fullscreen hd without them being choppy!
if you want to replicate you'll need gfxCardstatus (shows which processor is active in realtime in the menubar) and growl with hardwaregrowler (shows the processor switch when you can't see the menubar, which is the case when going fullscreen)

Yep, now the update worked for me too!

*@ majlo*

I did not go through the EFI update yet and I can tell you that neither safari nor quicktime, with my current native efi, run on nvidia (i.e. intel chip still masters both applciations). I have never had problems with intel hd in quicktime nor safari but if you say that it is now choppy is there any chance of downclock somewhere (even though I am not sure if the intel hd chip can be downclocked...)?
On the other hand, have any of you (maybe people running under windows) the possibility to check if the new EFI downclocks the nvidia gpu (this is what makes me wait for updating)?
Cheers

Message was edited by: califfo1975

well, I'm sad to tell you all that the short freezes became more frequent after the update, now sometimes with the beach ball. Now I get frequent stalls when navigating the web. ***, apple? I'll keep you posted.

Well, I am distraught to say that before applying the EFI firmware update 1.9 i never had a freeze! Now, I have one every half an hour, my machine has become useless....

PS. Does anybody know how to reinstall the firmware update? I'd like to remove the possibility that something went wrong during the update, but the installer refuses to run twice (because my ROM number is now B0C, not one on the list of upgradable ROMs).

Thanks.

this was posted on macrumors by the user ahodes1:

"It wasn't installing on my 15" MacBook Pro (Mid 2010). I was able to install it by extracting the package with Pacifist and running:

sudo /usr/sbin/bless -mount / -firmware "/System/Library/CoreServices/Firmware Updates/MacBookProEFIUpdate19/MBP610057_0CBLOCKED.scap".

I haven't had any adverse results (and the new Boot ROM version is showing in System Profiler). If you install it this way (and you almost certainly shouldn't), make absolutely certain that the firmware is applicable first"

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1002027&page=3

looks like a way to force the firmware update (or maybe the downgrade, if you can find the old rom image), but If anything had went wrong with your update, like a corrupted firmware installed on the rom, I think you'd have a bricked macbook right now.

Yesterday, two days after the update, I had an hour or so of constant short stalls (just to use apple's language), but now it's ok. I'm on dynamic switching, as I want to see if this thing is really fixed. I'll be all sunday using the macbook pro and hope yesterday's stalls were something unrelated to the update. If it's related, then apple made the situation worse.

Vladimiro, were are you from? Here's another somehow useful link: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1237

Message was edited by: mgcharlie

Message was edited by: mgcharlie

I have a 2010 17" MacBook Pro with a 512GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. I purchased it on the day this model was released. Model Identifier: MacBookPro6,1.

My observations below are on several topics that I think may be related to the graphics adapter in conjunction when connected to a Apple LED display via the display port.

My system ran fine with no lockups. A few weeks ago I purchased a 24" LED Cinema display. I have had the MacBook Pro lock up while connected to the 24" display and playing or exiting from Starcraft II.

I have multiple user accounts on my MacBook Pro. I have switched between the accounts with no problems. After connecting the Cinema display I have noticed when I switch to the other account the laptop display flickers for a few seconds and stops when I click the mouse. I have seen this when connected to the 24" display and when NOT connected to the 24" Display. This only started after connecting the 24" display for the first time.

I have installed the graphics update and latest firmware update. I connected my Apple 24" display yesterday for the first time after the firmware update. After several hours of use; the display it went black. It started working in about a minute. I shut down the MacBook Pro last night and when I started it this morning the 24" display didn't work. The MacBook behaved as if the display was on as the desktop was moved over. I have a wired USB keyboard and mouse connected to the 24" monitor; they acted as if they were not connected. No mater what I did I couldn't get the display working. It has since started working again. I have posted more details on a thread under the Apple Displays section:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12175983#12175983

I am wondering to myself if these issues are centered around the graphics adapter and my problems with the 24" LED display is really a problem with my MacBook Pro.

System Profiler is showing that I am using the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics adapter when I am connected to the 24" LED display. Is there a way I can tell how much use it is getting vs. the i7 processor? Activity Monitor doesn't show GPU utilization.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this long post.

mgcharlie, I suppose you might be right, it is possible that the mbp developed a fault or some software problem minutes before I updated the firmware, without me noticing. Tho, the update must be top of the list of suspects, mustn't it?

Anyway, I am still collecting evidence. For instance the mbp doesn't seem to boot from the OS DVD: it may be the DVD, or again the EFI... On the other hand, almost all my freezes come from using iTunes. I don't know if this is significant. However, disallowing dynamic switching seems to do anything for me.

I am certain the update is right for the machine, tho I am not sure that no evil will come to me by re-installing. Also, I don't understand the bless command, so I'll have to wait to have the time to grasp it.

thanks for the reply. regards.

(i'm based in the uk)

Hi everyone!!

I have a MacbookPro 7,1 (MC374LL/A-13Inch mid2010) with the freeze problem with a hdmi external monitor connected, after 5 minutes or 4 hours (random) JUST playing music on iTunes o streaming a video on VLC, both screens freezes with colours as green, gray, purple or black, the mouse can move but always stay a busy state. I close the machine, put off the minidisplay port adapter, but the laptop never response. And i have to push power off button.

In the console can see view that;
/==========
*20/08/10 14:59:13 _kernel NVDA(OpenGL): Channel timeout!*_
or //
*20/08/10 11:05:29 _kernel npvhash=4095*_
/==========

Just in some cases the console can log de problem, sometimes didn't show else.
This problems appears 2 weeks before purchasing the McBookPro, I tested with two different adapters and the problem repeat…

Anyone received a official response of the Apple Support for this problem? ...this is unpresentable.

(sorry for my english)

Sounds like a person needs to be pretty tech savvy in order to deal with these issues with their Macbook Pro. Guess I'll have to continue to wait before I make my purchase.

slog wrote:
Sounds like a person needs to be pretty tech savvy in order to deal with these issues with their Macbook Pro. Guess I'll have to continue to wait before I make my purchase.

You have to weigh the negative information posted here against the fact that those that most of the people posting to this thread do it because they have had issues with their Macbook Pro - so they're not at all representative!

Speaking for myself, I've had one stalling situation described earlier in this thread.

That single problem situation during almost 4 months of hard use does not invalidate the fact that my current i7 MacBook Pro is the most rock solid, blazing fast and trouble free laptop computer I've ever used, and I've used a lot of them.

i, too, am having issues with freezing on my mbp 15 2010. It freezes in windows (bootcamp) and osx sl. Did the efi update and still didn't fix the issue.

when i updated the bootcamp for Windows 7, the freeze problem stopped. but on SL continues just with a external display connected

Are most of the people who are having this problem also running dual OS machines (Windows and Mac)? I have read through a lot of these messages, although not all, and so many of them mention Bootcamp and Windows. So, I was wondering....