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Unable to launch Apple Diagnostics

I encountered a (recoverable) kernel panic on my MBP this morning when waking my system after upgrading to Mojave from ElCapitan just a few days earlier. In order to figure out if there may be hardware issues I attempted a restart while holding the D key in order to launch Apple Diagnostics. I however was greeted by this error message:


Error: 0x8000000000000003, Cannot Load 'EFI/Drivers/TestSupport.efi'

Status: 0x00000003


I am able to restart and launch OS X - thus the system is operational. But obviously something strange is going on.


Question: IF I create a bootable drive will I be able to launch diagnostics or AHT from there?


Thanks in advance.

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.14

Posted on Apr 6, 2019 2:13 AM

Reply
222 replies

Sep 9, 2019 9:32 AM in response to serkannn

What are your concerns?


macOS Mojave - Technical Specifications


General Requirements

  • OS X 10.8 or later
  • 2GB of memory
  • 12.5GB of available storage (OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 or later)*
  • Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
  • Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Mojave:

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
  • iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
  • iMac Pro (2017)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013; Mid 2010 and Mid 2012 models with recommended Metal-capable graphics cards)

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP777?locale=en_US

Apr 6, 2019 1:19 PM in response to BDAqua

Well if I use the Shift key to boot into safe mode then how would I get into AppleDiagnostics? Today I actually created a bootable USB with the AHT for my MBP model per this guide: https://github.com/upekkha/AppleHardwareTest


The USD had the following contents:



Unfortunately it didn't work either - just runs a bunch of command lines quickly after booting and then resumes booting into the main drive.


Then - per the same guide - I copied the .diagnostics directory into my /System/Library/CoreServices/ directory. Rebooted holding D key and got the very same error message that it wasn't able to find TestSupport.efi - which clearly is in the right place and in the right folder now.


It's really strange... not sure what to do here...

Apr 9, 2019 9:54 AM in response to BDAqua

I have a 2012 MacBook Pro running High Sierra and have the exact same problem. A few weeks ago I did upgrade it to Mojave but reverted to High Sierra thru Time Machine.


My boot ROM version in System Report is 224.0.0.0.0 .


I have tried every conceivable option for the last couple of days to get either AHT or ASD working. I've tried creating bootable USBs and copying the .diagnostics folder over to the local coreservices folder. I've tried scripts and terminal commands from various sites and absolutely nothing works. I can't boot using a USB or get in by holding down 'D' on boot.


I also cannot run Option-D to load diagnostics over the Internet.


It must be something in the updated EFI firmware that is preventing the running of the diagnostics.


If you can figure out a way to get it working I will be very impressed.

Apr 9, 2019 10:00 AM in response to mmehrle


What happens when you reboot holding the option D key? Anything?

It can take quite awhile for this to load up.



If you need help you can post the kernels panics here in the "Additional Text" box




Also In or out of warranty you can get a free over the counter 'Apple Service Diagnostics' test /assessment


Make an appointment hardware issue—

https://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/


Apr 9, 2019 9:56 PM in response to zacharythane






zacharythane wrote:

My 2012 iMac running Mojave 10.14.4 does not boot to diagnostics with only the D key, just a white screen. Option D gives me the Error: 0x8000000000000003, Cannot Load 'EFI/Drivers/TestSupport.efi'
Status: 0x00000003

Any other ideas?



I already posted my other ideas above.


Personally I would not beat my head against the wall, the AHT is not definitive and it may or may not kick out an error code concerning your issue.



I will add —


You can post your Kernel Panic report in their entirety here, preferable three separate reports in three separate Additional Text box (below) for ease of reading.  A single report may be useful but does not establish a trend for a meaningful diagnosis.


Kernel Panic reports can be found /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports


From the Finder>Go>Go To Folder, copy and paste:

/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports


should say panic in the file name.


If your Mac spontaneously restarts or displays a ... - Apple Support

Apr 29, 2019 9:25 PM in response to mmehrle

I feel like there must be a way to revert the boot ROM version from 224.0.0.0.0 provided we find a compatible os version that an earlier firmware can be manually flashed to safely.


It seems for MBP in the late 2011-mid 2012 (mine is mid 2012 9,1) the only provided firmware from apple requires the machine to be running OS X 10.9.5 as can be found here https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201518 (more precisely here https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1848?locale=en_GB)


it seems too coincidental that many people having this issue are on older systems that have updated to a certain point in Mojave (which seems to be 10.14.4 as the current suspect) and even more annoying that the healthy OS version required for forcing an older firmware downgrade safely is mavericks which is INCREDIBLY hard to get hold of officially (without either having downloaded it before and backed it up or having to run the risk of finding an unofficial source for it)


Feels like another "accidentally on purpose" method of locking older hardware into a state that is not "broken" except for this refi discrepancy which is a means to nudge people into hardware upgrades after having their diagnostics boot capability stripped with this firmware update


:(


anyone got a factory downloaded backup of OS X mavericks? if so I would be happy to try messing around a little to try and revert my firmware in the name of (backwards) progress

May 24, 2019 6:38 AM in response to ghunarsdad

I am having the same issue as everyone else.


Error: 0x8000000000000003, Cannot Load 'EFI/Drivers/TestSupport.efi'

Status: 0x00000003


Using "D" and Option "D" at start up and attempting to log into my network. Once I put in the password, it goes back to the network screen and then the error screen appears. If I have an ethernet cable plugged in, it will go directly to the error mentioned above.


I have also submitted a bug report via https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html



May 30, 2019 1:59 PM in response to mmehrle

1. I have this problem also; see my post MacBook Pro 2013 - cannot load Apple Hardware Test.


2. At the moment I have 3 15" MacBooks Pro on hand: (Early) 2013, 2014, 2015. The 2013 won't load Apple Hardware Test from either the Internet, a USB stick, or when the (invisible) .diagnostics folder is installed in System/Library/CoreServices. The 2014 and 2015 MBPs load Apple Diagnostics on order with the D key.


The 2013 MBP loaded AHT fine only a few months ago, but now does not. Meanwhile, MemTest86, which also starts up from an EFI driver from a USB stick, still works fine with this MBP. So it seems this MBP is now somehow allergic to Apple's own EFI driver? I've reset the SMC and NVRAM, and reinstalled the OS (Sierra, and others) numerous times, to no avail. Something's changed, but what?


I'm pretty sure I did install both High Sierra and Mojave on the 2013 MBP sometime after the last time AHT ran successfully – and before it wouldn't. So the theory that installing those OS versions might cause this problem seemed plausible. I decided to test it by installing Mojave on the 2014 MBP (which I've just gotten, so I don't know if it's been upgraded before; it arrived with Sierra). Installing Mojave did not change the Boot ROM (see below), and it still loaded AD with the D key. So in this case anyway, installing the later OS did not cause the problem.


The three MBPs have the following Boot ROM versions:


2013 MBP: 255.0.0.0.0

2014 MBP: 153.0.0.0.0

2015 MBP: 192.0.0.0.0


Interesting that the earliest one has the highest number; I don't know what that might mean. I also don't know if the Boot ROM was changed by installing High Sierra and/or Mojave, as I wasn't looking at that then. I also tried reverting the 2013 MBP to its original OS, Mountain Lion 10.8.2 (after completely erasing the SSD); that changed the Boot ROM from 255.0.0.0.0 to 255.0.0 (?), but it still wouldn't load AHT.


Anyway, it doesn't look like installing High Sierra or Mojave is the cause of inability to load AHT or AD – at least not predictably.


3. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with an Apple Senior Advisor on Tuesday (May 28) about this issue, trying everything he could think of (he apparently hadn't heard about this before), ending with sending a bunch of information which he said would be forwarded to some "engineers", who would get back to me in a few days. I provided links to this thread and my own (above), and emphasized that there are over 150 people now waiting for an answer. I'll post whatever I hear.


4. A poster at another forum where this issue is discussed writes:


"Just tried the 'D' startup and it worked.... My motherboard had a very strange memory failure that took the Apple service manager quite a while to figure out at the local Apple Store. I paid the $500.00 to fix it, and now everything is ok.... I couldn't run the hardware test on the pre-replacement motherboard."


So maybe we all need to replace our Macs' logic boards? 150+ of us? But will the replacements solve the problem? We still don't know what is causing the problem.


Bottom line: obviously it's Apple's problem, not ours. Apple needs to fix it.

May 31, 2019 11:05 PM in response to PRP_53

Update from today - I went to Apple Authorized Repair center. They DID manage to run Apple Diagnostics Tests (unlike how others and myself have reported this is not working from Cmd-D) - it showed no errors from top level view. They then tried various boots and installs which all stalled as have mine at home.


[I do find it annoying that we can't get this version working !!!]



BTW the yellow warning on memory is because of the 3rd party Kingston HyperX 16GB I just swapped in - non Apple certified.


They also tried to use a ROM update tool (non-public too!!) to update from my 283.0.0.0.0 ROM to latest compatible - I thought this was going to be 285.0.0.0.0 (but maybe that is only for 13,1 machines - not 13,2 like mine)

- but when I got home I found that it hadn’t updated from 283.0.0.0.0 :( What I really wanted was to go to back to last known good version before my upgrade - but they said the tool can only upgrade - not downgrade.

So no fixes to my startup issues related to Kernel Panics in Windows Server - so a strong suspect is the faulty GPU (even though High Sierra booted with GPU with an older ROM before I upgraded to Mojave)

I hate the idea of junking the whole iMac because of a SW/HW incompatibility introduced when I upgraded old ROM during failed install of Mojave

One of the weirdest things is that the shop also managed to get my internal drives up and running and recognizable by Target Disc Mode - they then erased and set them up as HFS+ drives (128GB and 1TB SSD).

However - when I got home I plugged into my 2018 Airbook with Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 /USB-C Apple adapter - and I still see nothing. I will try with neighbor’s old macbook Air with TB2 and see if that can see them… Why would a new macbook Air with Mojave 10.14.5 not be able to see these drives?

So I have a couple of options:

  1. Remove the 1TB SSD (and new 2x8GB Kingston HyperX RAM I just bought). Could also try to resell the refurbished PSU I just bought as well
  2. Buy a refurbished logic board for $500 and fit myself.
  3. Hang onto setup and keep hoping there is a SW/Firmware solution that someone finds in the future. Meanwhile I could buy a new iMac… I really miss having a ‘family’ computer for photo editing in the kitchen which isn’t a noisy slow ancient windows machine (which is what I replaced the iMac with for the moment)


Jun 1, 2019 12:30 PM in response to Billiusuk

I went to Apple Authorized Repair center. They DID manage to run Apple Diagnostics Tests (unlike how others and myself have reported this is not working from Cmd-D) - it showed no errors from top level view.


To clarify: Apple has two different "diagnostic" utilities: (1) Apple Diagnostics (note plural) / Apple Hardware Test, which is available to users; (2) Apple Service Diagnostic (singular), which is used in-house by Apple and its Authorized Service Providers (AASPs).


1. Apple Hardware Test was provided in various forms (on System installer discs, installed with the original OS, or accessed via the Internet) with Macs from <2000 until June 2013 (thus that's what runs my Early 2013 MacBook Pro – used to, anyway). After June 2013 (e.g. the Late 2013 MacBook Pro), Apple Diagnostics is either accessed via the Internet or from the Recovery partition in High Sierra or Mojave (as I discovered in my research).


AHT/AD is accessed by starting with the D key depressed (not ⌘D, which at least in Mojave will default to starting in the OS). AHT has a primitive-looking interface and offers either a short or an extended test. AD starts automatically and shows a progress bar with the legend:


Checking your Mac… 3 minutes remaining, 2 minutes remaining, About 1 minute remaining.


These utilities will find gross problems, but don't go into the hardware in any detail. Neither can be loaded/run in Macs with the Cannot load 'EFI/Drivers/TestSupport.efi' error discussed here.


2. Apple Service Diagnostic is Apple's in-house diagnostic software. It was in use up to mid-2014; as the article says, its various versions (for different Mac models) can be obtained here and there from the 'Net. Since mid-2014, the current version (name unknown) must be accessed via the Internet from Apple (i.e. is not downloadable), and requires a password, so is accessible only to Apple shops and AASPs.


ASD includes both an OS version (running in a stripped-down MacOS) and an EFI version (running like AHT/AD from a basic EFI boot that employs some firmware built into Intel CPUs). Each includes a long list of tests, and takes from 30 minutes to an hour or more to run. (The major advantage of the EFI version is that it can test more of the memory, as practically no memory is occupied with running the software, whereas the OS version occupies a substantial chunk. The OS version otoh allows running user-interactive tests.) The EFI version will not load/run in Macs with the Cannot load 'EFI/Drivers/TestSupport.efi' error discussed here, but the OS version will, since it uses an OS, not just the EFI drivers.


I'm guessing that the current Apple in-house diagnostic software (which I've never seen) also includes both OS and EFI versions. From the photo you've posted, my guess is that the AASP (?) you took your iMac to was able to run the OS version (but maybe not the EFI version?), which clearly does a comprehensive testing of the system. Also it appears that the current software tests older Macs (such as your 2012/2013 iMac) that predate its introduction in 2014.


BTW the yellow warning on memory is because of the 3rd party Kingston HyperX 16GB I just swapped in - non Apple certified.


And I'll bet it cost half of the price of the Apple equivalent? Kingston is not exactly a fly-by-night operation.


They also tried to use a ROM update tool…


Well, the ROM update may have something to do with the Cannot load 'EFI/Drivers/TestSupport.efi' error; still not clear. Why the ROM of the 2014 MacBook Pro was not updated by installing Mojave (my report above) is a mystery. But the Cannot load 'EFI/Drivers/TestSupport.efi' error did not appear either, so thusfar nothing is either proven nor disproven.


Annoying that theirs works and ours (or even the network based consumer ADT doesn't!)


Yeah, ain't it?

Jun 4, 2019 4:04 AM in response to serkannn

Is there a way to confirm that whether Apple tech guys aware of this problem and working on it?


See my post above:


Last Tuesday (May 28) I spent an hour and a half on the phone with an Apple Senior Advisor about this issue, trying everything he could think of (he apparently hadn't heard about this before), ending with sending a bunch of information which he said would be forwarded to some "engineers", who would get back to me in a few days. I provided links to this thread and my own (above), and emphasized that there are over 150 people now waiting for an answer. I'll post whatever I hear.


Probably a good idea for everybody here to contact Apple Support (I believe they'll take your call even if your Mac is out of warranty), ask to speak to a Senior Advisor, tell them you are among 170+ users struggling with this problem, and refer them to Case #20000052150237. We need to become the squeaky wheel.

Jun 12, 2019 5:43 PM in response to mmehrle

Well, it's been over two weeks since I spent an hour and a half on the phone with an Apple Senior Advisor about this problem, downloaded some utilities which gathered information from my MacBook Pro, sent it in to "engineers" who I was told would get back to me in a few days. They haven't.


So I called again today, spoke to yet another Senior Advisor. And was told that engineering thinks my problem is because my MBP has a faulty logic board. Which it does; though it runs okay for simple tasks, more complex work starts showing errors. I don't think that's the reason for the inability to run AHT, as it did run AHT just fine some six months ago, with the same faulty logic board. The only thing that's changed since then, so far as I know, is that I upgraded the computer to Mojave briefly, before going back to Sierra. (Engineering also suggested that upgrade might be a solution – which, as everybody here knows, it is not; in fact it might be the cause of the problem.)


I intend to have the board replaced, but planned to wait until there was some solution to the inability to run AHT (and the EFI version of ASD), so I'd be able to check it out thoroughly after the replacement. But Apple won't listen to me until the logic board does not show errors, so I guess I'll have to get that done first.


Meanwhile, I tried to emphasize that there are over 200 people (here and at my own thread) who have this same problem, and I doubt that all of you also have faulty logic boards in your Macs. But that didn't melt any ice. The Advisor cannot take into account anything that appears on this discussion board. I knew that Apple pays little to no attention to to this board, but didn't know they have such a hard and fast policy about it.


The Advisor also opined that 200 is not a very large number out of Apple's "millions of users". Well, unless you're one of the 200. (Hmm, where have we heard that before? Something about keyboards, perhaps?) And how many of Apple's "millions" do have occasion to run Apple Diagnostics? More than used to be, I suspect, given Apple's recent record of screw-ups. It'd be interesting to see what happened if we could somehow get every Mac owner to do so.


So complaining here isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to make some noise where it counts: by calling Apple Support and asking for a solution. "Why can't I run Apple Diagnostics (or Apple Hardware Test) on my Mac?" It would be good if everybody here did so. Especially if you have a late model Mac with warranty, and/or if you have upgraded to High Sierra or Mojave. (Which they may ask you to do if you haven't.) You can refer to my case #20000052150237, though I don't know if that will do any good – or may even be harmful, since I've been effectively "disqualified". For now. But make sure to get a case number for your inquiry; the more the better.


BETTER YET: If you can get to an Apple Store, that would be best. I believe they'll look at your computer even if it's out of warranty (maybe they'll get a repair job out of it). Tell them you can't run AD/AHT, and have them check out your Mac. If their diagnostic software gives it a clean bill of health, and you still can't load/run AD or AHT, you have a case. Make sure they know you want a solution; get a case number. And let us know how it turns out.


Bottom line: This problem is not going to be solved unless/until we can get Apple's attention.

Jun 12, 2019 6:09 PM in response to mmehrle

@ handymac:


A mid 2012 MBP originally came with Lion (10.7.3) and was the first machine to have download OS only, and, unless it was on the list of eligible hardware for a firmware update to allow recovery, it was right at the time Apple was changing to the download only model and therefore not exactly reliable as far as recovery was concerned. And, if you did update the EFI, it was even more questionable if it would reinstall anything.


So, if you want torun diagnostics, take it to your nearest Genius Bar and have them run it. Their equipment is a whole lot more reliable and better anyway.


And, FWIW, please read the terms of these forums here (section 2.4 in particular). Also, complaining about a 7 year old machine not being fixed is not helpful. It is what it is.


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201624


https://discussions.apple.com/terms




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