"BAD MAGIC! (flag set in iBoot panic header)" — Catalina freezing all the time!

Yes that's what I said. Having to gimp the system by turning off settings to make it work properly.

Leaving an external usb-c -> usb-c ssd connected and walking away during a 20min copy will 98% see the system crash while I'm not there.

Turning off power saving functions to stop crashes means exactly that, you're not saving power any more and this starts to become a very expensive fiasco for everyone involved.

Here is an update on my end.

I had originally posted about my 2018 13” Macbook pro running Catalina. I went ahead and reset my computer to factory settings and then added software one by one. I have not had a crash for two months.

Some context: My crashes occurred whenever I had two monitors connected. I would let the MBP go to sleep and then when I tried to wake it up from sleep, I would get the Bad Magic error. Again, it has stopped since I installed Catalina from scratch. I now can run my two monitors without any issues, in addition to a 8gb external hd.

Here is the crazy thing, at work, I have a 2018 15” Macbook Pro with similar specs. The only difference is that I have Mojave installed. That one just started experiencing the Bad Magic crash but under the name Bridge OS crash!! It is sooooo odd!!

I am confused.

Are you saying you have been running your computer exactly how you intended for 2 months without a crash, or you have avoided using external monitors and have been running a gimped setup for 2 months to avoid a crash?

You won't get a brand new macbook no? Well, I got my replacement device and that works fine. Even when i put it on sleep when I go to bed! I think it is some batch of macbook pros which are having this problem and not all of them there are somethings which people recommend doing. Check it out. Best would be to just go to a genius bar and ask for a solution

So does the error necessarily mean there is a hardware fault with my MacBook Pro? I just experienced this issue for the first and only time yesterday morning with my 2019 16". The only thing I had attached to my MacBook Pro was a usb c receiver for my mouse. I left my MacBook Pro unplugged overnight sleeping with the lid closed. When I returned to it in the morning, there was a problem report with the bad magic error. I haven't really experienced any issues with my MacBook Pro so far, though I've only had it for 1.5 months.

If the SMC reset cures your problem, you are all set. Apple aways says to reset SMC and reload the OS which I have done at least 6 times along with multiple OS reloads, twice with each 10.15.1, 10.15.2, 10.15.3, and the problem continues. Not a happy situation but really nothing I can do until there is a resolution.

Just got my 16' MBP two days ago as my first Apple computer in ten years. Very dissapointed to see I have already got 4 BAD MAGIC! crashes (Three of them while working on important projects inside Fl Studio and UVI Falcon). Should I wait for this issue to be fixed or just ask for a refund and go right back to using a PC...?

After a nice 2 month run, I experienced a bad magic error this afternoon.

Two monitors connected, power supply, and ethernet cable. All ports were being used.

I am starting to think this a power supply issue. It seems like the MBP doesn’t know how to allocate power so it shuts off.

I forgot to add!

I updated to 10.15.3 and that is when the issue came back!

Also, does everyone who is experiencing the bad magic have an extra HD in finder called Macintosh HD - Data?

I just realized that when I did the reinstall, that HD had gone away. I updated to 10.15.3 and that extra drive is mounted as Macintosh HD - Data again! I wondering if that is the issue. Somehow the system is creating two separate mounted HDs and it is having problems distinguishing which one to boot from when waking it.

Well depends on your use case. I immediately took a replacement. That’s because mine would do as soon as I turned on netflix. Thats a primary use case. You should too. They gave me a new macbook which doesn’t have a problem. At work too, none of these macbooks have a problem even though they connect to external monitors.

Honestly how I see it is this. Apple is aware that there is an ugly batch of macbooks which are produced and distributed. They are in no mood to do a recall and get another bad name. There are people who don’t mind this problem once every 2 months. That’s how they are going on. PLEASE GET IT REPLACED. APPLE SHOULD FEEL THE HEAT.

Once you ask for a replacement they will give you a device which wouldn’t have this problem. I AS AN APPLE USER LOST TRUST IN APPLE AFTER THIS

Apple genius bar even claims they don’t have a trace of this issue in “their” data base. I tweeted also. No response. Very disappointed

Thanks! I'll see for a few days if the issue keeps on coming back. This is an intolerable issue for me because I have to get my work done on this laptop. Baffles me that Apple still hasn't said anything publicly about the issue as it seems that a lot of people are having the issue...

Elja,

Please see it but in the mean time at least give a call and create a case about your mac unit. They are already not willing to help. But they will tell you otherwise. Once your warranty is over they will not admit to their fault rather blame you for spending money on their devices.

@RhythmDriver Nope, thats the first thing that I turn off on any laptop I use. As I stated earlier, its all related to USB-C/Thunderbolt peripherals. Docks, Displays, anything hooked up externally can cause some "BAD MAGIC".

Just need Apple to address this and my guess would be they have something in the tb3 driver that needs to be addressed.

As you stated earlier it's related to thunderbolt driver right? So my question goes out to you.

"How incompetent of a company should it be to not solve a problem which is present since High Sierra?"

Please do your due diligence before really coming up with a theory. These are not 10$ machines which you can toss if it doesn't work. Apple became the Apple because of high quality and reliability. It does not take years to fix a driver. It takes weeks.

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/7/25/17614016/apple-t2-chips-bridge-os-problems-kernel-panic

https://hothardware.com/news/apple-t2-security-chip-kernel-panic-2018-macbook-pro-imac-pro

https://www.macrumors.com/2018/07/26/apple-looking-into-t2-kernel-panic-reports/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2018-macbook-pros-crashing-with-bridge-os-error.2128976/

PS: I am one of the people who received first batch units in 2018. I have both an iMac Pro and a MacBook Pro which suffers from the issue.

And my iMac Pro was giving bad magic error without anything connected at all.

Can relate there except I have a 2019 machine, but if you have just gone 2 years of the same issue I have been having for 2 months, looks like it will be a useless $7000 yeah?

Here is a video recording of my basic hourly experience, no doubt this freeze triggered by using an external mouse 🤣

http://pd.omg.lol/apQ9gQ

It translates to me going on site in professional creative settings and everyone gobsmacked how a $7000 macbook is acting this way and why my $2000 2016 base model macbook pro is still my go to on set...oh! Cause it was the one without a touchbar and T2. Purchased that particular one knowing T2 will be nothing but trouble, and here I am. Haha.

Have basically turned Channel 7 & ABC Australia off current macbooks, it's only damaging to Apple's image for someone like me to have this 😂