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Constant Kernel Panics

I can't start my mac, it instantly restarts. It currently only works in safe mode, but eventually also suffers a kernel panic. Please can anyone help me.



MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.15

Posted on May 24, 2020 12:02 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on May 24, 2020 2:09 PM

1)

Try booting into Safe mode

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1564

This will not load any 3rd party additions, it will load some more conservative Apple drivers (may cause screen flicker), and it will clear some kernel caches (a cache is saved data in a form that can speed up a program, but is totally redundant to the original source, and thus can be safely cleared).  Booting into Safe mode is just an experiment, but can frequently eliminate any 3rd party interference, or a cached item out-of-sync with the world.  (Verify Safe mode via Applications -> Utilities -> System Information -> Software -> Boot Mode -> Safe vs Normal)


2)

This may just be a placebo move, but it does not hurt either, and sometimes it does help


You should also try an SMC reset and an NVRAM reset 

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

How to reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063


3)

The kernel panic is in the graphic driver stack. 15" Macbook Pros have a history of the discrete GPU chip failing. Safe mode should load more conservative graphics drivers, and may just use the integrated with the CPU intel graphics.


You might try using gfxCardStatus to see if you can lock your Mac into using just the integrated intel graphics, and see if that keeps your Mac from panic'ing.

https://github.com/steveschow/gfxCardStatus/releases/download/v2.4.4i/gfxCardStatus.app.zip

I've got a Late 2011 15" Macbook Pro that I keep alive using gfxCardStatus. I use it as a backup server running Carbon Copy Cloner to backup the other family Macs in my home.


Finally, you do have two 3rd party kernel extensions

com.Apowersoft.driver.AudioDevice	1.6.7
com.malwarebytes.mbam.rtprotection	3.0.1


MalwareBytes has not been a source of issues, so while I never ignore a 3rd party kernel extension, I trust the MalwareBytes kernel extension more.


I do not know anything about the Apowersoft kernel extension (neither good nor bad). For that reason, you might try uninstalling it using the vendor's uninstall instructions and see if your kernel panics go away.


Summary

  1. Safe mode to see if you can get booted.
  2. SMC & NVRAM resets, because "Why Not"
  3. try gfxCardStatus to see if maybe it is related to your discrete GPU
  4. Uninstall Apowersoft's kernel extension to see if that solves the problem (you can alway put it back)
18 replies
Question marked as Best reply

May 24, 2020 2:09 PM in response to MalachiKnight

1)

Try booting into Safe mode

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1564

This will not load any 3rd party additions, it will load some more conservative Apple drivers (may cause screen flicker), and it will clear some kernel caches (a cache is saved data in a form that can speed up a program, but is totally redundant to the original source, and thus can be safely cleared).  Booting into Safe mode is just an experiment, but can frequently eliminate any 3rd party interference, or a cached item out-of-sync with the world.  (Verify Safe mode via Applications -> Utilities -> System Information -> Software -> Boot Mode -> Safe vs Normal)


2)

This may just be a placebo move, but it does not hurt either, and sometimes it does help


You should also try an SMC reset and an NVRAM reset 

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

How to reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063


3)

The kernel panic is in the graphic driver stack. 15" Macbook Pros have a history of the discrete GPU chip failing. Safe mode should load more conservative graphics drivers, and may just use the integrated with the CPU intel graphics.


You might try using gfxCardStatus to see if you can lock your Mac into using just the integrated intel graphics, and see if that keeps your Mac from panic'ing.

https://github.com/steveschow/gfxCardStatus/releases/download/v2.4.4i/gfxCardStatus.app.zip

I've got a Late 2011 15" Macbook Pro that I keep alive using gfxCardStatus. I use it as a backup server running Carbon Copy Cloner to backup the other family Macs in my home.


Finally, you do have two 3rd party kernel extensions

com.Apowersoft.driver.AudioDevice	1.6.7
com.malwarebytes.mbam.rtprotection	3.0.1


MalwareBytes has not been a source of issues, so while I never ignore a 3rd party kernel extension, I trust the MalwareBytes kernel extension more.


I do not know anything about the Apowersoft kernel extension (neither good nor bad). For that reason, you might try uninstalling it using the vendor's uninstall instructions and see if your kernel panics go away.


Summary

  1. Safe mode to see if you can get booted.
  2. SMC & NVRAM resets, because "Why Not"
  3. try gfxCardStatus to see if maybe it is related to your discrete GPU
  4. Uninstall Apowersoft's kernel extension to see if that solves the problem (you can alway put it back)

May 25, 2020 6:19 PM in response to MalachiKnight

If you can keep your Mac up longer enough to run EtreCheck, it will tell you where the Apowersoft's extension is located.

The most likely place is

Finder -> Go -> Go to folder -> /Library/Extensions/

The next possible place is

Finder -> Go -> Go to folder -> /System/Library/Extensions/

but kernel extensions can be dynamically loaded from a app, so if it is not in either of those 2 folders, then it could be anywhere, and EtreCheck is the best tool to find it.


Or you could try EasyFind (free download)

https://www.devontechnologies.com/support/download


Please post the EtreCheck output as a "Reply" to this thread (you can use the FREE mode)

<https://itunes.apple.com/app/etrecheck/id1423715984?ls=1&mt=12>

Click on the Share icon and select "Copy Report"

And then Paste the report as a "Reply" to this thread using an "Additional Text" box.

EtreCheck is a tool that helps Apple Support Community volunteers debug problems without any access to the troubled computers. Debugging problems can be a difficult task even when the machine is in front of you. Attempting it via a discussion forum is extremely difficult. EtreCheck is a great help that regards.

May 26, 2020 6:23 PM in response to MalachiKnight

Delete these files & Restart, you might have to safe boot ro get rid of those other 2..


/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist


/Library/LaunchAgents/com.elgato.StreamDeck.plist


/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.bjango.istatmenus.installerhelper.plist


/Library/LaunchAgents/com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist


~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.skype.skype.shareagent.plist


~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist


The last two...


~ tilde indicates hidden Home Library.

Apple hid the Users' Library folders...


Method 1:

  1. From the Finder, select the Go menu at top of the screen, and choose Go to Folder.
  2. In the window that opens, enter ~/Library, and click Go.


Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at startup), does the problem occur in Safe Mode?


Safe mode attempts to repair Disks & clears lots of caches, so if Safe Mode works try again in regular boot.


/Library/LaunchAgents/com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist



May 25, 2020 1:44 PM in response to BobHarris

Thanks for the reply.


I have been booting in safe mode and it works even though performance is slow.


I did both a SMC reset and an NVRAM reset, and nothing changed.  


I downloaded gfxCardStatus and have it on integrated only setting.


Do you know how I could delete Apowersoft's kernel extension, as far as I know I've deleted all Apowersofts files.

May 26, 2020 4:52 PM in response to MalachiKnight

I do not see Apowersoft in the EtreCheck output, so I'm thinking it is a dynamically loaded kernel extension that gets loaded when you run some app.


com.Apowersoft.driver.AudioDevice	1.6.7

is obviously related to recording audio on the Mac, so do you have an app you run that captures audio?


Where directly or indirectly, like capturing video or recording a video conferencing session, etc...


May 27, 2020 7:30 AM in response to BDAqua

I deleted the files you mentioned.


Then the two Apowersoft files that I couldn't remove I deleted by typing "sudo kextcache --clear-staging" into terminal. Those filed were in the staged extensions file in the library, you can't manually delete them.


This seems to have fixed the problem as I manged to boot the Mac normally for the first time in a while, and there have been no problems yet, it's running smooth.


Thanks for your assistance, I appreciate it. Find Any File really helped me.

May 28, 2020 3:39 PM in response to MalachiKnight

So where did

com.paragon-software.filesystems.ntfs	23.0.15

come from?


Again, the panic is in the graphic subsystem. I do not see any reason why Paragon's NTFS file system support would touch anything in the graphics subsystem.


I'm getting a strong feeling this is a hardware problem, and will require a visit to Apple for repair.


I do not know this for a fact, but many things are pointing in that direction.


I suppose you could try a re-install. Either install the current macOS over top of the existing, leaving all your files untouched.


Or a nuke and pave. Backup, reformat drive, install clean copy of macOS, then use Migration Assistant to restore from the backup.

Constant Kernel Panics

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