Apple Diagnostic M1 MBP Freezing

gomezcantu wrote:

Does anyone else has this problem? Long story short;

a) Big Sur 11.2.3 Apple Diagnostics ran just perfect

b) updated to 11.3.1 and now Apple Diagnostic freezes right before starting the test, actually it freezes when it says: test could take a minute (whatever) and the that’s it; cursor frozen, and trackpad doesn’t even does the click.

another thing, had the same issue with another M1 MBP which I returned it for this issue, and ran Apple Diagnostics because Apple TV+ froze randomly and was asked by Apple care to do the hardware test.

thank you

Are you having some bigger issue here... why running the Diagnostic before and after updates makes no sense otherwise. If you have no issue then don't make it an issue.

If you think you are dead in the water—

Learn how to get your Mac fixed and how much it will cost.

https://support.apple.com/mac/repair/service

Get your Mac ready for service - Apple Support https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209095

gomezcantu wrote:

Yes, Apple TV+ was freezing randomly and App Store randomly opening a blank window.

I paid in full for this and I would expect everything to work; specially assuming that some updates could have glitches and using the Diagnostics tool to check your computer once in a while. Which I do by the way.

Apple TV video freezes..

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250388153

Apple TV 4K freezes while streaming

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251325142

Mac App Store Updates screen is blank

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8325952

Update screen is blank in App Store on MacBook Pro

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8340253

I read in this link about other with the same problem Apple Diagnostics Freezing on M1 MBA : mac (reddit.com)

It's is possible to update the firmware using another mac connected directly to it as in this link Revive or restore a Mac with Apple silicon with Apple Configurator 2 - Suporte da Apple. But I think is too risky to do it myself. So I sent to the store and they did the firmware update as I wrote above. But after updating to Big Sur 11.4 the problem returned (only in offline mode now)

winterdesign wrote:

I read in this link about other with the same problem Apple Diagnostics Freezing on M1 MBA : mac (reddit.com)

It's is possible to update the firmware using another mac connected directly to it as in this link Revive or restore a Mac with Apple silicon with Apple Configurator 2 - Suporte da Apple. But I think is too risky to do it myself. So I sent to the store and they did the firmware update as I wrote above. But after updating to Big Sur 11.4 the problem returned (only in offline mode now)

In my post elsewhere in this thread, I mentioned my experience with this issue. I took mine in to the Apple Store where I am assuming they simply revived the firmware (the repair description didn't state this, it's just my personal assumption) and it worked just fine when I tested it in the store before taking it home. Once I updated Big Sur in the process of reinstalling macOS, Diagnostics simply began crashing again after the reinstall.

So until Apple corrects this issue on their end, no amount of taking it back to the store for "repair" nor reviving the firmware will clear the issue so it's pointless to even do so and is simply a waste of one's time. The next OS update or reinstall will break it again...unless it's the corrected update which actually solves the issue. It's clear that 11.3.1/11.4 are not those updates.

As for even reviving the firmware yourself, you need another *compatible* Mac to even perform the revive...of which I don't have (a MBP Late 2011does not qualify) so that's not even an option for most users.

We'll just have to wait it out until Apple decides to correct this.

To all those being affected by this issue, please take the time to report it directly to Apple. The more that do, the sooner the issue can potentially be resolved.

https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html

susannpeter wrote:

I think ist is hardware related, because in my case the changed the logic board, which is very expensive. Inclusive the M1-processor (This is hardware). Afterwards they have put on 11.1. I see this because I have saved it with timeline ,after I have got the computer back from apple. It had take nearly three weeks before I got it back.

On Wednesday it was updated on 11.4. ,when I tried today the diagnostics it doesn't work and stuck.

Maybe the software update is damaging parts of the hardware.

Best regards

Doubtful that software is damaging the hardware in some way.

From my experience (posted earlier in this thread):

"I left the MBA with them to repair it which they did (it took two days). I verified Diagnostics was working correctly when I picked up the repaired MBA.

After getting the MBA back, I initially tested the MBA but then wiped the SDD & reinstalled 11.3.1 from scratch because I wanted to start with a perfectly clean slate because of the initial Bluetooth issue. The install went well and I had my MBA back up but did zero setting up on it. I shut it down to run Diagnostics which now ran fine but was now reporting a possible problem with the power supply. I shut down, disconnected the power supply and then restarted diagnostics...again with a reported possible power supply problem.

The MBA ran 100% fine otherwise. Because the OS was just cleanly installed, I again wiped the SSD, then reinstalled 11.3.1 from scratch to test. After it was finished, I again ran Diagnostics which now completed without any issues. The MBA is back to normal now but this makes me think that the 11.3.1 update is somehow corrupting the firmware or causing some kind of issue with how Diagnostics is performing. The firmware is updated (if an update is required) when the OS is updated...this was also verified by another different Genius in the Apple Store."

As above, I was able to fix mine with multiple Big Sur 11.3.1 updates. This doesn't seem to work with Big Sur11.4. Also, Apple fixed mine by "reviving" the firmware. That fix had nothing to do with bad hardware. If the hardware were damaged, it would not be fixable without replacing the hardware. Apple was able to fix mine via reviving the firmware as I also was able to by re-installing Big Sur 11.3.1 multiple times.

Revive a Mac:

https://support.apple.com/guide/apple-configurator-2/revive-or-restore-a-mac-with-apple-silicon-apdd5f3c75ad/mac

This is software related, not hardware.

Apple Diagnostics and Apple Hardware Test before it had a habit of running the memory test without allowing ANYTHING, including screen updates, to intervene. So I would be cautious about saying it had died until several minutes have gone by.

Also, it is important that you disconnect most peripherals and connect the power adapter before the diagnostic starts.

That result is intended to NEVER occur. The fact that it IS occurring on your computer indicates that your computer is broken.

We have no body of accumulated knowledge to offer on this subject. You are the first to post here about it.

Whether you feel this is caused by the most recent software update or not, you need to contact support for guidance about how to proceed, AND to let them know this has happened to you.

It's not just an issue with Diagnostics crashing. I've personally experienced an odd issue regarding Bluetooth immediately after updating to 11.3.1. This is the initial reason that prompted me to run Diagnostics in the first place. I posted the contents below elsewhere but feel it's appropriate here as well:

Specifically in my case, after my M1 MBA was "successfully" updated to 11.3.1, I turned off Bluetooth to test something. When I went to re-enable it, it asked me for my admin password (very odd, never seen this) to enable it. Once I entered it and enabled Bluetooth again, I could not disable Bluetooth any more...reboots/shutdowns didn't help. I then decided to run Diagnostics (accessed differently on M1's). Diagnostics opened and allowed me to begin running it. The progress bar came up and the system immediately froze. No trackpad click, nothing. This required me to force-shutdown (press & HOLD the power button until shutdown). No amount of trying would get Diagnostics to complete...it always froze immediately in the same way described above.

I wiped the SSD and reinstalled 11.3.1 from scratch which then fixed the Bluetooth issue but Diagnostics was still freezing. What good is diagnostics if it crashes/freezes?

I made a Genius Bar reservation where they verified the issue. (Some content omitted below due to perhaps embarrassing someone)

I left the MBA with them to repair it which they did (it took two days). I verified Diagnostics was working correctly when I picked up the repaired MBA.

After getting the MBA back, I initially tested the MBA but then wiped the SDD & reinstalled 11.3.1 from scratch because I wanted to start with a perfectly clean slate because of the initial Bluetooth issue. The install went well and I had my MBA back up but did zero setting up on it. I shut it down to run Diagnostics which now ran fine but was now reporting a possible problem with the power supply. I shut down, disconnected the power supply and then restarted diagnostics...again with a reported possible power supply problem.

The MBA ran 100% fine otherwise. Because the OS was just cleanly installed, I again wiped the SSD, then reinstalled 11.3.1 from scratch to test. After it was finished, I again ran Diagnostics which now completed without any issues. The MBA is back to normal now but this makes me think that the 11.3.1 update is somehow corrupting the firmware or causing some kind of issue with how Diagnostics is performing. The firmware is updated (if an update is required) when the OS is updated...this was also verified by another different Genius in the Apple Store.