Panic Kernel Help

Circusj wrote:

I don't have anything plugged in as a USB other than internally- how would I test that?

That should be easy to verify. If nothing is plugged in, then nothing is plugged in. While USB is the most common culprit, it could be any external hardware device.

This is primarily an issue with respect to diagnosing the problem. For kernel panics, we suggest this sequence:

1) Remove any 3rd party kernel extensions. See if panics stop. If panics continue, go to step 2.

2) Remove any 3rd party external hardware. See if panics stop. If panics continue, go to step 3.

3) Take computer to Apple Store or Authorized Apple Service provider for additional diagnostics and repair.

Steps 1 and 2 are important because they are a big source of kernel panics and because they are something you can do at home, from an Internet forum like this one.

I used the Sophos uninstaller from the company and don't show any remaining files on my computer.

That's unfortunate. Not unexpected, but unfortunate. In theory, this should not be the cause of kernel panics. But eventually, you will want to get rid of those system extensions. Orphan system extensions can be very difficult to remove. You may need to disable SIP and then use the Terminal to run the "systemextensionsctl" tool to remove them.

Antivirus vendors are particularly bad at this specific problem. I guess they spend all their time looking for zero-day threats from state-sponsored hackers that they can't be bothered to read any Apple documentation issued in the past two and half years.

It seems to be related to the Highpoint drivers for the hard drive which I see have been a problem with other OS updates.

As I said, this could be a limitation in EtreCheck. Those Highpoint drivers may not be installed anymore. They may never have been related to the panics either. That is just a prompt to try #1 above before going through the trouble for #3.

You can run Console.app to access the kernel panic reports themselves. Go to "Diagnostic Reports" in the sidebar on the left-hand side. It looks like you may have already done that. Your first post contains a kernel panic. It doesn't seem to have a date listed other than the kernel build date.

If your most recent kernel panic reports don't list those drivers, then they are not a problem.

Please don't attempt to look at any system error messages in console. Please don't. Sometimes people turn on those streaming error messages and completely lose touch with reality. They think they are in some kind of "Matrix" sequel. I'm not kidding here.

I guess I can just restore via TimeMachine for now.

That may be more difficult than you think. If you use Time Machine to restore the system, the default settings will re-install any files that might potentially be contributing. What you would have to do is completely erase the hard drive and reinstall the operating system. Then, you could restore, but only restore your user accounts and user documents. Do not restore applications or "other files". It's not very fun.