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User profile for user: Baylow94
Baylow94 Author
User level: Level 1
18 points

Kernel Panic (MBP 13" 2017, macOS 12.2.1)

EtreDiag 2022-03-01 2245h

I'm having this issue since the year began. I have EtreCheck and have used it multiple times (and followed it's recommendations), no solution. Been have this problem since upgrading to Monterrey at the beginning of the year. Just about sick of it all. I can go days without anything, then in 10 minutes, I can have up to 4 panics consecutively.

  • I've tried the SMC, PRAM/NVRAM resets, no dice. I ran AppleDiagnostics, it found no issues.
  • Console told me of one program whose crashes coincided with the panics (AdobeUpdateUtility), I removed it and my Creative Cloud desktop app, no dice.
  • I ran EtreCheck and removed all the Launchd's that were no longer needed or in use, no dice.
  • I got mac Fan Control to see if it was related to running temperature, and found no correlation; it panicked when my mac was running hot and when it was not.
  • I read somewhere that it could be chargerport-related, I changed ports from one to the other, no dice
  • I read somewhere that it could be RAM-related, but since AppleDiag found nothing, I'm not to sure of that theory
  • I thought Chrome could be a suspect since it's a RAM sync, but it's panicked with and without Chrome running
  • Terminal did not show me any third-party kernels that I could delete. I only had first-party kernels installed

I am at my wit's end and seriously considering restoring a previous version from time machine, or doing a fresh install. What could the issue be? What else can I try?

Posted on Mar 1, 2022 8:08 PM

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User profile for user: Baylow94
Baylow94 Author
User level: Level 1
18 points

Posted on Mar 15, 2022 7:02 PM

Update:

It's been two weeks since I took it into the apple store to get checked. For almost a week, they were unable to reproduce the issue. The thing just wouldn't crash for them, so I went in to see if I could trigger a crash myself. The thing Just. Wouldn't. Crash. I felt like a liar. So I took it home, and not 20 minutes had passed before it froze and restarted on me. I was so ******. I managed to record one of the crashes and left it at the store. Thankfully, they were able to see it in the video and see it in person, and the tech deduced that it was likely a hardware issue, either the RAM or the SSD. Seeing as these recent macs have the components soldered onto the logic board, replacing either meant replacing the whole board, which made it easier somewhat, since I didn't have to choose what to replace first, RAM or SSD.

I initially declined the repair, thinking I could manage the macbook for a little bit while I save to get the new 2021 13" one. I figured I could probably get a few hours, at a time, out of it before it starts freaking out. I was dead wrong. As soon as I booted it up and signed, after it's done loading up, 3-5 minutes later, it's freezing and restarting. I could sometimes extend it to about 20 minutes if I engage the system in something while it's loading up (loading a website, starting an install, watching a video, etc.) But as soon as the tasks were done and the processes winding down, it's freezing and restarting. Sometimes it would be as soon as I take my finger off the trackpad, or stop moving the mouse, it's frozen. Basically unusable at this point, so I called them and opted for the repair. I should get it back sometime next week.

Hopefully, that's the end of that and I don't have to make another update or thread complaining about my freezing macbook. Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions, I really appreciate it.

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User profile for user: Baylow94
Baylow94 Author
User level: Level 1
18 points

Mar 15, 2022 7:02 PM in response to DiZoE

Update:

It's been two weeks since I took it into the apple store to get checked. For almost a week, they were unable to reproduce the issue. The thing just wouldn't crash for them, so I went in to see if I could trigger a crash myself. The thing Just. Wouldn't. Crash. I felt like a liar. So I took it home, and not 20 minutes had passed before it froze and restarted on me. I was so ******. I managed to record one of the crashes and left it at the store. Thankfully, they were able to see it in the video and see it in person, and the tech deduced that it was likely a hardware issue, either the RAM or the SSD. Seeing as these recent macs have the components soldered onto the logic board, replacing either meant replacing the whole board, which made it easier somewhat, since I didn't have to choose what to replace first, RAM or SSD.

I initially declined the repair, thinking I could manage the macbook for a little bit while I save to get the new 2021 13" one. I figured I could probably get a few hours, at a time, out of it before it starts freaking out. I was dead wrong. As soon as I booted it up and signed, after it's done loading up, 3-5 minutes later, it's freezing and restarting. I could sometimes extend it to about 20 minutes if I engage the system in something while it's loading up (loading a website, starting an install, watching a video, etc.) But as soon as the tasks were done and the processes winding down, it's freezing and restarting. Sometimes it would be as soon as I take my finger off the trackpad, or stop moving the mouse, it's frozen. Basically unusable at this point, so I called them and opted for the repair. I should get it back sometime next week.

Hopefully, that's the end of that and I don't have to make another update or thread complaining about my freezing macbook. Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions, I really appreciate it.

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User profile for user: Baylow94
Baylow94 Author
User level: Level 1
18 points

Mar 4, 2022 10:12 PM in response to DiZoE

Hey DiZoE, sorry for my late reply.

I actually had the same idea last night. So I made a bootable usb of macOS Monterey, wiped my hard drive and did a fresh install.

  1. On the first try, I did a partial migration of my files from my most recent time machine backup. I migrated everything except my applications to see if it was app-related. I had no crashes initially, but after I downloaded Chrome (the first app I tried to reinstall) and restored my last session, I had a freeze and restart.
  2. So I wiped my HD again and did a fresh install, this time I only migrated network settings from the Time machine back up, no applications, no previous profiles, nothing; I had a freeze and restart while trying to install Opera (the first app I tried to reinstall), and again a few minutes after it restarted and I signed in. I also noticed that both of these freeze and restarts happened after the exhaust fan had kicked into high-gear for a time and was slowing down.
  3. Since the clean install somewhat proved that it wasn't any of my apps that was giving me issues. I repeated what I did on my first try; clean install and migrated all but my applications. Since then, I've downloaded and reinstalled most of my apps from before. I've had about 3 freeze and restarts, and ALL of them have been after completing something *seemingly* intensive (high fan rotation, high CPU usage, etc); while the system was winding down, it would freeze and restart.

Based on what I've read and seen previously, I can definitely rule out kernel panic; I never got any of the kernel panic "indicators" (no panic logs, no "your computer restarted unexpectedly" message). The clean installs ruled out, in my opinion, a software issue since I had the same thing happen when I had minimal software and when I had everything. The only other possibility is a hardware issue. I suspect that it may be RAM-related. I'm guessing it has something to do with when the RAM empties itself after doing work, or something.

Anyway, I'm currently making a Time Machine backup and have set up a Genius Bar appointment for tomorrow. I'm going to tell them all I've done and what I suspect it could be and leave it up to them. Hopefully, it's a known issue or something the tech I speak to, is knowledgeable about, so I don't spend money to be told "We don't know." It's not a new macbook, but I'm not willing to get a new one just yet.

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User profile for user: Barney-15E
Barney-15E
User level: Level 10
112,824 points

Mar 1, 2022 8:17 PM in response to Baylow94

• Terminal did not show me any third-party kernels that I could delete. I only had first-party kernels installed
Kernel Extensions:
  /Library/Extensions
    [Not Loaded] HoRNDIS.kext - com.joshuawise.kexts.HoRNDIS (9.2 - SDK 10.11)


That's not installed by Apple.

What could the issue be? What else can I try?

You can uninstall that. If that fails, take it to an Apple Store or Authorized Repair center for evaluation.

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User profile for user: Baylow94
Baylow94 Author
User level: Level 1
18 points

Mar 1, 2022 11:21 PM in response to DiZoE

Thanks for the suggestion DiZoE.

I've done everything in that article short of reinstalling macOS. But the thing is, when it panics and restarts itself I don't even get that pop up that says "Your computer was restarted because of a problem," I get nothing. Any apps that were open before the panic, open up again but that's it.

In the last 15 minutes, I've had 10~ panics, back-to-back. As soon as it boots up completely, it panics and restarts again. At one point, I didn't even get to put my password in before it froze and restarted itself. When I wake up in the morning, I'll make a Mojave recovery drive and reinstall that version of macOS. All this started after the upgrade to Monterrey anyway

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User profile for user: Barney-15E
Barney-15E
User level: Level 10
112,824 points

Mar 2, 2022 4:11 AM in response to Baylow94

Thank you! I figured since it wasn't loaded at the time, or in use, it wouldn't be a problem.

If it isn't in the loaded kexts in the panic log, then it wouldn't be a problem, but you didn't post the panic log. You posted an EtreCheck report which can't tell you if it was loaded at the time of the panic or not.

From the EtreCheck report you just posted, there is an extension called LuLu running.


Kernel Panics are caused predominately by hardware faults and third-party kernel extensions. It could be caused by Apple's kernel extensions, but that is rare. I have a 2018 MBP that has no issues with Monterey.


Do you have any panic logs in /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports. It can panic and not write a panic log; however, those seem to only happen early in the boot process. EtreCheck does not see any signs of you having had a panic. That doesn't mean you didn't, but it could be something else and chasing down kernel extensions won't resolve the issue.

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User profile for user: DiZoE
DiZoE
User level: Level 4
2,937 points

Mar 3, 2022 11:01 PM in response to Baylow94

Hey again!


Good plan, You can erase, install Mojave from the bootable installer and set up as new to see how it goes, possibly to rule out the hardware.


Likewise, you could keep the data on the Mac, add a fresh new APFS volume, install the current OS onto the new Volume, either risk migrating the data and testing, or setting it up as new and testing.


Say you even migrate your data on the new Volume and it works fine, you can just remove the old Volume that wasn’t working as it should.


If interested:

While in recovery mode, go to Disk Utility > View > Show All Devices.


Select the “Container Disk” below the main drive.


Click the “+” by where it says “Volumes”, and “Add” a new Volume and give it a new name.


Reinstall the OS onto the new Volume and see how that goes.


Its actually a good test, and possible solution, especially if you aren’t keen to full on erasing the main drive just yet.


Yet another good hardware test is Reinstalling the OS onto an external drive, setting that drive up and see how it goes? But of course that’s if you have to, I know these steps always take time to do.


In any case hope it works out!

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User profile for user: DiZoE
DiZoE
User level: Level 4
2,937 points

Mar 4, 2022 10:28 PM in response to Baylow94

Hey again Baylow94!


Well I’d have to say you’ve done most of the isolation steps yourself, and proved it maybe an issue with the hardware. I’m sure once they test it they’ll be able to replicate the problem, and hopefully diagnose and finally fix it.


In any case hope it works out for you, let me know how it goes if you get a chance 🙂!

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Kernel Panic (MBP 13" 2017, macOS 12.2.1)

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