MacBook Pro 2011 17" hard freeze

I have a MBP 15" 2.2ghz. I bought mine in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia in February. I tried replicating the hard freeze based on the info in here and http://mbp-freeze.wikispaces.com/ but without any result. (knock on wood). I hope I'm one of the lucky ones. Works that I do on my MBP:
-photo editing in Aperture / photoshop
-3d rendering in parallel using v-ray on sketchup
-autocad on mac os x
-the usual surfing on safari and word precessing.

My installation setup:
-I used Migration Assistant to move all my user folder from my previous MacBook2007
-installed iStat with 'Fan speed control' CHECKED
-in System preferences, the 'Automatic graphic switching' is OFF
-installed gfxCardStatus and I'm running on AMD radeon most of the time
-temperature on iStat is at a constant 40 degC

I am suspicious and think that perhaps the affected MBP are those batch shipped to the US. Is there anyone that bought their MBP outside of the US to confirm this?

Hi aininpw.

I'm from Malaysia too and I have this problem. I bought my Macbook Pro 17'' 2011 through the online Apple Store. My computer freezes every time I play any Source game like Counter Strike Source and Team Fortress 2. While playing the game, if I press the volume buttons, it will certainly make the computer freeze. Also, when quitting the game through the main menu, it just freezes.

Last week while I was finalizing a project in iMovie, my computer freezed again. Seems to me that my MacBook Pro only freezes under stress.

And this is my first Mac.

😟

One of the lucky ones...

Ran this baby at full load for two hours, using Handbrake and the yes > /dev/null & command eight times over, switching between graphics whenever I passed.

No issues. Max temp 92ºC for a few seconds with lid closed [external display]. Dropped to steady 87ºC with the lid open and displays mirrored.

This is hysterical! (I see you people all enjoy beta-testing Apple's hardware for them.)

I just read every post and not even a rudimentary attempt at debugging?

No one's installed a Kernel Debug Kit from the Developer site?

No checking for crash dumps?

Not even a mention of remote debugging techniques?

Someone has to be UNIX®-savvy around this place.

Let your afflicted MacBook Pro put its display to sleep.

(Yes - I mean as in, wait for the screen saver/lock to kick in and then the display go to black/blank from the display sleep setting.)

SSH in from another Mac. Make the Terminal window on the other Mac be really wide, like 220 columns wide.

Open 2 other Terminal windows on the other Mac and SSH in to the afflicted MacBook Pro in those 2 windows as well, so you have three total separate logins on the afflicted MacBook Pro.

Become root in the really wide window on the afflicted machine via

sudo su -

giving your login password to " sudo".

Beat the H3ll out of the machine by running

nice -n -20 top -i 1 -o cpu -s 0

in that big wide window.

Then in one of the other (regular size) SSH windows, do another " sudo su - " to become root.

In that window, run

vm_stat 1

Then, last but not least, in the last (regular size) SSH window, run the multiple-instances of the " yes > /dev/null" test.

We've taken the GPU somewhat out of the equation because we're not doing anything on the screen.

Meanwhile we're hammering it with CPU-intensive tasks.

If it does freeze up eventually, in the " top" window you should have an exact snapshot of the system at the moment it disappeared beneath the event horizon of the Black Hole. You should also be able to see the VM statistics (in case they're useful, like free memory, page faults and pageins/pageouts) when it locks up solid as well.

--

Conversely, if there are kernel panics (eventually) or any sort of a crash that leaves a crash dump, look in Console to see if there was a crash dump and see if there's a stack traceback. If there is, and it's a repeatable crash, consider getting a Kernel Debug Kit from the (free) Developer site and drop in the kernel from that Kit to your afflicted MacBook Pro and reboot it.

Then, if you can provoke it again and get another crash dump to happen, if it's in the identical place this time the stack traceback will contain symbolic addresses instead of useless Hex gobbledegook addresses. Give that information to Apple.

Happy debugging 😀

2 days ago my macbook pro 15" 2011 ati 6750 version have freeze issue while i make export new project 10minutes video. And after that, i make movie is no freeze again after i remove towel under macbook pro. I think the towel make my macbook pro cant distribute a heat with properly...

It resolve the freeze problem, and i after read all your problem here, i think the main problem is you use vmfusion or another paralel or wraping.... Maybe they not compatible with the processor sandy bridge..

So , i always play ge under bootcamp windows 7, is nothing happen, after i remove the towel under macbook pro (i affraid my new and first macbook got scratch).....(3 days ago my macbook under win7 boot camp got self turn off while i play a game prince of persia)

Now i want try to install call of duty modern warfare (not wrapping) in os x and see what will be happen, 3 days ago i contact who sell my macbook and i want to refund it, but they dont do that becouse in indonesia cant refund or get new one ... =(

Today I bought a 2.3 15" hi-res AG after droppin off my MBP3,1 for repair (nvidia 8600 fun!). Took it home and tried to boot off my backup drive to get some work done. Shows up on screen as a choice when opt-booting, but just stops or freezes 1 second after clicking to use that drive. Weird but figured
I'd deal with it tomorrow.

Later I saw mention of this thread on slashdot while I was out and read through several pages. Came home to test out the new MBP. It took me a few mins to do it, but it wasn't hard. Got some HD trailers playing in QuickTime, loaded one into iMovie and made some color adjustments and had that playing back, downloaded handbrake and had a transcode running, and opened Photobooth for some real time iSight video playback. not sure if I needed all those things running, but it freezes. Every time. Duplicated the freeze faster each time. Locks up with no other visual symptoms, have to hard reboot with holding the power button down.

Guess I take it back, but do I ask for a replacement and try to dupe the issue in store? Or hang tight for a couple days before my old MBP is fixed and hold off?

I was bummed this crash is so easy to duplicate.

I tried all kind of different things and I am not able to make my MacBook Pro 2011 2.2Ghz freeze. It came from Cork in Ireland.

If you can suggest a tool that stress test the cpu/gpu I'd be happy to see if I can make it freeze.

If you read the thread, you'll know that is incorrect. Many, many people can reproduce the crash by doing nothing more than plugging in their iPhone or running Photobooth while running yes > /dev/null

http://mbp-freeze.wikispaces.com/

There are several very reproducible steps lists here. The macports one is almost fool proof. I don't recall a post where someone has done that and not reproduced the issue.

Maybe you guys take your macbook pro to desk , dont use it on the bed or another place which can disturb heat distribution ... And take out hard case if you use or another case....

And dont use wraping game and crossover or parallel for while and see if that macbook can still freeze?????

I think apple always make a good gadget... But i affraid i am false.....

I like this macbook ....

Mac Guy: I am having freeze problems lately, and Apple won't even recognize it's a problem.

PC Guy: I am sorry for that, Mac (pretentious smile). One day, you may have the build quality of an HP or an Asus laptop. One day, you might even have the high quality speakers and DVD drives that HP and ASUS laptops have. But for now, you are designed by ignorant underpaid temps (admit it, Apple) and built by the worst of standards.

Mac Guy: I think I am going to crash...

I am GLAD to see the roles have being reversed since the last time the Mac vs PC ads played.

PS: Yeah, go ahead and delete this post, like it isn't true. Don't worry, Apple fans, your messiah (Jobs) will soon come and tell you it was all a bad dream, and it can be easily solved by spending another 2000$ to get an new mac. Then, everything will be OK again. Right?

Dont feed the trolls, lets keep this one constructive.

Somebody over at the Macrumors thread just mentioned something that I have also had once but figured was unrelated until he mentioned he also had it. When shutting down Windows from Bootcamp it will hang on the 'Shutting down' spinner and the fans will max out in the same fashion that we have all seen on OSX.

Has anybody else had this one?

Run the Cinebench GPU test at the same time. Start the GPU test and the 8 instances of yes > /dev/null at the same time while the fans are at minimum RPM. Good chance the fans wont make it to maximum RPM before it locks.

I was just alerted to this thread after reading about it on macrumors. I'm a new apple customer. This is my first macbook pro. I'm having this issue as well. Other than this issue, i'm very satisfied. I've noticed 2 types of lockups. One:

Complete lockup requiring a hard restart.

Two:

Everything locks up except the mouse. Can't click on anything. Waiting any amount of time doesn't help. Sometimes waiting will result in a full lockup.


I haven't called apple yet...But i'm considering doing it now. I've yet to read this entire thread because it's huge but i have subscribed to it and plan to read it. I hope this is an issue that can be fixed, but from what i understand this is what it is like to be an early adopter.


I'm using parallels when most of the crashes happen....haven't done anything to try to force the crash so i'm seeing them randomly once every 2-3 days.

I've experienced 7 freezeups on my 2011 15inch 2.2ghz in the 13 days I've owned one.

They range from when I shutdown in Win 7 Bootcamp (it hangs on Shutting Down and the Circle stops spinning) to disconnecting the external display. I've also experienced lots of beachballing (if this is relevant to the freeze ups I don't know).

I wasn't able to replicate the Wiki Step 1 Instructions of the freeze first time. I did however manage to do it on my second attempt an hour or so later. Ironically the first time (when it didnt freeze) I was on my bed and the second time (when it did freeze) I was in my Office on a table. The second time the brightness was up to the max and it was plugged into the mains power.

Like someone has said before it does seem to happen if you "catch it out" ie from sleep go straight into something graphic or cpu intensive rather than easing it in gently - which is completely unacceptable for the worlds most powerful laptop range.

The two people I spoke to on the phone from Apple were very understanding and infact didn't even ask me to do any tests whatsoever and infact were more than helpful in offering me a refund/replacement (thankfully I did this within my first 14days of purchase). All in all for my first ever Mac computer I'm disappointed and disheartened with the brand.

I have taken up their offer on a replacement which means I'm going to be without a computer for a week (bto antiglare macbook) as I ditched my PC and got a Macbook as a desktop replacement. From what I've been reading however I'm not sure if this is going to eliminate the issue(s).

All in all I'm still (stupidly) loyal to the brand since my first iPod 6 years ago. I hope they can resolve this issue as I will be asking for a full refund on the replacement if it's exactly the same.