Lion randomly crashes - black screen

@UCLAMacConvert Actually this was a widespread issue even before Lion. I was getting this exact crash atleast a few times a week even on Snow leopard. I read of cases where apple would replace the motherboard + video card which fixed the issue. The problem is getting them to admit there is a problem because sometimes its so random to create the KP.

Its just that since Lion its made it a rampant problem. There is definately a issue with the nvidia card on just some machines. I have a work mate with the identical model april 2010 macbook pro i have and it has no issue at all with lion. Another workmate has the 2011 ATI macbook pro again with no issues...

Everyone needs to lodge a bug + attach their error logs here: http://bugreport.apple.com/

If you have not lodged it there do it now. FYI, this is just a community support forum where we help each other. Apple does check the forums but does not seem to communicate directly so you NEED to lodge your problems via the bug forum.

Also make sure to always report the kernel panics to apple when your machine reboots after the "black screen of death". Speaking of which, seriously apple, this is a worse experience as I've ever had on any windows machine...

Suspect an issue with ElmediaPlayer, which is mentioned in that panic report. Considering the other posts in this topic, you're probably better taking ElmediaPlayer to a separate topic. Good luck.

@wired00

I don't doubt there may be some faulty hardware out there (Apple, Intel, nVidia and ATI are not immune to defects). But the sheer number of "I've had this MBP for 8-16 months and never had a crash on Snow Leopard and now on Lion I crash multiple times a day" doesn't lead me to believe that we all have had latent hardware problems that suddenly surfaced in 10.7.0. Most of us went from 10.6.0 - 10.6.8 with no problems whatsoever.

Off-topic, that's extraodrindarily careless and misleading reporting by Engadget 😠

Really? Does 10.7.2 beta include bug fixes?

@UCLAMacConvert yeah i see what your saying but do you think there was an inherent problem with some nvidia cards, which we all have. Some of us, like me, experienced rare crashes with the old firmware, drivers et al under SL but many more (in this thread) are now experiencings the problem with new lion firmware which increases the crashes or raises the problem which was already there. To me the identical kernel panic log appears pre lion to what i get in lion its just FAR more frequent.

I think of the way they rate GPU chips in manufacturing. To determine max clock speeds they simply run the chips to benchmark their performance and stability. Based on the results they will lower clock or increase before applying to a card. Better performing chip yields might become a more premium overclocked variety whereas the lower performing yields might have a few pixel pipes cut and it goes onto a lower speed, lower pricepoint card.

I think we all have bad yield nvidia GPU's which were underperforming but still slid through. Apple has introduced a driver which is uncovering problems that weren't detected under benchmarking to begin with. It also seems suspicious that we are all running on the last generation of Nvidia chips before Apple ran off to ATI.

Thats my speculation anyway.

Observations on the crashes with Lion on my MPB 2.66 i7 mid 2010, 8GB, 500GB:

I use my Macbook with an external monitor, the Macbook usually stays closed.

Lion is unuasable. A screen-to-black crash w/i 5 minutes, usually less. Behavior is -- screen goes blank immediately and randomly [I don't have to be 'doing' anything, though at times it seems to be repeatable; clicking on New Message panel in Mail used to cause the crash; now, not every time]; after 10-20 seconds system begins rebooting; normal gray screen soon appears with Apple logo - but no whirlling circle; less than 30 seconds later my desktop appears, with most log-on processes finished or completing; at this point bluetooth fails in many ways - looses connections, can't find connections, lost-found-lost-found cycle of connections - even the drop-down bluetooth menu has a long delay. Adding and deleting devices has made no difference in the long term, though a keyboard did once start working, before it lost the connection, using delete and add. Magic Mouse, too, looses and then cannot refind the connection, even though the Bluetooth menu indicates "connected." New batteries did not help. Maybe, when I've time, I'll delete some preferences and see it that fixes something. Anything.

My only (albeit temporary) solution: Using the built-in keyboard, zap PRAM. An SMC reset seemed necessary a couple of time. Both is what it takes for my Macbook Pro to automatically recognize the bluetooth keyboard again. Rebooting into Lion, this functionality leaves after the first crash, making log-on w/password difficult since I can't use the external keyboard. Logon with the built-in keyboard works, but using the Macbook closed as I do, the bluetooth keyboard becomes useless.

I installed the Fan Control preference pane with some possibly marginal success. Still crashed, but maybe not as quickly. Hard to say.

OTHER.

The Finder's new "All My Files" doesn't work for me. It shows 9 files, all of which seem to be rather random. It's known problem.

Mail's Activity window does not disappear from view. Ever. In any open app the Activity Window is visible (of course, I can close it in Mail, and then it stays gone). But if the Acitvity window is open and I navigate to any other program, the Activity Window remains a visible floating window (though not necessarily top-most). Also, it is not clickable. Clicking on it takes one to the finder, with the Activity Window still behind and unclickable. Only in Mail can I click on the Activity Window.

So, no Lion for me. Can't waste any more time trying to get to work.

I also have this issue. I have a MacBook Pro 15-inch, Mid 2010 with a NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M. It has started crashing since I installed lion. The crash happens every 10 mins or so. The crash starts with the black screen of death, then i power cycle the system and i get the kernel panic report when it boots back up again. I have done a clean install of lion and this has not fixed the issue. The only way i can get it to run is in 'integrated only' mode using gfxCardStatus. This prevents all kernel panics.

Here is my kernel panic report: -

Interval Since Last Panic Report: 7 sec

Panics Since Last Report: 1

Anonymous UUID: 788CE8C5-F4E6-4091-AFBF-26997DCC63DE

Sat Jul 23 10:09:14 2011

panic(cpu 1 caller 0xffffff7f8139b2bf): NVRM[0/1:0:0]: Read Error 0x00000100: CFG 0xffffffff 0xffffffff 0xffffffff, BAR0 0xc0000000 0xffffff809ee4d000 0x0a5480a2, D0, P3/4

Backtrace (CPU 1), Frame : Return Address

0xffffff80a25c3800 : 0xffffff8000220702

0xffffff80a25c3880 : 0xffffff7f8139b2bf

0xffffff80a25c3910 : 0xffffff7f8148b3fc

0xffffff80a25c3960 : 0xffffff7f8148b4bc

0xffffff80a25c39c0 : 0xffffff7f81735749

0xffffff80a25c3b00 : 0xffffff7f814aa519

0xffffff80a25c3b30 : 0xffffff7f813a4c4a

0xffffff80a25c3be0 : 0xffffff7f813a054c

0xffffff80a25c3dd0 : 0xffffff7f813a2001

0xffffff80a25c3eb0 : 0xffffff7f8133d2a4

0xffffff80a25c3f00 : 0xffffff7f8208e7de

0xffffff80a25c3f50 : 0xffffff7f8208ef32

0xffffff80a25c3f70 : 0xffffff800023dafc

0xffffff80a25c3fb0 : 0xffffff8000820057

Kernel Extensions in backtrace:

com.apple.NVDAResman(7.0.2)[7E65ECA2-D3A1-35F8-B845-C975FB531E7E]@0xffffff7f813 3b000->0xffffff7f81611fff

dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.6.5)[95ABB490-3AB5-3D5E-9C21-67089A9AE6A1]@0xffff ff7f80821000

dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.3)[E99C8907-946D-3F1A-A261-4C0F2D5D0451]@0xffff ff7f81329000

dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3)[897EB322-FD55-36D7-A68E-9E9C34A74A84]@0xf fffff7f812f1000

com.apple.nvidia.nv50hal(7.0.2)[2E84958C-1EEC-316B-9F7A-68C368F83476]@0xffffff7 f81612000->0xffffff7f81933fff

dependency: com.apple.NVDAResman(7.0.2)[7E65ECA2-D3A1-35F8-B845-C975FB531E7E]@0xffffff7f813 3b000

com.apple.driver.AGPM(100.12.40)[0F9DB3F1-BE6E-3C13-A7D5-86385AE82AB1]@0xffffff 7f8208d000->0xffffff7f82097fff

dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3)[897EB322-FD55-36D7-A68E-9E9C34A74A84]@0xf fffff7f812f1000

dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.3)[E99C8907-946D-3F1A-A261-4C0F2D5D0451]@0xffff ff7f81329000

dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.6.5)[95ABB490-3AB5-3D5E-9C21-67089A9AE6A1]@0xffff ff7f80821000

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task

Mac OS version:

11A511

Kernel version:

Darwin Kernel Version 11.0.0: Sat Jun 18 12:56:35 PDT 2011; root:xnu-1699.22.73~1/RELEASE_X86_64

Kernel UUID: 24CC17EB-30B0-3F6C-907F-1A9B2057AF78

System model name: MacBookPro6,2 (Mac-F22586C8)

System uptime in nanoseconds: 370327771416

last loaded kext at 283223223922: com.apple.filesystems.msdosfs 1.7 (addr 0xffffff7f82114000, size 57344)

loaded kexts:

com.apple.filesystems.msdosfs 1.7

com.apple.driver.AppleHWSensor 1.9.4d0

com.apple.filesystems.autofs 3.0

com.apple.driver.AudioAUUC 1.59

com.apple.iokit.IOUserEthernet 1.0.0d1

com.apple.driver.AppleMikeyHIDDriver 122

com.apple.driver.AppleUpstreamUserClient 3.5.9

com.apple.driver.AppleTyMCEDriver 1.0.2d2

com.apple.driver.AGPM 100.12.40

com.apple.driver.AppleMikeyDriver 2.1.1f11

com.apple.driver.AppleMCCSControl 1.0.24

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelHDGraphics 7.0.2

com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X 7.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleHDA 2.1.1f11

com.apple.GeForce 7.0.2

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelHDGraphicsFB 7.0.2

com.apple.driver.SMCMotionSensor 3.0.1d2

com.apple.iokit.AppleBCM5701Ethernet 3.0.6b9

com.apple.driver.AudioIPCDriver 1.2.0

com.apple.driver.AppleSMCLMU 2.0.1d2

com.apple.driver.AppleMuxControl 3.0.8

com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4331 500.20.6

com.apple.driver.ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin 4.7.0b2

com.apple.driver.AppleLPC 1.5.1

com.apple.driver.AppleBacklight 170.1.9

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCButtons 220.8

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyEventDriver 220.8

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard 220.8

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBCardReader 3.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleIRController 309

com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient 3.0.0

com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless 1.0.0d1

com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib 1.0.0d1

com.apple.BootCache 32

com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI 4.8.6

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 2.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub 4.4.0

com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM 1.5.0

com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort 2.1.8

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI 4.4.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI 4.4.0

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons 1.4

com.apple.driver.AppleSmartBatteryManager 161.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 1.4

com.apple.driver.AppleHPET 1.6

com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 1.7

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 1.4

com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.5

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient 166.0.0

com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 3.0.30

com.apple.security.quarantine 1

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 166.0.0

com.apple.kext.triggers 1.0

com.apple.iokit.IOSurface 80.0

com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothSerialManager 2.5f17

com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily 10.0.5

com.apple.iokit.IOAVBFamily 1.0.0d22

com.apple.driver.AppleHDAHardwareConfigDriver 2.1.1f11

com.apple.driver.DspFuncLib 2.1.1f11

com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusController 1.0.10d0

com.apple.iokit.IOEthernetAVBController 1.0.0d5

com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireIP 2.2.3

com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily 1.8.3fc11

com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib 1.3

com.apple.driver.AppleHDAController 2.1.1f11

com.apple.iokit.IOHDAFamily 2.1.1f11

com.apple.driver.AppleGraphicsControl 3.0.8

com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family 400.40

com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 2.0

com.apple.driver.AppleSMC 3.1.1d2

com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginFamily 4.7.0b2

com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusPCI 1.0.10d0

com.apple.driver.AppleBacklightExpert 1.0.3

com.apple.nvidia.nv50hal 7.0.2

com.apple.NVDAResman 7.0.2

com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport 2.3

com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily 2.3

com.apple.driver.BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController 2.5f17

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController 2.5f17

com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily 2.5f17

com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver 13

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMultitouch 220.23

com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice 3.0.0

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBMassStorageClass 3.0.0

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver 4.4.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub 4.4.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite 3.9.0

com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice 3.0.0

com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily 1.6

com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily 1.6

com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily 1.7

com.apple.driver.XsanFilter 403

com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily 4.4.3

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCISerialATAPI 2.0.0

com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily 3.0.0

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient 4.4.0

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 2.0.6

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 4.4.0

com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime 1.5.0

com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 1.7.0

com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1

com.apple.security.sandbox 165

com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1

com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 7

com.apple.driver.DiskImages 326

com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 1.7

com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore 28.18

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 1.4

com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily 2.6.5

com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.4

Model: MacBookPro6,2, BootROM MBP61.0057.B0C, 2 processors, Intel Core i5, 2.4 GHz, 4 GB, SMC 1.58f16

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, PCIe, 256 MB

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics, Intel HD Graphics, Built-In, 288 MB

Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 2 GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz, 0x802C, 0x384A53463235363634485A2D314731443120

Memory Module: BANK 1/DIMM0, 2 GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz, 0x802C, 0x384A53463235363634485A2D314731443120

AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0x93), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.100.98.75.6)

Bluetooth: Version 2.5.0f17, 2 service, 19 devices, 1 incoming serial ports

Network Service: Wi-Fi, AirPort, en1

Serial ATA Device: TOSHIBA MK3255GSXF, 320.07 GB

Serial ATA Device: MATSHITADVD-R UJ-898

USB Device: hub_device, 0x0424 (SMSC), 0x2514, 0xfd100000 / 2

USB Device: Built-in iSight, apple_vendor_id, 0x8507, 0xfd110000 / 4

USB Device: IR Receiver, apple_vendor_id, 0x8242, 0xfd120000 / 3

USB Device: hub_device, 0x0424 (SMSC), 0x2514, 0xfa100000 / 2

USB Device: Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad, apple_vendor_id, 0x0237, 0xfa120000 / 5

USB Device: Internal Memory Card Reader, apple_vendor_id, 0x8403, 0xfa130000 / 4

USB Device: BRCM2070 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0xfa110000 / 3

USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, apple_vendor_id, 0x8218, 0xfa113000 / 6

An update, I've been running my 2010 MacBook Pro with "Discrete Only", repaired permissions using Disk Utility and have not had a freeze in more than 24 hours. I've watched videos, used iTunes, enabled Screensavers, ran VMWare Fusion, my other usual daily tasks (Quicken Essentials, Adobe CS 5 apps) and played Steam games without issue so far. I usually leave my MacBook Pro turned on all the time and it survived overnight no problem.

@Ian Kelleigh I was the same yesterday it was working fine on "discrete only" for the whole day until i tried running a system profile export.

Try this and see if you don't crash - click the top left apple logo > About this mac > More Info... > System Report... Then Click File > Send To Apple...

After i click the send to apple it crashes more often than not.

Love how Apple released a whole combo set update for Snow Leopard, but can't fix our one "small" problem...

Apple today (25.07) released "additional" (!!!) 10.6.8 update.

Hope they'll focus on this now...

Better now. Odd, though, that a 10.6.8 update would make my Lion volume happier again. Still some bugs to iron out, but it's not crashing. Or is it that I installed Fan Control? The OS did crash earlier in the day, after I installed Fan Control (and had restarted).

After updating with the 'additional' 10.6.8 update on my connected 10.6.8 volume (since I couldn't use Lion as it was very unstable), my MBP restarted unexpectedly into the Lion volume. 15 minutes in and no problem. Early on I experienced a brief 30 seconds where my Bluetooth keyboard disappeared, then reappeared and quickly passed along some of the 'unresponsive' keystrokes I'd punched. No panic. Yet. I did install the Fan Control. I cannot isolate discrete intel graphics as I use an external monitor, where the NVidia chipset is required. I like Lion if it doesn't crash.

Wait you had an SL extenral HD. You updated it to 10.6.8 v1.1. You then restarted your Macbook Pro with an NVIDIA GPU and it booted into Lion. Now your Macbook Pro has no problems except that it lost the bt connect for 30 seconds that 1 time. Test out if you can go log into other accounts with some still open. That is what mine crashes on.

NOT BETTER NOW. (I know, shouting.)

It actually stayed crash free for almost 20 minutes. Yeah! I go real work done. Yeah!

A 200% improvement in stability, by gosh.

And the Mail Activity Window now does disappear now, though it takes about 5-10 seconds before it disappears.

I would have deleted my previous post, but it too too long to reboot and get back onto a working (non-Lion) volume. I apologize.