Macbook Pro Constantly Freezing

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Macbook Pro Constantly Freezing

Hi guys,

I hope anyone of you smart computer geeks out there can help me with this issue. My apologies if this issue has already been answered a couple of times but I couldn't find one solution that actually works for me.

I own a 13" Macbook Pro from Mid 2009. Here are some details about it:

Processor 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Memory 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB

Software OS X 10.8.2 (12C60)

It has been quite a while that my Macbook Pro started freezing and constantly showing the beachball icons which lasts forever that forces me to "force shutdown" by holding on the power button.

When I power it up again, it takes a while to get into the startup screen; sometimes I couldn't even get into the startup screen after 30 minutes. I leave it shutdown and I turned it on again the next day, it works fine.

I check the Console for what causing the constant freezing problems and turns out it is this:

Nov 30 22:18:01 Liews-MacBook-Pro kernel[0]: disk0s2: I/O error.

Nov 30 22:18:01 Liews-MacBook-Pro kernel[0]:

Nov 30 22:18:01 --- last message repeated 1 time ---

Nov 30 22:18:01 Liews-MacBook-Pro kernel[0]: disk0s2: I/O error.

Nov 30 22:18:01 Liews-MacBook-Pro kernel[0]:

Nov 30 22:18:31 --- last message repeated 1 time ---

Nov 30 22:25:13 Liews-MacBook-Pro kernel[0]: disk0s2: I/O error.

I figured I had a faulty hard disk so I bought a new one, 500GB Western Digital SATA disk, fitted it into my Macbook, and even REFORMATTED IT. But the problem still persists!

Then I figured it could be a problem with Mountain Lion OS, so I downgraded it to Lion OS, the problem is still there!

What should I do? Please help! I formatted my Macbook Pro countless times but to no success, the freezing and beachball is still occurring.

I would be really grateful if anyone can help me with this solution. Please don't tell me to bring my Macbook for service as if I want to do so, I won't be spending my time writing on this forum.

Thanks a lot!

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Nov 30, 2012 6:33 AM

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Answer 1

mak9

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Nov 30, 2012 11:00 PM in response to Jyliew

I have the same issue. Same year of Macbook Pro - but mine is a 15''. It is driving me crazy. Let me know if you find a solution. I will do the same.

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Answer 2

Dec 1, 2012 12:24 AM in response to Jyliew

Its an I/O error, you are not alone, because I tried this before too, it was painful. You must bring it to Apple and fix it, they cost you $100 to replace a new HDD, if you are still under warranty, it cost you nothing. Your HDD is having errors, its not the data thats affecting it, its the hardware that needs to be replaced.

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Answer 3

Jyliew Author

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Dec 1, 2012 1:05 AM in response to coolpop18

Thanks for your reply Coolpop18.

As stated in my description, the old hard disk with the errors have been replaced with a brand new one. However, the errors are still reoccurring. What are the chances that a newly bought hard disk will face the errors again? Furthermore, I have also used disk utility to scan for errors and but everything seems fine.

Any ideas ?

Thanks

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Answer 4

Dec 1, 2012 1:08 AM in response to Jyliew

Could be a little thing like a bad SATA cable - it could have been damaged when the new hard drive was installed. Get a new one (quite inexpensive - yet quite delicate) and install it and see if you still have i/o problems then.

Clinton

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Answer 5

Jyliew Author

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Dec 1, 2012 1:20 AM in response to clintonfrombirmingham

Thanks for the suggestion. I have never heard of problems with SATA cable that may cause io errors but I will definitely check it out. Thanks !

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Answer 6

Jyliew Author

Level 1

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Dec 5, 2012 6:33 AM in response to mak9

Hey Mak9,

I followed clintonfrombirmingham suggestion, he said that it could be a SATA hard disk cable problem. Since I couldn't get any spare parts in my country nor could I change the cable myself, I had no choice but to go with my last resort - submit my laptop for repair ar my local authorized apple service centre.

FYI I'm living in Malaysia, the total repair cost me RM329 which is about 109 USD.

RM79 for the new cable

RM150 for system restoration

RM100 for services

Pretty costly but that's my only choice. I handed in my laptop for repair on Monday 3 Dec 2012. They estimated that it would take 1 week, but surprisingly I got their call on Tuesday saying that it's repaired and ready for collection. Wow! :)

If you have the tools and skills to replace the cable on your own, you might as well do so as it may reduce your cost. But do make sure that it is actually the cable problem before changing the cable.

After the service , my laptop is back from the dead again (no more freezings so far), hooray! :)

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