Q: 2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

I've been working on the kernel extension disabling in the other thread (this gets sort of confusing!). This is what currently seems to be working...

If you have the 6490 M, open the Terminal and type:

> mkdir DisabledExtensions

> cd /System/Library/Extensions

> sudo mv ATIRadeonX3000.kext ~/DisabledExtensions

> sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions

If you have the 6750 M, open the Terminal and type:

Open the Terminal:

> mkdir DisabledExtensions

> cd /System/Library/Extensions

> sudo mv ATIRadeonX2000.kext ~/DisabledExtensions

> sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions

That sequence (1) makes a folder in your home directory called DisabledExtensions, (2) goes into the appropriate Library folder where kernel extensions are stored, (3) moves the relevant GPU controller from the active Extensions folder to that DisabledExtensions folder that you created, and (4) updates the access and modification timestamps for the Extensions folder, so it operates properly. 

This should permanently disable the discrete graphics card until it is undone.  There may be consequences - my Photo Booth no longer works, and I assume it will have the same limitations that gfxCardStatus does (lack of external display support).  Please let me know if other things don't work.  I am working on this with my partner as a stop-gap until my computer no longer has this problem... hopefully that day will come soon. 

My informations are from here:

MacBook Pro 2011 17" hard freeze

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2768351

saramwrap 

 

Re: MacBook Pro 2011 17" hard freeze

 

   20-Jul-2013 14:58    (in response to Ezan) 

Thanks, Ezan!  I only have the one 2011 MBP to try this out with. 

 

Since I think the 17" uses the 6750M, I assume this means that the 15" models that use that GPU may also use the 2000 instead of the 3000.

 

If you're wondering which kernel extensions your computer is using, you can type kextstat at the command line and it'll spit out a big long list of the active drivers.  Before you disable anything, you can look in there for anything with the format ATIRadeonX****.kext (asterisks are whatever numbers you're looking for) to see which one you're using. 

Actually you move out the kext driver for the ATI card. The system cant find it at boot.

Sometimes you need to run the NVRAM reset before.

Hi  saramwrap,

you are my hero!

Many thanks for the workaround.

There may be consequences - my Photo Booth no longer works, and I assume it will have the same limitations that gfxCardStatus does (lack of external display support).  Please let me know if other things don't work.

I noticed starting aperture ended in a black screen.

Apps that work:

Lightroom

iMovie

Mail

I noticed when I run iMovie this starts happening to me:

Get this half screen....flickering....blue screen.

It disappears after CMD+Q to quit iMovie.

I wonder why it can switch to the ATI because I moved out the kext driver?

When I use GFXcardStatus and check "Integrated only" it stays on the integrated with iMovie.

I am having the same problem unfortunately still no solution found

But after many trials...I found out that if I forced my MBP at the gray screen to shut down

then boot it into boot camp "I had windows 7 installed"

and after starting windows animation ends it gives me some kind of blue screen error and automatically restarts

then leave it to load my mac osx and after the apple logo disappears I have the same gray screen

and when I force it to shutdown this times I don't get the two columns colors like the pic there and my mac starts normally as if nothing happened.

I don't know how or why this works but it worked for me maybe you shall try it

Hello saramwrap

Seems your solution is working, it just boot perfectly

Only problem is that as soon as it goes to sleep or if u leave the computer 5mn (the time for the screen to go black) it just doesn't come back and I have to do a hard reboot... do you know is it possible to avoid this or should I just kill the screen saver?

PS: was gonna change my motherboard but after seeing so many people saying that it just doesn't solve the issue Im kinf of sceptic

Thx

Apple should admit its mistake!

There is so many posts about it. Day after day i see more and more. i'm pretty sure its cooling problem! Apple change immediately warranty machines and dont want change any others. They said that problem is unknown!

Hi Saramwrap,

I have AMD 6750M and i followed

Open the Terminal:

> mkdir DisabledExtensions

> cd /System/Library/Extensions

> sudo mv ATIRadeonX2000.kext ~/DisabledExtensions

> sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions

But it doesnt seem to be working for me,It still boots with grey screen and only after multiple tries(it may takes sometimes hours of retries) i could actually boot in and then imediately after it starts i use gfxcard to shift to integrated mode.Am i missing something.Please let  me know

Thanks

Abhi

Re Hello saramwrap

So after some extensive use, it seems that ure solution doesn't work. Well it worked very well but for some hours, now it got back to the same problem. Can u give us the command line to undo it and maybe annother idea?

Im scared of changing my moherboard which willl cost me 900$ here and that it wouldnt change the problem...

@aminek

Hi,

I DID change the motherboard and it SOLVED the problem.

I do not see why it shouldn't do so.

The only thing is that there is no guarantee that the new chip not also crashes.... But this guarantee does not exist neither when you buy a new MBP... bad Appel quality for a high price.

Cheers,

Ququq

Abhi - Unfortunately, since I don't have a laptop with that GPU, it's been guesswork to figure out how to disable extensions on it.  If you run kextstat in the Terminal, which ATIRadeon extension(s) does it show running?

aminek - To disable:

> cd ~/DisabledExtensions

> sudo mv ATIRadeonX****.kext /System/Library/Extensions

   (replace **** with 2000 or 3000 depending on which one you moved)

> sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions

I don't really have another idea - as I mentioned when I provided the commands to disable the kernel extension, this is really just a stopgap for me until I can find something that fixes the problem permanently and without detriment to the operation of the laptop.  Clearly, there are detrimental effects when you run these computers without both graphics cards operating. 

As for getting a logic board replaced - if the problem here is in the logic boards, then replacement is a gamble.  I assume that some boards/GPUs are good, some are bad, and some appear to be good until they go bad (given that many of us didn't experience any issues until our computers were ~2 years old).  I'm on logic board #3, all three have been bad.  I'm hoping logic board #4 will be the answer, but how can I trust it, even if it seems to work when it is first installed?  Apple also uses a lot of refurbished parts in their repairs, which means that their replacement logic boards may be the ones that others have had replaced for exactly this problem.  This makes me worry that replacement logic boards have even greater odds of failure than the initial stock of laptops did. 

If you want to render your computer unoperable, unloading native kernel extensions is a pretty good way to do it. Booting into safe mode would accomplish the same thing you are trying to do above (your discrete GPU driver is not loaded).

The terminal command above is a poor way to manage this issue. The kext may contain dependencies. When you unload a kext with dependencies, the result will be a kernel panic. Read the manpages for these commands. Read the man pages for any command you run in the terminal, but especially for these. Unload kexts properly. Refer to the man pages for each command below:

kextfind(8)              - find kernel extensions (kexts) based on a variety of criteria and print information

kextlibs(8)              - find OSBundleLibraries needed by a kext

kextload(8)              - load kernel extensions (kexts) into the kernel

kextstat(8)              - display status of loaded kernel extensions (kexts)

kextunload(8)            - terminate driver I/O Kit driver instances and unload kernel extensions (kexts)

kextutil(8)              - load, diagnose problems with, and generate symbols for kernel extensions (kexts)

I agree that messing with kernel extensions is a delicate game, and I am familiar with that family of commands.  However, I have not found a solution through any of them - sure, you can figure out which kexts are running, and get info about them.  kextunload does not seem to permanently disable the GPU driver in question, where removing it from the Library does.  Perhaps it is worthwhile to run kextunload before moving the extension, and kextload after returning it, but I have seen mixed answers online as to whether that is necessary.

I disagree that booting into safe mode is the same thing.  Safe mode is a stripped-down version of the OS, it does not leave you with a fully-functional computer for normal operations.  A variety of hardware and software features will not work in safe mode.  But for those of us who can rarely get our computers to boot without a graphics seizure, the discrete GPU needs to be disabled at startup.  Disabling it at the driver level does this when gfxCardStatus does not, and leaves the computer far more functional than it would be in safe mode. 

Agree with your second paragraph. Though you need to realize that disabling the discrete GPU in a system configured to have a discrete GPU will also "not leave you with a fully-functional computer for normal operations."

Ever notice in safe mode how nothing on your screen gets rendered correctly? That isn't due to any other drivers being unloaded besides those related to your discrete GPU. But yes, you are correct in saying functionality is limited beyond this (peripheral devices, spotlight, etc).