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Level 1

2 points

kernel_task using 100% CPU

Hey guys,

my Macbook Air 2013 is two month old, and ever since I upgraded to Mavericks, kernel_task will sometimes eat up to 100% of my CPU. The system will remain usable, but battery life goes down significantly. A reboot will solve this issue for a time, so will quitting all applications in the menu bar, but some time later kernel_task will return in full force.

Things I did and checked:

no faulty sensor
hardware check
no overheating
no app seems to be directly responsible
SMC and NVRAM/PRAM reset
repaired disk permissions and repaired SSD through the recovery partition
not yet reinstalled Mavericks
no issues in safe mode, at least yet

I suspect that this is caused by some kernel extension, but I have no idea which one and how to fix that.

I have in the past installed: some fishy USB to Ethernet driver, BOOM (system wide equilizer), LaTEX and probably more things.

MacBook Air, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Nov 3, 2013 6:30 AM

Best reply

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,559 points

Posted on Nov 3, 2013 2:44 PM

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software — potentially for the worse. The following procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed. Don’t be alarmed by the complexity of these instructions — they’re easy to carry out and won’t change anything on your Mac.

These steps are to be taken while booted in “normal” mode, not in safe mode. If you’re now running in safe mode, reboot as usual before continuing.

Below are instructions to enter some UNIX shell commands. The commands are harmless, but they must be entered exactly as given in order to work. If you have doubts about the safety of the procedure suggested here, search this site for other discussions in which it’s been followed without any report of ill effects.

Some of the commands will line-wrap or scroll in your browser, but each one is really just a single line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then copy it. The headings “Step 1” and so on are not part of the commands.

Note: If you have more than one user account, Step 2 must be taken as an administrator. Ordinarily that would be the user created automatically when you booted the system for the first time. The other steps should be taken as the user who has the problem, if different. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this paragraph doesn’t apply.

Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.

When you launch Terminal, a text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.

Step 1

Triple-click anywhere in the line of text below on this page to select it:

kextstat -kl | awk '!/com\.apple/{printf "%s %s\n", $6, $7}' | open -ef

Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Then click anywhere in the Terminal window and paste (command-V). I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting. A TextEdit window will open with the output of the command. If the command produced no output, the window will be empty. Post the contents of the TextEdit window (not the Terminal window), if any — the text, please, not a screenshot. You can then close the TextEdit window. The title of the window doesn't matter, and you don't need to post that. No typing is involved in this step.

Step 2

Repeat with this line:

{ sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix\.cron)|org\.(amav|apac|cups|isc|ntp|postf|x)/{print $3}'; echo; sudo defaults read com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook; echo; sudo crontab -l; } 2> /dev/null | open -ef

This time you'll be prompted for your login password, which you do have to type. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. Type it carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. Heed that warning, but don't post it. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.

Note: If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before taking this step. If that’s not possible, skip to the next step.

Step 3

{ launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.apple|org\.(x|openbsd)/{print $3}'; echo; crontab -l 2> /dev/null; } | open -ef

Step 4

ls -A /e*/{cr,la,mach}* {,/}Lib*/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,Keyb,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo,Sta}* L*/Fonts .la* 2> /dev/null | open -ef

Important: If you formerly synchronized with a MobileMe account, your me.com email address may appear in the output of the above command. If so, anonymize it before posting.

Step 5

osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get name of login items' | open -ef

Remember, steps 1-5 are all copy-and-paste — no typing, except your password. Also remember to post the output.

You can then quit Terminal.

View in context

73 replies

Dec 12, 2013 12:17 AM in response to Paul Williams3

Hi,

I have the same issue with a third-party software called "Paragon NTFS" (http://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/), even in its latest version (v11.0.112).

kernel_task was 100% high for no reason (no NTFS drive was mounted, nor any NTFS formatted device plugged-in).

Everything went back to normal after *disabling the driver using its control panel in System Preferences*.

Got a clue using the previously mentioned command :

"kextstat -kl | awk '!/com\.apple/{printf "%s %s\n", $6, $7}' | open -ef"

Dec 13, 2013 12:21 AM in response to kuerbiskopf

Same issue here - Macbook Air that's only a few months old + Mavericks - but running the initial command - kextstat -kl | awk '!/com\.apple/{printf "%s %s\n", $6, $7}' | open -ef" - doesn't return any results. Only a reboot fixes it :-/

Jrs_Mac

Level 1

0 points

Dec 13, 2013 5:43 AM in response to Pierre_Nel

I thought removing Sound Flower fixed my issue, but it has returned. I still get one core pegged on the cpu (from the kernal_task) every few days and alternately sleeping the computer and plugging something into the headphone jack seems to stop the problem.

I can't reliably cause the issue to occur and I'm not sure exactly what combination of actions fixes it.

apverde

Level 1

0 points

Dec 21, 2013 10:49 AM in response to Linc Davis

I've got an 2009 MacBook that's starting to slow down - I see high kernal_task usage, so I thought I'd run the diagnostic to see if that helps.

Step 1:

com.rogueamoeba.HermesAudio (3.0.0)

Step 2:

com.rogueamoeba.hermes

com.adobe.fpsaud

Step 3:

org.mozilla.firefox.12528

com.rockysandstudio.FreeMemory.3376

com.google.keystone.user.agent

Step 4:

/Library/Components:

/Library/Extensions:

ATTOCelerityFC8.kext

ATTOExpressSASHBA2.kext

ATTOExpressSASRAID2.kext

ArcMSR.kext

CalDigitHDProDrv.kext

HighPointIOP.kext

HighPointRR.kext

PromiseSTEX.kext

SoftRAID.kext

/Library/Frameworks:

AEProfiling.framework

AERegistration.framework

AudioMixEngine.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PluginManager.framework

TSLicense.framework

iTunesLibrary.framework

/Library/Input Methods:

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

Default Browser.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin

Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

Scorch.plugin

Silverlight.plugin

flashplayer.xpt

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt

/Library/Keyboard Layouts:

/Library/LaunchAgents:

/Library/LaunchDaemons:

com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

com.rogueamoeba.hermes.plist

/Library/PreferencePanes:

Flash Player.prefPane

Flip4Mac WMV.prefPane

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

/Library/QuickLook:

GBQLGenerator.qlgenerator

iBooksAuthor.qlgenerator

iWork.qlgenerator

/Library/QuickTime:

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component

Flip4Mac WMV Advanced.component

Flip4Mac WMV Export.component

Flip4Mac WMV Import.component

/Library/ScriptingAdditions:

/Library/Spotlight:

GBSpotlightImporter.mdimporter

Microsoft Office.mdimporter

iBooksAuthor.mdimporter

iWork.mdimporter

/Library/StartupItems:

/etc/mach_init.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_login_session.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_user.d:

Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle

Library/Fonts:

Library/Input Methods:

.localized

Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

Library/Keyboard Layouts:

Library/LaunchAgents:

com.google.keystone.agent.plist

com.spotify.webhelper.plist

Library/PreferencePanes:

Library/Services:

.localized

Step 5:

iTunesHelper

Thanks for any help you can provide.

-Chad-

Level 1

15 points

Dec 23, 2013 8:05 AM in response to kuerbiskopf

My kernal_task issue sort of went away after I disabled "Boom", but I was still seeing high CPU usage when idle. Today I noticed another similar issue in Xcode, which turned out to be caused by me having edited my etc/hosts file to change my localhost ip to my actual IP instead of the default. The fix was to change etc/hosts so localhost is now the default again... my value:

10.0.1.17 localhost

This should work since that is my IP. However, I changed it back in etc/hosts to:

127.0.0.1 localhost

and Xcode started working and CPU usage seems better for the moment. It's possible this kernal_task issue is similar to the Xcode issue, so I thought I'd mention it here. This would only work for you if you edited etc/hosts at some point to map localhost to your actual IP.

RPashman

Level 1

11 points

Jan 3, 2014 3:31 PM in response to Linc Davis

Thanks Linc.

Here's my info:

com.rogueamoeba.InstantOn (6.0.3)

com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.snowleopard (5.9.1)

com.wibu.CodeMeter.Server

com.paceap.pacesupport

com.paceap.eden.licensed

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent

com.adobe.fpsaud

* * * * * "/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/plugins.settings">/dev/null 2>&1

com.getdropbox.dropbox.31360

com.fiplab.facetab.35056

com.fiplab.MenuTabHelper

com.motu.MOTULauncher

com.ApogeePopup.plist

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.trashWatcher

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.scheduledScan

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.diskSpaceWatcher

com.google.keystone.user.agent

com.facebook.videochat.rpashman.updater

com.cnet.ttengine

com.adobe.AAM.Scheduler-1.0

/Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle

/Library/Components:

/Library/Extensions:

ATTOCelerityFC8.kext

ATTOExpressSASHBA2.kext

ATTOExpressSASRAID2.kext

ArcMSR.kext

CalDigitHDProDrv.kext

HighPointIOP.kext

HighPointRR.kext

PromiseSTEX.kext

SoftRAID.kext

/Library/Frameworks:

AECore.framework

AEProfiling.framework

AERegistration.framework

Adobe AIR.framework

AudioMixEngine.framework

Compressor.framework

EWSMac.framework

Fantom.framework

FxPlug.framework

HPDeviceModel.framework

HPPml.framework

HPServicesInterface.framework

HPSmartPrint.framework

L6TWXY.framework

MediaServerAPI.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PACEEdenExperience.framework

PluginManager.framework

ProFX.framework

ProMetadataSupport.framework

Qmaster.framework

TSLicense.framework

VISA.framework

WibuCmMacX.framework

iLifeFaceRecognition.framework

iLifeKit.framework

iLifePageLayout.framework

iLifeSQLAccess.framework

iLifeSlideshow.framework

iTunesLibrary.framework

/Library/Input Methods:

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

AmazonMP3DownloaderPlugin.plugin

AmazonMP3DownloaderPlugin101750.plugin

CouponPrinter-FireFox_v2.plugin

CouponPrinter-Safari.webplugin

Default Browser.plugin

DirectorShockwave.plugin

Disabled Plug-Ins

Flash Player.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.webplugin

GarminGpsControl.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

LogMeIn.plugin

LogMeInSafari32.plugin

OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin.plugin

Photo Center Plugin.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

RealPlayer Plugin.plugin

SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin

SharePointWebKitPlugin.webplugin

Silverlight.plugin

Unity Web Player.plugin

Unused

flashplayer.xpt

iLok Client Helper Plugin

iLokClientHelper.plugin

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins (Disabled):

Flash Player.plugin

/Library/Keyboard Layouts:

/Library/LaunchAgents:

com.ApogeePopup.plist

com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

com.motu.MOTULauncher.plist

/Library/LaunchDaemons:

PACESupport.plist

com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

com.paceap.eden.licensed.plist

/Library/PreferencePanes:

Apple Qmaster.prefPane

Flash Player.prefPane

Flip4Mac WMV.prefPane

NIUSBAudio.prefPane

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

licenseDaemon.app

/Library/QuickLook:

iBooksAuthor.qlgenerator

iWork.qlgenerator

/Library/QuickTime:

AppleAVCIntraCodec.component

AppleHDVCodec.component

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component

AppleProRes422.component

AppleProResCodec.component

DVCPROHDCodec.component

DVCPROHDMuxer.component

DVCPROHDVideoDigitizer.component

DVCPROHDVideoOutput.component

DVCPROHDVideoOutputClock.component

DVCPROHDVideoOutputCodec.component

DesktopVideoOut.component

DivX 6 Decoder.component

DivX Decoder.component

FCP Uncompressed 422.component

Flip4Mac WMV Advanced.component

Flip4Mac WMV Export.component

Flip4Mac WMV Import.component

IMXCodec.component

LiveType.component

/Library/ScriptingAdditions:

Adobe Unit Types

Adobe Unit Types.osax

YouSendItOSAX.osax

/Library/Spotlight:

Microsoft Office.mdimporter

iBooksAuthor.mdimporter

iWeb.mdimporter

iWork.mdimporter

/Library/StartupItems:

Fantom

M-Audio Firmware Loader

Qmaster

/etc/mach_init.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_login_session.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_user.d:

Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle

Library/Fonts:

Brush Script

Library/Frameworks:

DL70ACE.framework

DL70AGM.framework

DL70ARE.framework

DL70AXE16SharedExpat.framework

DL70AXE8SharedExpat.framework

DL70AdobeXMP.framework

DL70BIB.framework

DL70BIBUtils.framework

DL70CoolType.framework

DL70JP2K.framework

DL70PDFL.framework

EWSMac.framework

Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

FacebookVideoCalling.bundle

Library/Keyboard Layouts:

Library/LaunchAgents:

com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync.PHXCardDAVSource.F0245D19-6137-4CB1-AB87-E33 B7A4D75FD.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.enabled.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.folders.plist

com.cnet.ttengine.plist

com.facebook.videochat.myappleid.plist

com.google.keystone.agent.plist

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.diskSpaceWatcher.plist

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.scheduledScan.plist

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.trashWatcher.plist

Library/PhonePlugins:

MOTZ3.phoneplugin

Library/PreferencePanes:

.152W591MTG1DMOIDCB41FQMWWG

Opera Preferences

TechTracker.prefPane

Library/Services:

MenuTab for Facebook, Dropbox, ApogeeRegistration, VerizonUpdateCenter

John Galt

Level 10

141,634 points

Jan 3, 2014 3:39 PM in response to RPashman

RPashman, please start a new Discussion.

You are replying to someone else's topic that was solved weeks ago, and there is no guarantee Linc Davis or anyone else will see it. When you post that new Discussion, please describe the problems you are experiencing. Thanks!

YaronO

Level 1

0 points

Jan 5, 2014 6:41 AM in response to Linc Davis

Step 1:

com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower (1.5.1)

Step 2:

com.tvmobili.tvmobilisvcd

com.sec.faxdb

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

com.google.keystone.daemon

com.adobe.SwitchBoard

com.adobe.fpsaud

Step 3:

com.adobe.Photoshop.27840

org.videolan.vlc.34352

com.google.GoogleTalkPluginD.49136.AE7D0D1E-FC4D-442B-A3CB-55259D2F0E46

com.microsoft.autoupdate2.53536

com.microsoft.autoupdate.fba.53360

com.microsoft.Excel.3552

com.readitlater.PocketMac.35760

com.spotify.client.25200

com.google.android.mtpagent.9008

com.google.Chrome.12880

com.evernote.EvernoteHelper

com.tvmobili.artwork

com.hp.messagecenter.launcher

com.google.keystone.system.agent

com.divx.update.agent

com.divx.dms.agent

com.victorpimentel.TVShowsHelper

com.spotify.webhelper

com.facebook.videochat.yo.updater

com.adobe.ARM.df0ab5bbe6f698196fcc21e3c1e66dcb758bd911f4d637272d9d8109

Step 4:

/Library/Components:

/Library/Extensions:

ATTOCelerityFC8.kext

ATTOExpressSASHBA2.kext

ATTOExpressSASRAID2.kext

ArcMSR.kext

CalDigitHDProDrv.kext

HighPointIOP.kext

HighPointRR.kext

PromiseSTEX.kext

SoftRAID.kext

/Library/Frameworks:

AEProfiling.framework

AERegistration.framework

Adobe AIR.framework

AudioMixEngine.framework

DivX Toolkit.framework

DivXInstallerUtilities.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PluginManager.framework

TSLicense.framework

iTunesLibrary.framework

/Library/Input Methods:

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

AdobeAAMDetect.plugin

AdobePDFViewer.plugin

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin

Default Browser.plugin

DivX Web Player.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

LogMeIn.plugin

LogMeInSafari32.plugin

OVSHelper.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin

SharePointWebKitPlugin.webplugin

Silverlight.plugin

flashplayer.xpt

googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin

npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt

o1dbrowserplugin.plugin

/Library/Keyboard Layouts:

/Library/LaunchAgents:

com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

com.divx.dms.agent.plist

com.divx.update.agent.plist

com.google.keystone.agent.plist

com.hp.messagecenter.launcher.plist

com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist

com.tvmobili.artwork.plist

/Library/LaunchDaemons:

com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist

com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist

com.sec.faxdb.plist

com.tvmobili.tvmobilisvcd.plist

/Library/PreferencePanes:

EyeConnect.prefPane

Flash Player.prefPane

Flip4Mac WMV.prefPane

JavaControlPanel.prefPane

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

/Library/QuickLook:

iBooksAuthor.qlgenerator

iWork.qlgenerator

/Library/QuickTime:

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component

DivX Decoder.component

DivX Encoder.component

Flip4Mac WMV Advanced.component

Flip4Mac WMV Export.component

Flip4Mac WMV Import.component

/Library/ScriptingAdditions:

Adobe Unit Types.osax

YouSendItOSAX.osax

/Library/Spotlight:

Microsoft Office.mdimporter

iBooksAuthor.mdimporter

iWork.mdimporter

/Library/StartupItems:

EyeConnect

/etc/mach_init.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_login_session.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_user.d:

Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle

Library/Fonts:

HelveticaNeue.ttf

Library/Input Methods:

.localized

Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

.DS_Store

FacebookVideoCalling.bundle

Picasa.plugin

WebEx64.plugin

Library/Keyboard Layouts:

Library/LaunchAgents:

com.adobe.ARM.df0ab5bbe6f698196fcc21e3c1e66dcb758bd911f4d637272d9d8109.plist

com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-xxxxxx@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.enabled.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.folders.plist

com.facebook.videochat.yo.plist

com.spotify.webhelper.plist

com.victorpimentel.TVShowsHelper.plist

Library/PreferencePanes:

MusicManager.prefPane

Perian.prefPane

TVShows.prefPane

Library/QuickTime:

AC3MovieImport.component

Perian.component

Library/Services:

.localized

Step 5:

FamiliarHelper, iTunesHelper, uTorrent, YouSendIt Desktop App, Google Chrome, Android File Transfer Agent, Spotify, Alfred, Dropbox, Spotify

kuerbiskopf Author

Level 1

2 points

Jan 5, 2014 6:53 AM in response to kuerbiskopf

Okay, little update:

Boom has been updated to not trigger kernel_task to go 100% which means you can install it and it won't mess with your battery life. However Mavericks itself still has issues with audio devices which include headphones, headphones with controlls and mic, Airplay and Soundflower, which means that this problem still exists. It has nothing to do with Boom though.

I've been digging around and concluded that this is a system bug by Mavericks. It seems to happen on 2013 Macbooks more often (maybe because of a new audio chip?) and does not hapen on Mountain Lion. Some apps (like Boom used to) that mess with audio are likely to trigger kernel_task to go bananas, however normal use will too.

One possible solution is connecting headphones, closing the lid, disconnecting the headphones and opening the lid again. Or a reboot, which is almost always impractical.

This is so annoying.

kuerbiskopf Author

Level 1

2 points

Jan 5, 2014 6:56 AM in response to -Chad-

I think your issues with xcode are unrelated, even if the symptoms are the same. kernel_task seems to have soooo many bugs (just google kernel task 100%). Mine seems to be related to audio only.

Jan 5, 2014 8:39 AM in response to kuerbiskopf

I found a temporary Solution for the kernel_task Problem.

(If you dont want to plug the power cable on and off.)

I bought a mini fan for about 10 € put it next to my macbook pro and turned it to the direction where the battery is. Wait a minute and watch in your activity monitor how the kernel_task slows down from 200% to 4,3 or something like that.. The only thing whats annoying is the sound wich comes from the fan. But thats a small price to pay :-)

I think another solution would be to completely delete your hardrive and install Snow Leopard.

But im to lazy to try that out so i just stick with my fan solution.

I have this setup for a year now and never had any kernel_task overheating (or whatever you call it) problems again. (even in games with much cpu usage)

esb885

Level 1

0 points

Jan 10, 2014 12:30 PM in response to kuerbiskopf

I am having the same issue, kernel_task blowing up to over 100% of cpu. I believe I have tied the cause to Spotify, using the headphone jack, and the machine going to sleep.

If I wake up my late 2013 MacBookAir on Maveriks when spotify was paused in the background and headphones plugged in, the CPU is over 100%. Turning off spotify, unplugging the headphones, and going back into sleep seems to bring kernel_task back to normal cpu usage range.

I have also noticed that killing Spotify and opening iTunes will bring the usage back down. Maybe Spotify is a red herring here, but it seems to work in getting kernel_task back down to <1%, albiet in a very annoying way.

d4v1dv00

Level 1

0 points

Jan 15, 2014 4:07 PM in response to esb885

I think generally something to with earphones, nothing to do with either iTunes or Spotify because the latter 2 were not running and still the kernel_task is running 100%. Not until I unplug the earphone and waited for a few seconds and the CPU usage dropped to normal usage.

Definitely something @Apple need to fix.

Jan 17, 2014 10:00 AM in response to Linc Davis

Hi Linc,

I'm hoping you might be willing to look over my results and share and thoughts or insight you may have. I've been experiencing major lag issues since installing Mavericks and have gone through some basics (recovery boot/repair disk, repair permissions, updated flash & Java, run etrecheck) and while having some minor improvements, still having issues. Have been scouring forums for help and tips to try. Staying on external power over battery power helps (100% cpu kernel_task at times as opposed to over 200%), but still experiencing problems with lag as well as slow computer start ups/reboots. I appreciate any knowledge you can share!

Step 1:

Blank

Step 2:

com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

com.adobe.SwitchBoard

com.adobe.fpsaud

Step 3:

com.adobe.PDApp.AAMUpdatesNotifier.7600.0F2ECD39-3908-4433-A459-CAB1003A961C

com.oracle.java.Java-Updater

com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager

com.google.keystone.user.agent

com.adobe.ARM.925793fb327152fd34795896fa1fb9ffa268b2a852256fe56609efa3

com.adobe.AAM.Scheduler-1.0

Step 4:

/Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle

/Library/Components:

/Library/Extensions:

ATTOCelerityFC8.kext

ATTOExpressSASHBA2.kext

ATTOExpressSASRAID2.kext

ArcMSR.kext

CalDigitHDProDrv.kext

HighPointIOP.kext

HighPointRR.kext

PromiseSTEX.kext

SoftRAID.kext

/Library/Frameworks:

AEProfiling.framework

AERegistration.framework

Adobe AIR.framework

AudioMixEngine.framework

DivX Toolkit.framework

HPDeviceModel.framework

HPPml.framework

HPServicesInterface.framework

HPSmartPrint.framework

HPSmartX.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PluginManager.framework

iLifeFaceRecognition.framework

iLifeKit.framework

iLifePageLayout.framework

iLifeSQLAccess.framework

iLifeSlideshow.framework

iTunesLibrary.framework

/Library/Input Methods:

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

AdobePDFViewer.plugin

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin

ContentUploaderPlugin.plugin

Default Browser.plugin

Disabled Plug-Ins

DivXBrowserPlugin.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.webplugin

Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

MacCouponPrinter3.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

RealPlayer Plugin.plugin

SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin

SharePointWebKitPlugin.webplugin

Silverlight.plugin

flashplayer.xpt

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

npUpload.xpt

npdivx.xpt

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt

/Library/Keyboard Layouts:

/Library/LaunchAgents:

com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist

com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist

/Library/LaunchDaemons:

com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist

com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist

/Library/PreferencePanes:

DivX.prefPane

Flash Player.prefPane

Flip4Mac WMV.prefPane

Growl.prefPane

JavaControlPanel.prefPane

Perian.prefPane

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

/Library/QuickLook:

GBQLGenerator.qlgenerator

iBooksAuthor.qlgenerator

iWork.qlgenerator

/Library/QuickTime:

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component

/Library/ScriptingAdditions:

Adobe Unit Types.osax

/Library/Spotlight:

GBSpotlightImporter.mdimporter

LogicPro.mdimporter

Microsoft Entourage.mdimporter

Microsoft Office.mdimporter

iBooksAuthor.mdimporter

iWeb.mdimporter

iWork.mdimporter

/Library/StartupItems:

HP IO

/etc/mach_init.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_login_session.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_user.d:

Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

Library/Fonts:

Arial

Brush Script

Times New Roman

Verdana

Wingdings

Wingdings 2

Wingdings 3

bitwise.ttf

Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

Move_Media_Player.plugin

fbplugin_1_0_3.plugin

Library/Keyboard Layouts:

Library/LaunchAgents:

com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

com.adobe.ARM.925793fb327152fd34795896fa1fb9ffa268b2a852256fe56609efa3.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.enabled.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.folders.plist

com.apple.SafariBookmarksSyncer.plist

com.google.keystone.agent.plist

Library/Services:

.localized

Step 5:

WDQuickView, HPEventHandler, HP Scheduler

Note: The items in step 5 I found while looking into my login info under users & groups. I want to remove them, but it notes that I cannot change or remve because Users & Group preferences are locked. :/ I know the first item is from software that automatically installed from my external HD. I've tried to remove. The HP stuff--I no longer have any HP software installed.

Thanks in advance for your time!

Jrod252

Level 1

0 points

Jan 22, 2014 9:42 AM in response to kuerbiskopf

Step 1

Blank.

Step 2

Blank.

Step 3

OpenObject.fuspredownloader.46496

Step 4

/Library/Components:

/Library/Extensions:

ATTOCelerityFC8.kext

ATTOExpressSASHBA2.kext

ATTOExpressSASRAID2.kext

ArcMSR.kext

CalDigitHDProDrv.kext

HighPointIOP.kext

HighPointRR.kext

PromiseSTEX.kext

SoftRAID.kext

/Library/Frameworks:

AEProfiling.framework

AERegistration.framework

Adobe AIR.framework

AudioMixEngine.framework

HPSmartPrint.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PluginManager.framework

iLifeFaceRecognition.framework

iLifeKit.framework

iLifePageLayout.framework

iLifeSQLAccess.framework

iLifeSlideshow.framework

iTunesLibrary.framework

/Library/Input Methods:

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

AdobeAAMDetect.plugin

AdobePDFViewer.plugin

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin

Default Browser.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

SharePointBrowserPlugin.plugin

SharePointWebKitPlugin.webplugin

Silverlight.plugin

flashplayer.xpt

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt

/Library/Keyboard Layouts:

/Library/LaunchAgents:

/Library/LaunchDaemons:

/Library/PreferencePanes:

Flash Player.prefPane

JavaControlPanel.prefPane

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper

/Library/QuickLook:

iBooksAuthor.qlgenerator

iWork.qlgenerator

/Library/QuickTime:

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component

/Library/ScriptingAdditions:

Adobe Unit Types.osax

/Library/Spotlight:

Microsoft Office.mdimporter

iBooksAuthor.mdimporter

iWork.mdimporter

/Library/StartupItems:

/etc/mach_init.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_login_session.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_user.d:

Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle

Library/Fonts:

Library/Frameworks:

SamsungKiesFoundation.framework

SamsungKiesSerialPort.framework

Library/Input Methods:

.localized

Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

WebEx.plugin

Library/Keyboard Layouts:

Library/LaunchAgents:

.DS_Store

Library/PreferencePanes:

Library/Services:

.localized

Step 5

iTunesHelper, AdobeResourceSynchronizer, SpeechSynthesisServer, fuspredownloader

Please could you help me the kernel is consuming a lot of memory.

regards

Jrod252

kernel_task using 100% CPU