destroyfvkeyonstandby question

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Level 1

7 points

destroyfvkeyonstandby question

[2014 rMBP, OS X 10.9.5, FileVault 2 whole disk encryption]

I enabled destroyfvkeyonstandby, which was confirmed with pmset -g. Previously, the computer would sleep, go into standby, and recover fine, with my having to enter a user account pw. From the man page and various posts, I expected the same behavior, but wasn't sure whether I would have to enter a pw twice. Instead, the computer went into sleep mode properly, but I don't know whether it entered standby; it seems to have powered off. When I lifted the lid this morning, pressing keys had no effect. I had to press the power button, and then it made the self-test sound and opened to the initial power-on screen.

Why? What happened? Why did the machine power itself off?

MacBook Air, OS X Mavericks (10.9.3)

Posted on Oct 2, 2014 7:47 AM

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Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Oct 2, 2014 12:17 PM in response to Joseph_N

Does it always do that, or has this happened only once?

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Answer 2

Joseph_N Author

Level 1

7 points

Oct 3, 2014 9:08 AM in response to Linc Davis

Sorry for the delay; I had to wait for the machine to cycle through sleep -> standby.

Same behavior.

When I power on or reboot, there's a screen with the user icons and names, and the two options at the bottom are Restart and ShutDown. After I log on to an account and then log off, there's a different screen with just fields for the username and p/w (configured like that in SysPrefs), but with Sleep added to the bottom choices. If I let the first screen (w/o GUI "Sleep" option) just sit, then I have to power back on; simply trying to wake the machine no longer works. If I let the logoff screen (with the GUI "Sleep" option) just sit, and it is in sleep mode but has not yet gone to Standby, then all I have to do is press a key and it wakes. If that logoff screen goes past sleep into standby mode, then it will no longer wake with a key press. I have to power it on, and the screen that comes up is the first screen, with the usernames, icons, and no "Sleep" option.

I guess I'm okay with it. I lose some convenience, and the electronics have the added wear of powering on/off hundreds or thousands of times that it otherwise would not. But I'm also curious about what's causing the behavior. I'm hesitant to change the sleep settings, because if they've deviated from the defaults it's because an app or the OS has made the change.

Thoughts?

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Answer 3

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Oct 3, 2014 11:03 AM in response to Joseph_N

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

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

The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.

Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

The login screen appears even if you usually login automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

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