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Kernel Panic, rebooting twice after shutdown.

I've been using Macs for awhile now but I don't fully understand what a Kernel Panic is other than the root of the system has some sort of conflict with an App and reboots in order to overcome the issue.


However, my Mac Mini started to experience Kernel panics a few months ago, just occasionally. Now it seems to be occurring more frequently. And now when the Mac shuts down it will reboot to the login screen, then shut down and reboot again.


The steps I have taken so far are, I have uninstalled numerous Apps, and I have used Onyx to clean out any junk files.


Any help, suggestion and so forth are greatly appreciated.

Mac mini, OS X Yosemite (10.10), 2012

Posted on Aug 28, 2015 9:50 PM

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10 replies

Aug 28, 2015 10:02 PM in response to simonp_au

These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.

Launch the Console 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 and start typing the name.

In the Console window, select

DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION System Diagnostic Reports

(not Diagnostic and Usage Messages) from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

View Show Log List

from the menu bar.

There is a disclosure triangle to the left of the list item. If the triangle is pointing to the right, click it so that it points down. You'll see a list of reports. A panic report has a name that begins with "Kernel" and ends in ".panic". Select the most recent one. The contents of the report will appear on the right. Use copy and paste to post the entire contents—the text, not a screenshot.

If you don't see any reports listed, but you know there was a panic, you may have chosen Diagnostic and Usage Messages from the log list. Choose DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION instead.

In the interest of privacy, I suggest that, before posting, you edit out the “Anonymous UUID,” a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes in the header of the report, if it’s present (it may not be.)

Please don’t post other kinds of diagnostic report.

I know the report is long, maybe several hundred lines. Please post all of it anyway.

When you post the report, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the forum software. Please post the text on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

Aug 29, 2015 5:49 AM in response to simonp_au

First, get rid of "Onyx," which like all such "utilities" serves no real purpose except to make it easy for you to wreck the system.

Any or all of the following third-party system modifications may be contributing to the problem:

DuetDisplay

LittleSnitch

Logitech mouse software

If the panic is recurrent, check that all are up to date, and if they are, uninstall them, one at a time, according to the developers' instructions, to see whether you can determine which is at fault. A conflict between modifications may be involved. Restart the computer and test after each uninstallation.

Any third-party software that doesn't install from the App Store or by drag-and-drop into the Applications folder, and uninstall by drag-and-drop to the Trash, is a system modification.

Whenever you remove system modifications, they must be removed completely, and the only way to do that is to use the uninstallation tool, if any, provided by the developers, or to follow their instructions. If the software has been incompletely removed, you may have to re-download or even reinstall it in order to finish the job.

I never install system modifications myself, and except as stated in this comment, I don't know how to uninstall them. You'll have to do your own research to find that information.

Here are some general guidelines to get you started. Suppose you want to remove something called “BrickMyMac” (a hypothetical example.) First, consult the product's Help menu, if there is one, for instructions. Finding none there, look on the developer's website, say www.brickmymac.com. (That may not be the actual name of the site; if necessary, search the Web for the product name.) If you don’t find anything on the website or in your search, contact the developer. While you're waiting for a response, download BrickMyMac.dmg and open it. There may be an application in there such as “Uninstall BrickMyMac.” If not, open “BrickMyMac.pkg” and look for an Uninstall button. The uninstaller might also be accessed by clicking the Customize button, if there is one.

Back up all data before making any changes.

You will generally have to restart the computer in order to complete an uninstallation. Until you do that, there may be no effect, or unpredictable effects.

If you can’t remove software in any other way, you’ll have to erase and install OS X. Never install any third-party software unless you're sure you know how to uninstall it; otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve.

Trying to remove complex system modifications by hunting for files by name often will not work and may make the problem worse. The same goes for "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.

Aug 29, 2015 9:34 AM in response to Linc Davis

Thank you very much for your detailed reply.


So, any App that isn't either from the App Store, or installed by drag and drop into the Applications folder is a "system modification" that should be avoided, for obvious reasons.


I do in fact use AppCleaner, then I usually run iFileX to find any leftover files, so I'll stop doing that.


DuetDisplay, I suspect this is the culprit. Given that the Mac did have a Kernel panic when I used this application with my iPad (and I haven't used it since - a waste of $15), I just remembered this, I had forgotten.


Ok, I was lead to believe that Onyx was a good application, but I'll get rid of it on your advice. I come from using Windows PC's and such Apps are recommended for PC's (like CCleaner), but I guess Macs are a completely different system.


What do you think about Apps that "clean" the RAM? Helpful, or harmful?



Thank you very much, once again, for your time Linc.

Aug 29, 2015 10:31 AM in response to simonp_au

So, any App that isn't either from the App Store, or installed by drag and drop into the Applications folder is a "system modification" that should be avoided

I avoid all third-party system modifications, but others may have computing needs, different from mine, that can only be met by installing them. If you must do that, make sure the modifications are always up to date. Don't install any system update from Apple until you're sure that it's compatible—sometimes it won't be. In general, you should have much lower expectations of stability, performance, and ease of use when you modify the operating system.

What do you think about Apps that "clean" the RAM? Helpful, or harmful?

Useless, at best. Only install software that is useful to you, not (as you imagine) to the computer. For example, a word processor is useful for writing. A video editor is useful for making movies. A game is useful for fun. But a "memory cleaner" isn't useful for anything. You didn't buy a computer so you could clean memory.

Aug 29, 2015 1:50 PM in response to Linc Davis

This is true lol. I've always been under the impression that it helps free the memory when things get a little congested, preventing the OS or Applications slowing down, or freezing. I'll get rid of it anyhow.


Anyway, I have done as you've instructed and deleted all modifications. I spent a few hours deleting system modifications (and unneeded Apps) and their remnants from my Mac. I deleted the troublesome Apps, other than Little Snitch as it is very useful. I checked for updates and everything is updated to the latest release.


I now only have Applications that I need on my Mac.


Everything is working well, and boot time is faster, which is great.


I really do appreciate the time you took to help me address this issue, but also teach me some valuable knowledge.


Have a great day/evening, Linc.

Kernel Panic, rebooting twice after shutdown.

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