Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Mac Pro crashing to log in screen on El Capitan

Will occasionally just freeze up, show the spinning dashes icon and then boot me to the log in screen completely logging me out.


I'm not terribly good at describing things so please ask me for more information.


Thank you for all of your help!

Mac Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Oct 13, 2015 12:36 PM

Reply
15 replies

Oct 13, 2015 1:12 PM in response to lllaass

here is one that interested me. Sorry about the format. I am doing this remotely from work.


Oct 13 15:04:15 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: htop(1290) System Policy: deny(1) mach-priv-task-port 11987

Oct 13 15:04:15 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: htop(1290) System Policy: deny(1) mach-priv-task-port 11990

Oct 13 15:04:15 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: htop(1290) System Policy: deny(1) mach-priv-task-port 11991

Oct 13 15:04:15 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: htop(1290) System Policy: deny(1) mach-priv-task-port 12005

Oct 13 15:04:15 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: storeaccountd(77323) deny(1) mach-lookup com.apple.backupd.sandbox.xpc

Oct 13 15:04:15 Dustins-Mac-Pro storeaccountd[77323]: XPC error for connection com.apple.backupd.sandbox.xpc: Connection invalid

Oct 13 15:04:16 Dustins-Mac-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.tenablesecurity.nessusd[77568]): Service exited with abnormal code: 1

Oct 13 15:04:16 Dustins-Mac-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.tenablesecurity.nessusd): Service only ran for 0 seconds. Pushing respawn out by 10 seconds.

Oct 13 15:04:16 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: storeaccountd(77323) deny(1) mach-lookup com.apple.backupd.sandbox.xpc

Oct 13 15:04:16 Dustins-Mac-Pro storeaccountd[77323]: XPC error for connection com.apple.backupd.sandbox.xpc: Connection invalid

Oct 13 15:04:16 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: storeaccountd(77323) deny(1) mach-lookup com.apple.backupd.sandbox.xpc

Oct 13 15:04:16 Dustins-Mac-Pro storeaccountd[77323]: XPC error for connection com.apple.backupd.sandbox.xpc: Connection invalid

Oct 13 15:04:16 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: storeaccountd(77323) deny(1) mach-lookup com.apple.backupd.sandbox.xpc

Oct 13 15:04:16 Dustins-Mac-Pro storeaccountd[77323]: XPC error for connection com.apple.backupd.sandbox.xpc: Connection invalid

Oct 13 15:04:17 Dustins-Mac-Pro loginwindow[72328]: LSSharedFileListCreate Using legacy implementation for list: com.apple.LSSharedFileList.ManagedSessionLoginItems

Oct 13 15:04:17 Dustins-Mac-Pro loginwindow[72328]: LSSharedFileListCreate Using legacy implementation for list: com.apple.LSSharedFileList.GlobalLoginItems

Oct 13 15:04:17 Dustins-Mac-Pro loginwindow[72328]: LSSharedFileListCreate Using legacy implementation for list: com.apple.LSSharedFileList.SessionLoginItems

Oct 13 15:04:17 Dustins-Mac-Pro accountsd[77124]: AIDA Notification plugin running

Oct 13 15:04:17 Dustins-Mac-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.cyberic.smoothmouse[77639]): Could not find and/or execute program specified by service: 2: No such file or directory: /Library/PreferencePanes/SmoothMouse.prefPane/Contents/SmoothMouseDaemon.app/Co ntents/MacOS/SmoothMouseDaemon

Oct 13 15:04:17 Dustins-Mac-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.cyberic.smoothmouse[77639]): Service setup event to handle failure and will not launch until it fires.

Oct 13 15:04:17 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: 90) System Policy: deny(1) mach-priv-task-port 12109

Oct 13 15:04:17 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: htop(1290) System Policy: deny(1) mach-priv-task-port 12110

Oct 13 15:04:17 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: htop(1290) System Policy: deny(1) mach-priv-task-port 12113

Oct 13 15:04:17 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: htop(1290) System Policy: deny(1) mach-priv-task-port 12115

Oct 13, 2015 1:15 PM in response to lllaass

here is another.


Oct 13 15:04:18 Dustins-Mac-Pro launchservicesd[89]: SecTaskLoadEntitlements failed error=22

Oct 13 15:04:18 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: The graphics driver has detected a corruption in its command stream.

Oct 13 15:04:18 Dustins-Mac-Pro remoting_me2me_host[77675]: Successfully connected to host talkgadget.

Oct 13 15:04:18 Dustins-Mac-Pro remoting_me2me_host[77675]: Attempting to connect signaling.

Oct 13 15:04:18 Dustins-Mac-Pro remoting_me2me_host[77675]: Refreshing OAuth token.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro loginwindow[72328]: ERROR | -[LoginApp windowServerExited] | Window Server exited, closing down the session immediately

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro talagent[77082]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro talagent[77082]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro Dock[77083]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro Dock[77083]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro Finder[77085]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro Finder[77085]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro com.apple.dock.extra[77171]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro com.apple.dock.extra[77171]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro Image Capture Extension[77387]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro Image Capture Extension[77387]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro Spotlight[77299]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro Spotlight[77299]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro cloudphotosd[77113]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro cloudphotosd[77113]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro SIMBL Enabler for Sandboxed Apps[77227]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro SIMBL Enabler for Sandboxed Apps[77227]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro CoreServicesUIAgent[77258]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro CoreServicesUIAgent[77258]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro garcon[77177]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro garcon[77177]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro SIMBL Agent[77626]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro SIMBL Agent[77626]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro remoting_me2me_host[77675]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro remoting_me2me_host[77675]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro AOSHeartbeat[77653]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro AOSHeartbeat[77653]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro AirPlayUIAgent[77649]: HIToolbox: received notification of WindowServer event port death.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro AirPlayUIAgent[77649]: port matched the WindowServer port created in BindCGSToRunLoop

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro remoting_me2me_host[77675]: Received OAuth token.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro remoting_me2me_host[77675]: Received user info.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro accountsd[77124]: invalid nil value for 'sharedInstance'

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro diagnosticd[143]: error evaluating process info - pid: 72278, puniqueid: 72278

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.WindowServer[72278]): Service exited due to signal: Abort trap: 6

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro MacBooster mini[77644]: Set a breakpoint at CGSLogError to catch errors as they are logged.

Oct 13 15:04:19 Dustins-Mac-Pro MacBooster mini[77644]: void CGSGetDisplaySystemState(uint64_t, CGSDisplaySystemState **): MIG error 0x10000003: (ipc/send) invalid destination

port

Oct 13, 2015 1:28 PM in response to lllaass

There seems to be a LOT of screaming WindowServer errors. I have 3 monitors if it makes any difference.


Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x1a46de8b: GL mask 0x8; bounds (1680, 0)[1440 x 900], 52 modes available

Active, on-line, enabled, Vendor 469, Model 19ed, S/N 2a5ca, Unit 3, Rotation 0

UUID 0x86a59615a4b519452c949d599ca1b5cc

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x1b559470: GL mask 0x1; bounds (3120, 0)[1920 x 1080], 52 modes available

Active, on-line, enabled, Vendor 1e6d, Model 56f9, S/N 22a32, Unit 0, Rotation 0

UUID 0x024edc20246e2b76ea01669a2afc9050

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x003f003d: GL mask 0x2; bounds (0, 0)[0 x 0], 1 modes available

off-line, enabled, Vendor ffffffff, Model ffffffff, S/N ffffffff, Unit 1, Rotation 0

UUID 0xffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro Caffeine[77686]: CGSConnectionByID: 0 is not a valid connection ID.

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: window_set_transform: Singular matrix

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x1b559470: GL mask 0x1; bounds (0, 0)[1920 x 1080], 52 modes available

Main, Active, on-line, enabled, Vendor 1e6d, Model 56f9, S/N 22a32, Unit 0, Rotation 0

UUID 0x024edc20246e2b76ea01669a2afc9050

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x0b40efb2: GL mask 0x4; bounds (1920, 0)[1680 x 1050], 58 modes available

Active, on-line, enabled, boot, Vendor 4c2d, Model 376, S/N 50453232, Unit 2, Rotation 0

UUID 0xea135d76244b883b92e33c27b25fca0c

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x1a46de8b: GL mask 0x8; bounds (-1440, 180)[1440 x 900], 52 modes available

Active, on-line, enabled, Vendor 469, Model 19ed, S/N 2a5ca, Unit 3, Rotation 0

UUID 0x86a59615a4b519452c949d599ca1b5cc

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x003f003d: GL mask 0x2; bounds (4624, 0)[1 x 1], 1 modes available

off-line, enabled, Vendor ffffffff, Model ffffffff, S/N ffffffff, Unit 1, Rotation 0

UUID 0xffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: CGXPerformInitialDisplayConfiguration

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x1b559470: Unit 0; Vendor 0x1e6d Model 0x56f9 S/N 141874 Dimensions 20.08 x 11.42; online enabled, Bounds (0,0)

[1920 x 1080], Rotation 0, Resolution 1

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x0b40efb2: Unit 2; Vendor 0x4c2d Model 0x376 S/N 1346712114 Dimensions 19.45 x 12.60; online enabled, Bounds (1

920,0)[1680 x 1050], Rotation 0, Resolution 1

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x1a46de8b: Unit 3; Vendor 0x469 Model 0x19ed S/N 173514 Dimensions 16.06 x 10.04; online enabled, Bounds (-1440

,180)[1440 x 900], Rotation 0, Resolution 1

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: Display 0x003f003d: Unit 1; Vendor 0xffffffff Model 0xffffffff S/N -1 Dimensions 0.00 x 0.00; offline enabled, Bounds (4

624,0)[1 x 1], Rotation 0, Resolution 1

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: GLCompositor: GL renderer id 0x01022602, GL mask 0x00000003, accelerator 0x00004073, unit 0, caps QEX|MIPMAP, vram 1536 MB

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro SystemUIServer[77084]: CGBitmapContextCreate: unsupported parameter combination: set CGBITMAP_CONTEXT_LOG_ERRORS environmental variable to see

the details

Oct 13 15:04:20 --- last message repeated 11 times ---

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: GLCompositor: GL renderer id 0x01022602, GL mask 0x00000003, texture max 8192, viewport max {8192, 8192}, extensions NPOT|

GLSL|FLOAT

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: GLCompositor: GL renderer id 0x01021a02, GL mask 0x0000000c, accelerator 0x000041cb, unit 2, caps QEX|MIPMAP, vram 256 MB

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: GLCompositor: GL renderer id 0x01021a02, GL mask 0x0000000c, texture max 8192, viewport max {8192, 8192}, extensions NPOT|

GLSL|FLOAT

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: GLCompositor enabled for tile size [256 x 256]

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: CGXGLInitMipMap: mip map mode is on

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro WindowServer[77694]: **DMPROXY** (2) Found `/System/Library/CoreServices/DMProxy'. Run with arg = -AMBDprefs

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro com.apple.AmbientDisplayAgent[77719]: AMBD initializing devices

Oct 13 15:04:20 Dustins-Mac-Pro SystemUIServer[77084]: CGBitmapContextCreate: unsupported parameter combination: set CGBITMAP_CONTEXT_LOG_ERRORS environmental variable to see

the details

Oct 14, 2015 6:00 AM in response to dhoepp

A

Uninstall "SIMBL" or "EasySIMBL" as follows. Back up all data before making any changes.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:

/Library

In the Finder, select

Go Go to Folder...

from the menu bar, paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V, then press return. A folder will open. From that folder, delete the items listed below (some may be absent.) You may be prompted for your administrator login password.

Application Support/SIMBL

InputManagers/SIMBL

LaunchAgents/net.culater.SIMBL.Agent.plist

LaunchAgents/net.infinite-labs.SIMBLEnablerForSandboxedApps.plist

ScriptingAdditions/EasySIMBL.osax

ScriptingAdditions/SIMBL.osax

Log out and log back in. There may also be an item named "EasySIMBL" in the Applications folder. Delete it, if so.

Make sure you never reinstall any variant of SIMBL. It’s likely to come bundled with another third-party system modfication that depends on it. If you want trouble-free computing, avoid software that makes miraculous changes to other software, especially built-in applications. The only real exception to that rule is Safari extensions, which are mostly safe, and are easy to get rid of when they don’t work. SIMBL and its dependents are not Safari extensions.

B

If you still have problems, also uninstall "SmoothMouse."

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.

Oct 13, 2015 8:27 PM in response to Linc Davis

Line, thanks again. You are always a tremendous help. I have deleted most of the SIMBL files you listed. I don't think that is a major issue. I remember having issues with SmoothMouse in the first El Capitan beta. I have reinstalled SmoothMouse to gain access to the uninstall script. After running it, I still get crashes. This is everything in system.log related to SmoothMouse AFTER uninstalling and rebooting.


Oct 13 21:46:44 Dustins-Mac-Pro sudo[88151]: root : TTY=unknown ; PWD=/private/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.cc428o/Scripts/com.cyberic.pkg.SmoothMouseKex t2.hzJuxj ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/sbin/kextunload -b com.cyberic.SmoothMouse

Oct 13 21:46:45 Dustins-Mac-Pro sudo[88162]: root : TTY=unknown ; PWD=/private/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.cc428o/Scripts/com.cyberic.pkg.SmoothMousePre fPane.mVYREh ; USER=dhoepp ; COMMAND=/usr/bin/osascript preinstall.scpt

Oct 13 21:46:46 Dustins-Mac-Pro SmoothMouseDaemon[88166]: cannot open file /Users/dhoepp/Library/Preferences/com.cyberic.SmoothMouse.plist

Oct 13 21:46:46 Dustins-Mac-Pro SmoothMouseDaemon[88166]: Failed to read settings .plist file (please open preference plane)

Oct 13 21:46:46 Dustins-Mac-Pro SmoothMouseUpdater[88165]: 0: /Library/PreferencePanes/SmoothMouse.prefPane/Contents/SmoothMouseUpdater.app/C ontents/MacOS/SmoothMouseUpdater

Oct 13 21:46:47 Dustins-Mac-Pro nsurlstoraged[87704]: Process 88165 does not have access to path /Users/dhoepp/Library/Caches/com.cyberic.SmoothMouseUpdater/Cache.db

Oct 13 21:47:31 Dustins-Mac-Pro sudo[88192]: root : TTY=unknown ; PWD=/private/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.cc428o/Scripts/com.cyberic.pkg.SmoothMouseKex t2.hzJuxj ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/bin/rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/SmoothMouse.kext

Oct 13 21:47:31 Dustins-Mac-Pro sudo[88195]: root : TTY=unknown ; PWD=/private/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.cc428o/Scripts/com.cyberic.pkg.SmoothMouseKex t2.hzJuxj ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/sbin/kextload /Library/Extensions/SmoothMouse.kext

Oct 13 21:47:31 Dustins-Mac-Pro sudo[88198]: root : TTY=unknown ; PWD=/private/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.cc428o/Scripts/com.cyberic.pkg.SmoothMousePre fPane.mVYREh ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/usr/bin/find /Users/dhoepp/Library/Caches -iname *cyberic.smoothmouse* -exec rm -rf {} ;

Oct 13 21:47:32 Dustins-Mac-Pro sudo[88203]: root : TTY=unknown ; PWD=/private/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.cc428o/Scripts/com.cyberic.pkg.SmoothMousePre fPane.mVYREh ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/bin/ln -sf /Library/PreferencePanes/SmoothMouse.prefPane/Contents/SmoothMouseDaemon.app/Co ntents/MacOS/SmoothMouseDaemon /usr/bin/smoothmouse

Oct 13 21:47:32 Dustins-Mac-Pro kernel[0]: Sandbox: ln(88204) System Policy: deny(1) file-write-create /usr/bin/smoothmouse

Oct 13 21:47:32 Dustins-Mac-Pro sudo[88205]: root : TTY=unknown ; PWD=/private/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.cc428o/Scripts/com.cyberic.pkg.SmoothMousePre fPane.mVYREh ; USER=dhoepp ; COMMAND=/usr/bin/osascript postinstall.scpt

Oct 13 21:48:06 Dustins-Mac-Pro authexec[88221]: executing /Library/PreferencePanes/SmoothMouse.prefPane/Contents/Resources/uninstall.sh

Oct 13 21:49:05 Dustins-Mac-Pro sudo[88510]: root : TTY=unknown ; PWD=/private/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.wyWsVw/Scripts/com.cyberic.pkg.SmoothMousePre fPane.bBBddu ; USER=dhoepp ; COMMAND=/usr/bin/osascript preinstall.scpt


Please advise.

Oct 14, 2015 6:00 AM in response to dhoepp

1. This procedure is a diagnostic test. It changes nothing, for better or worse, and therefore will not, in itself, solve the problem. But with the aid of the test results, the solution may take a few minutes, instead of hours or days.

The test works on OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and later. I don't recommend running it on older versions of OS X. It will do no harm, but it won't do much good either.

Don't be put off by the complexity of these instructions. The process is much less complicated than the description. You do harder tasks with the computer all the time.

2. If you don't already have a current backup, back up all data before doing anything else. The backup is necessary on general principle, not because of anything in the test procedure. Backup is always a must, and when you're having any kind of trouble with the computer, you may be at higher than usual risk of losing data, whether you follow these instructions or not.

There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.

3. Below are instructions to run a UNIX shell script, a type of program. As I wrote above, it changes nothing. It doesn't send or receive any data on the network. All it does is to generate a human-readable report on the state of the computer. That report goes nowhere unless you choose to share it. If you prefer, you can act on it yourself without disclosing the contents to me or anyone else.

You should be wondering whether you can believe me, and whether it's safe to run a program at the behest of a stranger. In general, no, it's not safe and I don't encourage it.

In this case, however, there are a couple of ways for you to decide whether the program is safe without having to trust me. First, you can read it. Unlike an application that you download and click to run, it's transparent, so anyone with the necessary skill can verify what it does.

You may not be able to understand the script yourself. But variations of it have been posted on this website thousands of times over a period of years. The site is hosted by Apple, which does not allow it to be used to distribute harmful software. Any one of the millions of registered users could have read the script and raised the alarm if it was harmful. Then I would not be here now and you would not be reading this message. See, for example, this discussion.

Another indication that the test is safe can be found in this thread, and this one, for example, where the comment in which I suggested it was recommended by one of the Apple Community Specialists, as explained here.

Nevertheless, if you can't satisfy yourself that these instructions are safe, don't follow them. Ask for other options.

4. Here's a general summary of what you need to do, if you choose to proceed:

☞ Copy a particular line of text to the Clipboard.

☞ Paste into the window of another application.

☞ Wait for the test to run. It usually takes a few minutes.

☞ Paste the results, which will have been copied automatically, back into a reply on this page.

These are not specific instructions; just an overview. The details are in parts 7 and 8 of this comment. The sequence is: copy, paste, wait, paste again. You don't need to copy a second time.

5. Try to test under conditions that reproduce the problem, as far as possible. For example, if the computer is sometimes, but not always, slow, run the test during a slowdown.

You may have started up in safe mode. If the system is now in safe mode and works well enough in normal mode to run the test, restart as usual. If you can only test in safe mode, do that.

6. If you have more than one user, and the one affected by the problem is not an administrator, then please run the test twice: once while logged in as the affected user, and once as an administrator. The results may be different. The user that is created automatically on a new computer when you start it for the first time is an administrator. If you can't log in as an administrator, test as the affected user. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this section doesn’t apply. Don't log in as root.

7. Load this linked web page (on the website "Pastebin.") The title of the page is "Diagnostic Test." Below the title is a text box headed by three small icons. The one on the right represents a clipboard. Click that icon to select the text, then copy it to the Clipboard on your computer by pressing the key combination command-C.

If the text doesn't highlight when you click the icon, select it by triple-clicking anywhere inside the box. Don't select the whole page, just the text in the box.

8. Launch the built-in 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 and start typing the name.

Click anywhere in the Terminal window to activate it. Paste from the Clipboard into the window by pressing command-V, then press return. The text you pasted should vanish immediately.

9. If you see an error message in the Terminal window such as "Syntax error" or "Event not found," enter

exec bash

and press return. Then paste the script again.

10. If you're logged in as an administrator, you'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. You will not see the usual dots in place of typed characters. Make sure caps lock is off. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you make three failed attempts to enter the password, the test will run anyway, but it will produce less information. If you don't know the password, or if you prefer not to enter it, just press return three times at the password prompt. Again, the script will still run.

If you're not logged in as an administrator, you won't be prompted for a password. The test will still run. It just won't do anything that requires administrator privileges.

11. The test may take a few minutes to run, depending on how many files you have and the speed of the computer. A computer that's abnormally slow may take longer to run the test. While it's running, a series of lines will appear in the Terminal window like this:

[Process started]

Part 1 of 8 done at … sec

Part 8 of 8 done at … sec

The test results are on the Clipboard.

Please close this window.

[Process completed]

The intervals between parts won't be exactly equal, but they give a rough indication of progress. The total number of parts may be different from what's shown here.

Wait for the final message "Process completed" to appear. If you don't see it within about ten minutes, the test probably won't complete in a reasonable time. In that case, press the key combination control-C or command-period to stop it and go to the next step. You'll have incomplete results, but still something.

12. When the test is complete, or if you stopped it because it was taking too long, quit Terminal. The results will have been copied to the Clipboard automatically. They are not shown in the Terminal window. Please don't copy anything from there. All you have to do is start a reply to this comment and then paste by pressing command-V again.

At the top of the results, there will be a line that begins with the words "Start time." If you don't see that, but instead see a mass of gibberish, you didn't wait for the "Process completed" message to appear in the Terminal window. Please wait for it and try again.

If any private information, such as your name or email address, appears in the results, anonymize it before posting. Usually that won't be necessary.

13. When you post the results, 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 test results on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

14. This is a public forum, and others may give you advice based on the results of the test. They speak for themselves, not for me. The test itself is harmless, but whatever else you're told to do may not be. For others who choose to run it, I don't recommend that you post the test results on this website unless I asked you to.

______________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2014, 2015 by Linc Davis. As the sole author of this work (including the referenced "Diagnostic Test"), I reserve all rights to it except as provided in the Use Agreement for the Apple Support Communities website ("ASC"). Readers of ASC may copy it for their own personal use. Neither the whole nor any part may be redistributed.

Oct 14, 2015 6:10 AM in response to Linc Davis

You sir are incredible. Haha your warnings leading up to your instructions were very discerning. All it was was Copy, Paste, Enter.


I started it and it seems to be taking its time.


You were right though. I do much more advanced stuff with my computer all of the time. I have had this computer for 5 years and I work primarily in networking and am a bit of a programmer. I do have a bit of knowledge. Though I understand you help so many people that your instructions are probably mostly copy and paste from your own personal knowledgebase.


I will post the clipboard soon.

Oct 14, 2015 9:46 AM in response to dhoepp

That's a very heavily modified system and there could be many things wrong with it, but two are obvious and most likely related to the problem.


1. One of the two graphics cards is failing. I can't tell which one. You would have to determine that by removing one at a time. My money would be on the ATI 2600, which is a known bad actor.


2. You're running an old version of PGP that is probably incompatible with El Capitan. Remove it, and if you want full-disk encryption, use FileVault.

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.

Oct 14, 2015 11:40 AM in response to Linc Davis

You are helping tremendously. Yes the system is heavily modified. I've wanted to start over so many times. But I don't know how without losing a majority of what I've worked so long to accomplish.


PGP has been on there a long time. I installed that just for fun at an old job, back when this system was on my MBP. Then I got the Mac Pro and restored the backup to that. I have a Time Capsule that backs it up regularly.

Oct 14, 2015 12:00 PM in response to dhoepp

Starting over is not insurmountable. To "start over":


make TWO Trusted Backups (in case one has problems)

Boot to Recovery and ERASE your Boot Drive

Re-Install Mac OS X

-- You can use Setup Assistant at this point to restore from a Time Machine Backup OR

-- Re-Install or restore from backup your third party Applications

-- Restore from backup your files.

Mac Pro crashing to log in screen on El Capitan

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.