sillysmooth789

Q: EL Capitan: Screen flickering uncontrollably and forces me to reboot

I downloaded and installed El Capitan on my Macbook Pro 13-in, Mid 2012 about a week ago. I have always used multiple desktops and a second monitor to keep my apps separated and to help my productivity stay high. A day or two after upgrading to El Capitan, I noticed that the screen would flicker like crazy and I would be forced to shut down. This usually happened while I was utilizing my second monitor. I decided to reinstall the OS X and I stopped using my second monitor. Even after reinstalling and only using multiple desktops, I have the same issue recur over and over again. The Apps I commonly use when the flickering starts are: Firefox, Logos 6 (Bible software), and Scrivener. Sometimes I also have Evernote, Microsoft Word and Excel 2011 open. But the first three are always open due to the fact that I am writing a book. I never had the flickering issue with Yosemite, Mavericks, etc. Just El Capitan. I want to revert back to Yosemite but I did not have Time Machine running (I know, just stupid). So I feel like I'm stuck with El Capitan.

 

Is there anything I can do to stop the flickering? Or do I need to wait for Apple to send out an update?

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Oct 15, 2015 11:36 AM

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Q: EL Capitan: Screen flickering uncontrollably and forces me to reboot

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Oct 15, 2015 3:22 PM in response to sillysmooth789
    Level 10 (207,978 points)
    Applications
    Oct 15, 2015 3:22 PM in response to sillysmooth789

    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.

    Step 1

    For this step, the title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select

              SYSTEM LOG QUERIES â–¹ All Messages

    from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

              View â–¹ Show Log List

    from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

    In the top right corner of the Console window, there's a search box labeled Filter. Enter "BOOT_TIME" (without the quotes.)

    Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Select the BOOT_TIME log message that corresponds to the last boot time when you had the problem. Now clear the search box to reveal all messages. Select the ones logged before the boot, during the time something abnormal was happening. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.

    For example, if the system was unresponsive or was failing to shut down for three minutes before you forced a restart, post the messages timestamped within three minutes before the boot time, not after. Please include the BOOT_TIME message at the end of the log extract—not at the beginning.

    If there are long runs of repeated messages, please post only one example of each. Don’t post many repetitions of the same message.

    When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.

    Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

    Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

    Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.

    Step 2

    In the Console window, select

              DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION â–¹ System Diagnostic Reports

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

              View â–¹ 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 crash report has a name that begins with the name of the crashed process and ends in ".crash". A panic report has a name that begins with "Kernel" and ends in ".panic". A shutdown stall report has a name that ends in ".shutdownstall". Select the most recent of each, if any. The contents of the report will appear on the right. Use copy and paste to post the entire contents—the text, not a screenshot. It's possible that none of these reports exists.

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

    If you don't see any reports listed, but you know there was a crash or 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—they're very long and rarely helpful.

    When you post the log extract or the crash 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.

  • by turnetzb,

    turnetzb turnetzb Oct 15, 2015 9:16 PM in response to sillysmooth789
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 15, 2015 9:16 PM in response to sillysmooth789

    I had the same experience too. I did both clean install and upgrade directly to the App Store but nothing works. Mac model and Firefox app is the same thing for me with flicker. I revert back my MacBook Pro to mavericks and i am having a serious stability which is a good thing. I hope apple gonna find a way to fix this issue as it has really confusing effect with everyone (more likely it would be suspected as a hardware issue but in my case i revert my OS back to originals and everything work  smooth as new)

     

    *Java compatibility with adobe apps aren't smooth as such

    * Never had this issue with mavericks and Yosemite

    *13" MacBook Pro Mid 2012 core i5

    * Reversion to mavericks fixed the issue for me. In the other hand updates of apps would require more latest OSX demands a fix!

    *Email me if you need additional information cheerspreneur@gmail.com

  • by sillysmooth789,

    sillysmooth789 sillysmooth789 Oct 16, 2015 10:53 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (16 points)
    Oct 16, 2015 10:53 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks for taking the time to help. I followed your instructions exactly. BOOT_TIME produced no results. Your second suggestion did not produce results either.

     

    Around 7:15 a.m. this morning I decided to Refresh Firefox. I have not had any issues until about 5 minutes ago (1:40 p.m.) when I noticed the upper left hand corner of my Desktop 1 with Firefox open started to flicker. I switched to Desktop 2 and the flickering stopped. Went back to Desktop 1 and the flicker was still gone. I will force a shut down and provide the information you asked for; if it happens in the manner described in my original post.

     

    Thanks again for your help.

  • by sillysmooth789,

    sillysmooth789 sillysmooth789 Oct 16, 2015 10:57 AM in response to turnetzb
    Level 1 (16 points)
    Oct 16, 2015 10:57 AM in response to turnetzb

    I refreshed Firefox and it was working great until about 1:40 p.m. I saw a slight flicker but I switched between desktops and it went away. I just disabled hardware acceleration on Firefox (saw it suggested somewhere else). I guess I'll see if that helps. Maybe I'll just stop using Firefox and see if the problem goes away.

  • by turnetzb,

    turnetzb turnetzb Oct 16, 2015 4:36 PM in response to sillysmooth789
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 16, 2015 4:36 PM in response to sillysmooth789

    Come and go doesn't mean a permanent fix we had to seek for answers    though 3D acceleration has nothing to do with softwares as it has to function the way it was built for. It seems to me that you are pointing to much worse conclusion - a Hardware issue?

     

    What do you suspecting at, causing this problem?

    Try SMC reset by restarting your computer and holding alt option - command - P R

    Press that button before you reach the gray screen - When you make it reboot twice release the key continue booting in OS

    Try to observe if it still happen again

  • by umutbalkan,

    umutbalkan umutbalkan Oct 22, 2015 3:30 PM in response to sillysmooth789
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 22, 2015 3:30 PM in response to sillysmooth789

    I have the same problem here and I've even tried NVRAM reset. Screen just goes black and beeps.

     

    Afterall, I've managed to start my Mac but there are some strange things going on.

         First, Spotlight search is completely useless, it just show the dictionary and Safari history.

         Secondly, I can't use the speakers, volume is locked(?). Sys -> Sound -> Output, "No output devices found."

         Thirdly, automatically launch at startup apps, didn't "automatically" launch.

         Cannot initialize the Watchdog service...

         It goes on and on and on.

     

     

     

    btw i'm using

     

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)

    OS X 10.11.1 El Capitan

  • by turnetzb,

    turnetzb turnetzb Oct 22, 2015 8:17 PM in response to umutbalkan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 22, 2015 8:17 PM in response to umutbalkan

    I felt it's my responsibility to respond overtime  though apple should . Anyone from apple here? i guess you had the latest mac OS X El Capitan Version 10.11.1 who happened to be the fixed updates for application incompatibility issue .

     

    *Backup your system using time machine make sure you had the latest including all your files, sheet and apps.

    *Check your AppStore if you could squeeze more updates and test the system afterwards

    *Try a clean install mate - Totally erase the hard drive and install from the scratch

    *If these doesn't work  for you - It might have some serious issue regardless your systems hardware

     

    *Email me for more info technical support   mail: cheerspreneur@gmail.com

  • by sillysmooth789,Apple recommended

    sillysmooth789 sillysmooth789 Oct 23, 2015 12:25 PM in response to sillysmooth789
    Level 1 (16 points)
    Oct 23, 2015 12:25 PM in response to sillysmooth789

    Hey everyone, I wanted to state that ever since I disabled hardware acceleration on Firefox, I have NOT had this issue recur. Firefox seemed to be the App that became unstable as I had YouTube video's playing while I worked (I have odd work habits). I did everything else suggested above (NVRAM reset, SMC reset) and I still had the problem. It completely went away after I disabled hardware acceleration on Firefox. I don't know why this worked but it did. It's been 7 days of normal functioning.

  • by sillysmooth789,

    sillysmooth789 sillysmooth789 Oct 23, 2015 12:27 PM in response to umutbalkan
    Level 1 (16 points)
    Oct 23, 2015 12:27 PM in response to umutbalkan

    I had the issue with Spotlight as well. Go to System Settings then Spotlight then click on Privacy. Add your main hard drive to the list and then remove it. This allows Spotlight to index your hard drive again. It started working as it should with the new EL Capitan features.

  • by W2lkm2n,

    W2lkm2n W2lkm2n Oct 24, 2015 2:28 AM in response to sillysmooth789
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 24, 2015 2:28 AM in response to sillysmooth789

    This solved my problem with Google Chrome.

    I had so much flickering my eyes hurt. After turning off (Settings --> Advanced --> Uncheck "Use hardware acceleration when available") the problem instantly went away!

  • by pbraconnot,

    pbraconnot pbraconnot Oct 27, 2015 7:23 PM in response to sillysmooth789
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Oct 27, 2015 7:23 PM in response to sillysmooth789

    Very strange here, Boot time was tripled or so, the screen was striped and the mouse arrow was broken in multiple lines. Also the screen was shifted to the left besides flickering. Firefox hardware acceleration was the problem too. What a scary night. I was thinking my motherboard nuts.

  • by Octaviofb,

    Octaviofb Octaviofb Oct 27, 2015 7:28 PM in response to sillysmooth789
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 27, 2015 7:28 PM in response to sillysmooth789

    I have the same problem. It happens only with Firefox in my case, sometimes without any other application open. I can not exactly say why it happens, I just notice the flickering and I immediately close Firefox. Last time it happened was a few minutes ago, Firefox was the only application open at the time, I am posting this using Safari. I am running El Capitan 10.11.1 on a Macbook Air 2012 and Firefox is the most recent update.

  • by turnetzb,

    turnetzb turnetzb Oct 27, 2015 7:45 PM in response to Octaviofb
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 27, 2015 7:45 PM in response to Octaviofb

    This is a big question though firefox works well during yosemite and mavericks. The hardware acceleration you are talking pertains really the hardware's function to accommodate such task. This is a hardware issue apple needs to address righaway

  • by CarrieAllie,

    CarrieAllie CarrieAllie Oct 28, 2015 4:00 PM in response to sillysmooth789
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 28, 2015 4:00 PM in response to sillysmooth789

    I was having the same problem after the latest El Capitan update.  Looks like turning off hardware acceleration on Firefox seemed to be a temp fix for me for now.  I hope the issue is addressed soon though.

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