Constant Panic Mode

If you can't start up and log in in the usual way, please try in safe mode.

During startup, you’ll see a progress bar, and then the login screen, which appears even if you normally log in 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.

Log in as an administrator to carry out these instructions. If you have only one account, you are the administrator.

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.

Safe mode is slower than normal, and some things won’t work at all.

Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t start in safe mode.

If you're able to log in, launch the Console application in either one of the following ways:

☞ 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.

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 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.

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.

If you have an account on Pastebin, please don't select Private from the Paste Exposure menu on the page, because then no one but you will be able to see it.

You have the MacBookPro6,2—the Edsel of Macs. It may have the logic-board defect that was covered by a recall program that has now ended.

The model was discontinued in February 2011. It's now classified by Apple as a "vintage product." That means Apple will most likely refuse to fix it (but see the exceptions on the linked page.) In that case, you would have to go to an independent service provider. The part may no longer be available, or the repair may not be cost-effective.

Often the problems start after an OS upgrade. If the upgrade was recent, and you have backups, then you can revert to a previous OS X version.

Otherwise, make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider, to have the machine tested. The testing will be free at an Apple Store—unless Apple refuses even to look at the unit, which it might. The routine hardware diagnostics used by service providers do not detect the fault. There is a specific test for this issue called "VST" (for "Video System Test.") Ask for it. A "Failed" result means that the fault is present.

If you do decide to go to an independent service provider, be aware that the replacement part may also be defective. Some owners reported that they went through as many as three replacement boards before getting one that worked. Don't expect any help from Apple if you're charged several hundred dollars for another bad logic board and the provider won't replace it again.

If you don't want to take that risk, or if you don't like the price you're quoted, you may (or may not) be able to work around the problem by disabling automatic graphics switching. To use the discrete graphics processor, you'll need a third-party utility to switch to it manually.