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tschust Author

Level 1

56 points

System freezes since High Sierra

Hi,

since i upgraded to High Sierra i get random (every few houres) system freezes/slow downs. Everytime the mouse is still useable but the response needs quite a lot of time and sometimes there is no response at all. I had some freezes where the system recovers after 10 minutes and sometimes i had to do a hard reboot.

I thougt it might be an issue with the current release of High Sierra therefore i installed the 10.13.1 Beta, but the issue is still present.

I have no external drivers installed.

Has anyone an idea what i can do to track down what could cause such an issue?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS High Sierra (10.13), late 2013 15"

Posted on Oct 4, 2017 3:09 AM

Top-ranking reply

surveygold

Level 1

27 points

Posted on Oct 16, 2017 3:55 PM

I have this problem, too, on my Mac Pro (Late 2013): I installed High Sierra (upgraded from Sierra) on October 6th. Ever since then, here is what happens: I leave my Mac running at the end of the work day. I come back to my office the following morning and the computer is unresponsive to trackpad or keyboard wakeup. My only option is to restart the computer.

I have reset SMC. I have downloaded and reinstalled High Sierra as of October 11th. I have upgraded my external monitor card drivers (Blue Diamond) to High Sierra compatible drivers. The system is still locked up on most mornings. The only thing that has changed is that after resetting SMC the monitors actually wake upon response to touching the trackpad or keyboard. But, that doesn't matter, because the actual operating system is locked up.

On October 11th, I opened a ticket with Apple support and have provided their engineers with a crash dump diagnostics file.

This behavior has happened nearly every day since installing High Sierra on October 6th. Although, curiously, the computer was awake and ready for business for me the past two days (October 15th and 16th) without incident...and without a change on my part.

I have just heard back today (October 16, 2017) from my Apple support contact who has confirmed that:

Computers locking up is a known issue that is affecting many users who have upgraded to High Sierra.
As such, research will continue and it will be addressed in a forthcoming operating system update.

Technology. It's great...when it works. #ahem

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148 replies

fanzeyi

Level 1

8 points

Nov 12, 2017 5:31 PM in response to tschust

I'm experiencing the same issue too and same model as op's. I have found a diagnose of WindowServer right before the system freezes and I hope it can help. In my case, the freezing is triggered by PDFExpert.

https://gist.githubusercontent.com/fanzeyi/37cf597ef76f269341356ed4e812ac34/raw/ 7113a1aa209fa992a47327da1c41b5fd6c558e8b…

Nov 13, 2017 4:24 AM in response to tschust

So, I installed High Sierra 10.13.2 beta 2 and it seems that the problem is gone. Please note that I just used the laptop for a couple of days, so I can't really be sure that the problem is really gone, but the system is now definitely more stable. I still occasionally see some slow down, but now the computer starts to react again after a couple of seconds. Finger crossed they were able to address this issue...

Nov 16, 2017 5:37 AM in response to tschust

Same problem. Mac Pro (Late 2013); 3 GHz 8-Core Intel Xeon E5; 32 GB. 3 displays. Wacom tablet.

Waking from screen saver is particularly risky.

Do Apple have just one MacBook in their offices that they develop for?

lavar7

Level 1

4 points

Nov 16, 2017 11:15 AM in response to tschust

Once your Mac is 3 years old, and certainly by the time it’s 4, Apple will make sure an upgrade to their latest OS will, basically require you to buy a new computer. For years they would just significantly slow your computer down. This time they keep you running quickly, but freeze your system to the point where you can’t take it anymore. As if with all the incredible developers and tremendous stockpiles of cash they have at Apple, hey couldn’t make a computer that would last more than three years! I’m having the same freezing issues in my 2013 Mac book air. If anyone figures out how to resolve, I’d love to hear it. But my guess is there will be no resolution from Apple, only insistance that it’s time for a new computer.

ParhamS

Level 1

84 points

Nov 16, 2017 1:13 PM in response to lavar7

I absolutely agree that this IS a strategy that Apple uses.

I'm not sure if this freezing were due to that, by its not far from it.

I had an Apple TV 2nd Gen. The last update apple pushed introduced a bug that'd cause crashing while streaming videos. Downgrading the OS completely resolve the issues. but then apple updates the device if you leave it running. And the crashing would continue. Apple said it had no plans to issue further updates. (2 trips to Apple Store, got a free replacement to 3rd gen, which did not crash - magic)

iPad 2/iPhone 4: my ipad 2 that I used for minor tasks become completely unusable with ios 7 and then ios 8. With each update I hoped a fix would solve the issue. Apple store first denied the issue, a low level guy said "everyone know older devices get slower over time" which the manager later apologized for (truth).

There was a klas axn for iphone 4 on this very same issue. Given Apple does testing on all devices, and that they promise better performance after updates, I can hardly believe these are coincidences.

I have parked our iOS devices at iOS 10 and just downgrade my late 2013 MBP to 10.12.

My next laptop will be Purism, out of self respect.

lavar7

Level 1

4 points

Nov 16, 2017 3:03 PM in response to Alex Vermulst

that's great to hear. Where can I get this version? Is it only for developers? That's what I'm finding online about it - that developers can try it. I'd love to discover it's stops the freezes which are occurring more and more now.

Also, just to confirm Alex, what year computer are you using? Mine is 2013 mac book air

Nov 17, 2017 11:20 PM in response to tschust

Same here. High Sierra froze at first and then locked me out completely of a MacBook Pro late 2014. Now my partner's 2013 Mac is starting to freeze up. I will be opening a complaint with Apple. I run my business on line and had to buy a new computer. I think they owe me. What do all of you think about that?

mdopp

Level 1

50 points

Dec 7, 2017 10:58 AM in response to tschust

Can somebody please confirm that the problem is gone with 10.13.2 update?

i am running a MacPro 2013 here and the issue gradually become so severe that I had to reistall 10.12 Sierra. As my backups of that system were too old, I had to do it all manually, which was a huge PITA.

ParhamS

Level 1

84 points

Dec 7, 2017 12:09 PM in response to Alex Vermulst

Would you be more specific?

What issue did you have that has stopped occurring?

The slow downs happen in some circumstances & usually after a little while, as if graphic cards memory get full...

Could you point to the processes that have improved consistently

mdopp

Level 1

50 points

Dec 7, 2017 8:42 PM in response to ParhamS

Indeed, the downgrade took me days to complete. I will not rush into another upgrade unless it is certain that the problem was solved. After my initial upgrade, I had no issues either. The problem developed over time.

awgawg

Level 1

15 points

Dec 8, 2017 3:28 PM in response to surveygold

My Mac Pro with High Sierra (10.13.1) has been freezing when it has been left running. The mouse moves but I can’t click on anything and the keyboard is dead. The only fix is to power it down and reboot. I have downloaded 10.13.2 with some difficulty and I hope this fixes it.

Dec 10, 2017 1:16 PM in response to tschust

I've installed the updated 10.13.2... and initially there seemed to be some improvement with the sleep/wake/forced restart issue (which is so ******* frustrating), but after 48 hours, ALL issues returned, so obviously none of the updates solved the problem(s).

Perception is everything, Apple... I'm convinced this is corruption-based policy and a major driver to drum up additional sales. That, or your software engineers are complete IDIOTS... neither one is good, and has me looking to walk away from the brand forever (currently running 4 desktops, three laptops, five iPads, and seven iPhones in this household). If I want a **** systems, products, and service, I can pay a lot less for the same outcome.

I'll give you 10 business days... fix it, or we're off-loading everything.

jrblev

Level 1

4 points

Dec 11, 2017 9:28 AM in response to ParhamS

Yes, this is happening with new model Macs from 2016. I use an external monitor and I am unable to start or re-start my machine with the external monitor connected. the machine just freezes mid-boot. This has happened since the initial boot with High Sierra. Very frustrating.

jmattres

Level 1

4 points

Dec 13, 2017 11:21 AM in response to tschust

Having the same issue. I have to hard power cycle this nearly every day. The computer locks up...fan runs high. I am also running High Sierra. Waiting for software update to address this issue. It's frustrating.

debbyj

Level 1

21 points

Dec 13, 2017 12:21 PM in response to tschust

I have experienced a similar problem since upgrading my MacBook Pro to High Sierra. When I let it allow it to "go to sleep" after not being in use for a 20 minutes the entire system freezes. The only way I can get out of this frozen state is to force it to shut down by holding down the off/on button for several long seconds. Wish someone would tell me what to do to fix this.

System freezes since High Sierra