Help! Updated to macOS 10.12.4, MBP randomly shuts off

[jackbrucesimpson]

Good to know, I haven't bothered updating to the latest I will wait for the new macOS and see if that fixes it. Out of interest are you running a Macbook Pro 15inch late 2013?

Yep, that's the exact machine I'm running. I took it to the Apple store and they tested all the hardware and found nothing wrong - it's definitely an OS software bug. Looks like they didn't test the new wifi software for that model properly.

By the way, I tried installing the beta for High Sierra and it didn't fix the issue for me, although it's probably still running the same wifi software as the previous version.

 

[jackbrucesimpson]

Anyone having this issue could you describe it and submit it to the Apple bug report here: https://bugreport.apple.com/web/ - hopefully if Apple gets enough complaints they'll realise that they've introduced a major bug into the OS.

 

[chrisdelambert]

I had mine tested too here in Berlin and there are no problems with it. Shame High Sierra doesn't fix it.

 

[Shurland]

I'm have the same problem on my Mac book pro mid 2014 I was told that it's a overheating problem and most likely the thermal paste need changing so I'm going to try that and keep you posted on the results
[doublepost=1503447456][/doublepost]Strangely enough when I'm running Windows using bookcamp I don't get any shut downs hmm
[doublepost=1503448415][/doublepost]

Well I have been about 5 days now with no crashes thanks to an automator script I am running at login. No crashes. It uses one thread, at 12% CPU. As long as it is running my computer won't crash. If I kill that process though, it crashes. So weird, but it works for now. Maybe Apple will identify and fix in the next version of macOS...

What is the automated script you're running at login

 

[Bbnsh]

Same problem here. My MacBook Pro (Retina, 15", Mid 2014) started to randomly shut down.

What I did so far:
- NVRAM/SMC reset
- Clean install of Sierra 10.12.6
- Thermal paste is in good condition
- Hardware check, no problems found

Nothing solved the problem. I started to observe the system.log before the crash.
I found always this message just before the crash:

Aug 21 23:48:27 My-MacBook com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.imfoundation.IMRemoteURLConnectionAgent): Unknown key for integer: _DirtyJetsamMemoryLimit

That's what brought me here via Google (same line in the log of other users here having the problem).
Now I also insert in Terminal:

while true ; do continue ; done

It also solved my problem! Since then, my computer didn't crash a single time anymore.
However, it does drain the battery quite fast.

Since I am not so much into coding and so on, does anyone have another solution that utilises less CPU and still works?

I hope latest Mac OS High Sierra will resolve this problem.


Edit:
The suggested python script also works fine for me. There are no crashes at an 14-15% CPU utilization.
So it does not drain the battery that fast.

The python script is attached for everyone who wants to use it.

 

[Shurland]

Some persons installed high sierre beta and still having the random shut down issue so I doubt that will help high sierre will help the issue

 

[Bbnsh]

Running that code is no long term solution.

Does anyone happen to know what exactly could cause these random shut downs?
Since only few Macs are affected, there must be some hardware-software interaction causing that problem?!
Maybe a part that was only used in the few Macs affected.

Or am I wrong with this suggestion? Are there any other ideas or even long-term problem solutions?

 

[Shurland]

Running that code is no long term solution.

Does anyone happen to know what exactly could cause these random shut downs?
Since only few Macs are affected, there must be some hardware-software interaction causing that problem?!
Maybe a part that was only used in the few Macs affected.

Or am I wrong with this suggestion? Are there any other ideas or even long-term problem solutions?

thanks for the python script

 

[Shurland]

Ok I change the thermal paste on the couch clean the fan and I worked fine for a couple of hours but then it shut down again so I guess it's a software issue.

 

[samuelheinrich]

hello everyone.

Glad I found this thread, since I almost ordered a new MBP. I'm using a MBP 15" 2015 model which is just a few weeks out of the warranty.

I have the exact same issue with random shutdowns as described here. I doubt that it's a hardware issue only since I can stress test the MBP with max CPU, max GPU, max Mem and max Disk for hours without a single shutdown, but as soon as I stop the stress test and the computer goes back to idle, it's likely to crash.

I also reinstalled Sierra 10.12.6 from scratch without any difference.

the python script works good so far.. (thx!)

I notices an interesting fact, which I want to point out here. Maybe someone can confirm?
the problem does not occure while external monitors are connected. I'm using two external screens 1x4k, 1x1080p, both connected to the thunderbolt ports.

As far as I can tell the difference here is:
no monitors = Intel Iris Pro
external monitors = NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M

 

[Bbnsh]

Thanks for these new insights.
My Mac also runs a Intel Iris Pro.
I usually don't use an external screen. I am going to test that and leave feedback here.

Still the questions remains, how to deal with that problem in a long term.
Anyone has personal experience how Apple handles this kind of problems?

The python script does make the Mac work, however that's not how I want to use my computer in a long term.

 

[samuelheinrich]

I made some progress here.

I installed a tool called gfxcardstatus
The Tool lets you choose which video card you want to use. It has 3 options:

Integrated only (Intel)
Discrete only (Nvidia)
dynamic switching (let macOS choose)

I statically set it to "integrated only". I'm currently sitting in a meeting and the MacBook runs stable since 2h (new record!) on the integrated intel card. that's conflicting with the fact that with external monitors the Nvidia is used and it also runs stable.

Don't think its either one or the other card which shutdown the computer, currently suspect thats its the switching in between both cards which makes troubles.

I'll do some test by switching back and forth to reproduce the issue and share a more qualified answer.

EDIT1) not reproducable by switching GPU...



"The python script does make the Mac work, however that's not how I want to use my computer in a long term."

me neither.

 

[Shurland]

I made some progress here.

I installed a tool called gfxcardstatus
The Tool lets you choose which video card you want to use. It has 3 options:

Integrated only (Intel)
Discrete only (Nvidia)
dynamic switching (let macOS choose)

I statically set it to "integrated only". I'm currently sitting in a meeting and the MacBook runs stable since 2h (new record!) on the integrated intel card. that's conflicting with the fact that with external monitors the Nvidia is used and it also runs stable.

Don't think its either one or the other card which shutdown the computer, currently suspect thats its the switching in between both cards which makes troubles.

I'll do some test by switching back and forth to reproduce the issue and share a more qualified answer.

EDIT1) not reproducable by switching GPU...



"The python script does make the Mac work, however that's not how I want to use my computer in a long term."

me neither.

I made some progress here.

I installed a tool called gfxcardstatus
The Tool lets you choose which video card you want to use. It has 3 options:

Integrated only (Intel)
Discrete only (Nvidia)
dynamic switching (let macOS choose)

I statically set it to "integrated only". I'm currently sitting in a meeting and the MacBook runs stable since 2h (new record!) on the integrated intel card. that's conflicting with the fact that with external monitors the Nvidia is used and it also runs stable.

Don't think its either one or the other card which shutdown the computer, currently suspect thats its the switching in between both cards which makes troubles.

I'll do some test by switching back and forth to reproduce the issue and share a more qualified answer.

EDIT1) not reproducable by switching GPU...



"The python script does make the Mac work, however that's not how I want to use my computer in a long term."

me neither.

I'm glad it's working for you but I have MBP 2014 which only have the Intel Iris GPU and it still randomly shuts down

 

[Bbnsh]

I made some progress here.

I'll do some test by switching back and forth to reproduce the issue and share a more qualified answer.

EDIT1) not reproducable by switching GPU...

So you stopped the python script and used gfxcardstatus to only work with the Intel Iris Pro and it also solved the problem in your case?! Can you confirm that?

My Macbook also runs a Intel Iris Pro only. So it might not be the video card. For me it's hard at that point to figure out how to move on in order to determine which hardware-software interaction causes the problem.

 

[samuelheinrich]

So you stopped the python script and used gfxcardstatus to only work with the Intel Iris Pro and it also solved the problem in your case?! Can you confirm that?

My Macbook also runs a Intel Iris Pro only. So it might not be the video card. For me it's hard at that point to figure out how to move on in order to determine which hardware-software interaction causes the problem.

yes I stopped using the python script. my findings are that if I statically use either the intel or Nvidia with the tool gfxcardstatus instead of letting the Mac choose the card dynamically, I don't have any crashes so far. I also can switch between the cards manually on the fly without problems.

I'll report back in a few days to confirm.

 

[Bbnsh]

Any news?

 

[samuelheinrich]

Any news?

I'm using the python script again. The solution with gfxcardstatus did defenitly not work. it somehow improves the situation but it's not reliable..

currently running 10.12.6 (16G29)

 

[samuelheinrich]

fyi Installed High Sierra final 10.13 (17A365), same old story

 

[Spazgan]

MacBook Pro 15'' Mid 2014

My results:
1) Battery replacement - doesn't solve;
2) Replacement of thermal paste - doesn't solve;
3) Installation of a clean OS X - doesn't solve;
4) Cooling - doesn't solve;
5) High Sierra - doesn't solve;

Noticed:
1) Turns off more often after several hours of operation;
2) Turns off more often when running on battery power;
3) Under OS Windows does not shutdown;
4) This is not a kernel panic failure (no crashes, no dumps), so may be this is the normal shutdown of the OS X.
5) In the logs there is no record of the reasons for the shutdown (or "-128 unknown error" on older OS X version). As if nothing happens.
6) Can switch off when Mac sleeping.
7) Apple Service Diagnostic hardware tests - all pass ok.


What are we going to do, guys? Does Apple know about our suffering?

 

[xnitingupta]

I'm also on MBP Retina 15" late 2013. Same issue; the display turns off randomly. No consistent pattern. Recently started experiencing problems like machine not going to sleep. Tried everything on the list (PRAM reset, SMC reset, reinstall, clean reinstall). Nothing.

Almost looks like Apple has put a timer in there that as soon as the machine turns 3 years it should start doing this X-(

 

[Bbnsh]

MacBook Pro 15'' Mid 2014

My results:
1) Battery replacement - doesn't solve;
2) Replacement of thermal paste - doesn't solve;
3) Installation of a clean OS X - doesn't solve;
4) Cooling - doesn't solve;
5) High Sierra - doesn't solve;

Noticed:
1) Turns off more often after several hours of operation;
2) Turns off more often when running on battery power;
3) Under OS Windows does not shutdown;
4) This is not a kernel panic failure (no crashes, no dumps), so may be this is the normal shutdown of the OS X.
5) In the logs there is no record of the reasons for the shutdown (or "-128 unknown error" on older OS X version). As if nothing happens.
6) Can switch off when Mac sleeping.
7) Apple Service Diagnostic hardware tests - all pass ok.

Thank you for this excellent summary of the problem.

The continuation of my story:
I got in touch with Apple and brought my MacBook Pro 15'' Mid 2014 to an official Apple Store. They kept the Mac for few days and run all kind of hardware/software tests. They also could not find any issues with the hardware. They even tested my Mac with my account logged in as I use it. As it is always when you have a problem you want to show to someone, the MacBook did not crash at that time. So the technician asked me to take a video of a shutdown. This was all done for free although I am out of warranty.

I picked up my MacBook without any changes and filmed a crash with my phone. When I tried to get another appointment with the Apple Store to show the video, it was suddenly impossible to do so. I called the AppleCare many times, with the result of not getting an appointment at an AppleStore. My guess is Apple internally recorded there is no problem with this Mac, it is a problem of the user. But please note, this is just a personal assumption - I can not tell it for sure. I might have been talking at the wrong time with the wrong person. Still I am thankful for the support and I can also understand Apple, since this problem seems to be not very common and is therewith a bit implausible.

Staying persistent, on another try to get in touch with an AppleStore, I got the opportunity to talk with a manager of the AppleCare team. She took a lot of time to talk with me about my findings and realised this really might be a problem of the computer. She sent me an Apple Software to collect data of my computer and I also got the opportunity to upload my video of a shutdown. Right now I am waiting for her feedback concerning the collected data as well as my video. However, I am afraid she will come back empty-handed. This is because as Spazgan said, there are no records in the logs concerning the shutdowns.

If you also have this problem, please leave a message here. With an increasing number of people who report the problem here, the likelihood of a solution for us increases as well. When I receive the results of the data I uploaded, I can point to this thread here to make the issue more credible. I'll keep you posted.

 

[nicoguzman]

I own a Macbook Pro 15" inch Late 2013 and since last week I've been experiencing the same issue with all the problems described before: random shutdowns on Sierra and High Sierra (it all started when it upgraded to HS). Tried all kinds of benchmarks and hardware analysis tools but everything looks fine (except MemTest86 v7.4: more than 10.000 errors on hammer test (1 pass only)). What is interesting is that the computer never experienced a shutdown while doing a benchmark.
Now I'm using windows 10 with fall creators update and everything works great, no shutdowns at all. I'll try the python script to see what happens.
I hope we can figure out a solution soon.

UPDATE (22-10-17)
I increased the sleep time in the python script to 0.0005 instead of 0.00002 (that number was the limit for me), using only 5% of the CPU and giving me about 5 hrs of battery life. I compiled it as an application in automator and ran it as a login item.
I also noticed the computer is shutting down when the lid is closed, so I used this command to replace sleep by hibernation:

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 25 standby 0 autopoweroff 0

So far this configuration has been working very well.

UPDATE (19-10-17):
I did a clean install of HS and tried the following:
- Setup without iCloud account: Not working.
- Disabling SIP: Not working.
- Disabling Timer Coalescing: Not working.
- 10.13 supplemental update: Not working.
- Python script: Working.

Before the clean install I tried the following:
- Working without battery: Not working.
- Reseting SMC - NVRAM: Not working.
- Cleaning fans: Not working.
- Piece of paper between charger and Macbook (battery does not charge): Not working.
- Windows 10 Fall Creators Update: Working.

 

[Brinsley]

Hello guys, am facing the same problem as most of you are :-

MBP 13 inch (late 2013)
2.4 ghz Intel core i5

Now the problem am facing in detail :-
This actually started after I upgraded to Sierra 10.12.6, I remember upgrading it and then shutting the Mac down, after a few days I used it again but it was normal and if I remember exactly after 1 week of the upgrade when I turned it on to do some work it unexpectedly shut down, I initially thought it must be my finger which hit the shut down button and went on to turn it back on and bang again it shuts down on its own, since then it’s been 6 months the problem hasn’t left me alone.
Now an update after looking for help online and my location being Mumbai, India some ppl suggest the weather being too hot and dust problems so they advised me to install macs fan controls, so I did just that and it seemed to solve the problem about 2 weeks I use my Mac and it works perfectly fine until again a couple of days ago it starts to shut down, this time I went online and had a chat with apples engineeres , they asked me first turn on the Mac on safe mode and browse etc and see if it still happens and for about 15 mins nothing happens plus they asked me to open a lot of apps and use the mac at this Max limi the Mac was on my bed and I was multi tasking it, and my mac literally turned hot all over so then I thought the problem is resolved just then the engineer asked me to deleted a few files from Library etc and I did just that but all of this in safe mode. After all the hassle as I was about to say good bye to the engineer band the Mac shuts down again so this time the engineer asked me to take it to a Apple service center.
Now being in Mumbai that actually scared me to bits as customer service here in India sucks. However I took my Mac to a authorised Apple service provider just today and they asked me to leave it there for them to undertake various hardware and software checks.
And also they’ve charge me rupees 2600 just for doing these checks.
Now I am currently awaiting their response they said they will let me know within 2 days

Now coming to my main issue:-
Unlike others my Mac usage isn’t that much as I am a chef by profession I actually literally don’t use the Mac for long period of time, I always make sure I shut down the Mac once am done browsing etc. I usually would check my mails, browse or check photos dats it and on top of that I travel a lot and I don’t always carry my Mac along with me And so there have been instances where the Mac hasn’t been used for weeks literally but I always made sure the charge was over 50percent.

Now more then anything what I am worried about is that the Apple center here in Mumbai telling me that I have a crashed logic board etc which completely makes no sense because for something to breakdown there has to be usage. So is there a way I can actually check if what they claim is 100 percent true ? As here in India it’s always about money.
And also just the upgrade to Sierra and this happening I have a feeling it has got to do with something going on in the upgrade.

I also want to know the step by step procedure to install windows on my Mac as that seems to work fine.

Ive also attached a receipt from the Apple service center here in Mumbai. I never knew they actually charge for checking what the problem is strange!!

 

[Bbnsh]

@nicoguzman: Do you have short instructions how to auto run the script with the Automator?
I never experienced a shut down, when the lid was closed and the python script was running. Do you think the RAM chips could cause the problem?

@Brinsley: In my experience it is better to go to an Apple store directly. Service partner always charge you as soon as you are out of warranty. Your receipt suggests there are also no hardware issues. So it might be the same issue we all have here. Can you also solve your problem using the python script?

 

[Brinsley]

@nicoguzman: Do you have short instructions how to auto run the script with the Automator?
I never experienced a shut down, when the lid was closed and the python script running. Do you think the RAM chips could cause the problem?

@Brinsley: In my experience it is better to go to an Apple store directly. Service partner always charge you as soon as you are out of warranty. Your receipt suggests there are also no hardware issues. So it might be the same issue we all have here. Can you also solve your problem using the python script?

Hi there l, well I did visit the Apple store and they said we only sell products and asked me to contact a apple service provider and about the phyton script well I haven’t tried that yet, and at the moment my Mac is with the service center
About the service center not mentioning anything about hardware well all she did was put my Mac in a slip-on bag with a Apple logo on it and dats it, she didn’t even check for any hardware issues, all she did is check for any physical damage and all she found was a minor scratch. I will keep you guys posted about any update from the service station.
However I feel even I have the same problem as you all on here and am afraid I won’t be able to use my Mac every again after spending that amount of money wow apple needs som explaining to do. I’ve used dell laptops before and this is the first time I switched to mac.