[Dctr]

Hopefully this is in the right section. My dad works as a teacher and his MacBook Pro has been freezing lately after he disconnects the second display, which is a projector (through the vga adapter). This is annoying because the computer locks up and he has to force reboot it to fix it. I've looked on Google and I can't find any relevant information on this issue, I tried resetting the NVram but the school seems to have put some lock on the computer that prevents you from changing sensitive parts of the computer (like resetting admin passwords etc...). I also saw that pressing command + F1 before disconnecting the cable works for some people but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. Does anyone have any information on this?
Thanks.

 

[The Hundred Gunner]

What OS? What model/year? What graphics card? Is there anything in the Console logs when it happens?

Can you ssh into the machine when it apparently freezes?

 

[Lord Xeb]

What machine is it? I.E. MacBook Pro 15 Early 2011.
What OS?
Gunner, I think that is a little on the advanced side there XD
I have seen this once before and it turned out the logic board had a failing GPU on it.

 

[The Hundred Gunner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Xeb

I have seen this once before and it turned out the logic board had a failing GPU on it.

I have an issue with my monitor (TV) that goes something like this:

1. MBP connected to the TV
2. MBP is on, lid closed
3. TV is off
4. Turn on the TV
5. Turn on the TV
6. The TV displays no video. Neither does the MBP, and the display does not switch when the MBP is opened.

The reason I asked about SSHing into it is because the only way to recover my system from this state is to SSH into it. The issue seems to be the TV. I think internally, it's rapidly turning on and off the HDMI link/connection as it starts up, and the MBP is losing sync.

 

[Lord Xeb]

Or you can just pull the hard drive out and mount it on another machine. You know, there are easier ways.
OP, try doing a clean install if you an and see if it still messes up. If it does, you need a new motherboard.That or the monitor/tv is an issue.

 

[KyleMart06]

Sounds like the Macbook Pro 2010 issue possibly. There is a repair program out for it but you have to prove this issue. I think it would be really helpful to have the serial number and look up the specs on MacTracker.

 

[Lord Xeb]

You know, now that you mention it, you are correct. OP, can you post the first 5 of your serial number? I.E. w8052

 

[The Hundred Gunner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Xeb

Or you can just pull the hard drive out and mount it on another machine. You know, there are easier ways.
OP, try doing a clean install if you an and see if it still messes up. If it does, you need a new motherboard.That or the monitor/tv is an issue.

Wait, what does the HDD have to do with this?

 

[Lord Xeb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Hundred Gunner

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Xeb

Or you can just pull the hard drive out and mount it on another machine. You know, there are easier ways.
OP, try doing a clean install if you an and see if it still messes up. If it does, you need a new motherboard.That or the monitor/tv is an issue.

Wait, what does the HDD have to do with this?

You said to get data. Pull the drive. Why SSH?
Nevermind. I now know what you meant.

 

[The Hundred Gunner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Xeb

You said to get data. Pull the drive. Why SSH?
Nevermind. I now know what you meant.

Tsk, tsk. Dealing with too many dead HDDs at work?

 

[Gnomepatrol]

I would start with resetting the pram and smc.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

 

[Lord Xeb]

Those will likely not solve this issue as he has already tried.

 

[Dctr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Xeb

You know, now that you mention it, you are correct. OP, can you post the first 5 of your serial number? I.E. w8052

C1MLR.

 

[Dctr]

The computer says it is the mid-2012 model. It would be the base model 13-inch.

 

[Dctr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Xeb

Or you can just pull the hard drive out and mount it on another machine. You know, there are easier ways.
OP, try doing a clean install if you an and see if it still messes up. If it does, you need a new motherboard.That or the monitor/tv is an issue.

Unfortunately I can't really do that because the school IT technicians have kind of locked it up, so you can't change admin passwords etc. They are kind of clueless too and are not very helpful so there is not much point asking them.

 

[Dctr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Xeb

What machine is it? I.E. MacBook Pro 15 Early 2011.
What OS?
Gunner, I think that is a little on the advanced side there XD
I have seen this once before and it turned out the logic board had a failing GPU on it.

OSX Mavericks 10.9.2

 

[KyleMart06]

The school. would have put a BIOS password on the computer to keep unauthorized access from happening. You should still be able to get around it by removing a RAM module and on the next bootup the BIOS password would not inhibit you to let a PRAM reset happen. See if that does the trick? Other than that, sounds like some hardware testing needs to happen with Apple's tools. If it is that new the school might have purchased AppleCare for it. That is a big pain.

 

[Xylene]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyleMart06

The school. would have put a BIOS password on the computer to keep unauthorized access from happening. You should still be able to get around it by removing a RAM module and on the next bootup the BIOS password would not inhibit you to let a PRAM reset happen. See if that does the trick? Other than that, sounds like some hardware testing needs to happen with Apple's tools. If it is that new the school might have purchased AppleCare for it. That is a big pain.

I expect better from an ACMT. That doesn't work on 2011 and newer.

 

[The Hundred Gunner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dctr

The computer says it is the mid-2012 model. It would be the base model 13-inch.

So is mine, also mavericks. This sounds a lot like the issue I am having with my TV.

Does your dad plug the projector in and THEN turn on the projector? Because I've found that if I let the TV finish its startup process and THEN connect the laptop (or turn on the laptop 2nd), then everything is ok. However, if I connect the running computer to the TV, turn on the computer, and then turn on the TV, then there's a chance that I'll lose video.

 

[Lord Xeb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xylene

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyleMart06

The school. would have put a BIOS password on the computer to keep unauthorized access from happening. You should still be able to get around it by removing a RAM module and on the next bootup the BIOS password would not inhibit you to let a PRAM reset happen. See if that does the trick? Other than that, sounds like some hardware testing needs to happen with Apple's tools. If it is that new the school might have purchased AppleCare for it. That is a big pain.

I expect better from an ACMT. That doesn't work on 2011 and newer.

More clarification:
MacBook Air (Late 2010 and later)
MacBook Pro (Early 2011 and later)
iMac (Mid 2011 and later)
Mac mini (Mid 2011 and later)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)

Those are the units this doesn't work on. I can get it reset on my end by contacting Apple. However, I am not going to divulge what is involved.

Either way, it looks like you need to take it to your School's IT department and tell them what is going on. From there, get the machine fixed/swapped out and you should be golden. At this point there is very little you can do on your own.

Also, it is not like they are going to crucify you because your machine doesn't work.