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Model A1286. Released February 2011 / 2.0, 2.2, or 2.3 GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 Processor

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I cannot shut down my MacBook Pro 15” - 2011

Hi everyone,

today the following happened to my MacBook Pro 15” - 2011:

After couple of hours of use it spontaneously rebooted showing the message: “your computer restarted because of a problem. Press a key or wait a few seconds to continue starting up.”

Around 20 min later, the same happened again. The MacBook Pro is running macOS HighSierra fully updated and no new software were installed recently. I tried both PRAM and SMC reset, but the problem persists. At this point, I formatted the drive and installed the whole system again. The situation is the same with the addition that now it reboots every time I try to shut down the mac. I tried to use the keys “ctrl+opt+cmd+eject” but it reboots immediately after pressing them showing the same problem message.

All the component are original with the exception of the hard disk that was replaced with a SSD and the RAM that was completely replaced with new one. After installing the new components (ca. 3 years ago) i performed PRAM and SMC reset and never had an issue until today.

Any idea on how to solve this issue? Thanks a lot!

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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Have you ever noticed any anomalies on the screen? Does it hang at about 60% of the loading process?

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The booting of the system is pretty fast due to the ssd (I would max 10 seconds to reach the login screen). It does hang at about 60% for half a second. However this “hanging” has always been there.

So far no anomalies on the screen

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Es importante tener en cuenta las respuestas de los comentarios de abajo.

Esa fue mi solución y la de muchas personas según leo en GitHub

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I wouldn’t be surprised you would be starting having the first signs of a GPU failure. Download and try to run Valley, a graphic benchmarking app from Unigine: https://benchmark.unigine.com/valley

If it’s a GPU issue your Mac will reboot or shutdown in a matter of minutes.

If it’s not a GPU issue copy and paste or take a screenshot of the few lines of the report that should be showing after you get the kernel panic.

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I agree with @arbaman probably a failing GPU. I have kept then running using gfxCardStatus fix software. This software allows you to just engage just the integrated GPU.

gfxCardStatus places a small icon in the menu bar and displays a small n for nVidia or i for the currently active Intel graphics chip set. Just use your mouse to switch manually between the two when needed. If you disable the nVidia card permanently, you will should also notice an increase in your battery life.

https://gfxcardstatus.en.softonic.com/ma...

There is a new fix coming down the pipeline that I listened to on one of Rossman’s video with DosDude. It has to do with reprogramming the GPU itself. I have ordered the programmer in from China and will try to do a guide on this after I get it

USB Downloader Jtag ISP Programmer ispDownload Cable Lattice FPGA CPLD HW-USBN-2

https://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Downloader-...

@danj thought this might be of interest to you ;-)

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I downloaded and tried Valley as you suggested. The benchmark went all the way through. Once finished I changed the configuration from custom to extreme for the test, but the MacBook crashed before I could start it.

Below the screenshots of the report showed after the crash. Thanks!

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6 Comments:

Well, as you can see right from the first line you're dealing with a GPU issue that considered the history of such logic board doesn't come as a surprise unfortunately.

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I was just checking out this issue online. Do you think it is worth to let it fix by apple or will it be too expensive?

As alternative I found that the AMD GPU can be disabled and the whole mac run with the intel GPU. Would this be a good solution (possibly lasting a bit longer)?

On GitHub (https://github.com/steveschow/gfxCardSta...) there is also a ready to use app for disabling the GPU.

Thanks a lot for your assistance!

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Apple won't fix it, as they don't do component level repairs and on top of that such Mac is now considered "vintage", thus no longer covered by their service. I'd recommend to avoid third parties "reballing" repair services offered in big marketplaces too as they are usually just scams. It seems gfx card status won't work with High Sierra but you're free to try, some claim it works while others say it's broken. There are other alternative solutions too, just google around the net and you'll find several to choose from..you'll have to decide which one you find the most convincing/suitable for you.

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Thank you very much for your time and help! I will give it a try!

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Final UPDATE:

I have checked online for more guide and found one that seems to have solved the problem. It has been ca. 2 days and the MacBook Pro 2011 seems to run fine without any problem. Below I report the guide that worked for me, in case someone else has the same problem.

(https://gist.github.com/cdleon/d1eff7246...)

In particular when following the link, I choose to follow a comment of "artkirienko" as I had some issues in getting the job done.

Additionally, I also installed the free program Macs Fan Control that allows me to increase the fan and keep all cool.

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Luca will be eternally grateful.
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