MBP 1,1-10,2 Force 2011 MacBook Pro 8,2 with failed AMD GPU to ALWAYS use Intel integrated GPU (EFI variable fix)

[AppleMacFinder]

... I eventually stumbled across the following instructions and they were simple and could be done using just single-user mode and single-user recovery mode. ...

What if a person could not access these modes at all, e.g. broken OS X or corrupted HFS+ filesystem because of too many forced shutdowns?

Problem is my computer does not boot at all (single user mode does work)

It should still be possible for you to boot from attached USB drive with Arch Linux (which you could create using another computer) to follow the instructions

The only issue I have is the computer hangs on a black screen at shutdown. Anyone find a fix for this other than the known terminal commands?

ngsr posted the available knowledge two messages earlier - https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...fi-variable-fix.2037591/page-68#post-25977379 . If you don't like typing these commands in Terminal every time, you could create a shortcut which would be possible to double click to launch a Terminal command

However it would be nice to use macOS on it. Would this fix work with this MBP too? What about OS updates? Would I need to do this fix every time? Thanks.

You'll have to repeat this fix each time you instal an OS X update, because e.g. they are reinstalling the AMD graphic drivers. I think it would be better for you to just stay on Ubuntu if you're already familiar to this wonderful OS

Note that I just removed my battery a few days ago since it inflated and deformed the case. ... After doing the steps and doing a reboot, I still have the bad display. Note that while I do not have a battery, I do not unplug between the steps. (The fact that I lose the setting if I unplug is not so much of a problem as I am first testing if the Intel / display is a working combination for me)

This sounds like maybe you made a small mistake at some stage of instruction, which prevent the whole fix from working. Could only recommend you to repeat this instruction again, or - if it doesn't work - the alternative instructions mentioned at the later pages
[doublepost=1524080543][/doublepost]

what should i do? please help.

Looked at your screenshot and saw you've got a "read-only filesystem". Your HFS+ filesystem became corrupted, maybe from too many forced shutdowns. You'll have to repair your HFS+ filesystem before moving forward - could use fsck command (look it up online)
[doublepost=1524081423][/doublepost]

My macbook gpu is dead to the point where I get a white screen shortly after booting and consequently am unable to boot to a bootable usb or disk. Have you got any recommendations for how I can get round this to switch of the AMD gpu?

Even if you can't see anything, it should still be possible to boot from USB by pressing the keys blindly (option key, then arrow keys and the Enter key), then maybe you'd be able to see the Arch Linux boot screen with some visible text (even if not, it could be possible to do an SSH connection to a system booted from Arch Linux LiveUSB and enter these command remotely from another PC)

After erasing, will the install process want to use my dGPU and crash the whole thing before I can even get it going?

Yes, if you just try to install like usual that would crash. But you could follow this helpful post by @nsgr for the instructions on how to do a clean install: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...fi-variable-fix.2037591/page-66#post-25903222

has there been any kind of definitive "easiest way to do this" guide developed since then?

There are many alternative instructions, and this is good - if some instruction doesn't work for you, you could always try another way

Does updating the OS to 10.13.2 revert any of these efi changes made?

Yes, most importantly the AMD graphic drivers will be reinstalled with this OS update so you'll have to remove them again

 

[getheo]

I tried @Mikeyn solution and all went great. I have it for one month but the last week it stucks on shutdown or reboot. The first 3 weeks it did not stuck. I use terminal now, so no problem.

Moreover, I use istats which gives gpu 0 die and gpu 0 proximity temperatures. Gpu 0 is amd? I see temperatures there different than 0. Is it normal?

 

[nsgr]

I tried @Mikeyn solution and all went great. I have it for one month but the last week it stucks on shutdown or reboot. The first 3 weeks it did not stuck. I use terminal now, so no problem.

Moreover, I use istats which gives gpu 0 die and gpu 0 proximity temperatures. Gpu 0 is amd? I see temperatures there different than 0. Is it normal?

Istat Menu 5:

CPU & GPU -> N (i = Intel, D = Discrete) -> show: i


Sensors -> after login -> sudo kextload AMDRadeonX3000.kext -> wait 3 minutes

CPU Die Analog: 40º Celsius

GPU Die Analog: 0º Celsius

Fans: left and right: 2000


My tests (El Capitan, Sierra and HighSierra):

1 - Boot normal

2 - Login -> Terminal -> kextload AMDRadeonX3000.kext

3 - Macbook Pro idle mode -> only Terminal and Active Monitor running - wait 3 minutes

3 - CPU Die Analog decrease temperature 60º C -> 40º C

4 - GPU Die Analog decrease temperature 50º C -> 0º C / _º


GPU Die Analog does not just mean AMD GPU. It is Intel GPU and AMD GPU. In IDLE mode, without browser or other applications running, the temperature has to decrease until near zero.

System Preferences -> App Store -> Automatically check updates: Disable

If you leave the updates in the Automatic mode, then after the kextload AMDRadeonX3000.kext it will take more than 3 minutes to lower the temperature of the System and GPU.

After boot, if automatic updates are enabled, then the update checking program will require CPU and GPU data processing -> increase temperature.

In HighSierra exist an executable file (AGDCDiagnose) that says if the AMD GPU is power on or power off.

IG: Intel
EG: AMD

After kextload AMDRadeonX3000.kext -> AMD GPU (EG) -> Power: off

Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal

/System/Library/Extensions/AppleGraphicsControl.kext/Contents/MacOS/AGDCDiagnose -a | grep -i Power

  IG: FB0:on  FB1:N/A FB2:N/A 3D:idle HDA:N/A  Power:on
  EG: FB0:off FB1:off FB2:off 3D:idle HDA:idle Power:off
Policy:off GPUPowerDown:on Backlight Control:on Recovery:on
Power State Machine IG: 0 EG: 6

 

[donstenk]

No luck, I have a late 2011 MacBook Pro 15" matt with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD that I am quite unwilling to write off. I have bought something else (used Mini) but would love to be able to use it as a simple laptop.

I have stable screen (for now) after following all of the steps, but according to gfxCardStatus it's running the AMD Card continuously and unable to switch as an external display is running...

Where did I perhaps go wrong?

Thanks in advance,

Dennis.

 

[Christopfhe]

can someone tell me which gpu I must disable in this case ? thank you

I have to move from the extension's directory the AMDRadeonHD6490M.kext but I can't find this file in this directory

 

[monofase]

Hi all,
I get this working on some 2011 and 2012 retina MacBooks but only with EL CAPITAN.
2011 works also with High sierra but 2012 (Retina, with nVIDIA GT 650M) don't. It crashes after standby mode.

It works but when the mac goes in sleep does not wake up. The screen stays black even if the machine itself is working.

I will try the loginHook thing but I don't know which kext do I need to load for this nVidia-based machine. Have you an idea?
Thanks

 

[Inprot]

Does anyone know any way to use bootcamp with the integrated gpu?

 

[AppleMacFinder]

I have stable screen (for now) after following all of the steps, but according to gfxCardStatus it's running the AMD Card continuously and unable to switch as an external display is running... Where did I perhaps go wrong?

I think that you either forgot to remove the AMD drivers or removed them incorrectly. If you would have done everything correctly then the faulty AMD GPU should not be possible to use at your Mac at all

can someone tell me which gpu I must disable in this case ? thank you

Of course you need to disable the AMD GPU

Does anyone know any way to use bootcamp with the integrated gpu?

Maybe if you would remove the AMD drivers, Windows at bootcamp would fall back to using the integrated Intel gpu. However, I see little point in using a bootcamp: not only its a waste of time spent on reboots / reopening the apps , but also it does not provide enough performance benefits to justify it. I've measured it a few years earlier: if you would be running Windows inside some good VM (like Parallels Desktop), it will be just -2% to CPU performance and about -30% to GPU performance. While that sounds as a lot, I am sure that the graphical drivers of a virtual machine - have been improved significantly since my last time of testing. Only issue is that you'd have to upgrade your RAM if you haven't already, and today's RAM prices are way too high

 

[Christopfhe]

I think that you either forgot to remove the AMD drivers or removed them incorrectly. If you would have done everything correctly then the faulty AMD GPU should not be possible to use at your Mac at all Of course you need to disable the AMD GPU Maybe if you would remove the AMD drivers, Windows at bootcamp would fall back to using the integrated Intel gpu. However, I see little point in using a bootcamp: not only its a waste of time spent on reboots / reopening the apps , but also it does not provide enough performance benefits to justify it. I've measured it a few years earlier: if you would be running Windows inside some good VM (like Parallels Desktop), it will be just -2% to CPU performance and about -30% to GPU performance. While that sounds as a lot, I am sure that the graphical drivers of a virtual machine - have been improved significantly since my last time of testing. Only issue is that you'd have to upgrade your RAM if you haven't already, and today's RAM prices are way too high

Thank you for this advice, but I can't find the AMDRadeonHD6490M.kext file in the extensions folder, the motherboard has been replaced in 2015, strangely, when I move the AMDRadeonX3000 from the extensions folder, the laptop works fine

 

[Inprot]

Hi all,
I get this working on some 2011 and 2012 retina MacBooks but only with EL CAPITAN.
2011 works also with High sierra but 2012 (Retina, with nVIDIA GT 650M) don't. It crashes after standby mode.

It works but when the mac goes in sleep does not wake up. The screen stays black even if the machine itself is working.

I will try the loginHook thing but I don't know which kext do I need to load for this nVidia-based machine. Have you an idea?
Thanks

For some reason the screen brightness and screen suspension do not work in High Sierra.

I also have a MBP retina mid 2012 with Nvidia and I have already tried everything in High Sierra but I can not solve it.

The only way is to use Sierra or earlier

 

[horatiocox]

after I do the cd /sys/efi... and do ls there are no files at all beggining with g. A lot of people seem to have a gpu-active file but I have none. Then when I go to do the printf command I always get "operation not permitted" even if I do the whole unmount remount efi. I have tried different downloads of the archlinux but am having the same operation not permitted on all of them.

Would be hugely grateful if you had any ideas as to why I seem to not be having permission to do this operation. and if it is in any way linked to the lack of a gpu-active file.

Probably worth noting that after it says "operation not permitted" if i do the ls command I can actually see a file of the name we input with the printf. However on reboot I get the same problem as always.

Thanks in advance,

Horatio

 

[nsgr]

Thank you for this advice, but I can't find the AMDRadeonHD6490M.kext file in the extensions folder, the motherboard has been replaced in 2015, strangely, when I move the AMDRadeonX3000 from the extensions folder, the laptop works fine

There is no AMDRadeonHD6490M.kext.


Macbook Pro 2011 - Only these kexts:

1 - AMD6000Controller.kext - full power AMD GPU - with HighSierra -> adjust brightness

2 - AMDRadeonX3000.kext - power down AMD GPU - decrease system temperature and save battery.

3 - AMDLegacySupport.kext - dependency AMD6000Controller.kext and AMDRadeonX3000.kext

4 - AMDLegacyFramebuffer.kext - dependency AMD6000Controller.kext and AMDRadeonX3000.kext

5 - AMDSupport.kext - dependency AMD6000Controller.kext and AMDRadeonX3000.kext

6 - AMDFramebuffer.kext - dependency AMD6000Controller.kext and AMDRadeonX3000.kext

 

[Christopfhe]

thank you for this clarification. On mac os high sierra, except the AMDRadeonX3000.kext, which other .kext should be isolated in the extensions-off folder ?

 

[nsgr]

I think that you either forgot to remove the AMD drivers or removed them incorrectly. If you would have done everything correctly then the faulty AMD GPU should not be possible to use at your Mac at all Of course you need to disable the AMD GPU Maybe if you would remove the AMD drivers, Windows at bootcamp would fall back to using the integrated Intel gpu. However, I see little point in using a bootcamp: not only its a waste of time spent on reboots / reopening the apps , but also it does not provide enough performance benefits to justify it. I've measured it a few years earlier: if you would be running Windows inside some good VM (like Parallels Desktop), it will be just -2% to CPU performance and about -30% to GPU performance. While that sounds as a lot, I am sure that the graphical drivers of a virtual machine - have been improved significantly since my last time of testing. Only issue is that you'd have to upgrade your RAM if you haven't already, and today's RAM prices are way too high

I sent a message to you (conversations) about repeated questions.

Subject: Information for the first page of this topic
https://forums.macrumors.com/conversations/

There are a lot of people who read the first page and then jump to the last page. And most of the answers are in the middle of this topic (between page 1 and page 69).

Download the same ArchLinux (archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso) and verify integrity - The Page 68 - #1697:
Many who download ArchLinux.iso "or do not know or forget" to check the integrity of the downloaded file. Then they ask about I/O error, printf: not found, chattr: not found, etc.

The Page 68 - #1697 - with "3 - Follow this Guides - #1697" would avoid many repeated questions on this topic about NVRAM method.

The two alternatives ArchLinux and NVRAM method if they were on the first page would avoid further questions.


The Page 68 - #1697 - Or try the simplest way - No needed ArchLinux - Only MacOS:
Boot in Single User Mode (Command + S at boot) - Do not forget to move AMDRadeonX3000.kext - MikeyN Guide #875:

nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00
nvram boot-args="-v"
reboot

[doublepost=1524952830][/doublepost]

thank you for this clarification. On mac os high sierra, except the AMDRadeonX3000.kext, which other .kext should be isolated in the extensions-off folder ?

Only isolate the AMDRadeonX3000.kext.

Remember that for everything to work you have to have the gpu-power-prefs for the Intel GPU.
Boot in Single User Mode (Command + S at boot):

nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00

nvram boot-args="-v"

/System/Library/Extensions-off
AMDRadeonX3000.kext

/Sytem/Library/Extensions
AMD6000Controller.kext
AMDLegacySupport.kext
AMDLegacyFramebuffer.kext
AMDSupport.kext
AMDFramebuffer.kext


After login -> sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions-off/AMDRadeonX3000.kext ->

verify Power Off AMD GPU with executable file AGDCDiagnose (HighSierra) -> IG=Intel GPU and EG=AMD GPU ->

Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal:

/System/Library/Extensions/AppleGraphicsControl.kext/Contents/MacOS/AGDCDiagnose -a | grep -i Power

  IG: FB0:on  FB1:N/A FB2:N/A 3D:idle HDA:N/A  Power:on

  EG: FB0:off FB1:off FB2:off 3D:idle HDA:idle Power:off

Policy:off GPUPowerDown:on Backlight Control:on Recovery:on

Power State Machine IG: 0 EG: 6

EG: FB0 : off FB1 : off FB2 : off 3D:idle HDA:idle Power : off

 

[Christopfhe]

thanks a lot for these explanations, it's very more clear for me now

 

[laborki]

Huge thanks to all of you for helping with this discrete nightmare.

I managed to get my macbook pro back to life, after many different attempts.

However, I have a problem with:

sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions-off/AMDRadeonX3000.kext

command and my terminal gives me such a message:

/AMD/AMDRadeonX3000.kext failed to load - (libkern/kext) authentication failure (file ownership/permissions); check the system/kernel logs for errors or try kextutil(8).

In my case I moved AMDRadeonX3000.kext to AMD folder.

Update: I managed to restore AMDRadeonX3000.kext from a time machine backup and did all steps over again at it seems working now GPU Diode temp is around 20C.

Again thanks all of you for helping!

 

[Amanda Ripanykhazova]

I tried a new thread for this but n o one took an interest so I am asking here despite thinking that my problem arises AFTER successfully implementing the change to Intel and backing up/deleting all the AMD kexts.

Is a new question for a new thread?: A few months after successfully deactivating the AMD chip and using the Intel one in my High Sierra system, I ran a command-D hardware diagnostics to check memory. (check reported a bad chip with both inserted on extended testing but testing each one individually in either slot reports both SODIMMs OK???)

Half way along the test, suddenly the whole background turned into vertical black and green bars that I had never seen before! Now, I can with difficulty get rid of it by exiting out of Command R S a few times; but if I can get the screen to display properly, after a few hours of use, I get the more usual christmasy pink and white vertical bars suddenly bursting through all over the screen, and each alternate bar shows a nasty moiré effect. This does come and go and leaves the green and black vertical bars on backgrounds and all over graphics on the screen (but not on white text).

Any ideas on this please? Is something from that AMD chip breaking through? Or is this some new problem with the Intel one which displays the same way as the AMD chip problem?

Curiously this 2011 MBP DOES now boot properly and doesnt go into kernel panic on startup with the pink and white vertical bars on the apple and progress bar. It does occasionally go to a (uniform) dark blue screen on exiting out of single users mode.

(It is not inconceivable that I have some memory problems, the pointer leaves a small trail on the screen and Safari wont render pages properly, but I wouldnt imagine that can be relevant to this obvious graphics problem)

 

[Mvkoe]

Trying to fix my MacBook Pro 2011, and did the arch Linux usb thing and entered the console.

I’m not seeing any AMD or GPU files.. what now?

 

[abb797]

First of all thank you @AppleMacFinder for your work! Today I was able to use again my macbook pro early 2011 with the integrated gpu.

@CarefreeCanadian I esperienced the same problem using an Ubuntu Live 16.10 distribution and I solved the issue with the following steps:

To remove “gpu-power-prefs-..." variable it is necessary first of all to unmount efivars:

*) umount /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/

then mount efivars in read/write mode:

*) mount –t efivarfs rw /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/

*) chattr -i /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/gpu-power-prefs-[press TAB to autocomplete]

*) rm /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/gpu-power-prefs-[press TAB to autocomplete]

after this additional steps you can follow the @AppleMacFinder guide

I hope this can help someone else.

[doublepost=1525191651][/doublepost]@AppleMacFinder : Thank you for such a detail document. I am not familiar with linux commands and right now I am working on my macbook to fix it. I am stuck at printf "\x07\x00\x00\x00..... command. I am not sure how to use this as full command, I am confused about ">" character in the command, in do i have to combine ">" after printf with /Sys/firmware/...... (which is next line in your document). Could you please help. Thank a million. waiting for your reply.

 

[Zadik]

When I type the "fsck -fy" command, it keeps returning "[-fdnypq] [-l number]" and doesn't check the disk as shown in your example. And if I try to skip this step and type "mount -uw", then it says "mount: -uw unknow special file or file system".
I guess it's trying to ask me to specify a disk or a location, but I don't know what to type after step 5.
Any ideas please ?

 

[Mvkoe]

Fixed my problem by putting the motherboard in the oven and bake it at 170degrees for 7 minutes. Now hoping it would be solved for a long time.

 

[Christopfhe]

about the @Mikeyn solution, I have an issue with the LoginHook step, on Nano, I paste this :

#!/bin/bash
kextload /System/Library/Extensions-off/AMDRadeonX3000.kext
exit 0

then Ctrl+O and Ctrl+X

go back to the terminal, I paste this (to make it executable) :

sudo chmod a+x /Library/LoginHook/LoadX3000.sh
sudo defaults write com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook /Library/LoginHook/LoadX3000.sh

then, I can see the LoginHook folder in my Library folder, LoadX3000.sh inside it, great

The next day, this folder (LoginHook) is no more longer present in the library folder...

 

[Zadik]

When I type the "fsck -fy" command, it keeps returning "[-fdnypq] [-l number]" and doesn't check the disk as shown in your example. And if I try to skip this step and type "mount -uw", then it says "mount: -uw unknow special file or file system".
I guess it's trying to ask me to specify a disk or a location, but I don't know what to type after step 5.
Any ideas please ?

Nevermind, I figured it out myself.

 

[erican]

Hi there,

I've done the EFI fix ,booting on the arch linux, and I think this was done correctly (when booting again under arch linux
the gpu-prefs-... file is still there in the .../efi/efivars directory
(while at first there was no such file before I created it )

my problem is that I cannot modify the Kexts settings, (in fact I cannot modify anything on my disk)
when starting in single user mode, fsck -fy says everythings OK
(non-journaled HFS Plus Volume)
but when I mount the disk containing System/Library/extensions : ( mount -uw / )
I keep receiving message "disk2s1 device is write locked" and
"disk2s1: IO failed, error = 13"
And I just cannot create directory or move files arround

reset SVRAM, reset SMC
deactivate SIP (csrutil disable)
didn't help

also saw on some post that single user mode is not the way to go,
but safe mode boot (pressing shift key) just don't work for me even after EFI fix:
it looks very alike normal boot, I got the apple & the progress bar
and after a while blank white screen forever
(which was diagnose by apple store as external GPU failure ...)

help would be very highly appreciated

I've go a late 2011 17" MBP with latest high sierra install
(when the GPU started to bug and crash my pc, before I knew it was due to GPU hardware failure I did several re-installation (opt + cmd + R trick under the recommandation of apple online support ..)
aparently I got an AMD GPu (given the quantity of AMD*Controller.kext files in the EXtensions directory

 

[erican]

Hi there,

I've done the EFI fix ,booting on the arch linux, and I think this was done correctly (when booting again under arch linux
the gpu-prefs-... file is still there in the .../efi/efivars directory
(while at first there was no such file before I created it )

my problem is that I cannot modify the Kexts settings, (in fact I cannot modify anything on my disk)
when starting in single user mode, fsck -fy says everythings OK
(non-journaled HFS Plus Volume)
but when I mount the disk containing System/Library/extensions : ( mount -uw / )
I keep receiving message "disk2s1 device is write locked" and
"disk2s1: IO failed, error = 13"
And I just cannot create directory or move files arround

reset SVRAM, reset SMC
deactivate SIP (csrutil disable)
didn't help

also saw on some post that single user mode is not the way to go,
but safe mode boot (pressing shift key) just don't work for me even after EFI fix:
it looks very alike normal boot, I got the apple & the progress bar
and after a while blank white screen forever
(which was diagnose by apple store as external GPU failure ...)

help would be very highly appreciated

I've go a late 2011 17" MBP with latest high sierra install
(when the GPU started to bug and crash my pc, before I knew it was due to GPU hardware failure I did several re-installation (opt + cmd + R trick under the recommandation of apple online support ..)
aparently I got an AMD GPu (given the quantity of AMD*Controller.kext files in the EXtensions directory

well, tried to reinsall an older version using shift+opt+cmd+R , didn't work (newer version is present ..) but ran diskutility check, then tried again safe boot and .. it worked ... but graphics are very slow. I moved out AMDRadeonX3000.kext, and add the script to load it after booting (

MikeyN Guide #875:

)
now will make a time backup of my disk while I have a working desktop
and try rebooting afterwards

EDIT :
I tried to reboot but it didn't work (at first), I got a blinking folder symbol with a question mark inside, and nothing else...
in fact whatever boot (safe, single user, ...) I did, I got the same behaviour (folder with question mark)
Using shift+opt+cmd+R, I could use disk utility and check the HDD (saying that everything is OK) and then repair, but this did not help.
Eventually I tried "opt" key to launch the "grup parser" : got as only option my HDD, tried... and it worked ...!
desktop up again, got sound, decently fluid video streaming...
monitor menu says it is using intel chip..
I guess I will go on this way, trying to never reboot my MPB from now on...

Thanks to all contributors to this thread for your help and time !!