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

[nsgr]

Hi everyone,

I come to this thread every few months with a new problem. After doing all the fixes, baking the damn thing, glitches are back...

I'm on El Capitan, wasn't having any issues for months, using the iGPU. Yesterday, while the Mac was running, irridescent glitches just suddenly appeared on the screen. The Mac is still operational, I can reboot, gfxcardstatus is still on the iGPU and I deleted the AMD Kexts again just in case.
But nothing changes, glitches are still present, even in Single User mode (see screen attached).

Are the two GPUs dead now? I really don't get it...
If someone has a hint...
Thank you!

I had a problem similar to your second photo (graphical environment). The problem was that one of the memory banks stopped working correctly.

I had 4GB on bank0 and 4GB on bank1 (logic board). I had to open the Macbook Pro and check which of the memory banks was in trouble.

I noticed that only one of the memory banks was working properly. I bought an 8GB memory and put it in this memory bank that is working properly.

Now I have only one memory bank running (8GB). The other bank is empty.

Take a test by leaving only a memory in a bank and turn on the Macbook. See if everything is working properly.

Test with the other memory bank.

It may be a problem in the memory bank (soldered on the logic board) or a problem in memory itself (2GB, 4GB or 8GB).


Update 1:

If you did the SMC reset first and then did the NVRAM/PRAM reset and reconfigure the gpu-power-prefs for Intel GPU and the problem persists ->

-> then you have to check if the problem is in the EFI chip (logic board) or problem in the memory bank or problem in the memory itself (2GB, 4GB, 8GB).

Problem in Intel GPU is much more difficult. But it's not impossible to happen.

The memory test is the easiest to do. The EFI test will have to take your Macbook Pro into a technical assistance.


Update 2:

Test also with the MacOS installer (pendrive/USB stick). If you can get into the graphical environment of the MacOS installer and open and close the Disk Utility, use the Safari browser (Help Assist) or the Terminal and not have the same problem, then the problem may be in the MacOS installed on the HD/SSD .

 

[Fastrip66]

But what about graphics peeps who can't use the Integrated only method? It doesn't have enough dedicated memory to allow my Adobe suite to run (very slow). Am I stuck with only option to replace the motherboard?

TY
L

 

[nsgr]

after moving only the AMDRadeonX*.kext Files my MacBook Pro Early 2011 won't wake up after sleeping mode, when I manually load the RadeonX3000 kext and discharge my power cable. When I plugged it in it starts normal. And when I don't load the RadeonX3000 it starts normal after sleeping mode even when it is charged or not.

Please help!

AMDRadeonX3000.kext -> Sleep and Wake problem -> pmset

Close Lid-Sleep-Wake Pages 43-50 - #1066 and #1243
[doublepost=1528310877][/doublepost]

But what about graphics peeps who can't use the Integrated only method? It doesn't have enough dedicated memory to allow my Adobe suite to run (very slow). Am I stuck with only option to replace the motherboard?

TY
L

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-increase-vram-for-hd3000-graphics.1766384/

 

[Oleg-Sentia]

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

I have High Sierra .5 (the last now)

From app store please download and install Brightness Slider. It's free.

It works. But it is more better to setup hot keys.
Click "black sun" and setup hot keys for this application

For example I'm using Control-1 and Control-2 that are similar to usual buttons
That is not all.
Go to System Preferences Keyboard

Then Shortcuts and choose App Shortcuts and click +
Choose application name - Brightness slider

Menu Title: Brightness up and Brightness down,
Keyboard shortcut: Control-1 and -2 for another combination
So U will see

Take a pleasure

P.S. sometimes U will need to calibrate this slider (dark screen). For now I know the only way is to start El Capitan or Sierra where slider is working and put highest brightness, then shut down it and start H. Sierra usually.

 

[davidescion]

Hello guys, I would like to report that I got windows 10 working in my 15inch macbook pro on bootcamp and I am obviously teaching you how to do it , I would like first of all to thank "Jim the computer man" for his wonderful guide, aka my only hope to get this working: https://www.jtcm.com.au/windows10_on_old_macs , everything i did is based off of it, i would also love if people tried this on other models of radeongated laptops and report, and on other methods to disable he gpu, i wrote my idea on how to do it with grub at the end of the guide, no clue about the efi var tho, guess you are the only one that can find out . I am currently using the hardware (removing the resistor R8911, here is the link https://realmacmods.com/macbook-2011-radeon-gpu-disable/ after doing this i had a basically working mac, but i felt a need to have a windows partiton, because it's always useful on a laptop to do stuff you wouldn't be able to do on mac or linux.
My first step was to install windows on a partition of the hdd using another computer (which i required since it will error out of you try to do it on the macbook itself). Once your windows is working put the hardrive back into the mac. boot on mac os and not windows!!!! leave the windows partition alone! Now install rEFInd, once refind is installed using the yosemite disk utility for sierra with the show all partitions in debug enabled i unmounted the efi partition because it is mounted as ESP and i couldnt be arsed to change every command, now remount it using the disk utility, if your efi partition isnt called EFI or efi rename it to that, now you hopefully have the efi partition mounted in /Volumes/EFI.Now open the terminal again and
cd /Volumes/efi/EFI/tools
and
curl https://svn.code.sf.net/p/edk2/code/trunk/edk2/EdkShellBinPkg/FullShell/X64/Shell_Full.efi -o Shell_Full.efi
while you are at it you might as well
touch launch_windows.nsh
and
nano launch_windows.nsh
Now you need to paste this into the terminal
mm 0010003E -PCI 8
mm 02000004 -PCI 7
fs0:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi
Now perss ctrl+x and save the file.
I suggest you get a text editor like sublime text 3 bu you should be able to do it even in text edit, use the find function to search "Windows via shell script"
you should find something similar to this:
menuentry "Windows via shell script" {
icon \EFI\refind\icons\os_win.icns
loader \EFI\tools\shell.efi
options "fs0:\EFI\tools\launch_windows.nsh"
disabled
}
You will need to modify it to:
menuentry "Windows via shell script" {
icon \EFI\refind\icons\os_win8.png
loader \EFI\tools\Shell_full.efi
options "fs0:\EFI\tools\launch_windows.nsh"
}
Now if you reboot you should boot into windows, if it errors out at on refind(you can go back to the refind menu) you need to change the
loader \EFI\tools\Shell_full.efi
into the the right shell.efi name, if it isnt in the tools directory at all (btw you will need to mount the efi partition to see the folder) you should just download it from the link above in the curl.
if instead you have an error in the shell that regards launch_windows.nsh you might set the fs0: in the options "fs0:\EFI\tools\launch_windows.nsh" to a higher number, usually its either fs0 or fs1 but can be higher. You might encounter after the launch_windows.nsh or sometimes just out of the blue a bootmgfw.efi error which is fixed by changing the contents of the launch_windows.nsh to:
mm 0010003E -PCI 8
mm 02000004 -PCI 7
fsX:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi
You can check the fsX value by trying the fs0: and fs1: (and so on) command and ls to check the contents of the partitions until you find the right one aka the one with has the actual efi contents.
When you finally manage to get into windows (I'm sorry this guide isn't even halfway done, so don't stop here)
Connect a USB mouse to use the secondary click since you can't use your trackpad's since you have no drivers.
Change as first thing the ugly 150% scaling that for some reason windows applies to your monitor. since it is both buggy and way too big. Now since you don't have a internet connection, download the boot camp drivers here: http://supportdownload.apple.com/do.../031-3384.20140211.Xcc3e/BootCamp5.1.5621.zip
Install it as any other bootcamp driver, but when the screen goes black wait at least 5 minutes and then boot the drive on another computer that doesn't have a intel hd 3000, and set the computer to safe mode using the cmd (in admin mode) using this command:
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal
and shut down the computer, put the hdd back into the macbook and boot windows (using refind obviously) at this point you should be able too see stuff again, from another computer download ddu and uninstall intel driver with the utility (i suggest re enabling the auto driver download since microsoft drivers are the ones that work the best (actually at all)) when you have uninstalled the drivers put the hdd back into the other computer and using the cmd send the command
bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot
If everything went according to plans at this point you should be able to boot normally in the mac (still using refind!!!) now you should go into the BootCamp5.1.5621\BootCamp\Drivers\Apple directory and install anything touchpad related at this point copy the BootCamp.msi from the BootCamp5.1.5621\BootCamp\Drivers\Apple folder to the desktop.
open the cmd and run it as admin and cd to C:\Users\insertyouruserhere\Desktop, and run BootCamp.msi (from the cmd ofc) it will error out you just say ok and the installer should continue, when it asks to reboot, just reboot. After it boots back up shut down the computer and switch back to the other computer and from the cmd (as always in admin mode) send the command
Bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING ON
Now shut down the pc and put the hdd back to your macbook for hopefully the last time.
Now when you boot back up your trackpad should be working (if you want and i recommend it) install trackpad++.
Now we are basically done, just activate your windows and enjoy, (this should be windows update safe but idk for sure so just make a restore point when you are at this point). This took me a like 3 weeks of continuous work to figure out and the guide took me like 2 hours to write so i hope it was useful for someone. I would lov if someone tested this with other methods such as the classic efi var method and the grub method (I assume using the exit it could work but I can't say for sure since i don't have hardware to test it with.) I would also love to know if this works on early 2011 macbooks and 17 inchers late 2011 models.
EDIT: The audio drivers are not working but i didnt even notice until now since I use an audio interface almost all the time, if anyone wants to try and fix the audio drivers problem, go ahead, if you just want to fix it but don't want troubles with it you could always buy a dac or if you are cheap you can buy one of the usb dongles please don't .

 

[svroberts]

Fix for 17 inch dGPU switch issue

(Tested successfully in both “early” and “late” 2011 17 inch MacBook Pro)



This guide is based on the experience of many users (including me) while trying to fix the very well known issue with AMD dGPU on 17’’ MacBook Pro from 2011 (both early and late):



Step 0) As a starting point I made a clean installation of Sierra (Version 10.12.4) — This is just a step for establishing a common middle ground and is not really needed….

0.1) To do this just download the installer from the App Store and then use “DiskMaker X” to create a bootable installation.

0.2) After the bootable image is created, proceed to turn off your computer and hold the “Alt” or “Options” Key. Select the Sierra installer and proceed with the installation (I format the HDD partition to make a clean install on it)



Note: You might need to do this on another computer. Just buy one of those cheap usb to sata connectors and use it to connect it to another Mac so you don’t risk having your installation failed because of your machine.



Step 1) Prepare a Bootable USB pendrive with a non GUI Linux (Credits to AppleMacFinder)



1.1) Download ArchLinux ISO

You need a working computer for that and a spare CD/DVD/USB drive. Download the latest Arch Linux ISO image from this page - https://www.archlinux.org/download/ , at the time of writing it is archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso . Then you could either simply burn this ISO to CD/DVD (which later could be either inserted to MBP's SuperDrive or External DVD Drive connected to MBP by two USB cables) or create a bootable USB: use the great detailed instructions from this page, https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/USB_flash_installation_media



1.2) Creating the bootable USB with the .iso:

In macOS

First, you need to identify the USB device. Open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal and list all storage devices with the command:

*) diskutil list


Your USB device will appear as something like /dev/disk2 (external, physical). Verify that this is the device you want to erase by checking its name and size and then use its identifier for the commands below instead of /dev/diskX.

A USB device is normally auto-mounted in macOS, and you have to unmount (not eject) it before block-writing to it with dd. In Terminal, do:

*) diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskX


Now copy the ISO image file to the device. The dd command is similar to its Linux counterpart, but notice the 'r' before 'disk' for raw mode which makes the transfer much faster:

*) sudo dd if=path/to/arch.iso of=/dev/rdiskX bs=1m

After completion, macOS may complain that "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer". Select 'Ignore'. The USB device will be bootable.


Step 2) Boot to Linux (Credits to AppleMacFinder):

2.1) Boot to it: insert this CD/DVD/USB to Macbook Pro, hold Option key while booting, choose "EFI boot" (that is your bootable installation media), press "e" key to edit the GRUB options of the Arch Linux archiso x86_64 UEFI CD menu entry while it is selected at the main screen, add nomodeset to the end of this line and press Enter. If everything is done correctly, you will find yourself at the Linux console! (It takes some time so be patient and wait for the prompt)


2.2) Edit EFI vars: looks like efivarfs filesystem is mounted by default! So you can already cd /sys/firmware/efi/efivars and ls to explore this directory and see if there is a "gpu-power-prefs-..." variable (where ... is UUID of this variable).


2.2-Case 1:

If there is such a variable, its better to remove it with rm.

*) rm gpu-power-prefs-…


In my case the efivarfs has been mounted by default with read/write permissions, but if you are getting the "operation not permitted" message while attempting to rm, it means that in your case efivarfs has been mounted as read-only and you need to remount it with read-write permissions and try again (credits to totoe_84 for this valuable addition) (Try this and then try to remove it):

*) cd /

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

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

*) cd /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/

*) rm gpu-power-prefs-…


If this also fails (If you still can’t erase the file) use chattr command to disable file immutability and then erase the file:

*) chattr -i "/sys/firmware/efi/efivars/gpu-power-prefs-…”

*) cd /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/

*) rm gpu-power-prefs-…


2.2-Case 2:

The file gpu-power-prefs-… doesn’t exist well then you don’t have to delete it hahaha. (I repaired 2 17 inch models and 1 didn’t have it, so it’s fine)


2.3) Create a new gpu-power-prefs-… file (Original credit mentioned above, https://github.com/0xbb/gpu-switch/blob/master/gpu-switch, Credits to AppleMacFinder):

*) printf "\x07\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00" > /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/gpu-power-prefs-fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9


2.4) Add immutability to the gpu-power-prefs-… file (Credits to AppleMacFinder):

This chattr command is supposed to lock a file to make it accessible only by "superuser" - and so that, while booting, your EFI will have no chance to screw up your gpu-power-prefs-... variable under any circumstances


*) chattr +i "/sys/firmware/efi/efivars/gpu-power-prefs-fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9"


2.5) Unmount efivars and reboot (Credits to AppleMacFinder):

Could not unmount efivars if you are inside this directory, so change to the root directory

*) cd /

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

Guarantees that your EFI variables are flushed to efivarfs filesystem, please unmount it safely before rebooting)

*) reboot


3) Eliminate AMD Kexts (Credits to newfield),
Note: You might need to do this every time you do an OS updates, since each update normally writes the AMD Kexts again.

(His words and this also happened to me!: After disabling the dGPU using Arch, normal boot would hang halfway. Although safe boot would work. I wound up having to remove all the AMD kext files in the Terminal in Recovery Console)


Trying to remove them in Single User just gave me sandbox errors. (Summary -> Don’t do it in Single User Mode the one that you boot with Cmd + S)


3.1) So what you have to do is:

If you have FileVault Unlock it first:

Unlock first.

Then Boot into Recovery (“cmd + r”, it will boot without failing, if it fails then repeat step 2 and then after that boot directly into recovery with command + R, I had to do this once because the dGPU got active again after booting into the os with AMD kexts)

*) Boot into recovery mode (Command + r)

*) Start Terminal

*) diskutil cs list (find UUID for drive)

*) diskutil coreStorage unlockVolume UUID

*) cd /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD

*) mkdir AMD_Kexts

*) mv System/Library/Extensions/AMD*.* AMD_Kexts/

*) reboot



(If you only have one storage with 1 partition just use "cd /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD" and the remaining commands after starting the terminal)


Extra STEP), if your PC is now working! Download “steveschow” branch of gfxCardStatus (gfxCardStatus v2.4.3i) or just download the app directly from:

URLS:

https://github.com/steveschow/gfxCardStatus/releases

https://github.com/steveschow/gfxCardStatus

With this application you can even prove that the dedicated GPU can't get activated. Even if you try to change the selected GPU to the dedicated one, it just won't change.


—————

The End!

AND VOILA!!! You have a working 17 inch MacBook Pro. As I said I tested this with an early 2011 and late 2011 17 inch MacBook Pro’s and both are now running (Before they were both dead)


Big thanks to AppleMacFinder, to the makers and contributors of this thread, to gfxCardStatus maker and forkers (steveschow) and to switch-gpu makers I can’t thank you guys enough as I am so happy to bring both of this incredible machines back to life. With this post I am not trying to take any credit, but as I had 2 machines I run into different issues with both, which could be helpful to others, thats why I was inclined to make “my own” guide and share it with you.


I just created an account here to share this, Hope it helps more people!

[doublepost=1528858694][/doublepost]This is awesome guys. Beats buying a new logicboard or replacing the whole computer just because its old! I upgraded mine recently to 16Gb RAM and 1Tb SSD. To buy a new model with that spec would be $4,500 AUD!
The only step I had to do differently (3.1) was changing to the Macintosh drive which on mine was listed as MacintoshHD
Listed (cd /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD)
I did cd /Volumes/MacintoshHD
Hope that helps someone.

 

[ajangbar]

Hey AppleMacFinder,

So I have a Early 2011 Macbook Pro and I've been getting red squiggly lines all across the loading page and the progress bar would get stuck. So I tried your "without Archlinux" solution and finally the red squiggly lines went away. But now the mac loads into verbose mode and gets stuck at the loading page with an empty progress bar.

How do I solve this issue? I am able to load into Recovery Mode. What should I do?
[doublepost=1529151716][/doublepost]Hey Mikey,

So I did everything as you mentioned only up till the part

let the system update its kextcache:

touch /System/Library/Extensions/

– wait for the kextcache process to finish
then

reboot

And after I rebooted the mac loads into verbose mode and then logins fine. But I've noticed that the mac overheats a lot. I have SMCFanControl and the temp goes anywhere between 65 and 72 degrees C. How can I manage my mac from overheating?

 

[russ472]

i used this process to get my MBP back up and running. Runs ok, but there are a few graphic issues and sluggishness that I can't seem to work around especially using VM. So...I grabbed a 2015 mbp to replace the 2011.

Will i have a problem when i try to load my backup off of Time Machine onto my 2015?

 

[KERB3LAI]

Aight! - so I wrote (only) the code, (nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00), rebooted, got on the Mac’s desktop, heard my fan spinning like a maniac, waited a few moments, rebooted the computer too see if the code got applied and then everything started all over, again. - it’s like I got to add that code like a password, everytime I got to work with the computer.
———————————————————————
Details:
Macbook Pro 17-inch (early 2011) with upgraded SSD
Intel HD Graphics 3000
HighSierra
———————————————————————
I were updating MacOS to 10.13 when it started. Under the updating it worked out fine, but nearly at the finish, I first noticed a medium-long beepy sound, and the screen turned black, then turned on, got into the desktop (before the update was finished) and for 5 seconds everything freezed and the cursor was gone(?) It rebooted and some green/white stripes came up (about 2-3 cm’s) and then I understood «It started again» - this is the third time in 2/3-months. I’m a first time Macbook user, and I bought it from a trustworthy dude. Does anyone have an idea what/how/where the issues are?

[June 18. 2018]

 

[Theejonfields]

hey guys. I did this in december to fix my issue and it's worked since then. i've really not had any issues at all, except one. my macbook has been overheating since then. if i watch a youtube video, the fan comes on not even 5 minutes into watching it. i'm a producer. If i turn on Logic, load one plugin and my fan comes on blowing like a hurricane. is there any way to remedy this issue?

 

[Tonymakkaroni]

Hey guys after the security update 10.13.5 it was all reset and I can’t move the kext files anymore .. it’s always empty the directory I created for the disabled AMDRadeom kext files

 

[jklas]

Hello everyone,

first of all I would like to thank you guys who made this threat and kinda fixed for many people out there this issue!
I got the same issue (MacBook Pro 15 early 2011 with an Intel GPU Modelnumber MacbookPro8,2) and actually it worked fine with your solution (from mike,nsrg,AppleMacfinder etc.)
As already mentioned several times from all users in here, after Updating MacOS (I got High Sierra installed), all the settings are gone. Basically I would like to ask you guys if there is a difference between AMD GPU and Intel GPU fixing. Because I couldnt figure it out all, if I did something wrong at all.

I just used the first fixing Post from AppleMacFinder, after this I used the MikeyN and so on... . And I don’t get the difference between the solution way for Intel GPU and AMD GPU.
Second of all I would like to ask someone if possible to update the solution way for both AMD and Intel GPU. And make a summary for all new guys out there and also for me newby .

I already tried to figure everything out, but it‘s kinda difficult to get everything. Also I would also like to know from you guys, after I did the fixing, my MacBook Pro normally starts with a black screen and then it writes everything in a console way and reboots by its own with a normal white screen and shows me the MacOS after some time right? Otherwise I guess I did something wrong.

It would be nice to get some help. I appreciate this very much and sorry for my bad english.

Best Regards from germany.

 

[damien_mattei]

juste a question, if i install a new version of Mac OS X the installer will fail because i suppose the installer have AMD kext and use them for a new install , i tried to find them and delete them but it is not so easy, on an installed mac os x amd*kext are visible but on the installer NO, i suppose them to be packeged somewhere but i do not know where.
what can i do to reinstall a new Mac OS X (High Sierra, i test it with El Capitan)?

If you don't have time to read my story (which also describes some interesting technical approaches) just scroll down this thread until a "100% WORKING SOLUTION" text

Discrete AMD GPU of my 2011 MacBook Pro 8,2 has finally failed because of the reasons mentioned here ( http://logicboardmac.blogspot.ru/ ) and there ( https://www.macrumors.com/2015/02/19/2011-macbook-pro-repair-program-apple/ ) . It has been working perfectly for 6 years under quite a high load, even tried SETI@HOME mining at background! So I was confident that my MBP is not affected by bad solder / bad soldering quality and didn't want to bring it to Apple for a free repair program - partially because couldn't find the time to pause my important software projects, partially because I was afraid that Apple might give me a less reliable logic board or refuse a free repair because of the several unrelated repairs that I did manually by myself earlier to save money: changed thermal paste a few times, replaced the internal battery 2 times, replaced a keyboard with broken buttons, etc. But it finally broke down last week: laptop's screen image became distorted, it refused to boot OS X (always freezing half-way), and - Apple free repair program has already ended! I know there are affordable solutions like $50 BGA resoldering at unofficial local repair shop and that its possible to get a new replacement HD 6750M chip from AliExpress for $35 or cheaper ( http://www.aliexpress.com/item/DC-2...0028-216-0810028-BGA-Chipset/32764872143.html or https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DC-2015-New-216-0810001-216-0810001-Graphic-Chipset/32718112928.html , because don't know if this is true - https://www.rossmanngroup.com/board...0604-replace-216-0810005-gpu-with-216-0810028 ) to guarantee a successful repair, so the total price of repair would be either $50 or $50+$35=$85 - less than $100 in any case. But I don't like investing money to the old computers, so I have thought - what if there is some hack to force MBP to use integrated graphics ALL THE TIME, even while booting ? And then started to explore the possible solutions...

===

First of all, it is possible to successfully boot a MBP to OS X while still using the failed GPU, after you remove the AMD drivers by booting in command line mode (CMD+S) and entering these commands:
1) fsck -fy (to check a disk)
2) mount -uw / (mount a root filesystem with read/write permissions)
3) sudo mkdir /AMD_Kexts/ (make a directory to store the AMD drivers in case you'll need them in future)
4) sudo mv /System/Library/Extensions/AMD*.* /AMD_Kexts/ (move the AMD drivers)
5) sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kext.caches/ (remove the AMD drivers cache)
6) sudo mkdir /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kext.caches/ (just in case OS X will be dumb and will not recreate this directory, I am creating it for OS X)
7) sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions/ (to update the timestamps so that new driver caches - without AMD drivers - will be definitely rebuilt)
8) sudo umount / (umount a partition to guarantee that your changes are flushed to it)
9) sudo reboot

The degree of your inconvenience while doing these steps - strongly depends on how heavily a screen's image is distorted in your case. In my case it was even more difficult because the OS X partition became a "read-only" partition (because of too many emergency shutdowns I did while desperately trying to boot OS X with a failed GPU) so I had to remove a hard drive from MacBook Pro and (using a USB to SATA 2.5" adapter taken from my portable HDD) attached it to a computer with Linux, then followed these instructions:

https://superuser.com/questions/961401/mounting-hfs-partition-on-arch-linux (1st answer) - carefully executed a number of commands, calculated a sizelimit for my parition layout, and finally ran sudo mount -t hfsplus -o force,rw,sizelimit=YOURNUMBER /dev/sdb2 /mnt to mount this HFS+ partition to /mnt directory in read-write mode. Then I performed these "1)-7)" steps you see above, and also repaired a filesystem by running sudo fsck.hfsplus -f /dev/sdb2 before unmounting a partition with sudo umount /mnt and putting a hard drive back to MBP...

===

This gave me a MBP which could boot to OS X although STILL using a broken AMD GPU: so it screen's image is very distorted (could browse the Internet but quite inconvenient to read a text), Launchpad is super laggy, and you can't switch to Integrated GPU using gfxCardStatus because: without AMD drivers (which we had to remove to successfully boot to OS X) Macbook Pro thinks its' internal screen is External Display and gfxCardStatus tells it is impossible to switch because External Display is using AMD GPU. Somewhere I found a suggestion that it is possible to rebuild a gfxCardStatus from the source code - https://github.com/codykrieger/gfxCardStatus - with removed or commented out 156-166 lines in the ./gfxCardStatus/Classes/GSProcess.m to make it to ignore the external display:

// find out if an external monitor is forcing the discrete gpu on
CGDirectDisplayID displays[8];
CGDisplayCount displayCount = 0;
if (CGGetOnlineDisplayList(8, displays, &displayCount) == noErr) {
for (int i = 0; i < displayCount; i++) {
if ( ! CGDisplayIsBuiltin(displays))
[list addObject:[NSDictionary dictionaryWithObjectsAndKeys:
Str(@"External Display"), kTaskItemName,
@"", kTaskItemPID, nil]];
}
}

So I rebuilt a gfxCardStatus using the instructions from the last reply of this issue -
https://github.com/codykrieger/gfxCardStatus/issues/229
(also had to download a MacOSX10.11.sdk from here - https://github.com/phracker/MacOSX-SDKs/releases - unpack and copy it to XCode's /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.11.sdk - because of the Apple's stupidity the latest XCode for El Capitan does not include SDK for El Capitan!) However, it still didn't work - gfxCardStatus only pretended that it has switched to Integrated GPU, while in reality OS X did not let it switch! Even after I edited ./gfxCardStatus/Classes/GSGPU.m file to enable the mysterious "Nuke it from orbit switching" option, it still couldn't switch...

===

Then I discovered this interesting repository - https://github.com/0xbb/gpu-switch - which is partially similar by its' source code to gfxCardStatus but also has the "Login Hooks" (install_hooks.sh) to "automate the switching process for login/logout". Sadly it didn't work for me... However, there is a very interesting gpu-switch text file right at the root of this repository, which describes the EFI variables!

https://github.com/0xbb/gpu-switch/blob/master/gpu-switch

After studying it and also reading this issue's comments - https://github.com/0xbb/gpu-switch/issues/11 - I became confident to try this solution, but found out that my MacBook Pro 2011 8,2 with OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 is in a VERY problematic situation:

1) rEFInd is not installed, and to install it - must disable SIP protection. But I cannot boot to Recovery mode (Command+Option+R) or to OS X Installation DVD/USB (hold Option), (to disable SIP), because they freeze while booting! - although I removed AMD kexts from my system, of course these recovery tools are using AMD kexts integrated to their design. Also cannot use Rootfool hack ( https://github.com/gdbinit/rootfool ) to disable SIP during runtime, because it works only at OS X version older than 10.11.4

2) Tried overheating my Macbook Pro on purpose (forcing CPU usage to 100% and putting it to a tightly closed bag) to force it to shutdown from overheating and then quickly reboot so that Integrated graphics will be enabled during the boot time - making it possible to boot to Recovery. But because of the wonderful high end thermal paste I have applied not so long ago - cannot overheat it even after waiting for a long time! At this point I thought that could either: a) remove AMD kexts from Installation media, or b) to connect MBP's hard drive to a Linux machine again and run a bunch of chmods to remove the SIP flags from the directories mentioned here ( http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/193368/what-is-the-rootless-feature-in-el-capitan-really ) which could potentially make a system unbootable, or c) to try installing rEFInd to HFS+ partition directly from a Linux machine with root rights because it will bypass SIP --- but have not explored these options, although some of them might have worked...

3) Wanted to boot a Linux LiveCD to edit the EFI variables from there, but no matter what I did: tried booting straight without GRUB option modifications, tried editing GRUB boot options (with "e" key) to add nomodeset / remove quiet splash / or both in every combination , or like suggested in this article ( https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/MacBookPro8,1/8,2/8,3_(2011) ) also add i915.modeset=0 radeon.modeset=0 or radeon.modeset=0 i915.modeset=1 i915.lvds_channel_mode=2 ; and then pressed Fn+F10 or Shift+Ctrl+Fn+F10 to boot with these options: but the Linux boot process always failed at different boot stages, no matter what popular user-friendly Linux distribution or what version of it I am trying: tried many releases of Ubuntu / Lubuntu / Fedora , even the old "AMD64 Mac" and "Alternate AMD64 Mac" images, but they always failed - either at the very beginning of boot process (black screen, or a black screen with a blinking or stuck _ character at the left upper corner) or failed at the very end of it - right before it is supposed to show a graphical desktop environment...

Later, totoe_84 wrote that he was able to boot Ubuntu in graphical mode using the following setup for GRUB:

• To disable the AMD graphics card I added the following lines after set gfxpayload=keep

outb 0x728 1
outb 0x710 2
outb 0x740 2
outb 0x750 0​

• Next I added the following after quiet splash
  
  i915.lvds_channel_mode=2 i915.modeset=1 i915.lvds_use_ssc=0​

(based on https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2157775 )

===

Then I remembered that there are not-mainstream Linux distributions for advanced users, which have a LiveCD without any graphical interface: you are dropped to a pure console and you are supposed to install the system along with only those graphical interfaces and software packages / groups of packages which you explicitly select. For example: Arch Linux (https://www.archlinux.org/) and Gentoo Linux (https://gentoo.org/) . Because their LiveCD does not have a graphical interface, they could be booted without a problem to a pure Linux console and there you could edit the EFI variables ! So here is a...

===
=== 100% WORKING SOLUTION
===
=== Force your MBP to ALWAYS use Intel integrated GPU (EFI variable fix)
===
=== to make it great again !
===

1) Create the Arch Linux LiveCD/LiveUSB :

You need a working computer for that and a spare CD/DVD/USB drive. After downloading archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso (see the links below) you have to check the integrity of the .ISO file to see if it is not corrupted (avoid I/O error, printf: not found, chattr: not found, etc). After checking the integrity of archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso and everything is OK, then you can generate an ArchLinux boot disk.

archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso

MD5:
1d25235e7cebe45f93452fbc05a0fb66 archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso

SHA1
f426866ca632a35a3eeae8e4080cff25ec8da614 archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso

Official website ArchLinux (only Torrent) - See MD5 and SHA1 hash numbers:

https://www.archlinux.org/releng/releases/2017.03.01/

The MD5 and SHA1 of the official ArchLinux website are the same as the mirrors Virtapi.org and Belnet.be. The archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso on Virtapi.org and Belnet.be are legitimate.

Virtapi.org:

http://archive.virtapi.org/iso/2017.03.01/

http://archive.virtapi.org/iso/2017.03.01/archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso

http://archive.virtapi.org/iso/2017.03.01/md5sums.txt

http://archive.virtapi.org/iso/2017.03.01/sha1sums.txt

Belnet:

http://ftp.belnet.be/pub/archlinux.org/iso/2017.03.01/

http://ftp.belnet.be/pub/archlinux.org/iso/2017.03.01/archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso

http://ftp.belnet.be/pub/archlinux.org/iso/2017.03.01/md5sums.txt

http://ftp.belnet.be/pub/archlinux.org/iso/2017.03.01/sha1sums.txt

Check for archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso integrity (Mac OS):

Boot in Safe Mode (press SHIFT key at boot) -> no freeze Mac OS -> El Capitan or Sierra.

HighSierra maybe freeze at boot time (Safe Mode). There were changes in the HighSierra in relation to the AMD kexts loaded during the Safe Mode. More tests are needed.

File downloaded -> /Users/Your_User/Downloads/archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso

Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal:

MD5:

cd Downloads/

md5 archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso
MD5 (archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso) = 1d25235e7cebe45f93452fbc05a0fb66

SHA1:

cd Downloads/

shasum archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso
f426866ca632a35a3eeae8e4080cff25ec8da614  archlinux-2017.03.01-dual.iso

Or try the simplest way - No needed ArchLinux - Only MacOS:

1 - Boot Single User (press Command + S) at boot (If you have MacOS installed on your hard drive).

2 - If you have a blank HD, then use the USB stick/Pendrive with the MacOS installer (El Capitan, Sierra or HighSierra).

2.1 - Press Option key at boot, Position the mouse on the MacOS installer icon.

2.2 - Press Command + S and keep holding these two keys.

2.3 - Click the MacOS installer icon -> continue holding the Command + S keys until you finish the MacOS installer Single User boot .

Enter these commands (change gpu-power-prefs to Intel GPU and boot verbose):

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

nvram boot-args="-v"

reboot

If you've chosen the Arch Linux route, please continue reading:

Then you could either simply burn this ISO to CD/DVD (which later could be either inserted to MBP's SuperDrive or External DVD Drive connected to MBP by two USB cables) or create a bootable USB: use the great detailed instructions from this page, https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/USB_flash_installation_media

2) Boot to it: insert this CD/DVD/USB to Macbook Pro, hold Option key while booting, choose "EFI boot" (that is your bootable installation media), press "e" key to edit the GRUB options of the Arch Linux archiso x86_64 UEFI CD menu entry while it is selected at the main screen, add nomodeset to the end of this line and press Enter. If everything is done correctly, you will find yourself at the Linux console!

3) Edit EFI vars: looks like efivarfs filesystem is mounted by default! So you can already cd /sys/firmware/efi/efivars and ls to explore this directory and see if there is a "gpu-power-prefs-..." variable (where ... is UUID of this variable). If there is such a variable, its better to remove it with rm. In my case the efivarfs has been mounted by default with read/write permissions, but if you are getting the "operation not permitted" message while attempting to rm, it means that in your case efivarfs has been mounted as read-only and you need to remount it with read-write permissions and try again (credits to totoe_84 for this valuable addition) :
*) cd /
*) umount /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/
*) mount -t efivarfs rw /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/
*) cd /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/

If your screen is so distorted that it is difficult to see the letters, just start typing the rm gpu-power-pre and then press TAB key for autocompletion. In my case there were not such a EFI variable, only "gpu-active-..." and maybe somehow related "gfx-saved-config-restore-status-..." . Then I looked again at that gpu-switch text file (mentioned above, https://github.com/0xbb/gpu-switch/blob/master/gpu-switch),
and entered THESE COMMANDS:

*) chattr -i "/sys/firmware/efi/efivars/" <----- skip this command

Actually a gpu-switch script had "${sysfs_efi_vars}/${efi_gpu}" but I didnt have a "gpu-power-prefs-..." variable - so, partially by mistake, I didn't add that efi_gpu suffix and entered this incomplete path accidentally

*) printf "\x07\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00" > /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/gpu-power-prefs-fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9

Did not have a EFI "gpu-power-prefs-" variable so I thought that it will be OK to create a new one with a random UUID - in this case, taken directly from a gpu-switch script

*) chattr +i "/sys/firmware/efi/efivars/gpu-power-prefs-fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9"

http://www.tecmint.com/chattr-command-examples/ - chattr (Change Attribute) is a command line Linux utility that is used to set/unset certain attributes to a file in Linux system to secure accidental deletion or modification of important files and folders, even though you are logged in as a root user.
...
Syntax of chattr ---> chattr [operator] [flags] [filename]
...
A file is set with ‘i‘ attribute (+i as you see in this command) ---> cannot be modified (immutable). Means no renaming, no symbolic link creation, no execution, no writable, only superuser can unset the attribute.
...
Operator

1. + : Adds the attribute to the existing attribute of the files.
2. – : Removes the attribute to the existing attribute of the files.
3. = : Keep the existing attributes that the files have.

This chattr command is supposed to lock a file to make it accessible only by "superuser" - and so that, while booting, your EFI will have no chance to screw up your gpu-power-prefs-... variable under any circumstances

*) cd /

Could not unmount efivars if you are inside this directory, so change to the root directory

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

Guarantees that your EFI variables are flushed to efivarfs filesystem, please unmount it safely before rebooting)

*) reboot

===> IF YOU DID EVERYTHING CORRECTLY, MOST LIKELY THAT YOUR MACBOOK PRO IS NOW USING INTEGRATED GRAPHICS WHILE BOOTING, AFTER BOOTING, AND IS WORKING GREAT AGAIN !

In the future maybe you could need to re-apply this solution if you would have to reset your PRAM / NVRAM / SMC because of some other problems, so remember this solution somewhere... Funny thing: now you can't switch to Discrete GPU even using gfxCardStatus, it is forever stuck at Integrated

I spent two working days to discover this solution, and really hope that it will work flawlessly for every MBP owner with a broken discrete GPU. Good luck!

=== NEWS ! YOU COULD ALSO FOLLOW THESE GUIDES FOR THE EXTRA IMPROVEMENTS : ===

Follow the MikeyN Guide - page 35 - #875 - to move the AMDRadeonX3000.kext from the /System/Library/Extensions directory and do not freeze Macbook Pro (at 75% progress bar or "IOConsoleUsers: gIOScreenLockState 3" message).

Rename old AMDRadeonX3000.kext and move new AMDRadeonX3000.kext after update - Page 57 - #1425

Shutdown or Restart Macbook Pro - avoid black screen freeze - Update 2 - Page 57 - #1425

Close the Lid - Sleep - Waking - Page 43 #1066 - Page 50 #1243

 

[meetjasper]

Found a solution

It's not necessary to remove all AMD*.* folders. I only removed some folders and the F1/F2 works..
I also discovered that I had problems with Sleep mode, this is also solved now.

The folders I did remove:

AMDRadeonX3000.kext
AMDRadeonX4000.kext
AMDRadeonX4100.kext
AMDRadeonX4150.kext
AMDRadeonX4200.kext
AMDRadeonX4250.kext
AMDRadeonX5000.kext
AMDRadeonX5000HWServices.kext

Brian

Thank you for your solution. I copied all the files back to the /System/Library/Extensions folder and removed only AMDRadeonX3000.kext & AMDRadeonX5000.kext. Restarted the system but my Mac got GPU problem again and brightness is not working. I have to reverse the procedure to resolve GPU problem but brightness problem still not fixed. What could be the problem?

 

[damien_mattei]

Thank you for your solution. I copied all the files back to the /System/Library/Extensions folder and removed only AMDRadeonX3000.kext & AMDRadeonX5000.kext. Restarted the system but my Mac got GPU problem again and brightness is not working. I have to reverse the procedure to resolve GPU problem but brightness problem still not fixed. What could be the problem?

for the brightness you can use Brightness slider a little free app that lets you set the brigtness level ,
for sleep, perheaps simply deactivate the sleep mode in power preference will solve the problem?

 

[meetjasper]

for the brightness you can use Brightness slider a little free app that lets you set the brigtness level ,
for sleep, perheaps simply deactivate the sleep mode in power preference will solve the problem?

Thank you for your response. I downloaded Brightness slider ( from BergDesign) and it didnt help. It shows a slider but the slider is doing nothing.
[doublepost=1529798578][/doublepost]Issue is not fixed yet but Brightness slider from App store seems working fine. Thank you.

 

[damien_mattei]

Thank you for your response. I downloaded Brightness slider ( from BergDesign) and it didnt help. It shows a slider but the slider is doing nothing.
[doublepost=1529798578][/doublepost]Issue is not fixed yet but Brightness slider from App store seems working fine. Thank you.

what was exactly your issue? distorsion on screen and impossible to start mac os x?
for me the solution on the first page solved the probleme with my faulty AMD GPU

 

[Cool2018]

Hello all,

I like to thank everyone who is working to solve this issue for all of us and I like to point out that I tried many things including this tread with no luck. It may have been me who did not understand or follow the instructions properly or any other reason, i on't know?

I have a early 2011 Macbook pro 17" with AMD radeon failure. I finally installed fresh copy of High Sierra and followed these instructions here to get it going again. I am using the mentioned Macbook to write this and I am really happy looking at my 17" screen again. I don't know how long this solution would last and I don't care.

I hope this helps another newbie like myself.

Thanks again.

 

[damien_mattei]

Does your fix allow the use of an external monitor afterwards?

I have a solution that has worked for my 2011 MBP that had a bad AMD Graphics processor yielding a white screen on Boot:

https://realmacmods.com/

WARNING : i did the resistor removal has explained here:

https://realmacmods.com/macbook-2011-radeon-gpu-disable/

and i had no more video !!! BLACK screen !!!

i had previously done the AMD*.kext removal method and it worked ,i wanted to disable completely the faulty GPU by removing the resistor and all i get was a BLACK screen , NO more video, so i bridged the pads for R8911
with iron soldering and it hopefully the video works again!

in conclusion when you reached a step and it works ,stop.

"let well alone" !!!

 

[meetjasper]

what was exactly your issue? distortion on screen and impossible to start mac os x?
for me the solution on the first page solved the problem with my faulty AMD GPU

Thanks for asking. My First issue was distorted graphics and I fixed that by moving AMD*.kext files. Everything was fixed and then I upgraded to High Seirra and it messed up my Brightness control. My brightness controls ( F1/F2) stopped working. There is no way I can change the brightness now. I had to download brightness slider which is great but it acts weird when I change browser window or min/max browser window. I need a correct solution to fix brightness which is messed up by High Seirra.

 

[Cool2018]

does nightshift option go away because of GPU disable patch?
If yes, is there a similar app to use instead?
Thanks.

 

[Oleg-Sentia]

There is no way I can change the brightness now. I need a correct solution to fix brightness which is messed up by High Seirra.

GoTo here
And High Sierra has even more bugs, not only this one

 

[meetjasper]

I have High Sierra .5 (the last now)

From app store please download and install Brightness Slider. It's free.
View attachment 765510
It works. But it is more better to setup hot keys.
Click "black sun" and setup hot keys for this application
View attachment 765511
For example I'm using Control-1 and Control-2 that are similar to usual buttons
That is not all.
Go to System Preferences Keyboard
View attachment 765512
Then Shortcuts and choose App Shortcuts and click +
Choose application name - Brightness slider
View attachment 765513
Menu Title: Brightness up and Brightness down,
Keyboard shortcut: Control-1 and -2 for another combination
So U will see
View attachment 765514
Take a pleasure

P.S. sometimes U will need to calibrate this slider (dark screen). For now I know the only way is to start El Capitan or Sierra where slider is working and put highest brightness, then shut down it and start H. Sierra usually.

Thx a lot
[doublepost=1530167126][/doublepost]

GoTo here
And High Sierra has even more bugs, not only this one

I know. Funny thing is at some screens High Seirra bypasses password too. Just change user to root and dont enter password and it accepts that.

 

[mac_4eva]

Wow! This thread turned out so long in the blink of an eye! I actually stumbled across something interesting, and maybe people here could give it a shot. These commands are GPU vendor-agnostic and for High Sierra or later. While my purposes of disabling the dGPU are very different (want to disable NVIDIA dGPU even if its working for AMD eGPU framebuffer to work correctly), it might help (can't say - not tried on failing dGPU):

1. Boot into Recovery (⌘+R)
2. Launch Utilities > Terminal
3. Enter the commands that follow:
   
   

   nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00
   nvram boot-args="agc=-1"

   
   Credits to @nsgr for the power-prefs variable.

I tried it on my system, and every boot was consistently on the Iris Pro (have Mid-2014 MBP w/ 750M). You will notice that the Automatic Graphics Switching mechanism is gone in System Preferences > Energy Saver. You can get it all back by deleting the boot-args variable or simply resetting NVRAM. Hopefully it works for you. This thread is so long that it wasn't feasible for me to go through everything. If this has already been discovered, sorry to waste your time!

 

[nsgr]

Wow! This thread turned out so long in the blink of an eye! I actually stumbled across something interesting, and maybe people here could give it a shot. These commands are GPU vendor-agnostic and for High Sierra or later. While my purposes of disabling the dGPU are very different (want to disable NVIDIA dGPU even if its working for AMD eGPU framebuffer to work correctly), it might help (can't say - not tried on failing dGPU):

1. Boot into Recovery (⌘+R)
2. Launch Utilities > Terminal
3. Enter the commands that follow:
   
   

   nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00
   nvram boot-args="agc=-1"

   
   Credits to @nsgr for the power-prefs variable.

I tried it on my system, and every boot was consistently on the Iris Pro (have Mid-2014 MBP w/ 750M). You will notice that the Automatic Graphics Switching mechanism is gone in System Preferences > Energy Saver. You can get it all back by deleting the boot-args variable or simply resetting NVRAM. Hopefully it works for you. This thread is so long that it wasn't feasible for me to go through everything. If this has already been discovered, sorry to waste your time!

I had tested agc with negative number some time ago but it did not work with AMD GPU.

With nvram boot-args="-v agc=-1" the boot verbose message "AGC :: force unloaded" appears.

This is within the AppleMuxControl and AppleMuxControl2 executable files.


agcConfigMapDefaultboard-idNumberFramebuffers0NumberFramebuffers1Internal324PolicyEnergySavingPolicyForceSwitchPEGIGDBacklightSmoothingIdleTimeoutStartUpDelayAGC:: force unloaded



HighSierra 10.13.5
/System/Library/Extensions/AppleGraphicsControl.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleMuxControl.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/AppleGraphicsControl.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleMuxControl2.kext


The hope is that a good soul will reveal to us what agc=0, agc=1, agc=2, etc. means. And negative number with agc=-0, agc=-1, etc.