Resolved macOS High Sierra doesn't like to be restarted anymore..

[SevanaP]

Hi guys

I really need help of mac power users.. It's extremely driving me crazy.

Problem: it can't be restarted. Actually when I choose 'Restart..' it kills all open apps and the screen turns black and the cursor disappears BUT it sticks on that black screen, then cursor again appears suddenly (in top-left corner)

- Helpful Note: As a tricky test, tried to reboot in the login page before even logging in to the account in order to prevent any third-party app which can cause the problem. Still can't be restarted.




What I've tried so far:

Installing 10.13.6 Combo

Resesting NVRAM SMC PRAM

SAFE MODE

SINGLE USER MODE

Creating new admin account

Removing some recently installed apps.

and lots of other things which can't remember at the moment..

'sudo shutdown -r now' works but it's a hard reset as you know..


Troubleshooting:


System.log in the same moment I choose Restart from the apple menu un til the moment I had to force shut down it..

Nov 29 18:14:20 is the precise time I tried to restart it at.

Spoiler: LOG

Nov 29 18:13:24 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro Finder[314]: BUG in libdispatch client: kevent[mach_recv] monitored resource vanished before the source cancel handler was invoked
Nov 29 18:13:24 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.quicklook[658]): Endpoint has been activated through legacy launch(3) APIs. Please switch to XPC or bootstrap_check_in(): com.apple.quicklook
Nov 29 18:13:48 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.imfoundation.IMRemoteURLConnectionAgent): Unknown key for integer: _DirtyJetsamMemoryLimit
Nov 29 18:14:04 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro login[565]: DEAD_PROCESS: 565 ttys000
Nov 29 18:14:04 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro systemstats[53]: assertion failed: 17G3025: systemstats + 914800 [D1E75C38-62CE-3D77-9ED3-5F6D38EF0676]: 0x40
Nov 29 18:14:20 --- last message repeated 3 times ---
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.AirPlayUIAgent[415]): Service exited due to signal: Killed: 9 sent by loginwindow[93]
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.lateragent[470]): Service exited due to signal: Killed: 9 sent by loginwindow[93]
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.noticeboard.agent[419]): Service exited due to signal: Killed: 9 sent by loginwindow[93]
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.talagent[312]): Service exited due to signal: Killed: 9 sent by loginwindow[93]
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.universalaccessd[307]): Service exited due to signal: Killed: 9 sent by loginwindow[93]
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.CoreLocationAgent[454]): Service exited due to signal: Killed: 9 sent by loginwindow[93]
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.cloudphotosd[391]): Service exited due to signal: Killed: 9 sent by loginwindow[93]
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.imklaunchagent[361]): Service exited due to signal: Terminated: 15 sent by loginwindow[93]
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.coreservices.uiagent[369]): Service exited due to signal: Killed: 9 sent by loginwindow[93]
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro systemstats[53]: assertion failed: 17G3025: systemstats + 914800 [D1E75C38-62CE-3D77-9ED3-5F6D38EF0676]: 0x40
Nov 29 18:14:20 --- last message repeated 3 times ---
Nov 29 18:14:20 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro sessionlogoutd[676]: DEAD_PROCESS: 93 console
Nov 29 18:14:22 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.coreservices.useractivityd[335]): Service exited due to signal: Killed: 9 sent by useractivityd[335]
Nov 29 18:14:22 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.rapportd[357]): Service exited due to signal: Killed: 9 sent by rapportd[357]
Nov 29 18:14:22 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro systemstats[53]: assertion failed: 17G3025: systemstats + 914800 [D1E75C38-62CE-3D77-9ED3-5F6D38EF0676]: 0x40
Nov 29 18:14:23 --- last message repeated 102 times ---
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro WindowServer[214]: BUG in libdispatch client: kevent[mach_recv] monitored resource vanished before the source cancel handler was invoked
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro VDCAssistant[220]: BUG in libdispatch client: kevent[mach_recv] monitored resource vanished before the source cancel handler was invoked
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.imklaunchagent): This service is defined to be constantly running and is inherently inefficient.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.coreservices.UASharedPasteboardProgressUI): Unknown key for Boolean: DrainMessagesAfterFailedInit
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpc.launchd.domain.user.loginwindow.679.4294967295): com.apple.pluginkit.pkd (lint): Service sets EnableTransactions=false and EnablePressuredExit=true, which makes no sense. Enabling Transactions.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow): This service is defined to be constantly running and is inherently inefficient.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpc.launchd.domain.user.loginwindow.679.4294967295): com.apple.universalaccessd (lint): The HideUntilCheckIn property is an architectural performance issue. Please transition away from it.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpc.launchd.domain.user.loginwindow.679.4294967295): com.apple.VoiceOver (lint): The HideUntilCheckIn property is an architectural performance issue. Please transition away from it.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpc.launchd.domain.user.loginwindow.679.4294967295): com.apple.AssistiveControl (lint): The HideUntilCheckIn property is an architectural performance issue. Please transition away from it.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpc.launchd.domain.user.loginwindow.679.4294967295): com.apple.DwellControl (lint): The HideUntilCheckIn property is an architectural performance issue. Please transition away from it.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpc.launchd.domain.user.loginwindow.679.4294967295): com.apple.universalaccesscontrol (lint): The HideUntilCheckIn property is an architectural performance issue. Please transition away from it.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpc.launchd.domain.user.loginwindow.679.4294967295): com.apple.noticeboard.agent (lint): EnablePressuredExit is not compatible with KeepAlive=true. Ignoring EnablePressuredExit.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.noticeboard.agent): This service is defined to be constantly running and is inherently inefficient.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpc.launchd.domain.user.loginwindow.679.4294967295): com.apple.tiswitcher (lint): The HideUntilCheckIn property is an architectural performance issue. Please transition away from it.
Nov 29 18:14:23 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.coreservices.useractivityd): Unknown key for Boolean: DrainMessagesAfterFailedInit
Nov 29 18:14:24 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro loginwindow[679]: USER_PROCESS: 679 console
Nov 29 18:14:27 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.fileprovider.fileproviderd[407]): Service did not exit 5 seconds after SIGTERM. Sending SIGKILL.
Nov 29 18:14:27 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.protectedcloudstorage.protectedcloudkeysyncing[396]): Service did not exit 5 seconds after SIGTERM. Sending SIGKILL.
Nov 29 18:14:27 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro systemstats[53]: assertion failed: 17G3025: systemstats + 914800 [D1E75C38-62CE-3D77-9ED3-5F6D38EF0676]: 0x40
Nov 29 18:14:49 --- last message repeated 1 time ---
Nov 29 18:14:49 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro xpcproxy[689]: libcoreservices: _dirhelper_userdir: 529: bootstrap_look_up returned (ipc/send) invalid destination port
Nov 29 18:16:21 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro bootlog[0]: BOOT_TIME 1543544181 0
Nov 29 18:16:26 Rainydays-MacBook-Pro syslogd[42]: Configuration Notice:
ASL Module "com.apple.cdscheduler" claims selected messages.
Those messages may not appear in standard system log files or in the ASL database.

I'm sure you guys can help me find the reason..
I've installed the current OS recently and I really can't try a fresh installation cause its so time-consuming for me..

 

[flowrider]

Try downloading and reinstalling the full OS. From here:

https://support.apple.com/macos/high-sierra

Lou

 

[SevanaP]

Try downloading and reinstalling the full OS. From here:

https://support.apple.com/macos/high-sierra

Lou

It would be the last option.

Thanks by the way...

 

[th0masp]

Have you checked the log files in the Console.app for any strange messages? /var/log/system.log when viewed right after one of these failed restart attempts might contain some hints.
I don't think a reinstall is needed, it's probably just some broken application that interrupts the shutdown procedure and bumps you back to the desktop.

Btw: 'shutdown -r now' is not a hard reset (that would be to turn off the machine) - it's the same thing as choosing to restart from the Apple menu but while doing so it may bypass any additional checks the GUI ordinarily runs to have applications check and prompt if open work needs to be saved.

Id argue it is a clean method to shut down the system though.

 

[SevanaP]

Have you checked the log files in the Console.app for any strange messages? /var/log/system.log when viewed right after one of these failed restart attempts might contain some hints.
I don't think a reinstall is needed, it's probably just some broken application that interrupts the shutdown procedure and bumps you back to the desktop.

Btw: 'shutdown -r now' is not a hard reset (that would be to turn off the machine) - it's the same thing as choosing to restart from the Apple menu but while doing so it may bypass any additional checks the GUI ordinarily runs to have applications check and prompt if open work needs to be saved.

Id argue it is a clean method to shut down the system though.

Been waiting for some help. Thanks for your participating..

I attached the log. I'm not a pro and know almost nothing about those verbose texts. I hope you can check it out..

I think that command 'shutdown -r now' is a HARD one. Reason? There's an app called "MAC RESTART" which offers 2 kind of restart. A hard one and a soft one. The hard one can restart the mac as that mention command can do but the 'soft restart' can't do it as the ordinary restarting using UI can't so..

So I conclude that command is somehow different from the 'Restart..' in the menu bar and perhaps is a HARD restart..

(You're right.. I mean as you said, probably ignoring and bypassing those checks would be enough to turn the normal restart into a HARD restart)


'shutdown -r now' isn't supposed to turn off the mac, AFAIK.

 

[th0masp]

I don't see an any attachments to your post?

As far as hard vs soft restart - to me a hard one simply prevents the system from shutting down in a clean way, potentially causing consistency-issues in the file system and corrupting open files.

The shutdown command just works in the usual Unix-way - it assumes the user knows what he's doing and has no files open, no applications running anymore, etc and does not ask twice. The GUI has been developed with more casual users in mind and will run checks, give the applications time to prompt the user, etc. That may be the cause of your troubles.

The option -r(estart) should make your machine start up again after shutdown. Only if you substitute that with -h(alt) should it power itself off.

 

[SevanaP]

I don't see an any attachments to your post?

As far as hard vs soft restart - to me a hard one simply prevents the system from shutting down in a clean way, potentially causing consistency-issues in the file system and corrupting open files.

The shutdown command just works in the usual Unix-way - it assumes the user knows what he's doing and has no files open, no applications running anymore, etc and does not ask twice. The GUI has been developed with more casual users in mind and will run checks, give the applications time to prompt the user, etc. That may be the cause of your troubles.

The option -r(estart) should make your machine start up again after shutdown. Only if you substitute that with -h(alt) should it power itself off.

Did you miss the spoiler in the very first post? It's just the related lines of the log. I thought you saw it..


I have no any knowledge about the mechanism of those 2 options in the mentioned app and really don't know how they work. By the way, I really hope you have a nice idea to find/solve the issue.


And last but not least, let me know please if any third-party apps or services are allowed to be run in the logon page before entering the password. If none is running in that stage, so we can surely conclude that the problem is all about corruption of the system files/native apps. As I said in the first post, even in that stage restart doesn't work.

 

[th0masp]

Did you miss the spoiler in the very first post? It's just the related lines of the log. I thought you saw it.

Oops, yes I missed that...

Ok, at first glance I can' find any major issues perhaps apart from systemstats - what the ... is it doing there?

But: cutting and pasting some of the messages from your log into google gets me to another forum where someone describes how his mac running HS fails to shutdown and the screen turns black with only the cursor remaining. Sound familiar?

The Thread is here (unfortunately it's in German but translate.google.com is your friend): https://www.apfeltalk.de/community/threads/wenn-high-sierra-update-10-13-5-probleme-macht.531068/



The (apparently) working solution is described in post 12: https://www.apfeltalk.de/community/...e-10-13-5-probleme-macht.531068/#post-5246771

Apparently there may be some corruption related to the temporary files associated with various running services that the system wants to write to upon shutdown but fails to. The files in question are located under
/var/folders and deleting them in the case of these forum posters resolved the issue.

Since these are just temporary files it should be entirely harmless to delete them and perhaps worth the try but I definitely don't want to be the guy who tells you to input some cryptic commands that - if done wrong - have the potential to wipe your drive (!).


1. First of all, check if you perhaps can find similar error messages as the posters in that thread in your log files, relating to /var/folders/zz and similar. E.g. if I input /var/folders into the Console.app's search field and go through all my logs, the only mention I find is in install.log and there are no errors listed there.

2. Then check what your directories actually look like. I have several subfolders on mine, labeled 1z/ and zz/, each containing another tree of folders and files.

Then - if you want to go ahead but have not dealt much with the console before - post back here and in the meantime make a backup of your system drive (ideally a bootable clone on a separate, external disk - Carbon Copy Cloner works well for that).

 

[SevanaP]

Oops, yes I missed that...

Ok, at first glance I can' find any major issues perhaps apart from systemstats - what the ... is it doing there?

But: cutting and pasting some of the messages from your log into google gets me to another forum where someone describes how his mac running HS fails to shutdown and the screen turns black with only the cursor remaining. Sound familiar?

The Thread is here (unfortunately it's in German but translate.google.com is your friend): https://www.apfeltalk.de/community/threads/wenn-high-sierra-update-10-13-5-probleme-macht.531068/



The (apparently) working solution is described in post 12: https://www.apfeltalk.de/community/...e-10-13-5-probleme-macht.531068/#post-5246771

Apparently there may be some corruption related to the temporary files associated with various running services that the system wants to write to upon shutdown but fails to. The files in question are located under
/var/folders and deleting them in the case of these forum posters resolved the issue.

Since these are just temporary files it should be entirely harmless to delete them and perhaps worth the try but I definitely don't want to be the guy who tells you to input some cryptic commands that - if done wrong - have the potential to wipe your drive (!).


1. First of all, check if you perhaps can find similar error messages as the posters in that thread in your log files, relating to /var/folders/zz and similar. E.g. if I input /var/folders into the Console.app's search field and go through all my logs, the only mention I find is in install.log and there are no errors listed there.

2. Then check what your directories actually look like. I have several subfolders on mine, labeled 1z/ and zz/, each containing another tree of folders and files.

Then - if you want to go ahead but have not dealt much with the console before - post back here and in the meantime make a backup of your system drive (ideally a bootable clone on a separate, external disk - Carbon Copy Cloner works well for that).

Solved!

First of all, let me thank you for the long above post. That's very kind of you.

Thanks to your german compatriot as well for that thread and that nice solution!

I wish there was a chance to send a donation right now to show the appreciation. I'd remember the thread and I'd try to do asap.

 

[th0masp]

Solved!

First of all, let me thank you for the long above post. That's very kind of you.

Thanks to your german compatriot as well for that thread and that nice solution!

I wish there was a chance to send a donation right now to show the appreciation. I'd remember the thread and I'd try to do asap.

Pretty wicked that this actually worked out, glad to hear. If I was a betting man... I'd be counting my losses right now.