MP 7,1 Prohibitory sign on Mac Pro 7.1 after security update

[ProfessorBong]

That's 4 - 5 people on this forum alone writing about it right now. There's probably hundreds of people more on a Mac Pro 7.1 + Catalina that have the same issue and are in touch with Apple support already, but are not on this forum.

So yes let's hope they will acknowledge the issue and release a fix!

 

[infohou]

That's 4 - 5 people on this forum alone writing about it right now. There's probably hundreds of people more on a Mac Pro 7.1 + Catalina that have the same issue and are in touch with Apple support already, but are not on this forum.

So yes let's hope they will acknowledge the issue and release a fix!

Hey Folks,

Can you folks confirm that the issue does not happen with Big Sur?

Thanks,
Robert

 

[patrick.a]

Got a phone call from the Apple Store yesterday. My Mac Pro passed all the hardware tests and they couldn't reproduce any crashes. They will now install Catalina with the security update and do some stress tests to see if it happens then. If they can reproduce the FileVault-fail - and hopefully they can - they will get in contact with engineering to see if there is any software fix. Apparently issues with the Mac Pro are handled top priority as they do see it as their top-of-the-line-prestige-premium-product. Great! Really doesn't sound like anything that is fixed quickly though. So this is week 3 without a working machine now. Had the Mac Pro for 10 months, so roughly 40 weeks now. That's a down-time of 7.5%.

@infohou I haven't upgraded to Big Sur (yet) so can't help you with that. The apple genius told me that problems with FileVault randomly do and did occur with any OS since it's release though. But maybe that was just him generalizing my problem.

 

[Ryan P]

Got a phone call from the Apple Store yesterday. My Mac Pro passed all the hardware tests and they couldn't reproduce any crashes. They will now install Catalina with the security update and do some stress tests to see if it happens then. If they can reproduce the FileVault-fail - and hopefully they can - they will get in contact with engineering to see if there is any software fix. Apparently issues with the Mac Pro are handled top priority as they do see it as their top-of-the-line-prestige-premium-product. Great! Really doesn't sound like anything that is fixed quickly though. So this is week 3 without a working machine now. Had the Mac Pro for 10 months, so roughly 40 weeks now. That's a down-time of 7.5%.

@infohou I haven't upgraded to Big Sur (yet) so can't help you with that. The apple genius told me that problems with FileVault randomly do and did occur with any OS since it's release though. But maybe that was just him generalizing my problem.

Ya that more than the cost, was why I didn’t do the Apple incident... one of those problems where you just know the techs are going to be cluelesss.... going through steps a-z in some manual before they can address the real problem. Thanks for dealing with it though, hope your incident prompts a fix.

Still a bit nervous every time I reboot, but no fails since disabled file vault.

 

[patrick.a]

My Macbook Pro shows a security update 2021-003 10.15.7 for Catalina but I can't find release notes anywhere. Has anyone installed it, does it solve the problem? I can't check myself as my Mac Pro is still with Apple.

 

[DFP1989]

So this is week 3 without a working machine now.

That is so crap, what have you had to use in the mean time?

 

[Ryan P]

My Macbook Pro shows a security update 2021-003 10.15.7 for Catalina but I can't find release notes anywhere. Has anyone installed it, does it solve the problem? I can't check myself as my Mac Pro is still with Apple.

I see the update this morning. I can give it a try on Saturday... Hopefully someone else can try before then.

 

[bsbeamer]

My Macbook Pro shows a security update 2021-003 10.15.7 for Catalina but I can't find release notes anywhere. Has anyone installed it, does it solve the problem? I can't check myself as my Mac Pro is still with Apple.

About the security content of Security Update 2021-003 Catalina - Apple Support

This document describes the security content of Security Update 2021-003 Catalina.

support.apple.com

MBP16,1 installed 10.15.7 (19H1217) with the update. Certainly appeared to update T2 during the process, but did not write previous down beforehand.

Boot ROM Version: 1554.120.19.0.0 (iBridge: 18.16.14663.0.0,0)
Model Name: Apple T2 Security Chip
Firmware Version: 18P4663

 

[patrick.a]

That is so crap, what have you had to use in the mean time?

My 2018 Macbook Pro but I bought a high-end 27" iMac today. Can't afford to lose any more time.

About the security content of Security Update 2021-003 Catalina - Apple Support

This document describes the security content of Security Update 2021-003 Catalina.

support.apple.com

MBP16,1 installed 10.15.7 (19H1217) with the update. Certainly appeared to update T2 during the process, but did not write previous down beforehand.

Boot ROM Version: 1554.120.19.0.0 (iBridge: 18.16.14663.0.0,0)
Model Name: Apple T2 Security Chip
Firmware Version: 18P4663

Oh thanks! Couldn't find it anywhere. Don't understand much there but didn't see anything related to FileVault unfortunately.

 

[dominicperry]

I see the update this morning. I can give it a try on Saturday... Hopefully someone else can try before then.

I've installed this (2021-003 for Catalina) on my Mac Pro, 16 core, 48GB/1TB, which does not have File Vault enabled, and didn't have any problem with the 2021-002 update. All fine here.

I've also installed it on my MBP 2015 15" i7 (which does have FileVault enabled, but of course doesn't have a T2 chip) and that's ok too.

 

[davidec]

I installed the Security Update 2021-003 Catalina yesterday on my MP 7,1 with file vaunt enables and have rebooted without prohibitive sign. Looking good so far. Was having prohibitive sign, odd kernels and Logic Pro hangs from the last security update....

 

[patrick.a]

Got a phone call from the Apple store today. They were not able to reproduce the problem and want me to pick up my Mac Pro as it's perfectly fine in their eyes. When I asked the guy which software they've tested it with, he didn't know and couldn't tell. He said, if it's software related, they can't do anything anyway and I would need to get in contact with Apple Care and the engineering team. I told him that that's how the whole story started and that I've been through all of it already. It's a joke.

My Mac Pro clearly has a problem. Isn't it their job to identify it and find a solution?

 

[bsbeamer]

If disabling FileVault resolves your issue, you need to report the bug/issue to Apple.

If you have a developer account, Feedback Assistant is the easiest way:

Bug Reporting - Apple Developer

Now with Feedback Assistant available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web, it’s easier to submit effective bug reports and request enhancements to APIs and tools.

developer.apple.com

Feedback Assistant

feedbackassistant.apple.com

If not, use this:

Product Feedback

We would love to hear your comments about any of our hardware and software products. Send us your thoughts.

www.apple.com

 

[patrick.a]

If disabling FileVault resolves your issue, you need to report the bug/issue to Apple.

If you have a developer account, Feedback Assistant is the easiest way:

Bug Reporting - Apple Developer

Now with Feedback Assistant available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web, it’s easier to submit effective bug reports and request enhancements to APIs and tools.

developer.apple.com

Feedback Assistant

feedbackassistant.apple.com

If not, use this:

Product Feedback

We would love to hear your comments about any of our hardware and software products. Send us your thoughts.

www.apple.com

Left a product feedback - does this actually do anything?

Other than that there's not much I can do at the moment. The computer is still with Apple. I told them the whole story with FileVault etc. so I thought they would figure that out internally. It's one of the advantages when hardware and software comes from the same company, one would think.

 

[bsbeamer]

Left a product feedback - does this actually do anything?

I'd suggest you use the Apple Developer reporting. You can open a real ticket, upload documents/documentation and get notifications when Apple support really looks at the ticket. You do not need to pay for this level of Developer account.

Your issue is not reproducible on machines I have access to at the moment, so I cannot open a ticket with the correct documentation. Someone else who has or had this exact issue should report the same.

 

[patrick.a]

It seems the problem was solved with the security update 003 for Catalina anyway. I'll check once I get my machine back.

 

[patrick.a]

Ok, so I picked up my Mac Pro from the Apple Store yesterday. They said they were not able to reproduce the problem in any way in the two weeks it's been there. So I took it to my office, booted it up and clicked through the set-up process of Catalina. Without anything additional installed or done, I rebooted the Mac Pro. And suprise, suprise, the prohibition sign came up - first try! So I've installed the security update 003 and everything has been fine since then.

I do wonder though: Where they not able or rather not allowed to reproduce the problem? It's clear now that the security update 002 made my machine unusable for almost 4 weeks. And it really doesn't seem fair of them to just move on and leave me with all the hassle I had and time I've lost.

 

[Ryan P]

Ok, so I picked up my Mac Pro from the Apple Store yesterday. They said they were not able to reproduce the problem in any way in the two weeks it's been there. So I took it to my office, booted it up and clicked through the set-up process of Catalina. Without anything additional installed or done, I rebooted the Mac Pro. And suprise, suprise, the prohibition sign came up - first try! So I've installed the security update 003 and everything has been fine since then.

I do wonder though: Where they not able or rather not allowed to reproduce the problem? It's clear now that the security update 002 made my machine unusable for almost 4 weeks. And it really doesn't seem fair of them to just move on and leave me with all the hassle I had and time I've lost.

Just did the new update myself and seems fixed, although my heart now skips a beat on every boot up.

Really disappointing how Apple handled the interaction with you. They need to do better.

 

[davidec]

Everything fixed on my end although seems to have a problem shutting down, need to force shutdown. Will monitor over coming weeks, anyone else having this prob since new security update?

 

[Ryan P]

Everything fixed on my end although seems to have a problem shutting down, need to force shutdown. Will monitor over coming weeks, anyone else having this prob since new security update?

I just experienced having to force shutdown as well. Good to see Apple continues to do a great job testing their updates on their premiere professional computer.

 

[patrick.a]

I just experienced having to force shutdown as well. Good to see Apple continues to do a great job testing their updates on their premiere professional computer.

Do you think they test on Mac Pro with Catalina at all? I picture the test lab with an army of hundreds of iMacs, Mac Minis and Macbooks running all thinkable combinations of hardware and software. And then one single Mac Pro in the corner with the wheels equipped so they can push it when it's in the way.

No problems here so far! My Mac Pro is working flawlessly again. Crazy, what one update can do.

 

[Ryan P]

Do you think they test on Mac Pro with Catalina at all? I picture the test lab with an army of hundreds of iMacs, Mac Minis and Macbooks running all thinkable combinations of hardware and software. And then one single Mac Pro in the corner with the wheels equipped so they can push it when it's in the way.

Lol. I think you nailed it.

Just did 5 reboot tests in a row with no issues... Going to knock on wood and hope will not be any further hiccups.

 

[infohou]

@infohou I haven't upgraded to Big Sur (yet) so can't help you with that. The apple genius told me that problems with FileVault randomly do and did occur with any OS since it's release though. But maybe that was just him generalizing my problem.

Thanks, finally got my 7,1 out of repair. It's working well except I get a blank screen during bootcamp install. I will start a thread for that.

 

[pjv]

Do you think they test on Mac Pro with Catalina at all? I picture the test lab with an army of hundreds of iMacs, Mac Minis and Macbooks running all thinkable combinations of hardware and software. And then one single Mac Pro in the corner with the wheels equipped so they can push it when it's in the way.

You can add a forlorn iMac Pro in the corner next to the Mac Pro. Same symptoms. I'm downloading 2021-003 now. Thank god for this thread. I just read the release notes for the recent security updates very carefully. If Apple knew that 2021-002 caused this problem and put a completely undocumented fix for it in 2021-003 then I have a FU for their lack of transparency. Haven't been able to reboot my system for months now without reinstalling macOS.

 

[choreo]

I have no way to know if the update caused any problems as my 7,1 has always had a problem freezing and restarting for a full year now (no File Vault). After several months of trying everything with Apple Support, they finally decided it was the logic board and send me a brand new replacement 7,1. As soon as I reinstalled my software from Time Machine the random freezes/restarts started again. I have just learned to live with the constant crashes as it is obviously never going to get resolved in my case - I did not spend over $10k just to run FCPX (which a rarely use).

I really think (in my case) it is a combination of some software .kext file I have installed not playing well with the w5700x GPU driver (either Wacom, CalDigit, etc.). Since they would never send me a Vega Pro to test for a few weeks (as that solved the issue according to several other reports), I will never be able to nail it down. Seems like they would be curious just to eliminate the GPU/driver as the cause. Their only advise is to strip the machine down of all 3rd party functionality to see if the eliminates the issues. That would be great diagnosis advice if the freezes/restarts were constant, but sometimes I make it a week between crashes. Apparently all the hundreds of crash reports I have sent them are a waste of time - I guess nobody can read them and see what the source is.