Gigabyte Z390 M Gaming build with working NVRAM

[pastrychef]

I too have recently started getting random crashes since I upgraded from OpenCore 0.6.6 to O.7.0 and from macOS 11.2.1 to 11.4. I also installed a Crucial P5 500GB NVME CT500P5SSD8 (disk1) at the same time as a backup to my OS SSD, a Samsung 860 EVO (disk0). I also have two other drives installed, both a 6TD WD mechanical drive; one named "Media" and the other "BackupMedia".

Anyway before this afternoon, my Hack had only crashed twice; the screen froze and by restarting it the problem went away. But just earlier today it crashed again, and now I can't get the computer to turn on for more than 2 minutes or so before it freezes again.

At first I thought it was because I had been uploading an 80,000 iPhoto Library to iCloud. The iPhoto library is on "Media" and according to HWMonitor, the temps on "Media" got up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit!

I let the computer cool off for an hour or so, and now the drive temps are at 84 degrees Fahrenheit. But I just realized that the NVME drive temp is at 122 degrees Fahrenheit!! I have only been using the NVME drive as a backup to the main OS SSD, the 860 EVO. Is that a normal temp for an NVME?

I've actually been able to successfully boot off of the backup NVME drive, and it's been up for 15 min or so with no restart. This was the error code that popped up when I booted into the NVME:


panic(cpu 1 caller 0xffffff80035f9a25): userspace watchdog timeout: no successful checkins from com.apple.WindowServer in 120 seconds
service: com.apple.logd, total successful checkins since load (620 seconds ago): 63, last successful checkin: 0 seconds ago
service: com.apple.WindowServer, total successful checkins since load (590 seconds ago): 47, last successful checkin: 120 seconds ago

Backtrace (CPU 1), Frame : Return Address
0xffffffa0f593b670 : 0xffffff800028e0dd mach_kernel : _handle_debugger_trap + 0x3fd
0xffffffa0f593b6c0 : 0xffffff80003d4f33 mach_kernel : _kdp_i386_trap + 0x143
0xffffffa0f593b700 : 0xffffff80003c552a mach_kernel : _kernel_trap + 0x55a
0xffffffa0f593b750 : 0xffffff8000232a2f mach_kernel : _return_from_trap + 0xff
0xffffffa0f593b770 : 0xffffff800028d8fd mach_kernel : _DebuggerTrapWithState + 0xad
0xffffffa0f593b890 : 0xffffff800028dbf3 mach_kernel : _panic_trap_to_debugger + 0x273
0xffffffa0f593b900 : 0xffffff8000a9d884 mach_kernel : _panic_with_thread_context
0xffffffa0f593b970 : 0xffffff80035f9a25 com.apple.driver.watchdog : __ZN10IOWatchdog14userspacePanicEP8OSObjectPvP25IOExternalMethodArguments.cold.1 + 0x27
0xffffffa0f593b980 : 0xffffff80035f9660 com.apple.driver.watchdog : __ZN10IOWatchdog35userspaceDisableUserspaceMonitoringEP8OSObjectPvP25IOExternalMethodArguments
0xffffffa0f593b9a0 : 0xffffff8000a1e13e mach_kernel : __ZN12IOUserClient14externalMethodEjP25IOExternalMethodArgumentsP24IOExternalMethodDispatchP8OSObjectPv + 0x1de
0xffffffa0f593b9f0 : 0xffffff80035f8a34 com.apple.driver.watchdog : __ZN20IOWatchdogUserClient14externalMethodEjP25IOExternalMethodArgumentsP24IOExternalMethodDispatchP8OSObjectPv + 0x7c
0xffffffa0f593bb20 : 0xffffff8000a2837b mach_kernel : _is_io_connect_method + 0x35b
0xffffffa0f593bc80 : 0xffffff8000380961 mach_kernel : _iokit_server_routine + 0x4dd1
0xffffffa0f593bd90 : 0xffffff800029375d mach_kernel : _ipc_kobject_server + 0x2fd
0xffffffa0f593be00 : 0xffffff8000269cf5 mach_kernel : _ipc_kmsg_send + 0x115
0xffffffa0f593be60 : 0xffffff8000281312 mach_kernel : _mach_msg_overwrite_trap + 0x2d2
0xffffffa0f593bef0 : 0xffffff80003a982d mach_kernel : _mach_call_munger64 + 0x29d
0xffffffa0f593bfa0 : 0xffffff8000233216 mach_kernel : _hndl_mach_scall64 + 0x16
Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
com.apple.driver.watchdog(1.0)[C29AFC04-7113-39AA-80DF-00F4DDAD0F46]@0xffffff80035f7000->0xffffff80035f9fff

Process name corresponding to current thread: watchdogd
Boot args: -alcbeta -lilubetaall debug=0x100 keepsyms=1 -wegbeta -vsmcbeta

Mac OS version:
20F71

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 20.5.0: Sat May 8 05:10:33 PDT 2021; root:xnu-7195.121.3~9/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: 52A1E876-863E-38E3-AC80-09BBAB13B752
KernelCache slide: 0x0000000000000000
KernelCache base: 0xffffff8000200000
Kernel slide: 0x0000000000010000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff8000210000
__HIB text base: 0xffffff8000100000
System model name: iMacPro1,1 (Mac-7BA5B2D9E42DDD94)
System shutdown begun: NO
Panic diags file available: YES (0x0)
Hibernation exit count: 0

System uptime in nanoseconds: 631422365993
Last Sleep: absolute base_tsc base_nano
Uptime : 0x0000009303b4b361
Sleep : 0x0000000000000000 0x0000000000000000 0x0000000000000000
Wake : 0x0000000000000000 0x000000105e9a5826 0x0000000000000000

But I don't know if this is the correct error code; it may be from when I had last booted into the NVME drive, which was a couple of weeks ago. Where are the error logs stored when they are generated so that I can post it here in case anyone can help with what is happening.

Also can anyone recommend software that evaluate the health of my HD's? Here is a screenshot of the current temps from HWMonitor. Before the first crash earlier today "Media" was at 115 degrees Fahrenheit and in red. And the NVME has gone up to 138 degrees in the 30 min or so since I've been online.

View attachment 525019

Thanks,

Bruno

I've never heard of anyone having issues with a Crucial NVMe before.

Have you installed any new software recently? The panic seems to indicate there's a "userspace" crash. It doesn't look like it's macOS or kexts.

 

[ibruno]

I've never heard of anyone having issues with a Crucial NVMe before.

Have you installed any new software recently? The panic seems to indicate there's a "userspace" crash. It doesn't look like it's macOS or kexts.

Hi Pastry Chef,

No I don't remember installing any new software recently, at least not since I upgraded to 11.4 a few weeks ago. Actually, I guess I installed the latest beta of SuperDuper so that I would be able to clone my startup/boot disk. But no other software. I did recently uninstall some Xcode to free up some HD space, but that's it.

Could the crash have happened because I was uploading 80,000 photos to iCloud? My iPhoto library is on a 6TB WB Black HD and it was definitely working hard to process those photos, and as I said the drive temp got up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do my other temps look ok? Is it normal for the NVMe drive to get that hot? Do my CPU core temps look ok? I am using an old Hyper 212 Cooler. Would getting a better cooler help with the overall temps?

Any recommendations on what I should do? All 4 drives show as ok/good on Drive DX, although I was only able to complete the self test on the 860 EVO (which tested ok); the hack crashed again before I could finish the other self tests. Although the Media drive did throw up 3 errors on the self test.

Any help would be be appreciated.

Bruno

 

[pastrychef]

Hi Pastry Chef,

No I don't remember installing any new software recently, at least not since I upgraded to 11.4 a few weeks ago. Actually, I guess I installed the latest beta of SuperDuper so that I would be able to clone my startup/boot disk. But no other software. I did recently uninstall some Xcode to free up some HD space, but that's it.

Could the crash have happened because I was uploading 80,000 photos to iCloud? My iPhoto library is on a 6TB WB Black HD and it was definitely working hard to process those photos, and as I said the drive temp got up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do my other temps look ok? Is it normal for the NVMe drive to get that hot? Do my CPU core temps look ok? I am using an old Hyper 212 Cooler. Would getting a better cooler help with the overall temps?

Any recommendations on what I should do? All 4 drives show as ok/good on Drive DX, although I was only able to complete the self test on the 860 EVO (which tested ok); the hack crashed again before I could finish the other self tests. Although the Media drive did throw up 3 errors on the self test.

Any help would be be appreciated.

Bruno

Maybe an old piece of software that's not compatible with macOS 11.4?

Uploading should not be a problem. I've done much worse.

The temps look fine. Even the SSD temps look fine. At worse, SSDs will just throttle to cool themselves down if they get overheated.

Maybe try running a clean install on another drive for a few days to see if you have crashes. If stable, it will prove that it has something to do with your existing install.

 

[ibruno]

Maybe an old piece of software that's not compatible with macOS 11.4?

Uploading should not be a problem. I've done much worse.

The temps look fine. Even the SSD temps look fine. At worse, SSDs will just throttle to cool themselves down if they get overheated.

Maybe try running a clean install on another drive for a few days to see if you have crashes. If stable, it will prove that it has something to do with your existing install.

Ok, thank you for the advice. If the clean install does end up working, what is the best way to get my apps/user prefs back on? Migration Assistant?

Also what cloning software do you currently use? I have always used SuperDuper, but I noticed that with this latest version it is making an exact copy of the main OS drive, "OSX". By which I mean that even though I am cloning that drive, the 860 EVO, to the NVME drive named "OSXM2", when I get to the bootloader page in OpenCore, both boot drives are named "OSX". Even though the NVME drive appears as "OSXM2" once the hack boots up. In the past, the cloned drive would keep it's drive name in the OpenCore bootloader. It seemed weird.

Bruno

 

[pastrychef]

Ok, thank you for the advice. If the clean install does end up working, what is the best way to get my apps/user prefs back on? Migration Assistant?

Also what cloning software do you currently use? I have always used SuperDuper, but I noticed that with this latest version it is making an exact copy of the main OS drive, "OSX". By which I mean that even though I am cloning that drive, the 860 EVO, to the NVME drive named "OSXM2", when I get to the bootloader page in OpenCore, both boot drives are named "OSX". Even though the NVME drive appears as "OSXM2" once the hack boots up. In the past, the cloned drive would keep it's drive name in the OpenCore bootloader. It seemed weird.

Bruno

Before you restore all your apps, try running a minimal system for a few days.

Ever since the release of Big Sur, I've just been using Apple's built-in Restore.

Boot in to Restore partition.
Install macOS.
Restore from Time Machine.

 

[pastrychef]

~30 minutes and three reboots later...

 

[ibruno]

Before you restore all your apps, try running a minimal system for a few days.

Ever since the release of Big Sur, I've just been using Apple's built-in Restore.

Boot in to Restore partition.
Install macOS.
Restore from Time Machine.

So I should just be able to boot into the 11.4 Recovery partition and do a new install that way? I had intended to start from your first post and reinstall the OS via USB Thumb drive. But it seems restoring from the recovery partition would go faster than installing over USB 3.

I've never used Time Machine before; my system has two drives, a 500GB SSD "OS" drive that has all my apps and a 6TB Mechanical "Media" drive which has everything else, including my Music and Photos Library.

My backup solution to this point is to have duplicate 500GB and 6TB backup drives in the system that I clone the main drives to an a regular basis using SuperDuper. Do you not make bootable backups? Is it possible to make a Time Machine backup of an OS drive without actually booting into it? So could I do a new install on a different drive and then mount the original OS drive to the new system, make a Time Machine backup of the OS drive and then use that Time Machine backup to restore all of my apps/settings?

Thanks again for all of the help.

 

[pastrychef]

So I should just be able to boot into the 11.4 Recovery partition and do a new install that way? I had intended to start from your first post and reinstall the OS via USB Thumb drive. But it seems restoring from the recovery partition would go faster than installing over USB 3.

I've never used Time Machine before; my system has two drives, a 500GB SSD "OS" drive that has all my apps and a 6TB Mechanical "Media" drive which has everything else, including my Music and Photos Library.

My backup solution to this point is to have duplicate 500GB and 6TB backup drives in the system that I clone the main drives to an a regular basis using SuperDuper. Do you not make bootable backups? Is it possible to make a Time Machine backup of an OS drive without actually booting into it? So could I do a new install on a different drive and then mount the original OS drive to the new system, make a Time Machine backup of the OS drive and then use that Time Machine backup to restore all of my apps/settings?

Thanks again for all of the help.

Yes, you can reinstall via the Recovery partition.

If you don't have a Time Machine backup, you can just do Migration Assistant.

Yes. Once you boot in to Recovery, you can install macOS to whichever drive you like.

Time Machine backups happen automatically and transparently when you are using your Mac. I never even notice it doing backups.

 

[ibruno]

So I ended up booting into the system with only the 860 EVO HD connected, logged out of my user account and logged back in while in safe mode, and the quit the only other apps still running, which were OneDrive, DropBox and GoogleSync. So far it's been stable for over an hour with no crashes.

I went to this directory:

Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports

And found a bunch of logs corresponding to around 2pm last Tuesday, which is when the system first became reliably unstable. The ones that caught my attention were:

Kernel_2021-07-20-135301_GammaPro.gpuRestart
-there were a lot of these corresponding to each time the system froze

Kernel-2021-07-20-135629.panic
-there were 3 of these from that day and the day before

Photos_2021-07-20-140318_GammaPro.hang
-there were a few of these corresponding to when I had Photos uploading my library to iCloud

WindowServer_2021-07-20-135345_GammaPro.userspace_watchdog_timeout
-there were also a lot of these corresponding to each time the system froze.

You had mentioned in your earlier post that this was a userspace crash. And now that I think of it, I did recently install an app called PulseApplicationLauncher from Pulse Secure LLC in order to VPN into my job. Could this be the cause of the crashes?

I can post the info from the logs above if you think would help.

Thanks again,

Bruno

 

[pastrychef]

So I ended up booting into the system with only the 860 EVO HD connected, logged out of my user account and logged back in while in safe mode, and the quit the only other apps still running, which were OneDrive, DropBox and GoogleSync. So far it's been stable for over an hour with no crashes.

I went to this directory:

Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports

And found a bunch of logs corresponding to around 2pm last Tuesday, which is when the system first became reliably unstable. The ones that caught my attention were:

Kernel_2021-07-20-135301_GammaPro.gpuRestart
-there were a lot of these corresponding to each time the system froze

Kernel-2021-07-20-135629.panic
-there were 3 of these from that day and the day before

Photos_2021-07-20-140318_GammaPro.hang
-there were a few of these corresponding to when I had Photos uploading my library to iCloud

WindowServer_2021-07-20-135345_GammaPro.userspace_watchdog_timeout
-there were also a lot of these corresponding to each time the system froze.

You had mentioned in your earlier post that this was a userspace crash. And now that I think of it, I did recently install an app called PulseApplicationLauncher from Pulse Secure LLC in order to VPN into my job. Could this be the cause of the crashes?

I can post the info from the logs above if you think would help.

Thanks again,

Bruno

It sounds like you may have found the culprit. Try running with that stuff uninstalled.

If you need VPN, you can try using the macOS built-in support for IKEv2 and you can avoid installing 3rd party software. Search Google for "setup macOS IKEv2".