Apple firmware update tackles MacBook Pro freezes

Apple on Thursday released an EFI firmware update for 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro mid 2010 models that fixes a freezing or stalling problem.

According to Apple, EFI Firmware Update 1.9, which requires Mac OS X 10.6.4, "resolves a rare issue that may cause the system to freeze during startup or intermittently stall during operation." The update, which is a 2.16MB download, also improves external display compatibility.

Issues with stalling and external displays on the mid 2010 Macbook Pros had been acknowledged in Apple Support articles.

The most recent revision to the MacBook Pro line came in April.

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16 Comments

finetunes

said about 13 years ago

One of the reasons that I usually wait until the bugs are worked out before buying something new. Fortunately this is a simple fix.

welshdog

said about 13 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by FineTunes

One of the reasons that I usually wait until the bugs are worked out before buying something new. Fortunately this is a simple fix.

Just applied it to my 15" MBP i7. Here's how it went down: Used software update. It downloaded the files and put up a warning about what was going to happen. I restarted. It installed the other updates (didn't notice what) and then the screen went black and the computer made a 2 second beep. Then I got a gray screen and a progress bar as the warning stated for the EFI update. Once that was done the computer finished restarting. The fan immediately came on full blast because apparently during this process the fan did not run and the CPU ran at full power. The bottom of the computer was very very hot. Good thing I don't have a cheap vinyl sofa, it would have melted.

I'll let you know if this fixed the issues. I did not experience the startup freezes, but I was seeing regular beach balls many times a day. They last a few seconds during which nothing works. There is a huge thread here that chronicles the issue. Some people have had their hard drives replaced which fixed the problem for most. I had not gotten around to dragging myself to the Apple store, so maybe this will save me the hassle.

studiomusic

said about 13 years ago

I will never again install an EFI update on an Apple product.
Been hosed 3 times now. G5, Mac Pro and Macbook Pro.
There's always something that goes wrong and kicks the fans on full blast when they don't need to be.
My $.02

anawrahta

said about 13 years ago

I was having the freeze/stall problem on my 2010 MBP about once a week. After the 10.6.4 update, I haven't had a single one. So I doubt I'll try this update. Anyone else in the same boat?

striker_kk

said about 13 years ago

I have been waiting for this since I bought the 15". Though the stalling was less frequent, once in 2 days for 2 seconds, it doesn't bore well for the expectation that comes with Apple purchase.