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After problems with upgrade, now problems with Mojave 10.14.6

On a 2012 Mac Pro, I made the mistake of installing the July 15 security update, which worked until I decided to install some new screensavers. Everything went to H___ in a H___B_____, but quick. Most noticeable was Stalling-whatever I was doing, no matter how basic and banal, the screen would lock up, the Wacom cursor would be immobilized, and even the mouse cursor, which was still moveable, would become ineffective. Then all my moves would show up at once, in a fraction of a second, and the Wacom tablet would be useable again. Until it stalled again, a few minutes later. Now, after I wiped the boot disk and reinstalled Mojave-which gave me a few problems-the OS isn't stalling, but it's become useless in a new and different way: everything crashes. If I open Mail, it opens, then crashes. If I try to restart in Safe mode, it doesn't work. If I simply select the upper-left-corner black Apple, to do a restart, or even shut down, or restart from a different drive, I am greeted by the spinning pizza of death, and then the Finder crashes. The black Apple logo is pretty much sacrosanct, no? It's inaccessible. I'm writing this on my MacBook Pro because the Mac Pro is now a boat anchor. Any ideas?

Mac Pro, macOS 10.14

Posted on Jul 30, 2020 5:36 AM

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9 replies

Jul 30, 2020 9:39 AM in response to Birck Cox

Were you able to perform the other actions suggested in the Apple Support document? Reinstall macOS for example?


The reason for asking is that if a problem continues in Safe Mode it usually implicates defective hardware. Exhaust all those other options before drawing that conclusion.


NVRAM (nonvolatile RAM) and PRAM (parameter RAM) are essentially interchangeable terms for the purposes of resetting their contents. The reset procedure is identical. The distinction is in hardware, and what they contain.


Reset the SMC while you're at it: How to reset the SMC of your Mac

Jul 30, 2020 9:13 AM in response to Birck Cox

Apologies for insinuating you weren't following those instructions, which include other suggestions (login items, test user, reinstall macOS, etc). Sometimes people don't hold the Shift key long enough, or upon logging in (both are required).


Assuming you exhausted all those options also, there are other ways of booting Safe Mode. Try


sudo nvram boot-args="-x"


... which you can undo with


sudo nvram boot-args=""


... or by resetting NVRAM.

Jul 30, 2020 10:33 AM in response to John Galt

A new problem. I am prevented from re-installing Mojave on the Mojave disk because my only choice is to quit. There is no Continue button on the Install a New OS page. I would prefer to install by the book, but I do have a second internal disk with a functional version of High Sierra on it, plus, I think, a copy of the Mojave installer in its Applications folder. The Mojave installer stopped because it doesn't recognize my metal-capable GPU and it thinks I have Filevault on. Both complaints are bogus.

After problems with upgrade, now problems with Mojave 10.14.6

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