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Apple Releases iMac Graphics Firmware Update to Address Freezing Issues

Wednesday August 24, 2011 12:37 pm PDT by Eric Slivka
Apple today released iMac Graphic FW Update 3.0, a new firmware update to address issues which could cause users' machines to freeze up.
About iMac Graphic FW Update 3.0

This firmware update fixes a graphics issue that may cause an iMac to hang under certain conditions.

Do not shut off the power on your iMac during this update. Loss of power could result in your iMac failing to start up.
The update weighs in at 482 KB and requires OS X Lion. Apple does not specify exactly which iMac models require the update, so users should run Software Update to see if the download appears for their specific machines.

Discussion forums on Apple's site and elsewhere have been filling with numerous reports of freezing issues on iMac models under OS X Lion. It is unclear if this update is designed to target the exact issues being reported in those complaints, but it seems reasonable to speculate that Apple is indeed looking to solve at least some of those problems.

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[ 76 comments ]


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sinisterdesign
89 months ago
huh, 10.7.1 fixed this for me. it was playing video content, any video that locked it down hard. add the added new "feature" of restoring windows on restart and you can find yourself in some furious curse-laden rants.
Rating: 3 Votes
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roland.g
89 months ago
I have a 24" iMac. First generation aluminum 2.8GHz with Radeon 2600HD. Those machines had major graphics card freezing issues that were addressed by 2 firmware updates. Anytime I woke my machine from sleep I would see the last screensaver image and a cursor but couldn't get back to the desktop. Other times it would just freeze up. Only way out of it was to hard boot it by holding down the power button to shut down and then reboot it.
Rating: 3 Votes
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mbarriault
89 months ago
Early 2010, 27" with Core i5 and Radeon 4850. Nothing in Software Update.
Rating: 3 Votes
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devianter
89 months ago

I have a 24" iMac. First generation aluminum 2.8GHz with Radeon 2600HD. Those machines had major graphics card freezing issues that were addressed by 2 firmware updates. Anytime I woke my machine from sleep I would see the last screensaver image and a cursor but couldn't get back to the desktop. Other times it would just freeze up. Only way out of it was to hard boot it by holding down the power button to shut down and then reboot it.


oh god i hear ya. i remember i bought the first aluminum imac 24" in august 2007, it had tiger back then. then leopard came out, and EVERY goddamn animation would just freeze the machine. mouse not moving, nothing. and by animation i mean anything, even minimizing or opening a stack folder in dock, or the dock magnifier. it had to be hard resetted. after 2 weeks they released the firmware update and it works well till this day (4 years).
Rating: 3 Votes
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rjc101
89 months ago
From the installer script, this only applies only to iMac Model ID "iMac12,1" which I think is the current 21.5" iMac (Mid 2011) ?
Rating: 3 Votes
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Ximie
89 months ago
finally!!

Mine froze about 6 times in the last 3 weeks.

(And only only one before that in the last 2 years)
Rating: 2 Votes
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Invizzible
89 months ago

oh god i hear ya. i remember i bought the first aluminum imac 24" in august 2007, it had tiger back then. then leopard came out, and EVERY goddamn animation would just freeze the machine. mouse not moving, nothing. and by animation i mean anything, even minimizing or opening a stack folder in dock, or the dock magnifier. it had to be hard resetted. after 2 weeks they released the firmware update and it works well till this day (4 years).


I bought my 24" 2.8Ghz iMac new in Oct 2007, and it just started freezing up a few weeks ago. Does it frequently now, sometimes the freeze is accompanied by a very loud crackling sound. Hard reset is the only cure. Never did this before. Wish this new update were for Snow Leopard as well, since that's what I'm running.
Rating: 2 Votes
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rjc101
89 months ago

Apparently not. Mine didn't need an update. Maybe it's just for the low-end 6750M models?


The installer script checks for Mac ID "iMac12,1", Graphics Card ROM "113-C2950K-193" and an OS X version of 10.7 with a build of 11A511 so it reads as though it won't run on 10.7.1

Must be for one of them!
Rating: 2 Votes
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igazza
89 months ago

what freezi


What freezing issue?


maybe this one. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3194165?tstart=0
Rating: 1 Votes
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iMaci7
89 months ago
My new 2011 Lion 27" iMac has frozen solid about 4 or 5 times in the last few weeks since i bought it, when i open a video like youtube or something, it just locks up, and responds to nothing. The only fix is to pull power plug and plug it back in, and then it restarts. Despite my username, (which i made before buying) i have the 3.1ghz i5 and HD6970M, 12gb memory.

UPDATE: "this is not supported on your system" It seems this is only for the 21.5", that makes no sense, why would the 21 be any more susceptible than the 27"? My 27" has this issue.
Rating: 1 Votes

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