[msuper69]

I have a 2nd gen MBA, 1.8ghz, 128gb SSd.

Worked fine for over a year when performance went downhill. I had the problem where kernel_task went haywire and started eating up %CPU in the 150% range nearly all the time. This made the machine nearly unusable as it would take 5-10 seconds or longer to respond to a mouse click.

I did a lot of research on the problem (other MBA owners were reporting similar behaviour). Some said Apple would replace the logic board; others said use CoolBook, etc. Nothing worked for me and I was reluctant to take it to a SmartAss Bar as it's out of warranty and I don't have the $ to repair it.

So I lived with the hassle for months until a few days ago when it kernel panicked.

Guess what? Ever since the KP, it's been running like a new machine!

This makes absolutely no sense to me. I don't see how a KP could fix what ails the MBA. I'm not complaining but it is certainly baffling.

Any thoughts on what might be going on?

[seanc]

What does your panic.log say?

[msuper69]

Here is the panic log (the only one I've ever had I believe):

Interval Since Last Panic Report: 3070426 sec
Panics Since Last Report: 1
Anonymous UUID: 232368BF-9B86-43D3-9737-29BA4056FE44

Sun May 9 09:23:05 2010
panic(cpu 1 caller 0x2a8ac2): Kernel trap at 0x00000000, type 14=page fault, registers:
CR0: 0x8001003b, CR2: 0x00000000, CR3: 0x00100000, CR4: 0x00000660
EAX: 0x08583a00, EBX: 0x07e6ec00, ECX: 0x086f3ec4, EDX: 0x0827c800
CR2: 0x00000000, EBP: 0x31dcbee8, ESI: 0xe00002c0, EDI: 0x0e04bd40
EFL: 0x00010206, EIP: 0x00000000, CS: 0x00000008, DS: 0x033c0010
Error code: 0x00000010

Backtrace (CPU 1), Frame : Return Address (4 potential args on stack)
0x31dcbce8 : 0x21b449 (0x5ce420 0x31dcbd1c 0x2238a5 0x0)
0x31dcbd38 : 0x2a8ac2 (0x590478 0x0 0xe 0x590642)
0x31dcbe18 : 0x29e9a8 (0x31dcbe30 0x0 0x31dcbee8 0x0)
0x31dcbe28 : 0x0 (0xe 0x48 0x31dc0010 0x4f0010)
0x31dcbee8 : 0x1071261 (0x7e6ec00 0x56f42e0 0xe00002c0 0x6a3f900)
0x31dcbf08 : 0x105c31b (0x7e6ec00 0x8e4d000 0x0 0x0)
0x31dcbf38 : 0x105c6bb (0x6a3f900 0xe04bd40 0xdd 0x29ea30)
0x31dcbf58 : 0x105c39a (0x6a3f900 0xe04bd40 0x31dcbf78 0x2a1596)
0x31dcbf78 : 0x22fb78 (0xe04bd40 0x0 0x31dcbfc8 0x2277f7)
0x31dcbfc8 : 0x29e6cc (0x863ea0 0x0 0x10 0x0)
Kernel Extensions in backtrace (with dependencies):
com.apple.driver.IOBluetoothHIDDriver(2.3.1f4)@0x1 06d000->0x1079fff
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily(1.6.2)@0xf89000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily(2.3.1f4)@0x10300 00
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily(2.3.1f4)@0x10300 00->0x106cfff

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task

Mac OS version:
10D573

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 10.3.0: Fri Feb 26 11:58:09 PST 2010; root:xnu-1504.3.12~1/RELEASE_I386
System model name: MacBookAir2,1 (Mac-F42D88C8)

System uptime in nanoseconds: 83476294447332
unloaded kexts:
com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver 2.0 (addr 0x1097000, size 0x12288) - last unloaded 92149634420
loaded kexts:
com.vmware.kext.vmnet 2.0.6 - last loaded 29328540053
com.vmware.kext.vmioplug 2.0.6
com.vmware.kext.vmci 2.0.6
com.vmware.kext.vmx86 2.0.6
com.DataRobotics.driver.iSCSIInitiator 1.1.0
com.TrustedData.driver.VendorSpecificType00 1.1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleHWSensor 1.9.3d0
com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch 51.2
com.apple.filesystems.autofs 2.1.0
com.apple.driver.ApplePlatformEnabler 2.0.0d2
com.apple.driver.AGPM 100.10.21
com.apple.driver.AppleHDA 1.8.4fc3
com.apple.driver.AudioAUUC 1.4
com.apple.driver.AppleUpstreamUserClient 3.3.2
com.apple.driver.IOBluetoothBNEPDriver 2.3.1f4
com.apple.driver.SMCMotionSensor 3.0.0d4
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBDisplays 251
com.apple.kext.AppleSMCLMU 1.5.0d1
com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X 7.0.0
com.apple.iokit.CHUDUtils 201
com.apple.iokit.CHUDProf 216
com.apple.driver.AudioIPCDriver 1.1.2
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelPenrynProfile 17.1
com.apple.driver.ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin 4.1.1d0
com.apple.driver.AppleLPC 1.4.11
com.apple.driver.AppleBacklight 170.0.16
com.apple.GeForce 6.1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCButtons 1.8.1b1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard 1.8.1b1
com.apple.driver.AppleIRController 303
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 1.6.1
com.apple.BootCache 31
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTyp eZlib 1.0.0d1
com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort 2.1.1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub 3.9.6
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI 3.9.6
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBOHCI 3.9.6
com.apple.driver.AppleSmartBatteryManager 160.0.0
com.apple.driver.AirPortBrcm43xx 422.91.27
com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM 1.3.0
com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 1.3.1
com.apple.driver.AppleHPET 1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons 1.3.2
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 1.3.2
com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.4
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClien t 104.3.0
com.apple.security.sandbox 0
com.apple.security.quarantine 0
com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 2.1.11
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 104.3.0
com.apple.driver.AppleHIDKeyboard 1.2.0a3
com.apple.driver.IOBluetoothHIDDriver 2.3.1f4
com.apple.driver.AppleMultitouchDriver 204.12.1
com.apple.driver.DspFuncLib 1.8.4fc3
com.apple.driver.AppleProfileReadCounterAction 17
com.apple.driver.AppleProfileTimestampAction 10
com.apple.driver.AppleProfileThreadInfoAction 14
com.apple.driver.AppleProfileRegisterStateAction 10
com.apple.driver.AppleProfileKEventAction 10
com.apple.driver.AppleProfileCallstackAction 20
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBAudio 2.6.8fc1
com.apple.iokit.IOSurface 74.0
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothSerialManager 2.3.1f4
com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily 10.0.3
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIParallelFamily 2.0.0
com.apple.iokit.CHUDKernLib 208
com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily 1.7.6fc2
com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib 1.3
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAController 1.8.4fc3
com.apple.iokit.IOHDAFamily 1.8.4fc3
com.apple.iokit.AppleProfileFamily 41
com.apple.driver.AppleSMC 3.0.1d2
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginFamily 4.1.1d0
com.apple.nvidia.nv50hal 6.1.0
com.apple.NVDAResman 6.1.0
com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport 2.1
com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily 2.1
com.apple.driver.BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController 2.3.1f4
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController 2.3.1f4
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily 2.3.1f4
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMultitouch 204.12.1
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice 2.6.2
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBMassStorageClass 2.6.1
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily 2.6.2
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver 3.9.6
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub 3.9.6
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite 3.9.0
com.apple.driver.XsanFilter 402.1
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 2.0.3
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient 3.9.6
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 3.9.6
com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family 310.6
com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 1.9
com.apple.driver.NVSMU 2.2.1
com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime 1.3.0
com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 1.6.2
com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1
com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1
com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 6
com.apple.driver.DiskImages 283
com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 1.3.2
com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily 2.6
com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.3.0
System Profile:
Model: MacBookAir2,1, BootROM MBA21.0075.B03, 2 processors, Intel Core 2 Duo, 1.86 GHz, 2 GB, SMC 1.34f8
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, PCI, 256 MB
Memory Module: global_name
AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0x8B), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.10.91.27)
Bluetooth: Version 2.3.1f4, 2 service, 19 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Network Service: AirPort, AirPort, en0
Serial ATA Device: APPLE SSD SM128, 113 GB
USB Device: Built-in iSight, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8505, 0x24400000
USB Device: Hub, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x9136, 0x24100000
USB Device: USB to Serial-ATA bridge, 0x04fc (SUNPLUS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.), 0x0c25, 0x24120000
USB Device: Drobo, 0x19b9, 0x4d10, 0x24110000
USB Device: Hub, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x9137, 0x24140000
USB Device: Display iSight, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8508, 0x24142000
USB Device: Apple LED Cinema Display, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x9236, 0x24143000
USB Device: Display Audio, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x2912, 0x24141000
USB Device: Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x0223, 0x04600000
USB Device: IR Receiver, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8242, 0x04500000
USB Device: BRCM2046 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0x06100000
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8210, 0x06110000

[seanc]

Bluetooth related... I take it the panic that resolved your issue happened on the 9th May.

[msuper69]

Originally Posted by seanc 

Bluetooth related... I take it the panic that resolved your issue happened on the 9th May.

Yes. This panic seemed to fix the slowness.

I have an Apple Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard. I have noticed that they both have been losing connection quite often. Since it is happening to both devices, I'm thinking the Bluetooth hardware in the MBA might be failing.

So far so good for the past 5 days. No slowness nor lost Bluetooth connections.

[seanc]

If you have the issue again where kernel_task goes nuts, try turning off bluetooth and see what happens.

[msuper69]

Originally Posted by seanc 

If you have the issue again where kernel_task goes nuts, try turning off bluetooth and see what happens.

Good idea!

Thanks for the advice.