Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

01:35 PM

Greetings.
I am testing out a 2015 rMBP 15" with Force Touch. The force touch trackpad is nice and I like that I can change the trackpad to a light-press setting which is super quiet (an introvert's dream).

I've already had an issue with reinstalling my software. I am trying to install some software (IRAF) through Terminal, but my computer keeps putting itself to sleep if I walk away from the computer, while the install is taking place, or even while I am trying to download software. Is there any way to fix this? I would think that the Mac would just stay awake.

So, with my other Mac, in Energy Saver, I would set the display to turn off after 3 minutes but set the computer to sleep after, say, 1 hr, that way the Mac would be guaranteed to stay awake for 1 hour but not use so much energy to keep the screen active.

But on the 2015 rMBP 15", that second slider for putting the computer to sleep isn't there anymore. Only the one slider for the display is there. I realize that I could just turn the display slider to Never and just reduce my screen brightness, but I'd like to just have the display turned off. I'm guessing that's what the "Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off" checkbox is for.

Also, while I was trying to install some software overnight, also through Terminal, I tried to wake this new Mac up, and when I tried (I have Firevault enabled), the screen stayed black and I got the multi-colored spinning icon and it just locked up. Holding down Option-Command-Esc didn't do anything. I'm scared. What kind of "corruption" did I do to this Mac so soon? And what kind of software can I use to scan for corruption and fix it (like, Onyx), how would I use it?

Spheric Harlot · May 30, 2015, 10:16 PM

Onyx is useless in virtually every way.

What software were you installing?

May 31, 2015, 02:10 PM

It's this:

Originally Posted by And.reg

I am trying to install some software (IRAF)

I've finally got it installed since I need it for work.

But again, is there some kind of tool or routine beyond Disk Utility that can "fix" whatever corruption from holding down the power button (since I needed to do that)?

May 31, 2015, 03:16 PM

Also, when performing a Time Machine backup of my hard drive, occasionally the 15" rMBP will make a barely-audible "record scratching" sound back and forth, just for a few seconds. Is that the fan, the hard drive, the CPU, or something else, and is that a defect?

Also, once I dragged my data over from my old Time Machine backup, why couldn't I get the new computer to just piggy back off the old backup?

P · Jun 1, 2015, 05:03 AM

Originally Posted by And.reg

Also, when performing a Time Machine backup of my hard drive, occasionally the 15" rMBP will make a barely-audible "record scratching" sound back and forth, just for a few seconds. Is that the fan, the hard drive, the CPU, or something else, and is that a defect?

Well, it has no hard drive (only an SSD), and the CPU doesn't have any moving parts, so it can only be the fan - there are no other moving parts in there AFAIK.

Originally Posted by And.reg

Also, once I dragged my data over from my old Time Machine backup, why couldn't I get the new computer to just piggy back off the old backup?

Because Time Machine is extremely careful to never assume that you want to replace one backup with another. You may have wanted to clone an install, or just make a backup of the backup. This is a feature, not a bug.

P · Jun 1, 2015, 05:05 AM

Originally Posted by And.reg

But again, is there some kind of tool or routine beyond Disk Utility that can "fix" whatever corruption from holding down the power button (since I needed to do that)?

If Disk Utility cannot see an error, there is unlikely to be one. If you want to do more now, only thing is to nuke&pave.

P · Jun 1, 2015, 05:07 AM

Originally Posted by And.reg

Also, while I was trying to install some software overnight, also through Terminal, I tried to wake this new Mac up, and when I tried (I have Firevault enabled), the screen stayed black and I got the multi-colored spinning icon and it just locked up. Holding down Option-Command-Esc didn't do anything. I'm scared. What kind of "corruption" did I do to this Mac so soon? And what kind of software can I use to scan for corruption and fix it (like, Onyx), how would I use it?

Waking the machine can take a long time in some circumstances - my MBA does that on occasion. In the future, just be patient.

Jun 1, 2015, 08:34 AM

Alright that's fine.

Also, Spotlight isn't finding some of my files, for example, I have an email copied over to a text file that I brought over, and (this is an issue I've seen with Spotlight since 10.4) Spotlight overlooked this file. How do I tell Spotlight to add this file manually to its metadata?

P · Jun 1, 2015, 11:13 AM

Go to the Spotlight settings (in System Preferences) and add the folder that file is in to the privacy settings. Close System Preferences, reopen it, and remove the folder again. That triggers a manual reindex.

pigmode · Jun 1, 2015, 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by And.reg

It's this:

I've finally got it installed since I need it for work.

But again, is there some kind of tool or routine beyond Disk Utility that can "fix" whatever corruption from holding down the power button (since I needed to do that)?

I'm kind of perplexed as I'm considering a 15 MBP, but am concerned with the problems you're having.

Are you using propriety software for your work? I think I've seen twice where someone has asked the name of the software, without an answer forthcoming. Not that you need to reveal it, but a new computer shouldn't have problems, should it?

Spheric Harlot · Jun 1, 2015, 06:44 PM

He linked to it above - it's IRAF, requires X11, and he managed to get it working.

Jun 2, 2015, 12:15 PM

A lot can be done in just Terminal but I use Xquartz anyway. Just that one weird failure to wake properly from sleeping alarmed me. More impressions later.

Jun 2, 2015, 06:09 PM

Also, for one third of the time, the Mac (with Firevault enabled) restarts itself a few seconds after I log in after I boot it up. Why does this happen? This is now the second computer on which it happens to me.

Spheric Harlot · Jun 3, 2015, 02:11 AM

Check the system logs.

Happened to me too yesterday, but I think it was because my battery isn't great, and the machine didn't go into safe sleep in time.

12:17 PM

Nothing that I saw in Console stuck out as obvious, yet. I do notice that this has been an issue with 10.10.3 (maybe 10.10.2 as well) and perhaps this is correlated with the long 20 second shutdowns that sometimes happen. I'm guessing that these are bugs to get fixed in 10.11.