Mac wakes itself up each morning
When I shut my Mac down overnight, in the morning it has always started up again by itself.
Why is this, and how can I stop it?
WHAT CAUSES
KERNEL PANICS?
Kernel panics are
often caused by
hardware faults:
memory or disk
failure, or early failure
in a processor. Faults
in graphics cards can
become panics as they
worsen. You can also
get bugs or conflicts
in kernel extensions.HOW DO I TEST FOR
AN INTERMITTENT
MEMORY FAULT?
Try extended tests
in Diagnostics mode,
engaged by holding
the D key during
startup. Try this with
your Mac cold, first
thing in the day, and
when warm later on.
Micromat offers
extensive tests
in Techtool Pro, and
its dedicated app
ATOMIC.Check its settings in the Energy Saver pane.
First click on the Schedule... button at the
bottom of the pane, and ensure that it hasn’t
become scheduled to start up automatically at
any time. Then make sure that the “Wake for
network access” box is unchecked. If it’s left
connected to a network, that could be
responsible. Also ensure that you don’t have
a third–party app installed which is set to
override any of those settings.
These controls take effect through your Mac’s
SMC and NVRAM. If they’re set correctly but
don’t change its behavior, try resetting both
SMC and NVRAM.
If it still persists in starting up of its own
accord, there might be a hardware fault in
its Power button. That would need to be
assessed in an Apple Store or similar and,
for some models at least, should be a
relatively inexpensive repair.In Macs equipped with a T2 Security
Chip such as the current Mac mini, that
chip — among many other functions it
performs — acts as the disk controller for
its internal storage. All data passed to
and from your Mac mini’s internal SSD is
transferred through and by the T2 chip.
The T2 chip encrypts using hardware,
not software, and is a blisteringly fast
SSD controller, among the best in its
class. It works in two modes: in one, it
encrypts and decrypts using only its
internal key, which it stores in its secure
enclave, and which can’t be read from
outside. In the other mode, it also uses
your password in the hierarchy of keys
which lock access to internal storage;
this is a special form of FileVault.
Adding an unencrypted path for data
to be transferred via the T2 would
inevitably reduce its performance in
data transfer. Because encryption is built
into its hardware and not optional, it
adds essentially no overhead to the
process. Encryption is not only built in,
but happens whether or not you add the
protection of your own password to turn
it into FileVault. So it cannot be disabled.
Even it could, it would also open the risk
of security vulnerabilities, of course.
Decrypting a T2 Mac?
How can I disable encryption on my Mac mini’s internal SSD to improve its performance?
Scheduled startup isn’t recorded in System Information > Power. Check in the Energy Saver pane.
The T2 chip functions as the disk controller for
a Mac’s internal storage, and encrypts that disk
automatically.Tech Support & Techsplanations
maclife.com FEB 2020 77