Constant Kernal Panics!

[TBR]

I have a faithful iMac G4 that will now now longer boot up. I'm constantly getting Kernal panics during the boot up process, but in differing places. Sometimes it's while the grey apple is on screen, sometimes when the screen has gone blue just after. Once in a blue moon it actually loads the operating system only to kernal panic a minute or two later.

So I booted into single user (after looking on the web) and ran fsck -f and it said there was a segmentation error, I then ran /sbin/fsck –fy after reading official apple support documents and looking around a bit more and found that this is apparently what your supposed to type (i'm not a command line guy) and it said all was ok. Each time I ran it it said the HD appears to be ok.

So I booted up with the Tiger install dvd and it kept kernal panicing again and again (at this point i'm thinking - damn it it's going to be hardware related) finally the dvd booted and I ran disk utility to verify the disk and it said the HD was ok. I decided to do a repair permissions and then went to the bathroom (I was getting ready for work) only to come back to a kernal panic.

That was the last thing I did and I'm now at work.

Usually my computer is turned on constantly, occasionally every few weeks or so I restart it due to software updates or just because I hadn't done it for a while. All these problems started after I turned the computer off and unplugged it for an hour or so while some electrical work was done in the bathroom (new switch for the shower).

The only other thing different about the machine is that about 4 months back we installed a new dvd burner as my superdrive had given up the ghost. An engineer friend who knows his stuff did it for me (with me watching, wincing as he pried apart my machine, It is my baby after all ) and all went fine.

So please anyone out there have any ideas?

 

[livingfortoday]

You may be facing a logic board, RAM, or processor issue. I had similar problems with a faulty G4 upgrade CPU once. Have you tried running the Hardware Test CD that came with it?

 

[TBR]

You may be facing a logic board, RAM, or processor issue. I had similar problems with a faulty G4 upgrade CPU once. Have you tried running the Hardware Test CD that came with it?

I havn't yet had the opportunity, i'm really busy at work at the moment. But hopefully will have the chance to work on it tonight. The hardware test will be the first thing I'll try, hopefully I can find it. It should be in my 'random-box-of-disks'. Thanks for the reminder of it's existance

 

[Chaszmyr]

Remove any 3rd party RAM if you have any, and flash the PRAM and NVRAM (see below for instructions).

1. Shut down the computer.
2. Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
3. Turn on the computer.
4. Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
5. Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
6. Release the keys.

 

[TBR]

Remove any 3rd party RAM if you have any, and flash the PRAM and NVRAM (see below for instructions).

I've had the current 3rd party ram (from crucial) installed since i got the machine three years ago so I doubt it's faulty, but i'll remove it anyway and reset the pram.

I've reset the pram a number of times while trying to get the machine up and running so I don't hold out all that much hope but that was with the extra ram installed. I'll give that a try tonight too, thanks.

 

[jMc]

I've had the current 3rd party ram (from crucial) installed since i got the machine three years ago so I doubt it's faulty...

Like all electronics, RAM can fail at any time, and as this is the easiest thing to check, and the cheapest to fix - this should be the first thing you try (except maybe the Hardware Test CD, which is unlikely to pick up bad RAM anyway, but may pick up worse problems).

If I were you, I'd be hoping it's only bad RAM ... Good luck!

jx

 

[TBR]

Like all electronics, RAM can fail at any time, and as this is the easiest thing to check, and the cheapest to fix - this should be the first thing you try (except maybe the Hardware Test CD, which is unlikely to pick up bad RAM anyway, but may pick up worse problems).

If I were you, I'd be hoping it's only bad RAM ... Good luck!

jx

Thanks for the info, I'd always thought there was bad ram and good ram, didn't realise ram could go bad (naive ) I'm hopeing it's just a ram problem too.

Quick question, anyone know approximate cost for a replacement logic board in the UK? Just wondering if it would be cheaper to get a mac mini as a replacement rather than fixing this machine, (although I would have to get a new monitor)

 

[jMc]

Thanks for the info, I'd always thought there was bad ram and good ram, didn't realise ram could go bad...

'When Good RAM Goes Bad!', sounds like a riveting reality TV show

jx

 

[TBR]

I got home and ran the extended hardware check and there was no problems, I then ran the quick check and it got an error with text coming down the screen about memory address's (i think, I know I should have paid more attention) and the option to type reboot.

So I did and tried again, this time I did the quick test first, and it passed, then I tried the extended and I got the same error.

So I turned it all off, removed the 3rd party memory I installed when I got the machine 3 years ago and then booted up. I booted up fine till it got to the desktop where it kernal paniced again.

Now I did a pram resett during boot and when it gets to the grey apple I get a kernal panic and a screen full of text.

panic(cpu caller 0x002E1028): Unable to find driver for this platform: "PowerMac6,1".

Latest stack backtrace for cpu 0:
Backtrace:
0x0095718 0x00095c30 0x0002683c 0x002e1028 0x002c03b4 0x002c017c 0x002c0be4 0x002c1250
0x000a9914
Proceeding back via exception chain:
Exception state <sv=0x00a32a00)
pc=0x00000000; msr=0x0000d030; dar=0x00000000; dsisr=0x00000000; lr=0x00000000; r1=0x00000000; xcp=0x00000000 (unknown)

Kernal version:
darwin kernal version 8.7.0: fri may 26 15:20:53 pdt 2006; root:xnu-792.6.76.obj~1/release_ppc

No debugger configured - dumping debug information
MSR=00001030
Latest stack backtrace for cpu 0:
Backtrace:
0x00095718 0x00095e18 0x0002683c 0x002e1028 0x002c03b4 0x002c017c 0x002c0be4 0x002c1250
0x000a9914
Proceeding back via exception chain:
Exception state (sv=0x00a32a00)
PC=)x00000000; msr=0x0000d030; dar=0x00000000; dsisr=0x00000000; lr=0x00000000; r1=0x00000000; xcp=0x00000000 (Unknown)

Kernal version:
Darwin Kernal Version 8.7.0: Fri May 26 15:20:53 pdt 2006; root:xnu-792.6.76.obj~1/release_ppc

panic: We are hanging hre...

I restarted the machine and now it seems to be ok, it's been running and restarting for 20 minutes now without a kernal panic so I hope that it was simply a memory problem.

Thanks guys for helping me out, much appreciated. You all get a gold star!

 

[funkychunkz]

I got home and ran the extended hardware check and there was no problems, I then ran the quick check and it got an error with text coming down the screen about memory address's (i think, I know I should have paid more attention) and the option to type reboot.

So I did and tried again, this time I did the quick test first, and it passed, then I tried the extended and I got the same error.

So I turned it all off, removed the 3rd party memory I installed when I got the machine 3 years ago and then booted up. I booted up fine till it got to the desktop where it kernal paniced again.

Now I did a pram resett during boot and when it gets to the grey apple I get a kernal panic and a screen full of text.

I restarted the machine and now it seems to be ok, it's been running and restarting for 20 minutes now without a kernal panic so I hope that it was simply a memory problem.

Thanks guys for helping me out, much appreciated. You all get a gold star!

This sounds oddly familiar, and so does the pic. I got this when my comp was trying to boot of a non-bootable folder. Somehow I managed the fsck this up in os9 (not the technical meaning) and it couldn't find the approprite boot files to boot, and the folder address was logged inside the firmware. I resolve that issue by oh so simply holding the option key when booting (and selecting my working system folder) and then $ bless
-setboot -ing it to remind the firmware where it should be at.

 

[kalisphoenix]

Do iMac G4's have RAM on the mobo? If so, the memory might still be the problem. I had an iBook G3 that had a problem with applications crashing left and right, and it turned out to be the RAM on the motherboard.

If that's the case, you're looking at a whole new logic board, and for a machine as old as an iMac G4, you might be better off selling it for parts and looking at a Mac mini + a cheap monitor.

Try pressing Command-V during boot. That might show you any problems that occur before the kernel panic (sometimes those previous messages can be of help).

That "panic(cpu caller 0x002E1028): Unable to find driver for this platform: "PowerMac6,1"." message is pretty ominous. It sounds like a messed-up hard drive, either that or a bad patch that screwed everything up.

 

[TBR]

Well things were not a rosey as I first thought, but now the machine has only kernal paniced a couple of times in a couple of days.

I've tried everything and I believe the next step is an OS re-install, not that bad to do as everything of importanc is backed up and most of my files I store on external drives, I just need to back up the email and away I go.

Hopefully this will finally sort out the problem. If not then it has to be something more serious.

 

[TBR]

Thanks guys for the help, after trying out everything possible I got a friend of mine to take a look at the machine.

After fiddling with open firmware and then messing with the drive by booting into an Ubuntu Live CD the problem was fixed.

Now I'm not sure of the correct terminology but I think it goes something like this.

The master boot record or the OSX equivelant?!?! was fudged, there was something on the disk that wasn't being removed by the OSX disk utility. By using ubuntu he was able to clear the drive where the osx disk utility had failed and then after a number of reformats in ubuntu and using osx disk utility Tiger then installed and everything has been ok now for 2 days.

I still havn't added the ram back in but will in another day when I'm sure things are ok again. Hopefully all will be well.

Thanks guys for the help though!