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in2themystik2

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
74
0
Ohio
I've had my iBook since December and no problems. I don't know if this is a "problem" or not, but last week I was using my laptop and the screen spontaneously dimmed and a message popped up saying "Your computer needs to be restarted. Press and hold power for several seconds or press the restart button." So I turned if off and restarted it without incident. Then this same thing happened again this evening.

I was just curious if anyone knows why it is doing this or if something is wrong. Or maybe my computer just needed a reboot, but it has never happened before and I don't think I've been doing anything differently on it.

Thanks in advance! :)
 

miniConvert

macrumors 68040
Hey :)

It's called a Kernel Panic and it usually means something has gone rather seriously wrong with the operating system to the extent that it can no longer run.

There are basic steps you can do, such as fixing permissions and checking your hardware with the various utilities included. If it happens when you do a specific thing then that's your best hope of finding what causes them.

I'm pretty sure more experienced users will be able to give you much more indepth advice. Good on you for asking though - whatever it is I'm sure it'll be better in the long run to get it sorted out now.
 

in2themystik2

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
74
0
Ohio
eeeek! okay, well, then I guess I need to fix stuff! But... since this is my first mac, I don't know how to do any of that yet, so any specific advice (like how to repair permissions and things of that nature) would be appreciated!
Thanks!
 

miniConvert

macrumors 68040
Going off this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/192510/

Try:
1) Put the original OSX CD into the drive
2) Reboot, and hold the "C" key down all the way through the boot procedure (this may take several minutes, booting from CD takes a long time)
3) Using the Disk utility under the top of screen menus, run a Repair disk and a Repair permissions.

Somewhere on there you will also find some sort of hardware scan, I think, to check your memory et al for errors.

If it's infrequent then so long as you have a recent backup you don't have too much to worry about. As I mentioned, if you do anything specific that causes the kernel panic then that'd help troubleshoot it.
 

in2themystik2

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
74
0
Ohio
hmm, okay, thanks. First what I did before that was figure out how to repair disk permissions, which I did (I'm a smart cookie! haha). Would that fix the problem do you think? Since this has only happened to me twice, I don't know if it was caused by any specific program. I pretty much use the same programs every day, all the time.

Should I still boot from the disk? hmmm.... and I'm supposed to be working on a paper... such a slacker I am.
 

in2themystik2

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
74
0
Ohio
I read that post that you linked to. The only difference is that mine was able to reboot without any delay, where as they said their computer would not boot... hmm
 

Heb1228

macrumors 68020
Feb 3, 2004
2,217
1
Virginia Beach, VA
in2themystik2 said:
I've had my iBook since December and no problems. I don't know if this is a "problem" or not, but last week I was using my laptop and the screen spontaneously dimmed and a message popped up saying "Your computer needs to be restarted. Press and hold power for several seconds or press the restart button." So I turned if off and restarted it without incident. Then this same thing happened again this evening.

I was just curious if anyone knows why it is doing this or if something is wrong. Or maybe my computer just needed a reboot, but it has never happened before and I don't think I've been doing anything differently on it.

Thanks in advance! :)
I see in your sig that you're got more than the original 512 MB of memory installed. Where did you get the extra memory? If you skimped and bought cheap memory from somewhere, that is likely the problem.

Cheap memory is a frequent cause of kernel panics.
 

in2themystik2

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
74
0
Ohio
Heb1228 said:
I see in your sig that you're got more than the original 512 MB of memory installed. Where did you get the extra memory? If you skimped and bought cheap memory from somewhere, that is likely the problem.

Cheap memory is a frequent cause of kernel panics.

I got it built to order from the apple website and just added the RAM then, so it's from apple, installed by apple. I didn't want to risk the hassle of putting it in myself and having to order it separately, so I paid a little extra to just have it done then.
 

Heb1228

macrumors 68020
Feb 3, 2004
2,217
1
Virginia Beach, VA
in2themystik2 said:
I got it built to order from the apple website and just added the RAM then, so it's from apple, installed by apple. I didn't want to risk the hassle of putting it in myself and having to order it separately, so I paid a little extra to just have it done then.
Your RAM is probably not the culprit if you got it from the Apple Store.
 

OutThere

macrumors 603
Dec 19, 2002
5,730
3
NYC
I think everyone is very much overreacting...it's a kernel panic, they happen.

If you get more than one in the span of a few days, or they start happening frequently, then there's a problem, but just one at one once doesn't really mean anything.
 

Heb1228

macrumors 68020
Feb 3, 2004
2,217
1
Virginia Beach, VA
OutThere said:
I think everyone is very much overreacting...it's a kernel panic, they happen.

If you get more than one in the span of a few days, or they start happening frequently, then there's a problem, but just one at one once doesn't really mean anything.
No, they don't just happen. Kernel panics mean there's a problem somewhere. I haven't had one since September 2005. I had some bad memory that was causing them and after that I replaced it with good memory. Since then... no problems... ever.

Maybe I'm a perfectionist, but if I had more than 1 kernel panic in the span of a couple months... I'd want to know what the problem was.
 

in2themystik2

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
74
0
Ohio
Thanks for the info everyone! I repaired permissions, and I guess I'll see if it happens again, in which case I'll probably need more assistance! If anyone else has any more words of advice, or things I sould do, please let me know! This is my baby and I don't want anything to happen to her! haha. Thanks guys! :)
 

mduser63

macrumors 68040
Nov 9, 2004
3,042
31
Salt Lake City, UT
Heb1228 said:
No, they don't just happen. Kernel panics mean there's a problem somewhere. I haven't had one since September 2005. I had some bad memory that was causing them and after that I replaced it with good memory. Since then... no problems... ever.

Maybe I'm a perfectionist, but if I had more than 1 kernel panic in the span of a couple months... I'd want to know what the problem was.

Well, they can just happen due to software bugs that are neither serious nor due to corrupt stuff. I've had my PowerBook kernel panic twice since I've had it (year and a half) for seemingly no reason (other kernel panics were related to VPC, see below). Other than those two, it's been rock-solid, so I'm not worried that there are any serious hardware/corrupt software problems.

However, the OP said that he's had two kernel panics in the last week or less. To me that seems indicative of a semi-serious problem, either hardware or software. Most of the time, frequent kernel panics are due to bad hardware, but sometimes software is at fault. For example, early versions of Tiger, running VPC 7.0.2 would cause kernel panics VERY reliably. Downgrading to 7.0.1 fixed the problem. Something Apple did in a later update to Tiger fixed the problem with 7.0.2.

If you notice that panics occur only when using a specific application, try reinstalling that application. Also, it can be helpful to look around the 'net and see if anyone else is reporting similar problems. You should also run the Apple Hardware Test from your System CD. If AHT reports that there are no problems, that doesn't mean there's nothing wrong. It sometimes (often?) reports no problems when there are in fact problems with some piece of hardware that it just doesn't catch. However, if AHT says you have a problem, you can count on it being right.

Finally, if the problem persists and you can't figure it out on your own, take your iBook into an Apple Store or call Apple. Since you're still under warranty, any hardware problems will be covered.
 

Eric5h5

macrumors 68020
Dec 9, 2004
2,494
604
OutThere said:
I think everyone is very much overreacting...it's a kernel panic, they happen.

Not. This isn't Windows. ;) The only time I had any kernel panics was with a dodgy firmware upgrade on my X800...this was a known problem, and ATI fixed it with another upgrade. Something as serious as a panic can't "just happen"...something has to be taking down the entire system, which usually means a hardware problem of some sort. (Overheating, bad RAM, disk errors, firmware glitches, etc.)

Repairing permissions will do nothing to fix the cause of a kernel panic; in fact it will almost never fix any probems. I understand that earlier versions of OS X had some problems with file permissions getting messed up, but it's rarely an issue these days.

I'd try running the hardware test and see if anything comes up there.

--Eric
 

in2themystik2

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
74
0
Ohio
Ahhh! My baby is sick. Well, I will have to run a hardware check tomorrow and see what I find and further investigate. Hopefully nothing too serious is wrong and whatever is wrong can get fixed! thanks for the help so far, and I'll keep you posted on my findings!
 

redAPPLE

macrumors 68030
May 7, 2002
2,680
6
2 Much Infinite Loops
in2themystik2 said:
Thanks for the info everyone! I repaired permissions, and I guess I'll see if it happens again, in which case I'll probably need more assistance! If anyone else has any more words of advice, or things I sould do, please let me know! This is my baby and I don't want anything to happen to her! haha. Thanks guys! :)

word of advice. backup your files, if you still don't.
 

displaced

macrumors 65816
Jun 23, 2003
1,455
246
Gravesend, United Kingdom
It might be worth checking out the panic log file.

Fire up the Console application (under /Applications/Utilities). If the list of log files isn't visible down the left side of the window, click the Logs button on the toolbar.

Then, browse to the panic logfile, under /Library/Logs in the log list.

It might be worth copying & pasting the text of the most recent panic log to the forums here, and we'll take a look.

Sometimes the panic log is specific enough to identify a particular subsystem where the panic occurred. For example, the only panic I've had recently was when I yanked my M-Audio Transit USB device from the back of my Mini whilst GarageBand was doing some recording. Funnily enough, I've done that again recently, but no panic's occurred :)
 

Passante

macrumors 6502a
Apr 16, 2004
860
0
on the sofa
OutThere said:
I think everyone is very much overreacting...it's a kernel panic, they happen.

If you get more than one in the span of a few days, or they start happening frequently, then there's a problem, but just one at one once doesn't really mean anything.

Never had a kernel panic on my 12" Powerbook 1.33. Heck, I've only had to force reboot 5 times in 3 years.
 

nate

macrumors member
Jun 28, 2003
61
0
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
After a huge power surge, my iMac got a kernel panic, and then sometimes wouldn't boot up and sometimes would. I tried everything, and after calling Apple care, and trying a bunch more stuff, they said I need to take it in to be repaired.

My computer was fixed in a week -- it turns out that the power supply got fried.

I have a surge bar, and I thought it was good, but it didn't seem to protect my computer like I thought it would.

A lot of people all over the city had problems, too.

I'm glad that I had apple care. The repairs are free and I'm lucky enough that there is are several Apple dealers in town that can fix macs. We don't have an actual Apple store, but we have stores that just sell macs.

My powerbook once had a lot of kernel panics, too, but that was because when I installed the airport card I didn't push it in all the way, and it caused problems. Since then, no panics.


--nate
 

in2themystik2

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
74
0
Ohio
Kernal panic times 3...

Alright, well, it just happened again. :confused: I will be running the hardware check tonight when I get home and we'll see what that says....
 

in2themystik2

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
74
0
Ohio
Here's the panic log for all three, since most of this doesn't mean much to me, but perhaps you guys will know what it all means.

Fri Apr 7 00:45:37 2006


Unresolved kernel trap(cpu 0): 0x300 - Data access DAR=0x0000000003C6D488 PC=0x000000000006630C
Latest crash info for cpu 0:
Exception state (sv=0x2E0A5780)
PC=0x0006630C; MSR=0x00009030; DAR=0x03C6D488; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x00066298; R1=0x17833C90; XCP=0x0000000C (0x300 - Data access)
Backtrace:
0x03335264 0x00070368 0x00062444 0x000A8870 0x000ABD00
Proceeding back via exception chain:
Exception state (sv=0x2E0A5780)
previously dumped as "Latest" state. skipping...
Exception state (sv=0x3949C780)
PC=0x95CC8834; MSR=0x4200D030; DAR=0xA520FEA4; DSISR=0x42000000; LR=0x95CCDD28; R1=0xF0396AD0; XCP=0x00000010 (0x400 - Inst access)

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.5.0: Sun Jan 22 10:38:46 PST 2006; root:xnu-792.6.61.obj~1/RELEASE_PPC
panic(cpu 0 caller 0xFFFF0003): 0x300 - Data access
Latest stack backtrace for cpu 0:
Backtrace:
0x00095718 0x00095C30 0x0002683C 0x000A8384 0x000ABD00
Proceeding back via exception chain:
Exception state (sv=0x2E0A5780)
PC=0x0006630C; MSR=0x00009030; DAR=0x03C6D488; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x00066298; R1=0x17833C90; XCP=0x0000000C (0x300 - Data access)
Backtrace:
0x03335264 0x00070368 0x00062444 0x000A8870 0x000ABD00
Exception state (sv=0x3949C780)
PC=0x95CC8834; MSR=0x4200D030; DAR=0xA520FEA4; DSISR=0x42000000; LR=0x95CCDD28; R1=0xF0396AD0; XCP=0x00000010 (0x400 - Inst access)

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.5.0: Sun Jan 22 10:38:46 PST 2006; root:xnu-792.6.61.obj~1/RELEASE_PPC

*********

Sun Apr 16 22:38:46 2006


Unresolved kernel trap(cpu 0): 0x300 - Data access DAR=0x0000000000000004 PC=0x0000000000067668
Latest crash info for cpu 0:
Exception state (sv=0x2D9CAA00)
PC=0x00067668; MSR=0x00009030; DAR=0x00000004; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x00067618; R1=0x178FBC20; XCP=0x0000000C (0x300 - Data access)
Backtrace:
0x00067608 0x0006AB60 0x0006B5F0 0x00057760 0x000291C0 0x000233AC
0x000AC02C 0x73324175
Proceeding back via exception chain:
Exception state (sv=0x2D9CAA00)
previously dumped as "Latest" state. skipping...
Exception state (sv=0x2E2DC280)
PC=0x9000B0A8; MSR=0x0200D030; DAR=0x218AB040; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x9000AFFC; R1=0xBFFFE490; XCP=0x00000030 (0xC00 - System call)

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.6.0: Tue Mar 7 16:58:48 PST 2006; root:xnu-792.6.70.obj~1/RELEASE_PPC
panic(cpu 0 caller 0xFFFF0003): 0x300 - Data access
Latest stack backtrace for cpu 0:
Backtrace:
0x00095718 0x00095C30 0x0002683C 0x000A8384 0x000ABD00
Proceeding back via exception chain:
Exception state (sv=0x2D9CAA00)
PC=0x00067668; MSR=0x00009030; DAR=0x00000004; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x00067618; R1=0x178FBC20; XCP=0x0000000C (0x300 - Data access)
Backtrace:
0x00067608 0x0006AB60 0x0006B5F0 0x00057760 0x000291C0 0x000233AC
0x000AC02C 0x73324175
Exception state (sv=0x2E2DC280)
PC=0x9000B0A8; MSR=0x0200D030; DAR=0x218AB040; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x9000AFFC; R1=0xBFFFE490; XCP=0x00000030 (0xC00 - System call)

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.6.0: Tue Mar 7 16:58:48 PST 2006; root:xnu-792.6.70.obj~1/RELEASE_PPC

*********

Mon Apr 17 13:38:34 2006


Unresolved kernel trap(cpu 0): 0x300 - Data access DAR=0x000000000000002C PC=0x0000000000070314
Latest crash info for cpu 0:
Exception state (sv=0x31588280)
PC=0x00070314; MSR=0x00009030; DAR=0x0000002C; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x00070304; R1=0x179DBCF0; XCP=0x0000000C (0x300 - Data access)
Backtrace:
0x0001BF84 0x00062444 0x000A8870 0x000ABD00
Proceeding back via exception chain:
Exception state (sv=0x31588280)
previously dumped as "Latest" state. skipping...
Exception state (sv=0x2DE30A00)
PC=0x01006200; MSR=0x4000D030; DAR=0xA0461498; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x01006200; R1=0xF0080D50; XCP=0x00000010 (0x400 - Inst access)

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.6.0: Tue Mar 7 16:58:48 PST 2006; root:xnu-792.6.70.obj~1/RELEASE_PPC
panic(cpu 0 caller 0xFFFF0003): 0x300 - Data access
Latest stack backtrace for cpu 0:
Backtrace:
0x00095718 0x00095C30 0x0002683C 0x000A8384 0x000ABD00
Proceeding back via exception chain:
Exception state (sv=0x31588280)
PC=0x00070314; MSR=0x00009030; DAR=0x0000002C; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x00070304; R1=0x179DBCF0; XCP=0x0000000C (0x300 - Data access)
Backtrace:
0x0001BF84 0x00062444 0x000A8870 0x000ABD00
Exception state (sv=0x2DE30A00)
PC=0x01006200; MSR=0x4000D030; DAR=0xA0461498; DSISR=0x40000000; LR=0x01006200; R1=0xF0080D50; XCP=0x00000010 (0x400 - Inst access)

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.6.0: Tue Mar 7 16:58:48 PST 2006; root:xnu-792.6.70.obj~1/RELEASE_PPC
*********
 

Kingsly

macrumors 68040
AppleCare said:
UNIX-style operating systems (such as Mac OS X, Mac OS X Server, AIX, and A/UX) may experience a type of error called a "kernel panic," which may provide information useful for software developers.

A kernel panic is a type of error that occurs when the core (kernel) of an operating system receives an instruction in an unexpected format, or that it fails to handle properly. A kernel panic may also follow when the operating system is not able to recover from a different type of error. A kernel panic can be caused by damaged or incompatible software or, more rarely, damaged or incompatible hardware.
Follow the Steps
I get kernel panics from time to time.. but its never an issue that can be traced (i.e "totally" random)
Its not really a big deal unless it happens a lot. For instance, I tried loading a piece of software. kernel panic. restarted, reset PRAM (Apple+P+R on startup) and tried the software again. Kernel panic. Software goes to the trash. No more Kernel panics.

So... try NOT using the app that was running when the panic occurred. if the panics go away, contact the software company behind the app and Apple and let them know. (send them the panic logs and an explanation)
 

displaced

macrumors 65816
Jun 23, 2003
1,455
246
Gravesend, United Kingdom
Ok... I think we can rule out any loaded kernel extensions. At the time of the panic, the CPU's program counter (PC) is pretty low down in address space (i.e. around 0x00070314). That's pretty damn low. Extensions usually load much higher (at least, according to kextstat on my system). You can start up Terminal yourself and type kextstat to see where your extensions are loaded, but I'd hazard a guess that none of them will be that low.

So the part of the system that's actually faulting here is pretty close to the metal -- kernel itself, iokit, nmi, mach, etc. Now these bits are pretty well tested, so panics this regular are unlikely to be originally caused by these chunks of code. Now, the backtrace [EDIT: not 'backtrace'... I mean, 'exception chain'] in those logs is a little more interesting. There, the counter's much, much higher, indicating the user-mode app which made the call to the kernel code which led to the crash. Sadly, there's no way for us here to find which program was living at that memory address when the thing blew up. But, the fact that there's no kernel extensions implicated in the log leads me to surmise that:

- Possibly (somehow!) the bits of OS X which live real close to the metal have been corrupted. If you've managed that, I'll buy you a beer, because that's some feat. A quick Archive & Install restoration of OS X will fix this.

-or-

- There's a hardware fault. Since no kernel extensions were named, I can't be specific. For example, if the log mentioned com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily, I'd point to a dodgy USB device (either internal or external). But with your logs, I'd first of all look to the RAM. It might just need re-seating in its slot(s), or it might actually be bad. There's always the possibility that there's something else defective (logic board, or even CPU).

So, try an Archive & Install first, then call AppleCare ;)

Good luck!
 

in2themystik2

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
74
0
Ohio
When the kernal panic occurred today the only programs running were iChat, Safari, and MS word, all of which are programs I use almost daily (definitely iChat and Safari). I'm pretty sure that was all that was running when it occurred today. Yesterday it was the same programs I believe, except possible firefox as well and maybe word. I really only use it for all the ordinary stuff and rarely run anything extravagant. If this information helps any...
 
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