Modem and Gray Screen of Death

[blink56k]

Hi all. I'm currently having problems connecting to the internet using my brother's G4 Mac Mini.

Everytime it dials in, I get one of these error messages:
1. No carrier detected
2. Could not establish connection to the PPP server
3. The modem unexpectedly hung up
4. The Gray Screen of Death ie. screen grays out and tells me to restart my computer (I believe this is politely dubbed a "kernel panic" by people who don't want to admit that the [blue] screen of death isn't purely a Windows phenomenom, or more accurately, a pre-XP one in my experience )

I have been able to dial in successfully every one out of like 100 times, but other than that, no luck.

I doubt it's a problem with my ISP because I tried it on my PC (under BOTH Linux and Windows XP) and it works almost if not every time.

Sure, getting broadband would save me this headache, but keep in mind that I'm currently spending my whole summer in a country where broadband is scarcely available.

Ok bye. *waves*

 

[emptyCup]

Unless you are a developer testing code, kernel panics almost always result from a hardware problem. Since you checked the ISP and phone line with another computer, you need to have someone check your machine. You didn't just add RAM, or something else, did you?

Now the difference between a Blue Screen of Death and a "Gray Screen of Death" is that latter is a name you made up for a problem only you are having. Can we please stop doing that, or COMFIRMing as generic problems things which are just happening on one machine.

Good luck and best wishes.

 

[blink56k]

Unless you are a developer testing code, kernel panics almost always result from a hardware problem. Since you checked the ISP and phone line with another computer, you need to have someone check your machine. You didn't just add RAM, or something else, did you?

Now the difference between a Blue Screen of Death and a "Gray Screen of Death" is that latter is a name you made up for a problem only you are having. Can we please stop doing that, or COMFIRMing as generic problems things which are just happening on one machine.

Good luck and best wishes.

Hi there. Thanks for your reply.

No, I dind't just add RAM. That machine has been problematic from the start. I had to have the logic board replaced as it was DOA. It has been working fine since (save the modem).

While I acknowledge that this problem is only occuring on one machine, I added that little rant because in my playing with OS X a kernel panic seems to be the [superficial] equivalent of a blue screen of death on Windows...ie. while not being the same at all, both make you restart in the middle of your work, even if OS X does it in a more elegant manner ...so while I adore OS X as much as the next person, I tend to dislike it when people say things like "it doesn't crash" or give you things like a BSOD

Anyway, let me get down to the problem here. I skimmed through the problem report and the conflict seems to be with the machine's modem (no surprise there).

Do you think that running a hardware test (how do you do this?) will solve the problem?

Like I said before, it would be hard to get the machine checked since I'm in the Dominican Republic now and finding an Apple authorized service center isn't that easy.

I'll keep searching the web for a solution. Meanwhile, I hope someone has a solution to offer.

Again, thanks for answering!

Take Care

-blink56k

 

[mad jew]

Yeah, it sounds like the modem is at fault. Is it the inbuilt modem? The Hardware Test either comes on a separate CD amongst your set of restore discs that came with the machine (start up holding C), or it is bundled onto Restore Disc 1 (start up holding OPTION).

 

[Counterfit]

Does the hardware test check the modem at all?

 

[mad jew]

Good question. I assumed it checks internal modems but could be wrong. It's worth a try.