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Kernel Panic on Mac Mini - Severe problems

mikemodena

mikemodena

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 30, 2005
552
0
Connecticut
About 2 weeks ago my mom's Mac Mini had a kernel panic.. I later found out she left it on for 10 days without sleep. It gave her that weird scrolling thing on the screen then it gave the Please Shut Down screen. I shut it off, and when I turn it back on sometimes it gets caught on the login screen and never boots, sometimes it boots and loads OS X, but it is extremely unstable and programs crash. I tried repairing permissions but that did nothing, I've reset the PRAM--that usually lets it boot into OS X, but it's unstable. Even when it boots, after a few minutes I get the Please Restart/Shut Down screen. I tried putting in the OS X CD and booting off that but it doesn't boot... sometimes it goes into the OS even when I'm holding C. Other times it gets on the white screen where the Apple is, but instead of the Apple it's a red circle with a slash through it. Is there any way to format the hard drive through terminal? She's getting pretty pissed at me for not fixing it but I can't figure out what's wrong. I can always send it in, but when I put a 1GB stick of RAM in, the case doesn't close flush in the back and I'm afraid they won't fix it.
 
mikemodena

mikemodena

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 30, 2005
552
0
Connecticut
We bought it from ebay -- I've heard from other people that these sticks go bad after awhile.. I had a feeling that's what it was but I figured I would see if there were any other possibilities before I had her get some Crucial ram. As for the old 512 chip, I sold it on ebay when this was my computer.
 
AmbitiousLemon

AmbitiousLemon

Moderator emeritus
Nov 28, 2001
3,415
3
down in Fraggle Rock
Unlike windows, when you start having major problems like this with a mac it is almost always a hardware problem. The fact that the ram did not fit properly should have been a pretty good clue that it wasn't meant to go in a mini.

You seem to indicate though that the computer worked properly for awhile with the "bad ram" before starting to have kernal panics. While it still seems the ram is bad, there is also a possibility that another piece of hardware is the problem (usually the motherboard).

Try swapping out the suspect ram with known good ram and see if the problem disappears. If you continue to experience problems with known good ram, then it is likely another piece of hardware (perhaps caused by the bad ram) and you will need to contact apple in order to get it fixed.

Also crucial ram is no better than any other ram (people can be sort of fanatical about crucial). Crucial is usually very overpriced as a result of people's fanaticism. The important aspect about buying ram is simply making sure it is the correct type of ram for your computer - nothing else. http://www.ramseeker.com is a site that lets you search by your mac model and it lists prices from various ram vendors. Check them first. I suspect the macmini needs low profile ram(not sure), so prices might be a bit higher than full sized ram.
 
jeremy.king

jeremy.king

macrumors 603
Jul 23, 2002
5,479
1
Holly Springs, NC
AmbitiousLemon said:
The fact that the ram did not fit properly should have been a pretty good clue that it wasn't meant to go in a mini.
Click to expand...

The RAM isn't the cause of the case not closing. Most people will find the first time you open the mini, it can be a little difficult to close back up because the aluminum thingy on the back can get bent easy and will prevent the case from closing all the way properly. I found that a little nudge with my putty knife and using a little force was enough to get it closed all the way.

AmbitiousLemon said:
Crucial is usually very overpriced as a result of people's fanaticism.
Click to expand...

Some would argue that Apple products are too, but that doesn't stop us ;)
 
AmbitiousLemon

AmbitiousLemon

Moderator emeritus
Nov 28, 2001
3,415
3
down in Fraggle Rock
kingjr3 said:
The RAM isn't the cause of the case not closing. Most people will find the first time you open the mini, it can a little difficult to close back up because the alumninum thingy on the back can get bent easy and will prevent the case from closing all the way properly. I found that I simply had to give them a little nudge with my putty knife and using a little force was enough to get it closed all the way.



Some would argue that Apple products are too, but that doesn't stop us ;)
Click to expand...

ah, good info kingjr3. I haven't popped open a mini yet. Crucial does make good ram, but you can find good ram from other manufacturers with the same speed/latency/warranty for much less money. Only times I've used crucial is when it is the same price as comparable ram.
 
jeremy.king

jeremy.king

macrumors 603
Jul 23, 2002
5,479
1
Holly Springs, NC
AmbitiousLemon said:
ah, good info kingjr3. I haven't popped open a mini yet. Crucial does make good ram, but you can find good ram from other manufacturers with the same speed/latency/warranty for much less money. Only times I've used crucial is when it is the same price as comparable ram.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was one of the "suckers" who went with Crucial :eek:
 
mikemodena

mikemodena

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 30, 2005
552
0
Connecticut
The RAM is the correct PC 2700 RAM and it fits perfectly. I used this computer since August 1 then gave it to my mom in October, and then she had a kernel panic a few weeks ago. As an earlier poster said, it's the hinges on the back of the mac mini that don't go back down flush. We are going to try to purchase a new stick of RAM and see if that corrects the problem.
 
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