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OS X keeps crashing on me!(?)

i'm actually thinking of doing a clean re-install of Tiger, back up all my files to the external, download any apps i don't have and go for it...
what do you think?
how exactly do i do a clean re-install?
oh, and will i need the serial number again?
where can i find it? (looked around my paperwork but can't see it anywhere...)
do you need one to begin with? can't remember :)
 
It probably won't help. I have a friend who has the last generation PB 15" also. And this weird kernel panic after sleep thing has been plaguing him as well. After sending it to the Apple Centre for repairs twice, where the RAM was replaced and the mainboard was replaced, it still happened. I have absolutely no problems with sleep except this one time when MAMP was running, but for him he just shuts down. Not sure how this is going to help you, but I'd chalk it up to one of those mysteries that can't be solved.
 
right... you just gave me about five strokes one after the other :( :mad:
i hope i don't have the same problem as your friend...
i think i will go ahead with the clean install anyhow and see what happens...
any tips on how to do it and on how (if possible) to keep some stuff like maybe my keychain?
did your friend have problems with anything other than sleep?
i mean, did that one thing affect his computer's performance any other way?
mine doesn't seem to have so far...
 
i think Tiger is headed for melt down...
i can't minimize anything:eek: , and the Trash icon doesn't swap from full to empty when i empty the Trash...
clean re-install?
do i need a serial?:confused:
how do i do it?
help! :(
 
Did you try cloning the to the external hard drive and booting of off that?

I strongly recommend against reinstalling, especially in an instance where a hardware issue is implied. You could very easily get part way through the reinstall and have it fail. Then your Mac would be unbootable. Not an improvement.
 
that is a good point indeed! ;)
nevertheless, i am getting my backups sorted in case i need to format :)
i haven't tried cloning because i didn't get any replies to my request for help on how to actually do it and how to boot from the external :)
can you help please? :D
thanks
 
right, downloaded CCC, how would i select the drive to boot from after i make the clone?
edit, downloaded SuperDuper too, but there's a problem...
the format of my external is not HFS+ so it can't host a bootable clone
(this from SuperDuper)
can't really format the external in order to do this cloning because i've got like 420GB of data on it and i have no idea where i'm gonna put all that :)
f*ck!!!
alternatives?
 
you must've missed my edit...
can't really clone for the reasons i mentioned...
so, any other ideas or should i just go ahead with a clean install, my last resort?
 
I can't track everything that's been suggested in this monster thread but if it hasn't been suggested or tried previously, your hard drive should be checked for errors.
 
sk3pt1c said:
well, the thing is i'm in greece and applecare does not apply here, so i didn't buy it when i got the powerbook last year in the uk where i was doing my masters.

i don't really understand what it could be, since the hardware test went fine.

any ideas?

should i try resetting the PMU as well?
Click to expand...
Applecare, is as far as I know, now worldwide: http://www.apple.com/support/contact/

Check the bottom of the page...
 
i don't see how that bit of information helps me...
nevertheless, let me say once more that apple care does NOT apply here,
and that is the reason why i didn't buy it. apple does not have an official presense in greece, only an importer/representative.
so please allow me to know more about this than you, thanks. :)

checking the hard drive for errors? i have verified and repaired permissions...
if that's not what you mean, care to elaborate?
thanks
 
Once again sorry if I can't recall all of what's been suggested and done to date, and I don't have time to read back through the thread. Repairing permissions generally isn't a useful maintenance procedure. I'm talking about running Disk Utility or fsck in Single User Mode. Maybe you've already been there and done that.
 
sk3pt1c said:
right, downloaded CCC, how would i select the drive to boot from after i make the clone?
edit, downloaded SuperDuper too, but there's a problem...
the format of my external is not HFS+ so it can't host a bootable clone
(this from SuperDuper)
can't really format the external in order to do this cloning because i've got like 420GB of data on it and i have no idea where i'm gonna put all that :)
f*ck!!!
alternatives?
Click to expand...

Can you borrow a firewire drive from someone? Just temporarily, so you can clone your system to it and then do a clean re-install.
 
well, if i do a clean re install i don't need to clone my system, i'd rather start from scratch to eliminate a software problem.
do i need a serial to re-install Tiger?
EDIT: just ran fsck and everything seems fine...
once more, i'd like to thank you guys for all the help!
 
apple support here is simply tragic :)
even on the phone...
i call in, wait to be put through to speak to a technician...
a female answers (don't get me wrong, but usually tech guys are just that, guys) and asks me what the problem is...
so i start explaining that i have a powerbook g4 with kernel panics after waking from sleep and that i've tried flashing the PRAM, NVRAM, reset the PMU, tested the RAM with various software, just tested the drive with fsck and so on but nothing's happened...
and she says: if it's a software problem, call this number...
if it's not a software problem, you can bring it in...
and i'm like WTF?
so i ask: from what i've told you, can you figure out what it might be that's causing this?
and her reply was this: i am not a technician, so i really don't know...
nice 1 eh? :D:D:D:D:D:D
the dude at the applestore i went to didn't know anything either...
so this is why i need to fix it myself :)

so, any more ideas guys?

ps. can someone PLEASE tell me if i need a serial to re-install Tiger and how i would go about performing a clean-install? and if i can save my keychain?

thanks again
 
No, you don't need a serial number. Presumably you have a retail Tiger install DVD. You could try an archive and install, which doesn't wipe your drive, first. I'm not really advising a reinstallation since I still strongly suspect a hardware issue, but you can certainly try it and hope for the best. Just make sure you're totally backed up.
 
yeah, it is a retail version, got it with the powerbook :)
what exactly does the "archive and install" archive?
i really don't know what to suspect, since the hardware has passed all the tests we've put it through... :(
 
sk3pt1c said:
yeah, it is a retail version, got it with the powerbook :)
what exactly does the "archive and install" archive?
i really don't know what to suspect, since the hardware has passed all the tests we've put it through... :(
Click to expand...

Archive and install replaces just the system files. It archives the previous system in a separate folder.

The Hardware Test CD can really only tell you if you've got a hardware fault it can detect, which isn't all of them. Authorized dealers have a deeper hardware test they can run.
 
yeah, but i've run several other tests apart from the Apple Hardware Test...
so after i do an "archive and install" i get back to what i have now, just all the system files are restored?
do i need to have lots of free space for the archive to take place?
give me some details please :)
i wanna try and decide whether to do an archive and install or a clean install...
i've got all my apps that i'll need if i perform a clean install...
 
If you're going to try either one, the best place to start is with the archive and install, which is the least destructive/disruptive approach. You should not need more than a couple of gigs of hard drive space. The installer won't let you proceed unless you have enough.
 
so, i perform an archive and install and everything gets back to what i have now?
i won't need to re-install everything?
just lose system settings or something?


ps. restart with the disc in and keep command pressed to get the options menu?
 
i'm actually thinking of going for a clean install, to eliminate a software problem...
i have all the apps i need ready and i'm almost done backing up my files.
any drawbacks with doing that?
i think i'll go for it tomorrow and hopefully all will be well and i will be able to post again tomorrow night (fingers crossed)
 
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