Please Help: Mac Pro Kernel Panics

[djcream]

Hi. I've been using my new Mac Pro with no issues for several weeks with the same hardware setup & OS all along. Suddenly I'm getting kernel panics. It happens when I startup from the system drive or from install disc. And sometimes when I startup it just hangs on the blue screen with no desktop coming onto the screen.

It started happening after I did a Carbon Copy Clone of my system drive onto a firewire drive, & when I came back to my computer several hours later the screen was black & white stripes.

I've been on the phone with applecare several times and even took my machine to the genius bar today where they recommended a stress test and said I would get it back in 5 - 10 business days (gasp!). Of course there were no kernel panics while I was there (for an hour, and at home I'm getting them every few minutes), so I decided to take it home & check it over myself in a process of elimination.

I've removed all third party ram, and have 2 hard drives installed - the system drive & the drive I use for time machine. The RAM is listed as OK in system profiler and the HD's are verified with Disk Utility - also disk permissions verified & repaired on the system drive.

I have 2 Acer monitors - model AL2016W. I tried plugging in one at a time in each DVI port for a total of 4 tests - each with a fresh startup. There were no kernel panics. Then I plugged them both in at the same time, started up, & got the kernel panics. Tried this twice with the same results. With or without any applications open, it's the same. Within 2 - 4 minutes I get a kernel panic when both monitors are plugged in.

Later, I got kernel panics with just one monitor connected. Huh?

So my question is; What could be the reason it's getting kernel panics sometimes & sometimes not? As I said, nothing has changed in my setup since I got the machine - and everything was running fine since mid February.

During my testing I have these connections:
One or two monitors
Power cord
Apple wired keyboard & mouse (these were not connected at the time this started happening so I have eliminated them from the possible source of trouble.)
All bluetooth devices are powered off & no other external devices are connected.

Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated! Please save me from another trip to the apple store & 1 - 2 weeks of enforced deprivation!
Sorry this is so long - I wanted to cover everything I could. Thanks for reading.

P.S. I just completed the Apple Hardware Test & it detected this error: "4HDD/11/40000004.SATA(0,0)" Does this mean there's something wrong with a hard drive? If so, which one?

Mac Pro Early 2008 2.8 Mhz 8 core
OS X 10.5.1
2 gigs original "apple" RAM
HD 1 - Samsung F1 (system - 750 gigs of which 420 are being used)
HD 2 - Hitachi (time machine - 1 TB)
2 Acer monitors DVI



Also - here is a panic log in case it helps (I don't know how to read it):

Mon Apr 7 23:53:26 2008
panic(cpu 0 caller 0x001A7C7F): Kernel trap at 0x00c95fc1, type 14=page fault, registers:
CR0: 0x8001003b, CR2: 0x00000000, CR3: 0x01117000, CR4: 0x00000660
EAX: 0x00000000, EBX: 0x00000036, ECX: 0x0442b414, EDX: 0x0001bd50
CR2: 0x00000000, EBP: 0x00108b18, ESI: 0x04c58600, EDI: 0x00108ff0
EFL: 0x00010006, EIP: 0x00c95fc1, CS: 0x00000008, DS: 0x04450010
Error code: 0x00000000

Backtrace, Format - Frame : Return Address (4 potential args on stack)
0x108918 : 0x12b0e1 (0x456c94 0x10894c 0x13321a 0x0)
0x108968 : 0x1a7c7f (0x460174 0xc95fc1 0xe 0x45f924)
0x108a48 : 0x19e807 (0x108a60 0x0 0x108b18 0xc95fc1)
0x108a58 : 0xc95fc1 (0xe 0x100048 0x100010 0xc90010)
0x108b18 : 0xc96b08 (0x0 0x2f 0x0 0x0)
0x108b58 : 0xc96c6d (0x0 0x1e5 0x1a5107a 0xffff107a)
0x108cb8 : 0xc96dcb (0x1 0x4 0xca18e0 0x0)
0x108cf8 : 0xc96be9 (0x4 0xca18e0 0x0 0x0)
0x108d38 : 0xc8b283 (0xca2d5c 0xca3830 0x0 0x0)
0x108d98 : 0xc84476 (0x4675a10 0x108e58 0x1 0x1)
0x108dd8 : 0xc86a2c (0x4675a10 0xca8f5c 0x108e58 0x40)
0x108e08 : 0xc86a61 (0x4675a10 0x8 0x108e58 0x0)
0x108e38 : 0xc8367f (0x4675a10 0x8 0x108e58 0x8a6e791c)
0x108ea8 : 0xc928ca (0x4675a10 0xca73f4 0x20 0x420763)
0x108ed8 : 0xc6cf71 (0x46a5d54 0x465ae010 0xd 0xca73f4)
0x108f08 : 0x6cea0d (0x4c58600 0x36 0x23e34000 0x0)
Backtrace continues...
Kernel loadable modules in backtrace (with dependencies):
com.apple.kext.ATY_Lamna(5.2.2)@0xc37000->0xcaffff
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(1.5)@0x6c4000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.4)@0x698000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(1.5)@0x6a8000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily(1.2.0)@0x640000
com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(1.5)@0x6c4000->0x6d1fff
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.4)@0x698000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(1.5)@0x6a8000

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task

Mac OS version:
9B2127

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 9.1.1: Fri Dec 14 19:00:14 PST 2007; root:xnu-1228.1.30~1/RELEASE_I386
System model name: MacPro3,1 (Mac-F42C88C8)

 

[Sun Baked]

Could be a noise problem, when both monitors are running at the same time.

But it looks like the graphics card is running into problems with both monitors at the same time.

Running a line conditioning UPS (one with AVR)?

---

EDIT: the reason i asked about the UPS with AVR, is that is usually a question to ask if the machine flakes at home and runs fine in the store.

 

[djcream]

Could be a noise problem, when both monitors are running at the same time.

But it looks like the graphics card is running into problems with both monitors at the same time.

Running a line conditioning UPS (one with AVR)?

---

EDIT: the reason i asked about the UPS with AVR, is that is usually a question to ask if the machine flakes at home and runs fine in the store.

Thanks for the reply - I'm not that familiar with the terms UPS & AVR, but googled them and yes, I do have the computer and the monitors plugged into a power strip. I'll try switching everything to direct wall outlets & see if that makes a difference.

I also noticed that the kernel panics seem to be more frequent the longer the computer is running - so that could be a heat issue? Although I haven't noticed the fan coming on at all.

 

[FireSlash]

You probably won't 'Notice' the fan, the Mac Pros are incredibly quiet.

Download an app called iStat to monitor your temps and fan speeds. The fans shouldn't stop, but they'll probably idle between 500-800 rpm depending on the fan.

 

[djcream]

You probably won't 'Notice' the fan, the Mac Pros are incredibly quiet.

Download an app called iStat to monitor your temps and fan speeds. The fans shouldn't stop, but they'll probably idle between 500-800 rpm depending on the fan.

Thanks I'll do that.

Does anyone know what the info in the log means? Or what the AHT results mean?

 

[Sun Baked]

Noise is related to how dirty the power coming out of the wall is.

Picking up everything and moving it to another circuit in the house, one less loaded may be a good test to see if you are trying to run on a noisy circuit.

Try to find one without fans, fluorescent lights, electric motors (refridge, wall ac, etc.) on it.

Also lights flickering, dimming every now and then, etc. generally indicate a potential for problems on sensitive equipment, or an overloaded circuit.

Edit: of course I've run into a problem with a mac where it wouldn't work within 3 ft. of an older tv and moving the tower to the other side of the desk solved several problems.

 

[Sun Baked]

If it isn't a home power problem, likely the ATI card is going.

Has some failure points that sound a lot like yours.

 

[djcream]

Thanks. I've been running it on the same power cord/ powerstrip with one monitor for 2 days with no kernel panics. The technicians are coming to my home with parts they foresee needing, so I will ask them to bring whatever is needed to fix a video card problem.